An idea for a "what if" scenario popped into my head just this morning, so I thought I'd stick it here and see what folks thought (or if they had any of their own). What if Michelle Forbes had agreed to the series then done a Denise Crosby and asked to be let out of her contract at the end of Season 1? What would be the best way for her to leave? Killed off like Tasha was, brought forward the Maquis story and have her defect, going MIA somewhere, retiring from Starfleet to become a Vedek? I think having her still join the Maquis, with the odd guest spot here and there would've been the best way to go. Not a thorn in DS9's side but a complication they face when encountering the Maquis. After her departure, the Bajoran government demands on having their own liaison on the station and thus we have Major Kira taking her place.
Somehow, I'm now imagining her in Eddington's role, continuously outsmarting both Sisko and Riker (brought in because he has some previous experience with her)....
Wouldn't this be a better case for killing off the character (than what happened with Dax)? The series was designed to be more place-specific, and a Bajoran character would be the dramatic anchoring point. Having Forbes quit as a regular character, but continually returning, would probably weaken whatever Bajoran character replaced her, being more Ro 2.0 than her or his own thing. Perhaps if Ro's connection to the series would be only as a member of the Maquis, then the tensions could be amplified by making Ro and Major Whoever more adversarial.
And outsmarting Kira if Kira was brought in to the station to replace her. Kira vs. Forbes' character could have been as epic a battle as Sisko vs. Eddington.
I just can't see Major Kira being second banana or a replacement for Ro for a second season, even though Nana Visitor was to Ms. Forbes for the series. Sorry, I love Kira more than Ro Laren and I wouldn't mind if the treatment was done in reverse if Nana decided to leave the series after season 6 and Forbes replaced her. Not a fan of killing characters off unless they've become irrelevant and there's no redeeming quality to be saved. To answer your "What if?" Bry_Sinclair , I would've had Ro mysteriously disappear along with several other crew members, preferably Bajoran, like in the pilot of that crappy HBO series "The Leftovers". This phenomena could be something the crew could follow up in later seasons while keeping Ro's character intact. Cardassians were sinister back then and they could've been responsible for or at least prime suspects of these disappearances. The wormhole element may be an angle to throw this plot because at that point it was still a mystery for the viewer.
The worst kill-off was Dax... have the character's death, then it's like "just kidding, Dax is back." It's as bad as the death of Superman... Kill Superman (or Dax). He (she) stays dead. A powerful, heart-wrenching tale of a person's heroic sacrifice in the name of the greater good. Kill Superman (or Dax) and then bring them right back. A vicious slap across our collective face.
You would think that Pagh Wraith energy discharge would have fried everything in Jadzia, including the symbiont. But yes, I agree. Losing not only Jadzia, but the accumulated experience and wisdom of the Dax symbiont itself, would have been far more of a gut punch. It would be a different S7 obviously. For Worf, it would have been easier!
One season was not enough time to develop a new character, especially one with the potential of Ezri Dax.
Or Spock. At least for Dax there was already backstory for the symbiont living on in a new host. Spock just invented a new way to use the Vulcan mental powers that had never been used before.
Which is why I hate at the end of Nemesis they have B-4 seemingly become the new Data. So glad they didn't go with that in Picard.
I agree but I also think if so much time hadn't passed and Spiner could have realistically played the age-less Data/B-4 convincingly for longer and more complicated scenes they may well have done. With the 'What If' scenario - I can totally see Ro Laren feeling stifled with the influence Star Fleet and the Federation had on proceedings so Michelle Forbes leaving after one year wouldn't have felt all that unusual. I would like to have seen some scenes of Kira vs Ro, particularly as it could've shown how people with essentially the same viewpoint can still disagree. Hopefully, Kira Nerys replacing the feisty warrior Ro Laren wouldn't have watered down those same characteristics in Kira.
Sometimes, a loss turns into a great gain. Ro was an interesting character, and her contentiousness would have fit in well on DS9. And, Michelle Forbes would have been a fine addition to the DS9 cast. But... she opted out, and instead, we got Kira Nerys, a character built from the ground up for the new series. Without her unique combination of feistiness and faith, DS9 wouldn't have been the same. Something similar happened on Voyager, when their original choice as the captain proceeded to strike out. The next batter was Kate Mulgrew, and she proceeded to knock it out of the park.
It would better for Ro to leave and lead a group of Maquis, either with or without Eddington around, and be a recurring character. There’s enough drama that can happen with Sisko, Kira, O’Brien & Worf alone. Not even including Garak, Dukat, or the Kais. She could even end up lost in the Delta Quadrant while trying to evade pursuit from the Defiant and be found by Voyager in one of the later seasons.