10 Welcome Changes Deep Space Nine Made To The Star Trek Formula
9. 'Silly Space Fun'
Not every episode of Star Trek has to be about brain-bending science and intergalactic space battles. Sometimes, the crew deserve some time off from the godlike threats that seem to show up every other day. And the inhabitants of Deep Space Nine know how to wind down better than most.
Take the season seven episode, 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite', in which Captain Benjamin Sisko is challenged by a condescending Vulcan crew to a game of baseball in one of the station's holosuites. Sisko, a lifelong fan of baseball, assembles his own crew into the 'Niners' team, and the whole episode is spent following their struggles to get ready for the match.
There's nothing at stake here, besides Sisko's pride; no risk of war, no huge sacrifice if they lose, nothing. It's just a nice bit of playing around away from all the usual Trek jargon, and it's endlessly funny to see the disparate characters way outside their comfort zones.
Other episodes, such as the equally holosuite-heavy 'Badda-Bing Badda-Bang', do this just as well, further emphasising that strictly adhering to the series' iconic formula isn't always necessary.