Star Trek: Deep Space Nine boldly went where no Star Trek series had gone before with its exploration of the religious persecution and spiritual lives of the Bajoran people. Coming off the heels of the hugely successful Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine set out to be a very different sort of Star Trek show from the very beginning. Set on a space station rather than a starship, there were no episodic adventures on strange new worlds; instead, DS9 was originally laser-focused on the fallout from the Cardassian occupation of the planet Bajor.
The Bajorans were introduced in the TNG episode "Ensign Ro" as an obvious stand-in for oppressed minorities, specifically European Jews during World War II. The Bajorans were brutalized by the occupying Cardassians, a fascist species who considered the Bajorans unimportant, expendable lifeforms. Bajorans like DS9's First Officer Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) were forced to walk a fine line between being freedom fighters and terrorists during the occupation, a morally gray area that would haunt them for years. Throughout the occupation, the Bajorans leaned on their rich spiritual lives to keep hope alive, something that doesn't often happen in Star Trek.
