Summary
- Star Trek: DS9 almost had its first Romulan crew member in "The Search" but the character was dropped.
- USS Defiant broke Starfleet rules by having a cloaking device assigned by the Romulans, overseen by Sub Commander T'Rul.
- Sub Commander T'Rul was supposed to be a recurring character, but the producers saw limited potential.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had plans to introduce the franchise's first Romulan crew member, but the character was abandoned after only two episodes. After centuries of being enemies, the threat posed by the Dominion eventually forced the Federation into an alliance with the Romulan Star Empire in DS9 season 6. Three years earlier, there were plans to introduce a recurring Romulan crew member to the cast of Star Trek: DS9 in the two-part season 3 opener, "The Search".
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 1, "The Search, Part 1" has a number of firsts for the show. "The Search" introduces the USS Defiant, Lt. Commander Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall), the Female Changeling (Salome Jens), and also reveals that the Changelings are the mysterious Dominion Founders.DS9's Dominion War timeline officially starts with the first meeting between the Female Changeling and Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) in "The Search". However, "The Search" almost introduced another recurring character that could have been just as important.
DS9’s Defiant Was Supposed To Have A Romulan Crew Member
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 1, "The Search, Part 1", Commander Sisko returns to the station with the USS Defiant. Starfleet's first purpose-built warship for decades, the Defiant was assigned to DS9 to provide more substantial protection from the Dominion and the Jem'Hadar. To better defend itself against the might of the Dominion, the USS Defiant broke a big Starfleet rule by having a cloaking device fitted. However, the cloak was sanctioned by the Romulan Star Empire, who assigned their own officer, Sub Commander T'Rul (Martha Hackett) to oversee its use.
Rick Berman initally resisted the idea of the USS Defiant having a cloaking device because it contradicted Gene Roddenberry's belief that " Starfleet doesn't sneak around ".
Like Michael Eddington, Sub Commander T'Rul was supposed to be another recurring member of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast. However, DS9's producers quickly decided that there wasn't much story potential in the character of T'Rul, and quietly dropped the Romulan from the crew of the Defiant. It seems short-sighted that DS9's producers didn't see the story potential in Star Trek's first recurring Romulan crew member, but on the plus side, it gave them more space to develop the Eddington character into a Maquis traitor.
Star Trek: Picard 's Elnor (Evan Evagora) was Starfleet's first fully Romulan officer, graduating from the Academy decades after T'Rul served aboard the USS Defiant.
What Happened To Martha Hackett After Star Trek: DS9
Martha Hackett wasn't too disappointed by Sub Commander T'Rul being dropped from any further appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. While filming DS9's "The Search", Hackett was offered the part of Seska in Star Trek: Voyager, which was due to start airing the following year. As a former Starfleet enemy serving aboard a Federation starship, Seska shared something in common with DS9's Sub Commander T'Rul. However, Seska was an unrepentant villain, who made life incredibly difficult for the crew of the USS Voyager during their early days in the Delta Quadrant.
Martha Hackett originally auditioned for the role of Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
Sub Commander T'Rul in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had the potential to improve relations between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. DS9 excelled at showing the relatable side of some of Star Trek's most infamous enemy aliens, from the Ferengi to the Cardassians. Having a Romulan officer aboard the USS Defiant could have fundamentally changed how they were seen in the wider Star Trek universe. Instead, Martha Hackett's character was dropped, nixing any possibility to develop this idea further. While this is a loss for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it was ultimately a gain for Star Trek: Voyager.
