Why “Deep Space Nine”?

[TommyR01D]

Isn't the issue mentioned in the pilot? Bashir talks excitedly about "frontier medicine" and Kira snarks that for her it's home.

The Federation had hundreds of ships and stations so would have needed a system of designations, but for Bajor it was the only one so they might not have even needed to give it a name.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

The station is introduced as a Bajoran station that the Federation is merely helping to administer. So why is it called “Deep Space Nine”? At the start of the series, when it gets that name, it’s in orbit of Bajor, not in “deep space” from the Bajoran perspective, let alone the ninth deep space station. Why doesn’t it have a name that makes sense from the Bajoran perspective?

You might enjoy this thread we had going for awhile: https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/no-longer-deep-space-renaming-ds9.298006/

 

[Trekker09]

What need would Bajorans have for inspiring Bajoran slave laborers to build a station for an occupying power?

Well, to be clear....the Cardassians forced the Bajorans to construct the mining station for them. I’m just going by what Memory Alpha says on this point.

 

[Watersluis]

What need would Bajorans have for inspiring Bajoran slave laborers to build a station for an occupying power?

How little do you know of the historical circumstances of slavery.

In times of great need, a man will sell his own children into slavery, so that the others may survive for another year.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

How little do you know of the historical circumstances of slavery.

In times of great need, a man will sell his own children into slavery, so that the others may survive for another year.

Care to reread what I wrote?

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I always just assumed that after the Cardassians withdrew Bajor would've been quite happy to leave the station abandoned or scuttle it, given it's role in subjugating the population, but when the Provisional Government asked for Federation assistance (as well as petitioned for entry) and Starfleet was assigned to administer relief aid (and assess them for membership) they were gifted the station to use as a base of operations. With no official designation from the Provisional Government or Militia (other than Terok Nor) they wouldn't really object to Starfleet naming it for their own administrative and operational purposes.

 

[somebuddyX]

"You have two choices: Starbase 759 or Deep Space 8."
"Uh, we'll take the latter."
"Too slow, you're Deep Space 9."

 

[STEPhon IT]

Remind me of that scene where they spell out why the station doesn't have a Bajoran name.

Sisko's first station log was enough to figure it out; its enough to understand the Federation is there and the station will be designated (DEEP SPACE NINE) as such as long as the Federation is there. No spelling it out why, I never said that.

 

[Michael]

Sisko's first station log was enough to figure it out; its enough to understand the Federation is there and the station will be designated (DEEP SPACE NINE) as such as long as the Federation is there. No spelling out it why, I never said that.

I don't know. Everyone in this thread understands the name “Deep Space Nine” and why Starfleet would name one of its stations like that. But the question was why it didn't have a Bajoran name. The Federation coming in to support the Bajorans doesn't necessarily explain why they wouldn't give it a Bajoran designation. You made it sound like the pilot does in fact give an explanation for that, which I don't think it does.

 

[STEPhon IT]

You mean, you interpreted what I wrote and assumed the following. That was not what I wrote. DS9 was not a series that spelled everything out; it really thought its audience was smarter than that and could understand what was there.

 

[Unicron]

Deep Space 1-8 were not entirely successful.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Deep Space 1-8 were not entirely successful.

Deep Space 4 disappeared Into a space/time anomaly 24 hours after becoming operational.

 

[XCV330]

Deep Space 1-8 were not entirely successful.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/deep-space-1-ds1
Deep Space 1 was phenomenal. First test of of an ion engine for an asteroid fly-by.

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=DEEPSP2
Deep Space 2.. not so successful

Maybe the UESPA versions were better in the Trek universe.

edit: this was tongue in cheek.

 

[dupersuper]

Deep Space 1-8 were not entirely successful.

Deep Space 4 disappeared Into a space/time anomaly 24 hours after becoming operational.

This is the story of the last of the deep space stations. It was our last best hope for peace...it failed. But during the Dominion War it became something more: out last best hope....for victory.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Just reading that put a vivid image into my head of the Defiant turning around in front of a purple nebula right before a lens flare sweeps past and the Deep Space 9 logo appears.

 

[SJGardner]

I can absolutely hear the seventh season intro featuring a montage with voiceover quotes like
"No one here is exactly what he appears" - Garak to Bashir when they first meet
"Nothing's the same anymore" - Sisko after the loss of the Odyssey and the warning of Eris
"Why don't you eliminate the entire Bajoran homeworld?" - Dukat to Weyoun when negotiating to join the Dominion
"General Hague Admiral Leyton has signed a decree today, declaring martial law" - FNN announcer
"Now get the hell out of our quadrant!" - Sisko subjecting the female Founder to his trademark yell

 

[at Quark's]

I would imagine that the Bajorans weren't too happy about this Cardassian 'slave pit' inheritance, and didn't quite know what to do with it in the first place. I would imagine it probably had some Bajoran nickname during the occupation, but that one probably wouldn't have been suitable as an official name.

Also, Bajor didn't seem to have been free of Cardassians for very long before the Federation moved in, and certainly the provisional government had more pressing matters to attend to than thinking up an appropriate Bajoran name for that monstrosity. They were probably happy to be rid of it by 'lending' it to the Federation for the time being and use the Federation name they would come up with (and dump Kira on it as an added bonus to have her out of their sights, as well).

 

[Legate Duhmar]

As others have said, the term Deep Space refers to distance from Starfleet headquarters, not Bajor

All DS9 fans should be aware of this, its a "Deep Space" station as far as Starfleet is concerned as its on the frontier of Federation space. The Cardassian border wars, the rough and tumble Maquis expansion, always far from Starships/reinforcements etc. I always wished there was a way for them to show a map of the Alpha/Beta quandrants presented in cannon. I love maps and it helps to provide immediate context, reference points and depth to anything involved.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Yeah, I understand why they were reluctant to show maps, because the more they pin things down, the more that's going to be contradicted later, but I would've really liked some maps. Proper 3D maps.

 

[Alisa K]

My best guess; cathy name ‍¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They could've easily just named it with any number that hasn't been mentioned anywhere before, but I think Deep Space Nine just has a nice ring to it.