8 Star Trek Episodes That PISSED OFF Other Franchises

8. Our Man Bashir Vs MGM

Our Man Bashir was the fourth season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that pays loving tribute to the spy genre, though of course it most closely resembles the work of Ian Flemming. Alexander Siddig described the episode as The Spy Who Loved Me, From Russia With Love, Octopussy, and DS9 all rolled into one. The episode aired one week after the release of Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan's first movie as the famous spy.

This was an attempt to capitalize on the resurgence of Bond. Thankfully for Star Trek, Goldeneye revived the franchise and was extremely well received. Unfortunately for Star Trek, MGM got wind of what had happened and a very angry letter was sent to the producers.

While the Deep Space Nine companion doesn't disclose what was actually in the letter, Ronald D. Moore simply said that MGM did not find imitation that flattering. This left the writers a little gunshy about using overt Bond references in the future so when the program next appeared in season five's A Simple Investigation, the references were toned down significantly, avoiding another run-in with the rival studio.