One episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2 effectively remade Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as a romantic tragedy. DS9 has a reputation of being one of the darkest Star Trek shows given how it tackled moral gray areas, and depicted the Federation at war with the Dominion. So retooling the incredibly dark Wrath of Khan for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s characters feels like an obvious move. However, what always made DS9 so brilliant was that the show’s writers never went for the most obvious approach to telling new types of Star Trek story.
While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did reference one of the best Star Trek movies, it didn’t depict Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) against an implacable enemy. Sisko and Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) would become arch-nemeses later in DS9, but the show’s homage to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan didn’t pit the two enemies against each other. Instead, it gave Commander Sisko a new romance, which ended in a heroic sacrifice that had a very similar impact to the end of Wrath of Khan.
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Wrath Of Khan Got A Romantic Remake In Star Trek: DS9
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 9, “Second Sight”, Sisko falls in love for the first time since he lost his wife Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell) during the Battle of Wolf 359. However, there’s a twist, as Fenna (Salli Elise Richardson) the woman he’s fallen in love with, is revealed to be a psychic projection from the unconscious mind of a woman called Nidell. However, projecting Fenna caused Nidell a great deal of mental and physical strain, putting her life at risk. The revelations about Fenna and Sisko’s romance force Nidell’s husband, Seyetik (Richard Kiley) to reevaluate his marriage.
Seyetik and Sisko aren’t Star Trek arch-rivals like Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). Instead, the two men realize that they have to put aside their own interests so that Nidell can live. Nidell’s species mate for life, so the only way she can be free is if Seyetik dies. Deciding to let his wife go, Seyetik flies a shuttle into the dead sun, triggering a cascade and reigniting it, not unlike Khan exploding the Genesis Device in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The scientist’s sacrifice draws parallels not just with Khan, but with the heroic sacrifice of Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) too.
Star Trek: DS9 Had Its Own Genesis Device
“Second Sight” was co-written by Mark Gehred-O’Connell, Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt-Wolfe. While the episode is obviously a romantic melodrama, the inclusion of terraforming technology and the core idea of bringing life back to the universe draws clear links with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Discussing the episode in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Hewitt-Wolfe revealed that the links between “Second Sight” and The Wrath of Khan were deliberate:
[On Seyetik’s technology in the episode]
“It was established Federation terraforming technology. Of course, the Genesis device didn’t work, but obviously Seyetik’s work is built upon the research of previous scientists. And it was a nice way to reference the movie.”
“Second Sight” proved that there are interesting ways to explore the impressive number of themes contained within Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan without ripping the movie off wholesale. In “Second Sight”, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine teased out the themes of sacrifice, love, and through the bombastic but penitent Seyetik touched on the hubris and arrogance of wanting to play God. It was a testament to the enduring legacy of one of the greatest Star Trek movies ever made.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
- Cast
- Avery Brooks , Rene Auberjonois , Cirroc Lofton , Colm Meaney , Armin Shimerman , Alexander Siddig , Nana Visitor , Michael Dorn , Nicole de Boer
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
