Star Trek: Deep Space Nine never got its own movie but it's still not too late and the series should still get a feature film continuation. DS9 ran for seven seasons from 1992 to 1999; it was the first spinoff of Star Trek: The Next Generation and introduced Star Trek's first Black lead, Avery Brooks as Commander (later Captain) Benjamin Sisko. DS9 also broke the Star Trek mold by being set on a space station instead of a starship and, later, embracing serialized storytelling that helped influence the current shows of the Peak TV era.
DS9 wasn't the ratings juggernaut TNG was, and, after the United Paramount Network (UPN) launched Star Trek: Voyager in 1995, Captain Sisko's show became something akin to Star Trek's red-headed stepchild as the more traditional Voyager became the darling of Paramount, Star Trek's home studio. However, when Ira Steven Behr became DS9's showrunner, he made revolutionary changes that galvanized the series and established it as the most daring Star Trek show of its era. Behr successfully got DS9 its own starship, the USS Defiant, which opened up the show's storytelling possibilities, and he and Avery Brooks not only got Sisko promoted to Captain but they also changed his look, which made Sisko more dynamic and powerful. Along with TNG's Worf (Michael Dorn) joining the cast, launching the complex and years-long Dominion War storyline, and fleshing out DS9's supporting cast so they became as vital to the show as the lead characters, Deep Space Nine was a Star Trek show like no other and built its own diehard fanbase.
While DS9 was in its heyday, The Next Generation cast had graduated to feature films with the successful Star Trek Generations in 1994, followed by the blockbuster Star Trek: First Contact in 1996. However, the TNG movies stumbled with 1998's Star Trek Insurrection just as DS9 was entering its final season and wrapping up its epic Dominion War saga. Unlike its predecessor, TNG, no DS9 movie materialized that would continue the story of Captain Sisko and his crew, and the failure of 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis ended the TNG movie franchise completely.
Instead, DS9's fans would have to wait 20 years for a crowdfunded documentary produced by Ira Steven Behr called What We Left Behind, which also posited an apocryphal DS9 season 8. Although Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has found new fans and an even greater appreciation on home video and streaming services like Netflix and Paramount+ in the 22 years since the series ended, there is still no movie being pitched to continue DS9 — but that doesn't mean a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine movie shouldn't still be made.
Why A DS9 Movie Never Happened
Star Trek: The Next Generation's sky-high ratings and its popularity that crossed into the mainstream made it an attractive option to Paramount as the basis for continuing the Star Trek movie franchise. Star Trek Generations passed the torch from Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), but there was no real consideration by Paramount or Star Trek's producer Rick Berman that a similar transition should be made between Picard and Captain Sisko so that DS9 could take over the film franchise.
With Paramount's focus on Star Trek: Voyager (which also never got a movie) as the new 'flagship' of the franchise on TV, DS9 was largely left to its own devices, which is what allowed Ira Behr and his team of writers to make their bold creative moves and rewrite the book on what a Star Trek show could be. The flip side of this non-interference is Paramount didn't see DS9 as popular enough or as a viable option to continue as a movie. Even after Star Trek Insurrection underperformed relative to what a hit First Contact was, a DS9 movie wasn't considered after it wrapped its seven seasons. When Star Trek: Nemesis flopped in 2002, DS9 had already been off the air for three years and Paramount decided to mothball the Star Trek movies entirely until J.J. Abrams rebooted the film franchise in 2009.
DS9's Season 8 Plan Could Become A Movie
What We Left Behind reunited Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's main creative nexus to spitball the first episode of DS9 season 8. Although their ideas were never meant to be produced, it was clear to every diehard DS9 Trekker that the concepts Ira Steven Behr and his team pitched were both exciting and a logical continuation of how the story left off 20 years later. The ideas for season 8 about Section 31 plotting against Bajor and the mysterious death of Captain Nog (Aron Eisenberg) that culminated in the return of Captain Sisko from his time with the Prophets would actually make a wonderful story for a DS9 movie, although their grand plans would obviously need to be truncated to conclude in a 2-hour runtime.
However, a DS9 movie would face some difficult challenges, starting with the deaths of both Aron Eisenberg and Rene Auberjonois, who played Odo. In addition, the DS9 season 8's ideas for Worf totally contradict what happened to the Klingon as established by Star Trek: Picard's backstory. Further, Avery Brooks has retired from acting and has not indicated a desire to reprise the role of Captain Sisko. But if Brooks could be persuaded, even to appear in a cameo, and if Ira Steven Behr and company could devise a creative but respectful way to incorporate Nog and Odo missing from the story that also honors the late actors, a movie from the plot of DS9 season 8 could actually work and would delight Trekkers who are eager to see Deep Space Nine resurrected.
A DS9 Movie Could Skip Theaters And Go To Paramount+
Even if a theatrical release for a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine movie wouldn't be financially feasible for Paramount, the changing landscape of entertainment has made releasing films on streaming services a perfectly viable option. The studio already has its own streamer, Paramount+, where all of the Star Trek series old and new can be found. Paramount+ would be the natural venue to launch a DS9 movie, which could be touted as a major event. Star Trek: Picard has proven there's a strong appetite for Star Trek bringing back beloved characters from the 1990s series. Indeed, DS9 fans salivate every time there's even a faint mention of one of their characters, like when Quark (Armin Shimerman) was shouted out in Picard or Star Trek: Discovery named a 32nd-century starship the USS Nog.
The next logical step for Paramount would be to tap into the groundswell of desire for new DS9 and reunite the creative team and the cast, including Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), Ezri Dax (Nicole DeBoer), Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), Worf, Quark, Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton), Garak (Andrew Robinson), and the rest of the key players, while also urging Avery Brooks to return as Captain Sisko. In fact, the DS9 cast often gathers for online conventions or to perform dramatic readings of DS9 fan fiction. Paramount would be wise to finally give Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and its legions of loyal fans their due by delivering a DS9 movie at long last.