Star Trek has spent nearly six decades building science fiction stories on the backs of contemporary issues. From racism to eugenics, the Final Frontier has found significant success winding its space-based adventures and action around socially relevant themes. But rarely has it tackled a subject as dark as terrorism, and with such unflinching conviction, as it did with the underrated Deep Space Nine episode “The Darkness and the Light,” which debuted 25 years ago this week.
Written by Ronald D. Moore (based on a story and pitch by future Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller), “Darkness and the Light” explores the past of former Bajoran terrorist Major Kira (Nana Visitor) by forcing her to confront the consequences of her actions as a terrorist many years ago, when she defended her planet from a Nazi-like occupation waged by the alien race known as the Cardassians. Kira, now an officer aboard the remote DS9 space station, must find out who is murdering her former friends from her resistance fighter days before she becomes his next victim. Soon, Kira discovers that the killer is a Cardassian named Prin (Randy Oglesby) and he has a score to settle with her. It’s Star Trek‘s disturbing take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None …, a gripping thriller that pits two murderers and war criminals against each other, with each believing they are “heroes” in a story that has none — only casualties. As “Darkness” celebrates its 25th anniversary this week, Moore shares with The Hollywood Reporter how one of Trek’s darkest hours got made.
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Ironically, it’s the darker themes and tone that fans embraced about the episode that almost led to its demise.
“I really wanted to push that one,” Moore recalls. “The idea at that point was Kira had this backstory that she was a terrorist, which was mostly just something she said. Like, ‘Oh yeah, I used to be a terrorist.'” It didn’t have any real meaning to it, and I wanted to lean into that a bit. [For example]: A terrorist is what? What do they actually do? What were some of the horrible things [Kira] did?”
Not surprisingly, Moore’s efforts to push the character of Kira and her story in this too-dark-for-Trek direction was met with some friction by executive producer Rick Berman.
“There was definitely some reluctance. Rick would get a little leery when you start making the characters look less than ideal, especially after [Star Trek creator] Gene [Roddenberry] passed away. He would ask, ‘Would Gene approve [of this idea]?'”
Despite those concerns, which Moore accepted as valid, he kept developing and pushing for the episode — one that the producers bought from Fuller, his first sale to Star Trek. (The future Pushing Daisies creator would go on to work on Star Trek: Voyager as well).
“I don’t recall [Fuller’s] exact involvement, the timeline there,” Moore says. “But I do remember that he had gone to one of our writing seminars [where writers could pitch episodes] and we bought that pitch and then he did the story, but I wrote the script.” Moore goes on to say that the show and the Trek franchise as a whole were fortunate that Bryan brought this idea to them, especially given the bold subject matter. “Bryan is a genius. And we were lucky to get it because the episode premise was, at the time, for us, really wild and out there.”
“Wild” is an understatement, especially considering the final showdown between Kira and Prin. The latter holds the former captive, doing his villain monologue thing via a moral debate with Kira in an attempt to justify his murderous actions. In any other episode, this scene would culminate in Kira seeing the error of her ways and the two finding some sort of middle ground. Instead, Moore’s script subverts that expectation in favor of a more honest (and chilling) response from Kira that is more consistent with her character.
“Both Kira and [her captor] are right and wrong,” Moore argues. “But to have Kira come around and go, ‘You know what? You’re right. I was wrong.’ — I’m proud we didn’t do that because it would have been so dishonest for her to say from a character perspective. Kira basically tells Prin, ‘Screw you, buddy. You want me to feel sorry for you? The guy who helped kill millions of Bajorans during the Occupation? No way. You didn’t belong on our land, both sides lost people, but no one was really innocent.'”
Moore went on to say that dramatizing the stance of a terrorist was a “pretty bold choice” for any show, let alone a Star Trek series, to make at the time. (Even in today’s modern TV climate, this choice feels just as daring as it did almost 25 years ago). “You can’t really say whether she is right or wrong. But it’s what I felt Kira absolutely believed at the core of her being, and I think we pulled it off believably.”
The scene was one of many tough sells the episode faced in getting made. Berman was still not totally on board with the episode’s tone. So what helped it get the green light? Another Star Trek series that the powers that be were focused on.
“[Executive producer] Michael [Piller] and Rick’s attention at the time were largely focused on Voyager by that point, so [the writers room] was able to really push the dark tone and story.”
Piller and Berman were the then-shepherds of the Trek franchise, and if it wasn’t for their time commitment trying to get Voyager up and running, fans may have been denied one of DS9′s best outings.
While “The Darkness and the Light” isn’t a popular Star Trek episode, it is an essential one. For what was considered thematically risky then, is only more relevant and timely now.
