How Would You Change "Deep Space Nine"?

[Bad Thoughts]

Yes, yes, I know.

The heresy panel will be convened shortly.

Shouldn't take long. I'm already stacking the wood.

 

[Farscape One]

And I've got the lighter...

 

[fireproof78]

Finally, the right to a speedy condemnation is taken seriously!

 

[plebotamus]

I don't want to lose Worf, but I've always thought it would have been interesting if the writers had brought over Troi instead. She wouldn't be able to read the Ferengi, she'd be able to counsel when needed, and the war really could have given her character more growth. And it would have added another female character.

Otherwise, I wish we could have seen bald/bearded Sisko from episode 1.

 

[at Quark's]

Anti-War movement. I found it so odd that in a show about war involving a mostly pacifistic/diplomatic society that there wasn't an anti-war movement on Earth (at least featured on the show). Feels like that could have caused a lot of good morality plays. Especially with Starfleet nearly attempting to create a military coup, Founder inspired or not.

Now that you mention it, that would have been an interesting idea.

There of course was the recommendation of that 'think tank' in Statistical Probabilities that as the Federation couldn't win, it therefore would be better to surrender to the Dominion to prevent 900 billion deaths. They weren't taken seriously, but I wonder whether more people actually thought that way.

 

[WarpTenLizard]

• Have Jadzia return in spirit via Trill rituals, the Mirror Universe, etc, and guide Ezri
• Have Ezri counsel Alexander through his grief of losing two mothers to murder.
• Don't have Odo betrays friends and endanger the galaxy to frak himself-with-tits

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

• Don't have Odo betrays friends and endanger the galaxy to frak himself-with-tits

But then we wouldn't have gotten storming through the corridors to smash his doorbell, and I don't want to live in a world that doesn't show the Major are her most murderously furious.

 

[fireproof78]

• Have Ezri counsel Alexander through his grief of losing two mothers to murder.

• Don't have Odo betrays friends and endanger the galaxy to frak himself-with-tits

I agree with both of these.

 

[gweeps]

No Worf. The show was better when it just did the occasional nod to previous Trek.

 

[gweeps]

I suppose the only thing I would change about DS9 would be to get rid of all the religious stuff about the prophets and the emissary.

I'm not religious anymore, but I still find it a unique aspect of Star Trek, especially for a Starfleet member.

 

[gweeps]

Doing a re-watch now, I'd say the ONLY thing I'd change would be to accelerate to the unique and interesting stuff much quicker.

Dukat and Garak only make 1-2 appearances in the entire 1st season...get them going earlier and more often.
Get into the political/religious turmoil on Bajor quicker and more often.
Introduce the threat of the Dominion much earlier...and create the build-up.
Assign the USS Defiant to the station earlier

So...general theme: keep everything the same, but start the really intriguing stuff sooner. I have a feeling the writers hadn't really identified what the show was really going to "be about" when the 1st and 2nd seasons were in production. There were some great episodes in there, but knowing what comes later and how absolutely great it gets...it's really hard getting through the 1st and 2nd seasons. Many of them are written more like TNG, but on a station rather than the unique and special show DS9 would become.

I really like the slow burn start, with the occasional hints at what was to come, either foreshadowed or retconned later. They eased into the story arcs which was the right thing to do, gave us more time to better get to know the numerous characters.

 

[fireproof78]

No Worf. The show was better when it just did the occasional nod to previous Trek.

I go back and forth on this one. On the one hand, some of the Worf episodes in DS9 were more fun than anything that I found with the character in TNG. On the other hand, some of Worf's episodes in DS9 were among the worst so I think possibly redoing some of his character work to include other characters might be more appropriate.

I'll also add to the discussion of "Don't go to Earth."

 

[Phily B]

No Section 31. Or at least restrict it to the one episode while throwing doubt on it.

 

[Poltargyst]

Worf was a great addition to DS9.

 

[Sketcher]

Newer classes of ships for the fleet battles. I hated how most the time we'd see nothing but Galaxy, Miranda, and Excelsior class ships fighting the Dominion. Especially after First Contact, I thought we would be moving onto newer ship designs that amounted to more than the occasional Akira cameo. Same for races like the Klingons and Romulans. War breeds innovation, and this was a good time as any to start bringing in fresh new designs for the capital ships.

 

[Space Socialist]

I would’ve had the writers clarify what rank Chief O’Brien actually was earlier on – in TNG he was seemingly a lieutenant who was transporter chief, in the novelisation of DS9 pilot Emissary he was apparently an Ensign Junior Grade(!), and later on in DS9 we get it near enough confirmed he was a senior chief petty officer (or near enough), with chevron-based rank badge.

 

[kkt]

I would’ve had the writers clarify what rank Chief O’Brien actually was earlier on – in TNG he was seemingly a lieutenant who was transporter chief, in the novelisation of DS9 pilot Emissary he was apparently an Ensign Junior Grade(!), and later on in DS9 we get it near enough confirmed he was a senior chief petty officer (or near enough), with chevron-based rank badge.

Well, yes, but it's such a little thing. We know O'Brien does a heck of a lot of work keeping things running, and has to say "Yes Sir" to just about everybody except Quark and Keiko, and that's all we really need to know about his rank.

 

[Farscape One]

O'Brien's rank was always an inconsistency that was never fully resolved. DS9 tried with his unique pip and his 'senior chief specialist' line when he said how his father introduced him to people. But it really felt like it became a sort of inside joke in the franchise.

 

[Poltargyst]

Well, yes, but it's such a little thing. We know O'Brien does a heck of a lot of work keeping things running, and has to say "Yes Sir" to just about everybody except Quark and Keiko, and that's all we really need to know about his rank.

He has to say "yes, ma'am" to Keiko.

 

[Farscape One]

I was thinking about posting that.