Bajorans in Starfleet on Deep Space Nine: A Missed Opportunity?

[Bacl]

I have always fel tthat one of the missed storylines that would have been fabulous for Deep Space Nine would have been to see some Bajorans in Starfleet on the station.

How exactly do non-Starfleet Bajorans feel about those serving in Starfleet?

It seems as though there were quite a few Bajorans in Starfleet during the occupation, and thus, many in Starfleet AFTER the occupation.

I'm guessing most of these Starfleet Bajorans were the children of lucky refugees that escaped the Cardassians and made it to safety in the Federation. Maybe a few others escaped personally. Either way, they chose to join a very elite organization of the best in the galaxy and serve Starfleet, even though Starfleet would not intervene in the occupation of their homeworld.

Where did they think they were going with their lives during their time in Starfleet? Had they given up on Bajor?

When Bajor was freed and Starfleet wanted to get them back on their feet and maybe even in the Federation, did these Starfleet Bajoran requent en masse to be assigned to Deep Space Nine?

Or the opposite? Did they stay away from Bajor because they would be viewed as people who abandoned Bajor in her time of need?

What would Major Kira make of Sito Jaxa if she had to serve with her? She might view her as a spoiled brat who either escaped Bajor at a young age, or was born in the Federation and never knew the true horrors of the occupation.

It is too bad we never got to explore a storyline like that.

 

[sonak]

Well they had Kira and her resentment toward Starfleet at the beginning of the show, but DS9 as a show dropped a lot of the internal conflict elements by season 2. I'd guess your views on how the non-Starfleet Bajorans would've viewed the Starfleet ones is accurate.


They could also have viewed this somewhat ambivalent attitude toward the Federation when the issue of Bajoran membership came up. Attitudes seemed to soften with Sisko as the emissary, but the Bajorans would still have good reason to view the Federation with mistrust due to their inaction during the Cardassian occupation.

 

[neozeks]

This is exactly why Ro Laren turning up in a few DS9 episodes would have been awesome. Pity it never happened. Imagine the possibilities of Kira and Ro working together...

 

[C.E. Evans]

Well, they originally wanted Ro to be Sisko's XO for DS9 but actress Michelle Forbes didn't want to do it--or so the story goes...

 

[Anwar]

It wouldn't have made sense for Ro to be the XO in the first place. She'd just be an Ensign, not ranking enough.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Well, they originally wanted Ro to be Sisko's XO for DS9 but actress Michelle Forbes didn't want to do it--or so the story goes...

The story is true. I got to see Michelle Forbes when she appeared at Armageddon Expo in Melbourne. Someone asked if she regretted not continuing the role of Ro Laren on DS9. Forbes replied by saying that at the time she felt 'she was too young to get married' and didn't want to commit to a series.

Forbes said she wanted to explore movies and various other projects and felt that she had made the right choice by not committing to DS9. FWIW, Michelle Forbes is very lovely and very very down to earth.

 

[apollo1984]

It wouldn't have made sense for Ro to be the XO in the first place. She'd just be an Ensign, not ranking enough.

I thought that she got promoted to luitenant just before her final episode after passing her Advanced tactical training course.

Though none of that would matter to Bajor it would not matter what her starfleet rank was they could have given her any bajoran rank, Kira was in the resistance yet after the occupation decided to give her the rank of Major.

 

[Navaros]

DS9 is already chockful of far too much incessant Bajoran whining as is, via Kira and almost every Bajoran guest-of-the-week character, especially in the first two seasons.

Adding what you are suggesting, Bacl, would just compound that problem and therefore make the show worse.

I do agree that the principle of adding conflict to a drama is a good one. For that reason, your idea is a good one on paper. It just doesn't work because with Bajorans in particular, except for when originating with Winn, conflict results in immensely annoying unwatchability rather than entertainment.

 

[Finn]

It wouldn't have made sense for Ro to be the XO in the first place. She'd just be an Ensign, not ranking enough.

I thought that she got promoted to luitenant just before her final episode after passing her Advanced tactical training course.

That happened well after DS9 started....

 

[C.E. Evans]

It wouldn't have made sense for Ro to be the XO in the first place. She'd just be an Ensign, not ranking enough.

I think they probably would have promoted her to lieutenant specifically for the job. We know that double promotions are not uncommon in Starfleet, and the XO spot on a run-down, second-hand space station like DS9 probably could have been filled by a lieutenant if necessary, IMO.

 

[sonak]

especially since the station commander wasn't even a captain at the beginning.

 

[MHT1138]

I always wanted to see Sito on DS9. I have always thought that was a missed opportunity. I thought that since they made Sito's death just a little bit ambiguous, they would bring her back on DS9. I was pretty disappointed they didn't. It would've really cool, especially after Worf was assigned to DS9

 

[CaptainStoner]

Imagine the possibilities of Kira and Ro working together...

 

[PorthosShadow]

I always wanted to see Sito on DS9. I have always thought that was a missed opportunity. I thought that since they made Sito's death just a little bit ambiguous, they would bring her back on DS9. I was pretty disappointed they didn't. It would've really cool, especially after Worf was assigned to DS9

I remember reading somewhere that TPTB on DS9 considered bringing back Sito for an episode or two given that her death was rather "ambigious". However, I think the reason for not doing it would have taken some of the sting that was injected in "Lower Decks".