10 Welcome Changes Deep Space Nine Made To The Star Trek Formula

It might not seem like it, but this one really is a biggie.

The Original Series and The Next Generation both followed a formula that favoured largely standalone episodes. In other words, the 'monster of the week' formula, which, surprise surprise, is something else Gene Roddenberry insisted on. Not that it was wrong to do so, as they so vividly demonstrated - but by opening up the possibility of longer, more complex story arcs, Deep Space Nine's writers tapped into a whole new level of depth within the series.

Over the course of the show, there are multiple intricate and interwoven storylines, including the role of Captain Sisko as the 'Emissary' chosen by the Prophets, the looming threat of the Dominion, Odo's quest to discover who and what he is, and Gul Dukat's descent into an obsessive, murderous madman.

Although TNG planted some of these seeds first, it's Deep Space Nine that took them and really turned them into deep overarching themes that one single episode couldn't hope to cover. And as each of these predicaments are dealt with one by one on-screen, their impact and scope quite often leaves you wondering, "but how much work is left to do?"

Perhaps a future Star Trek show will provide those answers.