But That's Not REAL Star Trek! 7 Reviews That Judged Star Trek Too Quickly
4. Gene Roddenberry Would Have Hated It!
The number one criticism that Deep Space Nine received in its early years is also one that has doggedly remained with the show, despite assertions by Rick Berman, Michael Pillar and Majel Barrett to the contrary.
The idea of a stationary location each week was a deliberate choice to avoid clashing/copying too much of The Next Generation, which would remain on the air for a further two years. It was designed, in keeping with Gene's idea of Star Trek being 'wagon train to the stars', to be something closer to The Rifleman, with a father and son coming to a town on the edge of the frontier.
George Takei spoke in 2007, criticized the show for being the polar opposite of Gene's ideas, though that is not entirely accurate. D.C. Fontana and Bjo Trimble, both who had known Roddenberry well, claimed he would have liked it. Fontana believed he would have appreciated the show's darker themes, while Trimble felt that he would have loved the space battles - something that had been prohibited by budget in the Original Series.
While the show's ratings did not match the Next Generation's during its run, it has since been rated as among the best of Star Trek. It has been particularly praised by people of colour, thanks in large part to the writing of, and portrayal of by Avery Brookes, Captain Sisko. The show expanded the idea of family perhaps moreso than any other iteration of Trek, and remains a very special show to many today.