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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 4, Episode 10

Where to watch, star trek: deep space nine — season 4, episode 10.

Watch Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Season 4, Episode 10 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

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Cast & crew.

Avery Brooks

Capt. Benjamin Sisko

Rene Auberjonois

Michael Dorn

Lt. Cmdr. Worf

Terry Farrell

Lt. Cmdr. Jadzia Dax

Cirroc Lofton

Colm Meaney

Chief Miles O'Brien

DS9 Season 4

• View history
• 3.1 Season changes
• 3.2 Story arcs
• 3.3 Reception
• 4.2.1 Uncredited crew
• 4.3 Companies
• 6 External links

Episodes [ ]

Summary [ ].

Life in the Alpha Quadrant has been uneasy since the revelation the Founders have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant . Convinced the Dominion are behind a successful coup on Cardassia , Gowron orders a Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union . When the Federation condemns the invasion, and Sisko protects the members of the Detapa Council , Gowron withdraws from the Khitomer Accords and attacks the station . Although the attack is unsuccessful, the Klingons refuse to give up the Cardassian colonies already seized. Consequently, Captain Benjamin Sisko asks Worf to join the crew of Deep Space 9 . Worf however is exiled once again from his people for refusing to side with Gowron in the conflict. Julian Bashir attempts to find a way to remove the Jem'Hadar 's addiction to ketracel-white . He clashes with his friend, Miles O'Brien , by doing so, and is eventually unsuccessful. Kira Nerys and Dukat embark on a personal journey to find the Cardassian ship Ravinok that disappeared six years previously. Kira is searching for a friend; Dukat is searching for his daughter, Tora Ziyal . He intends to kill her to protect his family, but once he finds her he is unable to do so and she returns with him to Cardassia with devastating consequences to Dukat. Jadzia Dax is reunited with Lenara Kahn , the wife of her former host. After spending time together, their feelings resurface. The two briefly reconcile, but while Dax is willing to face exile from Trill society, Kahn decides that she cannot and leaves, breaking Jadzia's heart.

Nog leaves for Starfleet Academy on Earth , though a shuttle accident en route temporarily strands him, Quark , Rom , and Odo in 1947 .

Kor , along with Dax and Worf, discover the long-lost Sword of Kahless in the Gamma Quadrant . They conclude that the Klingon Empire is not yet ready for such a powerful symbol and leave it adrift in open space.

After it is discovered that at least one Changeling infiltrator is active on Earth, Starfleet makes Benjamin Sisko acting head of Starfleet Security on Earth. After a power outage, Admiral Leyton manages to convince the President to let Starfleet declare martial law . However, Sisko soon discovers that the power outage was actually caused by Red Squad , Leyton is arrested for treason and Starfleet forces withdraw. First Minister Shakaar Edon begins a relationship with Major Kira, which forces Odo to deal with his feelings for her. Kira later helps Dukat capture a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and convinces him to let Tora Ziyal live aboard Deep Space 9 . Dukat is angry the Detapa Council are unwilling to use information contained within the Bird-of-Prey's computers to launch an offensive and decides to begin his own campaign against them.

Worf is reunited with his brother Kurn who has been banished from the Empire due to Worf's condemnation of Gowron's invasion of Cardassia. Worf decides to erase Kurn's memories and let him become a member of another house. Benjamin Sisko relinquishes the title of Emissary when a Bajoran, Akorem Laan , arrives at the station after being in the wormhole for 200 years. However when Akorem uses the position to resurrect a caste-based discrimination system that would, among other things, doom Bajor's petition for Federation membership, Sisko decides to reclaim the role. The challenge is taken to the wormhole aliens who confirm Sisko is their Emissary. They return Akorem to his time, and Sisko accepts his role fully.

In the mirror universe , the Terran Rebellion captures Terok Nor from the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance . With the help of the Sisko from the primary universe and the rebellion's new ship, the ISS Defiant , they successfully repel an Alliance attack, though the mirror Jennifer Sisko is killed during the incident.

Sisko's girlfriend Kasidy Yates is suspected by Odo and Eddington to be a Maquis smuggler. This turns out to be true, and Kasidy is sentenced to six months in prison, however Michael Eddington is also revealed to be a member of the Maquis and steals twelve industrial replicators intended for the Cardassians, using Kasidy to draw Sisko away from the station while he commits the crime. The crew of the USS Defiant helps a group of Jem'Hadar led by Weyoun eliminate another group of renegade Jem'Hadar.

After an accident on the runabout, Keiko O'Brien is injured and her baby must be transplanted into Kira's womb in order to survive. Quark is forced by Brunt to break a contract, leading to the revocation of Quark's business license. Odo is infected with a morphogenic virus by the Founders , which forces him to return home to face charges for killing another Changeling. As punishment, he is made a Human. During the mission, Elim Garak makes an unsuccessful attempt to take control of the Defiant 's weapons to destroy the Founders, leading to his incarceration for six months. Upon Odo's return, as tensions continue to escalate between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, Odo realizes that Gowron has been replaced by a Changeling.

Background information [ ]

• Michael Dorn joins the cast.
• This season was broadcast concurrent with Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 .
• Nana Visitor and Alexander Siddig began their relationship during this season.

Season changes [ ]

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine received a new opening sequence beginning in this season, designed by Dan Curry who also designed the original. The DS9 main title score was given a faster tempo and a new musical ending, and the visual shots of the station were revised to show many ships docked and orbiting the station, including the Defiant and the USS Leeds . A workbee and two repairmen in EV suits can also be seen. The Defiant is shown departing the station and entering the wormhole. Michael Dorn's name is also added to the opening credits. The font of the credits is also changed slightly, as is its color scheme. Many of the new elements added to the sequence were executed as CGI . The workbee, the welders as well as an alien freighter were CGI elements built by John Knoll at Industrial Light & Magic . " I made about half a dozen little bits and pieces [rem: work bees and the welders on the pylons] for the sequence, including a generic alien ship with blue glowy engines. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 335))
• Julian Bashir gained the rank of full lieutenant and Jadzia Dax became a lieutenant commander , both having presumably been promoted between the third and fourth seasons.
• Avery Brooks and Terry Farrell's credits were altered to reflect their characters' promotions.
• Alexander Siddig 's credit changed from his old credit of Siddig El Fadil to the new one of Alexander Siddig. According to Siddig, the reason he altered his name was because " the other name said too much about what I wasn't. Siddig El Fadil is an important name. It is my name, officially, on my passport and all that, and one that I will keep. But for an actor it wasn't so suitable. So I started again, with half and half, which is more reflective of my character. As for Alexander, that was just a name out of a hat ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 257)) Siddig's name was also moved in the credit list from between Rene Auberjonois and Terry Farrell to between Armin Shimerman and Nana Visitor to reflect its new alphabetical placement.
• Benjamin Sisko appears with a shaved head beginning in the fourth season. Avery Brooks was required to have some hair on his head during the first three seasons as Paramount thought if he had a bald head, he might look like his previous role as Hawk in Spenser: For Hire . ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 102) Brooks felt more comfortable acting with a shaved head, and so approached Rick Berman and Ira Behr . According to Behr, the two producers were expecting resistance at Paramount, but the studio had no problems. " We had geared ourselves up for this big fight and there was no fight. Paramount was fine with it. And Avery was very pleased. " The change was positively received by the production staff. Director James L. Conway remarked, " It was a terrific idea. I was shooting the episode and I happened to look at some of the reruns of the earlier shows and I said to Avery, 'It's like a different actor.' And Avery said, 'I feel like a different guy.' And you can see it in his performance. With his head shaved, I think he feels much freer, much more himself. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 257)). Robert Hewitt Wolfe noted, " He's actually a little scarier looking but the point is: That's what Avery looks like, so why shouldn't you let the guy look like himself? I think it lets him identify a little more with the character. "( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 102)

Story arcs [ ]

• At the end of season 3 , the writers had planned on doing a " Changelings on Earth " storyline, which would end on a cliffhanger. However, Paramount said that they didn't want a cliffhanger ending, forcing the writers to go in a different direction. This not only necessitated a rethinking of the end of the third season, but also a rethinking of the opening of the fourth. Producers were also under a mandate to do "something" to shake up the series. As such, they decided to bring the Klingons onto the show, with Rick Berman suggesting that they also bring in Worf . Obviously however, the Klingon conflict was not initially a part of the master plan for season 4, and many fans thus feel that this season is basically just an interlude in anticipation of the writers getting back to the Dominion arc. This was supported by Ira Steven Behr , who said " We only recovered our equilibrium in the middle of the fifth season following another meeting with the studio in which we said, 'How about making the Klingons our friends again? You'll see them as much as you want, but we want to get back to the Dominion '. While I like having brought Worf onto the show, and I love some of the things that he brought along, I think it had a fairly substantial impact that wasn't all for the good. It took us way off from where we'd intended to go and it was slow going getting back ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 256)) Behr has also commented, " It was not the direction we thought the show was going. We thought we were going to get into this whole Dominion thing, and we suddenly had to begin this problem with the Klingons, which I think was exciting for the audience, but took a lot of thought as to how it was all going to link up ." ( Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four , DS9 Season 4 DVD , Special Features)
• On the introduction of the character of Worf, Robert Hewitt Wolfe commented, " In the beginning it was difficult, I gotta be honest with you, to integrate this new character, but that was good because it challenged us, and made us sort of re-examine the show in a whole new light. How do we make this guy work? How do we bring him in? How does he change the relationships for all of our characters? He stirred up the whole thing again, gave the whole show a sort of a second phase. Suddenly, there's Worf and we've got to deal with him and his issues, and suddenly there's Klingons everywhere and that brought a new flavor to play with ." ( Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four , DS9 Season 4 DVD , Special Features)
• Characters who " crossover " from Star Trek: The Next Generation : Worf ( DS9 : " The Way of the Warrior " onwards) and his brother Kurn ( DS9 : " Sons of Mogh ").
• This is the only season of Deep Space Nine in which Vedek / Kai Winn , Grand Nagus Zek , and Maihar'du do not appear.
• A recurring theme this season was losses: Worf loses his standing among his people (again); The Federation loses its alliance with the Klingon Empire ; Dukat loses his standing among his people; Quark loses his business license (and thus, effectively, his standing among his people); Odo loses his shapeshifting abilities; even Sisko loses Kassidy Yates for a time, after she's imprisoned for working with the Maquis . All of these losses were restored the following season .

Reception [ ]

• Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman commented, " For the first time in the thirty-year history of the Star Trek franchise, a season's worth of episodes was produced with a large percentage being solid storytelling. In terms of consistent quality, Deep Space Nine 's fourth season is the one by which others will be measured. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p 101)
• Anna L. Kaplan wrote in Cinefantastique in 1997: " The '95-'96 season was undeniably DS9's best, and quite possibly the best season of Star Trek ever ". ("Taking the Fifth - With Style", Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7)
• This was the first season of DS9 that Una McCormack watched. She was of the opinion that the season maintains the level of quality she felt was established in season opener " The Way of the Warrior ". " So I felt that I was watching a well-imagined show with plenty going on that I could learn about and discover, " she remarked. " It didn't feel cardboard, it felt as if it had depth. " [1]

Credits [ ]

• Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko
• Rene Auberjonois as Odo
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Commander Worf
• Terry Farrell as Lt. Commander Dax
• Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko
• Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
• Armin Shimerman as Quark
• Alexander Siddig as Doctor Bashir
• Nana Visitor as Major Kira
• Rick Berman
• Ira Steven Behr
• Michael Piller
• Robert della Santina
• Robert Hewitt Wolfe
• Hans Beimler (beginning with "Hippocratic Oath")
• Steve Oster
• René Echevarria
• Peter Lauritson
• Ronald D. Moore
• Terri Potts
• Junie Lowry-Johnson , C.S.A.
• Dennis McCarthy ("The Way of the Warrior", "The Visitor", "Indiscretion", "Homefront", "Crossfire", "Accession", "Hard Time", "Shattered Mirror", "Body Parts")
• Jay Chattaway ("Hippocratic Oath", "Rejoined", "Starship Down", "Our Man Bashir", "Paradise Lost", "Return to Grace", "Bar Association", "Rules of Engagement", "For the Cause", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
• Paul Baillargeon ("Little Green Men", "The Muse")
• David Bell ("The Sword of Kahless", "Sons of Mogh", "The Quickening")

Dennis McCarthy (credit only appears in episodes not composed by McCarthy)

• Jonathan West , A.S.C. ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Paradise Lost", "Sons of Mogh"–"Rules of Engagement", "Shattered Mirror"–"Broken Link") (first credited with A.S.C. title in "Rules of Engagement")
• Kris Krosskove ("Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Hard Times")
• Herman Zimmerman ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Bar Association")
• Randy McIlvain
• Steve Tucker ("The Way of the Warrior", every third episode after "Indiscretion")
• Richard Rabjohn (every third episode after "Hippocratic Oath")
• David Ramirez (every third episode after "The Visitor")
• B.C. Cameron ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes starting with "The Visitor")
• Brian Whitley ("Hippocratic Oath")
• Conrad Irving (odd-numbered episodes starting with "Indiscretion")
• Paul Lawrence
• Robert Blackman
• Herman Zimmerman ("Accession"–"Rules of Engagement")
• Gary Hutzel ("The Way of the Warrior", odd-numbered episodes from "The Sword of Kahless" through "Accession", "Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening", "Body Parts")
• Glenn Neufeld ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes from "Little Green Men" through "Shattered Mirror")
• Dan Curry ("Hippocratic Oath", "Indiscretion", "Starship Down")
• David Takemura ("The Visitor", "Rejoined")
• Judy Elkins ("Hard Time", "The Muse")
• David Stipes ("For the Cause", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
• Kristine Fernandes
• J.P. Farrell
• Michael Okuda
• Rick Sternbach
• Michael Westmore
• Laura Richarz
• Ron Wilkinson ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Bar Association")
• Fritz Zimmerman ("Accession", even-numbered episodes from "Rules of Engagement", through "Broken Link")
• Peter Samish (odd-numbered episodes from "Hard Time" through "Body Parts)
• Judy Elkins ("The Way of the Warrior", odd-numbered episodes beginning with "The Sword of Kahless" except "Hard Time" and "The Muse")
• Kendell Shaffer ("The Visitor", "Rejoined")
• Edward L. Williams ("Hippocratic Oath", "Indiscretion", "Starship Down", "For the Cause", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
• David Takemura (even-numbered episodes beginning with "Little Green Men")
• Laura Lang-Matz ("The Muse")
• Edward L. Williams ("The Way of the Warrior", "The Visitor", "Rejoined", "Little Green Men"–"The Muse")
• Laura Lang-Matz ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening"–"Broken Link")
• Cheryl Gluckstern ("The Muse", "For the Cause")
• Carol Kunz ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes from "The Visitor" through "For the Cause", "The Quickening", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
• Camille Argus (odd-numbered episodes from "Hippocratic Oath" through "The Muse", "Body Parts")
• Thomas J. Arp ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Rules of Engagement"
• Greg Medina ("Hard Time"–"Broken Link")
• Denise Okuda ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes beginning with "The Visitor")
• Doug Drexler (odd-numbered episodes beginning with "Hippocratic Oath")
• Shirley Dollé
• Camille Calvet ("The Way of the Warrior", "The Visitor"–"Rejoined", "The Sword of Kahless"–"Homefront", "Return to Grace"–"Bar Association", "Shattered Mirror", "The Muse", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
• Dean Jones ("The Way of the Warrior", "Indiscretion"–"Starship Down", "Our Man Bashir"–"Paradise Lost", "Bar Association", "Accession", "Shattered Mirror"–"For the Cause", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
• Karen Iverson ("The Way of the Warrior", "Hippocratic Oath", "Starship Down", "Little Green Men", "Homefront"–"Crossfire", "Bar Association"–"Rules of Engagement", "The Muse"–"To the Death", "Broken Link")
• Mark Bussan ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor", "Starship Down"–"The Sword of Kahless", "Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Accession"–"Hard Time", "For the Cause"–"To the Death")
• Sonny Burman ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor"–"Indiscretion", "The Sword of Kahless"–"Our Man Bashir", "Crossfire"–"Sons of Mogh", "Rules of Engagement"–"Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening"–"Body Parts")
• Karen J. Westerfield ("Rejoined", "Little Green Men", "Paradise Lost", "Sons of Mogh", "Hard Time") (credited as Karen Westerfield beginning with "Hard Time")
• Brian Andrew-Tunstall ("The Way of the Warrior", "Hippocratic Oath", "Indiscretion", "Starship Down", "Little Green Men", "Our Man Bashir", "Homefront", "Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Accession", "Rules of Engagement", "The Muse", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
• Norma Lee ("The Way of the Warrior")
• Faith Vecchio ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor", "Rejoined", "Little Green Men", "The Sword of Kahless")
• Leland Crawford ("The Visitor", "Indiscretion"–"Starship Down", "The Sword of Kahless", "Our Man Bashir", "Paradise Lost", "Crossfire", "Bar Association", "Accession", "Shattered Mirror", "The Muse", "To the Death", "Body Parts")
• Lee Ann Brittenham ("Homefront", "Paradise Lost", "Sons of Mogh", "Bar Association", "Hard Times", "Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening", "To the Death")
• Susan Zeitlow-Maust ("Return to Grace", "Sons of Mogh")
• Adrienne Kessler ("Rules of Engagement", "Hard Times", "The Quickening", "Broken Link")
• Kris Krosskove , S.O.C.
• William L. Asman ("Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Hard Time")
• Steve Gausche
• Mary Ellen Bosché ("The Way of the Warrior", "Indiscretion", "Rejoined", even-numbered episodes from "Our Man Bashir" through "Broken Link")
• Jerry Bono ("The Way of the Warrior", "Hippocratic Oath", "Rejoined", "Starship Down", even-numbered episodes from "Our Man Bashir" through "Broken Link")
• Phyllis Corcoran-Woods ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor", "Starship Down"–"The Sword of Kahless", odd-numbered episodes from "Homefront" through "Body Parts")
• Cleo Severy ("The Visitor", "Indiscretion", "Little Green Men", odd-numbered episodes from "The Sword of Kahless" through "Body Parts")
• Stephen M. Rowe
• Mace Matiosian
• T. Ashley Harvey
• Guy Tsujimoto
• Jivan Tahmizian
• Eric Williams
• Craig Galloway ("Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening", "Broken Link")
• David Koeppel ("The Muse", "To the Death")
• Michael Westmore II ("For the Cause", "Body Parts")
• Edward Hoffmeister ("Shattered Mirror"–"Broken Link")
• Heidi Smothers
• Cara Colombini ("The Way of the Warrior"–"The Sword of Kahless")
• April Rossi ("Our Man Bashir"–"To the Death") (credited as April Nocifora in "Our Man Bashir")
• David Rossi
• Robbin L. Slocum
• Dennis Madalone
• Lolita Fatjo
• André Bormanis
• Helen Mossler , CSA

Uncredited crew [ ]

• John Carroll , On-Line Editor
• Josh Cushner , Visual Effects Cameraman
• Steve Fong , Visual Effects Compositor
• Hala Gabriel - Production Accountant
• Kevin Haney , Makeup Artist
• Dennis Hoerter , Prop Maker
• Adam Howard , Visual Effects Artist
• Cherie Huffman , Hairstylist
• Nancy J. Hvasta Leonardi - Makeup Artist ("The Quickening", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
• Don Lee , Visual Effects Compositor
• Brad Look , Makeup Artist
• Fredric Meininger , Model Maker
• Gil Mosko , Makeup Artist
• Ellen Powell , Hairstylist
• Dave Quaschnick , Makeup Artist
• Scott Rader , Visual Effects Compositor
• Jim Rider , Visual Effects Cameraman
• Barbara Ronci , Hairstylist
• Joshua Rose , Model Maker
• Thom Surprenant , Makeup Artist
• Steve Weber , Makeup Artist
• Scott Wheeler , Makeup Artist

Companies [ ]

See also [ ].

• DS9 Season 4 performers
• DS9 Season 4 UK VHS
• DS9 Season 4 US VHS
• DS9 Season 4 DVD

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4 at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season Four Credits at StarTrek.com
• Deep Space Nine Season 4 episode reviews  at Ex Astris Scientia
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Latest Tweets

• December 2023
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Episode Guide - Season 4

Beware, Netflix viewers: Entering Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4 is the fan’s equivalent of a massive spatial anomaly that deftly and inexorably increases its pull on you…

DS9 is an intriguing combination of stories telling of the lead-up to a massive war brewing between indescribably huge military forces and surprisingly deep character-driven episodes. Opening with “Way of the Warrior” allows Klingon to pepper the reminder of the series, while stuff like “The Visitor” reminds that some of the weirdest aliens in ST are humans. Also getting lots of play in this season of DS9 is the mirror universe, which develops all out of proportion to the original one-joke, one-script concept of the original series.

1-2. The Way of the Warrior – General Martok, captain of a Klingon warship, requests shore leave aboard Deep Space Nine, only to reveal a huge-ass fleet of Klingon ships. Martok proclaims that these are simply reinforcements to counteract the inevitable Dominion invasion out of the wormhole. Lt. Commander Worf also comes aboard to act as liaison between Klingon and Federation interests on the station; the former TNG’er discovers that the fleet will instead be invading Cardassia.

Sisko surreptitiously sends word about the Klingon invasion to Cardassian high command through Garak, and ultimately convinces Gul Dukat to evacuate the planet’s high council about the Defiant. The Klingons thus shift the attack to the station itself, which, in preparation for imminent invasion, has been outfitted with some non-too-shabby defenses… ***

3. The Visitor – Head trip for Jake Sisko, but mostly the audience. The aged Jake Sisko tells the story of his father’s apparent death – we say (write?) “apparent” because a classic temporal anomaly is involved.

4. Hippocratic Oath – Bashir tends to five Jem’Hadar, whose leader can survive without the drug White. Before episode’s end, the doctor is making some interesting discoveries about the super soldiers and their relationship to the Dominion employing them. ***

5. Indiscretion – Talk about your odd couples: Kira and Gul Dukat must work together in investigating the wreckage of a Cardassian ship employed in transporting Bajoran POWs during wartime. ***

6. Rejoined – Jadzia Dax welcomes aboard one Lenara Kahn, the wife of Dax’s former host and presumably no relation to Kirk’s #1 nemesis. As it turns out, Trill society frowns upon spouses/lovers getting back together in different host bodies, a real inconvenience for these two making goo-goo eyes at one another… ***

7. Starship Down – Much of the bridge crew joins Quark as he negotiates a secret trade agreement with a Delta Quadrant species; turns out the Dominion doesn’t exactly approve of neo-liberal trading with Alpha Quadrant folks. To this end, a Jem’Hadar ship soon appears to attack both ships and send them crippled into a gas giant. ***

8. Little Green Men – Three Ferengi and Odo in 1947 Roswell? Yep, and as good as it sounds. ****

9. The Sword of Kahless – With Worf now working the station, you had to figure it wouldn’t be too long before the Klingon-centric episodes returned. In this one, Dax’s old buddy Kor returns; together with Worf, the three hunt for the legendary titular item, which will reportedly unite the Klingon Empire. (Yeah, surrrrrrrrrre.) ***

10. Our Man Bashir – Both a favorite of Bashir groupies and one of the best ST holodeck episodes. Bashir does a 007-style story along with Garak before – no way! – a combination transporter/holodeck malfunction results in the two being trapped in the holodeck with other surprised crew members. ****

11. Homefront – While Sisko and Odo investigate the infiltration of the Dominion’s Changelings into Starfleet, Jake and Nog visit Jake’s grandfather in New Orleans. Before long, all power on Earth is cut (!), and the entire planet prepares for war. ****

12. Paradise Lost – As though things couldn’t get worse during the lead-up to intergalactic war, Sisko and Odo discover that the planet-wide blackout is instead … well, let’s just say that this plot makes any Federation conspiracy story on TNG look like something out of the original series. ***

13. Crossfire – The main plotline: A Bajoran minister flirts with Kira, and Odo gets vaguely jealous. Bleagh. *

14. Return to Grace – Dukat, ostracized from the Cardassian power elite, nevertheless finds himself teaming with Kira (and, this time, his daughter) in further machinations by marauding Klingons against Cardassia – and Bajor. ***

15. Sons of Mogh – That’s right: Kern, son of Mogh, brother of Worf, returns to Star Trek, against feeling the social stigma of another of Worf’s dishonors. Worf, a true weirdo by Klingon standards, messes up Kurn’s ritual suicide/homicide, then attempts to gain his brother’s assistance in preventing a Klingon/Cardassian war. ***

16. Bar Association – You’d think that, after a solid 200 years of hyper-capitalism, someone on the Ferengi homeworld would’ve countered with socialist principles, but guess not because Quark certainly is befuddled and panicked when Rom’s nearly-formed employees union goes on strike. ****

17. Accession – Only on Deep Space Nine would spiritual poets be resurrected. That’s what happens here, and once more the entire series feels like one extremely long episode. ***

18. Rules of Engagement – Two episodes after essentially severing all ties to his own culture, Worf is about to be extradited back to the Klingon homeworld after apparently shooting down a Klingon civilian passenger ship, killing a whopping 441. ***

19. Hard Time – A classic “Torment O’Brien” episode. Before the opening credits, O’Brien is busted on an alien world, tried, convicted and serves out 20 years in prison – except that last bit was solely in his mind. So it’s kind of like “The Inner Light,” but in a very, *very* disturbing way. ****

20. Shattered Mirror – The mirror universe folks need Sisko’s assistance again, so Jennifer enters the “prime” universe. Jake follows his father, as he believes the alternate-universe Jennifer to be his mother. ***

21. Muse – The title refers to the muse of Jake Sisko, an alien woman named Onaya who gets Jake’s creative juices flowing while extracting his lifeforce. Odo, meanwhile, deals with Lwaxana Troi’s latest drama, a pregnancy by a man with extreme views on child-rearing. **

22. For the Cause – Proving once and for all that the DS9 creative team never had a firm idea of what to do with Kasidy, Sisko’s girlfriend, this episode has her revealed as Maquis smuggler. Maybe. Probably. ***

23. To The Death – After an attack by a band of Jem’Hadar ballsy enough to want to take on the Dominion itself, Sisko and his crew aboard the Defiant seek retribution with the assistance of … the Jem’Hadar. ***

24. The Quickening – Bashir and Dax respond to a distress call, finding a Gamma Quadrant worlds whose hospitals are packed by those suffering from a “blight” planted by the Dominion itself several generations past.

25. Body Parts – Quark starts getting his debts settled (so to speak) and will sorted (literally) after getting diagnosed with a disease that’s reduced his life expectancy to one week – or so he believes, as the fact that the Ferengi (spoilers!) makes it to the last episode of DS9’s run… ***

26. Broken Link – Bashir stars yet again, as he attempts to save Odo. Who’s suddenly no longer in total control of his shapeshifting faculties – for mysterious and (since this is the season’s concluding) far-reaching reasons, naturally… ***

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 4

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We checked for updates on 245 streaming services on May 4, 2024 at 3:07:48 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Streaming, rent, or buy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season 4:

Currently you are able to watch "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 4" streaming on Paramount Plus, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel or buy it as download on Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video.

Season 4 of Deep Space Nine marks a major shift for the series, as it introduces a new conflict between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, sparked by the latter's distrust of the shape-shifting Founders. Worf, the former security chief of the USS Enterprise-D, joins the station's crew as Sisko's strategic operations officer, and faces challenges in his loyalty, honor, and family.

20 Episodes

S4 e1 - the way of the warrior (1), s4 e2 - the way of the warrior (2), s4 e3 - the visitor, s4 e4 - hippocratic oath, s4 e5 - indiscretion, s4 e6 - rejoined, s4 e7 - starship down, s4 e8 - little green men, s4 e9 - the sword of kahless, s4 e10 - our man bashir, s4 e11 - homefront (1), s4 e12 - paradise lost (2), s4 e13 - crossfire, s4 e14 - return to grace, s4 e15 - sons of mogh, s4 e16 - bar association, s4 e17 - accession, s4 e18 - rules of engagement, s4 e19 - hard time, s4 e20 - shattered mirror, where does star trek: deep space nine rank today the justwatch daily streaming charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. this includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. this includes data from ~1.3 million movie & tv show fans per day..

Streaming charts last updated: 5:25:28 AM, 05/04/2024

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is 2606 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The TV show has moved up the charts by 368 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Murdoch Mysteries but less popular than Warrior Nun.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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Star trek: ds9 revealed captain kirk broke the mirror universe.

After 27 years, Deep Space Nine returned to Star Trek's Mirror Universe to discover that Captain James T. Kirk had only made things much worse.

• Kirk's influence in the Mirror Universe led to the downfall of the Terran Empire, creating a harsh dystopia.
• DS9 explored the aftermath of Mirror Spock's failed attempt to reform the Terran Empire based on Kirk's suggestions.
• Michael Piller's curiosity and the impact of Kirk's character drove the return of the Mirror Universe in DS9.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revealed the prime timeline Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) broke the Mirror Universe during his one and only visit. At the end of Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 10, "Mirror, Mirror," Kirk suggests to Mirror Universe Spock (Leonard Nimoy) that the future of the Terran Empire could be more peaceful, like the Federation in Star Trek 's prime timeline . Star Trek didn't return to the Mirror Universe for another 27 years, in DS9 season 2, episode 23, "Crossover", which aired in 1994, and revealed a number of details about how Kirk impacted the Terran Empire .

Having rejected multiple Mirror Universe storylines for Star Trek: The Next Generation , producer Michael Piller eventually gave into his curiosity in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Various Star Trek: DS9 characters crossed over into the Mirror Universe between seasons 2 and 7, beginning with "Crossover". DS9 's first Mirror Universe episode established what happened after Mirror Spock attempted to implement the changes suggested by Prime Kirk. Spock's attempts to reform the Terran Empire were a disaster, and created an even harsher dystopia than before .

Star Trek: The Mirror Universe's History Explained

Ds9’s mirror universe episode revealed captain kirk broke the alternate timeline.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 23, "Crossover", Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) are transported to the Mirror Universe following an accident in the Bajoran wormhole . In the 24th century Mirror Universe, there is no Deep Space Nine, but there's a Terok Nor, which is overseen by the Intendant, the Mirror version of Kira. As with its prime universe counterpart, the Cardassian space station Terok Nor is an ore processing plant populated with Terran slaves.

Future Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Mirror Universe episodes featured an adapted transporter that could cross between universes.

It's revealed that Kirk had a " profound influence " on Mirror Spock, who rose to commander in chief of the Terran Empire with promises of more peaceful reform. This substantially weakened the Terran Empire so that it was unable to defend itself against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. The Terran Empire fell, and the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance became the dominant force, meaning that Kirk ultimately seeded the downfall of the Mirror Universe. Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors" revealed that Mirror Spock was executed for introducing his Kirk-influenced reforms , presumably when it was realized the Terrans could not defend themselves against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Why DS9 Brought Back Star Trek’s Mirror Universe

Star Trek: TNG didn't do the Mirror Universe , largely because its pulpy idea wasn't in-keeping with TNG 's more serious tone. In the book Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, Michael Piller revealed his thinking behind bringing back the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and it was all because of Captain Kirk:

I couldn't get away from the fact that it would be interesting to know what happened after "Mirror, Mirror" finished. I couldn't escape the idea that Kirk's influence in the world that he left might have been profound and changed history. What would be more of a gross violation of the Prime Directive?

Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who contributed the idea of the fall of the Terran Empire told the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion that he wanted to explore why the Terrans were so brutal in Star Trek: The Original Series. Hewitt Wolfe's belief was that the Terrans had made themselves harsh and brutal to protect against the " barbarians at the gate "; the Klingons and Cardassians . Star Trek: Enterprise would later dismiss this idea, by revealing that the Terrans were cruel and brutal long before First Contact with the Vulcans. However, without Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revitalizing the concept, it's possible that Enterprise 's Mirror Universe two-parter may never have happened.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Original Series are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Star Trek: The Original Series

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Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

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Star Trek: Discovery Hides DS9 Connections In Plain Sight

Posted: May 1, 2024 | Last updated: May 2, 2024

Star Trek: Discovery is in its fifth and final season, and the show has been making frequent messages to other shows in the franchise on its way out. For example, the season-long mystery about the Progenitors is building off of Captain Picard’s research in the TNG episode “The Chase,” and our characters recently discovered the ISS Enterprise from the TOS episode “Mirror, Mirror.” It turns out the Star Trek: Discovery episode “Mirrors” hid a Deep Space Nine reference in plain sight by referencing travels to the Gamma Quadrant, seemingly confirming how important Bajor has remained in the 32nd century.

Deep Space Nine’s Game-Changing Wormhole

To understand the importance of this Star Trek: Discovery reference, you need to cast your mind back to the first episode of Deep Space Nine and how much it changed the lives of everyone on the planet Bajor. That was when Sisko reluctantly took command of DS9 to help Bajor rebuild and recover after the brutal occupation by the Cardassians. He discovered a wormhole in Bajoran space that would allow quick and easy travel into the otherwise remote Gamma quadrant.

The Importance of Stable Wormholes

An earlier episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation underscored why the discovery of a stable wormhole near Bajor was so important. In the episode “The Price,” the Federation is so excited about the existence of a stable wormhole to the Delta Quadrant that they start bidding against other groups to manage the wormhole (I guess they forgot the whole “we don’t use money” idea that day). Eventually, Geordi La Forge learns that the exit for the wormhole is not stable and that anyone who goes through might not be able to come out, something two Ferengi discover the hard way.

Bajor Transformed Over Time

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sisko is responsible for the discovery of a wormhole near Bajor that is stable on both sides, allowing travel to and from the Gamma Quadrant. This discovery is a game-changer for everyone involved. Bajor suddenly went from being a galactic backwater to being a hub of commerce and travel. Accordingly, Deep Space Nine went from being a relatively unimportant space station to the most important Starfleet base, especially during the Dominion War.

Background on Moll and L’ak

Of course, you’re probably wondering what this Star Trek history lesson has to do with either Discovery or Bajor. The episode “Mirrors” gives us more background on Moll and L’ak, the Bonnie and Clyde duo who always seem to stay one step ahead of Captain Burnham in the race to learn more about the Progenitors. Moll reveals that when she was younger, her father promised to take the family to some kind of colony in the Gamma Quadrant that he considered a safe haven.

Moll’s Motivation

As a now-grown courier and career criminal, one of Moll’s big motivations remains getting enough latinum to start a new life for herself in the Gamma Quadrant. To me, though, the most interesting thing about this Star Trek: Discovery episode was the casual confirmation that Bajor remains extremely important in the 32nd century. Vessels traveling all the way to the Gamma Quadrant would still have to use the Bajoran wormhole, and that phenomenon was likely all the more important during the Burn when dilithium was scarce and warp travel impossible.

Discovery’s Nod to Bajor’s Significance

While it doesn’t lean as hard into Deep Space Nine fan service as certain episodes of Lower Decks, I was quite happy to see Star Trek: Discovery quietly confirm that Bajor remains one of the most important places in the galaxy. Even in the far future of the 32nd century, this wormhole remains the only way to reliably access the Gamma Quadrant.

And since Star Trek has never followed up on that wild Deep Space Nine finale, it’s entirely possible that Benjamin Sisko is still in that wormhole, having non-linear conversations with the Prophets and, if they’re lucky, sharing his father’s jambalaya recipe. 

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy. In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy. In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

• Rick Berman
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• Cirroc Lofton
• 362 User reviews
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• 59 wins & 116 nominations total

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• Trivia Kira was a last-minute addition to the cast. The original plan was to include the Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) character of Ro Laren, but Michelle Forbes didn't want to do a series at the time.
• Goofs In the first three seasons, CDR Sisko refers to his father in the past tense, even talking about his slow demise and death from some unknown ailment. But starting in the fourth season ("Homefront"), Joseph Sisko is alive and well running a restaurant in New Orleans. Joseph appears in a total of six episodes throughout the last 4 seasons.

Garak : [Cornered by a group of Klingons in his store] Well, let me guess! You're either lost, or desperately searching for a good tailor.

• Crazy credits The opening credits for "Emissary" lacked the wormhole opening that all future episodes featured. Starting with Season 4, the opening credits included additional spacecraft and activity around the station, including the Defiant flying into the wormhole.
• Alternate versions Several episodes were originally shown as 2-hour movies. They were later edited into two-part 60 minute episodes for later airings.
• Connections Edited into Star Trek: Voyager: Unity (1997)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title Written by Dennis McCarthy

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• Oct 16, 1998
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• January 3, 1993 (United States)
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Interview: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Writer Carlos Cisco On Unmasking The Breen And Revisiting The ISS Enterprise

| April 28, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 38 comments so far

The fifth episode (“ Mirrors “) of season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery was co-written by Carlos Cisco, working with Johanna Lee. Cisco joined Discovery in season 3 as a writers’ assistant, moved up to staff writer during season 4, and is now a writer and story editor in season 5.

In our SPOILERS interview, TrekMovie had a chance to talk to Cisco about getting a chance to expand on some big pieces of Trek lore in “Mirrors” and more.

Can you give a bit of background on your fandom and how you came to work on Discovery ?

I am a huge fan now, but I wasn’t always that way because I didn’t have TV growing up in the ’90s. I had seen some of the original movies, a handful of Next Gen episodes and the J.J. Abrams movies before coming onto Discovery . It was intimidating because didn’t know the franchise really well but I love sci-fi and genre. Once I started on season 3, I began to watch Next Gen episodes and when it became clear we were dealing with Andorians and Orions, our then-staff writer Brandon Schultz suggested I watch Enterprise because that is when they were the most featured and I really came to appreciate it. I had been a huge fan of Jeffrey Combs before any knowledge of Trek, and to find how deep he was in Trek was a delightful surprise. So I watched Enterprise all the way through, I watched all of Next Gen , DS9, TOS, I got up to season 4 of Voyager …

So you did an almost complete binge of the franchise during your first year as a writers’ assistant?

Yeah, I was watching like two to four episodes a day. It was a lot. I am an extremely online person and understand how fandoms work and understand that Trek is the fandom that created the sort of framework for all modern fandom. I also love researching things. I love fake histories of and diving into the lore of something. So yeah, I went through all of it and eventually finished up Voyager during the pandemic and kept on, I am current with all the Trek shows.

Was this just extra obsessiveness because it was your job, or because you were you getting into it?

I really enjoyed Next Generation . Deep Space Nine is among my favorite TV series of all time and the one I go back and rewatch the most because it’s just that good, I love it. I will go back to other ones like if we are referencing it in the room.

Carlos Cisco beamed to the set of Star Trek: Discovery

So having watched it all so recently, did you find yourself as one of the quasi-experts in the room?

Yeah. I would have upper level writers texting me asking like, “What’s something I can inject in here?” Yeah, I became one of the experts in the room. I feel like the most passionate people about a religion are the recent converts, and that became one of my positions in the room. So I was always trying to push how could we recontextualize Trek canon for the 32nd century? How can we better worldbuild each season? That was something that was important to me.

For an episode like “Mirrors,” it must occur to you that you are about to double the page on Memory Alpha for the Breen and also the Kelleruns and even the Mirror Universe. Do you find that exciting or terrifying?

Both. Trek fans, they know their shit. It’s a really terrifying and great responsibility to get to be that additive to canon. The Breen were one of my strongest pushes for the season. Early on a couple of us who were really into the lore were asked for ideas on the season big bads and [staff writer] Eric [Robbins] was pushing for the Vidiians and I was like we should do the Breen.” Because, A: They’re not going to have horrible makeup, and B: We can just put a bunch of big guys in suits and they don’t need to talk. Being mindful of the COVID protocols, the suits and masks would be really great. And then there were all the possibilities for the Breen because in every season Discovery is trying to do something we have never seen before. And getting to unmask the Breen was a really big privilege.

“Mirrors” showed how there was more to just unmasking them with the two faces. Can you talk about the look and inspiration behind that?

I don’t remember where in the process we landed on “gelatinous” but when we hit the art team with that they came back to us with deep sea fish like the Barreleye Fish with a see-through head. We got really excited about that. So we started talking about what is this species? Why do they wear the suits? So, the thing we landed on is they have this soft gelatinous form and also a hardened form. Our thinking was that the Breen came up on a very harsh planet with a harsh environment. So they developed a way to protect themselves which was hardening their outer shell into basically a skin, but that takes an immense amount of concentration and energy, making them slower, more sluggish, less intelligent, basically. Over time, they compensated for that by creating the refrigeration suits. Then culturally, it became anathema for them to display that solid face, especially to outsiders, because it was essentially a sign of weakness.

L’ak in his gelatinous state

This idea of a taboo reminded me of episodes like “The Outcast.” So L’ak is part of a segment of Breen society that chose to go against this norm?

Yeah, I think that the Breen that would do that would be outcasts in their society. We still wanted to leave a lot of mystery with the Breen. One of the most appealing parts of being a writer in Trek, is you can see something that was mentioned once in Trek and go, “I’m going to build a whole episode about this, or a whole character arc that explores this.” The Breen started as a single line in TNG and then got one of the most important arcs in DS9. Getting to build and expand off that of that was really cool.

One quick question: Is this the same Breen ship we saw next to the destroyed Federation HQ in the future in the time travel episode?

Yep, that big honking thing next to Federation HQ is the Breen ship. It’s not a space station, it’s a ship. That was one of the things I was super proud of pitching. I had been looking at Breen ship designs, including the Star Trek Online ones, which were these colossal, city ships that could house entire armies and fleets inside of them. And again, talking about what haven’t we seen and what could we have as our adversary. Like, Osyraa’s ship was big in comparison to Discovery, but we wanted to do something – this thing was just a behemoth. Like a Discovery-sized ship could fly into its shuttle bay.

Using the ISS Enterprise was a way to sort of visit the Mirror Universe again. What came first: a creative way of using the available Strange New Worlds set in Toronto, or the decision to revisit the Mirror Universe?

We were given access the sets so we could pitch ideas that could take place on those sets, whether it is the Enterprise or not. There were a few pitches, like one with an old science vessel from the 23 rd century stuck inside a planet of liquid mercury. And one pitch was it was a Mirror Universe ship sort of trapped like a ship in a bottle, which became the pocket of dimensional space. We even considered fluidic space, trying to bring in one more little reference [laughs]. So once it was settled to do the Mirror ship, the opportunity to define what happened to the ISS Enterprise after the events of “Mirror, Mirror” was really cool.

Was there any talk about also bringing in some Mirror characters?

We had considered Ethan [Peck] as Mirror Spock early on but there might have been availability issues, I don’t know.

Burnham and Book on the ISS Enterprise bridge

So you say you are the lore guy, so how about a nitpick speed round? Starting with: The Breen aren’t supposed to bleed, right?

They don’t have a circulatory system, it’s just the jelly spilling out. I know they don’t bleed! Come on. [laughs]

The solution to open the wormhole was to replace the photon torpedoes with antimatter, but aren’t photon torpedoes anti-matter torpedoes?

I think they were adding more, okay? [laughs]

Final sort of nitpick: Owo and Detmer were tasked with taking the ship back to HQ, but the warp drive was disabled.  We don’t see it go to warp, so are they not going to show up at HQ for years?

In my headcanon, they are being met by a Federation tug, the 32 nd century version of the California-class like the Cerritos. They are heading off to meet them and it will tug them to spacedock. [laughs]

ISS Enterprise leaves for Starfleet HQ

We have talked a lot about lore, but season 3 was a way for the show to kind of jump past all of Star Trek canon. Now in season 5, it feels like the show is reembracing the lore, is that by design?

Yeah, I think the studio and Secret Hideout, [co-showrunners] Alex [Kurtzman] and Michelle [Paradise] all wanted this season to sort of connect Discovery back to the greater body of Trek a little more. That didn’t mean we had to really dig into canon, but there was a greater desire to see what we are familiar with from the past and what it looks like in 32 nd century and how it’s different or how it’s not different, and why. Obviously, this is a season that has focused on an episode from the 24 th century [TNG “The Chase”] and so naturally because of that, every episode focused on the clues is going to be focused on the whims of a 24th-century scientist. So that is naturally going to have more connections back to what people would consider classic Trek.

Discovery is ending and the writers room wrapped up a while ago. Are you hoping to return to the franchise? If there is a second season of Academy , are you hoping to get back to the 32 nd century?

I’d love to, if they’d have me. But if this is the last episode I get to write of Star Trek, I’m very proud that this is my final contribution. I’m hoping to pitch some games to the franchise and stuff like that as well down the line. I’m a game designer on the other side of my career. But yeah, I would love to come back and write for Trek, anytime. We’ll see if that happens.

Finally, last year you played a big part in organizing for the WGA strike, which included rallying Trek writers. Can you talk about that?

Yeah, one of the proudest things I’ve contributed to the franchise didn’t even take place while I was employed on Star Trek. Or [employed] at all. I was a lot coordinator and strike captain. Followers of the strike might remember we did theme days to boost morale and turnout. I, along with fellow captain and Strange New Worlds writer Bill Wolkoff was one of the architects of the Star Trek strike day in May. It was one of the first theme days, and we didn’t advertise. But the turnout from franchise was immense. We had actors, writers, and designers from every single Trek TV show attend. It was, as a fan and a writer, an immensely emotional day and an incredible few hours where folks who worked on the show could fan out on other folks whose shoulders we stand on. There were reunions that hadn’t happened in years and it was a really joyful celebration of the shows we all put our blood, sweat, and tears into.

Carlos Cisco (highlighted) at Star Trek-themed picket day in May 2023 (Photo: JW Hendricks)

The fifth and final season of Discovery debuted with two episodes on Thursday, April 4 exclusively on Paramount+  in the U.S., the UK, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Austria.  Discovery also premiered on April 4 on Paramount+ in Canada and will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada. The rest of the 10-episode final season is available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Season 5 debuted on SkyShowtime in select European countries on April 5.

Note: The interview has  been edited for brevity and clarity.  

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I’m not sure I like the reveal. To me, this is one of those things like the Klingon headridges where I think the mystery was more interesting than the answer they came up with. I so wish Enterprise had not explained the headridges and Worf’s “we don’t discuss it with outsiders” joke in DS9’s “Trials and Tribbleations” was the end-all be-all for it.

Also, the behind-the-scenes thinking and explanation for the Breen doesn’t fit with DS9.

Their idea that the Breen come from a harsh planet and harsh environment is directly conflicted in dialogue by Weyoun, who states the environment of the Breen homeworld is actually normal. In DS9, it gave the Breen a mysterious quality that I think made them stand out.

Good point. Pretty much everything about this episode was badly done.

Frankly, given what a disappointment Discovery seasons 3-5 have been, I truly hope Carlos Cisco and Johanna Lee are not invited back. They just aren’t good writers.

as all Disco writers are…

You dislike all the writers on all current trek shows. Not actually sure what you consider a “good” writer.

Just to be sure, it would be nice if we can put all Disco writers in one big box and ship them to Antartica.

DS9 built up a real mystique about the Breen. To find out that they are really green jello people was a bit anti-climatic.

In fairness, though, what would have been exciting enough as an answer to the mystery? Some things are better left unanswered. It brings to mind Steven Moffat teasing a reveal of The Doctor’s (as in Doctor Who) name, abut then admitting he never would. To parapgrase, he said, “What could it possibly turn out to be? Keith?”

In fairness, though, what would have been exciting enough as an answer to the mystery? 

I think you answered the question well in suggesting that maybe the Breen should have remained a mystery.

but on the other hand, who trusts anything Weyoun says?

The Typhon Pact books dug into the Breen in an interesting way, and this doesn’t stray too far from that (in some respects) which is refreshing to see.

Two unnecessary reveals in one episode.

Anyone who says DS9 is their favorite show is already alright in my book!

However I did have a lot of problems with this episode. The whole MU connection and it also being the Enterprise just felt beyond a stretch and very unnecessary. And he confirmed what I think a lot of us assumed and that they were able to use the Enterprise sets and just came up with a story around it instead of the opposite and came up with a story first that warranted it. I really wish it was just another Constitution class ship from the prime universe instead of the ham fisted stuff they came up with that added really nothing to the story.

As for the Breen I do like they are using them again since this is a species many fans wanted to see again. I’m torn with the head reveal but OK with it. But would’ve been fine if they didn’t show them.

I also like the idea of using the Vidians too although IIRC weren’t they already cured by the end of Voyager? But this is why it’s fun to go so forward in the future because now you can use species from any part of the galaxy.

And I suspect we will see a lot more of them in the Academy show.

Agreed on all fronts.

agree on everything ;)

Yep Jason Alexander cured the Phage.

Yeah, I don’t think every mystery or open question needs to be answered by our franchises. I don’t understand the compulsion to answer every open question from past series or movies.

Things like the Breen and Bobba Fett were cooler with less said.

yes. for sure. let the secrets be secrets, don’t explain them, create new ones!

The shame of it all, though, is that this just wasn’t a good episode. It was badly written, L’ak and Moll were really boring, and the Breen’s other face was cheesy-looking. This may have been the worst episode of DISCO since the ship left the 23rd century. What a disappointment this season has turned out to be; after two really fun opening episodes, it’s gone downhill fast and has turned into the same padded schlock that was seasons three and four.

You literally complained about the first two episodes when they aired and now you are saying that were great? And you’re making sweeping judgements about a season being disappointing even though you haven’t seen it all? There’s a word for this: trolling.

That’s nonsense, and you know it. I don’t know why you have a bug up your butt about me, but if you don’t like my posts, stop replying to them. I’m clearly not a troll. I’ve been an active member of this group for years.

Also, I just looked up my comments about the early episodes on this board.

Episode 1: “Now THAT was good.”

Episode 2: I made no comment at all.

Episode 3: “Oh, boy. After two stellar episodes, this was one of the worst in the show’s history. If this is setting the tone for the rest of the season, I’m frankly worried.”

So, M1701, when exactly did I “literally complain about the first two episodes when they aired?” It’s pretty clear which one of us is the troll. So get off my back. You don’t out-rank me and you don’t have pointed ears.

I don’t know. I thought it was a very good episode. The pacing was great. I like the added backstory to Moll and L’ak. I found it added depth and meaning to their characters. And I did love that the MU ship was the Enterprise. As a long-time fan of Trek and loving “Mirror, Mirror” – I often wondered what happened to the ISS-E. This was quite satisfying to me to know where she ended up. Being a writer myself (I wrote several episodes or ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK and other series from time to time), I quite enjoyed the story telling here and in this season. I work more in the technical field now but I still write from time to time. Funny enough, I did write a fan fiction years and years ago that find the ISS-E in the future with Mirror Spock at the helm.

Oh neat I used to watch AYOTD when I was a kid good show.

This awful story is what you get when you assign a novice to write this episode. No offense to Carlos Cisco, but the ‘Mirrors’ episode is a huge mess.

The ‘no offense’ made a huge difference indeed… LOL

What they should’ve done with the extra pages they got in the end (to wrap up the series) is go back and ‘fix’ certain things they would’ve done, had they known it was their last episode. Like bringing in Ethan for at least a cameo or recorded log scene and Lorca in the previous one. Would’ve fixed the ‘talk in stead of show’ issues.

Guess we can add the Breen to the list of things the First Splinter did better (a list that already includes the MU).

I still hate the 32rd century, the entire thing completely destroys world building in the Star Trek Universe to me.

If it was the late 25th century or early 26th century, just a difference in Number really, the jump in tech capabilities would be entirely reasonable and no more than from the late 23rd to the late 24th century. All of the things that happened in the meantime, the burn, the reunification of vulcan etc would have all been much more plausible in a shorter period of time and honestly opening the possibility for many more interesting stories to tell. Even the federation continuing on as a shadow of its former self, the way it is presented in the show, would make much more sense if the burn had been just, say, 30 years ago – and not over 100!

Look at how our real world changed just within the last 80 years since WW2, how a society such as Korea could evolve into two completely different cultures, how entire populations were displaced in Europe, yet that reality became totally normal now. In star trek, on the other hand, somehow progress and change completely ground to a crawl, apparently, following the 2400s.

Again, that baffling decision completely destroys world building and plausibility of the events in Disco for me. Such a minor thing as the number of the date has have such profound ramnifications towards the plausibility of the story (which was probably only chose because it was beyond ANY mentioned events in Canon) and it is just so disappointing that this decision has been apparently been made on a whim.

And now they are doubling down with SF Academy. Just leave it in peace and call it an “alternate Timeline/split timeline” or whatever.

This. I just can’t even bring myself to watch Disco anymore (stopped after season 2). Have seen every episode of every other series excluding Prodigy (am getting to that one), but Disco just doesn’t feel like the same universe, and I’m simply not interested.

This episode was damn fantastic and I find Trekmovie’s comments section for this article a bit more wearying than most.

Ah, thank you. The comments here are becoming grumpy central. I liked the episode and this interview was honest and fun.

I love the Trekmovie podcast and the news coverage, but nowadays I do kind of see the Trekmovie comments as obnoxious haters looking for shallow excuses to flex what they think is their creative writing muscle vs. the comments at Trekcore that are a little more down-to-earth and rational. The comments over there are also much more discussion-based as opposed to the reaction-based dramaticism of the jerks over here. I want to be clear, I’m just talking about the comments. Anthony and Laurie’s podcast and this site’s news coverage is one of the shining lights of the fandom in general. It’s just that the comments section make my eyes roll so hard they occasionally fall out.

A. It’s just people giving their opinions. I don’t think people are trying to be ‘haters’ just honest. Yes people are passionate.

B. It’s literally been like this here since 2009. It’s actually better today than a decade ago after STID came out. That was brutal lol.

I liked that TNG mostly didn’t revisit TOS aliens (but when it did, it overused them – see: Klingons — or made them lame – see: Vulcans and Romulans).

I wish Discovery had tried to do its own thing.

Honestly I think it is Enterprise that made the Vulcans lame. Outside of Spock and Sarek we didn’t really even get many Vulcans in TNG

I agree to an extent. That being said I’d rather use an established adversary than invent something new out of whole cloth.

I for one am happy to see the Breen back as they were one of my favorite parts of DS9. I wouldn’t have shown their faces but I like what we got. Im also glad we’re using and expanding on something established as opposed to inventing something brand new. I hope we see the Tholians too as they were name dropped earlier in the season.

Cisco is clearly a fan but it feels like the writers this season really want to be doing an early 24th/25th century show. The story and ideas do not feel they inspired by and coming organically from the shows characters and setting. The show is increasingly contrived as a grab bag of 24th/25th century ideas are brute-forced into Discovey at the expense of its own already weak characters.

They’ve fallen into a catch-22 where the show is entirely dependent of references/callbacks to keep you invested because of its own weak setting and characters…but they’re weak because their development has been sacrified in favor of more refences. The show started started off with training wheels and instead of letting it eventually ride on its own they just keep adding more training wheels.

It’s a shame because in a vaccum I actually think a lot of the Breen development is pretty neat. I hope Cisco, Lee, and others are new and better opportunities with the franchise in the future. But I’m increasingly worried that with Kurtzman in charge it’ll just be more of the same. Coming Soon: 32nd Starfleet Academy! Featuring such instructors as The Doctor, Guinan, Wesley Crusher, and a Soong Android!