But that's my point. What difference does it make in a book? Just imagine it looks like it always did.
I rather like that one actually. Nice use of the spacedock and drydock elements. However, I changed the image to a link because you should only link to images on your own host.
Why destroy the station in the first place? Besides didn't they tow Empok Nor into the Bajor System (it was a DS9/SCE crossover)? Couldn't they have just activated it and had it become Deep Space 9-A?
For the same reasons the original Enterprise and the Enterprise-D were destroyed--to do something shocking that forever changes the status quo. I think in-universe, Starfleet may have decided to build a new state-of-the-art starbase that met Federation specifications and requirements rather than try to repurpose another abandoned Cardassian ore facility.
Somehow, the new design doesn't bug me much. That window probably isn't glass; does anybody remember that scene in "First Contact" where Picard demonstrates a force field window to Lily? On a slightly (un)related note, I wonder if this picture rings a bell with anybody?
IIRC, Empok Nor wasn't repairable as a whole, it was just useful for spare parts. What I want to know about the pylons on the new DS9 is, what exactly are they for? When the pylons on the old station didn't connect at the top, it's obvious what they were for - starship docking. Do the pylons on the new station stand for anything except decoration? They don't connect to anything, do they?
Those Nor class space stations were old and decrepit rust buckets I'm not surprised they would opt for a modern replacement
They ripped out the old fusion cores for DS9, since those were ejected when they overloaded thanks to sabotage early in the Relaunch. Cardassia couldn't supply new cores since their entire industrial infrastructure was messed up after the war. As for a new station being build, if you read the books, it was made clear it was as much a symbol as a necesity. To show the Typhon Pact that the Federation won't be bullied down, and that they will rebuild. I think you could almost compare it to what the new Tower being build in New York. To rebuild exactly what was, can open up old wounds for some. But to build something new, something out of the ashes so to speak, is a powerfull symbol for some.
From the images it looks like there are only ports near the base, two on each side. There might be some on the outside edge, but you can't really see any in the images that are floating around. The cover of "A Ceremony of Losses" shows these ports side ports. I wonder what that thing at the base of the pylon is, maybe a weapons emplacement? Apparently those rings above and below the central core are magnetically suspended defence rings.
I don't hate it. I'm not a huge fan of it, but they certainly could have done worse. They also could have done better.