Should it have gotten an extra season or two?

[Paradise City]

I think some of the arcs could've been better spaced out, certainly. Some where too long and tedious, others got their arc cut off a bit. Whether that merits an extra season or two, I dunno.

You might tag on a season or two and explore Section 31 and take it all in an espionage angle. I think there could've been fertile ground with that.

But by no means do I feel robbed with only seven seasons.

 

[Greg Cox]

Personally, I really think they had one more season in them. I understand Berman's silly insistence of 7 seasons per show,

I don't think it was a "silly" decision as much as a practical, economic one. As I understand it, beyond seven seasons you start hitting the point of diminishing returns in terms of production costs versus profitability, what with rising cast and crew salaries, the number of episodes required for syndication packages, etc. There comes a point where one more season simply isn't as cost-effective as launching a new series with new, cheaper cast . . ..

That's not silly. It's just business.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

DS9 ends with Sisko's "death. " Perhaps it could have been done differently as part of a different story. However it is shown, it would need to be organic to the overall development of the series and in line with the character's evolution. As such, any season 8 arc would need to have equal gravity to the Dominion War.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

The Dukat/Winn storyline could've been spun out throughout season eight, showing them to be pretty much perfect for one another as they try to seize more power for themselves through the Pah-Wraith. Meanwhile, Bajor finally gets close to entering the Federation, whilst they are on the forefront of the relief and recovery work along the Cardassian border, where they have to deal with millions of refugees fighting over what little supplies are available, which sees a resurgence in the Maquis (though without the ideal of defending their homes and instead just kill Cardassians). Elements of the Cardassian people and military who refuse to surrender and use whatever tactics they can to keep fighting, whilst the alliance between the UFP, Klingons and Romulans is on tenterhooks without a common enemy to bind them together. Whilst the Breen try to further destabilise the weakened Cardassian infrastructure and government (as payback for their betrayal against the Dominion), which could see some great storylines for Garak.

There was just so many things they could've done with the quadrant in chaos after the war.

 

[Trek Survivor]

This. For better or worse, DS9 became 'about' the Dominion War

Definitely, definitely for the worse

 

[Dukat's Major]

I always found the final 6 episodes to have been rushed and to have stretched the bounds of credulity. It always amazes me that Winn never recognised Dukat after his cosmetic surgery. It's actually so stupid, it ruins the whole story arc for me. For me, the writers saw the end of the show fast approaching, and said to each other, Right! How are we going to permanently send Sisko off to the Prophets over the course of the last 6 episodes? Ah, yes, turn Dukat in to an evil Bajoran, no one will recognise him, and we'll get him to throw Sisko in to a pit of fire. Brilliant idea, chaps!

How the writers changed Dukat's character in the final season (well, after the whole pah-wraith possession thing) ruined the story arc for me. Creating a possessed supervillain who was utra-evil because he literally personified evil, and flattening one of the most complex characters of the series...yeah, no, that's not the kind of writing I had grown to expect. I only watched season 7 once, when it was first out, and I refuse to watch it ever again. My DS9 ends at the end of season 6. If DS9 had been meant as an 8- or 9-season series, maybe the writers would have had time to independently develop another villain instead of plastering a giant moustache on a familiar face. Or maybe they could have been a little less cheesy generally and not relied on some personification of evil to move along the final part of the story. I dunno. But it would've been better than that stinker of a season, IMHO.

 

[Admiral Bear]

Wasn't a big part of Terry Farrell's departure that her contract was up and she already had another acting job lined up?

Not entirely from what Siddig once told me at his fan club event many years ago. The general gist was that all the main cast bar Farrell were happy to do the seventh season for the same money. Farrell got greedy and wanted a huge pay rise which Berman wouldn't give her and which none of the cast would back her up on, so while she wasn't sacked (due to being out of contract), in Siddig's words, she negotiated herself out the show.

 

[Griffeytrek]

Not entirely from what Siddig once told me at his fan club event many years ago. The general gist was that all the main cast bar Farrell were happy to do the seventh season for the same money. Farrell got greedy and wanted a huge pay rise which Berman wouldn't give her and which none of the cast would back her up on, so while she wasn't sacked (due to being out of contract), in Siddig's words, she negotiated herself out the show.

Was that Farrel herself, or her rather rabid and aggressive (former) representation? There have been a lot of mixed stories about that over the years.

 

[Admiral Bear]

Was that Farrel herself, or her rather rabid and aggressive (former) representation? There have been a lot of mixed stories about that over the years.

I took Sid's story to mean that is was Farrell who wanted the payrise, not her management. After all, if Farrell wanted to carry on with the same pay, she could've simply told CBS and her management that. I'd be disappointed if Farrell was stupid or naive enough to allow her management to use her as a puppet to that extent. An actor has an agent to get them work, not get them out of it.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I took Sid's story to mean that is was Farrell who wanted the payrise, not her management. After all, if Farrell wanted to carry on with the same pay, she could've simply told CBS and her management that. I'd be disappointed if Farrell was stupid or naive enough to allow her management to use her as a puppet to that extent. An actor has an agent to get them work, not get them out it.

After this cover, Farrell and her agent probably sensed that the time was right to strike out in a different direction or, barring that, gain leverage to get a better contract.

 

[Greg Cox]

I'm curious: had she recently switched agents? Often a new agent feels obliged to get the client a much better deal, to justify the switch.

Not saying that's what happened here, but I've seen it before . . . .

 

[Griffeytrek]

I'm curious: had she recently switched agents? Often a new agent feels obliged to get the client a much better deal, to justify the switch.

Not saying that's what happened here, but I've seen it before . . . .

I think it was the opposite. Her agents were holdovers from her days as a fashion model, and were used to negotiating in a different environment and had differing expectations. Also remember that the way Agent contracts work is not exactly the traditional employer employee. For all intents and purposes the agent you sign with more or less owns a piece of you and will seek to maximize their own profit from that piece.

 

[Navaros]

Do another season of DS9, following the Dominion War.

... thus ending the biggest loose thread left from WYLB.

That would be terrible. The Dominion War is the show's best story by far. Season 8 post-Dominion War would be as bad as if not worse than Season 1: it would be a regression to boring & annoying Bajoran politics that (with a few exceptions) DS9 thankfully moved past at the end of Season 2.

What they should have done, however, was to have another season or two, and extended the Dominion War across them.

In regards to "the biggest loose thread from WYLB," I'd say that would be how the show royally screwed over Quark by inexplicably giving him nothing and dooming him to live out a horrible life as a lonely, run-of-the-mill bartender forever. If they were going to fix up WYLB, giving Quark his due is where they should start. Quark should end up as the Grand Nagus, and one of his girlfriends should come back to marry him (such as the Ferengi woman who loved him, or the Cardassian woman who loved him).

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Maybe its because I'm more into the characters than the story, but I think an extra season to show a post-Federation would've be an exciting and interesting prospect, especially considering how Berman and co. would never really touch that (Insurrection basically pretended the whole Dominion War conflict didn't REALLY shake the foundations of the Federation at all, so it wasn't a big deal apparently). And I maintain that because, again, for me, the show's enduring charm and success is partially because of the storytelling, and partially, but I'd argue most importantly, because of the characters. And seeing those characters in that post-War period would nicely juxtapose their pre-war period in the first two seasons, giving a wider spectrum of the conflict, a before, middle and after.

Its why I don't like the series finale as a series finale. While I love it as an episode, I just never found it as satisfying a conclusion, because it made the assumption that the Dominion War WAS the show, and I argue it wasn't just that.

 

[Mirror_Barclay]

I think DS9 had run out of steam; there was some really good stuff in S7, but there was also the drek of the Pah Wraiths.

I would have liked a new series when Voyager ended, in addition to Enterprise, that could have incorporated stuff from DS9 - Ezri only got one season so she could have been on the crew of the new ship, we could have had at least one episode a year with a callback (visiting Cardassia, encountering a former DS9er, etc.) plus a Mirror Universe ep a year which would also relate to the DS9 MU.

 

[Greg Cox]

I think it was the opposite. Her agents were holdovers from her days as a fashion model, and were used to negotiating in a different environment and had differing expectations. Also remember that the way Agent contracts work is not exactly the traditional employer employee. For all intents and purposes the agent you sign with more or less owns a piece of you and will seek to maximize their own profit from that piece.

Oh, trust me, I know how agents work. I have one myself.

Though the fashion thing is interesting. Different industries do indeed have different expectations and protocols. Speaking as a book editor, I've occasionally run into agents or lawyers, from outside publishing, who knew nothing about how the book industry works.

Words that send a chill down every editor's spine: "Oh, I don't have an actual agent, but my cousin--who is a real-estate lawyer--is going to look over the contract for me . . . "

This is seldom good for the editor or the author.

 

[JeffinOakland]

I would have loved to see a season 8 or even 9 on 2 conditions:

1. I'm cool w the Dominion War ending in Season 7 and the ensuing deaths and fallout but Sisko has to live until the end of the series.

2. No Ezri Dax. Let the Dax character die and promote one or two of the co-stars to Main cast.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

DS9 season 8 would have probably been like Babylon 5 season 5.

Everything was wrapped up so neatly at the end it would have been very difficult to come up with another compelling arc. That's not to say they couldn't have done it, or had a few really good standalone episodes, but they would have basically had to start fresh.

Stargate and Babylon 5 both had some great seasons, both tried to soft reboot after wrapping things up, and neither was very good after. As great as the DS9 writers were, that's a tall order.

 

[JeffinOakland]

Season 8 could have been about rebuilding and realigning. Also, the beginnings of exploration of the Dominion Quadrant.

 

[Seven of Five]

I'm not sure it needed another season. A bit of reworking here and there and they could have ended the war a bit sooner, leaving us with some time for rebuilding, and then sending the characters on their way.

I think after the excellent opening war arc in season six, the show lost a bit of focus, and thus we were treated to a lot of fluff shows. The same happened at the start of season seven, as well as showing us too much Ezri. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy some of those shows, but there should have been a better spread of them throughout the seasons.