It all comes down to bad advertisement then?
Why Didn't DS9 Have as Many Viewers as TNG?
- Thread starter VulcanMindBlown
- Start date
It all comes down to bad advertisement then?
No, I said, "That it had a few clunkers can be said of any series, and, really, any season." Then gave examples. I think there are clunky later series episodes as there are earlier series ones.
I think you misspelled "non-existent".
And then you found out...it was...
I think you misspelled "non-existent".
I'm fairly sure that DSN was advertised on the TNG video tapes in the UK. And given that TNG started to air in the UK some three years after the USA, if you wanted to keep upto date with TNG you bought the tapes.
TNG focused more on keeping things simple, episodic and likable for mainstream accessibility. I've heard repeated complaints about not being on a ship, not liking the attitude of Bajorans and actively disliking the Ferengi. It took me a little while and a change of perspective to warm up to those things myself.
But millions of the folks who loyally tuned into TNG want light episodic adventures with unquestionably heroic characters who like each other teach pat moral lessons.
But millions of the folks who loyally tuned into TNG want light episodic adventures with unquestionably heroic characters who like each other teach pat moral lessons.
DS9 is different in many respects from TOS, TNG, VOY and even ENT.
It's unique in the trek franchise.
In many ways TNG and DS9 are two sides of the same coin. TNG presents us a 'perfect future', DS9 deconstructs that and gives it appropriate context.
They compliment each other.
Well, I suppose you can see it that way.
I tend to think that DS9 offers a wider context.
TNG is very insular. It's set aboard the "finest ship in the fleet"; the place where the crème de la crème of Starfleet gets posted; a ship that gets sent in to represent the 'PR version' of Starfleet to the galaxy; the perfect ideal. Picard and his crew roll into a galactic neighbourhood and start eulogising about Starfleet almost as if they're reading from a textbook, "Join Starfleet, See The Universe." They're really a big propaganda job.
Deep Space Nine takes place in the same 'verse', but shows us that outside of the happy clappy world of NCC-1701-D; Starfleet, the Federation, and the world they inhabit have got a darker underbelly. TNG gave us a world of black and white, DS9 takes that and explores the shades of grey that exist.... putting 'perfect' Starfleet officers into situations where they feel out of their comfort zone and seeing whether they sink or they swim.... all as a means of affirming (in the end) why 24th century humanity is the way it is. Star Trek's trademark positivity still exists, all DS9 does is offer a wider context on it.
VOY tries to do the same thing with it's moral dilemma ("How Do You Keep Your Principals When You're Alone In An Unfriendly Corner Of The Galaxy?") but it kind of fudged it in places.
TNG is very insular. It's set aboard the "finest ship in the fleet"; the place where the crème de la crème of Starfleet gets posted; a ship that gets sent in to represent the 'PR version' of Starfleet to the galaxy; the perfect ideal. Picard and his crew roll into a galactic neighbourhood and start eulogising about Starfleet almost as if they're reading from a textbook, "Join Starfleet, See The Universe." They're really a big propaganda job.
Deep Space Nine takes place in the same 'verse', but shows us that outside of the happy clappy world of NCC-1701-D; Starfleet, the Federation, and the world they inhabit have got a darker underbelly. TNG gave us a world of black and white, DS9 takes that and explores the shades of grey that exist.... putting 'perfect' Starfleet officers into situations where they feel out of their comfort zone and seeing whether they sink or they swim.... all as a means of affirming (in the end) why 24th century humanity is the way it is. Star Trek's trademark positivity still exists, all DS9 does is offer a wider context on it.
VOY tries to do the same thing with it's moral dilemma ("How Do You Keep Your Principals When You're Alone In An Unfriendly Corner Of The Galaxy?") but it kind of fudged it in places.
It also didn't help having the new main character in Sisko reacting towards Picard with such hostility. Even if it was emotionally right, subconsciously that could have been a bit of a turnoff for many fans.
Perhaps this is too simplistic,, but neither DS9, nor VOY, nor ENT, nor even TOS, was TNG. TNG was a pop phenomenon that reached far beyond the normal science fiction audiences, and any attempts to understand the (lack of) similar reception should be understood in those terms.
Why Didn't DS9 Have as Many Viewers as TNG?
... No Gene Roddenberry.
... No Gene Roddenberry.
Where I live TNG was on Sunday nights after the late news, on the NBC affiliate. DS9 started on an independent station on Thursday nights in a prime time 10pm time slot. It had stiff competition from NBC, specifically LA Law, then ER (ABC and CBS didn't have much to offer). After TNG ended, DS9 moved to the Sunday time slot on the NBC affiliate.
Other areas' scheduling was probably much different, but that's the way it was here.
Other areas' scheduling was probably much different, but that's the way it was here.
While I think DS9 was by far the best Trek Show ever made, I will be honest and say it was mainly two problems. 1. The characters weren't as strong or likable as on TNG. 2. The heavily serialized episodes. There's simply no way anyone at ALL could just "watch" a episode from season 4 and up without knowing what happened before.
The problem with that assertion is that it takes for granted the context under which TNG itself went from the sci-fi series begrudgingly watched by a small, hungry fandom to a broadly popular series that appeared to cross genre boundaries. Much of that growth occurred as the influence of Roddenberry waned as a result of health and death, and the writers themselves beat back many Roddenberry dictums, even those represented by other people.
Wait, there was something not-gripping with the episode where Sisko has to negotiate how the realignment-by-canal-digging of a river under Cardassian rule affects ancient customary land-use rights now that Bajoran sovereignty has been reestablished?
So you didn't get the irony then...
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