How did you become a DS9 fan?

[dub]

A conversation in the BD thread made me think of this as a topic. I'm curious how many of you became fans of DS9 (as I did) through streaming.

I have only been a DS9 fan for 2 years. I found Netflix to be the ideal place for DS9, which was an episodic show that really wanted to be a serial. It was something in between with its ongoing arcs and extended cast of recurring characters. I found it to be unique among the Trek shows, and it became my favorite once I completed the series.

During its original run, I watched just about all of TNG. I watched a big chunk of VOY. I watched a couple of episodes of DS9, but not enough to even make it count. I watched it enough to know I couldn't get into it at the time. Plus if I'm remembering correctly, the syndicate kept changing when it would air which diminished my motivation to watch even further. So I'm very thankful for streaming services as a new option to watch these shows I missed out on growing up!

For fans of the show, how did you first become a Niner?

 

[ElimGarak.93-99]

Good question.

The first series I saw was TNG in 1990 or 1991, the KRO just started airing the first season on a Saturday, they aired all 7 seasons.
In 1994 BBC2 started airing DS9 and two years later, after the 30-year special in September, they started airing VOY.

I can remember is so well.
BBC2: Wednesday evening TNG, Thursday evening DS9 and Sunday evening VOY, Sunday morning TOS.
That where great years.

In the beginning I really had to get used to DS9, it was so different from TNG and that was the only Star Trek I knew at the time, but after a while I enjoyed watching DS9.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

The moment the pilot ended, I knew DS9 would be my favorite incarnation of Trek. However, streaming reconnected me with that original passion.

 

[Aragorn]

Some major newspaper had a giant article previewing the series before it aired, going through the cast and everything. I was going to watch it anyway, but getting that sort of information pre-internet was pretty awesome and only stoked me some more.

I can't recall any specific episode where DS9 clicked in my head and became my favorite Trek, but all the twists and turns, all the long story arcs and recurring characters who were more developed than some of the TNG main cast were quite impressive.

 

[dub]

I can't recall any specific episode where DS9 clicked in my head and became my favorite Trek, but all the twists and turns, all the long story arcs and recurring characters who were more developed than some of the TNG main cast were quite impressive.

For me, I specifically remember thinking "this is a great show" when the first season episode "Progress" faded to black. That's not one of my favorite episodes by a long shot, but that was the moment when I knew I was going to stick it out and watch the entire series.

 

[Gul Re'jal]

I voted for "Other". Oh, wait, there's not such option...

Anyway, none of the mentioned. I got several Romulan (one of my favourite races) episodes from my friend, which introduced me to the Cardassians, so I asked for more episodes, and that got me hooked.

 

[dub]

^ My bad. I'll try to keep "other" in mind if I ever create a future poll. Sorry about that.

 

[Pondwater]

Watched it in syndication.

 

[Amaris]

I started out a TOS fan back in 1984. I was 4 at the time, and my mom got me watching. When TNG premiered in 1987, I was onboard, and eventually became a big TNG fan. DS9 came out in 1993, and I watched a few episodes, but wasn't anywhere near hooked. The same with VOY when it premiered. I watched the pilot, and a few episodes after that, but essentially ignored it. This would also go for ENT when it premiered. Somewhere around that time, I received a whole box full of Star Trek VHS tapes from a friend, and I watched them. ALL of them. It was the first time I watched DS9 all the way through, and I was hooked on each episode. I couldn't stop watching.

A year or so back, I did another DS9 rewatch, but thanks to Netflix instead of old VHS tapes, and it still stands as my favorite series overall, with TNG and TOS tied a close second. Following those is ENT, then TAS, and VOY is last.

Niner for life.

 

[Smellincoffee]

I became interested in Trek after watching re-runs of TOS and episodes of TNG in a hospital in 1992. A few years afterwards, I was watching TV late one night and realized that the show on CBS was a Star Trek show, so I started watching it every week. DS9 is the ONLY show I ever watched as it aired, because I didn't and don't subscribe to cable or satellite services.

 

[Toxteth O´Grady]

DS9 is what made me a Star Trek fan in the first place back in the mid-'90s. Entertainment Weekly did an article talking about DS9's 30th Anniversary tribute episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations". I was really only aware of what Star Trek was on the surface at that point. I think I had seen Generations at that point, but nothing else. I knew some names and some ideas like the Vulcan nerve pinch, transporters and such. Pretty much what any non-fan not living under a rock would know. The article talked about the episode featuring the DS9 crew going back in time and interacting with TOS crew by combining old and new footage. Well, being a big time travel junkie, I just HAD to see it. Also being a fan of the technical side of filmmaking, I was really interested to see the finished project and how well it looked.

I watched the episode and that was that. By the end I was a new Trekkie. The gimmick behind the episode was no longer why I was watching. I wanted to know more about Sisko and Dax, O'Brien and Bashir, Odo and Worf and the rest beyond this episode. That's when I began watching Star Trek regularly. I was able to catch the last 3 seasons of DS9, the last 5 of Voyager and all of Enterprise during their original runs. I've since watched all of TNG, all of the movies and a little bit of TOS. I enjoy all of it. Some more than others, but Star Trek has the power to cheer me up if I'm in a depressed mood. It's like eating a hearty dessert.

DS9 is special to me because it introduced me to the world of Star Trek. Star Trek was the first franchise to really speak to me. There's lots to love about it and for nearly 20 years it was the only TV franchise that I deeply cared about. Until I inhaled all 7 seasons of "Doctor Who" just recently. Star Trek is still my favorite, but it has a serious contender now.

 

[Jono]

I became a fan after watching "In the Cards"/"Call to Arms" VHS from my local video store. So by the time that came out here it would have been during the break between season 5 and 6 or early season 6.

Rented out the few other tapes they had and started to catch it on FTA TV, though they were about 2 seasons behind. Luckily the video store started to buy each VHS for DS9 (and VOY) after that so I was able to watch it through to the end. It wasn't until years later when I bought all the DVD season boxsets that I was able to watch the entire series.

 

[Relayer1]

I watched it when it came out, simply because it was Trek. I wasn't particularly impressed at first, even though the episode Progress really gave me hope. I watch everything Trek so I stuck with it.

As it went on and found it's feet, it surpassed TNG and Voyager/Enterprise never came close.

Surely it's the best of Trek...

 

[SPCTRE]

I watched DS9 some during its original run, but rewatched it on television during re-runs and became a fan.

Fixed.

 

[Mage]

I saw the first few episodes when I was younger, and into TNG. It didn't hook me.

A few years later, and saw some season 3 I think, and realized how amazing this show was/is. So gave it another change from the start, and was hooked.

 

[Gul Re'jal]

^ My bad. I'll try to keep "other" in mind if I ever create a future poll. Sorry about that.

No biggie. After all, it's about the conversation, not about the poll that much

 

[Melakon]

I was watching from the first night it aired.

 

[Disco]

I watched TNG on BBC and graduated from that to DS9

 

[BruntFCA]

I had a VHS copy of the pilot since I was a kid that I watched many times. But it wasn't until years later that I was able to see the series through Netflix that I really became a big fan. However this was before Trek was available to stream so I had to see it through the mail one disc at a time.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I watched it on Sky One years ago, not sure it was the original run or re-runs though. The first episode I watched all the way through was "Profit or Loss", then I followed it up with "The Maquis" two-parter, after which I was in love