You can see this, especially in episodes set during the time when Gul Dukat was the prefect of Bajor and ruled over the planet from the then-named Terok Nor space station.Ĭourtesy of CBS Television Terok Nor and the Occupation of Bajorīajor was a paradise. Much of DS9 is made up of darker colors, khakis, greens, and, yes, grays, and blacks. That alien design choice plays out in Cardassian design as well. On Deep Space Nine, their color schemes change to ones of greys and blacks. In their first appearance in “The Wounded,” the Cardassians wear brown suits and have more tan coloring. A major transition in Cardassian design from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Deep Space Nine, in general, is one of color. The other obvious design decision relates to color. The biggest notes call for geometric symmetry, they prefer the circular design to square, and groupings of three (like the pylons in the exterior of the station). We now know how that looks on the outside, but how does that shape up on the inside? In order to achieve consistency, Herman Zimmerman crafts a set of guidelines for Cardassian architecture. Going back to the original concept, Deep Space Nine has to be alien and otherworldly. It’s all one fluid shot that takes us from the interior of the station to the exterior, and all the way out into space, pulling back and back until the station is just one more shining star in an endless sky.Ĭourtesy of CBS Television Cardassian Interior Decorating The parting moment in the series finale “What You Leave Behind” pulls out of a window, away from Kira Nerys and Jake Sisko. The Deep Space Nine exterior is only CGI for one shot in the entire run of the series and it’s the final shot of the show. Fun fact: the station is the very last prop that eventually becomes CGI. And as time goes on in the series, the space battles get big enough that even the ships (which are usually models) have to be replaced with CGI. Odo’s shapeshifting abilities, for example, have to be CGI – there’s just no other way to achieve that effect. And the final build is all Tony Meininger’s work.ĭS9 is the first Star Trek series to use CGI in earnest. Rick Sternbach joins Zimmerman in creating the physical model. The station in real life is six feet in diameter. ![]() There’s even an episode in the first season titled “ Babel” where the crew gets a virus that makes them unable to communicate with each other.īut Deep Space Nine is not the Tower of Babel in design at all. After all, the station’s residents speak different languages, have different faiths, and these differences often lead to conflict. The Tower of Babel makes contextual sense for the show. Different technology, different layouts – this station concept is almost like the Winchester House. Different sections of the station’s design come from different species. And the specific idea is that the station in its current form is built over centuries. ![]() ![]() The initial concept for Deep Space Nine is the Tower of Babel. So, what does a Cardassian space station look like? And, the station is, narratively at least, of Cardassian design – an alien race that is not part of the Federation. “They wanted it not to look Starfleet, they wanted it to look weird,” says long-time Star Trek production designer Mike Okuda. ![]() So the goal becomes, how do we still boldly go?Īnd one major way DS9 accomplishes this is in its station design. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine involves staying put, at least in its setting. They both focus on commissioned officers in Starfleet. Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation are both rote, on-the-rails Trek. Courtesy of CBS Television Building a New Home for Star Trek
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