Deep Space Nine: For the Fans (1 Viewer)

[Jason_V]

And that's why I believe it will eventually happen. That, and Mike Okuda said Paramount wants it to happen.

Same. I've always said this: it makes zero sense for TOS, TAS, TNG, ENT, Discovery, Picard, Short Treks, Lower Decks, Prodigy and any new shows to be available in 1080p or better resolution and have both DS9 and Voyager stuck in 480. That cutting out close to have the total number of franchise episodes they can't really monetize (who wants standard def from the 90's now?) in any way.

This will happen. They just need to figure out the magic formula TPTB can live with. It will happen. I believe that 100%.

 

[benbess]

I'll believe it when I see it. I've pretty much given up.

 

[Jason_V]

I'll believe it when I see it. I've pretty much given up.

I live in hope over a great many things.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Tonight I watched:

• 1x17 - "The Forsaken": I really enjoyed about a third of this episode. The subplot with Dr. Bashir and the difficult ambassador didn't really work for me, and the storyline with O'Brien adopting a computer virus "puppy" was too cute by half. But I really enjoyed the subplot with Odo and Lwaxana Troi. Lwaxana has always been a fun character, and Majel Barrett clearly had a ball playing her, but her appearances on TNG -- with the notable exception of "Dark Page" -- were hampered by being mostly driven by mother-daughter comedy. It was interesting in this episode to see what she's like when she's not focused on being Deanna's mother. In particular, for the first time, I really understood why she was a respected ambassador. For all her man-hungry flamboyance, when she was trapped in the elevator with Odo, she was exactly what he needed her to be. The moment where she took off her wig and allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of Odo, so that Odo would feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of her, was really powerful.

 

[Sam Favate]

Tonight I watched:

• 1x17 - "The Forsaken": I really enjoyed about a third of this episode. The subplot with Dr. Bashir and the difficult ambassador didn't really work for me, and the storyline with O'Brien adopting a computer virus "puppy" was too cute by half. But I really enjoyed the subplot with Odo and Lwaxana Troi. Lwaxana has always been a fun character, and Majel Barrett clearly had a ball playing her, but her appearances on TNG -- with the notable exception of "Dark Page" -- were hampered by being mostly driven by mother-daughter comedy. It was interesting in this episode to see what she's like when she's not focused on being Deanna's mother. In particular, for the first time, I really understood why she was a respected ambassador. For all her man-hungry flamboyance, when she was trapped in the elevator with Odo, she was exactly what he needed her to be. The moment where she took off her wig and allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of Odo, so that Odo would feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of her, was really powerful.

This is very true. The Forsaken might be Lwaxana's finest moment.

As for me, I watched Improbable Cause/The Die Is Cast last night, probably the best third season episode(s) and the one that really sets the Dominion War arc in motion. Tremendous stuff from Andrew Robinson and Paul Dooley in this one. Rene too!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Today I watched:

• 1x18 - "Dramatis Personae": I really didn't care for this one, mainly because I'm not a fan of episodes where all of the main characters behave really out of character and the reason why isn't explained until the end. This one was worse than most, because while the cast was clearly having a blast, the various characters' "new" personalities weren't well defined. I would have liked it better if the episode had played the conflict for real: something transpires where the Federation's interests and Bajor's interests are opposed. Sisko and Kira have fiercely held opposing viewpoints. I would have liked to have seen how they navigated that.

 

[Jason_V]

Agreed about Dramatis Personae. It's never been high on my list; I normally like bottle shows and what the various production do with them, but this one was boring to me. One thing I did like was Sisko the clock builder. It kinda tells me what I need to know about him: he'll take the time to get the job done right with detail and careful planning. Picard and Kirk swooped in and "fixed" the problem and then left without sticking around to see how it would play out. Sisko builds.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This Evening I watched:

• 1x19 - "Duet": This was a really powerful episode. I appreciated that it didn't try to balance out the heaviness of the A-plot with a more upbeat B-plot; this was a real crucible for Kira, and it deserved the full runtime to explore. One thing that's becoming really clear is that DS9 is basically a post-World War II story; the Cardassians are very much like the East Germans, vanquished but not willing to engage in any meaningful way with the choices that were made during wartime and the years leading up to it. Marritza is a writer's invention, a contrivance to grapple with deeper ideas, but there is some historical basis. Karl Frenzel was third in command at the Sobibor extermination camp. He personally murdered at least half a dozen Jews and oversaw the deaths of tens of thousands of others. In the early eighties, while awaiting retrial after his conviction was overturned on a technicality, he was interviewed by Toivi Blatt. Blatt had been one of the few who had managed to escape Sobibor during the war; neither his brother nor his parents were so lucky. Frenzel was more like Gul Darhe'el than Marritza, but Blatt's interview of Frenzel was a similar conversation between victim and perpetrator. It's also a huge Kira episode, as we see her embrace Federation values even in a situation that is incredibly fraught for her, and for the Bajoran people. That Kira released Marritza from incarceration shows how far the people on the station have come since the pilot. That Marritza was killed just for being Cardassian before he could leave the station shows how far the people on the station have yet to go.
  
  
• 1x20 - "In the Hands of the Prophets": One thing that struck me after watching this episode is how structured the season was, in comparison to the very episodic TNG and Voyager, where the premieres and finales might have bigger budgets and bigger stakes but didn't have much to say about the episodes that came before them. "Emissary" and this episode really feel like bookends; both engage with Sisko's unique role in the Bajoran religion, both engage with the fundamental purpose and mission of Deep Space Nine, and both engage with the relationship between Bajor and the Federation. Everything works out in the end, as things tend to do in this era of Trek, but the success here really feels earned. Vedek Winn is a really worthwhile antagonist and, as a religious fanatic, not a character we see often in Trek. Louise Fletcher is terrific, in full Nurse Ratched mode. Winn is a cynic, a practitioner of realpolitik, who wraps herself in a cloak of piety. This episode is a really great examination of how Sisko has changed over the course of the season. In the premiere, he was an angry and traumatized man reluctantly accepting an undesirable posting, Starfleet's man in a distant and unruly corner of space. Now, in the first season finale, he proves himself to be a real leader. And not just of the Starfleet personnel assigned to the station; even though he's uncomfortable being acknowledged as the Emissary, he's really starting to embrace his role as the bridge between Bajor and the Federation. When he opposes Winn, he doesn't lean on the strategic importance of the Federation's support for his authority. Instead, he calls upon the authority he's earned as the station's commander over the course of the season, the trust and respect he's cultivated among Starfleet and Bajoran alike. My one issue with the episode is that it was way too obvious that Neela was the saboteur and would-be assassin. If the writers wanted that reveal to have real impact, she should have been threaded through the season like O'Brien was in the early years of TNG.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

. My one issue with the episode is that it was way too obvious that Neela was the saboteur and would-be assassin. If the writers wanted that reveal to have real impact, she should have been threaded through the season like O'Brien was in the early years of TNG.

If you noticed, Neela was O'Brien's second Female Bajoran assistant. For some reason, the first one who was originally going to be the assassin and had been introduced before Neela was replaced, giving them even less time to set her up.

 

[Jason_V]

In the Hands of the Prophets is in my Top 5 Trek finales. It's not splashy or effects heavy or very action-y. But it is 100% true to the series and is full of great character moments. The introduction of Winn and Bariel expands the universe even more. It speaks right to religion head on for the first time since Emissary (IIRC) and positives and negatives of faith. Wonderfully great episode.

The only mark against it is the slow mo in the climax. But that's a very minor quibble.

 

[Sam Favate]

Duet and In The Hand of the Prophets are probably the best of Season 1 and are some of the best in the series. Peter Allan Fields wrote Duet, and he's one of the best writers Trek had, not to mention that he had a long career before Trek.

In the last couple of nights, I watched Season 3's Explorers, Family Business and Shakaar. Family Business is significant for showing us Ferenginar for the first time and diving deeper into Ferengi culture. Shakaar continues the political intrigue from In The Hands...,as Winn tries to solidify her power by becoming First Minister. It's nice that they found something for Duncan Regehr to do so he's not remembered as Dr. Crusher's ghost boyfriend from TNG's Sub Rosa!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Earlier today I watched:

• 2x01 - "The Homecoming": This is essentially a jailbreak episode, deeply rooted in the history of this particular region of space. It's an insanely risky plan, risking a three way war with the Cardassians, but the logic behind it is sound: Kai Opaka was the unifying figure in Bajoran society. With her stranded in the Gamma Quadrant, the factional divides that sprung up after the Cardassians withdrew are more pronounced than ever. There is also rebellious faction known as the Circle which is obsessed with racial purity and the expulsion of the Federation from Bajoran space. This allows the show to tell a story about racism and prejudice at a time when the Federation had largely moved past those failings. When Sisko speaks with his son about the girl who cancelled their date because her father didn't want her dating a human, it speaks to laws and attitudes against miscegenation that still haven't completely faded away in all corners of our society. We also get another terrific performance from Richard Beymer as Li Nalas, seen by the Bajorans as a sort of George Washington figure -- perhaps the most important hero of the resistance. When he is rescued, the man we meet is more like a traumatized Vietnam War vet, struggling with both survivor's guilt and a severe case of imposter syndrome. Over the three episodes I watched, he has a great character arc.
  
  
• 2x02 - "The Circle": The dynamic between Kira and Vedek Bareil rubbed me the wrong way. Neither character crossed any lines, and the reason for Bareil's behavior was explained later on, but it felt sort of predatory. On the other hand, it was a really nice surprise to see Frank Langella appear as Minister Jaro. He was a lot of actor for the role, and he made a character who could have been a pretty cardboard cutout villain more interesting. My main issue with the coup attempt is that Jaro never seemed to have a plan for what would happen after the Federation was driven out. We spent the entire first season being told that the Bajorans had to put up with the Federation because the Cardassians would swoop back in as soon as the Federation left. Even if Jaro didn't know that the Cardassians were the ones who were supplying the Circle with weapons, he had to know that forcing out the Federation would be playing into the Cardassians' hands. As played by Langella, Jaro was too smart to be so shortsighted.
  
  
• 2x03 - "The Seige": I enjoyed seeing our Starfleet senior officers as guerilla fighters, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of what Kira was like when she was fighting in the resistance. The climax on Bajor, with Kira and Dax rushing in with the key piece of evidence just in the nick of time, was very reminiscent of The Undiscovered Country. What makes Beymer's performance so satisfying is that even while he is not the man the legends built him up to be, you get glimpses of why the legends of greatness grew up around him. Li is genuinely charismatic, genuinely decent, a natural leader. Even though he considers himself to be a fraud, others aren't wrong to see more in him. If this three-episode story had been a TNG episode, Li would have survived and embraced his role as the founding father of post-occupation Bajor. But DS9 doesn't get to blast off to the next planet; if they solve Bajor's political problems now, it's way too limiting for future storytelling. So Li is struck down jumping in front of an assassin's phaser blast, far more content being a dead martyr than a living legend. Beymer really sells his relief at having been liberated from the crushing expectations that were being placed upon him.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Tonight I watched:

• 2x04 - "Invasive Procedures": The question that lingered throughout the first season -- How much of Jadzia Dax was Jadzia and how much Dax? -- gets explored further in this episode. Based on the two hosts' very different behaviors while joined to Dax, it would seem that there is far more Jadzia in the mix than I might have previously expected. I'm always delighted when John Glover appears on a show, because he's so terrific at playing morally compromised men. He did a great job of bringing certain aspects of Terry Farrell's performance to Verad Dax, while twisting them slightly in ways that felt perverse to this bond between Dax and Sisko. I was fascinated by the idea that Verad was rejected for joining, which makes it seem like a very selective process that only a small percentage of Trill are biologically suitable for, but that the procedure was successful. It seems that maybe the Trill leadership isn't entirely honest with the general population, and that the selectivity when it comes to hosts is less about biology and more about morality; having a symbiote is sort of like a superpower, and they want hosts that will bring out the best in the symbiotes rather than the worst. Jadzia Dax was a better person than Verad Dax because Jadzia was a better person than Verad. My one issue with the episode is that Quark basically betrayed Deep Space Nine and nearly got Jadzia Dax killed, and yet seemingly faces no repercussions. Sure, he tried to make it right in the back half of the episode, but it still seemed like it should have been a bigger deal than it was.

 

[Sam Favate]

My one issue with the episode is that Quark basically betrayed Deep Space Nine and nearly got Jadzia Dax killed, and yet seemingly faces no repercussions. Sure, he tried to make it right in the back half of the episode, but it still seemed like it should have been a bigger deal than it was.

I'd definitely agree with that. There seem to be a lot of little inconsistencies like that in the series that are there for convenience, more than anything. Like, it always bugged me that the entire cast would board the Defiant for a mission, leaving... who? in charge of the station? Especially when you have things like smuggling known to be happening on the station and other crimes, it seems like you're giving those people license to conduct illicit activities. And why does Odo or Kira accompany them on a Starfleet vessel? Odo is chief of security for the station. Why would he be on the Defiant?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Tonight I watched:

• 2x05 - "Cardassians": The A plot of the episode continued the season's theme about intolerance in the 24th century, with a wrenching custody dispute centered around a child caught between two very antagonistic cultures. It was fine, but unexceptional. The highlight of the episode for me was the return of Garak, the Cardassian who feels like he stepped right out of a John le Carré novel. His agenda is never less than opaque, though seemingly generally benevolent. The dynamic between Garak and Bashir is especially fascinating; the way Andrew Robinson plays Garak, it's obvious that Garak has romantic feelings for Bashir. At the same time, Garak is perceptive enough to know that Bashir doesn't reciprocate those feelings, and he doesn't expect him to. The fact of it is never discussed between them, but it hangs in the air in a way that colors that dynamic in an interesting and unusual way. At the same time, Garak is extraordinarily disciplined about what he discloses to Bashir and when. For all of his amiable friendliness, he never discloses a single thing that he doesn't intend to. Bashir knows he's being manipulated, but the manipulation is so well executed that Bashir doesn't feel like he has any choice but to go along with it. With all of the time we spend on Quark and at Quark's bar, it would be nice to spend more time with the station's other merchants and civilian characters.

 

[ScottHM]

And why does Odo or Kira accompany them on a Starfleet vessel? Odo is chief of security for the station. Why would he be on the Defiant?

When the action is on the Defiant then the cast is on the Defiant. Producers like to see the actors they're paying show up on screen.
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[The Obsolete Man]

When the action is on the Defiant then the cast is on the Defiant. Producers like to see the actors they're paying show up on screen.
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Two words: Jake Sisko.

71 episodes out of 176.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Garak and Bashir are my favorite couple.

 

[ScottHM]

Two words: Jake Sisko.

71 episodes out of 176.

Maybe he was paid per episode rather than per season. Or maybe he was paid for X episodes per season?

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[Adam Lenhardt]

This afternoon I watched:

• 2x06 - "Melora": The title character of this episode was sort of the reverse of Alara from "The Orville" instead of being a super-strong alien from a planet with extremely high gravity, she was a super-weak alien from a planet with extremely low gravity. I think this would have been better executed today, with the character realized as a CG creation. That the Alpha Quadrant is primarily populated with sentient humanoids with only very minor physiological differences is one of those contrivances you just have to buy into when you're watching Star Trek. But it simply doesn't make sense that a planet with hardly any gravity would evolve humanoids of the same buld and shape as those that evolved on planets with roughly Earth standard gravity. They would be far taller and far thinner. As for the episode's treatment of disability: It felt like a very stale episodic plot with a science fiction polish on it for most of the running time. The actual low gravity scene itself was a lot of fun, and the decision Melora made at the end of the episode felt interesting and specific. The Quark b-plot felt like a standard issue Quark b-plot. I am beginning to wonder about the homicide rate, however. If it were a Federation facility instead of a Federation-managed Bajoran facility, it would probably be the murder capital of the Federation.