Reworking DS9

[DigificWriter]

Star Trek Deep Space Nine is hands-down my favorite Trek series, but some of the 'what if' threads that have popped up recently have got me thinking: what could have/should have been reworked to make the series better than it already was? Here's what I'd do:

- Ro Laren should've been involved in some capacity, even if they had to recast the role. If I was going to rework the series, I'd recast the role, and then bring in the character of Kira Nerys in a different capacity.
- The story arcs of the early seasons should've been brought to conclusion, and more should've been made of the Maquis. Tom Riker should've been featured more than once, and a few Voyager characters should've been introduced (I would've introduced Chakotay, Tom Paris, and B'Elanna at the very least).
- Worf should not have been the only 'TNG Klingon' brought into the series on a recurring basis. A 'lesser known' Klingon character like Klag would've been a great addition, IMO, to the cast, and would've highlighted the growing tensions between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire caused by the events of the Dominion War.

Thoughts?

 

[startrekwatcher]

I was satisfied with the way the writers decided to wrap up the Maquis storyline. It really was the only way to bring it some closure. Afterall it reminded me of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and look how long that has dragged on. Furthermore its conclusion played plausibly and cleverly off of the other threads of the series--namely the absorption of Cardassia into the Dominion.

It would only make sense the Dominion would eradicate every last Maquis.

re:Ro
I was fine without her showing up. I certainly wouldn't have wanted her recast. Michelle Forbes is and always will be Ro Laren.

As for the more familiar faces showing up--I wouldn't want a glut of Trek characters from previous series showing up on DS9. Once in a while is alright but too many and it feels cheap. Not to mention I felt it was always best for each series to develop their own aliens and characters.

 

[Kegek]

* No silly pah-wraith plots. Leave them to 'The Assignment'. If you've got to have a religious showdown... make it between the Prophets and the Gods of the Dominion, the Founders. Leave Kai Winn her old crusty orthodox self to the bitter end. Bajoran religious politics should focus on grounded isuses - maybe new, bitter contentions in the Vedek assembly. Maybe she's deposed as Kai. Oh, and Bajor should join the Federation. Quickly. Like, the seventh episode in to season six, when the threat of invasion had passed and Bajor served as a de facto ally.
* Obviously, no Mad Red-Eyed Dukat. Keep Dukat as the show's tragic antihero, rather than stymie him by making him as villainous as possible. For one thing, have him go after Damar. Have Dukat promise to make him pay, even if it does mean siding with the Feds and ths surrogate mother of his daughter. Let him give the Federation valuable information, while obfuscating others... let nobody trust him but everybody need him. But he doesn't get out of this alive, even if it takes Garak to once again do the dirty work. But no Fire Cave nonsense.
* Have them mention that Tomas Riker is dead at some point.

 

[Deleted 2]

• The Founders were supposed to be xenophobes; it makes more sense for them to try to close off the Bajoran wormhole than to see it as a new opportunity for expansion. Having the Federation fight a desperate struggle to keep a foothold in the Gamma Quadrant would've made for a shorter war with fewer ridiculous large fleet engagements. It would also have added a nice touch of moral ambuiguïty to the conflict.
• More stand-alone stories
• Don't make the protagonists willing accessories to genocide. Big no-no for me.

 

[DigificWriter]

startrekwatcher said:
re:Ro
I was fine without her showing up. I certainly wouldn't have wanted her recast. Michelle Forbes is and always will be Ro Laren.

As much as I love the character of Kira Nerys, I think it was a disservice to the character that she was only created because they couldn't get Michelle Forbes to agree to a full-time contract. While I usually dislike recasting, in this case I think it would've been the best option because it would've allowed them to not only bring in Ro Laren as originally planned, but also bring in the character of Kira Nerys, but without the disservice of said character being a 'Ro Laren stand-in'.

Before anyone makes the argument that, by this reasoning, Tom Paris shouldn't have existed, let me say that, IMO, the character's backstory really didn't need the elements that were attached to it because he was created to stand in for Nick Locarno, the character that Robert Duncan McNeill played in the TNG episode 'The First Duty'.

As for the more familiar faces showing up--I wouldn't want a glut of Trek characters from previous series showing up on DS9. Once in a while is alright but too many and it feels cheap. Not to mention I felt it was always best for each series to develop their own aliens and characters.

One of DS9's 'missed opportunities', IMO, was that they didn't use the Maquis storyline to introduce those Maquis characters who were going to feature prominently in Voyager. I suggested bringing in somebody like Klag because the Dominion War as presented was, IMO, the perfect opportunity to explore more wide-ranging issues, and one that wasn't really taken full advantage of. The Klingon/Federation tension should've been played up more, IMO, and featuring previous 'bit characters' like Klag would've allowed that to happen more than it did.

 

[Kegek]

DigificWriter said:
As much as I love the character of Kira Nerys, I think it was a disservice to the character that she was only created because they couldn't get Michelle Forbes to agree to a full-time contract. While I usually dislike recasting, in this case I think it would've been the best option because it would've allowed them to not only bring in Ro Laren as originally planned, but also bring in the character of Kira Nerys, but without the disservice of said character being a 'Ro Laren stand-in'.

Okay, your logic is escaping me here. Yes, Kira was created as a replacement for Ro. Why is that a disservice to the character? She didn't even exist until that point, and never would have existed had Forbes not turned the opportunity down. All things considered, she turned out well from humble beginnings.

Ro and Kira are too similar in character dynamic. An either-or makes sense. Having Ro cameo on DS9 might have been fun, even become a recurring character, but I'm happy with just one as a regular. Either one.

 

[DigificWriter]

Kira had no initial identity beyond the fact that she was a 'Ro Laren stand-in'. Sure, there were a few things that separated her from Ro (her religious beliefs and her status as a loyal Bajoran), but that was all she had going for her in the beginning in terms of characterization. With Ro in the picture, Kira could be introduced with those characteristics AND the characteristics that came to define the character by series end. She'd be a fully formed and distinct character from the beginning - just like the rest of DS9's primary characters - rather than simply a character who was 'almost Ro but not'.

Now do you see where I'm coming from?

 

[Photon]

Paris was in prison

 

[DigificWriter]

^ You're right. However, since the reason was because of Maquis involvement, you could introduce the character (along with Chakotay and B'Elanna) during the Maquis arc, and show him being apprehended by Starfleet (setting up Janeway later visiting him in prison and asking for his help in tracking down Chakotay's ship in the Badlands during the events of 'Caretaker').

 

[Apogeal Alpha01]

I've just watched "Razor," and love Michelle Forbes, but we didn't loose anything in the Kira Nerys role. NV nailed it for me. I can't see Ro Laren as religious, or in awe of anyone, even the Emissary. I could have seen Ro Laren in another CIC or liason position in addition to the regulars.

Here's a thought, How about Ro Laren as the Starfleet station Commander? But then, I wouldn't have seen Ben Sisko as the Emissary. Or would I?

 

[Kegek]

DigificWriter said:
Kira had no initial identity beyond the fact that she was a 'Ro Laren stand-in'. Sure, there were a few things that separated her from Ro (her religious beliefs and her status as a loyal Bajoran), but that was all she had going for her in the beginning in terms of characterization. With Ro in the picture, Kira could be introduced with those characteristics AND the characteristics that came to define the character by series end. She'd be a fully formed and distinct character from the beginning - just like the rest of DS9's primary characters - rather than simply a character who was 'almost Ro but not'.

Kira was as well formed as the other characters. What about Quark, the Ferengi? That's who he was at first - another Ferengi, only this one is here every week. Or Dax, the Trill? She's an idea at first, because it's amusing for Sisko to have a crusty old mentor who is a young woman. And O'Brien's the everyman from start to finish, and he's the only character with a pre-DS9 backstory.

Kira was actually pretty well defined in the first season, and she was featured prominently in some of the best episodes: "Past Prologue", "Progress", "Duet", and "In the Hands of the Prophets." Next to Ro she may not appear much different, but she had an identity... and her development in later seasons was a mix of defanging her (season four) and making her sharper than ever ("The Darkness and the Light").

 

[Smiley]

I know it's old news around here, but the books, post-finale and otherwise, do a great job of exploring some of the issues posted about in this thread, particularly Ro.

 

[J47]

Dukat: I think the writers ended up working themselves into a corner with him after "Waltz" and ended up being forced into doing him a disservice. I would certainly have avoided that at all costs.

Bajor & the Dominion War: I would've wrapped up the war earlier, maybe even in the penultimate episode, so as to have the finale be about Bajor entering into the Federation. This is the one major thread the producers dropped that absolutely needed a conclusion. As much as I appreciate what Marco Palmieri has done with the DS9 Relaunch, there's absolutely no excuse here.

Dax: Either kill Jadzia off earlier or have Ezri make a one-off appearance. Her development in the seventh season distracted from more important things.

The Klingon/Federation tension should've been played up more, IMO, and featuring previous 'bit characters' like Klag would've allowed that to happen more than it did.

Considering the producers never intended to bring in the Klingons at all, I think they gave the tension more than enough attention. Worf, Kurn and Gowron, not to mention the three older Klingons, were sufficient as far as bringing in external characters, IMO.

 

[scottydog]

The only things I would change about DS9 are eliminating many of the Ferengi-culture-based episodes, and having a season 8, a season 9, a season 10, a season 11, etc.

 

[Braxton]

They should have done a season 8 which would have been about the start of recovery, relations of the alliance with the Dominion threat over (for now anyway), and Bajor finally joining the Federation in the series finale.

 

[Cpt_Nick_Stone]

Somethings I'd probably change would be

1. Skip the Federation-Klingon war that was predominant in Seasons 4 & 5, and just get straight down to the Dominion conflict.

2. Have had fewer Ferengi and Mirror Universe episodes, they aren't as exciting as the rest.

3. Not replace Jadzia with anyone in the final Season. I have nothing much against Ezri,however, I'd have preferred that as it was the final season, they focus on the other characters and the main storyline, instead of trying to develop a new main character from scratch.

4.Keep Odo in The Alpha Quadrant with Kira, I was quite fond of their relationship, and how it developed over the years. So was quite disappointed with the ending.

That's all I can think off right now.

 

[Praetor]

^^I'll agree with the above. The show didn't really need to change much, but it wasn't without its problems. The Ferengi/Mirror episodes were entertaining at times, but became 'very special episodes' somewhere along the line... to this day 'Emperor's New Cloak' is one of the very few episodes of Trek I just can't stand. Ezri, no offense to Nicole DeBoer, was unnecessary. Dax should have died with Jadzia if you ask me, allowing them to focus on the grief for her and then the remaining characters in S7.

Which brings me to my main point: of all the Trek series, I strongly believe DS9 could still be on the air today, if the writers took an ER-like approach to the cast. Write in replacements so that as actors want to leave, you seamlessly let them leave and usher the replacement upward. Someone suggested this idea in another thread for TNG, but I think it was much better-suited to DS9. There was so much material there, such a rich universe (sub-universe even), that it really seems like they could be writing new stories now, using DS9 as a crossroads to the galaxy. After Voyager came home, its first stop could have been DS9. Being set on a space station, somewhere that (Emissary exluded) isn't going anywhere definitely helps the idea of a revolving-door series. It would have been incredible to see the after-war rebuild, come full circle if you will.

That's what I think, anyway.

 

[Kegek]

Praetor said:
Ezri, no offense to Nicole DeBoer, was unnecessary. Dax should have died with Jadzia if you ask me, allowing them to focus on the grief for her and then the remaining characters in S7.

Which brings me to my main point: of all the Trek series, I strongly believe DS9 could still be on the air today, if the writers took an ER-like approach to the cast. Write in replacements so that as actors want to leave, you seamlessly let them leave and usher the replacement upward.

This seems inherently contradictory to me. Jadzia was the only character with a built-in method of recasting her, regarding the Trill symbiont deal. Whatever one may think of Ezri specificially, if you're advocating staff turnover replacing Daxs is sound, at least in theory.

And yes, DS9 probably could have gone on for more seasons. But IMHO it was running out of steam by season seven. I would have liked them to allocate more time to other plots, I prefer Ezri to Jadzia, but I'm glad the show ended when it did.

 

[Praetor]

I suppose I was contradicting myself there. What I meant was that if they only had season seven and weren't going further, they should not have brought in another Dax, even though like you I prefer Ezri. Season seven seemed distracted enough as it was.

 

[Kegek]

Yeah, I see that. Season seven seemed to be running out of steam, though, IMHO - while still a strong season overall. It seemed the only way the writers could script the Dominion War was an ever escalating series of new threats, hence the otherwise redundant inclusion of the Breen, whose sole character trait is that they're mysterious, because that means no real development is required.

Ezri was a breath of needed fresh air.