DS9 Was Great Because It Was Never Star Trek’s Flagship

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was never the franchise’s flagship show, which is, ironically, what made it such a great Star Trek series. When DS9 premiered in 1993, it was met with a cool response from Star Trek‘s more puritanical fans, who took against the space station setting and non-Starfleet characters. And yet, it was these very elements that made Deep Space Nine such a unique and multi-layered Star Trek show that ultimately laid the groundwork for the modern era. DS9 was the first of three Star Trek shows to spinoff from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the franchise’s true flagship show, but it never truly succeeded TNG after it ended in 1994.