Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Bell Riots
They are a pivotal moment in Star Trek history. What were they, and what brought them about?
The Bell Riots are an enormously significant event in Star Trek. Starfleet would never have been created without them, so their impact can be measured in the organisation's effect on the universe. However, for as important a historical moment as they are, they have only been depicted in a single story from Deep Space Nine, with an allusion in Picard.
Past Tense sees Sisko, Bashir, and Dax travel back in time to San Francisco in 2024. There, they witnessed firsthand just how dark the world had become for the less fortunate members of society, as well as the apathy permeating the United States.
The story, written in the 90s, drew inspiration from well-documented historical events, while also seemingly serving as a chillingly prescient depiction of things to come in our future. On August 30th, 2024, three Starfleet officers arrived in our time. This is the breakdown of what, and how, the things that followed took place.
10. They Didn't Want To Do A Martin Luther King Jnr.
With the Bell Riots, writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Ira Steven Behr wanted to create an event that trickled through Star Trek history. They knew that the story would involve time travel, with Sisko replacing a crucial participant from the past. What they wanted to avoid was making Sisko one of the most recognisable figures in history.
They didn't want to make him 'Martin Luther King Jnr,' in that they wanted to avoid having him lead a march or making the speech that would reverberate through history. King was and remains one of the most well-known figures, and faces, in history. Gabriel Bell, as the character would be called, could not be so iconic.
In Little Green Men, Nog is seen perusing a PADD, specifically on Earth history. He notices that 'Gabriel Bell' bears a striking resemblance to Sisko, but the scene plays the recognition for laughs, while also highlighting that Bell's legacy, and not his face, would be what was important.