Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kai Winn
7. She Wasn't Always Going To Be The Next Kai
Winn's election to Kai was a last-minute decision by the writing team. Having introduced the character in In The Hands Of The Prophets, writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe knew that there was huge potential for the character, even if the second season began without any clear path for her in sight.
This season spent the majority of its discussions about Bajor setting up Bareil Antos to be the next Kai. While it would have made sense to have this good character take the mantle, the writers decided to throw a curveball right at the end.
Hewitt Wolfe recalled a simple conversation that effectively consisted of 'Hey, why don't we make Winn the next Kai?'
As soon as it was said out loud, this path seemed to make even more sense to all involved. Not only would it provide a nice shock for fans, but would also allow a healthy development of conflict between Starfleet and Bajor. Had Bareil taken the top post, Bajor likely would have joined the Federation that season. With Winn in control, the stage was set for several more years of stress - particularly for Kira and Sisko.