Any particular reason why half the cast don't appear in Season 2's "Paradise"?

[Terok Nor]

I've always wondered this. Fair enough most of the episode takes place off the station and centres on Sisko and O'Brien but there is a bit of it set on DS9 that features Dax and Kira. Usually the writers would include the other regulars in a token scene but there's no sign of Odo and Bashir anywhere. Quark really had no business in this episode so it makes sense he doesn't appear and Jake was only semi regular so that accounts for him not appearing. Is this the spin off episode with the least number of regulars appearing?

Off topic, but that woman Alixus is a pill.

 

[tomalak301]

I think they just had to pay all the guest actors in this episode and why double up. And yes, Alixus was a pill.

 

[MacLeod]

I think they just had to pay all the guest actors in this episode and why double up. And yes, Alixus was a pill.

The main cast likely got paid whther they were in it or not (depending on contract)

 

[Bad Thoughts]

My speculation: to make maximum use of Colm Meaney. This episode is among a patch of O'Brien heavy episodes; these may all have been planned around his movie work.

 

[STEPhon IT]

I've always wondered this. Fair enough most of the episode takes place off the station and centres on Sisko and O'Brien but there is a bit of it set on DS9 that features Dax and Kira. Usually the writers would include the other regulars in a token scene but there's no sign of Odo and Bashir anywhere. Quark really had no business in this episode so it makes sense he doesn't appear and Jake was only semi regular so that accounts for him not appearing. Is this the spin off episode with the least number of regulars appearing?

Off topic, but that woman Alixus is a pill.

The script didn't require them to be there. Nothing unusual about this.
Alixus and the conclusion of the episode was a strange one.
Sisko shows what a strong man he was and a powerful symbol against distorted people and their ethics. Stoning Alixus should've been the proper conclusion, but any kind of extreme violence toward a woman of any kind would never pass censors. Like a lot of the first 3 seasons of DS9; the stories were powerful, and effective.
Imagine implanting THAT story in the 4th thru 7th seasons??? I honestly doubt the conclusion would be the same. It wouldn't fit the EXPLOSION quota.

 

[dub]

The script didn't require them to be there. Nothing unusual about this.
Alixus and the conclusion of the episode was a strange one.
Sisko shows what a strong man he was and a powerful symbol against distorted people and their ethics. Stoning Alixus should've been the proper conclusion, but any kind of extreme violence toward a woman of any kind would never pass censors. Like a lot of the first 3 seasons of DS9; the stories were powerful, and effective.
Imagine implanting THAT story in the 4th thru 7th seasons??? I honestly doubt the conclusion would be the same. It wouldn't fit the EXPLOSION quota.

yeesh. You manage to hate on the later seasons of DS9 regardless of the topic.

 

[Kemaiku]

They did drag on a bit in the end.

 

[urbandefault]

The one particular reason that half the cast didn't appear is because they weren't in the script. Not necessary to the story. As the Borg might say, irrelevant. No face candy required.

 

[dub]

They did drag on a bit in the end.

Haters gonna hate.

 

[Terok Nor]

Let's be honest, there were many episodes across all the spin offs that didn't actually require certain characters to appear but they were shoehorned in anyway. "The Wire" from DS9 Season 2 has Sisko appear for about 5 seconds and do nothing of importance. I was just posing the question of why that wasn't the case with "Paradise".

The one particular reason that half the cast didn't appear is because they weren't in the script. Not necessary to the story. As the Borg might say, irrelevant. No face candy required.

You don't say

 

[DS9forever]

Sisko was in another scene in The Wire that was deleted.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Let's be honest, there were many episodes across all the spin offs that didn't actually require certain characters to appear but they were shoehorned in anyway. "The Wire" from DS9 Season 2 has Sisko appear for about 5 seconds and do nothing of importance. I was just posing the question of why that wasn't the case with "Paradise".

I don't think you will find an episode specific answer, either one that is germaine to the production or the story. DS9 was a big Winnebago like the Enterprise: it didn't have to take everyone along when telling a story. I think what we are seeing is an early manifestation of the series willingly allowing guest and recurring characters take a prominent role in the narrative. And looking more closely at the story itself, I would argue that Kira and Dax were the only two additional characters the story needed: those who could discover the runabout and who could make command decisions. They are in the story solely for the purpose of wrapping it up.