Why 9?
- Thread starter tim0122
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The earliest production reference to Deep Space anything (aside from K-7) seems to be:
memory-alpha.fandom.com
Referenced in "The Chase", which takes place in 2369, like "Emissary". I gather they wanted to convey the idea of remoteness.
Deep Space 4
Deep Space 4, abbreviated as DS4, was a Federation deep space station in service with Starfleet during the 24th century. It was located in the Beta Quadrant. (PIC: "Disengage") For his investigation of the ancient humanoids' DNA puzzle in 2369, Professor Galen planned to travel from the USS...
memory-alpha.fandom.com
Referenced in "The Chase", which takes place in 2369, like "Emissary". I gather they wanted to convey the idea of remoteness.
I can’t check right now, but IIRC, it was in one of the making-of books for the show, either the Reeves-Stevens’ “The Making of STAR TREK: Deep Space Nine” or Terry J. Erdmann’s “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion”, that it was mentioned that they picked “Nine” just because it sounded best together with “Deep Space”.
Yeah, IIRC it was in Making of that they said it was just a placeholder title someone threw out, expecting it to be temporary until they came up with something better, but they just got into the habit of using it and it stuck. So there was no real reason for calling it that.
"Next time on Star Trek: Deep Space Eight!"
Yeah. DS8 doesn't have the same ring to it.
Yeah. DS8 doesn't have the same ring to it.
Going with "Deep Space" rather than the more common "Starbase" allowed them to use a smaller number, which sounds better in a title. To follow continuity of mentioned starbases the title would have to be something like "Star Trek: Starbase 731". Starbase 718 was mentioned in "The Neutral Zone".
~ Yep, page 74 states that "both Berman and Piller wanted to avoid an alien word in the title. Yet their original, bland, Starfleet desgination for the station - Starbase 362 - didn't seem to work as a title either. Finally, almost from desperation, Berman suggested Deep Space Nine for no particular reason that anyone can remember. No one was thrilled with it, but no one hated it enough to suggest something else."
Ah, that explains why they didn't go with the obvious Star Trek: Bajor.
The earliest production reference to Deep Space anything (aside from K-7) seems to be:
Deep Space 4
Deep Space 4, abbreviated as DS4, was a Federation deep space station in service with Starfleet during the 24th century. It was located in the Beta Quadrant. (PIC: "Disengage") For his investigation of the ancient humanoids' DNA puzzle in 2369, Professor Galen planned to travel from the USS...
Referenced in "The Chase", which takes place in 2369, like "Emissary". I gather they wanted to convey the idea of remoteness.
“Emissary” was broadcast in January 1993. “The Chase” was broadcast in April 1993. So the term ‘Deep Space ___’ was used in Emissary first.
Flipped through some of my books about the making of Deep Space Nine and found an interesting piece of information about why it‘s called “Nine” that I had completely forgotten about. From page 18 of “Star Trek: Designing Starships — Deep Space 9 and Beyond” published by Eaglemoss and edited by Ben Robinson:
“Each of these separate elements [of the station: three concentric rings, three arms and three weapons towers/docking arms] added up to nine, which made perfect sense for a station called Deep Space 9. As an aside, [production designer Jospeh] Hodges says, the station’s name was originally inspired by Michael Piller’s love of baseball, and the number nine was based on the number of fielding positions on a baseball pitch.”
I think that’s the best answer we are going to get.
“Each of these separate elements [of the station: three concentric rings, three arms and three weapons towers/docking arms] added up to nine, which made perfect sense for a station called Deep Space 9. As an aside, [production designer Jospeh] Hodges says, the station’s name was originally inspired by Michael Piller’s love of baseball, and the number nine was based on the number of fielding positions on a baseball pitch.”
I think that’s the best answer we are going to get.
Flipped through some of my books about the making of Deep Space Nine and found an interesting piece of information about why it‘s called “Nine” that I had completely forgotten about. From page 18 of “Star Trek: Designing Starships — Deep Space 9 and Beyond” published by Eaglemoss and edited by Ben Robinson:
“Each of these separate elements [of the station: three concentric rings, three arms and three weapons towers/docking arms] added up to nine, which made perfect sense for a station called Deep Space 9. As an aside, [production designer Jospeh] Hodges says, the station’s name was originally inspired by Michael Piller’s love of baseball, and the number nine was based on the number of fielding positions on a baseball pitch.”
I think that’s the best answer we are going to get.
But that contradicts what Making of said about Rick Berman coming up with the name. I wouldn't be surprised if the origin Hodges described was some kind of urban legend that arose among the production team because it just seemed natural to associate the number 9 with Piller being a baseball fan.
(Also, "on a baseball pitch?" Whoever wrote that must have been British, since we don't call it that in America.)
Of the two, I would consider Making of the more trustworthy source, since it was written much closer to the time in question by authors who had direct access to the production, while the Designing Starships book came out decades later and its interview subjects might not have remembered things as clearly after all that time.
I don't know anything about the book, but this is what I was thinking. Different vowel sounds that complement one another when spoken aloud. EE - AY - I
As a bit of an aside, I was working in broadcasting in 1992, and there was some early promotional materials about DS9 floating around the industry at the time. The show was still in early pre-production and I don't think anyone had been officially cast yet, but Paramount had to show something to local stations as it was going to be sold in syndication. So they produced a very slick fold-out promo book that was sent only to TV and radio stations featuring a very brief description of the series as simply "the next chapter of the final frontier."
Original 1992 promo logo
Additionally, the placeholder image of the station they used was that of Spacedock One, so naturally I thought that was going to be the original design of the station (the promo book made no mention of DS9 being an alien space station).
Original 1992 promo logo
Additionally, the placeholder image of the station they used was that of Spacedock One, so naturally I thought that was going to be the original design of the station (the promo book made no mention of DS9 being an alien space station).
I suppose they could have kept the Cardassian name for it, or given it a Bajoran name.
Which was originally spelled Terek Nor, but Marc Alaimo mispronounced it, so they officially changed it to Terok Nor to match how he said it.
Trek with an extra e.
I would hazard a guess that they avoided Six because "Deep Space Six" is too close to "Deep-Six." I remember that back then a few of us kids who thought the show was "boring" called it "Deep Space Six" as a joke implying the show was doomed to failure, to annoy that one friend who liked it and had trouble taking a joke.
Kor
Kor
