A Female Commander

[Bry_Sinclair]

Can't remember exactly where but I did hear that during the development of DS9 the producers did include the prospect of the station having a female Commander.

With that in mind would you have liked to have seen an all new original character (Benita Sisko perhaps) or is there a guest character you think deserved to have a shot at her own spin off?

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I think the series was built around a captain who could be both more emotional, more volcanic, than previous captains and who could capably be seen as a religious icon. By no means would that preclude a woman playing the lead, but I find it difficult to see among the previous female characters one that would be an adequate lead.

ETA: In terms of gravitas, Suzie Plakson would have been adequate, although I find her performances to be a little samey. After Kheylar, I think it would be weird.

 

[Jayson1]

I think it might have been interesting if Admiral Nachevev had been used more than Admiral Ross on the show. Ross is okay but I loved the Nacheavev character. She was tough and something of a ass but in a good way. I think she would have even added more conflict to the show.

Also what if the show had made KIra a Starfleet officer around season 3 and the offical captain of the Defiant meaning Sisko would even have to give in to her authority on missions which involved the ship unless Starfleet specifically wanted him to lead a mission. Worf could have become the stations new first officer since the job he did have was kind of vague. You introduce Shakkar as first officer then you kill him or making him become the Bajoran leader when Worf comes aboard in season 4 and becomes the new first officer.

Jason

 

[marlboro]

Female commander? She'd probably get the station lost in the Gamma Quadrant before the pilot was even over.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Not sure if that post was honestly sexist or ironically sexist, but either way the forum should have a block function.

The problem with using Nachevev is that she was established as being at odds with the cast and the Admiral working directly with Sisko had to be 100% on Sisko's side. But easily could have been female.

Sisko being female would make the character come off very different. It would have been harder to make the character as emotional as Sisko because it might have been interpreted more negatively. And as a religious figure she might have been seen more of a healer and nurturer than a shepherd. Also socially with the cast, she'd be expected to be more personally open with Kira.

 

[Jayson1]

I don't see why the Admiral needed to always be on Sisko side. Mostly though I just like the actress better than the actor they got for Ross.

Jason

 

[kkt]

I think it might have been interesting if Admiral Nachevev had been used more than Admiral Ross on the show. Ross is okay but I loved the Nacheavev character. She was tough and something of a ass but in a good way. I think she would have even added more conflict to the show.

Also what if the show had made KIra a Starfleet officer around season 3 and the offical captain of the Defiant meaning Sisko would even have to give in to her authority on missions which involved the ship unless Starfleet specifically wanted him to lead a mission. Worf could have become the stations new first officer since the job he did have was kind of vague. You introduce Shakkar as first officer then you kill him or making him become the Bajoran leader when Worf comes aboard in season 4 and becomes the new first officer.

Jason

I'm not sure why Starfleet would give permanent command of a Federation-built, Federation-commissioned Starship to a Bajoran, when Bajor wasn't even a Federation member. What does Kira know about Starfleet? She hasn't been the academy or come up through the ranks. Kira is idle for the Bajoran liason officer role: DS9 was built by Bajoran labor and is owned by Bajor. It's only right there should be a Bajoran as a senior officer. Starfleet would want one if its own officers in command because it's their troops and equipment keeping Bajor safe, but a second in command makes sense.

 

[Jayson1]

I'm not sure why Starfleet would give permanent command of a Federation-built, Federation-commissioned Starship to a Bajoran, when Bajor wasn't even a Federation member. What does Kira know about Starfleet? She hasn't been the academy or come up through the ranks. Kira is idle for the Bajoran liason officer role: DS9 was built by Bajoran labor and is owned by Bajor. It's only right there should be a Bajoran as a senior officer. Starfleet would want one if its own officers in command because it's their troops and equipment keeping Bajor safe, but a second in command makes sense.

Well they could do a story where Starfleet wanted to assign a regular Starfleet captain to the ship but SIsko was able to talk Starfleet into going with his choice much in the same way he backed Odo in being allowed to stay in charge of security. PLus the Defiant isn't a regular ship since it's attached to the station most of the time so in away it's kind of like a bigger more effective Runabout.

Jason

 

[Bad Thoughts]

]What does Kira know about Starfleet? She hasn't been the academy or come up through the ranks.

This seems quite peripheral to the OP, but I think it merits saying that historically, armed forces of one state would take on the officers of neighboring states as the process of national unification went forward. They recognized the experience of such officers, especially as they were often experts on the character and training of the foot soldiers who would eventually be brought in, and maybe ask them to read up on the new army's training procedures. Ultimately, the needs to integrate the diverse militaries of emerging nation-states took precedence over the prestige of one form of military education over another. Kira represents a similar process: the integration of Bajoran military into Starfleet. There's no historical reason to believe she would be excluded as long as the process of integration were still going forward (and of course, they trusted her).

 

[Bad Thoughts]

It would have been harder to make the character as emotional as Sisko because it might have been interpreted more negatively.

I don't think it would necessarily be a problem, it would be a matter of finding the right actress. The emotionalism of Avery Brooks' Sisko could well have been ascribed to blackness by those who criticized the series. The problem is,of course, finding the actor/actress who could, at the time, embody such a huge range of emotions as written in the pilot. Every time I try to think of an actress from 25 years ago who could do so, I draw a blank--not that there were no such actresses, but that they all seem to have been established in film careers.

It might be interesting to consider how Mulgrew might have played Sisko. While I don't think we would argue that she could no be the lead of a Star Trek series, it does seem like she was cast because she made the best anti-Sisko: she was in many ways very even-keeled.

 

[Farscape One]

I think the premise of DS9, a single parent in command of the station, would not work with a female commander. For the most basic reason of all... it was much more typical, at that time, to have single mothers than single fathers as primary custody of children. Having a single father worked better as a message that humans, particularly men in that case, would grow up and take on the responsibility of being a single parent.

Also, even though it was created 2 years later, I don't think Janeway would work as a male, simply because I feel like the premise supported a more maternal than a paternal figure for command of the ship.

 

[TheSeeker]

Not sure if that post was honestly sexist or ironically sexist, but either way the forum should have a block function.

I'm assuming it was a dig at Janeway.

 

[marlboro]

Somebody asked about female first officers over in the Voyager forum the other day and I mentioned Saavik as a possible option. I think she would make a pretty interesting station commander, too. A strict logical mind having to deal with the religious faith of the Bajoran people. Being a member of a pacifistic race thrust into the heart of a galactic war. A past history with Klingons. Old enough to have had an extremely long relationship with Kurzon. Replace her half Romulan origin with the Prophets angle. There's some potential there, imo.

 

[Qonundrum]

I think it might have been interesting if Admiral Nachevev had been used more than Admiral Ross on the show. Ross is okay but I loved the Nacheavev character. She was tough and something of a ass but in a good way. I think she would have even added more conflict to the show.

^^this. Especially as she virtually tore Picard a new one over the Borg option he chose not to take in "I Borg". Would the option Picard discarded have led to the bigger problems that led to "Descent"? Probably not: The infinite loop bug they wanted to introduce would have failed as well, especially if there was a Queen hiding somewhere to stop the drones from their shiny new task (like how a computer has a task monitor that can detect frozen programs and opt to end them without affecting the stability of the whole system). But the end result? Borg would not die off, but they wouldn't become emotionally-tinged warped psychos wreaking mayhem and mass galactic slaughter for a thrill (and major plot development point) either. And that's big. Picard forgot the most important thing of all involving deprogramming from a cult, that one needs loved ones around so the deprogrammed don't go nuts. So it's ironic (and ironically brilliant, if not a decade or so too late since cults were very 1970s) that Lore turns up again - he does get a few great lines in the story...

And "Descent" story is not one of my favorite stories in terms of execution, but they had some great plot ideas to play with. Then again, so did "Justice" - both had great ideas squandered, but at least "Justice" had better incidental music and "Descent" more overall potential. Oh well...

Also, would DS9 have taken the same arc with the Dominion war and Founders? Maybe, if Nachevev had been DS9's commander. But there'd likely be no Jake Sisko, much less the on-screen chemistry between Lofton and Brooks that made every script they were in, even the duff scenes, work.

 

[MacLeod]

I think the premise of DS9, a single parent in command of the station, would not work with a female commander. For the most basic reason of all... it was much more typical, at that time, to have single mothers than single fathers as primary custody of children. Having a single father worked better as a message that humans, particularly men in that case, would grow up and take on the responsibility of being a single parent.

Also, even though it was created 2 years later, I don't think Janeway would work as a male, simply because I feel like the premise supported a more maternal than a paternal figure for command of the ship.

But couldn't you use the same argument that you used for DSN for VOY? In that Men aren't usually typically seen in the more maternal role so it could have led to story ideas. Of course each gender can do fufil both a maternal and paternal role and we shouldn't stereotype.

 

[Jayson1]

But couldn't you use the same argument that you used for DSN for VOY? In that Men aren't usually typically seen in the more maternal role so it could have led to story ideas. Of course each gender can do fufil both a maternal and paternal role and we shouldn't stereotype.

Men can do maternal stuff and women can do manly stuff but I think each group simply does them with a little different style. Hasn't anyone watched "Three Men and a Baby" or "Mr Mom" or "9 to 5" or "Cagney and Lacey?"

Jason

 

[marlboro]

Cagney and Lacey

Tyne Daly would have been great as a Bajoran.

 

[Jayson1]

Tyne Daly would have been great as a Bajoran.

I agree. She would have also been a good backup for Kai WInn if they hadn't been able to get Louise Fletcher. Of course at the time I think she was busy doing that generic law show with Amy Brennenman. Who also could have been doing more interesting stuff on "DS9."

Jason

 

[MacLeod]

Men can do maternal stuff and women can do manly stuff but I think each group simply does them with a little different style. Hasn't anyone watched "Three Men and a Baby" or "Mr Mom" or "9 to 5" or "Cagney and Lacey?"

Jason

Yes, No, No and Yes.

 

[Paradise City]

Put in Admiral Satie. OK, we'd have to work in how a disgraced retiree would get or even want a key hands on role at DS9 but bear with me.

Someone like that anyway. Someone that seems prim and proper and all statesperson like but behind the elegance lies a Machiavellian essence. I suppose you had that with Winn but the careerism was never well disgused with her.