History Fridge / StartrekDeepspaceNine

* In the alternate future seen in "The Visitor", Jadzia is still Dax's host. This seems like a continuity error but then you realize that in a timeline where Sisko ceased to exist, Dukat would likely have never [[VillainousBreakdown gone off the deep end]] and teamed up with the Pah-wraiths, and [[ForWantOfANail thus never have killed her]].

** "Distant Voices" establishes that Bashir intentionally made the "mistake" that cost him the top spot in his class. At the time, it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially given that just a few episodes later, he tells Dax that he practically developed an inferiority complex (or so it seems at the time) over coming in second. But it makes perfect sense when you realize [[spoiler:what he had to lose if he was found out.]] He inserted a mistake because he [[spoiler:was afraid he'd draw attention to himself if he seemed too perfect.]] In this context, his angst over not being first in his class isn't an inferiority complex at all, but rather his angst over the fact that [[spoiler:he was more or less ''forced'' to give up his chance to be valedictorian, and all the benefits that would come with it (most significantly getting first choice of assignment after graduation), because it was that or risk losing his career completely.]]

** "Distant Voices" establishes that Bashir intentionally made the "mistake" that cost him the top spot in his class. At the time, it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially given that just a few episodes later, he tells Dax that he practically developed an inferiority complex over coming in second. But it makes perfect sense when you realize [[spoiler:what he had to lose if he was found out.]] He inserted a mistake because he [[spoiler:was afraid he'd draw attention to himself if he seemed too perfect.]]

** It also makes sense from a different angle. By imposing conseuqences on the child, it acts as a disincentive to parents from having their child genetically engineered. If the consequence was only towards the parent, a lot more parents would probably take that risk if it meant giving the child a better life, but a lot fewer are going to take that risk if the consequence would also pretty well negate the benefit to the child. There will, of course, still be ''some'', like Bashir's parents, who gamble on the hope that they won't be found out, but it's almost certainly a smaller number, and would probably be limited mostly to children who have significant disabilities, as Bashir did; it would be a ''huge'' gamble for parents of a typically-developing child to have their kid enhanced if the discovery of said enhancement would negate any possible benefit (which isn't to say there are ''no'' parents who would do it anyway, but probably a lot fewer).

** It also makes sense from a different angle. By imposing conseuqences on the child, it acts as a disincentive to parents from having their child genetically engineered. If the consequence was only towards the parent, a lot more parents would probably take that risk if it meant giving the child a better life, but a lot fewer are going to take that risk if the consequence would also pretty well negate the benefit to the child. There will, of course, still be ''some'', like Bashir's parents, who gamble on the hope that they won't be found out, but it's almost certainly a smaller number, and would probably be limited to children who have significant disabilities, as Bashir did; parents of a typically-developing child would be crazy to risk ruining their kid's life just to give them an added advantage.

** And on that note, why does Worf immediately abdicate the Chancellorship in favor of Martok? Aside from the respect he obviously has for his [[BloodBrothers blood brother]], he may also remember what happened back in "The Sword of Kahless." To wit: he and Kor discover the legendary ''bat'leth'' wielded by Kahless himself, and the idea of using the sword to claim leadership of the Klingon Empire drives Worf and Kor to try to kill each other. Having felt the temptation of power and being driven to attempted murder because of it, Worf may have decided that he's not truly worthy of leading the Empire, or simply didn't trust himself with the position, so he yields to someone whom he considers incorruptible.

** As seen during [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine the Dominion War,]] the Founders came [[NearVillainVictory close to winning the war.]] Even without relying on their main weapon of subterfuge and sabotage. Also seen on [[Series/StarTrekPicard Star Trek Picard]] there was no apparent evidence of future anti-borg or red matter technology in use by the Federation. Possibly the technology was deemed too dangerous to be used and was locked away as a precaution. In any case the Founders do not generally pit themselves against an opponent head on. Despite being able to do so quite efficiently. If they had gone with their original plan, armed with two hundred years of preparation. The Founders easily would have infiltrated an unsuspecting Alpha Quadrant and lay it to ruin by pitting [[CivilWar one power against another.]] The only reason the Federation had a chance initially is that their existence was exposed, leading them to improvise against an aware enemy before they were ready. Thanks to an [[OutsideContextProblem unexpected wormhole connecting the Dominion to the Alpha Quadrant before they were ready.]] As well as Odo's search for his people lead to the Federation not only becoming aware of the existence of the Founders, but also of their ‘’modus operandi’’. Allowing the Federation able to get ready for them. As for the Federation timeships as a form of defense. As seen in Star Trek Enterprise, [[TimeyWimeyBall time is fluid and in always in motion. ]] It is possible for the Founders to wipe [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS01E26S02E01Shockwave the Federation from existence. ]]

** As seen during [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine the Dominion War,]] the Founders came [[NearVillainVictory close to winning the war.]] Even without relying on their main weapon of subterfuge and sabotage. Also seen on [[Series/StarTrekPicard Star Trek Picard]] there was no apparent evidence of future anti-borg or red matter technology in use by the Federation. Possibly the technology was deemed too dangerous to be used and was locked away as a precaution. In any case the Founders do not generally pit themselves against an opponent head on. Despite being able to do so quite efficiently. If they had gone with their original plan, armed with two hundred years of preparation. The Founders easily would have infiltrated the unsuspecting Alpha Quadrant and lay it to ruin by pitting [[CivilWar one power against another.]] The only reason the Federation had a chance initially is that their existence was exposed, leading them to improvise against an aware enemy before they were ready. Thanks to an [[OutsideContextProblem unexpected wormhole connecting the Dominion to the Alpha Quadrant before they were ready.]] As well as Odo's search for his people lead to the Federation not only becoming aware of the existence of the Founders, but also of their ‘’modus operandi’’. Allowing the Federation able to get ready for them. As for the Federation timeships as a form of defense. As seen in Star Trek Enterprise, [[TimeyWimeyBall time is fluid and in always in motion. ]] It is possible for the Founders to wipe [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS01E26S02E01Shockwave the Federation from existence. ]]

** However, if Voyager returned to a Founder controlled Alpha Quadrant they would have ended up handing over that technology over to the Founders. Also the red matter technology came into effect where a free Spock needed to save Romulus . If the Founders won the war, an enslaved Spock and an enslaved Vulcan Science doctorate would not be able to develop said technology. Also as seen in [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Star Trek Enterprise ,]] time is [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS01E26S02E01Shockwave fluid and always in motion. It is not set in stone]] If the Founders took over the Alpha Quadrant the Federation would simply cease to exist. Fortunately, the Founders were forced to improvise, forced to try and take over a Federation that was aware of their existence. Taking away their main weapon of war, [[DeathOfAThousandCuts subterfuge and sabotage of an unsuspecting enemy.]] Originally they intended to turn the Alpha Quadrant superpowers against each other and sweep in to take over what's left. Even without two hundred years of preparation they where the single greatest threat to the Alpha Quadrant and [[NearVillainVictory almost won the war.]] With two hundred years of preparation, infiltration and sabotage, the unaware Alpha Quadrant would have fallen.

** However, if Voyager returned to a Founder controlled Alpha Quadrant they would have ended up handing over that technology over to the Founders. Also the red matter technology came into effect where a free Spock needed to save Romulus . An enslaved Spock and an enslaved Vulcan Science doctorate would not be able to develop said technology. Also as seen in [[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Star Trek Enterprise ,]] time is [[Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS01E26S02E01Shockwave fluid and always in motion. It is not set in stone]] If the Founders took over the Alpha Quadrant the Federation would simply cease to exist. Fortunately, the Founders were forced to improvise, forced to try and take over a Federation that was aware of their existence. Taking away their main weapon of war, [[DeathOfAThousandCuts subterfuge and sabotage of an unsuspecting enemy.]] Originally they intended to turn the Alpha Quadrant superpowers against each other and sweep in to take over what's left. Even without two hundred years of preparation they where the single greatest threat to the Alpha Quadrant and [[NearVillainVictory almost won the war.]] With two hundred years of preparation, infiltration and sabotage, the unaware Alpha Quadrant would have fallen.

* On one occasion, in the episode "In The Cards," Kai Winn and Weyoun meet and interact. Weyoun comments about how he believes that he feels they are so much alike. Winn proceeds to touch his earlobes (the Bajoran way of sensing one's pagh, or spirit), then says that they are nothing alike. She's right, but not in the way that you think - he's a true believer in the Founders, his Gods. Winn, however, turns her back on the Prophets come the final season, siding with the Pai-Wraiths. He is a true believer, and she is a heretic.

* In the episode, "The Assignment" it would seem strange that the prophets would not have expected the Pah Wraith's return and surprise attack - them being timeless, able to see anywhen at once, would have surely seen it coming from the beginning of time and taken precautions against it. But of course because [[spoiler:the attack failed]], it's possible they never did or never will find out about it - if they were looking out of the wormhole it would just look like [=DS9=] [[spoiler:zapping a shuttlecraft with something]] - so it's possible they simply don't know about the [[spoiler: attempt.]]

* The entire series, from beginning to end, is about the conflict between Sisko and Dukat. First, both characters make their debut in the first episode, where Dukat was the former commander of the station and Sisko is the incoming commander. Both of them hold similar ranks throughout the series: Sisko starts out as a commander who is promoted to captain, while Dukat (even when he is running Cardassia), retains the rank of Gul (stated in the TNG episode "The Wounded" to be equivalent to Captain) through the entire series (with a brief stint as Legate). Both Dukat and Sisko are family men who are devoted to their children, and we see Jake and (to a lesser extent) Ziyal on screen. Now, the differences that divide the two: Sisko serves the Federation, a free, peaceful society while Dukat serves the oppressive, warlike Cardassian regime. Whereas Sisko sees his task as overseeing the reconstruction of Bajor in the hope that they will take their place as an equal member of the Federation, Dukat, in "Indiscretion" and "Waltz", deluded himself into thinking that he would improve the lot of the Bajorans, but refused to respect them as equals and became their greatest oppressor. It should be noted that, of the ten million people who died in the fifty-year Occupation (cf. "Cardassians"), half of them did so during the ten years Dukat was in charge (cf. "Waltz"). The opposition becomes even more clear when Dukat leads Cardassia into the Dominion, which has been noted on this page, and confirmed by WordOfGod, to be the anti-Federation. Additionally, Sisko becomes the Emissary of Bajor, a role he endures reluctantly, at least until "Accession" when the Prophets teach him a lesson, showing how even a well-meaning alternative could prove disastrous to Bajor. Gul Dukat, on the other hand, evinces messianic delusions throughout the series, particularly in his conversations with Kira in "Indiscretion" and with Sisko in "Waltz". After the latter episode, Dukat joins the Pah Wraths, eventually becoming ''their'' Emissary to reinforce his position as Sisko's equal and opposite counterpart. In a conversation in "Ties of Blood and Water", Dukat indicates that, despite being the ruler of Cardassia, he has retained the title Gul rather than a pretentious title such as Emissary. Here, we see that he is the inverse of Sisko: whereas Dukat has a modest title, he pursues absolute power, sees himself in messianic terms, and craves adoration; Sisko, meanwhile, despite his exalted title, has the comparatively modest ambition of the admiralty, sees himself only as a very good Starfleet officer, and is uncomfortable with the reverence and adoration the Bajorans give him. Another example of their differences is found in the Season 4 episode "To the Death", when Weyoun offers Sisko a chance to be absolute ruler of the Federation, answerable to no one. Sisko, of course, declines, but this is a foreshadowing of the offer that Dukat will accept, to become the absolute ruler of Cardassia under the Dominion. The episode "Covenant" brings the point home. In this episode, Dukat has taken over Empok Nor, a Cardassian space station in Dominion space which is almost the twin of Deep Space Nine (Formerly Terok Nor). Here, parodying Sisko's role as commander of [[=DS9=]] and Emissary, he has set himself up as the Emissary of the Cult of the Pah Wraiths, surrounded by devoted Bajorans, including one of Kira's former teachers. As leader of the cult, he has even arrogated to himself the power to determine whether couples are allowed to have sex and have children, in a parody of Sisko's duty as Emissary (seen in "Accession" and "Call to Arms"), which includes blessing marriages and performing wedding ceremonies. The end of the episode, in which Dukat is prepared to sacrifice the cultists to save himself, prefigures and inverts the end of the series, in which Sisko sacrifices himself to save Bajor from the Pah Wraiths.

* In the alternate future seen in "The Visitor", Jadzia is still Dax's host. This seems like a continuity error but then you realize that in a timeline where Sisko ceased to exist, Dukat would likely have never [[VillainousBreakdown gone off the deep end]] and teamed up with the pah-wraiths, and [[ForWantOfANail thus never have killed her]].

* In one episode, Kira is possessed by a Prophet, while Jake is possessed by a Pah-Wraith. This leaves both of them injured, but by the end of the episode, Kira has fully recovered, while Jake still needs a few more days of treatment. This could be for one, or a combination, of several reasons:
** Prophets, while they're quite cryptic, generally want what's best for humanoids (as seen when they don't want Sisko to "end the game", i.e. sacrifice himself). Pah-Wraiths, on the other hand, have no problem with injuring or killing humanoids (as seen when one possesses Keiko and injures her once and threatens to kill her many times). Therefore, the Pah-Wraith was likely harder on Jake than the Prophet was on Kira.

* The Bajorans. No matter how much the Prophets visited Bajor for how long, and no matter how much their population dwindled due to the Occupation, there's just no way an entire ''species'' belongs to the same religion, or its counter-cultures (the religion of the Pah Wraiths and Ro's atheism came about in response to the Prophet religion). There have to be other belief systems and cultures on Bajor, however small...and they're all living under a theocracy run by the Prophet worshipers. Maybe not FridgeHorror per se, but at least "Fridge-Not-As-Great-As-It-Seems." Consider how many Bajorans we see in Starfleet, the Maquis, or random colonies who ''don't'' wear the earring or mention Prophets. Put two and two together. Many off-world Bajorans are likely Bajorans who either belong to minority religions, or who practice different denominations of the main one, and left Bajor due to some amount of religious persecution.

* In "The Visitor", the Klingons have been "making angry noises" but don't appear to have attacked and the Bajorans and Cardassians have entered into a defense pact. The Dominion war didn't happen, the pah-wraiths stayed locked in the fire caves, Jadzia is alive, and even Jake had it pretty good (and honestly could have done better if not for his obsession). It would have been better for everyone else if Ben Sisko had stayed lost in subspace.

*** Alternatively, it shows that a lot of the seemingly-incredible luck that the TNG crew experienced in those situations is actually just a little bit of luck set up by a lot of skill and experience. It's just like a lot of things in the real world: an expert can make a difficult thing look easy, but if a relative novice tries to imitate what they saw the expert do, they'll quickly realize it's not easy at all.

** The first one, in context, seems more like an attempt to keep Bashir from thinking that hitting an ambassador would be a good way to get himself out of future escort assignments -- Bashir had just asked Sisko how he got out of such assignments, and when Sisko related the story, Bashir got a look on his face of "now ''there's'' an idea", so Sisko wanted to make sure he didn't take that thought any further (specifically, he tells Bashir, "Don't hit one of [the ambassadors]", as if concerned that Bashir would do exactly that and not for a good reason as Sisko did, but for ''no'' reason other than to get out of escort duty). If it actually came down to a situation where Bashir was protecting another member of the crew, Sisko would in all likelihood stand up for him.

** The first one, in context, seems more like an attempt to keep Bashir from thinking that hitting an ambassador would be a good way to get himself out of future escort assignments -- Bashir had just asked Sisko how he got out of such assignments, and when Sisko related the story, Bashir got a look on his face of "now ''there's'' an idea", so Sisko wanted to make sure he didn't take that thought any further (specifically, he tells Bashir, "Don't hit one of [the ambassadors]", as if concerned that Bashir would do exactly that for no reason other than to get out of escort duty, rather than just in a situation where it was justified). If it actually came down to a situation where Bashir was protecting another member of the crew, Sisko would in all likelihood stand up for him.

** The first one, in context, seems more like an attempt to keep Bashir from thinking that hitting an ambassador would be a good way to get himself out of future escort assignments -- Bashir had just asked Sisko how he got out of such assignments, and when Sisko related the story, Bashir got a look on his face of "now ''there's'' an idea", so Sisko wanted to make sure he didn't take that thought any further (specifically, he tells Bashir, "Don't hit one of [the ambassadors]", as if concerned that Bashir would do exactly that just to get out of escort duty). If it actually came down to a situation where Bashir was protecting another member of the crew, Sisko would in all likelihood stand up for him.

* Also in ''Trials And Tribble-ations'', of all the topics Sisko was tempted to bring up when potentially meeting Kirk, he brings up [[Recap/StarTrekS1E18Arena fighting the Gorn on Cestus III]]. Not VGer. Not Khan. Not Khitomer. It makes sense given the {{CerebusRetcon}} the Gorn received in Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds. Sisko has a hobby of boxing, so of course he would be curious about how James T. Kirk went 1-on-1 against a vicious man-eating reptile ''and lived''.

** In the Next Generation crossover episode, "Birthright, Part 1", Bashir is fascinated with Commander Data. Ultimately it’s not Data's extraordinary abilities that impress him the most, but the modifications that make him seem more human, and how personable he is. Bashir sees Data as [[spoiler:an equal - one "engineered" by his parents with superior qualities who seeks to emulate regular humans to fit in.]]

** In "Way of the Warrior", Bashir attempts to replicate a trick that O'Brien has mastered involving launching a Gramellian Sand Pea into his mouth from his wrist, but fails. Perhaps he fumbled this trick on purpose to make O'Brien feel like an expert. On the flip side, during a the battle with the Klingons aboard DS9, he impresses Odo with his marksmanship by shooting a Klingon in the back from several meters away. In a life-or-death situation, Bashir would be less inclined to conceal his abilities, especially if it meant saving one of his friends from harm.

* A bit of meta: in one episode, a Bajoran musician has a holo-recording of himself playing a "traditional" Bajoran folk tune. DiegeticSoundtrackUsage - It's just the Deep Space Nine theme music recycled for the scene. Then it hit me. The theme ''would'' be a traditional "Bajoran" piece. Sisko is the emissary and he became a part of their spiritual life, so of course his leitmotif would be a traditional Bajoran song!