Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999 after 7 seasons but didn’t jump into feature films like The Next Generation. Here’s why.
I mean, DS9 wasn’t as popular as TNG back then – both in terms of ratings and fan reception. Many considered it the black sheep of the Trek family. Berman focused on Voyager. So it was chrystal clear to every fan with even half a brain that DS9 would never get a movie. Perhaps Voyager had a tiny chance but by the time it concluded its run viewership had been in steady decline, and then Nemesis tanked.
Its odd that Voyager had a better chance at a film. DS9 had better ratings when they were both on and received more critical acclaim. Yet somehow Voyager has remained more in the popular consciousness and had more enduring popularity. I think a lot of it had to do with Berman favoring Voyager. Its reruns also saw a lot more syndication. I was a teenager in the 2000’s so I only ever saw reruns of 90’s trek growing up and it was usually Voyager and rarely TNG. I never saw any DS9 until it became available on streaming.
Voyager had consistently mediocre writing. I, somewhat cynically, always thought the reason moore did Battlestar was to show everyone what Voyager could have been.
Financial reasons played a major role in the lack of a DS9 movie, as the sets for the show were extremely expensive and surpassed those of TNG.
wonder if they can make a budget utilising the backdrop live screen that is used in the “mandalorian” and the “ashoka” starwars movie today
IMO, it wouldn’t work well.
The DS9 set was complicated. You had obstructions and levels. Those would need to be replicated with green screen props and they tend to not bother with those. At best you’ll get uncanny valley like the Romulan Bridge in S1 Picard. Works for a specific scene, but isn’t something to dwell in.
Wouldn’t that be fantastic? I doubt Brooks would want to be involved though.
Which is too bad. A movie would be the perfect way to wrap up the Ben Sisko story.
Personally I’d be okay recasting the role. I’d totally buy that his experiences with the founders could change him physically.
Just as well, given the state of Trek movies by that time. DS9 was never ruined.
