10 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Episodes That Were Almost Completely Different

8. The Collaborator (Season 2 Episode 24)

For all of its many achievements, DS9 was never short of engaging villains across its run, and few proved to be a bigger thorn in the station’s side than the ruthless and power hunger Winn Adami.

Played with delicious cunning by Louise Fletcher, there was nothing that Winn wouldn’t do in her pursuit of power and control, including assassination attempts and planting explosives in a school. Sure enough, in Season Two episode The Collaborator, Winn achieves her ambitions and is elected Kai; the supreme religious leader of Bajor.

Winn’s ascension comes at the expense of her rival and Kira’s lover Vedek Bareil Antos, who is implicated as collaborating with the Cardassians during the occupation. Although it is later revealed that he is in fact covering for the real collaborator, the wheels are set in motion and Winn is named Kai.

Original versions of the script, however, differed greatly from the end result. The original collaborator would actually have been an elderly man, whose daughter was responsible for the death of Kira’s father and who is covering for her similarly to Bareill.

For some time previous to this the writers had intended for Bareill to become Kai instead of Winn, but they changed their minds after realising how much storyline potential there was by placing the menacing monk in such a key position (including a major role in the series grand finale). Sure enough the episode was adapted to facilitate Winn’s election, and we got even more of that smiling viper we loved to hate.