10 Star Trek Episodes That Started As Something Completely Different
9. The Sound Of Her Voice
The Sound of Her Voice is the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's sixth season, with Captain Lisa Cusack changing the entire crew of the USS Defiant's outlook on everything. Though she only exists over subspace, she speaks to each member of the team one by one, helping them to realize some issues that need resolving, along with helping others to appreciate what they have.
The original idea for the story was quite different. In that version, Sisko was to pick up a call through a subspace radio, though he is aboard the station for the entire episode. This woman is also speaking through time. However, rather than a couple of years, as in the final version, this woman is from 1940. Over time, Sisko grows closer and closer to this woman from the past, though she has no idea she's speaking to the future. Eventually, they fall in love.
Writer Ronald D. Moore was the first to point out that there were serious issues here. For example, how would the episode handle Sisko's relationship with Kassidy Yates, with whom he was deeply involved? The idea was reworked, even going so far as to include Penny Johnson in the final episode - almost like an apology.