Would Roddenberry Really Have Hated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?

There’s always been a debate about whether Gene Roddenberry would have hated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the truth is more complicated than some might think. There has always been a division in fandom over whether the vision of Gene Roddenberry should be treated as gospel, or merely as a guide. Fans who rigidly believed in Roddenberry’s view of a futuristic utopia free from conflict often claimed that DS9 wasn’t “proper” Star Trek. This is a surface-level reading of a show that broke down the so-called “Roddenberry Box” to provide new ways of telling Star Trek stories.