Could I become a Niner? hmmm....

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by GalaxyX, Oct 3, 2013.

  1. Bad Thoughts

    Bad Thoughts Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The DS9 bible, quote at Memory Alpha:
    I don't see anything that would suggest she should, let alone does, have PTSD.
     
  2. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    Why can't Nerys simply be an angry woman? I never thought she had PTSD, only that she is (understandably) angry in general.

    One of the things I love about DS9 is that the characters actually do evolve over time. I'm betting you'll come to like Nerys during later seasons. :)

    Nuance? Let's see how you feel after Progress and Duet.
     
  3. Avro Arrow

    Avro Arrow Vice Admiral Moderator

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    You could, as long as you remember to fill out the application in triplicate, and remit your registration fee in full. No post-dated cheques, please.

    :)

    Seriously, though, DS9 is by far my favourite of the 24th century shows. I'll just echo what everyone else has said... it gets better! There were some good S1 episodes (I recall Duet being a particular standout) but the show *really* picks up in later seasons. (And the less said about season one's Move Along Home, the better! You may just want to move along past it. ;))

    So hang in there, and enjoy the ride! :techman:
     
  4. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    When those first few early scripts were being written, the roles hadn't even been cast yet. The only one the writers really had a lock on from the beginning was Colm Meaney's O'Brien. Once the rest of the cast was assembled, writers and actors gradually found their voices. It happens a lot with any series that isn't put together for a specific star.
     
  5. lurok

    lurok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I've said many times before that I think Visitor is the Trek actor who improved most, technically, over the course of their series run.
     
  6. dub

    dub Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Plus PTSD is a hu-mon disorder, possibly not bajoran. ;)

    To me, Visitor was very consistent. Her character loosened up because she had quite an arc, but her performance as an actress was spot-on from the start. I thought Farrell was most improved overall through the series, both her character and her acting. Avery Brooks also seemed to be more comfortable with his character once he was given the freedom he needed with his hair. :)

    Probably the most consistent actor/character was Colm Meaney. His acting style reminded me a lot of DeForest Kelley. He also had the benefit of being an established character already, although I have a feeling he would have played O'Brien the same way even if he was a new character at the beginning of the series.
     
  7. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That was how I always saw her. She was strong-willed, opinionated and never willing to back down and tow Sisko's line without an arguement in the beginning. The dynamic between these two was always great to watch, and is set up so nicely in "Emissary". I like how it evolves over time to where there is a solid bond of trust between them.

    Of all Trek DS9 has the best character development. They actually go places rather than stagnating like what happened on VOY (seriously, the writers/producers of VOY should have been taking notes).

    Kira gets some of the must heart-wrenching stories and well as some of the most powerful, all of which help to mould her over the series.

    For me, Kira is probably one of the best characters in all of Trek. She is a great example of how a strong woman should be written and portrayed. If I wasn't so sure she could whoop my ass I'd almost go straight for her :)
     
  8. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Really the season 1 episode I show people to win them over is Duet. A powerful episode on so many levels and if you're not gonna like that, chances are you wouldn't the rest of the series anyways.
     
  9. JirinPanthosa

    JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

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    It would be believable if Kira had PTSD but I never saw any sign of that in the series. Just, in season one she was still in a trench mentality. The first time you see her kind of coming down from that and rediscovering her peacetime self was in Battle Lines when she breaks down to Opaca.
     
  10. BruntFCA

    BruntFCA Commander Red Shirt

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    I didn't really like Kira that much in the beginning either, but she really grew on me and became the best written female character in Star Trek IMO.
     
  11. garaks the best

    garaks the best Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Definitely agree.
     
  12. GalaxyX

    GalaxyX Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Hey guys, sorry was busy for a bit so couldn't reply to your posts.
    I actually spent some time rewatching some of the TNG episodes related to the Bajoran/Cardassian conflicts with my dad (primarily so he would understand the story)
    We watched:
    The Hunted
    Ensign Ro
    Chain of Command 1&2
    Preemptive Strike
    I was thinking about watching Lower Decks, but didn't think it was important enough story wise.
    So with DS9 we just finished watching "The Nagus"
    Ok, perhaps I misinterpreted it then. Still, Nana Visitor is off somehow, it's hard to explain. I think she's over the top most of the time.
    In fact, half the main characters seem to be very angry all the time. Sisko, Kira, Odo in particular.
    So far the show needed a major character in it that wasn't pissed off all the time. None of the actors are (so far) pulling "angry" properly. Kira is the worst. There's no subtle layers of emotion, it's just bitch mode 24/7.
    Sisko is not much better, but he's not "angry" per say, just a loudmouthed oaf.
    I'm not there yet. I'm enjoying what I'm seeing so far though.
    Hmm, I don't remember this. This will be interesting to watch.
    I don't know what it is, but for the most part, the TOS actors are the only ones who actually have acting chops IMO, with the exception of Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner when he's playing innocent Data (he sucks at everything else, he thinks he's a comedian) and Jeri Ryan, who ironically was hired to be the bimbo and out-acted all the main cast single handedly (except for Robert Picardo, who did a great job as the underappreciated EMH).
    I haven't seen a DS9 equivalent yet, except maybe for Quark, I'm already liking his character quite a bit.
    Is there a best written male? Spock was a great character because Leonard Nemoy had this amazing ability to portray a character conflicted by underlying emotion trying to defeat the logic he forced on himself *without* just seeming like an asshole. Tim Russ payed Tuvok as an asshole. Jolene Blalock played T'Pol as a bitch. Mark Lenard was almost as good as Nemoy but misses the mark.
    Any male actor who was great, was due to the acting chops of the actor, not the writing. I can't think of a well written character of any gender actually. Maybe Ensign Ro? But I may change my mind after I finish with DS9
     
  13. Navaros

    Navaros Commodore Commodore

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    GalaxyX, I absolutely agree with you about Nana Visitor's acting whenever she tries to be emotional. I mean that both in terms of when Visitor/Kira has hissy fits (which she does constantly in Season 1), and when she gets weepy. Her acting is outright bad in either case, every time, and highly unwatchable.

    Brooks has the same exact acting problems IMO.

    Thankfully, after Season 1, Visitor/Kira has hissy fits/weepy cries far less often, although they still come up from time to throughout the series, and still ruin every scene in which they happen.

    Season 1 of DS9 is by far the worst of the series. Every season, from 2-7, has about 5-6 terrible episodes, with the rest ranging from "okay" to "great." But Season 1 has much more than 6 terrible episodes.

    Auberjonois' Odo performance gets a lot more nuanced and complex after Season 1. I agree with you that Shimerman is a great actor and that comes across in Quark. IMO Auberjonois/Odo is equally magnificent, but in Season 1 Odo isn't yet defined well-enough for that to come through.

    IMO DS9's Season 1 was bad mainly because it was trying to rehash TNG's formula. They stopped doing that after Season 1.
     
  14. MakeshiftPython

    MakeshiftPython Commodore Commodore

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    I used to be more of a TNG guy. I remember after finishing that show I didn't think Trek would ever surpass that kind of show ever again. Then I watched DS9 it and blew me away. Now I'm pretty much a Niner, full on.
     
  15. dub

    dub Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    :beer:
     
  16. SignGuyHPW

    SignGuyHPW Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    I gave DS9 a chance when it first aired and just could not get into it at all. I didn't really watch much after that except an episode here and there when Worf joined the crew. I think my main problem was that it was a stationary base that had to have problems come to them rather than traditional Star Trek exploration of space. A few years ago I decided to try it again and checked out the season sets from the library in order. I actually really enjoyed it from season 3 forward and didn't dislike the first two seasons as strongly as I had initially.
     
  17. MakeshiftPython

    MakeshiftPython Commodore Commodore

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    I find it curious why many say Season 3 is when the series really took off. I'd say that about Season 4, because other than the introduction of the Defiant, there's not a lot of difference between the first three seasons, as far as the consistency of the quality (better than TNG's early years, but nothing special). The first season was a solid start, while the second season is where the show found its identity, the Defiant was added into the mix for the third season and then the show finally hit its stride with the fourth season.
     
  18. Bad Thoughts

    Bad Thoughts Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I won't insist that you like the character, but I do think that this approach is typical of Star Trek series: certain characters are played in an extreme manner, but that is dialed back over the course of the series. It's worth noting that both Dorn and Visitor went into their auditions in character and neve broke, portraying a constant hostility and rigidness. And in both cases, the extremeness of the portrayal gave the writers something to work with, allowing the characters to become more nuanced as they were challenged. I think you'll find the character more developed and complex by the end of the series.
     
  19. GalaxyX

    GalaxyX Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I'm kind of finding it the same.

    I am not hating it anywhere as much as I expected to this time around.

    Saw Duet today. Interesting episode. Definitely deeper than your typical Trek. I vaguely remember it from the first time round, but enjoyed it quite a bit this time round. Ignoring what I still feel is a bit of weak acting from Nana Visitor, I thought it was cool to see Kira understand at the end that not all Cardassians were assholes, and some of them felt just as powerless as the Bajorans did.


    I think I understand one of the reasons I originally couldn't stand the show. I think it was to do with the fact that I felt I was trying to be sold a story that was never really shown. We are never shown a Cardassian occupation. We are never shown the atrocities they supposedly committed. But we are supposed to believe it by the anger portrayed by the actors.

    I think once you can brush that expectation aside, the show does become easier to watch and more enjoyable.
     
  20. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    You do get shown some of the Occupation via flasbacks and science fiction woowoo :)