Julian Bashir was born with a substantially subnormal IQ due to a genetic defect, a fact which caused his parents considerable worry. Unable to have the problem treated in the Federation due to the ban on Genetic Engineering, they took Bashir to an alien hospital at an early age and had him artificially enhanced. As a result of this Bashir gained an extremely high level of intelligence.1 The young Bashir was a very keen tennis player, and with the enhanced hand-to-eye co-ordination his genetic engineering had given him he was of professional level. However, he suffered from some degree of guilt concerning his 'unfair' advantage and never really pursued his tennis career2; this subconscious attempt to deny himself success is a theme which would recur several times during his life.3In any case, since repairing a teddy bear as a child4 his first love had always been medicine and he abandoned tennis to join Starfleet.3 Given the ban on genetically enhanced humans within the service, Bashir was forced to cover up his past when he joined.1 In the Academy Bashir was amongst the top of his class, but in his final exam he mistook a pre-ganglionic fibre for a post-ganglionic nerve5 - despite the fact that these are nothing alike -3 and ended up second overall.5 Two years after graduation Bashir was assigned to DS9; on the way to the station he met Jadzia Dax and instantly felt a strong attraction.6 Once again he held himself back, and ended up settling for friendship with Jadzia.7
In 2371 Bashir disturbed a Lethean who was robbing his infirmary. The Lethian launched a telepathic attack against the Doctor, putting him into a coma within which he suffered from nightmares caused by his subconscious. Bashir survived the attack, and ultimately emerged from it with a greater acceptance of himself.3
His past finally caught up with him in 2373, when he was chosen as the template for the new Long-term Medical Hologram being designed by Doctor Zimmerman. Zimmerman conducted detailed interviews with all of Bashirs friends and invited his parents to the station; whilst on board they let the truth about his genetic enhancement slip. Bashir father agreed to serve a two year prison sentence if Bashir was allowed to continue in the service1; since this time Bashir has become much more secure with himself and has even began to assist with the treatment of patients whose genetic engineering has not been successful.8
In 2374 a secret organization named Section 31 attempted to recruit Bashir.9 He later discovered that Section 31 had created a disease which had infected Odo and, through him, the rest of the Great Link.10 Bashir was able to trick Sloan, a Section 31 operative, into coming to Deep Space Nine so that he could use a mind probe to find the cure. Although Sloan killed himself during the procedure, Bashir was able to get the information he wanted11 and use it to cure the Founders.12
Bashir and Ezri Dax were strongly attracted to one another, and shortly before the end of the war they became a couple. Both remain on Deep Space Nine.12
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