Interview: Ira Steven Behr And Nana Visitor On Pissing People Off With ‘Star Trek: DS9’ And ‘What We Left Behind’

Today, Monday, May 13th, the documentary What We Left Behind about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will hit US and Canadian theaters in a one-night event. TrekMovie has spoken to members of the cast and producers about what we can expect from the documentary and about their time on DS9.

Today we have a video interview with DS9 showrunner and documentary producer Ira Steven Behr along with DS9 star Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys) as well as documentary producer Kai de Mello-Folsom. We have some highlighted quotes as well as the full video below.

DS9 getting no respect

TrekMovie: The documentary talks about how Deep Space Nine was seen as the “middle child” of Star Trek. How was that manifested at the time on the set or around the show?

Nana Visitor: What filtered down onto the set was a generally feeling that that’s not how it’s done, that is not how we do Star Trek. That is not how you play a female on Star Trek. I got that a lot. And I got pushback from fans as well about my character. We were pushing the envelope and it was something new. As a cast, we felt shunted to the side, certainly.

Did this happen at conventions?

Nana Visitor: 25 years ago a woman with strong feelings and issues and things that she had gone through – anger, appetites – she was called a bitch. I was called a bitch all the time, all the time. And now today that really wouldn’t happen. But I remember the feeling of being really clear about what I am trying to play here and who this woman is. I really didn’t know it had a name – Post Traumatic Stress – which obviously from her life was going on for her. But I knew it was important to hold on and not care and stick to it. And that is what I did.

Ira, as a producer, did you feel second class from Paramount or Rick [Berman] versus how they treated Next Generation or Voyager?

Ira Steven Behr: Not at the start. I don’t think Rick ever treated the show as second class. I just think there was a disappointment that grew rather quickly in season one. We started out – and when I say “we” it was just [writer] Pete Fields and myself, along with [co-creator] Michael [Piller]. Then [writer] Robert Wolfe came along later, but it was a very small staff.

From the very beginning, I felt the pilot that Michael wrote was very interesting and really good and really different. We were not sure how it was going to get received because it seemed to not be what the audience would expect coming off of TNG. We started out strong and there was a lot of excitement. At the same time, we were searching for what the show was going to be. There was this push – very subtle – to keep it in line. At the beginning, a lot of the shows we did could have easily transferred over to TNG, different characters – maybe slightly different ways they were told – but the basic stories were definitely in the TNG mold.

So, we are searching for the show and at the same time…and at the same times, the ratings by the middle of the first season were starting to get not what they were hoping for. But the fan response really blew my mind. I just assumed sci-fi fans were into ‘the new’ and the shock of the new would not shock them to despair. They would be excited by it. But, that did not happen. They just wanted the same old, same old. When I was on TNG in season three they were still bitching it wasn’t The Original Series. It really didn’t get bad until the end of season two when I was not feeling the love. I was going down to the set and I could just feel the actors – and that is what I remember the most – the actors sensing they had this other show right across the alley – TNG was huge and breaking through the bonds of the sci-fi ghetto – and we were kind of not TNG. That is how we were perceived. Not as our own thing, just “not TNG.” And the actors take some of that heat, which has nothing to do with them, but it is easy to point fingers at them.

Creating controversy with DS9 and the DS9 Documentary

TrekMovie: One of the things I appreciated about the documentary is how it talked about the show dealing with serious issues and how some of those were still contemporary. You even included some modern political stuff to emphasize that point, which will be controversial, which is probably why you did it.

Ira Steven Behr: I think we did it because we wanted the doc to reflect the show. At the time the show was airing, people had a lot of different opinions about what we were doing and we wanted to keep that alive. So, yes, it was definitely there – both to keep it from just being an exercise in nostalgia and to bring it to the present day, but to also piss people off. If you don’t piss off part of your audience, you are not doing your job. Every great writer, producer, director, poet, whatever has managed to piss off a significant part of their audience. Every good piece of art is the same. Only really, really, really good is unique. Whether we achieved it or not, we didn’t want to be TNG. We didn’t want to be Voyager. We didn’t want to be anything. Take Star Trek off the title and the series still has to work.

So, yes, that is all part of the reason we put that stuff in there. And it is also true, by the way. That is another reason.

TrekMovie: You mention other Star Trek shows. Something briefly mentioned in the doc was how you broke ground with dark themes, diversity, serialization and putting that into context in the ’90s. So, why didn’t you also draw the parallel with how those things could be having an influence on modern Star Trek, specifically with Star Trek: Discovery and the J.J. Abrams films? Do you see the legacy of DS9 carrying through to modern Star Trek?

Ira Steven Behr: Well I didn’t want to compare and contrast with other shows in the franchise. There were some great, funny, interesting lines that people said, that we didn’t put in the doc because it looked like we were taking the piss out of other shows and we didn’t want to do that. Also, for a lot of time we were doing this documentary, Discovery didn’t exist. When we did the writer’s room Discovery didn’t exist. That was 2015. So, by the time there was a Discovery, most of the interviews had already been done and were already in the can. And it just seemed like we were talking about Deep Space Nine and not the rest of the franchise. What is this show by itself? We lived in the shadow of other shows our whole life. This was just a look at Deep Space Nine and not the entire franchise.

Full Video Interview

There is even more from Ira, Nana, and Kai in the full video, including discussions of the HD remastering, deleted scenes and possible special features for the future home video release of What We Left Behind.

What We Left Behind in theaters tonight

As previously announcedWhat We Left Behind makes its one-day-only theatrical debut on May 13 in the US and Canada. Tickets are still available through Fathom Events.

What We Left Behind theatrical event poster


Keep up with all the updates and news on the DS9 documentary in our What We Left Behind category here at TrekMovie.com.

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If Deep Space Nine was the middle child, then Discovery would be the equivalent of a parent getting re-married and starting a new family having a new kid and doing everything differently basically ignoring the original children.

I don’t think you understand how analogies work…

I think this is actually a perfect analogy. Each new person is different, and although past experiences with past people inform the way you deal with the new one, it is a completely different individual and should be respected as such. Otherwise, you start getting “Oh, why aren’t you more like my older sons?”, and that can hurt a lot the new kid, for no benefit whatsoever.

No, no it isn’t.

Got my ticket. Looking forward to seeing this on the big screen tonight. :)

I loved DS9 and it was certainly light years better than more recent productions.

If CBS All Access bosses had half a brain they’d green light an animated tv movie sequel for DS9. It would be a big hit I think.

Sounds like a terrible idea. A DS9 cartoon would be too exclusive to old fans.

So older fans shouldn’t get any Trek shows they will enjoy and are accustomed to? No one would be forcing you to watch it.

Not really. Star Trek needs to attract new younger fans if it’s going to survive for the next 50 years. A DS9 cartoon won’t do that. I love DS9, but that ship is sailed. I rather have something new.

There’s already two animated series in production, one of which is being made for Nick, yes? A one-off animated film would hardly drive away anyone, young or old.

You have a point that building future audience is important A34 for survival, but it’s an established fact that older people watch more TV.

So I’ve been wondering about why streamers are focusing so much on targeting the 18-49 demographic when they don’t need advertisers.

As long as the 50+ demographic will pay the streaming subscription fees, that should be all CBSAA cares about…

Especially, if they’re less likely to cancel.

It would be smart strategy for CBSAA to target some of their Trek products to the older niche.

That’s actually a good point I had not considered. With streaming there are no advertisers to please. The subscription fee is the same no matter how old you are. So I would think that streamers main goal would be just to get that fee. Whether the subscribers watched more or less is not as important as collecting the fee.

Just check your history: Shakespeare Hipp, Dahrkk ‘n Extreme® animated kept the Shakespeare® franchise going well past the Elizabethan era and attracted droves of new Shakies to the franchise!

A34,

Re: something new

The major problem I hear in your reasoning is you don’t sound very new yourself, and yet you think they should produce something that you’d want?

Why not? It’s a niche market these days, particularly on streaming platforms.

Yes, I agree, any show that has a built-in fanbase of millions upon millions of people should absolutely NOT be exploited in any way, lest those fans get uppity. Good call!

We are only getting the Picard show for this very reason. Its funny how narrow minded so many fans think. I think we should stop saying ‘never’ when it comes to Star Trek, especially now that CBS is going to mine that franchise for the next decade. This is the attitude of Hollywood today and that is if something made money once then it will probably make money again. Thats why there are so many reboots, sequels, prequels and revivals today. I don’t think we will get something from DS9 again personally, but you can never say never. There was also a time I never thought we would get Patrick Stewart playing Picard again and here we are.

Today anything is possible. Star Trek is going to be on the air again for a long time. Maybe not 18 years full of new shows like the last era but who knows? There will be plenty of chances to bring back whatever will get fans watching again.

Maybe not 18 years full of new shows like the last era but who knows?

Less than we think, I fear, if the kill the goose that lays the golden eggs with mediocre Trek products sprouting like mushrooms.

Serialized non-episodic, Section 31, strong female characters… sounds like they laid the ground work for Enterprise and Discovery. I know that some fans prefer strange new worlds with a tight wrap-up every week and the starship flying off to next week’s adventure plus even a whimsical epilogue, but that was not what DS9 was about and it certainly isn’t what we see with Discovery.

Discovery is the spiritual successor to Deep Space Nine.

Disagree entirely. It may try to be, but so far its not even close and a pale comparison. Its writing is still too subpar and its characters are still a long way from the same layers and development that made DS9 characters so remembered. MU Georgiou is a caricature compared to someone like Gul Dukat for example.

And the way it presented the Klingon war was a joke compared to how amazing DS9 handled its war themes and that went on for years. I was literally bored watching the Klingon war in the first season.

Sometimes I think you work on Discovery or something lol.

The original comment was obviously bait. I can’t believe the author was serious. He was just trying to start an argument.

Yeah, probably. I try to give him the benefit of the doubt sometimes but he trolls so much here its hard to know either way. Its just NH4 obviously who really shouldn’t be here since he was banned before but I don’t run the site.

But I will say maybe in his head he honestly feels that way since he likes the show. And thats his belief to have, but its certainly not a consensus. Far from it.

Like you, I have no problem with anyone’s opinions. It just bothers me when someone writes something that is obviously meant to incite responses. Even if the author feels that way. If I honestly believed that, I would make my comment and give a reason or two for why I felt that way. But this one did not. But good for you for continuing to give chances to folks. My fuse is pretty long, too. But there is a point at which I just will stop responding.

Well I use to ignore him completely when he was NH4. But I figure if he’s going to weasel his way back here then part of him must realize why he got the boot in the first place and just try to be less of a troll. So I don’t mind giving him another chance but no, I have no issues calling him out when I think he’s trolling nor remind him I know who he really is. If you want to respond to my posts, fine, but I will keep calling him out every time now.

But in this case, I didn’t really see him as trying to troll (why I even bothered to respond to him first) but you could be right obviously. And thats the problem when you start to have a reputation as a troll, once people deem you that they don’t know when to take you seriously even if you are sincere.

MU Georgiou is a caricature compared to someone like Gul Dukat for example.

Not the right comparison. The right comparison is between MU Georgia and “Brunt, FCA.” Gul Dukat versus L’Rell? Both excellent characters.

Unfortunately L’rell is now off the show with Discovery jumping to the future and was barely in season 2 anyway. But we’ll have MU Georgiou ridiculous swagger for years to come and leading her own show if Kurtzman gets his way.

And actually I still stand by the Dukat comparison because we are supposed to take Georgiou seriously and question her motives like we do Dukat. They were both also responsible for the death of millions under their leadership which are a big part of who they are and how we perceive them.

Brunt is actually just a comedic character, Georgiou isn’t, she just comes off like a joke at times.

Now that I think about it, I would rather have Brunt be the lead in his own show than her.

Brunt leading section 31 would be AWESOME!!!!!!

And apparently, Tiger2, Georgiou will have a lasting effect on Section 31 since they end up employing her genocidal tactics during DS9’s time period to try and wipe out the founders.

So Tyler fails at some point and Terran tactics end up guiding how the organization will operate. Maybe Kurtzman hasn’t thought his feel good Evil Georgiou show completely through.

Discovery haters are the spiritual successors to the Deep Space Nine haters that Ira and Nana talk about.

Explain the logic that underlines your conclusion, please.

I’ll start out by saying there’s a lot to like about DS9: the acting and the characterization, and standout episodes like Duet, the Circle trilogy, Homefront/Paradise Lost, The Visitor, and In the Pale Moonlight, to name some.

But I can’t get on board with this “Best. Trek. Evah” mantra that some Niners like to spout. You could delete half of DS9’s episodes from the DVDs and wind up with a much more taut series. To wit:

– Obligatory wacky Ferengi Episodes (TM). ‘Nuff said.

– The endless stream of battles: the Battle of Chintoka I, the Battle of Chintoka II, the Battle of DS9, the Battle of Cardassia, the Battle of Earth, the Battle of AR-337, the Battle of Goose and a Gander. It’s all just too much, and they become a blur, a bit like a Michael Bay movie writ small. Defiant launches, Sisko gives a speech, Defiant takes a beating (“the ablative armor is failing, Cap’n”), Sisko saves the day. Star Trek is never about the space battles. One thing DISCO did well was NOT delving too deeply into the day-to-day advances and retreats of the Klingon war.

– A series of pointless, formulaic Mirror Universe episodes (excepting the very strong first one). Why do I care? And there was never any real resolution, either, unlike on DISCO.

– Vic Fontaine episodes. I want to watch a 1960s lounge lizard spout showtunes why, exactly? If I want to visit the ‘Bing, “pally,” I’ll go to the genuine article on THE SOPRANOS, not the folk-wisdom of Vic Fontaine. Every minute of TNG’s finale was riveting. DS9’s spent the first half in yet another battle, followed by 20 minutes at Vic’s reminiscing. The phase “show ’em, don’t tell ’em” comes to mind. “All Good Things” was showing them. DS9’s final bash at Vic’s was definitely telling ’em.

– DS9 did its Klingon arc well, but TNG did it better. None of the Rotarran episodes surpassed “A Matter of Honor,” which is likely TNG’s most underrated episode.

And of course that’s all totally valid. I see why you have a tougher time with the show.

But I been doing a complete rewatch of it the last month and honestly it only made me realize how great the show still is and I haven’t done a complete rewatch in 5 years. Any any bad episode (which are definitely there) is completely outweighed by the good ones and I like the majority of them in every season minus the first one. And I’m amazed each season only gets stronger than the last.

We agree on most of the Quark episodes though. I’ve skipped like 80% of those so far. ;)

OK. I think of DS9 as the 2nd best Trek show ever. Behind only TOS. And I will admit, I was never a fan of the Ferengi episodes. I was interested in the Quark family dynamic. But not entire episodes dedicated to them. Most were sub par. (I did enjoy “Little Green Men” however). The battle episodes I felt did work. They didn’t come along all the time and they dealt with some very real topics. I’m not a fan of the MU in general so after their first trip there I felt they went to that well much too often. And I was NEVER a fan of Vic’s Las Vegas lounge in the final season. At all.

That said, I am with Tiger in that the good episodes FAR outweighed the bad. Ever series has bad episodes. I look at the quality of the good ones and the ratio of the good to bad ones. DS9 had a pretty good ratio. Far better than TNG’s, I’ll tell you that.

This place has become so toxic. People can’t seem to make a single comment about any aspect of Trek without laying into Discovery. I ,and many others, consider Discovery an excellent show, which has the potential to be up there with DS9 in time. Certain fans are behaving toward Disvovery precisely as they behaved toward DS9 in the 90s, and it sucked back then too.

It’s not a 1 day only thing for all. Here in Ottawa (Ontario), it is playing at the South Keys Cineplex tonight (13th), 14th, and 18th. A lot of the local fans (IKV Phoenix and Ladies Who Trek) will go going on saturday.

Some of the theatres in Toronto are “one night only” but others are also showing it throughout the week ending on Saturday.

Hmm. This interview makes it sound like the Blu-ray release hasn’t been mastered yet (“we hope to include this…”, “we would like to see this…”, et al). That, plus the lack of a firm release date, are concerning. Oh well, going to go see it tonight; hopefully this won’t be the last time I can watch it.

It hasn’t. They have the final cut of the documentary itself as a digital master. From that it was shared with backers early, and then distributed for theatrical exhibition. The home video version is being worked on now. They need to create bonus content from all the stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor, then author it for DVD and Blu-ray, which is a months long process.

https://twitter.com/DS9Doc/status/1115359484941983744

Not sure why you think it’s doom and gloom, the documentary team can only do so much at once. Remember the final version of the documentary with all the HD remastered footage has only been complete for a couple of months. Give ’em some time.

They’ve said they’ll have more details about the home video release once the hoopla for the theatrical release is over.

The Blu-ray is being released August 6th.

To clarify. Aug 6 is the retail release date that was shown in an info card as part of the theatrical release of the documentary. There’s no official press release from Shout! yet, but I expect there will be soon.

For Indiegogo backers, the documentary team sent out an update this afternoon that said, as promised, the backers will get it sooner than retail, with more details coming soon.

Yup, saw that. Have not yet received the Indiegogo backer email but I’m sure it’s on its way. Sorry for the pessimism–just want to see those extras!

The instant that BD comes out they will have at least one customer. I promise.

If getting part of your audience upset marks the level of a quality show, then Discovery should be the best Star Trek of all time. LOL

Anyway, progress cannot happen without change. Sometimes writers change things just because they can, not for any good reason. I do not think that happened with DS9, the changes made sense.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the doc!

“You cannot have progress without change but not all change is progress.”

Why the blue beard?

Some people are naturally blue.

He dyed it starting it like 20 years ago, cause his kid suggested it. He’s just run with it ever since, and it’s become a trademark image for him.

That’s a great story. Very cool.

Because he wanted to stand out and be different. Analogy?

Some fans treat their favorite franchise as ‘comfort food’ – something they consume because it makes them feel safe and secure – “the world may change but chocolate ice cream will always be yummy and Star Trek will always be Star Trek.” Sure they could keep watching the same eps they love from whatever series they love, but even chocolate ice cream gets old after awhile, so they try the new series expecting its Star Trek comfort food and then get upset when its not. Whereas other fans are excited about the new and different – nowadays I’m pretty sure they’re the minority, though, which is ironic given this is the one franchise that’s supposed to celebrate ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations.’

On a semi-related note, if you love Jeffrey Combs, find the Justice League Unlimited episode “Fearful Symmetry”, in which Jeffrey voices the faceless hero The Question. With no face his voice carries all the character’s emotions (this character was the inspiration for Watchmen’s Rorschach, but at least Rorschach has the spots on his face to try to show emotion, The Question’s face is totally blank). He does a great job in it. Love him singing to himself while breaking into a building…

Fans being opposed to new Trek is nothing new. TOS fans opposed TNG when it started (not all fans, of course). DS9 also wasn’t appreciated when it started. It seems that it takes (some) fans some time to “get used” to a new show. Of course, most Trek shows also had a bumpy start.

We are on our way to the theater in an hour!!! So excited to see this documentary on the big screen. We decided to make it a ‘double feature’ and do DS9 and a second viewing of End Game! Watching Star Trek and MCU could be worse things to do on a Monday night.

Will definitely give my thoughts on the documentary!

-Will definitely give my thoughts on the documentary!-

Curious what you think about it.
I will be surprised, if you did not enjoy it.

For me I can say, it was not what I had expected, but it was better than what I had hoped for.

Hey there,

Yes I saw it of course and loved it, loved it, loved it!!!!

This was an amazing documentary. It was done with a lot of heart and especially humor. The audience laughed through the whole thing. I didn’t expect it to be so funny.

It was great though. I thought they did a beautiful job of including so many of the things they did. And watching the battle scene from Sacrifice of Angels (which I rewatched just a few days ago) in HD was spectacular. Its crazy its one battle scene from many on that show on a TV budget that is 20 years old but it felt like it was something shot for a film a year ago. Its amazing how well it holds up today. The friend I was with literally said ‘woah’ when we were watching it.

Anyway, I don’t want to spoil anything of course but I was not disappointed. I hope TM make a discussion about it, its so much I want to talk about. It just made it clear how DS9 went from the black sheep show to now basically one of the most iconic shows in the fanbase. It deserves every inch of attention its getting today and why its easily my favorite Trek show.

I especially liked the part about Avery Brooks. They showed some new aspects of his character that gave me new and deeper respect for this actor/director.

Yes that scene with him playing Benny the writer was pretty powerful and it makes sense that an actor must truly feel the pain and those emotions, in order to maximize his portrayal of a beaten down writer rejected because of racism. It also makes me better understand the writer’s having Sisko initially being reluctant, as an African American, to take part in the holosuite story with Vic and his 1960 Vegas night club.

I never knew but have always suspected the Sisko reluctance to take part in the Vic holosuite came more from Brooks himself than the writers. The writers merely addressed his concerns.

I seriously loved this documentary. Please release DS9 in HD. Please.

I’m glad they did something different the only series besides Discovery that was not TNG warmed over.

I went to see this tonight, and thought it was fantastic.
I’m sad to say I’m one of those fans who watched DS9 sort of half heartedly when it was on. I was a TNG guy through and through, and this new show with mystical prophets, religion, terrorism, and a space station going nowhere wasn’t as appealing to me. But what they said in What We Left Behind is true: time has been good to this show. It truly was ahead of its time. 20 years later, life has allowed me to see the complexities and shades of gray that this show thrived on. I still love TNG, but I now hold DS9 is just as lofty a position in the Star Trek universe. I watch and enjoy Star Trek Discovery, but DS9 and TNG and the Berman era will always be “home base” for me. The ending of What we left behind made me a little misty, but then I’m a sucker for goodbyes. What a great time in my life. What a great time in ALL our lives.

I wonder how much box office it would make in this one day? Is there any way to learn this?

It’ll probably list on Box Office Mojo….

Loved the doc. Great heart and humor, and such love around the artistry of what this ensemble made was inspiring.

“Great heart and humor” describes the documentary perfectly. I didn’t expect to grin throughout, laugh out loud, and feel so close to the other people in the theater. It was a warm, loving tribute to DS9.

I saw this last night in the theaters. Incredible documentary. Well worth the wait. Can only hope the blu ray special features are just as good. The HD of the show was amazing!

I saw this doc on the big screen last night. It’s disjointed and rambling with no clear throughline, and I loved it intensely! It’s fun, light, and filled with humor. I’m not even a big DS9 fan, but this documentary is a joy to watch!

I went to see WWLB last night and it is definitely worth seeing – so much so I will for sure check out the Director’s cut when it comes out on Blue-ray or streaming supposedly late summer.
I won’t give away any spoilers but in addition to learning so much more about DS9, I also liked that we got to see how the writers’ room operates. I forgot Ron Moore was not only there for DS9 but now I see he was a writer for TNG and Voyager too. Even better, I see him in the photo with Patrick Stewart and the cast and crew of Discovery as well as the writers’ room photo for Picard – so for those who want to see more Berman-style Trek, there is your tie-in. But remember, he also did the reboot of BSG too.

What are you talking about? Ron Moore isn’t involved in either Discovery or the Picard show.

That photo was a big group photo backstage at STLV 2018, Ron Moore had just come off stage. He’s not in anyway involved with the current Trek properties.

He’s not in the writers’ room photo for Picard, I’m assuming you confused Michael Chabon with him? Both have manes of grey hair.

Thanks Matt for the clarification. Yeah I saw that photo with Patrick and crew of Discovery and assumed there was a writing connection.

I was in my early 20s when DS9 aired, working and going to school. I didn’t get to see much, but was not a fan of what I did see.

About two years ago, I watched the series all the way through and enjoyed it. Now, I’m doing it for a second time.

Although I have quibbles with things, I have to say that other than the pilot episode, there hasn’t been a badly written episode yet (even when the writers linger too long on Bajoran mysticism). However, I will be skipping a kringe-worthy episode very soon: S2 E19 “Blood Oath”.

I have so many problems with that episode (ret-con Kor, Kang and Koloth to turtleheads? I don’t think so…), but the story really emphasizes the creepiness that is Kurzon Dax* and the, I’m sorry to say, weakness of actress Terry Farrell.

*Seriously, why was a 20-something Sisco hanging out with a creepy, womanizing old man?

How did the Trill get the idea to place a slug in their guts?

I saw this at the theatre last night and was completely amazed! The battle scenes were breathtaking, the audio was fantastic and the documentary had tons of heart. Why can’t we get back to DS9 as imagined by the writing team’s story for season 8? Come on CBS…wake up and give us what we really want PLEASE!!!!!

I really liked their concept for a season 8 pilot. Dark, covert, sad death of a star, focus on Section 31 (in fact a Section 31 season-long arc was inferred), strong females and the return of an African American central character. Funny that Discovery has all of those ingredients, but does not yet quite have that same feeling to it. Perhaps with another season or two of good character development and writing, we will be looking back at Discovery say at STLV 2035 – the same way we now look at DS9.

Saw the documentary in the theater last night, the audience LOVED it. Very well done, made me love the best Star Trek–Deep Space Nine–ever made even more. And lots and lots of Garik–thank you for that.

Wow. He pissed off conservatives with a Trump clip. What an artist! So edgy. More like a stand-up comedian trying to save his bad set with hot-button political hate. I’m no Trump fan but I understood what he was saying by “There were good people on both sides.” He prefaced it by saying that “Nazis are scum and he hates them.” But he said that other thing because of the historians on that side. You know, the type that don’t want any book burned nor statue toppled because history, good or bad, must be preserved. That type isn’t racist and he didn’t want to lump them in. The ant-Trumpers are as tedious as Trump.

What a tedious and dishonest comment. I hope the admins remove it and you from this site. You’re lying about what Trump said, and you’re sneering at this doc without having actually seen it. Gee, you sound like a typical Trumpster–lies and ignorance. Give us a break.

I’d dearly love to know what Visitor is talking about when she says “that wasn’t how you portray a female Star Trek character.” (“That” never being clearly defined, but presumably meaning authoritative and PTSD-suffering.) Is she completely forgetting both Ro Laren and Tasha Yar?

I am not sure because I haven’t seen the documentary yet and I don’t know the context that she used that sentence. But if I had to make an assumption, it is that she might be referring to the overly sexualized way they were depicted and dressed in Star Trek TOS. Again, this is just conjecture.

Perhaps, but if that’s the case, she’s either tone-deaf (which is unlikely) or deliberately dissing TNG. TNG was the contemporary show. And her very character was supposed *to be* Ro Laren.

I don’t doubt that if someone were developing TNG today, either the Riker or Data characters, or both, would be female. But it’s bonkers to say that TNG didn’t have strong martial/PTSD-suffering women characters. At best, you can say “those characters weren’t the first officer.” (And if you’re going *that* route, it was VOY that featured a female captain, not DS9.)

Why challenge her experience?

I loved TNG, but the female characters struggled. Number One back in The Cage still seemed more resolute. And let’s not forget that TNG’s later seasons overlapped with early DS9.

We know that Denise Crosby left because she felt Tasha Yar’s lines were just “Aye Captain, firing photon torpedos” .

Troi was stuck in revealing clothing for more than half the series, and it wasn’t until Naren Shankar wrote Face of the Enemy that we saw a writer really exploit the potential of a command level officer who was and empath, first contact specialist and psychologist.

Doctor Crusher was gentle, more often than not.

Yes, Ro Karen broke ground successfully, and that led to Kira as first officer on DS9, but if Visitor says that the there were many who couldn’t accept the character and weren’t shy to express it, it’s very credible.

Certainly, the boards of the 90s reflected a great amount of resistance to Janeway as the first female captain.

Maybe she’s referring to her own OTT jazz hands-style stage acting.

His blue beard fascinates me!

Great characters, but generally boring show until the Dominion War. Visually the interior shots have the quality of a soap opera. When the show aired, I stopped watching after the first season. I was younger and the show just didn’t grab me. I only returned to the show later when it appeared on Netflix. Even then I skipped episodes. All this said, while TNG was my favourite show (until Discovery), and I loved it at the time, I don’t find it re-watchable and in many cases suffers from the same problems as DS9. But at least they had a ship and moved.

Yep, in TNG they moved in a ship, in DS9 they moved in character development. That was the main difference.

“moved in character development” – or, as Discovery haters like to call it, ‘trying desperately to make the show work.’ I don’t really see the development. Sisko wanted to be space Jesus, then the sector went to hell, 100s of 1000s died, and he became space Jesus.

Personally, I’ve never been able to get past the way they drew Quark and the Ferengi as a sleazy antisemitic stereotype. It’s like someone pooped in the bed and I’ll never feel comfortable sleeping there.

I know it is not related to the Documentary. But i hope CBS reverses their decision on DS9 HD. The show looks terrible on my HD set. The same masters from tape that existed on laserdisc.

I went from really disliking Kira as a teen watching DS9, only to eventually like what Kira became later in the seasons, especially her arc after season 6. Rewatching as an adult, I think Kira is one of the best characters and the way Nana Visitor played her was very authentic. She played that character with so many layers and back story it was a pleasure to discover how much I liked Kira throughout from season 1 to 7.