Nebakenezzer posted:

It's a theme on the show on how most of the cast members are alienated from their native cultures. Odo, Garak, Quark, Rom, Nog, (Actually all of Quark's family) and Worf are all outcasts, sometimes by choice. As mentioned, Sisko has rather understandable emotional issues and is being given a command post as he seems all burnt out in his previous career tracks. Kira is a small, impossibly angry person at the start of the show, and you get the impression that the Bajorians sent her to the station because 1) She's unquestionably a steadfast guardian of Bajor's interests, 2) Is an experienced terrorist/rebel, and thus excellent if the poo poo goes down, and 3) holy poo poo she's annoying, get her out of here. I mean, I'm pretty sure most of these characters have been formally thrown out of their societies for one reason or another.

Admittedly O'Brien is a champ, as is Dr. Bashier, but their motivation for coming for DS9 is that they like a challenge and want new experiences. (Huh, no wonder they fell into bromance.)