With its shared DNA from Ronald D. Moore,Star Trek: Deep Space Ninecan be seen as the predecessor ofBattlestar Galactica’s 2004 reboot. Both sci-fi series are acclaimed, withDS9holding a 91% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes andBSGeven higher with a 95% Fresh rating. Premiering in 1993,Deep Space Nineis a spinoff ofStar Trek: The Next Generationthat ran 7 seasons in syndication.Battlestar Galacticalaunched a decade later, first as a 2003 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries that spawned a 2004 ongoing series running for 4 seasons, as well as a prequel,Caprica, and spinoffsBattlestar Galactica: Razor, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, andBattlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome.
Ronald D. Moore joined the writer’s room ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nineafter achieving great success onStar Trek: The Next Generation, including co-writing with Brannon BragaTNG’s acclaimed series finale, “All Good Things…” and the feature filmsStar Trek GenerationsandStar Trek: First Contact. DS9brokeStar Trek’s mold by being set on a space station and exploring darker, more complex themes than the cheerierTNG, with a broader canvas and a cavalcade of eclectic characters. Moore learned lessons fromStar Trekbut also foundGene Roddenberry’s visionlimiting. In rebootingBattlestar Galactica,Moore got to make a distinct sci-fi epic that did whatStar Trek, not evenDeep Space Nine, could not.
Deep Space Nine’s Concept Was The Spiritual Predecessor To Battlestar Galactica 2004
Ronald D. Moore got to explore darker themes on DS9
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineevolved throughout its seven seasons. The original premise ofDS9 involved the space station led byCommander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko(Avery Brooks) guarding the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. Gradually,DS9introduced its uber-threat, the Dominion, and marched toward an epic war that engulfed and existentially endangered the United Federation of Planets. All the while,DS9was about the journey within for its vast cast of characters, with a deeper exploration of their motivations and inner lives thanStar Trekhad seen before. Crucially,Deep Space Ninealso pioneered serialized storytelling, foreshadowing the dominant form of TV in the streaming era.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had the biggest cast of characters of any Trek show, meaning that Captain Sisko had numerous allies in the Dominion War.
With the serializedBattlestar Galactica, Ronald D. Moore flipped the script on intergalactic war: the humans suffered a devastating nuclearattack at the hands of the robotic Cylonsand were on the run. FromBattlestar’s inception, the human race was on the back foot, desperately trying to evade their Cylon attackers, facing constant infiltration, and searching for the fabled 13th colony, Earth. LikeDeep Space Nine, Battlestarintegrated military and civilian characters in intriguing ways.Battlestar Galactica was Moore free of the constraints ofStar Trek, but still mindful of the need for complex, flawed, heroes and villains that felt like a natural progression from his work onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Deep Space Nine & Battlestar Galactica Both Shared Similar Stories & Themes
War, politics, religion, and more
Star Trek: Deep Space Ninewent placesStar Trek: The Next Generationdid or could not.Captain Sisko was the Emissaryof the Prophets of Bajor, split between his duties as a spiritual leader and a Starfleet officer.DS9delved into Bajor’s religion, with elements of the supernatural thatTNGonly touched upon or generally avoided. AsDS9progressed, it turned into a series about the costs and complications of war, withSisko and his crew pushed to make moral compromises that seemed unthinkable aboard the USS Enterprise-D.DS9was also steeped in politics and intrigue that could not be solved in a mere hour, while main characters like Sisko, Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), and Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) fell in love, married, and even tragically died.
How To Watch Battlestar Galactica In Order
2004’s Battlestar Galactica reboot has many spin-offs and prequels. This is how to watch the Battlestar Galactica franchise in chronological order.
As grim asStar Trek: Deep Space Ninecould be,Ronald D. Moore tookBattlestar Galacticainto an even greater star trek into darkness. As a sci-fi allegory of 9/11 and the War on Terror,Battlestarwas steeped in fear and paranoia,Commander (later Admiral) William Adama(Edward James Olmos) and his survivors aboard Galactica realized any of them could be Cylon sleeper agents. The flaws of the human race were laid bare in the wake of possible extinction at the hands of the Cylons, while religion, politics, sex, and the ramifications of war were even more prevalent onBattlestar Galactica.
Despite Their Shared DNA, DS9 & Battlestar Galactica Are Still Very Different Shows
DS9 still holds to Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek vision of optimism
Deep Space NinetookStar Trekin fascinating new directions but, at its core,it was stillStar Trekand maintained Gene Roddenberry’s optimistic vision of the future. Even at the most harrowing moments of the Dominion War, there was always light and the fulfilled belief that Captain Sisko and Starfleet would win a way to triumph.DS9also featured many lighthearted episodes, like the James Bond-themed “Our Man Bashir,” thebaseball romp “Take Me Out to the Holosuite,“which was written by Ronald D. Moore, and theOcean’s Elevenspoof, “Bada Bing, Badda Bang”.Deep Space Nineran the gamut of storytelling and could deftly switch genres in the finestStar Trektradition.
BSGhad no guiding principle of Gene Roddenberry’s utopia.
In contrast, levity was in short supply onBattlestar Galactica. The plight of the Galactica and its military and civilian populations grew increasingly dire as the seasons progressed. WhenDr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis)replaced Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) as President, the plight of Galactica’s population became even worse.BSG’s characters were plunged into alcohol and drug abuse, and some were even tortured. It’s hard to imagine a comedy episode about playing baseball against the Cylons on Battlestar Galactica.BSGhad no guiding principle of Gene Roddenberry’s utopia, but this iswhat allowed Ronald D. Moore to forge an even more realistic allegory for post-9/11 America.
DS9 & Battlestar Galactica Are Proving Difficult To Remake & Reboot
For different reasons
Another thingStar Trek: Deep Space NineandBattlestar Galacticahave in common is both are challenging to revive and reboot. AlthoughStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Voyagerfound new life onStar Trek: PicardandStar Trek: Prodigy,DS9isn’t having the same good fortune. Beyond a handful ofDS9favorite characters making comebacks, the tragic deaths of actors like Rene Auberjonois and Aron Eisenberg, and especially Avery Brooks' retirement, prevent a completeStar Trek: Deep Space Ninereunion from happening. The reduction of Star Trek on Paramount+ projects also creates fewer opportunities forDS9actors to revive their characters.
Katee Sackhoff Must Join Star Trek & Complete Her Perfect Sci-Fi Hat Trick
On her podcast, Katee Sackhoff made her pitch to join Star Trek, and The Mandalorian and Battlestar Galactica actor is perfect for the final frontier.
As far back as 2019,Battlestar Galacticaeyed a series reboot on Peacock under the leadership ofMr. Robotcreator Sam Esmail. However, after a years-long development process, aBattlestar Galacticareimagining has been scrapped at Peacock. Given the singular impact of Ronald D. Moore’sBattlestar Galactica, and how fresh and relevant it remains 20 years later,there seems to be no great enthusiasm for a revamped take on humans vs. Cylons.Star Trek: Deep Space Nineand the 2004Battlestar Galacticaare products of their respective eras sharing Ron Moore’s vision, which is difficult to replicate.
