Season One has aged well

[Too Much Fun]

So I'm starting to re-watch some choice DS9 episodes for the first time since I first saw the show, and I'm impressed by how well the season 1 episodes hold up. "Dax" got a little tedious at the end with all the standard 'courtroom drama' stuff, but it was enjoyable for the nice character relationship building moments with Bashir, Dax, Sisko, and Kira.

Even knowing the big twists in advance, I think "Captive Pursuit" and "Duet" are still very engaging and "Dramatis Personae" is just as delightful as it was the first time I saw it. I love episodes like that where characters act very differently than they usually would and you get to see different sides of them.

I tend to find Avery Brooks irritating when he tries to hit big dramatic moments, but I love when he plays his character broadly. I'm starting to think he may be an underrated comedic character. His business with the clock and antagonism towards Kira in that episode is hilarious. Speaking of Kira, I understand better now why I hated her and wished she would be killed off for about three seasons before I started softening on her.

She is SO preachy, whiny, and overbearing in these early episodes. But I've changed my opinion on "Duet". I used to say I think the episode is boring except for the bits with Harris Yulin. Now I think the whole episode works, but I still think it's way overrated here when people call it one of the ten or even five best episodes of the series. It's good, but not THAT good.

I usually side with TNG in the debate of which is better between TNG and DS9, but I have to admit now, one area in which DS9 seems superior is getting off to a good start. I can't stand most of TNG season 1, but based on these 4 episodes, I feel like DS9 was much stronger coming out of the gate (aside from the atrocious series opener, which "Encounter at Far Point" trumps big time).

 

[StardustSteph]

I usually side with TNG in the debate of which is better between TNG and DS9, but I have to admit now, one area in which DS9 seems superior is getting off to a good start. I can't stand most of TNG season 1, but based on these 4 episodes, I feel like DS9 was much stronger coming out of the gate (aside from the atrocious series opener, which "Encounter at Far Point" trumps big time).

I completely agree, and I often hear a lot of people didn't like the opening season of DS9. I don't see it as such at all, especially in comparison to TNG. I think DS9 really gets into the characters quickly which I always find more interesting.

 

[flemm]

She is SO preachy, whiny, and overbearing in these early episodes.

I think season one is quite respectable. But I also think that most of the stronger season one episodes involve Kira: Past Prologue, Battle Lines, Progress and Duet, notably. Since a lot of people find Kira grating and overly whiny early on, that contributes to an underestimation of season one's quality in my view.

I am always somewhat bemused by the complaints about Kira's early characterization, though, since it has always seemed clear to me that she is supposed to be grating, angry and irritating because she is traumatized, used to fighting for her life and basic freedoms, while committing horrific acts of violence. She has not yet come to terms with her past, and her distrust of the Federation is understandable.

It would only be odd if she were not grating and angry all the time. This to me was a refreshing change from the "all admirable, all the time" Trek characters from the TNG era (though I was and still am a TNG fan). So, whatever, I've never really grasped this type of complaint, but to each his own.

I agree about Captive Pursuit, however, and Dramatis Personae is fun. It's a mediocre season, and the show gets much better later on, but I still enjoy most of it, and a lot of important groundwork is laid for later character development right from the start.

 

[DevilEyes]

She is SO preachy, whiny, and overbearing in these early episodes.

I think season one is quite respectable. But I also think that most of the stronger season one episodes involve Kira: Past Prologue, Battle Lines, Progress and Duet, notably. Since a lot of people find Kira grating and overly whiny early on, that contributes to an underestimation of season one's quality in my view.

I am always somewhat bemused by the complaints about Kira's early characterization, though, since it has always seemed clear to me that she is supposed to be grating, angry and irritating because she is traumatized, used to fighting for her life and basic freedoms, while committing horrific acts of violence. She has not yet come to terms with her past, and her distrust of the Federation is understandable.

It would only be odd if she were not grating and angry all the time. This to me was a refreshing change from the "all admirable, all the time" Trek characters from the TNG era (though I was and still am a TNG fan). So, whatever, I've never really grasped this type of complaint, but to each his own.

This.

I can't stand most of TNG season 1, but based on these 4 episodes, I feel like DS9 was much stronger coming out of the gate (aside from the atrocious series opener, which "Encounter at Far Point" trumps big time).

Really? That is quite an unusual opinion. I think Emissary is excellent (especially on second viewing), apart from some off-acting here and there, and the best of the 4 series pilots (since The Cage doesn't count, and TOS didn't have another proper pilot), while Encounter At Farpoint is the weakest of them... even though it's the best episode of TNG season 1. (But then again, that's not saying much). It is not a bad episode, and it has its good points, but at the same time, there's quite a bit of cheese there that's typical of early TNG.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Well, I think it's aged fine in that it doesn't really seem dated to me, at least compared to more recent Star Trek shows. However, although there are three great episodes (Emissary, Duet and In the Hands of the Prophets) and some other pretty good ones, I do find a lot of it quite boring. What saves those weaker episodes is the characters, who appealed to me right away, even if it took some of them a while to come into their own (not Kira, though, I thought she was great from the start). Season 2 had a fair number of boring episodes as well, but there was more good stuff to counter-balance them and a greater sense of DS9 having its own identity.

 

[Plomeek Broth]

Season One does not appear dated at all. However, the series long story arcs haven't kicked in yet so I don't enjoy nearly as much as later seasons. Too many Anomaly of the Week episodes. O'Brian and the Cloud Monster, etc.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Season One doesn't appear dated at all to me. I find it amazing that Voyager's first season, which aired two years after this one, seems more dated.

I won't get into how dated TNG's first season is, other than to say that all the TOS episodes seem fresher.

 

[Kira Nerys]

She is SO preachy, whiny, and overbearing in these early episodes

I thought Kira had a reason to be whiny ,preachy early on .Her people had driven the cardies's off her homeworld,and then the fed's only enter the picture after the fact .I thought it made Kira a more believeable character cause it took time for her to mellow out .

 

[Dukat]

Funny, a few days ago I wrote something very similar about DS9's 1st season in another thread. I like this season very much. It had an outstanding episode (''Duet''). IMO this is definitely one of the five best episodes in the series. The dialogues were awesome, so ''Duet'' didn't need any shoot-outs to tell a great story.
Furthermore there were a couple of very good episodes in season 1 like ''Emissary'', ''Captive Pursuit'', ''Dax'', ''Vortex'' and ''In The Hands Of The Prophets''.

Regarding pilots: I think ''Emissary'' is the best of the 4 series pilots. It is very comlex though. You have to see this one for two or three times to understand what it's all about. I love the scene in which Sisko explains to the wormhole alien (who appears as Siskos son) the meaning of ''linear existence''.
This is what Trek is all about, isn't it?
Moreover I enjoyed the tension between Bajor/UFP and the Cardassians. One can really feel this tension.

 

[bbailey861]

DS9's season 1 is very good. Last week I started the season over again and am on Vortex.

 

[Brikar99]

Aside from the cast still finding their characters a bit, I think the first season of DS9 hit the ground running.

 

[Eyes]

Season 1 of DS9 was certainly a better start than TNG, but I found it average. Not bad, just most episodes were average. I did enjoy a lot of episodes like IWWH, the Storyteller, the Passenger, and other episodes like that more than I probably should have, and it's a lighter change from the later seasons. Move Along Home was a bit too goofy, and I have a personal vendetta against Progress for boring me, but the rest of the episodes like Babel, Dax, Vortex, Battle Lines, Dramatis Personae, Duet and In the Hands, I'd take any day against decent episodes from any other season.

 

[JoeD80]

the best of the 4 series pilots (since The Cage doesn't count, and TOS didn't have another proper pilot)

"The Cage" was done in Pilot Season in 1964/'65. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was submitted in Pilot Season 1965. Same process as the pilots for any other network television show (with the one difference being they were allowed to submit a pilot two seasons in a row). The show didn't start production until 1966, months after the 2nd pilot.

 

[DevilEyes]

the best of the 4 series pilots (since The Cage doesn't count, and TOS didn't have another proper pilot)

"The Cage" was done in Pilot Season in 1964/'65. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was submitted in Pilot Season 1965. Same process as the pilots for any other network television show (with the one difference being they were allowed to submit a pilot two seasons in a row). The show didn't start production until 1966, months after the 2nd pilot.

"The Cage" didn't air and the entire cast except Nimoy was changed for the series, so it doesn't count. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was not the first episode that aired, the first one that aired was "The Man Trap", and neither of them are anything like a pilot, since they just plunge straight into the events of the episode without particularly introducing the characters, or without any kind of feel that it's the beginning of a series. Any episode that had been produced up to that point could have served as the first one. Air order for TOS never mattered, and the series never had an aired episode that looked anything like a pilot or a finale.

 

[SoM]

She is SO preachy, whiny, and overbearing in these early episodes.

I thought Kira had a reason to be whiny, preachy early on. Her people had driven the cardies's off her homeworld, and then the fed's only enter the picture after the fact. I thought it made Kira a more believeable character cause it took time for her to mellow out.

What struck me about Kira in Emissary when I rewatched it a couple of months back was that Nana Visitor overplayed her very first scene (with Sisko in the captain's office), and I think that really hurt the perception of her character (never get a second chance to make a first impression, etc). If you look at the rest of the pilot, even amongst the scenes where she's called upon to be hostile, she's dialled it back a notch and is much better for it.

 

[C_Miller]

I just finished season one last night for the first time (I'm having a viewing thread that's in my sig) and let me just say, that this is easily the best first season (outside of TOS). First seasons are usually spent getting to know the characters and develop overarching plots. However, this series hits the ground running. No series covers the depth in their first season like DS9 does. Duet, Vortex, Captive Pursuits and In the Hands of the Profits. If this is the weak season, I can't wait for the rest.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I honestly believe that DS9's pilot is *by far* the weakest of TOS-TNG-DS9. To me, it really is a stinker (especially where Sisko's performance is concerned). In fact, the pilot of DS9 was so bad, that I never really gave the series a chance until this year. But honestly? In terms of how well the season plays out, DS9 easily has the best first season of those three series (I haven't seen Voyager or Enterprise to compare, though I'd be shocked if either fared better than DS9).

In many ways, DS9 benefited greatly from the lessons learned in TNG, an used those lessons to craft a truly compelling season-long arc -- even if that arc was largely ignored in subsequent seasons. There are quite a few clunkers ... but overall, S1 of DS9 is a strong outing.

 

[C_Miller]

I honestly believe that DS9's pilot is *by far* the weakest of TOS-TNG-DS9. To me, it really is a stinker (especially where Sisko's performance is concerned). In fact, the pilot of DS9 was so bad, that I never really gave the series a chance until this year. But honestly? In terms of how well the season plays out, DS9 easily has the best first season of those three series (I haven't seen Voyager or Enterprise to compare, though I'd be shocked if either fared better than DS9).

In many ways, DS9 benefited greatly from the lessons learned in TNG, an used those lessons to craft a truly compelling season-long arc -- even if that arc was largely ignored in subsequent seasons. There are quite a few clunkers ... but overall, S1 of DS9 is a strong outing.

Really? Pilots are usually not as strong as the rest of the series, but Encounter at Farpoint, at least to be is downright weak. It is no better than any of the rest of the first season, which is bad in general. The first season of TNG is the only season of Star Trek that I've seen where I can genuinely
say I don't like a single episode.

 

[Dukat]

If this is the weak season, I can't wait for the rest.

I don't know if I would call it the weak season. I like season 1 more like the episodes which I've seen from season 7. However, my favourite seasons are season 3 and 5. They were very well-balanced.

The first season of TNG is the only season of Star Trek that I've seen where I can genuinely
say I don't like a single episode.

I don't like season 1 of TNG either, but I think it had a few good episodes like ''Conspiracy'' (1.25) and the final.

 

[C_Miller]

Yeah, if I were to say I like an episode, it would be Conspiracy, but it doesn't hold up to repeat viewings. For some reason I can't sit through it any more for the life of me. And I wasn't a fan of The Neutral Zone. It's one of those stories that had a really strong A-Plot with undercurrents of The Borg and the reveal of the Romulans. But the story of the 21st Century people running through it hurt it, IMO.

But the equally panned 2nd Season has some of my favorite episodes in the series like The Measure of a Man, Q Who, and Where Silence Has Lease.