Part II, Chapter XLIV: "Spinning Off"
“For me, Deep Space Nine was an undertaking I’d never done before. Being on set every day for however many months it was back then was unfamiliar to me. The closest thing I’d done to that before was Pee Wee’s Playhouse, of all things. Thankfully, I had the rest of the cast there to help me. Especially Sid [Siddig El-Fadil] and Christian [Slater], who had both been on shows like it. I don’t think I’d have made it through without them.”
- Laurence Fishburne on his role as Benjamin Sisko on the show
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. [1]
Deep Space Nine was to take
Star Trek in a direction it had not gone before. Firstly, having the primary setting being a space station, as opposed to a starship, meant that there would be an opportunity for there to be a larger recurring cast, with opportunity for all characters to undergo a large amount of character development. Secondly, the decision had been made for the show to have a larger underlying story that would be built on over the course of multiple seasons, should the show last that long.
In addition, the show would present matters with more “realism”, showing that things were not always black and white, with a cast of characters with flaws, as opposed to the idealism that was more prevalent in
The Next Generation. While some would criticise this move as being unfaithful to Roddenberry’s vision for the franchise, it would largely be praised. [2]
The announcement of who would be starring in the show would help to build up the hype, as Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Laurence Fishburne was announced as Commander Benjamin Sisko. He would be joined by Eighth Doctor actor Siddig El-Fadil, and
Remington Steele star Pierce Brosnan. [3]
The story of the show would be kicked off with the first story, “Emissary”, where Commander Sisko would be informed that he was “the Emissary of the Prophets”, the gods of the Bajorans, and that as such he was “a Bajoran not born of Bajor”. Following his discovery of a stable wormhole to the uncharted Gamma Quadrant near Bajor, he would find that the station, thought to be of little importance, was now a key strategic port for the Federation’s exploratory efforts.
Though the show would lack a “hero ship”, the
Excelsior-class ship
USS Lakota and it’s crew would appear at multiple points throughout the show, as they patrol the Badlands, a region of space near Bajor. Its captain, John Sheridan, portrayed by Peter Capaldi, would strike up a friendship with Sisko as they find that they share many experiences, notably being veterans of the Battle of Wolf 359. [4]
Actors Christian Slater and Colm Meaney would both reprise roles from
The Next Generation, following their departure from that show in “Fare Thee Well”. While O’Brien would be used as the lovable “everyman” character, with a wife and child, Lt. Kelly would be, at times, a stand-in for the audience, as he adjusts from the luxuries he experienced on the
Enterprise. Kelly’s apprehension towards his new environment would be contrasted by Siddig El-Fadil’s character, Dr. Julian Bashir, who would be fresh out of Starfleet Medical, and eager to be working away from the comforts of the inner systems. [5]
The main cast would be rounded out by Nana Visitor, Famke Janssen, Rene Auberjonois, and Cirroc Lofton, who would play Major Kira Nerys, Lt. Jadzia Dax, Constable Odo and Jake Sisko respectively. They would be joined by many recurring characters, creating a far larger overall cast. [6]
Expectations for the show would be high, as
The Next Generation continued to receive praise. Promises that the show would take the franchise in a “new and bold direction” only served to raise them. In addition, Paramount was eyeing the show up to help it launch its upcoming network the following year, should it continue to perform well. Further, the commissioning of a follow-up series to
The Next Generation was greatly dependent on how
Deep Space Nine fared with retaining the audience of that show. [7]
Needless to say, as the first season prepared to enter syndication, the pressure was on.
[1] As with the DS9 of OTL and other shows of the franchise, I see the cast of the show remaining close, even after they leave or the show finishes/is cancelled.
[2] Roddenberry actually greenlit the show before his death, just didn't want to have to have as great a level of control over it as he did with TNG.
[3] The latter isn't part of the main cast, but his appearing will draw some people in.
[4] These two paragraphs do have some overt Babylon 5 references. Capaldi isn't in the main cast, but expect him to appear a fair bit. The Lakota isn't just there as it's a ship that exists in OTL, but it's a name with a bit of signifigance to me. I'll be doing some stuff like that occasionally.
[5] Interpersonal relationships will be important for the show, as OTL. In contrast to O'Brien's initial hostility towards Amoros(Bashir), Kelly will sort of be fascinated by him and his attitude to being so far away from the comforts of the Federation's inner systems.
[6] A cast I won't get into in this update, but you'll see more of it in the next update, including a name that may be a surprise to many of you.
[7] While it's still a year early for the launch of UPN, as Voyager's equivalent in TTL won't be out until 1996 at the earliest, they're looking at DS9's second season as a way to kick-start the new network.