Modern Star Trek Pretty Much Admits Deep Space Nine Is Still The Franchise's Outcast 32 Years Later

Both during and after its seven-season run, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has been set apart from the rest of the Star Trek franchise. Whereas other Star Trek shows have had great crossovers and reference each other constantly, Deep Space Nine has, for the most part, stood alone. With its more mature themes, political intrigues, seasons-long arcs, and space station settting, Deep Space Nine was always going to be different from more episodic and adventuresome shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation or Star Trek: Voyager.

It's hardly surprising Deep Space Nine is something of an outcast from Star Trek. Despite this distance, however, Deep Space Nine has always been a fan favorite, with some of the best episodes in all of Star Trek. Indeed, some of the same darker themes and more dramatic storylines that make Deep Space Nine so great have also set it apart from the rest of the franchise. So, despite its beloved status, Deep Space Nine remains at a distance from the rest of the Star Trek franchise.

Deep Space Nine Started As The Outcast Of The Star Trek Franchise

DS9 Started Different And Even Crossovers Pushed It Further Away

When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine first aired, it was, in many ways, under the shadow of earlier installments of the Star Trek franchise. In the same way that early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation felt more like Star Trek: The Original Series, early episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine felt similar to TNG. As early as the start of season 2, DS9 began to focus more on its defining themes of religion and politics, and by the end of season 3 Deep Space Nine had the first cliffhanger finale in Star Trek.

In the same way that early episodes of The Next Generation felt more like Star Trek: The Original Series, early episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine felt similar to TNG.

As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine progressed, becoming more and more focused on the Dominion's war with the United Federation of Planets and political intrigue, it drifted further and further from the optimistic utopia of the rest of Star Trek. In many ways, Deep Space Nine challenged Gene Roddenberry's vision for Star Trek. The crew of Deep Space Nine clashed in ways that never would have flown in other series. Furthermore, from the beginning, Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) clashed with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), symbolically setting Deep Space Nine at odds with Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The few crossovers Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did have only highlighted the distance between the show and the rest of the franchise. When Jonathan Frakes appeared on DS9, he did so as Thomas Riker, Maquis rebel, rather than as Commander Will Riker. When Lieutenant Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) became a show regular, he brought very little from Star Trek: The Next Generation, leaving behind his controversial romance with Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) and his son. Even Chief MIles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) spoke very little about his time on the USS Enterprise-D. On the whole, these connections ironically did little to change DS9's outsider status.

Modern Star Trek Hasn't Embraced Deep Space Nine As Much As The Other Classic Shows

And It's Not Likely To See More Crossovers

Worf and Sisko in dress uniforms on Star Trek DS9

Even now, thirty years later, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is still set apart from the rest of the franchise. Whereas the rest of 1990s Star Trek is referenced and revisited constantly, DS9 has had to make do with the odd Easter egg. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Discovery, take place in the same era as Star Trek: The Original Series, and share characters and plots freely. Star Trek: Picard is a continuation of TNG in the same way Star Trek: Prodigy continues from Voyager.

The only modern show with significant crossovers with Deep Space Nine is Star Trek: Lower Decks.

The only modern show with significant crossovers with Deep Space Nine is Star Trek: Lower Decks. There are multiple episodes where characters from DS9 appear on-screen, including the canonization of relationships only hinted at in the nineties. Ensign Mariner (Tawny Newsome) served on Deep Space Nine before Star Trek: Lower Decks began, and Lieutenant Shaxs (Fred Tatasciore) was friends with Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) in the Bajoran resistance. But Star Trek: Lower Decks' finale means that we are unlikely to see any more crossovers between the two shows.

Why Revisiting Deep Space Nine Is Difficult For Modern Star Trek

Avery Brooks Is Done With Acting

What Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's connections with Star Trek: Lower Decks show is that, despite the current distance between the show and the rest of the franchise, there is potential for more DS9 crossovers. Even if in the nineties the tone of Deep Space Nine was too different to blend well with the rest of Trek, modern series feature the same sorts of political intrigue as DS9. Nevertheless, it is difficult to do modern crossovers with Deep Space Nine for other reasons. Most notably, Avery Brooks is retired and unlikely to reprise his role as Captain Sisko in the future.

The last time Avery Brooks appeared as Captain Sisko was in the 2006 video game, Star Trek: Legacy.

At the end of Deep Space Nine, Benjamin Sisko joined the Prophets in the wormhole/Celestial Temple, establishing him as an ageless non-linear being outside Starfleet or the Federation - a position that poses difficulties for writing crossovers. Furthermore, Avery Brooks has not appeared on film outside of documentaries since 2001, and there is no reason to think he’ll come out of retirement. What this means, practically speaking, is that while side characters from DS9 may continue to appear occasionally in modern Star Trek, it is unlikely that there will be any direct continuations of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.