Epsilon 119 was a dead star. In 2370, Professor Gideon Seyetik took a shuttlecraft carrying protomatter into the star in an attempt to re-ignite it. The experiment was a success although the professor lost his life.

Commander Benjamin Sisko later noted in his station log that the rebirth of Epsilon 119 was "a fitting memorial to a brilliant man". (DS9: "Second Sight")