Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of Deep Space 9 You Need To Know

A big chunk of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's early seasons dealt with the DS9 staff (and Chief O'Brien specifically) struggling with the old Cardassian station and its quirky mechanical and computer systems.

Though the Federation crew was depicted repairing the station (twice) following the Cardassian withdrawal in the pilot, it wasn't until the fourth season's opener, "The Way of Warrior", that the Federation upgrades were fully shown on screen. These upgrades included weapon systems to augment the stock Cardassian defense systems, including new Federation phaser strips on the defensive sails, hidden torpedo launchers on the docking arms, and retractable weapons turrets on the habitat ring.

However, according to Rick Sternbach and Doug Drexler's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, these upgrades were not the only additions Starfleet made over its tenure on Deep Space 9.

While many of the Cardassian systems were apparently compatible with Federation technology, power, life support, and docking facilities were brought up to Federation code. These upgrades were never mentioned on screen, but were illustrated by the ever increasing number of Federation props and "Okudagram" computer terminals littering the traditionally Cardassian station over the course of Deep Space Nine's seven seasons.

This integration of Federation technology aboard DS9 was best illustrated in the station's wardroom, which featured two large Starfleet computer terminals, and Doctor Bashir's infirmary, which contained several hybrid Cardassian / Federation consoles.