10 Star Trek Episodes That Started As Something Completely Different

There are many stories of what-ifs and what could-have-beens in Star Trek's history. Though this list features ten entries, there could easily be dozens more, such is the nature of breaking scripts and story beats. There have also been many episodes that are recycled, retooled or even reused, changed only to fit the new characters therein.

Some of the best-known episodes of the show were born with entirely different premises and some of those could possibly have been better than what was finally delivered. While classics like Soldiers of the Empire are excellent examples of an editing process done correctly, there are other examples where removing some of those beats have hurt the final form. The Enterprise episode Dear Doctor stands as an example of the latter.

It is fascinating to study the process through which these episodes went through their various changes. Some of the most inspirational and enduring stories arrived only as late in the day replacements from scripts that ran into a brick wall or simply couldn't get out of the starting gate. This is the importance of a writing team on a show, with the entries below depicting why.

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.