is star trek DS9 best star trek series

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by tmosler, Aug 24, 2012.

  1. Diogenes5

    Diogenes5 Ensign Newbie

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2012
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Deep Space Nine is a different series and will be divisive because of that. Most people are star trek fans either because of TOS or TNG. Deep Space Nine deviates very much from the formula each of those two shows had.

    I find Deep Space Nine easiest to love because the characters are so real and grow over time unlike either of those other shows. It is frustrating to watch TNG and see people constantly stand in place with regards to relationships and character flaws.

    Deep Space Nine has it where everyone is constantly changing and growing which makes it a much better watching experience for some people.

    I do agree that the Bajoran element was always annoying to me and a reason the show never caught on with me. DS9 was stuck in TNG's shadow its first 2 years and did too many things just to be different or strike itself out on its own from TNG. Having Bajorans on so that there could be conflict between characters seems a little silly today especially given the fact that Bajorans are a pretty boring people.

    But Deep Space Nine at its best, with its continuous plot, character development and nuanced characterizations was better (IMO) than anything Star trek has offered before or since.
     
  2. Neutral Zone

    Neutral Zone Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2009
    Location:
    Ferenginar
    At heart I'm a TOS fan, probably because of my age but DS9 is a great series and would never call it the worst - sadly Enterprise holds that place.
     
  3. timtonruben359

    timtonruben359 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2012
    DS9 is my favorite Trek and I think the best of all the spinoffs because it's the most human. I get the argument that some fans state they dislike how DS9 went against Gene Roddenberry's utopian views of Trek and yes it did, but personally I like the writer's view that yes Earth is a paradise but the rest of the universe is not.

    Why DS9 is so successful for me is that it, as spinoffs should, dared to be something different than what had come before it. It took some big risks some of which worked and some that didn't. This to me why Voyager failed in my book instead of trying to be its own thing, Voyager decided to become TNG Part 2 (and of lower quality than TNG was). And ENT don't get me started.

    I also think out of the 90s era of Trek, DS9 has aged the best. Partly because the topics the show covered (war, religion and terrorism) are very relevant in our post 9/11 world. Voyager, which has great FX, to me felt dated and old when it the episodes were new.

    That's my two cents.
     
  4. Shanndee

    Shanndee Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2010
    Location:
    Canada
    I agree with this 100%. For me, this show was all about the character development. This show also had an amazing cast of supporting characters that gave the series a depth I didn't feel in other shows. My favourite series by far!
     
  5. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    The stupid vision needed to get betrayed. Onwards and inwards, enough with evolved humanity.
     
  6. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    AI Generated Madness
    It's only second best. Enterprise is third. TNG is fourth and VOY fifth. Guess you know which one is first. ;)
     
  7. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2001
    Location:
    Derry, Maine
    That 'stupid' vision is the reason why TOS and TNG are still the most popular Trek shows.:p
     
  8. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    I think that's more a matter of demographics. Not that I don't begrudge any of them hitting a peak of popularity, but stuff needed to change. It didn't change all that much in DS9 but it did take a somewhat different direction and that's greatly enriched the franchise.
     
  9. Mage

    Mage Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2007

    In your opinion, which isn't fact.

    DS9 is, in my opinion but not fact, the best of Trek. Because, even though the Utopian society Gene created was shown to have some flaws (as it would in real life anyway) it was far more a mirror to society like TOS was, then any other Trek show.

    Thinking that DS9 betrayed Gene's vision is something I can't agree with. Gene wanted Trek to show the things that were wrong in our society, in a tv show where humans had evolved past such behaviour. The thing is, not ALL humans will 'evolve' like that. Some people will make the same mistakes we are making now. DS9 showed not only this, but also people better then that. Meaning it showed us not only what we could be, but at the same time gave a good example of what we need to leave behind.
     
  10. Kirby

    Kirby Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2003
    Location:
    Alt: 5280
    It's my favorite Trek series hands down, and yes, I do agree that it is not within Rodenberry's vision, but I'll go ahead and say it. I don't care about Rodenberry's vision. I watch TV to be entertained, and DS9 does that more than any other Trek series.
    The characters grow over the course of the series, their actions (usually) have consequences, and plot points don't just drop when the episode is over.
     
  11. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    With regards to evolved humans, most of the characters in DSN both primary and secondary weren't Human.
     
  12. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    Off the top of my head..

    Human


    Sisko
    Bashir
    O'Brien
    Keiko
    Kasidy
    Jake

    Non-Human

    Quark
    Nog
    Rom
    Leeta
    Kira
    Garak
    Dukat
    Worf
    Dax
    Odo
    Weyoun
    Damar
    Kai Winn

    WINNER. Definitely a key to the show being so interesting.
     
  13. G2309

    G2309 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2009
    It would be good to have a poll on this.

    I liked DS9 because it felt the most real. Not the aliens, tech etc feeling real but the characters. In scifi or fantasy genre you can accept the unbelievable elements better if you can relate to the characters and DS9 did the best job of this.
    They also showed the gritty and hard working side to how such a perfect society could work.
     
  14. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    Martok
    Gowron
    Female Changeling
    Brunt
    Zek

    You could also have

    Tain

    I could go on, but as for another Human, Ross.
     
  15. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2007
    Location:
    inside teacake
    Ishka, can't have Zek without Ishka!

    And if we're going Ishka we might as well go one of my favorites, Lwaxana.

    Non humans really do make things interesting.
     
  16. Orac

    Orac Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2007
    Location:
    The TARDIS
    No Star Trek DS9 isn't the best Star Trek series. It is however the better follow up to TNG. (IMO)
     
  17. Mr_Homn

    Mr_Homn Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2010
    you could say the same thing about TNG. for some reason people act like the things that happened in TNG had no consequences or continuation...

    what about introducing the borg in season 2, which was a consequence in itself of Picard's constant gloating about humanity to Q... and because of Q's actions, the Borg become aware of the federation, and they are trying to assimilate them for the rest of the series and beyond. Going back even farther, in even as early as season one's coming of age... Picard is under investigation for all sorts of things that happened in prior episodes. they make specific references to several past episodes... and this story continues later in conspiracy (which was originally going to be the start of the borg, who would be insects, but this was changed due to budgetary reasons).. daimon bok having run ins with picard in season 1 and season 7, which is almost like two parts of one story.... these are just examples of major plot points continuing in even the EARLY seasons.. There is a definite sense of continuation throughout the series, although it may not be as obvious as in ds9.

    O'brien getting married, we saw his marriage with keiko grow and change with the birth of their daughter in later episodes... Troi's prior relationship with riker having an effect on her and Worf much later in the series... In Defector they reference geordi's experiences in the golondon core with the other romulan.. Data's exploration of humanity which is a constant theme throughout the series and there is a definite sense of his progression throughout many episodes... the introduction of alexander and Worf's continual struggle with balancing his klingon/human side in fathering, all the way to season 7 when alexander from the future comes back and tries to change alexander's path.. Riker realizing that the reality in future imperfect being false, when he found out about Minuet, who was a hologram from season 1...

    Of course then there's the obvious big stuff like Worf's actions affecting his reputation in the klingon empire and the consequences of that rippling throughout the series as well as ds9... or when Picard is assimilated and this is brought up time and time again and how he struggles with this in... the flute being brought back in Lessons even explored his pain and the way the music helped him cope.. The run ins with the duras family... Tasha Yar's death and the consequences of Yesterday's Enterprise leading into several appearances with romulan yar.. continued run-ins with Tomalak.. there are lots of examples of this stuff, I could go on and on but why bother? Just watch the series and pay attention.

    But for some reason, people act like there were no continuing stories in TNG. As if stuff just happened, and it was never brought up again, and nothing from one episode affected anything after. It may not have been as much of a focus or spelled out as it was in ds9, and it certainly wasn't as political, but there was a definite sense of continuity, character progression, and story arcs.. wayyy more than something like Voyager which came out years later

    this of course is in no way to take away anything from ds9, as it definitely focused more on continuing stories, and focused on a constant progression to a larger degree, but I think people give TNG way too little credit in the same categories
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2012
  18. NrobbieC

    NrobbieC Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2012
    Location:
    Burton, UK
    Why not have Lek and Gaila, invite all the Ferengi to the party.

    In answer to thread title, yes. Simply yes.
     
  19. Distorted Humor

    Distorted Humor Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2011
    Location:
    Z'ha'dum
    of the Modern TV series (TNG onwards) I think DS9 has aged the best. The first season of DS9 is a lot better then the first seasons of TNG, Voy, or Ent (by a good margin) and there is less bad episodes in later seasons. Also, the themes of DS9 still have a lot of punch in today's society.

    Its kinda odd to think that Almost all of TNG and the first seasons of DS9 are 20 years old now.
     
  20. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    Location:
    Great Britain
    It might just be me, but I haven't seen TNG come under much fire not having continuity or at the very least having internal continuity within itself as a show. VOY is the show which comes under most fire for having more lax continuity, even with the show itself.