Star Trek: 10 Unpopular Opinions About Deep Space Nine (According To Reddit)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the fourth series in the long-running sci-fi franchise. The series ran for seven seasons and 176 episodes from 1993 to 1999, becoming one of the most beloved sequels in the entire Star Trek canon. Set in the 24th century, the story picks up when Earth becomes part of a United Federation of Planets, where many well-known crew members work on the Deep Space Nine space station.

In the past two decades since the show went off the air, many fan theories, absurd postulations, and unpopular opinions about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine have circulated on the internet and among pop culture circles. Scroll below for some of the best (all links via Reddit).

10 O’Brien Deserved His Fate

Miles O’Brien is one of the most beloved Star Trek characters who ever lived. However, according to an unpopular opinion posited by HoffyTheBaker, he believes O’Brien deserved his ultimate fate on the series.

While O’Brien is an adored everyman on the show who seems to have an inordinate amount of good fortune, his time on Deep Space Nine comes with no shortage of suffering. He’s arrested, reprimanded, and falsely accused of espionage. However, few things top the misfortune O’Brien faces when his worst fear manifests onboard in the form of Talarian Hook Spiders. Worse yet, he’s consigned to a lifetime of marriage with Keiko.

9 Dominion War Was Picard’s Fault

Although an ancillary gripe to the larger DS9 narrative, Reddit user Narration claims the unpopular opinion that the Dominion War came as a result of Picard’s ambivalence. According to the opinion, Picard’s lack of urgency to evacuate his men directly led to their Cardassian capture.

Had Picard properly told the Federation colonizers from Doran V to flee in time, as an experienced leader most certainly would, chances are there would be no Dominion War. In the link cited above, Narration places blame squarely on Picard for “getting the deadly ball rolling.”

8 Odo & Kira Was A Poor Pairing

Another unpopular opinion to spring up on Reddit in regards to DS9 is the poor pairing of Odo and Kira. According to justanotherguy113, the romance between Odo and Kira was completely unconvincing due to their lack of natural onscreen chemistry.

Odo and Kira became an item after the latter ended her romance with Bareil Antos ended. Odo is a shapeshifter who had been longing for Kira for years and finally got his chance to make his fantasy a reality. Unfortunately, for fans like justanotherguy113, the sappy romance lacked credibility to the point of detracting from the show.

7 Damar Is Cooler Than Garak

While many DS9 fans feel strongly about Elim Garak being one of the coolest characters on the show, a vocal Reddit user named RUacronym begs to differ.

In an unpopular opinion that instantly garnered a downvote, RUacronym claims that “Damar is the more interesting Cardassian character than Garak.” Elim Garak is a banished spy who runs a tailoring business on the space station. Damar is a Cardassian soldier who helps lead the resistance against the Dominion.

6 Klingons Are Useless

Reddit thread creator HoffyTheBaker he offers another unpopular opinion by claiming he skips every episode dealing with the Klingons. According to the gripe, “everything Klingon seemed so bleak and one-note to me. They are basically GoT with warp drive, dark and dreary…I couldn’t get into it.”

That is certainly a line of thinking that goes against the prevailing Star Trek wisdom. Most fans adore the Klingons and the rich history, iconography, and tradition they bring to the entire franchise.

5 Mirror Universe Is Lame

One of the more memorable aspects of DS9 is the Mirror Universe, in which members of the space station find themselves in a parallel reality. While most liked the Mirror Universe, at least two Reddit users feel the opposite.

Although their user name has since been deleted, one Reddit poster noted that “the Mirror Universe had potential, but I found every mirror character boring save for Smiley. The final episode was really lame.” JangoF76 puts it far more succinctly by listing his unpopular opinions with “F*ck the Mirror Universe.”

4 Dax Is Loathsome & One-Dimensional

According to a Reddit user with the handle RadioSparkz, Dax is a detestable character without much complexity. The unpopular opinion is bolstered by eairy, who notes that Worf’s character becomes far worse as a result of marrying Dax. Not even her status as a symbiont can help their cause.

The Dax hate continues with examples pointing to her cringe-worthy sexual encounter with Dax in Mirror Universe, speaking Klingon awkwardly, and populating several episodes that lead to nowhere.

3 Dukat’s Villainry

According to the aforementioned Reddit user justanotherguy113, another unpopular DS9 opinion is that Dukat’s villainry should have been slowly revealed at the end rather than openly stated at the beginning of the show.

To make the drama more impactful, justanotherguys113 would have liked to have seen Dukat show more nuance before his true evil nature is revealed. He sums his opinion up with the following statement: “for a show that explored the gray areas of morality, it sadly did a very good job of having ‘absolutely bad’ villains. His (Dukat) character should have been given at least a few redeeming qualities.”

2 Bashir’s Arc

At least two Reddit users have posed unpopular opinions regarding the character of Julian Bashir. According to sheveqq, the entire arc involving Bashir turning into a genetically modified super-genius completely ruins his character and makes several subsequent episodes “cringe-worthy.”

Reddit user ourobourobouros goes on to impugn Bashir as a predatory creep. The opinion points to the episode in which Bashir has a sexual encounter with a genetically altered woman prior to performing surgery on her as evidence he’s predatory. Bashir even takes sexual advantage of Ezri, who is emotionally vulnerable. Absolutely inexcusable behaviors.

1 Keiko Is A Great Wife With An Awesome Personality

One of the most common complaints about DS9 is how annoying the character of Keiko is and what a horrible wife she is to Miles O’Brien. However, a Reddit poster named ididntpayforit has boldly claimed that “Keiko O’Brien was a great wife and not annoying at all.”

It’s hard to take that statement as anything but sarcastic trolling, but there it is. Keiko has largely been hailed as one of the worst characters on the show who is whiny, condescending, and far too dependent on Miles for her own good. Yet, the Reddit post posits that Keiko is misunderstood and should be commended for sacrificing her own future to allow Miles to pursue his dream job.