Star Trek: 10 Greatest Jeri Taylor Episodes
7. The Homecoming
Jeri Taylor pitched an idea for The Next Generation that saw the Enterprise-D picking up a Bajoran woman, who was en route to save a Bajoran resistance hero. When that woman found him, she discovered he didn't want to be a hero. Michael Piller, upon reading the idea, felt that it would be better suited to Deep Space Nine.
The Homecoming was crucial for Star Trek. It was a new direction for Deep Space Nine, centering on the Bajoran Circle - a racist group determined to kick aliens off their world. It featured Frank Langella in a powerful, though uncredited, performance. It was also Star Trek's first foray into multi-episode story arcs. The Homecoming, The Circle, and The Siege form the franchise's first three-story, a feat that would not be repeated until Enterprise's fourth season.
Ira Stephen Behr tweaked Taylor's original idea, switching the reluctant Bajoran leader to a case of mistaken identity. This, along with the burden of leadership being thrust upon them, allowed the episode to explore what it meant to Bajor to deify a man who just wanted to be left alone - and had every right to be. The Bajorans and the Cardassians remain some of the most explored, complicated races in all of Trek - both of whom receiving enormous aid from Jeri Taylor.