Vic Fontaine almost ruined DS9.

[mattpa]

I've reached that point in my rewatch where Vic turns up.

I hate this character and the episodes he was in.

I can't imagine what they were thinking when the writers introduced this nonsense.

It's ridiculous how all the crew love him.

Terrible character. Almost ruined the show.

Discuss.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

50s Vegas was a cheesy addition to the show.

Conversely, James Darren could do a lot of acting through his singing. The musical numbers could both be exhilarating and move thr plot forward simultaneously.

Vegas, bad for DS9. Darren, big win.

I have spoken.

 

[Takeru]

I agree with this, I never liked Vic. The bar was a useless location because it was inside Quark's which was already a bar the crew could hang out in and Vic as a character was so weird. He knew he was a hologram for example, what's the point of the 50s setting then when Vic knows he's not living in the 50s. And I hated the songs, I always fast forward through them.

 

[Paul Weaver]

It did feel like some of his appearances were "filler", but Vic did lead to a couple of great episodes:

Paper Moon -- brilliant exploration of the consequences of AR558 for Nog

Badda Bing Badda Bang -- classic heist plot, lots of fun

 

[kkt]

I liked Vic. I think season 7 was the better for having him. And, yes, Paper Moon couldn't really have been told without him. 'Course I like period songs, and I know not everyone does.

 

[Dukhat]

I've reached that point in my rewatch where Vic turns up.

I hate this character and the episodes he was in.

I can't imagine what they were thinking when the writers introduced this nonsense.

It's ridiculous how all the crew love him.

Terrible character. Almost ruined the show.

Discuss.

You’re welcome to your opinion.

I, however, think that saying “Vic Fontaine almost ruined the show” is massive hyperbole. Unless you have some kind of documented evidence that the ratings dropped considerably with every episode he was in. Otherwise it’s just your problem.

 

[urbandefault]

"Chicks dig the crooners." - urbandefault, 2024

 

[NCC-73515]

I've reached that point in my rewatch where Vic turns up.

I hate this character and the episodes he was in.

I can't imagine what they were thinking when the writers introduced this nonsense.

It's ridiculous how all the crew love him.

Terrible character. Almost ruined the show.

Discuss.

Ok.

ok.

perhaps: hey a classic singer who also is a sentient holo friend to the characters might be sweet

nope. how? just cause you hate him no one else can love him?

nope. and didn't.

done.

I agree with this, I never liked Vic. The bar was a useless location because it was inside Quark's which was already a bar the crew could hang out in and Vic as a character was so weird. He knew he was a hologram for example, what's the point of the 50s setting then when Vic knows he's not living in the 50s. And I hated the songs, I always fast forward through them.

Clearly they couldn't sing in Quark's cause the Dabo noise would have interfered, and he wouldn't have wanted people to be too distracted from the game.

 

[Paul Weaver]

Quark could have expanded into a nearby empty unit and had a lounge bar with a holographic crooner just fine for episodes like His Way and the various fillers.

however neither badda bing or paper moon would have worked in such a world and that would have been a crying shame.

 

[Herbert]

I'm not sure why they felt like they needed this character at all and so late in the run of the series. Don't get it. I was never a Vic fan. I don't think the character adds anything to the show. Season seven would have been just fine without him

 

[Oddish]

I found him mostly unobjectionable, neither the best or worst holodeck content. Kind of like Sandrine's pub on Voyager, or Picard's Dixon Hill adventures on TNG.

 

[Michael]

No, I love Vic and thought he was a breath of fresh air in the final years of the show. They didn’t “need” him, but in my eyes he enriched an already great cast of characters. I really like the songs and the setting has a lot of charm˛ it’s kind of surreal in a way. “His Way” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon” are two of my favorite episodes, and to a large extent that’s because of Vic and James Darren. I file the dislike the character gets among fans under “curious things I only learned since I joined an online Trek community”.

Here’s some future ideas for threads that seem to be all-time favorites:

• “Jadzia is a dull character. Discuss.”
• “The Mirror Universe episodes suck. Discuss.”
• “Keiko is a bitch and treats Miles horribly. Discuss.”
• “Bajoran politics were booooring. Discuss.”
• “Avery Brooks was a horrible actor. Discuss”

Oh, sorry, you already got that last one.

EDIT: Just realized the OP has apparently abandoned their account. No idea what happened there.

 

[Relayer1]

No, I love Vic and thought he was a breath of fresh air in the final years of the show. They didn’t “need” him, but in my eyes he enriched an already great cast of characters. I really like the songs and the setting has a lot of charm˛ it’s kind of surreal in a way. “His Way” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon” are two of my favorite episodes, and to a large extent that’s because of Vic and James Darren. I file the dislike the character gets among fans under “curious things I only learned since I joined an online Trek community”.

This !

I absolutely loved Vic. Badda Bing is fun, Paper Moon one of the standout episodes. Darren was engaging, likeable and a good actor / singer.

I'm another who was surprised to find how unpopular he was with some viewers.

 

[Dukhat]

The character they really didn't need was Ezri Dax.

 

[The Realist]

Naw, Vic was great.

The character they really didn't need was Ezri Dax.

And Ezri was even greater.

 

[Oddish]

The character they really didn't need was Ezri Dax.

And Ezri was even greater.

This might sound crazy, but... I think you're BOTH right!

Having Ezri just plop into the series in the wake of Jadzia's death and begin doing the exact same work, even though she was supposed to be station counselor... it was an insult to Jadzia's character. If nothing else, it trivialized her death.

AND, the idea of a Trill who found herself Joined (with no training, no carefully matching symbiont with host, none of the other safety measures that the Symbiosis Commission normally takes) and had to deal with absorbing eight new personalities (including a murderer, a geek, and one who was in love with another) deserved more play than the first half of one season.

 

[Dukhat]

My issue with Ezri was that bringing in a brand-new character in the final season of the show and having a significant amount of episodes devoted to her when they should have been focused on the overall war arc made the story suffer. Why care so much about this individual when we will never see her again?

 

[Oddish]

My issue with Ezri was that bringing in a brand-new character in the final season of the show and having a significant amount of episodes devoted to her when they should have been focused on the overall war arc made the story suffer. Why care so much about this individual when we will never see her again?

Indeed. Either way, Ezri deserved the opportunity to experience character growth at a leisurely pace.

 

[Lynx]

I found him mostly unobjectionable, neither the best or worst holodeck content. Kind of like Sandrine's pub on Voyager, or Picard's Dixon Hill adventures on TNG.

I like Vic!

Not my absolute favorite but I like him! A great character.

Also a nice and friendly problem-solver.

Some of the Vic Fontaine episodes were the kind of lighter episodes which was necessary to have between the more dark periods to prevent DS9 to become to much doom-and-gloom, such as His Way when he helps Odo and Kira to establish a relationship and It's Only A Paper Moon in which he helps Nog recover from the trauma from his war experience and the lost leg.

Nothing wrong with that!

Two good episodes as I see it.

And the episode Take Me To The Holosuite was actually very funny!

So why not take it a step further?

Let's honor Vic by playing the James Darren hit "Goodbye Cruel World" while watching the picture below. Then imagine that you are in Vic's lounge watching Vic sing "Goodbye Cruel World" backed by the song group Kes And The Kestrels and Odo playing the occarina!

 

[BillJ]

Never cared for the character. One of the reasons why I haven't revisited late-DS9 in a long time.