Why Terek Nor OR DS9?

[Gotham Central]

Why did the Bajorans accept the designation of the station as DS9? That is a Starfleet designation and applies to the Federation's series of outposts that were far from the Federation core worlds. Why would the Bajorans accept that designation? Part of the problem with the name is that it gives the impression of the Bajoran system as somehow being out on the frontier. A view that Major Kira found insulting when Dr. Bashir states it in the pilot. Why not give the station a Bajoran designation?

The situation gets even more peculiar during the "occupation" by the Dominion. The Dominion resurrect the Cardassian name Terek Nor. One would think that the Bajorans would SERIOUSLY object to that...especially given the Dominion's public pronouncements that it was not in fact an occupation. From the Dominion's perspective, their nonaggression pact with Bajor would probably have one more smoothly had they not antagonized the Bajorans by giving the station a name that represents one of the worst moments in their history...and then on top of that placing the former overseer of Bajor in charge of the station. The Dominion would have lost nothing by by stating conclusively that Weyoun was in charge (which at a basic level he was) and then asking the Bajorans to give the station a local name. It might have antagonized the Cardassians....but so what...the Dominion had effective conquered and annexed the Cardassian Union anyway...so they did not really need to keep them happy. If the Dominion has been really smart they would have kept the Cardassians away from the Station and Bajor, stationed a garrison of Jem"hadar there and let the Bajorans run the station as they see fit. It would have sent a message to the Bajorans that the Dominion could do a better job of keeping the Cardassians away than the Federation. Kai Winn probably would have gone along with that and let the Federation burn.

 

[tafkats]

I'm trying to remember ... is there a point when Kira or another Bajoran expresses annoyance at the name Deep Space Nine? I thought I remembered there being one, but I could be wrong.

 

[Timo]

Bajorans other than Kira always merely refer derisively to "the space station". They don't really care for the presence of foreign powers there, but their approach to the issue is not to "nationalize" the station - they realize they can't run it by themselves, so the only way to retain national pride is to ignore the station altogether, and that apparently includes refraining from commenting on its naming.

Kira might have bitched about the naming, but she wouldn't be doing it on behalf of the rest of Bajor. Essentially, the Militia had banished her to that prophetforsaken corner of the newly independent Bajoran realm, and had no interest in seeing closer cooperation with Starfleet. Making the station more Bajoran would send the wrong message...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Photon]

Why did the Bajorans accept the designation of the station as DS9? That is a Starfleet designation and applies to the Federation's series of outposts that were far from the Federation core worlds. Why would the Bajorans accept that designation? Part of the problem with the name is that it gives the impression of the Bajoran system as somehow being out on the frontier. A view that Major Kira found insulting when Dr. Bashir states it in the pilot. Why not give the station a Bajoran designation?

The situation gets even more peculiar during the "occupation" by the Dominion. The Dominion resurrect the Cardassian name Terek Nor. One would think that the Bajorans would SERIOUSLY object to that...especially given the Dominion's public pronouncements that it was not in fact an occupation. From the Dominion's perspective, their nonaggression pact with Bajor would probably have one more smoothly had they not antagonized the Bajorans by giving the station a name that represents one of the worst moments in their history...and then on top of that placing the former overseer of Bajor in charge of the station. The Dominion would have lost nothing by by stating conclusively that Weyoun was in charge (which at a basic level he was) and then asking the Bajorans to give the station a local name. It might have antagonized the Cardassians....but so what...the Dominion had effective conquered and annexed the Cardassian Union anyway...so they did not really need to keep them happy. If the Dominion has been really smart they would have kept the Cardassians away from the Station and Bajor, stationed a garrison of Jem"hadar there and let the Bajorans run the station as they see fit. It would have sent a message to the Bajorans that the Dominion could do a better job of keeping the Cardassians away than the Federation. Kai Winn probably would have gone along with that and let the Federation burn.

The short answer is bc SF helped to rebuild and man and the Bajorans let it be part of their vast network of outposts. Stlll owned by Bajor, but run by someone who knew what to do with it. Tidy arrangement

 

[C.E. Evans]

For the provisional Bajoran government, anything other than Terok Nor would do, IMO. They would have even accepted "Benny's Space Stop" probably.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Benny's Space Stop would have been amazing.

Replace OPS with a creole restaurant. With patio seating.

 

[Sci]

Well, the Bajoran government had explicitly invited the Federation to administer the station as a Federation Starfleet Starbase. So I doubt they had any ideological problem with it receiving the "Starbase Deep Space 9" designation that Starfleet Starbases located outside of Federation space sometimes get.

And the entire point of the Bajoran-Dominion Nonagression pact was mutual convenience. The Dominion would have found it militarily inconvenient to try to occupy a more well-armed and wealthier Bajor than the Cardassians had faced, and it would have been politically inconvenient since it would have alarmed the other major powers it had signed nonaggression pacts with, including the Romulans. Meanwhile, the Bajorans only signed it in order to stave off an invasion they knew they could not repel. Neither side had much political capital invested in trying to convince the Bajoran public or the galaxy at large that they were seriously committed to nonaggression -- as such, the Dominion didn't care much if Bajor was upset at their calling it Terok Nor, because the Bajorans weren't very well going to be able to do anything about it, and the Bajorans didn't give a shit what the Dominion called it since they never wanted the Dominion running it in the first place.

 

[od0_ital]

The provisional government probably accepted the Federation name for the station because they wanted to get on the good side of the Federation in any way they could. They may have figured while it may not help speed up the process of bein' admitted into the Federation, it certainly wouldn't hurt.

As for Dukat & Company goin' back to callin' the station Terok Nor...well, I'm guessin' they never changed the name on their maps of the galaxy. Cardassians are arrogant like that.

 

[MacLeod]

Why did the Bajorans accept the designation of the station as DS9? That is a Starfleet designation and applies to the Federation's series of outposts that were far from the Federation core worlds. Why would the Bajorans accept that designation? Part of the problem with the name is that it gives the impression of the Bajoran system as somehow being out on the frontier. A view that Major Kira found insulting when Dr. Bashir states it in the pilot. Why not give the station a Bajoran designation?

The situation gets even more peculiar during the "occupation" by the Dominion. The Dominion resurrect the Cardassian name Terek Nor. One would think that the Bajorans would SERIOUSLY object to that...especially given the Dominion's public pronouncements that it was not in fact an occupation. From the Dominion's perspective, their nonaggression pact with Bajor would probably have one more smoothly had they not antagonized the Bajorans by giving the station a name that represents one of the worst moments in their history...and then on top of that placing the former overseer of Bajor in charge of the station. The Dominion would have lost nothing by by stating conclusively that Weyoun was in charge (which at a basic level he was) and then asking the Bajorans to give the station a local name. It might have antagonized the Cardassians....but so what...the Dominion had effective conquered and annexed the Cardassian Union anyway...so they did not really need to keep them happy. If the Dominion has been really smart they would have kept the Cardassians away from the Station and Bajor, stationed a garrison of Jem"hadar there and let the Bajorans run the station as they see fit. It would have sent a message to the Bajorans that the Dominion could do a better job of keeping the Cardassians away than the Federation. Kai Winn probably would have gone along with that and let the Federation burn.

As for it not be called Terok Nor after the Cardassian withdrawl.

1.>The Bajorian Provisional Government invted starfleet to administer the station. So to all intends and purposes it was a Starfleet Starbase. It's just the lease belonged to the Bajorian's.

2.>The Name Terok Nor itself would be distasteful to Bajorian's.

As for it being on the Frontier, the Frontier is relative, Bajor was on the outskirts of Federation Space, or on the Frontier of the Federation. To a Bajorian however, they aren't on the Frontier. It's about perspective.

As for period during the Bajor-Dominion non-agression pact, keeping the name Starbase Deep Space Nine sends the wrong impression. It basically says we don't expect to be here long, and the Federation will take it back. It says we are weak to it's allies/potential allies.

 

[intrinsical]

Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't DS9 be akin to a building in Bajoran sovereign land/space? In this case, the Bajoran government wouldn't have a right to designate a name for the station and it is up to the station owner to name the station.

 

[Skywalker]

But after the Cardassians abandoned Terok Nor, it became Bajoran property. The station didn't belong to the Federation.