Looking at all these shows of today, with the CSIs, Law & Orders, and Chicagos series, they do cross-overs all the time amongst their different spinoffs. I know trek was ahead of the times with spinoffs, but im surprised during the first season of DS9, they never did a full-on crossover with the highly popular TNG at the time. I could easily envision a 2 part episode, part 1 being TNG with a few DS9 guest stars, part 2 being DS9 with a few TNG guest stars. It would have given a great exposure to the early DS9.
Why no TNG-DS9 crossover?
- Thread starter indianatrekker26
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A missed opportunity for sure but we did get a few Picard/Sisko scenes and Dr Bashir guest starred on TNG. Not forgetting Worf and the O'Briens transferred to DS9 and Tom Riker appeared once. I think the guest appearances from TNG recurring characters made up for it. We got Gowron, Kurn, Q, Vash, Lwaxana, Alexander, the Duras Sisters. We also had a TNG episode set on DS9 in which we saw Captain Picard, Worf, Dr Crusher and Geordi visit the station.
And they often just talked about the Enterprise at DS9, in particular when Worf came to the station. Worf did always talk with O'Brien about old times... Ok, this is not a crossover, but still a nice touch
All that transmedia nonsense that's so in vogue today wasn't back in the 90s.
Picard was hanging out in Emissary, and Birthright Part 1 merely exists to show off the Deep Space Nine sets and Julian Bashir to TNG fans.
Two crossovers, both in DS9's first season.
There's also Quark and Deep Space 9 showing up next year in Firstborn, and appearances by Q and Vash, Admiral Nechayev, the Duras Sisters, and Gul Evek in DS9 that could all be classified as crossovers.
They didn't have linked episodes, but they weren't shy on using TNG to promote their new series. It was arguably the most crossover-heavy period in Stars Trek.
Two crossovers, both in DS9's first season.
There's also Quark and Deep Space 9 showing up next year in Firstborn, and appearances by Q and Vash, Admiral Nechayev, the Duras Sisters, and Gul Evek in DS9 that could all be classified as crossovers.
They didn't have linked episodes, but they weren't shy on using TNG to promote their new series. It was arguably the most crossover-heavy period in Stars Trek.
Also, we need to bear in mind that DS9 was only running for the last couple years of TNG's run. There wasn't that much of a window to do a full on crossover. And, as others have pointed out, "Emissary" (DS9) started with some TNG cameos and "Birthright, Part I" (TNG) had the TNG crew visiting DS9 again, not to mention the other TNG character guest-stars.
Also, the Maquis story material was started in DS9, and wove into TNG and kickstarted VOY, the Dominion War affected everything, and pretty much all the major DS9 species (except the Dominion ones) were TNG aliens. The Defiant played a role in First Contact, which in turn was alluded to on DS9. (As bonuses, the Ferengi that Picard and company got help from in "Chain of Command, Part I" [TNG] was supposed to be Quark, but had to be changed to a generic character when things didn't work out. There's also apparently a deleted scene from Insurrection where Quark and Rom make cameos).
So, there may not have ever been a full crossover, but I don't think they ever had the chance to and enough DS9 material was integrated into the TNG and VOY stuff that I don't think it was "needed."
Also, the Maquis story material was started in DS9, and wove into TNG and kickstarted VOY, the Dominion War affected everything, and pretty much all the major DS9 species (except the Dominion ones) were TNG aliens. The Defiant played a role in First Contact, which in turn was alluded to on DS9. (As bonuses, the Ferengi that Picard and company got help from in "Chain of Command, Part I" [TNG] was supposed to be Quark, but had to be changed to a generic character when things didn't work out. There's also apparently a deleted scene from Insurrection where Quark and Rom make cameos).
So, there may not have ever been a full crossover, but I don't think they ever had the chance to and enough DS9 material was integrated into the TNG and VOY stuff that I don't think it was "needed."
From an in-universe perspective, it was probably just a case that Deep Space Nine stopped being a port of call for the Enterprise after awhile. Yes, she made a couple of stops there not long after the station was established, but afterward she simply moved on from the Bajor Sector to other assigned areas with other starbases.
What about the VOY episode with the Ferengis from TNG's 'The Price'...
We got our allotment of TNG-DS9 crossovers and they generally passed off well. There was no need to do more.
Only Quark. However, Max Grodenchik, who played Rom was in Insurrection's deleted library scene where he played a Trill officer.
I would count O'Brien and Worf as the crossover.
Plus you had Worf and the Defiant in the movies. "Tough little ship"
Plus you had Worf and the Defiant in the movies. "Tough little ship"
Looking back on it, there was as much TNG/DS9 crossover as there ever needed to be, to be honest. DS9 needed to stand on its own feet and build its own identity as a series - which we can agree it definitely succeeded in doing so.
They might have been sensitive at the time that a lot of TNG fans didn't like DS9 and might be turned off by seeing that episode trailer.
Why? I'm a major TNG fan and I love DS9.
Because seeing the station, Promenade, Dr. Bashir and Morn in the trailer for Birthright resulted in that episode being such a ratings disaster.
I can see the logic to be honest. While I was a fan of both TNG and DS9 in the day and would have loved it, it would have alienated or confused some people in the way some of the recent crossovers have done for me recently.
Flash/Arrow crossovers? No thanks. I'm not a fan of Arrow.
Hawaii 5-0/NCIS: Los Angeles? I've never seen an episode of NCIS in my life so I have no idea who any of these people are...
And the most confusing one recently was Bones/Sleepy Hollow. I mean... WTF????
Having a few scenes take place on DS9 is different from having an interwoven plot with DS9 characters.
I don't think it would have killed TNG season 7 or DS9 season 2 for each to devote one episode to a true crossover that involved a story started in an episode of one series being resolved in an episode of the other series. Probably the main practical reason that they didn't do it is that both shows were in first-run syndication without a network, so some markets may have been carrying one show but not the other.
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