Ron D. Moore Q & A from AOL’s Message Boards
Dated 9810.27
Q: Do you intend on resolving the whole issue of Garak’s past before the end of the season? Also, is there any chance in hell that Garak and Dukat are brothers???
A: I doubt we’ll fill in all the blanks on Garak’s backstory, and we don’t believe that he and Dukat are brothers. (Lovers, maybe.)
Q: Are their plans for the crew to travel back to the Gamma Quadrant before the series ends? Will we get to see any of the other Gamma Quadrant races seen earlier in the series, or possibly any new species from the other side of the wormhole during the season?
A: All of the above is possible.
Q: Finally, has the writing staff begun working on the Section 31 follow up story?
A: As a matter of fact, I just turned in the next Section 31 script last night. (The title isn’t official yet.)
Q: Let’s see now…..Worf is an outcast from his people…Garak is an outcast from his people…Odo was an outcast from his people…and now there’s Ezri…. Ezri who didn’t want to be a joined trill…..who just happened to be on the ship carrying the symbiont back to the Trill homeworld…And now she has the Dax symbiont inside her…something that most if not all trills want but that she does not wish…which would probably make her on not the same wavelength with most of Trill population…My question: Isn’t DS9 just the French Foreign Legion in space?
A: Hadn’t looked at it that way before, but I kinda like it. Around here, we tend to refer to the station as the Island of Misfit Toys.
Q: Has there been any talk of doing some DS9 TV movies for UPN’s Thursday night movie after DS9’s season is over?
A: Not that I know of.
Q: Have you heard if UPN wants to do any Trek (like Sulu or Klingon stories, for example) movies at all for their Thursday movies (especially since their ratings are dropping like a rock at the moment)?
A: Haven’t heard anything along these lines either. To be clear, I know of no new Trek projects of any sort being talked about or considered here at Paramount.
Q: I was just wondering what ever happened to some of my favorite characters from TNG. Do you happen to know where exactly the dismantled remains of Lore are being kept? Also, whatever happened to Sela and Crosis? I know there isn’t much of a connection between the two characters, but I think they’re both pretty cool, and in Sela’s case, she was raising pretty high in the Romulan ranks, especially in some of the TNG books, yet in the entire conflict with the Gamma quadrant she fails to make an appearance. Also, was Crosis arrested for his involvement with Lore, or was he killed in the conflict, or is he simply MIA?
A: I believe that Data keeps the parts to Lore in his closet on the Enterprise and that he sometimes puts them back together to explore various aspects of the human experience that involve handcuffs and leather straps. Sela and Crosis were married in a quiet chapel ceremony on Risa and are now expecting a blonde Borg drone with a penchant for skullduggery.
Q: Ron, was there any particualr reason behind selecting the MLB hats(the Braves and the Giants) that Captain Sisko and Jake wore during the game? I would also like to thank you for not letting the Niners come from behind during the game. I’ve seen so many movies and television shows where the “Good Guys” rally in the end by scoring a\ unimaginable amount of points! Thanks for showing that you can still have a good time even when you lose.
A: The caps were chosen by Avery and Cirroc and I presume that they represent their favorite teams.
Q: you have said that Leonard Nimoy will not appear in the final mirror universe episode. I realise that you don’t want a mere “guest star appearance” ratings stunt, but did you ever consider that Mirror Spock’s appearance would have bookended the mirror univere saga nicely? I was annoyed when I found out that Spock’s pacifist actions led to the enslavement of humans (although I realised it made good story), and think Mirror Spock should have an oppurtunity to redeem himself by doing something really good.
A: We were quite intrigued by the notion of using Mirror Spock, but it never worked out for various reasons.
Q: You mention toying with the idea of a new Dax/Bashir romance. Please don’t. With all the things left to do this season, do you really have time to for shoe-horning Ezri into another Trek romance? Isn’t she an interesting enough character on her own?
A: It’s still up in the air, but the fact that we continue to do stories without such a pairing proves that she’s an interesting character whether or not we involve her in a romance.
Q: First of all I would like to say that I love you work and I think DS9 is one of the best Trek series. It has the cast linked in a “family” type way more than the others do. Second of all I have watched the boards and have not seen any question/answers regarding this. A few weeks ago I saw on a Star Trek fans website (dont remember which one) and someone claimed that they had been to a convention with some Ds9 execs. The question was asked “Will we see a DS9 movie” the response was a curious one. The answer was “Possibly but if so it would have to be centered in the past” This suggests to me (if true) that something “Big” is going to happen to one of the crew or DS9 or Bajor. Any comments on this?
A: I’m not sure what this response was intended to mean or even which “Ds9 exec” would’ve made it. We do have big plans for the end of the show, but I don’t know why any further DS9 project would “have” to take place in the past.
Q: Mr. Moore, I was curious about two subjects, the first you may have answered. That being, is anybody talking about Q popping into an episode before the season ends? It would be very interesting to see the Continuum’s relationship to the Prophets and their enemies (the name escapes me). Also, is anybody tossing around ideas for a Federation/Romulan war in the next movie or two? “In the Pale Moonlight” has certainly established motive for the Romulans. Thanks for your time and for being so frank with the fans during your chats. I’m a big fan.
A: We have no plans to see Q this year and I know for a fact that there is no discussion currently underway about the next Trek movie.
Q: What’s up for you after DS9 shuts down. Will you be writing more TV? Will you still visit with us? A lot of us would like to know where you’re headed?
A: My plans are still up in the air. I like TV, I like the pace, the work, the cameradie among the staff. I think I’ll stop the Q&A once DS9 goes off the air, but I’ll let you know what my future plans are when I know myself.
Q: Is it safe to say (or speculate) that the helm position (or flight controller) is reserved for young officers interested in an eventual command of their own?
A: Not really since we saw Dax piloting the Defiant time and again.
Q: Is there a chance , however so slim ,that we will see the Jack Pack at the end of the season or are they done with ?
A: There is a chance, because we’ve talked about working them into the final episodes, but at the moment they are not in our plans.
Q: Are we ever gonna get a Jake episode this season ?
A: Yes.
Q: Ron, what will be the next episode to feature Garak? Is he in anything before “The Emperor’s New Cloak” (or whatever its final title is?).
A: Garak’s next appearance will be in “The Emperor’s New Cloak.”
Q: Also, can you give us any hints about “It’s Only a Paper Moon”? Is it another Benny Russell story as rumored?
A: This one features Nog and Vic Fontaine and it follows up on some of the events of “The Siege of AR-558.” So far, it’s the one I enjoyed working on the most this season.
Q: Another rumor going around is that we’ll see Ziyal again. Any plans for this to happen? (A “maybe” will be interpreted as a “yes” BTW. :-))
A: No plans to see Ziyal again.
Q: Ron, Nicole deBoer is so small in relation to the rest of the cast (even Nana towers over her) that don’t you think it would be a good idea to put her in a pair of high heels? Wouldn’t this make it easier to frame shots where she’s in scenes with her taller costars?
A: She’s already in a sizable pair of boots.
Q: “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” — Had Jadzia remained on the station, what position would you have given her? 😉
A: Beer vendor? (Oh, relax. It’s a joke, I love Terry.)
Q: Who is taking over Jadzia’s spot (no pun intended) in ops? Is it just going to be an “Ensign of the Week” thing, like the helm on TNG eventually became?
A: EOTW is the plan.
Q: Have you made any decisions, one way or the other, about whether we’ll be seeing any fallout (emotional, political, whatever) from Sisko’s actions in “In the Pale Moonlight”? It just seems so rich not to utilize it in some way during the course of the year.
A: This is under active discussion right now. We’ve tossed around various follow-ups, but we’re not sure if they fit into the overall plan at the moment.
Q: So, are you planning your big time-travel episode this season yet? Or will there even be one?
A: Same answer as above.
Q: Will Sisko ever tell Ezri that he… *ahem* … got to know Jadzia well in the mirror universe?
A: He’ll just let her see the pictures.
Q: Why aren’t we seeing Dukat until the 9th episode? Seems that he’s going to be in fewer eps than in any previous season. Why?
A: Dukat’s a very important character and we’re careful about using him too much. We didn’t have a good story for him until # 9, so we didn’t show him until then.
Q: Are the rumors of estrangement between Alaimo/Behr true? I’ve heard (and from reliable sources, not just Internet rumors) that Alaimo protested the direction you’re taking Dukat and in retaliation Behr pared down the # of eps in which we’ll see Dukat (less $$ in Alaimo’s pocket). Since he seems to be getting less air time in this the final season, than in any other, there appears to be some truth to this rumor.
A: All of this is untrue.
Q: Well, we’ve seen the different clones of Weyoun, but what about Keevan will we be seeing clones of him as well?
A: I don’t think we’ll see Keevan again.
Q: I think I asked this one over the summer, but it got lost in the shuffle. I heard a rumor that the scene in ToTP where Dukat says to the dying Jadzia “I never intended you any harm” was added on the set at Marc Alaimo’s request. Is this true? Was there anything on ToTP that was changed at the last minute?
A: I know that this was a last-minute change that went back and forth, but to be honest I don’t know who was arguing for what. I was looking forward to vacation at that point and everything about the final episode was in the hands of Ira and Hans.
Q: How do you feel about how the new season is shaping up so far?
A: I’m happy with it. A couple of rough spots, but I think the season is developing into a good solid year that will only get better and better.
Q: If you could go back in time and change something on the Trek’s you have worked on, what would it be?
A: That is a very long list. I can’t say that I’m 100% happy with anything I’ve ever worked on. Some shows have fulfilled my expectations or even surpassed them, but even then I can always find dialog that rings false or a scene that could’ve been better or something.
Q: which is better– early, mid, or late Beatles?
A: They’re all wonderful and watching “The Beatles Anthology” only reinforces that view.
Q: For the first time I agree with Ev Sagan. I share her concerns about some of Ron Moore’s answers. Too many times I’ve read Moore responses in which he claims he and the other writers weren’t sure if they were going to do something. I thought thay had mapped out what they were going to do. If they had they would know whether they were going to be dealing with certain storylines or not. Heck with about 13 episodes left to write they SHOULD know EXACTLY what they are going to do by now. Nevertheless Mr. Moore keeps claiming differently. This has me worried. Going into this year we knew there were many things that had to be resolved. And I mean HAD to be resolved. I’m not talking about plots the fans wanted to see such as the return of Kai Opaka. Her return would be nice and I would appreciate it if it happened, but it wasn’t all that important for the series. There were other matters that had to be dealt with, plus there were other developments that Ron Moore said would occur…. ….They have squandered too much time already giving us epiosodes that doesn’t push overall storylines further. Plus they have given us a baseball episode that was a COMPLETE waste of time. Not to mention that instead of giving us a lot of Dukat, or Garak or Winn we are going to be getting a lot of Vic in the first half of the season. Let me make this clear: I don’t give a heck about Vic!!! He may be kinda cool and all, but he isn’t really important to the series. And it was also disheartening to hear Ron Moore mention that they are thinking about making Ezri and Bashir a couple. Not only isn’t it necessary to have every female on the show shack up with some guy, it would take too much time. After all to handle such a relationship properly would take storylines that spanned over a few epiosdes at least, and that could take time from more interesting plots. Anyone who would rather see stories that dealt with meatty issues such as the remaining members of the Maquis or the political intrigue on Bajor go stand on the left side of the room. Anyone who would instead rather see another pointless, DS9 romance blossom go stand on the right. Now…blow up that right side this instance !!!! (Sigh) I guess I’m just frustrated seeing time wasted. I believe every second of every show should be spent logically tying up loose ends. I don’t care if the episodes need an A, B, C, and D story to do this. Too much plot is not a problem for me; too little is. If TPTB don’t bring all the important storylines of DS9 to some kind of a conclusion, I’ll be disappointed. They still have time to do so. But the clock is ticking.
A: I don’t recall promising to wrap up every single plot thread by the end of the show. Fundamentally, we tell stories that we find interesting for one reason or another. That’s no different this year than any other year. We do have a plan for the end of the series and the episodes leading up to it. Indeed, we’ve already laid some of the groundwork in the first dozen shows. However, our blueprint for the final year is, and was always designed to be, flexible. We want room to add new shows as we think of them, or to change directions if it seems like a good idea. I happen to think that a show like “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” is definitely a final season episode since it deals with a plot thread (Sisko’s baseball obsession) that’s been there since the pilot. We also believe that the show should be fun as well as “meaty” and that our task is not to tie up every single plotline, but to provide an entertaining and thought-provoking final year that brings the series to a rousing conclusion. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Q: Mr. Ronald D. Moore, although it’s only the beginning of the second week of November ’98 and we are officially only six episodes into the 7th and Final Season of DS9, My question for you is “When will you start filming the 2-hour Series Finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?” and for the sake of the TV Series to have at least an ending that will satisfy all the fans of the main cast, including Nicole deBoer and Terry Farrell who was part of the cast for most of the entire TV Series. And please, for the sake of DS9’s possible future in the big screen sometime in either the end of the first or the turn of the second decade of the 21st Century, there has to be a way to include Terry Farrell in the Grand Finale and any possible movies.
A: We’ll start filming the two-hour finale in late March/early April. No decision has been made about using Terry or not.
Q: By the way, your decision to kill off Jadzia Dax was mean-spirited, very controversial didn’t reflect the best intrests of either the show’s continuity or honoring Terry’s last wishes to leave her character completely alone, has angered thousands of her fans and I am one of many fans who loved and admired her character. I only hope that you, Rick Berman and Ira Steven Behr and the rest of your staff realize that all of you have made a grave error. Even as we approach the 1998 Holiday Season and the arrival of 1999, I am suggesting that all of you seriously include Ms. Farrell in the 2-Hour Final Episode of the Series, one way or another. If you don’t the chances of the DS9 TV Series ending at least on a satisfactory note, In my opinion are slim to none.
A: By the way, we didn’t want Terry to leave in the first place but once she did we decided in was in the best interests of the show to kill off her character. And none of us consider that decision to be in error.
Q: Is the executed Gul whom Odo was planning to meet the same one who gave him information way back in the two parter where a Cardassian/Romulan fleet got ambushed by the Jem H’dar?
A: Probably. We never gave a name to Odo’s source back in “Improbable Cause” but we figured this was probably the same guy.
Q: Is it true that Weyoun Version 7.0 is bigger, faster, and better than Weyoun 6.0?
A: Yes, but I can’t discuss all the enhancements made to Weyoun 7.0 on a family-oriented board like this.
Q: Was there any discussion about showing Weyoun #5 being killed off or were you guys pretty much in agreement that the episode would be written as aired?
A: We never planned to show him being killed.
Q: I was just wondering if you have seen, or were planning to see, the new film, “The Siege.”
A: I haven’t seen it and I’ll probably wait for it to come to DTV.
Q: Great season Ron; now, I just saw the PBS Documentary on Homicide. They follow the production of an episode from the pitch to completion. At one part they speak to the writer, who’s about to make changes to the script, and he explains who wants what changes. The network seemed to gut his story, without directly changing the story, but changing it more then enough to make the story seem hollow. Now, keeping in mind that the Star Trek franchise doesn’t push the envelope (maybe they do, we never get to see what gets cut) half as much as a program like Homicide or NYPD Blue; has a situation like that ever happend to you? Can you explain?
A: We have a different situation. We don’t have to deal with a network of any kind and Paramount for the most part leaves us alone. It’s a great way to run a series and I wish that the rest of the business was more like this.
Q: Is the wormhole open to any traffic at this point?
A: No.
Q: When and how did the female Changeling contract the disease?
A: You’ll have to wait for any information on this subject.
Q: One thing that DS9 has always done extremely well over the years, compared to the other Trek series, is maintain continuity between episodes and develop consequences from one episode to another. Why do you think DS9 is more successful at this? Is there a greater effort on behalf of the writers and producers, or are there other factors? Would you prefer *not* to be bound by Trek precedents?
A: Stronger continuity was forced on DS9 by the series concept itself. Since we’re on a station that doesn’t go anywhere, the plotlines have a tendency to stick around and it’s hard to pretend that last week’s episode didn’t happen. On TNG, the Enterprise did a story, then just moved on and there was virtually no need to follow up on any particular plotline unless they were character-oriented plots like Worf’s discommendation for instance. I like the continuity of the series and if I had my druthers, I’d have made the entire show a serial.
Q: Now a question: are there any Peter Allan Fields and/or Michael Taylor scripts in the works for this season?
A: I don’t think Michael will be writing one for us, but there’s a good chance Peter will.
Q: Ron, whose duty was it to write all that text on the wall in “Shadows and Symbols” to represent Benny Russell’s story?
A: The task of physically writing the words fell to our set dressers. I believe that the final two or three paragraphs were written by Hans, who then gave them to the crew, but that the rest of the words on the walls were actually lifted from the 5-9 page story outlines for other episodes of DS9.
Q: In “The Valiant”, Nog was taking a message from the UFP to the Grand Nagus, presumably concerning an alliance with the Ferengi. Will we found out what the trip was about?
A: It was, in fact, a diplomatic feeler about bringing the Ferengi Alliance into the war. This subject may come up again, but I don’t think the Ferengis are interested.
Q: Will the Prophet take the form of any of the departed characters before the series ends? Will we see Lenara Kahn this season?
A: Maybe and No.
Q: Do you think the Animated series should be considered canon? Or even more so, IS the Animated Series canon?
A: We don’t consider it canon, but it’s kinda cool to throw in the odd reference here and there.
Q: Was [“Once More Unto the Breach”] where you made a mention to The Animated Series, as you said you were going to do this season? If so, what was it?
A: Kor mentions the “Klothos” as being his ship during the battle of Caleb V. The Klothos was Kor’s ship in the TAS episode “Time Trap.”
Q: Is all the talk about the Alamo in recent episodes subtly preparing us for how the Dominion War will end? Will “Remember Deep Space Nine” be a rallying cry for the next “next generation”?
A: You never know…
Q: Any truth to the rumor that a 2-parter is planned for February sweeps? And that it features the return of Section 31?
A: No.
Q: Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed “Once More Unto the Breach” (great title, incidentally). It was terrific to see the return and departure of one of the icons of klinfandom, Kor. I kinda hate to say this, but I hope Kor *won’t* have a miraculous return; he’s earned his place in the Black Fleet. Regarding the explanation for Martok’s rancor: did you intend for this revelation of Kor’s elevated imperial status to once and for all confute the (non”canonic”) concepts in Ford’s The Final Reflection? In the Fordian/FASA backstory, the smooth-browed Klingons held lower status in the Empire, and Kor was definitely one of that breed. (Worf’s discomfort over the smooth-heads’ presence in “Trials and Tribulations” seemed to promote that Fordian theory. Likewise the insult from the Conversational Klingon CD ROM: “your mother has a smooth forehead!”) Yet, Kor is now revealed to possess “superior bloodlines” — ??? Any explanations for this? OTOH, Martok’s story correlates more or less with the Fordian concept of the komerex zha, the perpetual Great Game of Empire, by which any Klingon can strive for personal power and status — regardless of birth or station.
A: Thanks for the kind words. I didn’t set out to deliberately refute anything in “The Final Reflection.” To be honest, although the book did influence some of my early thoughts on the Klingons, I haven’t read it in at least fifteen years or so and I don’t really remember all the nuances of Ford’s take on the Klingons. We have no explanation for the smooth-head/bumpy-head transition and nothing in the show should be taken as addressing that point.
Q: Worf suggests taking one ship to go back and engage the Jem’Hadar pursuers. Martok responses, “But, whoever else is on that ship will probably die!” to which Worf answers, “Well, we’ll transfer the crew to other ships, so there won’t be so many killed.” What?? I thought these were Klingons!! “Today is a good day to die,” and all that — Martok should have gutted Worf for even suggesting that they deny these warriors the privledge of dying in glorious battle!! Ron, what gives??
A: The Klingons can’t be too suicidal. They’re fighting a long and bitter war against a very strong opponent. They do have to husband their strength and their manpower to a certain extent.
Q: I know the Garak character was created before your arrival on DS9, but you’re the only person I know to ask. Considering Garak’s past and current professions, did someone on staff have the phrase/title “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” going through their head during the character’s development? I’m just curious.
A: I wasn’t here, but I know that “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” was definitely one of the influences on Garak’s character. Ira in particular is a big fan of that British series. (In fact, when I first started on TNG, Ira and Hans took to calling me “Young Peter Guillam.”)
 
