10 Greatest New Beginnings In Star Trek

10. DS9 Gains A Klingon And Goes Bald

It is sometimes a little easy to look at the gap between seasons three and four of Deep Space Nine and say 'That's where the show gets really good!' While that's doing a serious disservice to the first three years, there is a certain...logic to the statement. 

DS9's debut year was truncated (for a '90s Trek) and was then followed by a somewhat standard second season. The show was still following the groundwork laid by The Next Generation, focusing on episodic storytelling, while the actual shooting method softened the edges of every scene. Darker stories bled through early- on (Duet, Necessary Evil etc) before The Jem'hadar kicked things into gear.

The third year saw an increased Dominion threat, now in Changeling form, as well as the introduction of the USS Defiant. However, it was the fourth year, and The Way Of The Warrior specifically that saw Deep Space Nine both hit its groove and take a new direction. Avery Brooks was finally allowed to shave his head, Michael Dorn joined the cast as a series regular, and the Klingon Empire decided it was time to 'go nuts'. 

Season four of Deep Space Nine ranks among the very best of Star Trek's offerings, not least for the fact it offers a bold new direction for the show and introduces themes that still resonate in the franchise to this day.