Subj:  Answers
Date:  8/8/97 6:55:38 PM
From:  RonDMoore       

<<When the Defiant finds Kira [in "Darkness and the Light"]; Sisko and Odo
beam down. They completely believe Kira's story... and not even Odo takes a
second glance at the dead body. There is no followup investigation and no one
looks around the place for the gadgetry the killer used!... On top of that
there is absolutely no reprimand for her extremely disobedient actions. I
mean, COME ON! Sisko got on Worf's case during the episode he was on trial,
and I'd say what he did was far more understandable than Kira's little
joyride!>>

Well, first and foremost, the show is OVER at that point.  The audience knows
that Kira is telling the truth so there's very little point in having the
other characters question her veracity.  Whether or not there was a
Sisko/Kira confrontation after the rescue is something left up to the viewer.
 The analogy to "Rules of Engagement" is false because that entire show
centered around Worf's actions and his reasoning, so the Sisko reprimand at
the end was an organic part of the story.  Any disciplinary action with Kira
in "Darkness" was not really germane to the story.

<<What exactly was the purpose in killing all Kira's friends?>>

It was the premise of the entire show.

<< [In "First Contact"] Picard and Data "lay hands upon" the Phoenix rocket
Picard takes Lily's hand after he convinces her to give him her phaser....
And lastly, and most obviously, Cochrane shakes the Vulcan's hand in
greeting... My question is this: Were these visual cues written in by you and
Brannon, or planned out by Jonathan Frakes in advance, or thrown in on the
fly during filming? Or am reading more into this than I should?>>

Most of these cues were in the script, but I think you're reading too much
into them.  We weren't trying to convey anything and I hadn't realized there
was so much hand-holding in the picture.

<<Especially if this is to be the last season of the show, is there any
chance that Rick Berman will write an episode of Deep Space Nine?>>

He certainly could, but I doubt that he will.

<<We are the best judges of what our opinions are and from whence those
opinions come.  There's a lot of us.  We have something to say.  Disagree if
you disagree, but stop telling us that we're saying things other than what we
are. >>

I don't have a problem with you expressing your opinion on this board.  I
think any fair reading of my postings in the last 23 folders shows that I'm
willing to let you say just about anything you want on almost any topic.
 However, if you insist on saying like:  "... they showed a person with no
opinions and no voice of her own, who did a sex kitten lounge act while on
duty, who did things that were completely out of character on a regular
basis..." then yes, I am going to step in and tell you that I think it's
hyperbole and exaggeration to say the least.   The simple fact that I took
the time to go back and look over the episodes in question should tell you
that I at least considered your point of view and looked for supporting
evidence.  The fact that I didn't find much and said so is not a way of
"dimissing" your opinion, it is merely presenting my side of the argument.

I listen to all the comments in this folder, I generally take them seriously,
and I do try to remain open to differing points of view.  However, I'm here
to *discuss* the show, not open it up for a vote.  This is a conversation
between an artist and (part of) his audience.  Your opinions are respected
and appreciated, but in the end, I (and the rest of the writing staff) have
to do what we think is in the best interest of the show and the characters.  

With apologies to  Edmund Burke:  an artist owes you, not only his industry,
but his judgment; and he betrays you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.
--------
Subj:  Answers
Date:  8/8/97 7:24:25 PM
From:  RonDMoore       

<<There's a yellow-skinned alien dabo girl who shows up quite regularly.
 Does she have a name, or any other information, for that matter?  Does just
one actress play her?>>

I don't think we've named her or identified her race.  And I believe we've
switched actresses a couple of times over the years.

<<Are there any plans for a new child actor aboard Voyager or DS9?>>

Not that I know of.

<<There are no plans of killing off any of the main characters or the
iregular- regular cast members?for some reason people seem to think that one
of the characters will be killed off and i would like to know if its true or
not?>>

There are no plans to kill a main character at this time.   The semi-regulars
are always possibilities for execution.  (Well, not all of them... but I'd
rather let you worry... dramatic suspense and all that...)

<<for the first 6 episodes are we just going to be following the crew on the
defient and the crew on ds9 and worf and martok in the bird of prey?>>

That and a whole lot more.

<<In "A Simple Investigation," Kira appeared a little uncomfortable with
Odo's new relationship.  Should we read anything into that or was it just the
actress's take on the situation?>>

Her take (and ours) was that maybe, just maybe, there was a twinge of
jealousy somewhere deep inside Kira, but that was as far as it went at that
time.

<<What is Bashir's ethnic background supposed to be- it appeared that his
father was Pakistani and his mother was eastern European.  And about his
father, is that actor the same one who portrayed Baboo on Seinfeld (you are a
berry, berry, bad man Mr. Jerry Seinfeld)?>>

We didn't nail it down in dialog in the actual show.  In my mind, Julian was
of Sudanese (like Sid), Indian, or Pakistani extraction, but that the
family's roots were probably in England, hence the accents.  And yes,
Bashir's father is Baboo.

<<Regarding the plot itself, will there be any plotlines this season having
to do with Bashir's newfound background?>>

Yes, we have some plans for a follow-up episode dealing with Julian's
gentically-enhanced background.

<<Not to pry... but about how much does a Co-Executive Producer make?  More
than Brannon?>>

I'm doing okay.  Wait a minute... how much *does* Brannon make anyway...?
 Better call my agent....

<< I would like to know how it feels to be so successful in your career of
choice?  Did you enjoy working on TNG and now DS9?>>

I'm a very happy camper.  I have the distinct pleasure of doing exactly what
I want to do and get paid for it.  It's a joy.  I thoroughly enjoyed my
tenure on TNG and think of it as a special time in my life, but I'm frankly
having more fun doing better work on DS9.  So my experiences at Trek have
only gotten better over time.

<<Next, Mr. Moore I was wondering if the cast and crew on DS9 are as close as
they were on TNG?  >>

I'd rather not characterize the personal relationships among the actors.
 It's a different cast than TNG, and the dynamics are different, but there's
still a sense of family and some close relationships that will outlast the
series (especially Nana & Sid).
--------
Subj:  Answers
Date:  8/8/97 7:43:30 PM
From:  RonDMoore       

<<Pure and simply, a woman has the absolute right to determine what goes on wi
th her "womb."  Under no circumstances is she a womb, and the writers did
women -- not to mention their fictional one -- a disservice by making her
solely a womb, with no choices, no rights, and no decisions. >>

This may be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read on this board.
 There is not the slightest bit of evidence in "Body Parts" to back up this
claim.  Kira says nothing that indicates she was not involved in the decision
and yes, we are relying on the audience's ability to fill in the blanks to
get the idea that there was a moment off-camera where she and Bashir
discussed the situation and Kira made the decision to have the baby
transferred to her own womb.  But that is such a reasonable assumption that I
find it hard to believe that anyone would honestly make this kind of mistake.
 Kira doesn't seem conflicted at all or acting like someone who's had a
decision taken away from her, she seems like the normal, strong woman who
naturally did the heroic thing in a crisis.

<<You told us the names of the first 5 episodes of the next season. Can you
guve us some info all all of them and maybe some other episodes?>>

I'd rather not for now.  The "war stories" are unique in the Trek franchise
so far and I'd like to preserve a little secrecy about them for the time
being.

<<In 1812 the French were approaching Moskow and Field Marshal Kutuzov had to
decide whether to defend the Mother of All Russian Cities or fall back,
gather forces and have a realistic shot at taking out the French once and for
all.  They decided to let the city fall, and when Napoleon marched in the
city was burning.  It's one of history's great Pyrric Victories, for soon
thereafter, the French were stumbling back home in defeat.  This is vividly
depicted in WAR and PEACE, which I'm sure any serious writer has read.  My
question is: were you aware of this parallel while doing CALL TO ARMS?>>

This was an example brought up during the story discussions, along with many
other historical events like the fall of the Phillipines in WWII, the
evacuation of Dunkirk, etc.

<<In the episode "Destiny" (the three vipers) I thought it was established
that spirited antagonism was the Cardassian version of flirting.  So it is
not surprising Dukat finds Kira irresistable.  But   isn't Ziyal's fawning
over Garak the wrong way to pursue a Cardassian?  Wouldn't a Cardassian find
favorable attention repulsive?>>

You're right and we'd talked about playing the fact that Ziyal is going about
this the wrong way, but we ran out of time before the end of season 5.
--------