10 Star Trek Episodes That Started As Something Completely Different

10. In The Pale Moonlight

The early ideas for In The Pale Moonlight actually centered on Jake Sisko, rather than Captain Sisko. In the first draft, the writers took inspiration from the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, during which a North Vietnamese gunship allegedly attacked a US Naval vessel, effectively beginning the Vietnam War. Another influence was the Watergate scandal.

In this version, Jake would discover something about First Minister Shakaar, a secret about his actions during the Occupation that could threaten to destabilize the Bajoran Government. Here, Captain Sisko would attempt to block Jake from publishing the story. In the next draft, Jake is trying to secure an interview with Garak, who is dismissive and does not want to be interviewed. Jake approaches his father to put pressure on the Cardassian, who instead tells his son to drop the matter. Only then does Jake discover that Garak and Sisko are plotting to bring the Romulans into the Dominion War.

Ronald D. Moore did a final rewrite on the script that omitted Jake entirely and instead left the focus entirely on Ben and his log. Most will agree that, despite the strong inspirations that featured Jake, Avery Brooks' performance was enough to carry this episode and beyond.