There are multiple story ideas from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's hypothetical season 8 that can be made canon in the wider Star Trek universe. DS9 season 8 was conceived as part of the retrospective documentary What We Left Behind - Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The documentary reunited showrunner Ira Steven Behr with writers Ronald D. Moore, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, René Echevarria, and Hans Beimler to "break" the story for a possible reunion series. As well as providing insight into where the writers saw DS9's characters in the years since the series ended, it also provided a demonstration of how their writers' room worked back in the day.
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The overall storyline of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8 centered around a Section 31 plot to destroy the Celestial Temple. This plot to remove religion from the Star Trek universe would have pitted old friends against each other, building to the heroic return of the Bajoran Emissary, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). As an outline for a DS9 revival season in Star Trek's future, it's a strong concept, and here's every element of the storyline that should be officially canonized.
11 Captain Nog's Heroic Star Trek Death
The sad death of Aaron Eisenberg means that his beloved Ferengi character Nog won't be part of any Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revival. The hypothetical DS9 season 8 does provide a tragic, but heroic explanation for Eisenberg's absence. As Captain of the USS Defiant, Nog unearthed explosive information that ultimately led to his death and the destruction of his ship. Nog's death being the inciting incident for a DS9 revival would be the perfect way to honor the character's impact on the wider Star Trek universe as Starfleet's first Ferengi officer.
10 Miles O'Brien As Dean Of Engineering At Starfleet Academy
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) left the station for a position at Starfleet Academy in the finale. The hypothetical DS9 season 8 would have seen Miles promoted to Dean of Mechanical Engineering, overseeing the next generation of Starfleet engineers. Although the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series is set during the 32nd century, it's still possible for a look through the institution's extensive records to make O'Brien's promotion canon in the Trek universe.
9 Ezri Dax And Julian Bashir Are Married
Ensign Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) still being together and happily married would be a poisoned chalice in modern Star Trek. Even Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) had their marriage challenged by the events of Star Trek: Picard. While it's hoped that the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writers' room's plans for Dax's promotion and her marriage to Bashir could be made canon, there could be a drawback. Worryingly, the writers also planned for Julian to be hiding a terrible secret which could tear the couple apart.
8 Molly O'Brien Joined Starfleet
In What We Left Behind, it was proposed that Miles' daughter, Molly O'Brien would have become a Starfleet officer. Aged 26, Molly would have worked alongside Captain Ezri Dax to investigate the destruction of the USS Defiant, and the death of Nog. Molly O'Brien (Hana Hatae) is one of many Star Trek kids who could appear in Terry Matalas' proposed Star Trek: Legacy series. If Star Trek: Legacy gets commissioned, it feels like a foregone conclusion for the story of Molly O'Brien to be continued in some form, canonizing this development from DS9 season 8.
7 Jake Sisko Is Visited By His Father
If Sisko was to return to Star Trek, it would make perfect sense for him to first reappear to his son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton). This was the plan for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's hypothetical season 8, and it should be the plan if Avery Brooks ever decides to return to the role. Sisko first appearing to Jake to request he return to Deep Space Nine feels like the perfect post-credits tease for a new Star Trek show. It would also be an emotionally raw callback to the tragic DS9 episode "The Visitor", in which Jake was visited by the echo of his father after a temporal accident occurred aboard the Defiant.
6 Joseph Yates-Sisko Is A Starfleet Officer
The hypothetical season 8 would have revealed that Ben's son, Joseph Yates-Sisko followed his father's footsteps into Starfleet. Joseph was a Starfleet science officer, perhaps inspired to go into the field by an interest in his father's connection to the wormhole. Sisko's next Star Trek generation could be the perfect way to continue the story of the Bajoran Emissary, should Avery Brooks decide not to return to the franchise. A Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revival series led by the younger Sisko son, seeking answers about the wormhole aliens could revisit many of the themes of family and religion that made DS9 so unique.
5 Kira Is Working Against The Federation To Protect Bajor
Although her appearance in Star Trek: Lower Decks didn't hint at a religious career change for Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), the story of her working against the Federation could still work. Kira was a loyal Bajoran resistance fighter, so it would be understandable to see her take arms again should the planet be threatened again. In the hypothetical DS9 season 8, the Section 31 plot against the Wormhole forced Kira to make a deal with the Jem'Hadar. Modern Star Trek relishes the exploration of conflict between its protagonists, so placing Kira at odds with her former colleagues could be a gripping story for either Star Trek: Legacy or even a Kira-fronted solo series.
4 Worf Unearths Kira's Plot Against The Federation
Star Trek: Picard season 3 has confirmed that Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) didn't last long as a Federation ambassador on Qo'noS. However, his role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8 could be tweaked to follow the events of Picard. Worf was reintroduced as an outside contractor for Starfleet Intelligence, so it's entirely possible that he could be investigating Kira's plot for them, rather than the Klingon Empire. As in the hypothetical season 8, this investigation could bring him back into contact with Garak (Andrew J Robinson), who could be revealed as one of Worf's Starfleet Intelligence informants.
3 Chancellor Martok's Search For A Successor To Lead The Klingon Empire
Chancellor Martok (J.G. Hertzler) seeking a successor would have been another element of Worf's storyline in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8. The implication was that Worf would eventually succeed Martok as Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. It's hard to see the newly centered and peaceful Captain Worf from Star Trek: Picard seeking the position, but his son Alexander could find himself involved in the ensuing power struggle. Star Trek has been missing strong Klingon stories for too long, and this could be the perfect way to explore the Empire in the 25th century.
2 Julian Bashir Is Head Of Section 31
Aside from Kira's betrayal, the biggest shock from What We Leave Behind's hypothetical season 8 was that Dr. Julian Bashir was in charge of Section 31. The plan was apparently to show that Julian had lost his way, but it would make more sense for Bashir to go deep cover to bring Section 31 down once and for all. With Star Trek: Lower Decks bringing back Section 31 in season 3, it's highly likely that this idea may become canon in season 4. Hopefully, Julian hasn't lost sight of his ultimate goal to bring down the organization, but he may have found himself morally compromised by the whole experience.
1 The Return Of Benjamin Sisko To Star Trek
Benjamin Sisko is the only 24th-century Star Trek captain not to return on screen. The return of Captain Sisko is at the top of many Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans' wishlists, and the heroic return sketched out by the hypothetical season 8 would be a great way to canonize his comeback. As tensions between the Federation and the Bajorans grew increasingly fraught, the Emissary returned. Sisko's responsibilities as a Starfleet officer and Bajoran religious often clashed. Therefore, the question of whose side Sisko would be on in a conflict between Bajor and the Federation could have fascinating implications for Star Trek's future.