The Existence of the Wormhole

[Michael]

For those of you who were around when Deep Space Nine premiered on TV, do you remember if the fact that a wormhole was part of the show was known before the airing of the pilot?

Watching this I wondered why they didn't include the wormhole. It's possible the effects simply weren't finished for this promo (which explains why Sisko is flying around in a TNG-style shuttle rather than a runabout). But since they even went so far as to leave it out of the opening sequence of the pilot, it might also be possible that they chose not to communicate the existence of a wormhole in DS9 before the premiere.

Does anyone know?

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

There was a wormhole, leading to the delta quadrant, on TNG but not a stable one.

 

[-Brett-]

I remember that I knew nothing about it, but then again I would have been about 9 or 10 then.

 

[Michael]

There was a wormhole, leading to the delta quadrant, on TNG but not a stable one.

That's not what I'm asking. I'm aware of the fact that the concept of a stable wormhole was nothing new to Star Trek. I wanted to know if it was publicly known before the premiere, that a wormhole was going to be an integral part of the new show.

 

[Nebusj]

There was a wormhole, leading to the delta quadrant, on TNG but not a stable one.

That's not what I'm asking. I'm aware of the fact that the concept of a stable wormhole was nothing new to Star Trek. I wanted to know if it was publicly known before the premiere, that a wormhole was going to be an integral part of the new show.

My recollection is that the wormhole, and that there'd be this link from Bajor to the Gamma Quadrant, was part of how the show was advertised. At least, I'm fairly sure that I was not surprised to see the wormhole turn up when the episode debuted. I admit there are serious flaws in depending too much on that recollection.

 

[Tosk]

I knew ahead of time that the wormhole played a major role in the show. But then, I wasn't seeing it first run on US TV, I was watching the UK VHS releases.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Commercials are looking for that visceral excitement, they don't care about explaining why the series is actually going to be good.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

Commercials are looking for that visceral excitement, they don't care about explaining why the series is actually going to be good.

Still, the wormhole is an important part of the excitement produced by the show.

 

[Tiberius]

I remember that the wormhole doesn't make its usual appearance at the end of the opening titles in the first episode. Suggests to me that they didn't want people to know before they revealed it in the show.

 

[Kobayshi Maru]

I remember that the wormhole doesn't make its usual appearance at the end of the opening titles in the first episode. Suggests to me that they didn't want people to know before they revealed it in the show.

It was supposed to be a surprise but more often than not these kinds of things leak out.

 

[Nebusj]

Well, huh. Here's a four-minute promotional trailer for the show which shows things we understand afterwards to be the wormhole, but doesn't actually say anything about it directly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTX5qwjqQ8M

I don't remember seeing that back in the day, but I do remember the ``It Waits'' trailers, which I saw all the time and which nobody I hung out with seemed to recognize. http://www.retrojunk.com/commercial/show/19198/star-trek-deep-space-nine-it-waits-promo has that.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x43rpo_promo-for-premiere-of-star-trek-dee_shortfilms shows off the wormhole, but doesn't name it, in the advertisement meant to run just ahead of the show's broadcast.

And http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLyGiShr3G0 is a really hilarious teaser trailer from before, apparently, they had any idea what they wanted to do besides ``More Star Trek! You'll watch that, right? Please!''

So, overall, the advertising we can find hints at the wormhole but doesn't say anything about it, really.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

The wormhole was public knowledge, but its centrality was explained. I believe that it was presented in such a way as to make the stationary aspect of the station more acceptable to those used to space travel in their Trek. However, I don't remember the religious or strategic importance getting much mention.