Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Deep Space Nine News
From: system@memalph.UUCP (Woody Harper)
Date: 1 Sep 92 16:42:54 GMT
Organization: Memory Alpha BBS - Phoenix, AZ - +1 602 863 2009

Here is some info on ST:DS9...



This file is a synopsis of a talk given by Majel Barrett Roddenberry
concerning STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9, at Starbase Cincy, on August 1,
1992.  This is a rewritten and reformatted version of the info posted
in the thread titled "<Majel on DS9>," with a few additions and
corrections.  Most of this is direct from the DS9 Writer's Guide,
Majel said.

Background: After over a hundred years, the Cardassian Empire has
finally tired of fighting Bajoran terrorists and guerillas, and has
withdrawn unilaterally from Bajoran space and the Bajoran homeworld. 
Before they left, however, the Cardassians stripped the planet of most
of its usable resources, and left only scorched earth behind.  The
planet is only beginning to recover, and rebuilding will be a long
hard journey indeed.

     At about the same time, a stable wormhole has been discovered in
the Bajoran star system.  It's similar in many ways to the wormhole in
the TNG episode "The Price," except that this one really _is_ stable.
The wormhole has given Bajor the chance it needed to rebuild, by
becoming a center of commerce and trade.

     Bajor has hired the Federation to administer the wormhole, and
given the assigned Starfleet unit an old Cardassian space station. 
The station is a wreck; the Cardassians stripped it before leaving,
and there's very little left that works.  The Starfleet unit's first
responsibility is to get the station operational, but in fact there's
little chance all the problems will ever be worked out.  (Translation:
Mechanical breakdowns will be a frequent complication in many
stories.)

Some info on the main characters:

CAPTAIN BENJAMIN SISKO: Commander of the space station.  He's an old
Starfleet hand who lost his wife in the Battle of Wolf 359. 
Thereafter, he worked for some time at the Utopia Planetary Shipyards
repairing and rebuilding the fleet.  He wanted to return to Earth
after that, but was instead posted to Deep Space 9 along with his
young son.  He has deep buried bitterness toward Jean-Luc Picard
because of his wife's death in battle with the Borg.

JAKE SISKO: Captain Sisko's son.  About 10 or 12 years old, a classic
"army brat" who has grown up moving from post to post with his
parents.  As a result of his frequent moves, he's become very shy
about forming personal friendships - he's seen too many of them broken
by another move.  He has NO special technical skills of any kind
(there was a loud cheer when Majel read that).

ODO: The Security Officer.  A shapeshifter.  He is from an unknown
race; he was found alone on a derelict spacecraft.  He hopes someday
that a ship will come through the wormhole whose crew can tell him who
and what he is.  At night he must revert to his native form, a
shapeless mass of jelly.  He usually goes about in human form, but
because he isn't very good at forming a human body, his man-shape
looks "unfinished, rough around the edges."

KIRA NERYS: The Bajoran liaison officer.  An ex-major in the Bajoran
underground, a tough military hand who is having trouble adjusting to
peace.  She's a strong, dominant personality, and she is frustrated by
the way in which the Bajoran leaders are frittering away valuable time
by endlessly debating what their next move should be.  This part was
originally written to be Ro Laren, but Michelle Forbes declined the
role.  The character has been renamed, but is otherwise the same.

MILES O'BRIEN: Chief Engineer of the space station, newly transferred
from the Enterprise.  He's sorry to leave the Enterprise, but pleased
at the promotion.  He and his staff have their hands full and more
than full operating the space station.

QUARK: A Ferengi who runs the main bar on the space station's
promenade.  The promenade is a collection of bars and shops of all
kinds (even a holographic house of ill-repute), populated by a
collection of aliens from across the galaxy.  (Think of the Star Wars
Cantina, x10.)  The Ferengi runs the main bar and several other
concessions, and is willing to help the station's crew - as long as
there's something in it for him.  His son NAAM is aboard with him.

The Bajoran planetary leader: This gentleman is a sort of cross
between president and religious leader.  The Bajoran culture has
always been deeply spiritual and philosophical, and this man is
well-equipped to lead it.  There are hints that he has some strange
mental powers, which may or may not be explored in the series.

DR. JULIAN AMOROS: Chief Medical Officer of the space station.  Late
20s, just about right out of med school, this is his first major
assignment.  He's young, confident, very gung-ho, and also rather
naive.  He expected to be assigned to a starship, to be out on the
frontier where the action is.  He did not expect to be assigned to a
broken-down space station in a just-recovering ex-war zone.

JADZIA DAX: Science Officer.  A Trill, which is an insectoid symbiont
inhabiting a humanoid host.  Odon in "The Host" was a Trill.  This
particular Trill is currently inhabiting a young, very attractive
female host.  The symbiont lives about four times as long as its hosts
generally do, so one Trill will have several hosts in its lifetime. 
Captain Sisko has encountered this Trill before, at which time it was
a teacher/mentor figure to him; however, at that time it was in the
body of an old man.  Now he's met the same Trill in the body of a very
attractive woman, which causes him some fairly deep psychological
conflicts.  Meanwhile, the Trill symbiont is a rather cold personality
with little use for sex, so when it's in control it's not very
interested in a "relationship."  However, the host's biochemistry can
override the symbiont's desires, so every now and again Jadzia's
emotions get the better of her, despite the symbiont's best efforts to
the contrary.


Recurring guest characters:

KEIKO O'BRIEN will appear from time to time.  There will also be
occasional crossovers by TNG characters.  And <drum roll, please>
LWAXANA TROI will be a recurring guest on DS9.  Apparently she visits
the station at some point and develops a liking for Odo, the shape-
shifter Security Officer.  The fact that he isn't human and reverts to
his native form every night doesn't dissuade her. 
Sample dialogue:

ODO: But you don't understand.  I turn into a pool of jelly at night!

LWAXANA: I can swim.



Production details:

They are scheduled to start shooting on August 18th, and be ready for
a January '93 premiere.  There is no set cast yet, but Majel said she
expected there to _be_ a cast by today or tomorrow at the latest. 
There are, however, several sets already built and waiting on two
soundstages on the Paramount lots.  The studio has already sunk _three
million dollars_ into the sets _alone_, so Paramount is obviously
betting big on DS9 to be a success.

One of the permanent sets is the Station Operations Center, a huge
circular set with several levels, all full of control stations for
operations, tactical, defense, life support, and such and so. Majel
has seen this set, and says it's very impressive.

If I understood what Majel was saying aright, DS9 will be somewhat
less "cerebral" and more "action-adventure" oriented than TNG.  The
series background, premise, and character sketches were carefully
written to allow vast possibilities for stories.  They've assembled a
good team of writers, producers, directors, etc., and Majel thinks
it's going to go fairly well.  I personally have my doubts, but only
time will tell.


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