For context: DS9 just completed its sixth season, VOY just completed its fourth, and Insurrection is on its way in five months. I don't remember if a trailer for INS was out yet.
If applicable: Try NOT to have later opinions color what you thought at the time. Let's keep this as if it was literally 20 years ago.
I was 18 and I thought both shows had great seasons. I was super-impressed with the CGI, the space battles, and Species 8472. In my opinion, for Star Trek during the second half of the '90s, the '97-'98 season was probably the peak. '96-'97 was a strong contender, though.
On the DS9 Front: I was intrigued by Section 31 in "Inquisition" and I thought "In the Pale Moonlight" was an Instant Classic.
I thought "Far Beyond the Stars" was also an Instant Classic. On comparing the 1950s to the 1990s: I thought, at the time, our society was so much further along than it was on the issue of race. I had absolutely no idea how mistaken I was, or what the 2010s would be like.
Working backwards: The Dominion War was my first exposure to serialized storytelling and "You Are Cordially Invited" seemed like a good way to blow off steam afterwards.
On the VOY Front: The Hirogen were scary in their first appearance in "Hunters" but I wish they could've done more with them than just ending with holodeck simulations with giving them holodeck technology. That having been said, I did like the WWII simulation.
I thought Seven of Nine was a good addition to the Voyager crew as she was someone who'd actually challenge the Captain. And, being 18, challenging authority and thinking I'm the one who's right goes with the territory. Seven basically was a teenager. It was probably best summed up in "The Gift" and "Hope and Fear".
I didn't have a problem with B&B yet. That didn't come until the following year.
On the Movie Front: And, finally, Michael Piller's idea for Star Trek: Insurrection sounded interesting, being based on "Heart of Darkness". I never actually read the book but the title alone made it sound interesting. I thought FC corrected course with the TNG films, even though GEN was a rocky start, so I had no idea that I'd end up feeling totally indifferent about Insurrection. No idea. I was looking forward to it.
... Wow. That was a lot of Star Trek.
In General: TOS was still my favorite series, even back then, and what drew me to DS9 and VOY were that they were less popular than TNG. Just like now, in my teens, I went against the grain. If something wasn't as popular, or wasn't popular at all, it made me like it even more. Except take that mentality I still have now and multiple it by 100. That's how I was. It was even worse than that in some other ways. I hated the preppy kids. I hated the popular kids. And don't even get me started about the jocks.
Honestly, teenage me could've benefited a lot from knowing someone like adult me. I seriously could've taught my younger self a few things. But anyway...
I viewed DS9 and VOY, but especially DS9, the way I view DSC today. While I didn't have a problem with non-first season TNG, the fact that it was still so popular and it was the one I found least interesting, made me recoil about it. It was more of a social thing than necessarily what I thought about the quality of the series, to be honest.
In Kirk vs. Picard Debates online, I always sided with Kirk. If someone said "TNG is better than DS9!" or "TNG is the real Star Trek, who cares about TOS?" it would always make me upset. And being the age I was, I didn't hold back. I was totally unfiltered. "Agree to disagree", which I live by now, was not a concept that had entered into my mind until two years later.
If applicable: Try NOT to have later opinions color what you thought at the time. Let's keep this as if it was literally 20 years ago.
I was 18 and I thought both shows had great seasons. I was super-impressed with the CGI, the space battles, and Species 8472. In my opinion, for Star Trek during the second half of the '90s, the '97-'98 season was probably the peak. '96-'97 was a strong contender, though.
On the DS9 Front: I was intrigued by Section 31 in "Inquisition" and I thought "In the Pale Moonlight" was an Instant Classic.
I thought "Far Beyond the Stars" was also an Instant Classic. On comparing the 1950s to the 1990s: I thought, at the time, our society was so much further along than it was on the issue of race. I had absolutely no idea how mistaken I was, or what the 2010s would be like.
Working backwards: The Dominion War was my first exposure to serialized storytelling and "You Are Cordially Invited" seemed like a good way to blow off steam afterwards.
On the VOY Front: The Hirogen were scary in their first appearance in "Hunters" but I wish they could've done more with them than just ending with holodeck simulations with giving them holodeck technology. That having been said, I did like the WWII simulation.
I thought Seven of Nine was a good addition to the Voyager crew as she was someone who'd actually challenge the Captain. And, being 18, challenging authority and thinking I'm the one who's right goes with the territory. Seven basically was a teenager. It was probably best summed up in "The Gift" and "Hope and Fear".
I didn't have a problem with B&B yet. That didn't come until the following year.
On the Movie Front: And, finally, Michael Piller's idea for Star Trek: Insurrection sounded interesting, being based on "Heart of Darkness". I never actually read the book but the title alone made it sound interesting. I thought FC corrected course with the TNG films, even though GEN was a rocky start, so I had no idea that I'd end up feeling totally indifferent about Insurrection. No idea. I was looking forward to it.
... Wow. That was a lot of Star Trek.
In General: TOS was still my favorite series, even back then, and what drew me to DS9 and VOY were that they were less popular than TNG. Just like now, in my teens, I went against the grain. If something wasn't as popular, or wasn't popular at all, it made me like it even more. Except take that mentality I still have now and multiple it by 100. That's how I was. It was even worse than that in some other ways. I hated the preppy kids. I hated the popular kids. And don't even get me started about the jocks.
Honestly, teenage me could've benefited a lot from knowing someone like adult me. I seriously could've taught my younger self a few things. But anyway...
I viewed DS9 and VOY, but especially DS9, the way I view DSC today. While I didn't have a problem with non-first season TNG, the fact that it was still so popular and it was the one I found least interesting, made me recoil about it. It was more of a social thing than necessarily what I thought about the quality of the series, to be honest.
In Kirk vs. Picard Debates online, I always sided with Kirk. If someone said "TNG is better than DS9!" or "TNG is the real Star Trek, who cares about TOS?" it would always make me upset. And being the age I was, I didn't hold back. I was totally unfiltered. "Agree to disagree", which I live by now, was not a concept that had entered into my mind until two years later.
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