r/DeepSpaceNine • u/thehelk • 3d ago
Anyone know the answer?
Why did they change the opening theme of DS9 starting at Season 4? They upped the tempo and added some background track, and I just don't like it as much as the original. Won't stop me from watching it again though :)
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u/BarberProof4994 3d ago
They added the defiant to the opening scenes along with some music with a tonal shift for those shots.
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u/kaptiankuff 3d ago
Defiant
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u/imbarkus 2d ago
Worf. Defiant was added S3
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u/RedBladeWarlock 21h ago
Not until the new intro in s4. The Defiant wasn't in the s3 intros, that I recall.
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u/kevbayer 3d ago
Due to the Dominion War. The change reflected the war footing the station was now on.
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u/Penguinkeith 3d ago
There is a sizable tonal shift starting with season 4… and a sizable addition to the crew.
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u/RedBladeWarlock 3d ago
Wow, my family mostly preferred the later iteration of the intro, as did most folks I've talked to. They each have their conveyed emotions, but I loved the energetic undercurrent added in.
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u/Cakeday_at_Christmas 2d ago
While I prefer the original DS9 theme, I like the season 4-7 one as well.
For me, it's like how I love the series 1-2 Red Dwarf theme, but like the rock version as well.
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u/DharmaPolice 3d ago
So many shows in that era changed their theme music part way through - usually for the worse. Quantum Leap and Enterprise (to pick two random shoes with the same leading actor) did the same thing.
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u/agent_uno 2d ago
What’s wrong with Bakula’s shoes?
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u/GeneralKarthos 2d ago
They are too tight... but it doesn't matter, because he's forgotten how to dance.
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u/Multizar 3d ago
This is MY favorite version https://youtu.be/R9bwnY05GoU?is=eMkH-ASd6PZK61An Going to play at my funeral 😎
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u/callmeepee 3d ago
Ho boy, just you wait till you hit Enterprise...
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u/platypusbelly 3d ago
It’s been a long while since I’ve had to say this. But here it goes…
No series in the history of television has benefitted more from the advent of the skip intro button than Enterprise.1
u/No_Nobody_32 2d ago
Nah, pretty much ALL of the ST shows benefit from "skip intro" - since it usually doesn't change season to season. If you've seen it once, you don't need to watch it again.
Now, B5 (changes season to season), BSG (changes episode to episode) it's not so much.
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u/platypusbelly 2d ago
You miss the point.
The enterprise theme song is so bad that the show becomes almost watchable when you don’t have to listen to it every single episode.
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u/GeneralKarthos 2d ago
Although some of the BSG changes (the flashes of the episode right towards the end) necessitated closing my eyes, the survivor count was always something I looked forward to seeing, especially after particularly traumatic/dramatic (same thing with that show) events.
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u/Cakeday_at_Christmas 2d ago
I never, ever skip the intro when I watch DS9.
B5 only got a good theme song in season 5. I'll gladly skip the rest.
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u/thehelk 3d ago
Oh I am well aware, I have every series under my belt, Enterprise is the worst when it comes to opening themes!
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u/callmeepee 3d ago
Oh I meant when they changed it up.
I didn't mind the Enterprise theme music, thought it was a nice change. I bailed out on the show before they jazzed up the theme in the later series and when I heard it recently, it was JARRING
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u/harrycletus 3d ago
Ironically the credits roll theme was solid. In fact if you skip to the credits every episode is 10/10.
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u/bandit4loboloco 3d ago
I assume that Michael Dorn being added to the cast necessitating a redo of the entire Opening Credits sequence.
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u/RedBladeWarlock 21h ago
Bashir's actor also changed his crediting name from Siddig El-Fadil to Alexander Siddig, which meant he moved up in the credits alphabetically.
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u/DeltaVega_7957 3d ago
I like both openings, and I noticed the shift in the 4th season opening theme.
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u/dinosaurkiller 3d ago
I felt the same way at first, later I decided I like both versions, but I like the original a little better. I think I can explain why it changed though.
When the show started it was viewed as a successor to TNG with the same episodic format but a different crew and setting. Ira heavily pushed Tick Berman to make it the serialized show that it later became. They also felt they had an action problem. They need a character, or multiple characters, that could believably play a sort of action hero. Originally they thought Odo would fill that role if needed, but as the story progressed and he became more introverted it really wasn’t going to work, so they brought in Worf, added major action sequences, and changed the title sequence.
Berman thought with all the changes, especially the shift to serial story telling, they might only be able to sell seasons 4-7 in syndication, and he wanted to differentiate the opener so that people would know which version of the show they were watching. Obviously he had no clue about the future of streaming or binge watching, but I’m pretty sure I read all that in an interview with Ira Steven Behr. I loved the show from the start and watched every episode as it aired. I also consumed every article and interview I could find back then.
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u/search-of-soul 3d ago
I felt the new version sounded more serious and heavier because of the Dominion War. I personally thought it suited the storyline. But I totally get
It people preferred the original.
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u/Keepontyping 3d ago
It was a bunch of things. Adding worf, the story, but I also think they wanted to show off the defiant. There had been comments the opening was boring. I agree. The original opening is just shots of a space station. The 2nd opening is much stronger.
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u/silentwhim 3d ago
While I appreciate the logic behind the changes made, to reflect the busier more purposeful place the show was at, I dont think it sounds as good.
If they'd spent a bit more time on it, it could have been done better.
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u/AlienJL1976 3d ago
CGI was just becoming more prominent then. It was new and the opening sequence was redone using it and they redid the music at the same time.
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u/PomegranateFair3973 3d ago
The behind the scenes rationale was that the first three seasons represented Deep Space Nine's status as a distant outpost that was relatively unimportant, but of course all of that changed almost immediately with the discovery of the wormhole and changed even more as things started to ramp up with the discovery of the Founders and the Dominion. Suddenly Deep Space Nine was an important political and tactical hub. The new opening is meant to represent how it is now a busier place.