Andor restored a lot of faith in Star Wars, and Star Trek has the potential for a powerful series just like it!
While Star Wars fans can debate a lot about that franchise since Disney took it over, they are almost perfectly united in their praise for Andor. The series is a prequel to 2016's Rogue One, one of the better Star Wars movies, following Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he rises from street kid to Rebel spy.
The series has won massive acclaim for not just its drama and action but also for exploring the seedier parts of Star Wars lore. The series examines how the Rebellion has its divisions and fights over how to battle the Empire and is deeply flawed in its "heroes." We also see the Empire as more of a bureaucracy packed with folks stabbing each other in the back (sometimes literally) or just stuck in dull jobs rather than full-on evil.
Several critics have commented that Andor is "the Star Wars show for people who don't like Star Wars." While it only lasted two seasons (the producers pushing for an earlier ending rather than drag it out over years), it had so much entertainment for viewers.
It also showed how Star Wars could tackle a tale without the Jedi or other lore and expand on its mythology. Star Trek has an opportunity for a story like it by looking at a very overlooked part of its own lore!
Why the Bajor-Cardassian conflict can be a great TV show
Fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine know the backstory of the Cardassian/Bajor conflict. In 2318, the peaceful Bajorans first met the Cardassian Union. What seemed to be the start of a mutual partnership turned into Cardassia invading Bajor and occupying it for fifty years. It took decades of insurgency and the Federation's interference for Bajor to gain its freedom.
That period has been touched on in the underrated Terok Nor novel trilogy by James Swallow, S.D Perry and Britta Danielson. Those were good, yet there's so much more that could be done with this period for a TV series.
Foremost would be the early days of the occupation, as at first the Bajorans believed this would be a benefit for their world. It takes a bit for them to realize the Cardassians' true intentions, and even when they take over, some still think they can play along for survival, while others are ready to fight back.
Like Andor, the show could focus on the battle between the resistance and the Cardassians. That can provide action and thrills with the conflict as well as seeing how the resistance fought and organized with some inner divisions. It's logical that not everyone is on the same page with how to combat the Carassians and take casualties, which is good fodder for drama.
That can include those Bajorans who became collaborators. True, some are just cowards wanting to save themselves, yet others may be driven by wanting to protect their people in their own way or think a peaceful resolution can be found. The show could shine a more sympathetic light on these "traitors."
The Cardassian side of things can be far more interesting. We already know how ruthless they are with their political infighting, so seeing how they handle the occupation can provide scores of material. There can be the frustration of how what should have been an easy conquest has dragged on so long, as well as the bureaucracy of a fascist regime at work.
This is a prime opportunity to explore more of the Cardassians and make them more complex. It can range from the ground soldiers just doing their job to the higher-ups wanting to get ahead and build reputations. The best parts of Andor were about the Imperial machine and Cardassia would be a fine mirror for that.
There are other facets that can be touched on for a fresher Trek experience. DS9 fans will remember a great bit from Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) pointing out that the resistance fighters act like heroes, but the religious folks suffered just as much, if not more, in the occupation. That's a great dynamic, how some Bajorans hold to faith while others are broken and the arguments over the "Emissary" coming to save them.
With a fifty-year span, it would take a while before we get to the events of DS9 and free the writers from needing to bring in famous faces…at first.
Would we get future DS9 faces?
A big question, of course, is if this prequel would use some famous DS9 characters. It's logical we'd see Kira as a child brought into this dark world and moving up the ranks quickly as a resistance fighter. It'd be a fine showcase for how she becomes the beloved future leader and her drive inspiring others.
We can also see Gul Dukat rising up the ranks to become the leader of Terok Nor, a bit driven at first before embracing his colder side. DS9 fans remember Dukat's affair with a Bajoran woman that could provide more emotional depth for him. A cool idea would be showcasing a younger Winn and how, perhaps, she was a good person until her captivity turned her into the colder, power-hungry woman we know.
The building of the future DS9 station would be a key part of the later seasons, with perhaps how Garak and Quark ended up there. Of course, a major issue is that all the original actors are too old for the roles (and sadly, Rene Auberjonois has left us, so we'd need a new Odo) and would require recasting.
That might work, however, since, after all, these would be younger versions of the characters we know. If Strange New Worlds can ably recast Kirk and Spock, it could easily do the same for the DS9 characters and it would be engaging seeing how they develop into the ones we know later on.
That could still be a bit off since with a 50-year timeline, the series would be better showing the earlier parts of the occupation before we ever get close to the DS9 era. A Star Trek series with almost nothing involving the Federation is overdue and the battle for freedom against a brutal regime is always timely. That both sides get equal screen time and the irony of both being divided in their own ways can be easily fodder for screen drama.
This may be a bit of a pipe dream, as Paramount would want more high-profile Trek shows. Yet if they want something with the flavor of Andor, a show about this underrated "lost era" of Trek lore would be a great addition to the Trek TV library!
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine streaming on Paramount+.