5 Years Ago, Star Trek Teased A New DS9 Season That Can Never Happen

Five years ago, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine teased season 8, which, unfortunately, can't happen. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999 after seven seasons, wrapping up the saga of the space station commanded by Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). Unlike Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9 did not move on to become a movie franchise. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's cast went their separate ways, but the series lives on in streaming and found an even greater appreciation from audiences 30 years after it first aired.

In 2019, 455 Films released What We Left Behind: Looking Back At Deep Space Nine. The documentary was spearheaded by DS9's showrunner Ira Steven Behr and reassembled most of the show's actors and creative team to look back on the triumphs and controversies of Deep Space Nine. What We Left Behind's centerpiece was Behr gathering his core writers, Rene Echevarria, Hans Beimler, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and Ronald D. Moore on March 8, 2015. Together, DS9's creative nexus plotted the first apocryphal episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8.

What Was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 8?

DS9 Continues 20 Years Later

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8 was an exercise by DS9's writers to pitch the first episode of a new, continuation series if DS9 were able to be made in the present day. Set 20 years after the end of DS9, season 8 begins with Captain Nog (Aron Eisenberg) in command of the USS Defiant while the DS9 space station itself has become a Bajoran religious shrine in honor of the Emissary of the Prophets, Captain SIsko. After the crew of DS9 reunites on the station, they witness the Defiant's sudden destruction and Captain Nog's death.

As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8's first episode continues, a conspiracy involving the Jem'Hadar on Bajor begins to surface, DS9 season 8 catches up with the show's characters, revealing Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is now a Vedek, Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) is a Starfleet Captain married to Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), and Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) meets with his now adult half-brother, Joseph Yates-Sisko. As tensions lead to an armed standoff on the station, Captain Sisko suddenly materializes on Deep Space Nine in a cliffhanger.

Why Can’t Star Trek: DS9 Season 8 Happen?

Many Obstacles Prevent DS9 Season 8 From Becoming Real

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8 can't happen for many reasons, and one of them is that much has changed since DS9's writers pitched their story in 2015. Tragically, a few DS9 actors have died. Aron Eisenberg passed away in September 2019, and he was soon followed by Rene Auberjonois in December 2019. In September 2024, James Darren also passed away. All three actors and their characters, Captain Nog, Odo, and Vic Fontaine, were pivotal to DS9 season 8's story.

In addition, Avery Brooks has retired from acting and has distanced himself from Star Trek. Even if Brooks did want to return, he is now 76 years old, while Captain Sisko would theoretically not have aged since he ascended into a non-linear being when he became one with the Prophets of Bajor. Further, DS9 season 8's story, set roughly in 2395, has been contradicted by the canon established in Star Trek: Picard, in regard to the state of the galaxy and that Worf (Michael Dorn) became Captain of the USS Enterprise-E.

Which Star Trek: DS9 Characters Have Returned?

Star Trek: Lower Decks Brought Back Some DS9 Characters

A handful of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters have returned thanks to Star Trek: Lower Decks. Star Trek's animated comedy series is set about 5-6 years after the end of DS9. In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 6, the USS Cerritos makes a special trip to Deep Space Nine where Colonel Kira is in command of the station and Quark (Armin Shimerman) is still slinging synthehol in his bar on the Promenade. Lower Decks spared no expense to deliver the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine nostalgia that tugged at fans' heartstrings.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 6, "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place" brought the USS Cerritos to Ferenginar, a famous DS9 planet. As Lower Decker Lieutenants Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Bradward Boimler (Jack Quaid), Samanthan Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells) explored the Ferengi's capitalistic home world, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) negotiated Ferenginar joining the United Federation of Planets with Grand Nagus Rom (Max Grodenchik) and First Minister Leeta (Chase Masterson).

Will A Star Trek: DS9 Revival Ever Happen?

DS9 Coming Back Together Remains A Star Trek Dream

As Star Trek on Paramount+ downsized their content to just Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and Star Trek: Section 31 in the next two years, chances of a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revival grow even slimmer. The end of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount+ and the possibility that Netflix may not renew Star Trek: Prodigy for season 3 would also kill the chances of more DS9 characters returning in animated form. However, most of DS9's cast would still love to reprise their iconic roles if given the opportunity.

Unfortunately, without the late DS9 actors and if Avery Brooks doesn't return as Captain Sisko the way Patrick Stewart and Kate Mulgrew revived Admiral Jean-Luc Picard and Admiral Kathryn Janeway, any Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revival wouldn't be a true and complete reunion. Sadly, the ship has sailed for DS9 to reunite the way Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast did in Star Trek: Picard season 3. But while Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8 can't happen the way it was conceived in What We Left Behind, DS9's legions of fans would still be thrilled to watch any reunion, be it animated or in live-action.