Nobody's perfect. Everyone has something working against them, no matter how fortunate their birth circumstances or training. For personnel aboard Deep Space 4, their records note any known hindrances so that administrative personnel can best plan around them.

Disadvantages are listed with a negative value in Development Points. If a character wishes to reduce or eliminate a Disadvantage during play, they have to spend Experience Points equal to four times this value (assuming they are in a situation that allows it). Characters who gain a Disadvantage during play do not receive additional Experience Points for doing so.

In some situations, removal of a Disadvantage may be simply replacing it with another. Someone's Shady Background may become publicly known, giving them Diminished Social Status instead. A Medical Problem may be remedied by pharmaceuticals, but result in an Addiction.

Unlike with Advantages, all Disadvantages can be acquired during play — ones that look like inborn flaws can still be gained through injury, exposure to foreign elements, or unusual situations. Others are reflective of circumstances, and may reflect the ongoing effects of poor decision-making.