If Not Lt Cmdr. Worf, then who from TNG?

[Bry_Sinclair]

They could have used Dr Selar (TNG 'The Shizoid Man') if they writers had gone through with the idea of Vulcan leavin' the Federation instead of makin' the Klingons bad guys.

Why would Vulcan leave the UFP? But that is probably a discussion for another board.

Troi would have fit in easily, seeing as they didn't have a counsellor (until S7). She might also have gotten to explore her new Commander rank in a little more depth.

The rest of the main cast would make the actual DS9 crew redundant, as they already have a CO, XO, Engineer, Doctor and scientist. Worf was probably the best candidate, as he could slot in, bring more action to the series as well as the Klingons (which really wasn't needed IMHO).

As for recurring stars:
Barclay - I always found him something of a 'meh' character, didn't dislike him but he wasn't on my list of favourites either.
Ogawa - A nurse for Julian to harass?
Ro - She could have come on quite nicely. her 'defection' to the Maquis could have been part of an Intel plot to gather more intelligence.
Guinan - Opens up a cosy little bar, where she offers advice and an open ear. Someone to threaten Quark's business and for Odo to be more suspicious about.

 

[The_Baroness]

I can see Data working really well.

 

[Anwar]

Promote Riker to Captain, have him be a recurring character with his own ship assigned to protect DS9 (this would be from the premiere onwards). Might add a touch of bitterness that in exchange for all the good he just recently did (saving Earth from the Borg) that Starfleet gave him a dead-end assignment like that. Mirrors Sisko's own defeated attitude in Emissary.

Then Sisko finds the Wormhole, and things suddenly look better for both of them.

 

[Uxi]

The obvious answer is Ro, although she might have been a bit redundant.

IIRC Nerys was originally supposed to be Ro, but they changed their minds and went with a new actress and character.

I thought Forbes turned it down?

 

[Anwar]

She did, though I have to wonder how it would've worked with Ro as the first officer on DS9. Sisko wanted a Bajoran National and she's Starfleet, and she's only an Ensign.

Would they have her leave Starfleet, be formally inducted into the Bajoran Militia with an XO-appropriate rank?

 

[RoJoHen]

She did, though I have to wonder how it would've worked with Ro as the first officer on DS9. Sisko wanted a Bajoran National and she's Starfleet, and she's only an Ensign.

Would they have her leave Starfleet, be formally inducted into the Bajoran Militia with an XO-appropriate rank?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she already leave Starfleet in TNG to join the Maquis?

 

[Herbert1]

How about Admiral Picard?

Sisko was way out of his league commanding a fortress of galactic importance. Promoting him further beyond Captain so soon would be somewhat unrealistic. But Picard was overdue a promotion anyway; taking him out of the TNG equation would free that show to explore all-new dramatic venues, while inserting Sisko's old nemesis into the DS9 format would make for some interesting clashes.

Picard would probably be little more than a guest star in this proposal, filling the slot of Admiral Ross (with a little less brass on his collar, but quite a bit of dramatic impact to compensate for it). We could still have Sisko doing the "Realpolitik" where Maquis scum needs to be bombarded and alliances switched at the drop of a hat, while his desk jockey superior would actually be the one holding up the flag of UFP moral superiority - a welcome reversal of roles.

Timo Saloniemi

That would have added an interesting dynamic to the show. In DS9 "The Emissary", Sisko is very hostile toward Picard because of his role in Wolf 359, whether voluntary or not. Would Sisko have been equally hostile to receiving orders from a Read Admiral (Lower Half) Picard or even be appointed adjutant?

 

[C.E. Evans]

Her office would actually be in an inactive holosuite in Quark's bar (much to Quark's displeasure and Odo's delight).

Given that an inactive holosuite is ultimately just a room, why would she not use any of the other 'normal' rooms to be found on this massive space station then rather than chose a room previously used as a holographic brothel above a busy pub?

Glad you asked. Basically it comes down to admiral's choice. While she frequently comes across as all business and totally no-nonsense, having her personal office in Quark's would show that there's another side to her.

It wouldn't preclude her from having very important meetings in Ops or the station's conference room, however.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

She did, though I have to wonder how it would've worked with Ro as the first officer on DS9. Sisko wanted a Bajoran National and she's Starfleet, and she's only an Ensign.

Would they have her leave Starfleet, be formally inducted into the Bajoran Militia with an XO-appropriate rank?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she already leave Starfleet in TNG to join the Maquis?

No the Maquis didn't even exist at that point.

 

[Ln X]

That's a tough one. It would have to be a character who didn't look out of place, and not be too squeaky clean. Picard wouldn't be the replacement, because he's captain of the Enterprise. It would make no sense having Riker on DS9, because Kira fulfills that post. You don't need Geordi because you have chief of operations Miles O'Brien. DS9 poopooed the idea of counselors, so forget counselor Troi.

There was no reason to replace Bashir, so forget Beverly. Data wouldn't have fitted in, as he would have made the series silly with his 'quirky' exploration of humanity. Wesley had served his purpose already on TNG, so who do we have left? Worf.

Out of all the characters in TNG, Worf was the most DS9-like character of all. He wasn't perfect, things didn't quite work out with Alexander, and he was hard as nails. Simply put he was the one TNG character who was the most compatible with the DS9 main characters, and that was why he was picked from the TNG cast.

 

[od0_ital]

The obvious answer is Ro, although she might have been a bit redundant.

IIRC Nerys was originally supposed to be Ro, but they changed their minds and went with a new actress and character.

Yep, after Michelle Forbes turned it down, sayin' that she didn't want to be tied down as a regular to a series...right before she joined the cast of Homicide: Life on the Street. Guess network tv paid more than syndication...

They could have used Dr Selar (TNG 'The Shizoid Man') if they writers had gone through with the idea of Vulcan leavin' the Federation instead of makin' the Klingons bad guys.

Why would Vulcan leave the UFP? But that is probably a discussion for another board.

No clue, but I read somewhere that was the original plan instead of war with the Klingons, it was gonna be the Vulcans leavin' the Federation that caused a new kind of conflict. That plan got nixed, obviously...

As for recurring stars:
Barclay - I always found him something of a 'meh' character, didn't dislike him but he wasn't on my list of favourites either.

But then he wouldn't have gotten to be on VOY!!!

Ogawa - A nurse for Julian to harass?

Because Julian was shown to be such a jackass? Besides, Ogawa was said to be in a relationship that had produced a pregnancy by the end of TNG, seems like that'd be a line Julian wouldn't cross.

Guinan - Opens up a cosy little bar, where she offers advice and an open ear. Someone to threaten Quark's business and for Odo to be more suspicious about.

Because that worked so well in that other episode where an El Aurian opened a bar on DS9 to compete with Quark...

 

[Anwar]

How about Admiral Picard?

Sisko was way out of his league commanding a fortress of galactic importance. Promoting him further beyond Captain so soon would be somewhat unrealistic. But Picard was overdue a promotion anyway; taking him out of the TNG equation would free that show to explore all-new dramatic venues, while inserting Sisko's old nemesis into the DS9 format would make for some interesting clashes.

Picard would probably be little more than a guest star in this proposal, filling the slot of Admiral Ross (with a little less brass on his collar, but quite a bit of dramatic impact to compensate for it). We could still have Sisko doing the "Realpolitik" where Maquis scum needs to be bombarded and alliances switched at the drop of a hat, while his desk jockey superior would actually be the one holding up the flag of UFP moral superiority - a welcome reversal of roles.

Timo Saloniemi

That would have added an interesting dynamic to the show. In DS9 "The Emissary", Sisko is very hostile toward Picard because of his role in Wolf 359, whether voluntary or not. Would Sisko have been equally hostile to receiving orders from a Read Admiral (Lower Half) Picard or even be appointed adjutant?

Sisko got over his hatred of Picard (which was really just a side-effect of having not properly mourned Jennifer), which is why he was more friendly to him at the end.

The novel of Emissary made it clear he actually felt awful over how he treated Picard when he met him again and recognized him as a fellow victim of the Borg.

 

[Worf'sParmach]

That's a tough one. It would have to be a character who didn't look out of place, and not be too squeaky clean. Picard wouldn't be the replacement, because he's captain of the Enterprise. It would make no sense having Riker on DS9, because Kira fulfills that post. You don't need Geordi because you have chief of operations Miles O'Brien. DS9 poopooed the idea of counselors, so forget counselor Troi.

There was no reason to replace Bashir, so forget Beverly. Data wouldn't have fitted in, as he would have made the series silly with his 'quirky' exploration of humanity. Wesley had served his purpose already on TNG, so who do we have left? Worf.

Out of all the characters in TNG, Worf was the most DS9-like character of all. He wasn't perfect, things didn't quite work out with Alexander, and he was hard as nails. Simply put he was the one TNG character who was the most compatible with the DS9 main characters, and that was why he was picked from the TNG cast.

I agree. Though I remember when it was announced that Worf would be going to DS9 I thought it was the craziest idea ever. But, for all the reasons you listed, if there was anyone who'd join the DS9 cast from TNG then Worf is the best. The others are just to "Starfleet Vanilla" for DS9.

Maybe Riker (and I say that with great hesitation) could have worked once Sisko was promoted to Captain and he could have been Commander of the Defiant or something like that. He's got the ability to be gritty enough to fit into DS9 I think. There would have been a lot of tension with Kira. Then again, maybe not.

And Data, I think, would have been the worst choice. His "If I were a real boy" antics would not have fit in at all with DS9.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

She did, though I have to wonder how it would've worked with Ro as the first officer on DS9. Sisko wanted a Bajoran National and she's Starfleet, and she's only an Ensign.

Would they have her leave Starfleet, be formally inducted into the Bajoran Militia with an XO-appropriate rank?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she already leave Starfleet in TNG to join the Maquis?

No the Maquis didn't even exist at that point.

Yes it did, as Ro's mission was root out a Maquis Cell. The Maquis were already established in TNG by at least Journey's End (or earlier)

Anyways, with TNG characters on DS9. None of the main cast anyways. But it would have nice to see Jaxa again. Also it would have been awesome to see Thomas Riker again (it was proposed by Jonathon Frakes, but nothing happened)

 

[RoJoHen]

I think Picard might have worked. He could have taken the place of Admiral Ross, and it would have made sense given his cameo in "The Emissary" and his belief in Bajor joining the Federation. With Picard around, that story thread may have actually played out.

 

[Tulaberry whine]

I always thought Vash fit in well on DS9 and could have become a semi-regular after Q-Less (minus Q of course).

 

[Skywalker]

Guinan opens a bar across the way from Quark's. Hilarity ensues.