History YMMV / StarTrekDeepSpaceNine

** What "Rejoined" suggests about Jadzia's sexuality has been a hot topic over the years. Initially the debate was between the most obvious reading is that she and Lenara are two women who love each other vs. those who saw Jadzia as a straight woman who was influenced by the feelings of a previous straight male host, suggesting that maybe re-association is illegal for a reason. [[NoBisexuals The idea that Jadzia herself might be bisexual regardless of symbiote didn't come up much]]. As fans have become more comfortable with reading characters as queer and especially multi-sexual, and after [[WordOfGod Terry Farrell]] confirmed that Jadzia was pansexual, this debate has lapsed as fans have settled on the first option. It's worth noting that other episodes both before and after hinted at Jadzia's interest in women -- for instance, Bashir being threatened by her presence when he's flirting with Leeta, or her joke about stealing Kasidy from Benjamin, or her flirty moments with Vanessa Williams in "Let He Who Is Without Sin." And Lenara makes it clear in the episode that she'd be less interested if Dax were still Curzon, suggesting it's not ''just'' about their former identities. In any event, modern fandom consensus is that Jadzia is attracted to people (or usually, aliens) of multiple genders.

** The Jack Pack, Bashir's genetically-engineered cohorts from "Statistical Improbabilities" and "Chrysalis." Thing is, while they're certainly abnormal in behavior and intelligence, they also display a considerable amount of symptoms typical of the autism spectrum (''especially'' Jack and Sarina). In light of the controversy in the autism community surrounding eugenics, you may find Bashir attempting to "fix" Sarina in "Chrysalis" a bit questionable. On the other hand, since Sarina's catatonia was caused by a botched attempt at genetic enhancement when she was a child, the scenario can also be read as Bashir trying to help someone already severely harmed by eugenics, undoing some of the damage. Bashir's conversation with his own parents in "Dr. Bashir I Presume" makes clear his loathing for eugenics, even though it was successful in his own case.

** "The Siege of AR-558." A lot of people didn't want to make the episode but the writers (and the director, a Vietnam veteran) pushed on because they wanted to make an episode showing the horror and dehumanizing trauma of war. Unsurprisingly, the Ferengi actors are big fans of this episode because they got to do something different and be the moral conscience of the show for once.

** "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang". The A-plot grinds to a halt just so Sisko can blast Vic Fontaine (and, by proxy, the writers) for [[TheThemeParkVersion white-washing history]]. Ira Behr wanted to make sure an episode of ''Star Trek'' didn't betray its core principles, and to remind audiences that Vic's is fiction, and 60's Vegas "was very, very, very, ''very'' white"

** Lenara Kahn appeared only in "Rejoined", but she's well-remembered to this day, especially on Tumblr and other fan sites, for being one of the first LGBT character in Star Trek (okay, [[DiscountLesbians kind of]]) and her sweet relationship with Dax.

** [=SFDebris=] also coined "This is the one that even the Prophets call 'The Sisko'. First name: 'Don't F*** With'."

** It's become popular on Tumblr to refer to the Obsidian Order as the "Lizard [[UsefulNotes/TheStasi Stasi]]."

* GeniusBonus: In the endgame of the Dominion War, Martok points out that the Dominion retreating to Cardassian space shortens their supply lines while forcing the alliance to lengthen theirs. This actually demonstrates Martok's competence, which you realize if you're aware of a saying in the U.S. military; "Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics."

** "Duet" is already one of the most heartbreaking episodes in the whole series, but it's even ''more'' depressing when you consider one of Aamin Marritza's lines, "Cardassia will only survive [[TheAtoner if it stands in front of Bajor and admits the truth.]]" He's right: the failure of Dukat and others like him to acknowledge their crimes during the occupation of Bajor not only drives Cardassia into the arms of the Dominion but [[spoiler:leads to the devastation of their homeworld when the Female Changeling orders the entire Cardassian race wiped out for defying her]].

*** A bonus in "Homefront" has a scene where O'Brien and Bashir are trying to take their minds off of the bombing. Quark mentions having to suffer through 'the Great Monetary Collapse,' which isn't quite as funny given the economic crisis in the second half of the 2000's.
** In "Progress," Brian Keith plays a man who wants to suicidally stay in his home despite the area soon being unlivable. He really did commit suicide a few years later.

** In season 5's "Apocalypse Rising", Worf fights Chancellor Gowron, believing he's a Changeling imposter, and almost kills him before it's revealed that [[spoiler:General Martok]] was the actual Changeling imposter. Afterwards, Gowron says to Worf "You should have killed me when you had the chance. I promise you will not get another." In season 7's "Tacking into the Wind", Worf fights Gowron once again [[spoiler:and kills him this time]].

* HoYay: Garak and Bashir. The actor for Garak [[RealitySubtext actually stated he was playing Garak as pansexual]] in the first episode he appeared in (where he totally came on to Bashir) before complaints made him tone it down. They have lunch together (canonically said to be weekly throughout the years) and have saved each other's lives at least once. They've snarked, given each other gifts, and really sometimes seem to be the only people who can stand the other. Plus Garak wants Bashir to "Take that rod... and eat it." [[ItMakesSenseInContext (Actually, it was a data rod.)]]

** Alexander Siddig has also remarked that his reaction to Garak and Bashir's first scene together was "Oh, so are we going to be Star Trek's first gay couple? Cool."

** Odo and Quark. In "Move Along Home" Quark asks Odo to "blow on his dice" (literally), and then in "Fascination" Odo claims he likes to stop by Quark's three or four times a day, "just to let him know I'm thinking about him."

** The Bajorans sometimes fall into this. While the Occupation was an atrocity committed on their people, there are more than a few episodes that demonstrate that the Bajorans became equally ruthless to get their planet back. Episodes such as "Duet" demonstrate there are still cases of Cardassians being randomly murdered by Bajorans simply because ''they're Cardassian'', and they're as capable of mob-driven racism as anyone else in episodes like "A Man Alone." (To be fair, though, they do get a good share of WhatTheHellHero when these things happen.)
** The Maquis also count at the end. They attack both the Cardassians and the Federation, won't negotiate, are constantly attacking any Cardassian because they are Cardassian with indiscriminate terrorist attacks to - in Eddington's words - "make the Cardassian empire crumble." It was ''their'' attacks that in part contributed to Cardassia joining the Dominion, and they still don't take responsibility for their actions (or at least, Eddington is incredibly reluctant to, and blames everything on Sisko). Even when Sisko saves the last few Maquis members after a bloody massacre, they still maintain their self-righteous approach.

** Dax and the Trill also have a lot of fans in the trans community, with how the experience of changing between hosts of various genders resonates with the trans experience. Especially in early episodes where there is a lot of emphasis on Dax being a man the last time around, many trans women saw themselves in Jadzia. (However Jadzia's tendency to constantly gush about Curzon and even enjoying being called "old man" is generally the oppositte on how Transpeople tend to feel about their Deadname)
** Meanwhile other Transwomen see themselves in Ezri and especially her determination to be seen as her own person and not as "Jadzia's new body", which mirrors transpeople trying to stop people refering to them by their deadname and/or comparing them to "their previous self".

* OlderThanTheyThink: "Extreme Measures" feels like a WholePlotReference to {{Film/Inception}}, except for one thing: it was made 11 years earlier.

** The ending of "Sacrifice of Angels". Even the transcript calls it "the ultimate deus ex machina cop-out."

** [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer's wife]], Kira Meru, plays the mother of Kira Nerys in the flashback episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E17WrongsDarkerThanDeathOrNight}} Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night]]."

** Kira has gotten this post 9/11. Her history as a terrorist just didn't win her any favors in a world where terrorists have become more hated, especially since she explicitly defends having bombed civilians in "The Darkness and the Light."
*** Worth pointing out as always that the series was made pre-9/11, and even AFTER it's incredibly important to note that many insurgent and extremist groups in the Middle East were formed in response to an outside aggressive force not known for its human rights record, or armed and spurred along by another outside interest. Looking at it critically, this is an Anvil that needs to be dropped now more than ever--to say nothing of the countless thousands of innocent lives that have been lost in the two decades since.

** Vic Fontaine gathered a significant hatedom, not because he was a terrible character in his own right, but because he showed up in the back half of the final season and [[CreatorsPet took up a lot of screentime]] right when a lot of the ongoing plot arcs that viewers were heavily invested in were wrapping up and everything was revving up for the big finale, making any time spent fooling around in the holosuite feel wasted. (Many fans had the same objection to "Take Me Out to the Holosuite," a non-Vic-related holosuite episode.) Had his appearances been kept to a restrained minimum, he would probably have been far more popular, as is, the character is disliked not so much for what he is, as for what he isn't (i.e. rarely anything [[TrappedByMountainLions plot-relevant]]), and because [[SpotlightStealingSquad he showed up too damn much.]]

*** It certainly didn't help matters when, in "Ferengi Love Songs," Ishka casually told Quark that he was wrong to break a contract with another Ferengi, even though fulfilling that contract (with Brunt in the earlier episode "Body Parts") would have required Quark to ''kill himself.''

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Worf in "Let He Who is Without Sin." Yes, he should ease up a bit, but with how much Jadzia keeps shrugging off his requests to discuss their relationship, which was ''the'' reason they were going to Risa to begin with - which was also where ''she'' wanted to go, by the way -- it's hard to blame him for finally losing his cool when he does. Probably still shouldn't have aided terrorists on Risa, though.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: A sizable faction of fans had this reaction when it was announced that the show was going to be set on a space station instead of a starship. Most of them came around eventually, but you still run into the occasional holdout who sneers at [=DS9=] for not being "real Star Trek."

** "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places". It's the return of Quark's Klingon ex-wife (and [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan favorite]]) Grilka! And she's starting to show romantic feelings for Quark! Unfortunately, Worf falls in LoveAtFirstSight with her. Even more unfortunately, the plot's basically a rehash of ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' with Worf in the role of Cyrano for Quark. A couple of problems with this: 1) Quark and Grilka already know each other, so one wouldn't think he'd really need a Cyrano, and 2) Worf has always despised Quark and continues to do so at the end of the episode (the last thing Worf has to say about Quark here is, "[[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim What does she see in that parasite?]]" Worse still, the whole Quark/Grilka story is sidelined [[StrangledByTheRedString just to bring Worf and Jadzia together.]] Even worse, Jadzia actually insults Grilka (albeit not to her face), contemptuously referring to her as a "statue", which combined with Worf's sustained contempt for Quark, puts a really ugly spin on Worf and Jadzia helping Quark to get together with Grilka. Worst of all, just a few episodes later in the abysmal "Let He Who Is Without Sin", Quark's back to chasing women on Risa, and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome Grilka's never seen or mentioned again.]]
** The reveal in Season 5 that Bashir had been replaced by a Changeling for several episodes. It was a complete {{Retcon}} only thought up for that episode, and nothing at all was done with the idea of what the Changeling might have been up to outside of his plot after being revealed. The next time that particular plot thread was mentioned wasn't until the following season's "Inquisition," and even then only as an excuse to help set up Section 31. Alexander Siddig himself was annoyed, as he only learned the truth when they were filming the episode it was revealed in, and didn't have a chance to do anything with his performance before the reveal.

** One of the reasons that fans of the Garak/Bashir ship find the later seasons of the show so incredibly frustrating is that the series ''did'' [[https://cardassiangoodreads.tumblr.com/post/678222024492056576/okay-but-the-maddening-thing-about-garashir-the give the two a pretty standard romantic build-up]]... in fact, one of the last stories that focus significantly on the pair, the two-parter "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," features Garak revealing a major secret and another major vulnerability to Bashir that should bring them much closer, along with them surviving a harrowing experience together. [[PlatonicWritingRomanticReading If the writers had wanted to make them a couple]], it would've been a great place to make that leap. And then the opposite happens. In the following episode, "Doctor Bashir, I Presume" Garak isn't even mentioned as someone to interview for Bashir's hologram, even though he's one of his closest friends on the station. And from there, they get fewer and fewer scenes together and no more focus episodes. Even if you don't interpret Garak and Bashir's relationship in a romantic way, it's genuinely strange how their storyline comes to such an abrupt halt, and it still feels like a massive missed opportunity to explore, for instance, how Garak's working with the Federation once the Dominion War starts, or his actions in "In the Pale Moonlight," might strengthen or weaken that bond. As with the missteps involving the Maquis, it's a case where the ExecutiveMeddling becomes extremely obvious.
** Lots of fans felt it was a waste that the show never really explored Trill society in any depth, other than it being forbidden for joined Trill to resume past romantic relationships and the Symbiosis Commission covering up how many people are actually suitable to be joined. Here you have a species where people can aspire to be host minds and attain extreme long life beyond 'death', barring an accident befalling the symbiont, save that it's only (officially) feasible for a tiny percentage of the population -- and the show never capitalized on any of the implications for such a culture. What's the attitude of the non-joined towards the joined, and is there any resentment? How do the friends and families of joined Trill react when their loved one essentially becomes a completely different person, as their personality is absorbed into the mass of all those who came before them? ''Is'' there an elite sub-culture of joined Trill, despite all the attempts to prevent it?

** However some Transwomen find Jadzia uncomfortable as she is often gushing about her previous hosts, most of all Curzon, and has no problem with being called "old man". Meanwhile most transpeople get very uncomfortable whenever people bring up their deadnames, especially saying things akin to "I really liked the old you", which is the oppositte on how Jadzia reacts to this. Also Jadzia treats the joining as a great honor and something she worked long and hard to get chosen for, Transpeople don't view their condition as something desirable but as a state they were born with. These Transwomen tend to rather see themselves in Ezri in both her "I didn't chose this" and "Stop comparing me to/meassuring me against Jadzia".

** A minor example in ''Sanctuary''. Jake tells Nog that a Dabo girl is studying entomology, and explains that this is the "study of bugs." Nog responds "You mean she wants to be a chef." This seems to be an example of the Ferengi as a bizarre alien culture. In the 21st century there are attempts to remove the taboo against eating insects, particularly grasshoppers and crickets, by major food companies trying to promote them as a more efficient source of protein than livestock.

** The reveal of Curzon's feelings for Jadzia in "Facets," ''especially'' the fact that they were the reason that he initially rejected her from the Symbiosis Commission, seems to have been intended to be sadly romantic based on the way the episode frames it, but is actually enormously creepy and a major abuse of power on Curzon's part. As with Bashir dating his patients, this is even more obvious post-Me Too, especially with greater awareness of [[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/opinion/sunday/she-wanted-to-do-her-research-he-wanted-to-talk-feelings.html how much this exact dynamic has pushed so many talented women out of academia]], which the Trill Symbiosis Commission strongly resembles.

-->'''Nana Visitor:''' I remember sitting with Armin Shimerman on set and saying "they don't really get us, the ''Star Trek'' fans." And they didn't at the time, but we said, "Ten, twenty years from now they'll get it." That's proven to be true; people are discovering it now thanks to streaming. And the show holds up.

** Some fans also think that it also applies to his personal log in "In the Pale Moonlight," when he is upset over [[spoiler:trading his personal sense of honor for a Romulan alliance via lies and assassination]]. Although it's well-established that Starfleet places a lot of value on honesty and personal integrity and not being involved in clandestine murders, some viewers think the decision was a no-brainer in the first place.

** There are many contemporary readings on the occupation of Bajor. Some people say the Holocaust, some say Gaza. Ira Behr once likened Dukat's tenure to UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's 'exit strategy' for Vietnam. While this isn't true of Dukat's portrayal generally, you can definitely see it in his 'trial' in ''Waltz''.

** O'Brien, who's suffered such indignities as [[{{Doppelganger}} abduction/replacement]], arrest and [[KangarooCourt trial]], death (''thrice'' in one episode), arrest and [[FakeMemories 20 years' imprisonment in 20 hours]], threatened by his [[DemonicPossession possessed wife]], etc. Kira's suffered just as bad, if not worse. And Odo gets his fair share of suffering as well.) The writers even said "O'Brien must suffer" at least once a season because they thought Colm Meaney was great in that kind of story.
** Dukat also gets this treatment in one episode, at the end of Sacrifice of Angels and the beginning of Waltz. Sisko's log, at the beginning of Waltz puts it into words: [[spoiler: "He lost an empire, he lost his daughter, and he nearly lost his mind. Whatever his crimes... isn't that enough punishment for one lifetime?"]] Of course, since it's [[BigBad Dukat]]...

* CreatorsPet: Vic Fontaine. Ira Behr was so stoked at convincing one of his favorite musicians, James Darren, to join the show that he created a part just for him, a holographic lounge lizard. Darren, who was initially skeptical of returning to acting, became very invested in the part and eager to return, so Behr was obliged to keep inviting him back, over fan protest. His many detractors felt that his constant presence in the back half of the final season (he was given several focus episodes) took screen time away from resolving ongoing plots and character arcs that fans had become invested in over the years. It didn't help that his presence in those episodes that ''didn't'' revolve around him often felt shoehorned (characters with no particular nostalgia for the period of Earth history he represents, like Quark or Odo, would go exclusively to him for advice, despite the fact that the station had ''just'' gotten a professional counselor) and many characters (most notably Julian) would [[CharacterShilling go on at length]] about what a great and insightful "person" he was before the audience had a chance to judge for themselves. Or else he'd be singing a full Frank Sinatra song, which could get pretty tedious for viewers who weren't Sinatra fans and just wanted to get on with the episode, but (back when it was first broadcast) didn't have the option of skipping to the next scene.

** Ezri Dax, who filled in after Jadzia was killed. Animosity eventually cooled, though, and the character soon developed a fanbase of her own as people became willing to view her differently from her "replacing-a-well-loved-character" status[[note]especially once the fandom became more generally aware of the fact that, with Terry Farrell wanting to leave, the writers had no choice but to bring on a "new" character with little time to establish her; really no one's fault that the show had to scramble a bit[[/note]]. Her [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E22TackingIntoTheWind brutally honest speech]] about the Klingon Empire certainly helped her too.

** Ezri Dax, who filled in after Jadzia was killed. Animosity eventually cooled, though, and the character soon developed a fanbase of her own as people became willing to view her differently from her "replacing-a-well-loved-character" status. Her [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E22TackingIntoTheWind brutally honest speech]] about the Klingon Empire certainly helped her too.

** The runabout ''Rio Grande'' is somewhat famous among fans for how it managed to be the only runabout to survive the series, with only the ''Rubicon'' (delivered to the station near the end of season 3) coming close to matching its length of time. In universe, the way that [=DS=]9 goes through runabouts got a {{lampshade|Hanging}}, making the ''Rio Grande'' notable in its survival.

** Most notably, at the time that the shows were broadcast, there was incredible fandom rivalry with ''Series/BabylonFive'', partly because the creator of ''Babylon 5'' accused Paramount of plagiarizing the show's concept from him. (Although ''Deep Space Nine'' premiered before ''Babylon 5'', Straczynski had pitched B5 to Paramount and been turned down before [=DS9=] was created. Just swap out "Centauri and Narn" for "Cardassians and Bajorans", and you're set for Season One.) Nowadays, things are more friendly, with fans of both shows admitting that they both had good and bad points, and that ''Deep Space Nine'' responding to ''Babylon 5'' by starting its own long-term arcs was a positive development. Even during the worst rivalry, a lot of people quietly watched and enjoyed both. [[note]]Straczynski himself stated that while he does believe it's possible that Paramount lifted ideas from B5 to influence [=DS9's=] development, he doesn't believe that showrunners Rick Berman & Michael Pillar had any involvement if this occurred; overall the writing teams of both shows got along quite amicably.

** Dax and the Trill also have a lot of fans in the trans community, with how the experience of changing between hosts of various genders resonates with the trans experience. Especially in early episodes where there is a lot of emphasis on Dax being a man the last time around, many trans women saw themselves in Jadzia.