DS9 Versus: A viewing experient

[Seven of Five]

Ha! The first two were funny but the third one had me on the floor. Why weren't these episodes on my TNG DVDs?

The idea of a Riker/Riker relationship is very juicy!

 

[DevilEyes]

Personally, I find the whole "they are not allowed to date" thing rather silly.

Don't you understand that the captain dating the first officer is not an good idea?

Well, people ship Kirk and Spock, Janeway and Chakotay, Archer and T'Pol, and apparently there are even people who ship Sisko and Kira ... I knew there had to be some Picard/Riker shippers somewhere.

(At least it's better than Riker/Wesley... )

 

[Sykonee]

Those gazorra edits are brilliant. Flauting Danger and A Fistful Of Explosions are my favorites.

But regarding a J/C relationship, since these people are trying to maintain a professional stance on board the ship (yes, kind of ridiculous given the circumstance, but VOY's made its bed with that premise), I don't think many in the crew would be comfortable with it. I mean, Lord knows if the folks down at my work started seeing our manager Pam and her #1 assistant Chris holding hands and going to dinners, it'd raise a lot of eyebrows.

Week 33: (Ending 05.26.96)
DS9 - The Quickening (Airdate 05.20.96)
VOY - Basics, Part 1 (Airdate 05.20.96)
B5 - War Without End, Part 2 (Airdate 05.23.96)

For what it's worth, DS9 wins handily in the emotional drama department this week. In fact, for a season that has given us tons of emotional drama -from all three shows- it's downright incredible that DS9 manages to deliver one of the most heart-wrenching examples of it yet. I may go on and on about how DS9 and B5 keep upping the ante with their Event Episodes, but ever so subtly they've done the same with these quiet dramatic character pieces too, with VOY managing to occasionally hang tough as well. However, if Hard Time was DS9's way of planting its flag as being the best at these kinds of episodes, then The Quickening is DS9 fortifying its position.

Still, it's going against two Event Episodes, so it'll automatically lose. Or, wait just a moment here...

Basics has a lot of good set-up, and even a couple decent character moments. Plus, Seska and Sudar are back. Sweet, two of the show's most intriguing guest characters in a season finale. Only trouble is, the whole episode is just one long set-up. The crew is stranded, Tom makes his getaway for help, and Voyager's two ace-in-the-holes (Suder and Doc) are hiding on ship. It's an alright way to do the first of a two-parter but as a cliffhanger it's missing the same sense of dread other shows have. Where's the emotional gut-punch of "Mr. Worf, fire." or "You're too late. We're everywhere."? Not here.

B5 feels like it's being far too manipulated by its plot as well. Much of what occurs in WWE, 2 is a foregone conclusion because we've already seen it happen way back in Babylon Squared. The only real suspense and surprise is what happens during Sheridan's trip to the future (which is just awesome!) and the reveal of Sinclair's destiny. Mind, it's all very entertaining, just something of a letdown given the set-up. Aside from the final scenes, WWE, 2 is emotionally lacking.

Ultimately, I find B5 does get the squeaker win this week, in that it provides plenty of good payoff for a number of loose threads, all the while introducing a few new ones for us to dwell on for the future. Had DS9 brought a larger scope to its story it probably would have won, yet that would have diluted the story of Bashir's solitary trial in the process.

And thus, we head into summer reruns again. Except for DS9, which still has a couple episodes in the can. Damn, but does that show ever enjoy having June all to itself, huh?

Weekly Winner
B5

Next:
DS9 - Body Parts

 

[Vulcan Princess]

apparently there are even people who ship Sisko and Kira

I don't actually ship them. I just said it would be interesting to see, and I tossed it out as a possibility in the poll. (For every possible combination of characters, you could probably find someone somewhere who ships them, though.)

 

[Eyes]

The Quickening is a brilliant character episode, certainly one of Bashir's best, if not the best. Its just a shame it had to go up against two Event episodes. If it was just Basics, the Quickening would easily win, I think, but the B5 episode sounds like it just got the edge here.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

War Without End probably wins, because, well, see what I said for part 1, and the ending is pretty hard to beat. That being said, this is really close, because The Quickening is really outstanding. It's the second absolutely superb Bashir episode of the season (Hippocratic Oath was the first) and I love pretty much everything about it. It's one of the best episodes of Deep Space Nine.

Voyager can't really compete against this stuff for me, but Basics is one of the best episodes they've done up to this point.

 

[Kegg]

(For every possible combination of characters, you could probably find someone somewhere who ships them, though.)

I don't care what anyone says - Quark and Ezri? Made for each other.

That being said, this is really close, because The Quickening is really outstanding.

Upon reflection I probably like it better than War Without End; it's just a very strong drama piece while War is, uh, Big Stuff Happens Now. Which is cool - and War Without End is pretty much a form finish of B5 doing what B5 did best - but there's something to be said for the human element.

 

[DevilEyes]

apparently there are even people who ship Sisko and Kira

I don't actually ship them. I just said it would be interesting to see, and I tossed it out as a possibility in the poll. (For every possible combination of characters, you could probably find someone somewhere who ships them, though.)

Three people apparently think Sisko is Kira's 'match made in the Celestial Temple', I call that shipping.

Interesting that everyone in that poll got votes except for Mirror Bareil.

Um, back to the topic... B5 seems to be winning all the time now? Though I guess that will change as DS9 approaches the Dominion war, since you obviously prefer the Event episodes.. For the time being, I'll just have to take your word that those B5 eps are that good.

 

[Sykonee]

Um, back to the topic... B5 seems to be winning all the time now? Though I guess that will change as DS9 approaches the Dominion war, since you obviously prefer the Event episodes.. For the time being, I'll just have to take your word that those B5 eps are that good.

Well, the previous two seasons DS9 pretty much owned the spring schedule, and even gave TNG a run for its money during the first May Sweeps. It's good that there's some strong competition going around now. It'll make DS9 work that much harder to regain its dominance next year.

But Event Episodes are almost always going to trump others. After all, when you look at most Top 10 Episodes Lists, they usually consist of a good 80% Event Episodes. They're just more engrossing to an audience. They're the moments in TV that we look forward to the most, as it sends the characters we've gotten to know into dilemmas that are far higher in stake.

 

[TheGodBen]

I don't care what anyone says - Quark and Ezri? Made for each other.

Nah, they displayed no chemistry on screen. Now Quark and Bashir, there's a 'ship I can get behind.

 

[apenpaap]

But Event Episodes are almost always going to trump others. After all, when you look at most Top 10 Episodes Lists, they usually consist of a good 80% Event Episodes. They're just more engrossing to an audience. They're the moments in TV that we look forward to the most, as it sends the characters we've gotten to know into dilemmas that are far higher in stake.

And yet The Visitor, Duet, Trials and Tribble-ations, Hard Time, It's Only a Paper Moon, Our Man Bashir, and Second Skin are on many people's top ten lists.

 

[Seven of Five]

Quark/Odo would have been an interesting one - they were always at each others throats, so clearly loved each other!

Actually, what Star Trek has been missing all these years wasn't just a gay relationship, but some necrophilia too! Ezri/Jadzia would have pulled in the ratings!

I've lost the plot. It's those TNG edits, they send me crazy!

War Without End wins again this week, being a continuation of the excellence of last week.

The Quickening is a brilliant DS9 episode that really brings a lot of emotion and drama to the table, and only loses to B5 for being a little less epic in scope. Bashir is so convinced that he can cure the disease, and it's hard for him to get past his arrogance. I loved Jadzia knocking him down a peg, it really cleared his head.

Basics Part 1 is quite average. It builds, and builds, and builds, and bulds, and builds... It does nothing else! In fact, it builds too much by setting up Sudar on Voyager and Paris with the Talaxians as obvious ways of getting the ship and crew out of trouble. I love Seska and Sudar, so having them here is good. They just weren't used particularly well this time.

DS9 solo next week? Easy win then! It's a good one though.

 

[Kegg]

Event episodes only trump other stuff on shows like B5, whose best material is easily the arc fare and the standalones frequently sucked. DS9 has a good mix of standalones and arc episodes, but mostly it's the standalone shows that are picked as people's favourite episodes - sure, DS9's two continuous arcs at the beginning of season six and the end of season seven are fairly popular, but "Duet" is far more likely to be someone's favourite episode. Hell even one of the most popular Dominion War episodes, "In the Pale Moonlight", could work perfectly well as a standalone - it's a personal story rather than a lot of arc stuff going down.

I don't care what anyone says - Quark and Ezri? Made for each other.

Nah, they displayed no chemistry on screen. Now Quark and Bashir, there's a 'ship I can get behind.

Excuse me, it's the greedy lecherous loner and the cute girl. How is that not a match made in heaven? On any show, expect me to be rooting for some variation of this. I can't fathom why.

Besides, Quark's got eyes for Odo and Bashir's cute on O'Brien, so where the heck did that come from?

 

[TheGodBen]

The tale of the greedy troll falling in love with the genetically enhanced healer is as old as time itself. I felt they were finally going that direction at the end of season six as the two of them lamented the loss of Jadzia to Worf, that scene screamed out to end with the two of them having sex with one another due to their joint loneliness, and that would make them realise they were perfect for one another. The fact that DS9 missed that golden opportunity is one of the reasons why B5 is the superior show.

(At least I'm not making jokes about Kira laying an egg.)

 

[Sykonee]

But Event Episodes are almost always going to trump others. After all, when you look at most Top 10 Episodes Lists, they usually consist of a good 80% Event Episodes. They're just more engrossing to an audience. They're the moments in TV that we look forward to the most, as it sends the characters we've gotten to know into dilemmas that are far higher in stake.

And yet The Visitor, Duet, Trials and Tribble-ations, Hard Time, It's Only a Paper Moon, Our Man Bashir, and Second Skin are on many people's top ten lists.

True, and you'll notice that, aside from Our Man Bashir, they've won in this Versus thread when they've aired as well. I'm not averse to giving the nod to Character Episodes over Event Episodes, especially if an Event Episode is just utter crap (like Investigations or The Search, Part 2 ...which, oddly enough, both aired on solo weeks. Hmm...)

And Trials... is sort of an Event Episode, in that it coincided with the 25 Anniversary. So, it's Meta-Event!

 

[happydave]

I really enjoy 'Basics', sure it doesn't have the cliffhanger which many episodes have but as a two part story it's quite decent and enjoyable as a whole. It's probably due to actually following more of a 90min movie type pacing than the pacing of two separate television episodes. The unfortunate bit about this is that the first 30 minutes are basically setup which can lead to a flat first half.

Unfortunately WWE and Quickening are both brilliant episodes as well.

 

[Sykonee]

Week 34: (Ending 06.16.96)
DS9 - Body Parts (Airdate 06.10.96)

Just in case you'd forgotten that DS9's character episodes are often the best of all three shows, here's one centered around Quark. Wait, Quark!?? In a good episode??? Hey, it's happened before, and this is easily his best outing since House Of Quark from waaayy back. (Little Green Men was more of a Ferengi-Family vehicle)

In a funny way, this episode almost feels like a pre-set-up for the season finale, establishing a few changes we're going to have to expect in the following season that probably won't directly tie into any major arcs that have developed the past year. Kira's carrying the O'Brien baby and Quark's become an outcast, things that will undoubtedly affect events later but remain in the background as we see how all this Klingon stuff pans out. Not to mention something very significant happening to Odo next week...

Weekly Winner
DS9

Next:
DS9 - Broken Link

 

[apenpaap]

At the end of Body Parts, I was just waiting for Garak to suddenly jump around a corner and strangle Quark. Or for him to eat something and then fall down because it was poisoned.

 

[Sykonee]

At the end of Body Parts, I was just waiting for Garak to suddenly jump around a corner and strangle Quark. Or for him to eat something and then fall down because it was poisoned.

I know there's a number of folks who feel Garak ends up being a loose thread in this episode, but I get the impression that he knows full well that Quark doesn't really want to die, so he just has some fun in scaring him.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Body Parts - this one's pretty good. Obviously the O'Brien/Kira sub-plot is ridiculous, but I guess they had to deal with Nana Visitor's pregnancy somehow, and at least it set up that great sub-plot in Looking for Par'Mach...