How Would You Change "Deep Space Nine"?

[Arpy]

I wouldn’t actually do this, but someone mentioned getting rid of Lwaxana above and it got me thinking of an alternate universe DS9 that had a lot more TNG characters visiting the station. VOY too.

Ro Laren would have been an obvious one. Bajor gives her safe harbor after she joins the Maquis. She could be recurring and ultimately do a job that gets her pardoned.

Geordi could do a stint helping Bajor build itself a new fleet. His VISOR’s ability to distinguish Changeling from humanoid nearly gets him killed. He sleeps with a Dabo girl Quark tries to use to get insider info on the fleet.

In the first episode of a VOY centric three-parter, Admiral Paris (played by the earlier actor, not Willhelm) comes to the station on the search for his son. Angry at his lack of progress he starts to take issue with the way Sisko runs the station and his dubious role as Emissary of the Prophets. Ultimately he listens to Commander Cavit’s father urging him to fight through the pain and uncertainty and to have hope.

In the second episode, as the number of Voyager seekers dwindles, Tuvok’s wife T’Pel and Janeway’s boyfriend Mark come to the station looking for clues, hope, or closure…and end up leaving together.

In the final episode, Odo figures out there’s a Cardassian agent on the station but he and Sisko can’t figure out why, nor get anything out of Dukat. When an assassination attempt that nearly takes out half the Promenade is thwarted, Garak assists in the interrogation and we find out the Cardassians tried to kill him. He was on a ship he says was hurled across the galaxy, experimented on, and returned to the Badlands where they’d been in pursuit of Chakotay’s raider.

Something, something, Nick Locarno.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

1. It seems like every attempt to differentiate DS9 from B5 completely, utterly, and spectacularly backfired, so I'd avoid that nonsense.

2. No Dominion, no Dominion war. Stick with the original concept of a crossroads-in-space, where the "new life and new civilizations" seek us out.

 

[Farscape One]

My favorite series in the franchise. There's really only one thing I truly would change.

More Gamma Quadrant races. What we did see was quite a highly sophisticated technological quadrant... the Tosk Hunters, the Wadi, the guy who creates the holographic village in "SHADOWPLAY", the Argrathi, the Dominion.

It would have been interesting to see how advanced others were.

 

[FederationHistorian]

• Dukat defects to the Dominion instead of Cardassia joining the Dominion outright; internal conflicts between the Cardassian military and the Obsidian Order could be cited as the reason, spinning off from “Defiant”. Using that as the reasoning would also allow for more appearances from Natima Lang in future episodes in her efforts to reform Cardassia. And with the Cardassian not joining the Dominion, they maintain their alliance with the Romulans, which pits them against the Federation & Bajor, and protects them both from an expansionist Klingon Empire.

• The Dominion is explored beyond the Founders, Jem’Hadar and Vorta; I would show off a Dominion commerce ship that has Karemma, Dosi and Son’a (and later, Breen) onboard alongside Vorta and Jem’Hadar. And with the added commerce element, it would allow for stories where the Dominion heavily court the Ferengi Alliance to join them, largely because the Dominion wants to use economics in place of warfare to expand into the Alpha Quadrant, and acknowledge that latinum is the most valuable commodity in the quadrant. Which leads to a conflicted Ferengi Alliance; on one hand, from their viewpoint, conquest by economic expansion would prevent a devastating quadrant wide war and would help the Ferengi Alliance expand its influence. One the other hand, they don’t know if they can trust the Dominion, as they feel war may break out anyways regardless if they join, and Ferengi take pride in the fact they have never had a war, and don’t intent to start while being a member of the Dominion.

• I’d bring back Mardah in S7 so that Jake could propose to her. Before that in S5, Jake dates a member of the Maquis, particularly during Sisko’s issues with Eddington, which brings a bit of conflict between them.

• At the same time, when showing off different members of the Maquis, it could become cross generational and reveal someone from the TOS era is supportive of the cause. I’m thinking someone minor for that role; it could be Freeman or Lt. Kyle. It could even be Nurse Chapel or Number One or M’Benga, who like Scotty was in a transporter buffer on a shuttle for over 75 years, but unlike Scotty was rescued by the Maquis and grew sympathetic to the cause afterwards.

• I would have a small Borg arc:

S4: Sisko comes face to face with the Borg one more time in a two part episode. In the first part, it’s a big debate on the station as to whether Picard choosing not to genocide the Borg in "I, Borg" was the right idea, hearing from the O’Briens to Garak to Gowron to even Kai Winn. Since DS9 expands the wider galaxy of TNG, it makes sense to have the wider galaxy discuss something from TNG that personally affects their lives. In the second part, before Sisko attempts to follows through one what Picard does not, he gets a vision from the Prophets telling him not to do it and to find another way to get rid of the Borg cube. Which he does.

S5: The Borg would appear again. And to make it interesting, this time they are approaching DS9 when it is being occupied by the Dominion while the Federation are still making places to retake the station. So, we get to see how Dukat, Weyoun and the Founders deal with the Borg, and further display how the Dominion and the Federation are different. Basically they do attempt to genocide the Borg, but it fails for some reason, and they end up being protected by the minefield that the Federation set up.​

• A member of TNG does show up to Worf’s wedding; (ex. Geordi or Guinan) and its simply explained that the Ent-E is on an important diplomatic mission related to the war and they are trying to avoid the Jem’Hadar having read reports on the Odyssey and other battles, and T’Rul is onboard monitoring another loaned Romulan cloaking device, to explain why she disappeared from DS9.

• Jadzia in the prime universe: she gets transferred to a different ship due to the events of “Change of Heart”. It would be better to keep her alive, maybe have her temporarily stranded in the Delta Quadrant so that there is another DS9-VOY crossover episode. But if she has to die, then its either during a battle in S7, or even in “Change of Heart”.

• Jadzia in the mirror universe: Jadzia is alive, and runs off with Tuvok to a different Terran cell that’s either the mirror TNG crew or mirror VOY crew. Which would allow the mirror universe to be continued in VOY and get a better ending. Maybe destroy Terok Nor in the final DS9 MU episode.

• A VOY crossover episode: Admiral Paris, Barclay and Troi visit Samantha Wildman’s husband on DS9. Since DS9 is a hub of activity by the seventh season, it makes sense to further show that by telling the story of someone who is on the station who has no connection to the main characters and supporting/recurring characters.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I'd have to agree with having "Crossover" as the only Mirror Universe episode. I'd also banish S31.

I'd have done more with Bajoran politics as they try to rebuild, have The Circle raise their heads every now and then to show that the planet isn't exactly unified. Increase tensions with the Cardassians throughout. Make a little more of the Maquis as well, give them some sort of endgame such as wanting to create their own independent state or something that would create further issues and headaches along the way.

In the early days especially I'd also have introduced a few other recurring Bajoran crewmembers, show that Starfleet really is in the minority onboard, that they are remote and isolated from the fleet. When Kasidy joins the recurring character roster I'd also have had an episode based on her ship, I'd love to see Star Trek from a civilian perspective. I'd also have kept T'Rul around, so that we could actually do some digging into the Romulans for a change.

Possibly my most controversial change would be to not have Worf join the main cast and drastically scale down the number of Klingon episodes.

 

[Arpy]

No Pagh Wraiths. At first I was going to say that we should remember that it’s easy to look back in hindsight pick at flaws instead of coming up with all we got from almost a blank page...I mean, right(?)...but those fucking red contact lens baddies were so godawful from the start, and they should’ve known better. Every religion does not need a Satan.

Beyond that, the low point of a series for me, possibly, Sisko poisoning those Maquis planets just so they could close the episode with some Les Miserables snark with the bad guy winning winning. Not half as erudite, clever, or well executed as they might have been going for.

All that said, the thing I liked least about DS9 was the massive chip they had on their shoulder about TNG, and not presenting an aspirational Federation. It’s not new or deep to suggest that the United States isn’t paradise, that in some ways we’re no better than our totalitarian enemies (paraphrasing but stay with me here), but that’s not the Federation. Picard called Q’s Oliver North American military uniform a “costume” compared to where humans have evolved since then — through effort, not magical thinking. That might ruffle a few feathers, but good. This is sci-fi. It should. But show us that world. I dare you. Let’s be dazzled by it, be inspired by it. Enemy disruptors, invasive parasites, and Borg invasions can still threaten it, but keep that color on the palette with the rest.

I would have loved to see Earth and other worlds, Andor(?), be dazzling citadels of a couple trillion population Federation.

 

[Oddish]

I'd have to agree with having "Crossover" as the only Mirror Universe episode.

And delete the Terran rebellion bit from it.

If they were going to continue it, save the interesting Evil Odo and kill off the boring Scruffy Bashir.

I'd also banish S31.

I would actually go along with that for DS9. it's just dumb that they were introduced in "Inquisition" and ONE EPISIDE LATER, comes "In the Pale Moonlight", where Sisko basically out of the blue becomes Section 31 himself. If we have S31 to do deep intrigue, why is a station commander and part time religious icon doing it?

have done more with Bajoran politics as they try to rebuild, have The Circle raise their heads every now and then to show that the planet isn't exactly unified.

They did go from "reduced to shambles" to "prosperous" very quickly, and missed a few intervening steps.

Possibly my most controversial change would be to not have Worf join the main cast and drastically scale down the number of Klingon episodes.

Hard disagree. Worf was awesome.

No Pagh Wraiths.

Agreed. They were an awkward addition to say the least.

All that said, the thing I liked least about DS9 was the massive chip they had on their shoulder about TNG, and not presenting an aspirational Federation.

TNG's mentality is that people have evolved. DS9's mentality is that people are still people. I'm inclined to agree with the latter.

 

[Arpy]

TNG's mentality is that people have evolved. DS9's mentality is that people are still people. I'm inclined to agree with the latter.

But you're wrong to. TNG's evolved people are still as you say people. It's that they live in a different society, just as we do from societies past. We don't accept (well, some of us anyway) that women are property, other races are to be conquered and enslaved, gays are an aberration, the poor should be sterilized, that children should work in factories in lieu of getting an education, etc etc. Follow that social evolution 400 years into the future. They're not going to talk and think like us. Orville did a great bit this season about how killing animals for food makes them murderers in their time, and the notion of doing so makes them feel awful, never mind the legal ramifications. A viewer can say that they just want to turn their brain off and watch a TV show, and I can say I want to keep half of it on and watch a futuristic TV show. Both are valid entertainment choices. But don't tell me that the former viewer knows anything more about "people" than the latter.

 

[fireproof78]

TNG's mentality is that people have evolved. DS9's mentality is that people are still people. I'm inclined to agree with the latter.

I think DS9 was aiming for a mix of aspirations and a recognizing the weaknesses of humanity. TNG said "we evolved " without weakness. Ds9 tried to find how secure a base that was

 

[Oddish]

Ok, I did TNG and VOY... it's dump one episode per season time for DS9!

Season 1: Move Along Home. I don't hate this one the way some people do... but it's a less than stellar episode in a strong season.

Season 2: Melora. Bashir falls for a woman from a low-grav planet, but it doesn't work for some "this is who I am" reason. Meh.

Season 3: Meridian. When the highlight of this one is Dax in a tree, you know it's not DS9's best. I personally dislike "The Abandoned" more, but it's essential to the Jem'Hadar mythos.

Season 4: Hard Time. O'Brien is brutally tortured, and those responsible go unpunished. The only good news is that since we never hear of it again, supporting my head canon that Bashir's medical wizardry was able to reduce the prison memories to a blur, the sort of thing you'd have after a wild tequila bender.

Season 5: Children of Time. I hated this one so much that when I taped it back in my VHS days, I actually covered it with 45 minutes of nothing to be sure it was gone.

Season 6: Time's Orphan. Yes, despite the vile "Profit and Lace", the painful "Sons and Daughters", and the completely wrong death of Dax in "Tears of the Prophets"... I would get rid of this one. Miles and Keiko are usually good parents... but when they get it wrong, they don't do it halfway.

Season 7: Prodigal Daughter. While Ezri had a good episode in "Field of Fire", this one was about as interesting as watching someone take a self sealing stem bolt inventory.

Dishonorable Mention: The entire Ferengi arc. The DS9 writers created a fascinating culture, then dismantled it in a ludicrously unrealistic matter because it wasn't PC enough. Even the writers of "Angel One" (AKA "Riker wears a sequined nipple outfit") understood that lasting societal change occurs through evolution.

 

[Gul Sengosts]

1. No Pah-Wraiths. That whole fire demon thing, devil worshipping, possessed people with glowing red eyes, fire caves etc. would be too silly even for a TOS episode. Badly hurts the last season.

2. Make Kai Winn more 3-dimensional. This is hinted at a few times but hardly ever followed through on, and sadly she's too often just pure power-hunger/evil. Her turning into a devil worshipper is very disappointing. She still is a great villain as is, but I think she could have been even more.

3. Even worse, her affair with Dukat. And Dukat's whole turning Bajoran thing, it's so bad. S7 ruined both these characters. Delete all of that.

4. Cut back on the "they're so greedy amirite LMAO" Ferengi episodes.

5. Let Garak out of the closet. And keep him more ambiguous rather than fully expose his role and his past in the Obsidian Order. I mean, of course it's clear he's more than a simple tailor, but I'd have kept him more mysterious, with Sisko etc. being like "do we really want to know?"

6. No Kira/Odo romance. Trek had many terrible romances, but in this case it's even worse because they worked so beautifully together before as friends. And because it takes far too much screen time.

7. No Worf. Hardly ever worked for me here. Feels out of place on DS9, he's such a TNG character.

8. No more than one MU episode. And none of that depraved bisexual evil queen nonsense.

9. More Kasidy Yates. Flesh her out more and give her more importance.

10. Less Miles torture. And let him swear.

11. They bring back TOS uniforms from the Tribbles episode and everybody wears them for the rest of the show.

 

[kkt]

Regarding Jadzia Dax -

Yes. If she didn't want to do every episode, let her. Just pay her less and blow more on special effects.

I dunno. Dax was an important character and the series would have been worse having her show up only every third episode or whatever. And I don't feel more expensive special effects would have improved the show. My solution: introduce Ezri, as they did, but negotiate with Farrell to use existing footage of her and possibly 1-2 appearances during season 7 for flashbacks etc.

 

[Oddish]

@Gul Sengosts
1-3: Agreed.
4: I liked the Ferengi fine, until the writers decided to summarily dismantle everything that made their culture unique.
5. An openly gay character would have been a tough sell then. I'm convinced that "Rejoined" was a "test the waters" tactic. The showrunners wanted to see how audiences would react to alternative sexuality on Trek. Not sure if that never happened on VOY/ENT because audience reactions were negative, or if it was just Berman being Berman.
6. Agreed.
7. Disagreed. Worf was awesome on both shows.
8. I think the MU would have Ok if handled differently. But agreed about the bi evil queen stuff. If you can't handle actual gay characters then at least don't parody them.
9. They had a lot of characters to juggle, and did a masterful job of it. But yeah, easy to want more from our favorites.
10. Swearing was also a tough sell back then. I remember being surprised when they let people say "ass" on TV.
11. They couldn't even handle having an alien culture treat its women unequally. I seriously doubt bringing back the miniskirt in Starfleet proper would have flown... still, I admit that Terry Farrell rocked the look.

 

[Gul Sengosts]

As for the skirts, I always thought it shouldn't be a problem if people can just choose if they want to wear them or trousers (seemed like they could in TNG S1). I can totally see Dax loving it, but when they ask Kira she's like "are you kidding me? You can f*ck right off with that thing!"

 

[Magic Maik]

Make the show entirely about Ferengi economics.

Jake Sisko and his trustworthy friend Nog would uncover the truth surrounding the twisted and sordid oppression the Federation imposes on their unwitting slave labour, whilst also learning the pure joy of gold-pressed-latinum and the freedom of pursuing a Yankee trader lifestyle.

Jake Sisko would get his own Moon!

 

[fireproof78]

This came up in another thread so I thought I would post a random thought that occurred to me. I would make it so the whole augment ban thing would not happen and not adjust Bashir's character. Bashir is a character that I really liked, yes even early on, because I think he felt the most relatable to me at the time I was watching the show. He added a bit of groundedness to this strange environment and they could have capitalized on that more rather than adding this new thing for drama.

 

[kkt]

As for the skirts, I always thought it shouldn't be a problem if people can just choose if they want to wear them or trousers (seemed like they could in TNG S1). I can totally see Dax loving it, but when they ask Kira she's like "are you kidding me? You can f*ck right off with that thing!"

Miniskirts is certainly not the uniform you'd choose for hiding out in the wilderness with occassional raids on Cadasian settlements...

 

[kkt]

Jake Sisko would get his own Moon!

Jake's moon actually belongs to the Noh-Jay Consortium!

 

[Oddish]

I expect holosuite programs based on his novels are in high demand.

 

[Vger23]

Boring answer…? Perhaps…but I would not change a damn thing. DS9 is far and away my favorite of all the spin-off series. Leave it alone, warts and all.