If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done differently?

[PhoenixIreland]

Ok I havn't posted here in a while so I hope people will forgive me for starting threads on the same topic in a few different categories.

I read this thread:
http://trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=76186

and people came out with some really interesting suggestions, so I was wondering what people would come up with if the same was done for TNG, DS9 and Voyager.

In this case ds9:

Someone already posted a thread wondering what DS9 would be like without the religion, and not being a religious person I did find some aspects of this annoying for a while, but I've decided that if you look at them as wormhole aliens you can appreciate the prophets more, I used to fast forward through Siskos time with them in the pilot but now I find it really interesting how they reconstructed him after just learning how humans work. So I don't think I'd have removed the prophets from the story. Imagine if some time in the future, it turned out that the God humans worship was a non corporeal alien who had interfered in human affairs, I think many would still worship it as a God like the Bajorins did.

So, some changes:

• There is one thing I would change and thats security. I know after they retook the station during the war there was a lot of starfleet and Klingon ships in the area patrolling, IMO it should have been like that from the time they found out about the dominion at the very least. From the pilot episode DS9 was, because of the wormhole, arguably the most strategically important spot in the quadrant, yet all starfleet left it with was a few runabouts, poor phasers and a few torpedoes. At the very minimum the weapons upgrades from s4 should have been in place from a few episodes in, the Cardassians could have walked in and retook the station any time they wanted.
  
• I would have kept sub-commander T'Rul on the Defiant, I think it would have been very interesting to explore her character more and could have tied in to the Romulan alliance nicely later on. It also would have provided nice friction between her and Worf/Odo/Eddington.

So, suggestions?

 

[Bacl]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I would not have turned the show into a war show. I'd have kept everything else the same, including the Dominion, etc, but I wouldn't have made the primary theme of the show this major Federation/Dominion war.

I liked DS9's episodes that DIDN'T have to do with war.

And yeah, I liked seasons 1-3 best.

 

[TheGodBen]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I would have made the Prophets and Pah-Wraiths more ambiguous. The Prophets being good and the Pah-Wraiths being evil was far too simplistic for DS9 which was a show that thrived on the various shades of grey. I also wouldn't have had Dukat going completely to the dark side for the exact same reason.

As for seasons six and seven, I would have less filler and more war!

 

[Damask]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

- T'Rul as a secondary character. Or at least a Romulan on the Defiant.
- No Pagh-Wraiths. Compare and contrast the Founders/Dominion with the Prophets/Bajor.
- Likewise Dukat/Weyoun and Sisko/Kira.
- More Federation and Dominion interest in the Prophets (possibly with a Founder impersonating a Vedek or even a Prophet for a few episodes.
- Less hokey magic effects.
- More separation of DS9 Starfleet and pure Starfleet.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I would have introduced the Dominion as a threat from the very beginning, and then begun the Dominion War at the end of season three.

The thing about the Dominion War was that, technically, it only comprised the last two seasons of DS9. Leading up to that, however, was a distracting, Dominion-orchestrated fallout between the Federation and the Klingons and a lot of people running around screaming "The Dominion are coming! The Dominion are coming! Get yer guns!" But the war itself really only lasted less than two years...

That being said, I probably would have wrapped up the Dominion War in the fifth season, had the sixth season deal with Bajor's admission into the Federation, and then conclude the series in season seven with the Pah-Wraiths. And instead of having Sisko "killed off," I would have simply had him resign from Starfleet and finally turn the commander's office in Ops over to Commander Kira.

 

[Aquehonga]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

Have ideas. Soon post them I will. As reply I must.

 

[The Grim Ghost]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

No Pah wraiths.

No Ezri.

No moustache twirling EVILLLLLLLL Dukat like we saw at the end of the series.

No mirror universe eps.

The Ferengi-centric episodes should have been toned down a bit comedy wise. More Ferengi episodes like Business as Usual, less like Profit and Lace.

 

[Odo's_Bucket]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

Free candy with every episode.

 

[od0_ital]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I like the idea of havin' T'Rul as a recurrin' character. She was bad ass.

I would have kept the series goin' longer than seven seasons. Out of all the Trek shows, DS9 leant itself to goin' the route of ER, Homicide & Law & Order with cast members leavin', new characters bein' created, and folks goin' from regular to recurrin' or vice versa. Just a couple more seasons, even if Sisko, Worf, Odo & O'Brien (and Martok, Dukat, Winn, Weyoun, Damar, Leeta & Rom) still left at the end of the seventh season.

 

[scottydog]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

Fewer Ferengi episodes. And, as od0 notes, more than 7 seasons!

 

[Marie1]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I think it would have been possible for the Federation and the Dominion to avoid war, so I think steps should have been taken to that end. Trying to prevent the actions of the Tal Shiar/ OO, trying harder to find a cure for the Founder's disease. Being more careful about exploring the GQ (at least asking for a map of the Dominion's borders and staying on the other side).

If the war was inevitable, I wouldn't have minded seeing more of it, the retaking of Betazed, and more about what happened to the Dominion after the war. Ziyal shouldn't have died, IMO... also a bit more humour, tho I appreciated that which was there.

Hmmm... what else...?

Great idea, btw, PI!

 

[Jono]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

After Jadzia's death I would not have introduced Ezri as a new cast member. At some point of season 7 I'd have Dax's new host visit the station for some reason and do any episode on that and have her move on like the Trill are meant to do.

I'd shift the end of the war to a couple of episodes before the finale so to do a few episodes on the aftermath. For the last episode I'd have Bajor joining the Federation and Sisko having his show down with Dukat then. I'd also have Sisko appear to both Kassidy and Jake at the same time, I could never understand why they didn't have Sisko appear to his son, especially after the events of "The Visitor".

I'd consider going with the original plan of having Homefront at the end of season 3 and having a Fed civil war (or near enough). That would be a very significant change. It could cancel out the Klingon war so I'd go with a simultaneous Cardassian civil war to lower the union to the point where Dukat would go for Dominion help.

It would also cancel out the need for Worf and I like Worf. I'd try to include him somehow. Plus get Martok in there as well.

 

[Myasishchev]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

• I would have kept sub-commander T'Rul on the Defiant, I think it would have been very interesting to explore her character more and could have tied in to the Romulan alliance nicely later on. It also would have provided nice friction between her and Worf/Odo/Eddington.

I concur with this. They did have Kimara Cretak for a while. Before she got railroaded.

 

[Kira Nerys]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I would have made the dominion war and the occupation of ds9 last longer,more on the anomisty between the feds and the bajorans.

 

[Ezri II]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I would have made the dominion war and the occupation of ds9 last longer,more on the anomisty between the feds and the bajorans.

Understand your point.

Like the idea of the anomisty with the feds and the bajorans. As I did find there was more anomistry with bajoran vs bajoran that when it ended the story ended. The dominion war, it could have lasted a little longer but would need a season 8. If the dominion was fighting a lost war but was unwilling to surrender would have been more interesting. My view, the collapse of the dominion happened to fast.

 

[Odo's_Bucket]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

Free candy with every episode.

.... and free sammiches.

 

[Seven of Five]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I didn't like how Bajoran politics virtually disappeared after season 2, I think the show lost an important aspect. Bajor was represnted by Kai Winn and Kira in the last couple of years, so I would change that. I'd even go as far to say another Bajoran in the cast may have been good.

I enjoyed Sisko's Emmisary stories, but the Prophet/Pah-Wraith plot that surfaced in season 6 should either be reworked with less obvious parameters (which also goes for Dukat), or just removed the Pah-Wraiths entirely. They didn't end up being very interesting.

I agree with whoever said that Homefront should move back to where it was originally going to be. A storyline that never seemed to get off the ground was the idea of changelings on Earth, and the paranoia that was destroying Starfleet before the Dominion had even fired a weapon. The Klingon war should never have happened - perhaps a smaller-scale attack smilar to 'Way of the Warrior' could have happened later in season 4 to show that the Domion's influence was still dangerous.

The war should have finished earlier, so that Bajor could have entered the Federation. Bajoran politics again, really. But let the mission that was started back in 'Emmisary' be carried out!

I wouldn't have had Ezri as a main character in the last season. I felt she stole too much time off other characters and from other storylines, even though her own storyline was generally good. I'd actually be tempted to kill Jadzia off in season 5 or something and then let Ezri join the cast, allowing her storyline to develop at a natural pace.

Less stupid mirror universe stories.

Less stupid Ferengi episodes.

 

[Cyke101]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

-More time travel episodes
-More technobabble
-More technobabble-as-conflict-resolution
-More Borg (One episode? What the heck is that?)
-More skin (Leeta? More catsuits for Leeta!)
-Bashir should be able to sing, dance, and assume command of DS9 whenever needed
-More technobabble-puns (for Bashir, of course)
-More coffee
-More ignoring of the first officer
-Have Ensign Wildman's cousin adopt Molly O'Brien, turning her into Molly Wildman. She should have access to Ops, Sisko's office, the holding cells, the security office, the infirmary, the deuterium tanks, four of the six fusion reactors, and behind Quark's bar. We'll never get enough of kids named Wildman.

 

[Odo's_Bucket]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

-More time travel episodes
-More technobabble
-More technobabble-as-conflict-resolution
-More Borg (One episode? What the heck is that?)
-More skin (Leeta? More catsuits for Leeta!)
-Bashir should be able to sing, dance, and assume command of DS9 whenever needed
-More technobabble-puns (for Bashir, of course)
-More coffee
-More ignoring of the first officer
-Have Ensign Wildman's cousin adopt Molly O'Brien, turning her into Molly Wildman. She should have access to Ops, Sisko's office, the holding cells, the security office, the infirmary, the deuterium tanks, four of the six fusion reactors, and behind Quark's bar. We'll never get enough of kids named Wildman.

So you want to turn Ds9 into Voyager?

 

[Myasishchev]

Re: If you were the creator of DS9, what would you have done different

I would have made the dominion war and the occupation of ds9 last longer,more on the anomisty between the feds and the bajorans.

Concur.

Like I said in the Sacrifice of Angels thread, I'd have had the Dominion come a lot closer to winning, and probably occupying or even obliterating Earth. The Dominion's surrender was never predicated on the conventional military victory at Cardassia Prime anyway, but rather Odo possessing the cure to the Founders' pague.