Summary
Star Trekepisodes are always a collaboration between countless creatives, but almost every writer onStar Trek: Deep Space Ninehad a pass at one particularly complex episode. As depicted in the brilliant retrospective documentaryWhat We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it was rare for scripts to solely come from one writer. Ideas would be pitched by staff writers or freelancers, and the story would be “broken” in the writers' room before being assigned to the original ideator, or a different writer to turn it into a viable script.
This is why some ofStar Trek’s best episodeshave several writers credited for story and teleplay respectively. Back in the 1990s,Star TrekTV showshad to produce 26 episodes a season, meaning that they were keen not to waste ideas. If a story idea didn’t quite fit with, say,Star Trek: The Next Generation, it might later be adapted as an episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. There was also a policy where budding writers could submit story ideas speculatively, which is howMike Krohn came aboardDS9with an episode that passed through the hands of multiple writers.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had the biggest cast of characters of any Trek show, meaning that Captain Sisko had numerous allies in the Dominion War.
The Star Trek: DS9 Episode So Complex, Multiple Writers Submitted Scripts
Star Trek: DS9, Season 3, Episode 7, “Civil Defense”
Mike Krohn pitched the idea of a “man versus machine” bottle episode that becameStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episode 7, “Civil Defense”. TheDS9episode would be Krohn’s only other writing credit, aside from the script for the 1995 TV movie,Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct: Lightning. InCinefantastique, Volume 27 Number 4/5, Mike Krohn fondly reflected on the short amount of time that he spent inDS9’s writers' room “breaking” the story, saying:
“I’ve never been in a break session before. It was the most fun I’ve had in years. You have Ira, Robert, Rene, and sometimes Ron in a room together and there is an enthusiasm there. It’s like you’re all astronauts together, strapped to the same rocket. You just pull together and make it happen.”
Krohn was duly commissioned to write the script, but was forced to bow out due to other commitments before finishing the final draft. The job of writing the final draft was then passed around to almost every single staff writer onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, but none of them were able to turn around a script that pleased producer Michael Piller. In theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion,DS9writer Ronald D. Moorerevealed that the problem with writing “Civil Defense” was “to make the jeopardy intriguing, to find the inner story.”
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.
“Civil Defense” Is An Underrated Gem Of A DS9 Episode
Reflecting on “Civil Defense” in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Ira Steven Behr acknowledged that the episode turned out “terrific at the end”. Behr singled out the antagonistic scenes betweenGarak and Gul Dukatas some of the strongest material in “Civil Defense”. It’s a solid episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Ninethat, three years in, reminds the audience that they’re watching a repurposed Cardassian space station, not a safe and shiny Starfleet facility.Despite the difficulties for the writers, “Civil Defense” is also notable for inspiring the next generation ofStar Trekscript writer in the form of Bo Yeon Kim.
“The Sound of Thunder” (co-written with Erika Lippoldt)
“Through the Valley of Shadows” (co-written with Erika Lippoldt)
“People of Earth” (co-written with Erika Lippoldt)
“The Brightest Star” (co-written with Erika Lippoldt)
Star Trek: Short Treks, Season 1, Episode 3
In a (now removed) piece on the CBS website in whichStar Trek: Discoverywriters pick their favorite classic episodes, Bo Yeon Kim highlightedStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episode 7 “Civil Defense”. It goes to show that all the hard work by Mike Krohn, Ira Steven Behr, and theStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewriters' room wasn’t in vain, because it inspired one kid who went on to keep the franchise alive decades later. Read Bo Yeon Kim’s quote below:
“There’s always that one episode where everything just “clicks” for you, the one that makes you realize when you’re helplessly in love with a show. This was that episode for me with DS9. It had a wonderful balance of action and comedy, vaguely disguised as a bottle show (for which I have a great affinity), through which somehow every character was given an opportunity to shine. It also brilliantly utilized the space station and its notorious history as a Cardassian station, creating (quite literally) a ticking time bomb.”
