Star Trek: EVERY Season Ranked Worst To Best

What a difference a haircut makes.

For the first three seasons, Avery Brooks had not been allowed to shave his head, for fear that he would look too much like his previous role in Spenser: For Hire. However, as the show had been fully established at this stage, he approached the producers, who approached the studio - and the thumbs up was given. Sisko was reborn.

As previously mentioned, Paramount were not happy with the original idea for the end of the third season. Behr had wanted to go with a 'Changelings on Earth' cliffhanger but Paramount weren't interested in a cliffhanger. They also wanted something to truly shake up the series. The Changelings story was pushed out to Homefront/Paradise Lost.

To put a pause on the Dominion story, the Klingons were brought back as antagonists for this series in the season opener The Way Of The Warrior. At Rick Berman's suggestion, Michael Dorn was brought on board as Worf. While integrating the character was initially difficult, writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe conceded it offered them exciting challenges.

Deep Space Nine explores many, many themes throughout its run. One of its key themes is that of family, with no better representation that the relationship between Ben and Jake Sisko. Brooks had been thrilled to get the chance to depict a strong father figure in Sisko and The Visitor takes this relationship to its zenith.

The final scene between Brooks and Tony Todd is simply universal. A father and son who love and need each other. That it is set in the 24th century makes no difference.

Star Trek is a family, whether it's set on a space station, the Federation flagship, far off in the Delta Quadrant or in the bond between a Captain and his Android friend. It is a marvellous franchise, deserving of love and respect and still taking us to strange new worlds.