DS9 is excellent TV. Battlestar Galactica is up there too. I had similar feelings when I finished the series. Voyager is also very good. If you like sci-fi, Stargate is also seriously good.
It’s sad to see what happened to Avery Brooks. He’s totally off the deep end. He wouldn’t (or couldn’t) appear on the DS9 reunion movie, What We Left Behind.
He started saying some very weird things in the media, then stopped acting entirely and dropped off the map. Occasionally people would reach out to him to see how he’s doing and what he’s working on. Here is one interview William Shatner tried. It’s bizarre, but I can only find a small clip now. Avery kept answering in songs and riddles, as though mocking Shatner.
I always got a weird vibe about him. My first attempt at watching DS9 I had to stop after w few episodes because I just really disliked his acting. I'm glad I returned to finish the series.
The premise is so simple and endlessly flexible. They explore ALL the sci-fi tropes (some I’m sure they created). Great actors and characters. I always had a soft spot for Richard Dean Anderson.