I’m going to start out by stating, in no uncertain terms, that I do not intend to definitively answer the question posed by the title. Partly that’s because it’s not about us per se, but Trek, and talking about what’s wrong with Trek is a good way to dig yourself into someone else’s hole. Partly it’s because I feel like it should be obvious what went wrong, and trying to explain that to someone who doesn’t think it was wrong at all is another case of banging one’s head against a wall. But mostly it’s because the episodes, taken together, explain the point exactly…if you’re listening.
And just to be clear, because there are new fans out there and not every old one binges at the same rate: SPOILERS. (For the episodes of DS9 and SNW in the title, and many things that lead up to them.)