New to DS9....

[Smitty]

Yes, this may be hard to believe but until this month I could count the number of episodes of DS9 I have seen on one hand.
I love Star Trek but my interests in it have been limited to TOS, TNG and *some* Voyager. Not sure why I pretty much skipped over DS9. I think a lot had to do with the stage of life I was in plus TNG was still going strong and the concept of a space station did nothing for me. I do remember watching the pilot and at the time not being impressed.
So, how have I suddenly decided to try DS9? Well, it is books mainly. Over in the LIT area I see a lot of people talking up the Destiny trilogy. I have them and in Dec cracked the first one open to discover it involved characters that I never heard of. I quickly learned that the main character came from DS9. So, I stopped reading Destiny and asked for some DS9 for Christmas!
Now I have the first season on DVD and started watching it a week ago or so. I actually like it so far. Even the pilot was better than I remembered it! Some friends have told me that it gets real good somewhere in season 5 but that is a ways off.
Anyway, just wanted to share that. The Destiny trilogy will wait for awhile (getting ready to read vanguard anyway). Meanwhile, DS9 baby!

 

[happydave]

There's actually not much DS9 in Destiny at all (I read Destiny over Xmas), Sure there's one character who appears and in reality the role she has in the book is a far way away from who she is in the series (and DS9 isn't really needed to understand her). The Bajorian System gets briefly mentioned but that's about it.

The only real other ones are Simon Tarses (who is a TNG/DS9 novel character) and Sam Bowers (DS9 relaunch novels character) but neither are in the tv series. Oh and Melora who is on the Titan (who originally appeared in a Season 2 DS9 episode [Melora])

I read Destiny without having read any TNG relaunch/Titan novels so I was on a back foot slightly (as those two ships are the main two, while the Aventine was a new introduction), but I still knew enough from watching all of TNG TV. And now I'm got a few more to read like Greater Than The Sum, Losing The Destiny & Full Circle.

Feel free to read Destiny, sure there's a few people you won't know (I'm still trying to get my head around the new TNG Lit characters) but there's not much info in DS9 besides that one character. I think the main reason DS9 is barely mentioned is due the DS9 novels being 5 years out of Sync with the rest of the novels.

But feel free to watch DS9, it's wonderful Trek, and you get some new races / learn a lot more about to explore (Trill, Ferengi, Bajorians, Cardassians) and an epic storyline which it can easily be said is better than anything else in Star Trek.

 

[indranee]

Yes, this may be hard to believe but until this month I could count the number of episodes of DS9 I have seen on one hand.
I love Star Trek but my interests in it have been limited to TOS, TNG and *some* Voyager. Not sure why I pretty much skipped over DS9. I think a lot had to do with the stage of life I was in plus TNG was still going strong and the concept of a space station did nothing for me. I do remember watching the pilot and at the time not being impressed.
So, how have I suddenly decided to try DS9? Well, it is books mainly. Over in the LIT area I see a lot of people talking up the Destiny trilogy. I have them and in Dec cracked the first one open to discover it involved characters that I never heard of. I quickly learned that the main character came from DS9. So, I stopped reading Destiny and asked for some DS9 for Christmas!
Now I have the first season on DVD and started watching it a week ago or so. I actually like it so far. Even the pilot was better than I remembered it! Some friends have told me that it gets real good somewhere in season 5 but that is a ways off.
Anyway, just wanted to share that. The Destiny trilogy will wait for awhile (getting ready to read vanguard anyway). Meanwhile, DS9 baby!

it actually gets really good around the end of Season 2. however, IMO, the very best episode of DS9 is in the first season: Duet. keep watching and give us a progress report as you go! welcome to the DS9 forum

 

[seigezunt]

It's good from the get-go, and gets better and better.

 

[Photon]

Yes, this may be hard to believe but until this month I could count the number of episodes of DS9 I have seen on one hand.
I love Star Trek but my interests in it have been limited to TOS, TNG and *some* Voyager. Not sure why I pretty much skipped over DS9. I think a lot had to do with the stage of life I was in plus TNG was still going strong and the concept of a space station did nothing for me. I do remember watching the pilot and at the time not being impressed.
So, how have I suddenly decided to try DS9? Well, it is books mainly. Over in the LIT area I see a lot of people talking up the Destiny trilogy. I have them and in Dec cracked the first one open to discover it involved characters that I never heard of. I quickly learned that the main character came from DS9. So, I stopped reading Destiny and asked for some DS9 for Christmas!
Now I have the first season on DVD and started watching it a week ago or so. I actually like it so far. Even the pilot was better than I remembered it! Some friends have told me that it gets real good somewhere in season 5 but that is a ways off.
Anyway, just wanted to share that. The Destiny trilogy will wait for awhile (getting ready to read vanguard anyway). Meanwhile, DS9 baby!

it actually gets really good around the end of Season 2. however, IMO, the very best episode of DS9 is in the first season: Duet. keep watching and give us a progress report as you go! welcome to the DS9 forum

She's right, it gets crankin' in S2 (Duet then The Jem'Hadar)

 

[Arix]

Oh wow, I envy you!

I was just thinking the other day, that I wish I could go back and un-watch all the Trek I've seen - just so that I could see it all again, with fresh eyes, when it was new and exciting!!

Not that I don't enjoy re-watching the various series. But its not the same as the first time...

Having seen all of Trek, personally, I think DS9 is the best. Its my favourite series by far, hopefully you'll soon see why!

If you're already enjoying Season 1 (I find the first season or two of all the Treks hard to re-watch, though I remember enjoying them the first time through) then just you wait! Hoo boy! I'm excited for you!

 

[Arix]

She's right, it gets crankin' in S2 (Duet then The Jem'Hadar)

Whoops, Duet and The Jem'Hader are a season apart! Duet is in Season 1 and The Jem'Hader was the end of Season 2.

 

[crouteru]

DS9 has thus far stood the test of time and gets better everytime I watch it.

Voyager on the other hand gets worse with each subsequent viewing.

 

[indranee]

She's right, it gets crankin' in S2 (Duet then The Jem'Hadar)

Whoops, Duet and The Jem'Hader are a season apart! Duet is in Season 1 and The Jem'Hader was the end of Season 2.

I think he knows that. I think what he meant was that those two eps are top quality.

 

[Photon]

She's right, it gets crankin' in S2 (Duet then The Jem'Hadar)

Whoops, Duet and The Jem'Hader are a season apart! Duet is in Season 1 and The Jem'Hader was the end of Season 2.

I think he knows that. I think what he meant was that those two eps are top quality.

Exactly, just didn't type it the way I wanted it to sound. Indranee and I pretty much agree about all that's DS9

 

[CommanderRaytas]

DS9 is my favourite Trek and that's that. It starts good, gets better, and just continues to set the bar very high. To me, it is a show that doesn't age. I would very much like to feel again what I felt when I watched it for the first time. Like reading the Lord of the Rings for the very first time... that was cool.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Duet was good, but for me the episode where DS9 really started to show how great it could be was Necessary Evil.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

DS9 only gets better from season 1 onward. Season 1 is pretty universally held as the least favorite season of most hard-core DS9 fans.

Duet and In the Hands of the Prophets give you a glimpse of what DS9 becomes later....but only a glimpse.

To the OP - whatever you do, do NOT give up on DS9 based only on the first season. Most people in your place who come in here end up with DS9 as their favorite Trek, if they stick with it until it really hits it's stride.

Although there are several great episodes before The Jem'Hadar....that is pretty much where DS9 starts ramping up to the overall story arc that consumes the rest of the series by season 5.

Most DS9 fans will tell you that seasons 6 or 7 are their favorites (season 6, followed by season 7 are my personal favorites)...with season 5 getting a fair number of 'favorite season' votes as well. But even seasons 3 and 4 get some votes when we hold such a poll in here.

Time will tell where you end up falling...but I would encourage you to see it through - you will not be disappointed.

However, I will tell you this - it is VERY different from TNG.

 

[Tallis Rhul]

Just as an example, I watched Empok Nor tonight as my family had never seen it before - I don't remember seeing anything in the same genre on TNG (but haven't seen all of that yet... shamefully)

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I'm on roughly the same journey, though I'm a bit ahead and just starting Season 5. I hadn't seen a single full episode of DS9 (aside from its pilot) up until a couple of months ago. I've always counted myself as a big TNG fan (and, to a slightly lesser extent a fan of the TOS films). I guess I'll always have a special place in my heart for TNG, but I think DS9 is the better series.

I'm looking forward to seeing how its last three seasons unfold ...

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It gets good at the end of S1 and even before that, it isn't entirely painful to watch. I used to think so, but several seasons of Heroes has cured me of that delusion.

 

[Arix]

Whoops, Duet and The Jem'Hader are a season apart! Duet is in Season 1 and The Jem'Hader was the end of Season 2.

I think he knows that. I think what he meant was that those two eps are top quality.

Exactly, just didn't type it the way I wanted it to sound. Indranee and I pretty much agree about all that's DS9

Well I apologise for the misunderstanding!

And just so we're clear - I completely agree that both those episodes were top notch.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

It gets good at the end of S1 and even before that, it isn't entirely painful to watch. I used to think so, but several seasons of Heroes has cured me of that delusion.

But even so, we'll carry on, we'll carry on, defiant to the end we hear the call and carry on....

That's how I feel watching Heroes nowadays. The crap I'll go through for Milo's sake....sheesh.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I'm on roughly the same journey, though I'm a bit ahead and just starting Season 5. I hadn't seen a single full episode of DS9 (aside from its pilot) up until a couple of months ago. I've always counted myself as a big TNG fan (and, to a slightly lesser extent a fan of the TOS films). I guess I'll always have a special place in my heart for TNG, but I think DS9 is the better series.

I'm looking forward to seeing how its last three seasons unfold ...

Heh. And you haven't even gotten to the really good part yet. Excellent!

 

[Pemmer Harge]

I'm on roughly the same journey, though I'm a bit ahead and just starting Season 5...

Heh. And you haven't even gotten to the really good part yet. Excellent!

Season 5 not the really good part? It was head and shoulders above Season 6 in my book, though they were both good.