I'm not saying it's an either/or proposition. I think it's great to see characters develop over as they encounter different situations and the long term implica

I'm not saying it's an either/or proposition. I think it's great to see characters develop over as they encounter different situations and the long term implications of their actions. But I think it's also interesting to sometimes explore idea in a shorter period of time... I don't think there's much space for that anymore. And sometimes that can explore certain ideas more succinctly. You mention DS9, I think a few characters developed in quite interesting ways over the course of the series actually Dukat and Kai Winn for example.