Martin McNeil/Getty Images Chase Masterson attends a photocall at Destination Star Trek London at ExCel
To fans of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” Chase Masterson will always be everyone’s favorite Dabo girl. Leeta, a Bajoran woman who lived aboard Deep Space Nine, became a recurring character in the show’s third season.
By the fifth season, she was a regular fixture in the show’s stories. She led a worker’s rights revolution, fell in love with her boss’s brother, and became a good friend to many. Eventually, she married Rom and became the mother Nog never had. Though she wasn’t one of the core characters on the show, Leeta was beloved by Trekkers.
Masterson brought Leeta to life for more than four years. Though it’s been decades since she portrayed the character, Masterson has never really left the Trekverse. She’s a regular at “Star Trek” conventions, acted in a few Trek fan films, and reprised Leeta for Star Trek Online.
Masterson has been busy outside the Trekverse as well. Here’s what she’s been up to since her DS9 days.
Still Acting
Since “Deep Space Nine” wrapped, Masterson has continued acting. The opportunities never dried up for her, especially in the sci-fi and indie scenes. Masterson has landed roles in both television and film, and she’s done a lot of voice acting.
Most recently, she teamed up with multiple Trek alumni including Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Connor Trinneer, Michael Dorn, Nana Visitor, Linda Park, Robert Picardo, and Marina Sirtis for the sci-fi movie Unbelievable!!!!!. The film, which stars Snoop Dogg, is about an alien invasion and the aftermath.
Singing
In addition to being a talented actress, Masterson is also an incredible singer. She’s recorded two commercial albums and several independent albums. Most of her independent albums are sultry jazz music.
Masterson also recorded a “Deep Space Nine” themed album entitled “Crystal Anniversary: Songs From the Holosuite.” The album was a celebration of the show’s 15th anniversary and included covers of popular songs heard in the holosuites.
Fighting for Privacy Rights
Martin McNeil/Getty ImagesChase Masterson attends a photocall at Destination Star Trek London at ExCel
In 2003, Masterson was involved in a privacy rights lawsuit with the dating website Matchmaker.com. She sued the company for “defamation, invasion of privacy, misappropriation of right of publicity and negligence claims.”
A member of the dating site created a fake dating profile with Masterson’s name, photos, home phone number, and home address. The profile led several people to contact Masterson at her home and harass her. She started to get obscene phone calls from superfans and regular Joes alike. So, she took the dating site to court, alleging that their negligence led to her harassment.
The Ninth Circuit Court ruled against Masterson, using the precedent of the Communications Decency Act. This act establishes that the content publisher, in this case, Matchmaker.com, is not considered responsible for the actual content published on the site, in this case, the fraudulent profile.
Running an Anti-Bullying Advocacy Organization
In 2013, Masterson teamed up with well-known author Carrie Goldman to form the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying advocacy and education organization. A few years earlier, Goldman’s daughter had been bullied for liking “Star Wars.” Goldman, who ran a popular blog, wrote about it, and the story went viral.
Masterson saw the story online and reached out to Goldman. They connected and eventually, Masterson met Goldman’s daughter. At the time, Masterson was mentoring former gang members. She repeatedly heard about how bullying and abuse were part of what drove children and teens to seek the protection and kinship found in gangs.
Masterson talked about this with Goldman, and they decided that they needed to do something. They formed the Pop Culture Anti-Bullying Coalition, which focused on bringing the conversation about bullying into pop culture. They teamed up with several other non-profits, NGOs, and celebrities to get their message out into the world. The Coalition also started bringing the conversation about bullying to comic conventions by asking pop culture superstars to speak out against bullying.
In 2016, the Coalition developed a research-based anti-bullying curriculum for schools. The curriculum uses the story of a “heroic journey” to educate kids about bullying, violence, and abuse prevention.
Masterson is passionate about her work with the Coalition, as she demonstrated in a recent GalaxyCon appearance. She said that, along with her work in the Trekverse, her work with the Coalition is the work she’s most proud of.
Masterson’s future includes a lot of convention appearances, more work with the Coalition, and a few movies, which are currently in post-production.
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