From: Scott Gorcey <scottgor@jaflrn.UUCP>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Deep Space Nine and BABYLON 5
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 04:34:06 EDT
Organization: The Wizzard's Cave, East Meadow, NY

Howdy folks,
Somebody wanted to know the poop on DS9 in relation to the Warner 
series - developed under hush-hush conditions, created by J Michael
Starynski - so here is the deal --

During the media blitz for Star Trek's 25th Anniversary (or while in
the planning stages for said blitz) someone at Paramount Network
TV got the "okay" (rumor has it - according to an Electronic Media
blurp a couple of months back - Brandon Tartikoff, head of Paramount's
film division, had a lot to do with selling the idea) to go fishing
for a third Star Trek tv series - to run concurrently with the sixth
(then considered final) season of The Next Generation.
The Par Network TV guy went to Rick Berman and Michael Piller, who run
TNG, AND to Stephen Charles Jaffe, Leonard Nimoy and Nick Meyer, who 
were in the midst of filming Star Trek VI.  Competing treatments 
were written.
Jaffe and Meyer, to be co-executive producers (Jaffe would have actually
been running the day-to-day operations) under Leonard Nimoy's "executive
producer" credit, wanted to set a Star Trek series just after the
events of Star Trek VI, focusing on Captain Sulu and the USS Excelsior
(bolstered by frequent Spock guest shots - and the occasional Uhura,
Scotty, Bones and Chekov; but not Kirk, William Shatner at that time
having foreswarn future Star Trek appearances: he's since changed his
tune, but not, unfortunately, for this prospective series).
Meyer would have co-written and directed the two-hour pilot.  The 
treatment promised the crisp, military tone and high-seas adventuring
of the film series, with members of the original cast to provide the
charm and nostalgia a new cast, or cast of Next Generation spinoffs,
could not generate, plus the flavor and angst the Next Generation
characters are forbidden.  Plus a "now" feeling: the series would
heavily explore post-Klingon cold war situations, stories being
peppered right off today's headlines.
(Naturally, I was a big supporter of this idea).
However, with a "current events" bias themselves, Berman and Piller
created a treatment for "Deep Space Nine."  There is this system on
the edge of the Cardassian empire "proper."  The Cardassians are 
re-introduced in the treatment.  The Cardassian Empire is described as
ancient and vast, unknown, feirce and fanatical, wildly alien.  And,
with a peace treaty in hand, newly uneasy allies of the Federation
(a Vietnam like conflict having been settled after 20 bloody years).
The Federation has been using its new influence with the Cardassians
to coerce them into vacating the Bejoran system.  The Bejora (can you
say "Kurds"?), once owners of a vast, enlightened Empire when hukmans
were still in the trees, have been interned, scattered and enslaved
by the Cardassians for hundreds of years.  Their homeworld, Bejora,
ruthlessly strip-mined.  Etc.
Finally, there is a new Emperor in the Cardassian government.  He
agrees to relinquish the Bejoran system, if the Federation will
come in and keep the peace while the process of self-rule is set-up
by the freed Bejora.  
The Federation agree and plans to send a Starfleet crew to manage 
the process.  An embittered commander, who lost his wife to Lucutis
at the Battle of Wolf Three-Five-Nine and hates Picard because of it,
sets up shop on the single station in the system, a broken down ore
refinery/weigh station, Ferengi built, in orbit around Bejora.  
Almost immediately, with the installation of Federation sensor equipment,
a stable wormhole, within the system, heretofore unknown, is discovered.
The other end opens onto a quadrant of the galaxy that is completely
unexplored.  Naturally, the Cardassians decide they want the Bejoran
system back on the double.  Naturally, the Federation refuse.
Apparently, developments have invalidated at least this bit of casting:
Promoted to Lieutenant, Ro Larren would have served as the Commander's
first officer - her knowledge of both Cardassians and Bejora (being
one of the latter) and her in-your-face attitude making her invaluable
to his assignment.  Apparently, Michelle Forbes has declined, but as
this - that too is only rumour.
Chief Petty Officer O'Brien is offered a promotion to Chief Operating
Officer for Deep Space Nine - which, even from the Enterprise, is a step
up.  He takes the job, despite Keiko liking the relative safety of the
Enterprise to the front lines and protesting bitterly about the safety
of their daughter, Molly, in the pursuit of his career.  This is
apparently set: Colm Meaney and Rosalind Chao have agreed to go over 
(gee, what a surprise, them being promoted to lead characters and all...).
Expect trouble in paradise over O'Brien's insistence on dragging his
family to DS9, that hell hole...
Piller and Berman included many elements of the TNG universe they
themselves - as opposed to Gene Roddenberry, David Gerrold and DC
Fontana - were responsible for: the science officer is a member of
the race from "The Host" (I forget their name): she is roughly
humanoid, but merely the host for a symbiant being that is 300
years old: a worm-like thing, which was last seen exiting Riker's
chest cavity (not to say, the same worm).  
Guinan (created by Rick Berman) has a son in detention there - sort
of permanent-like, to be played by a BIG MOVIE ACTOR - and setting
up guest shots by Whoopi.  Don't know if this has survived, but it
was in the first treatment.
So were a Ferengi bar-owner with a small son but no wife to offset
the Commander (widowed) with his teenaged son: the two get into trouble
(the kids) a lot (wow); a shape-changing crew-member that must revert
to a gelatin-like form each night (to rest); a Caitain (yes, from the
animated series) possibly to be played by Majel Barret...
A lot of this changed, but the original treatment even includes the
warp-powered wheel-chair.
Anyway, finally!, a lot of people - both on fandom's side and behind
the scenes at Paramount - have commented on the similarity of DS9
to BABYLON 5.  The obvious - and therefore suspect - answer to the
"accusation" is that BABYLON 5 was created and presumably the two hour
pilot pre-produced (and probably filmed by now) in ULTRA SECRECY.  
The point was for Warner to say, "Here!" and create a sensation because
no one suspected it was coming.  Not many people WITHIN the industry
have heard of BABYLON 5 yet (I mean, hype for it is not on the tip of
everyone's tongue), and almost no one OUTSIDE of it.
Berman and Piller commited what is affably known as "Independant
Creation."  
That's the obvious answer.
Another answer is they knew about it and stole (whether purposefully,
or more likely: subconsciously) the basic concept of a space station
weigh station between "US" and "WEIRD ALIENS" - the details of
DS9 and BABYLON 5, you have to admit, make all the difference, not
their basic permises being somewhat similar.  
BABYLON 5 looks to be more "Twin Peakish" SF; Berman and Piller, the
latter of whom will be responsible for day to day operations on the
new series, have promised gritty action and adventure: not surreal
intrique and complex character schemes.