Best And Worst B Stories?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by Sakonna, May 28, 2017.

  1. Sakonna

    Sakonna Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Just watched this, it is great. Like "Meridian", another awesome B story you can totally lose track of, buried as it is by a clunky A story (though A story does get better as the ep progresses)

    I like this one, but last time I saw it, I came away wondering: IS it weird that the show is fine with 16 year old Jake dating a 20 year old Dabo girl? I know the point is that his son has grown up more than Sisko realized, but just as I watch it, Mardah does feel like an adult and Jake does feel like a child, in a way that I think would not play if the genders were reversed...

    You make a good case for it. I do thematically like the presence of the wedding in the episode, it's the aping of "Casablanca" that throws me, it's such a jarring false note. If they had gotten that exact sentiment in without the wink-wink of lifting the actual dialogue, I'd feel much more favorably inclined towards the plot thread as a whole.
     
  2. CDP

    CDP Commodore Commodore

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    Explorers!

    O'Brien and Bashir getting drunk, then Bashir suggesting that they should go to Quarks and sing Jerusalem!!:beer:
     
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  3. at Quark's

    at Quark's Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The best B-story: the Dominion War. Magnificent backdrop against which the A-stories of the dramas of our protagonists unfold.

    As for the worst B-story- I'd have to think about that.
     
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  4. kkt

    kkt Commodore Commodore

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    Relations between 16- and 20-year-olds are legal in many states, as long as it's not the younger one's teacher or other authority figure. 16-year-old Jake dating 20-year-old Marta is not "fine" but Ben has the judgement to let it play itself out instead of trying to forbid it.
     
  5. BobR

    BobR Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Well I like this episode and while her subplot might be contrived I thought it helped provide a little more depth to the Leeta character. Dumbed down? Maybe, I took it as "smart enough not to show all her cards." I could see Leeta eventually going into public service and being successful enough to rise quite high within either the Federation or on Bajor given the rise cause to motivate her.
     
  6. BobR

    BobR Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Er, "right cause." Hmm, I can't seem to edit right now.
     
  7. tomalak301

    tomalak301 Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Best B Story: nog and obrian in treachery, Faith and the great river. I love Heart of stone too but TFATGR had that torture O'Brian element that is always fun

    Worst B Story: Jeffrey Combs character wanting to get an image if Major Kira as a holosuite program in Maridian. That entire episode was bad.
     
  8. Nakita Akita

    Nakita Akita Commodore Commodore

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    But isn't that sort of an American thing?
    Isn't the age of consent different in different countries?
    4 years age difference isn't that much. If she had been 32 years old than that might not have gone over so well with his father.
     
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  9. Farscape One

    Farscape One Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I think the reason Ben Sisko was apprehensive at first was because of her profession, not necessarily her being 20 years old. Yes, he did say that, but I believe he also implied her being a Dabo girl. I think he was more afraid of her using him due to what her profession sometimes entails.
     
  10. Mattadd

    Mattadd Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Yea of course it's different in other countries. 4 years isn't that much, even at that young of an age. In Canada the age of consent varies based on how young the youngest partner is. The lowest age of consent is 12.
     
  11. Mattadd

    Mattadd Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I second all the Nog B stories. Heart of Stone, Treachery, Faith and the Great River, and The Nagus were all great.
     
  12. velour

    velour Commander Red Shirt

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    "A Man Alone". I found the story of Keiko's attempt at starting a school more interesting than the Odo murder mystery story. Keiko's story gave us a glimpse on a different aspect of life on the station. I enjoyed seeing Nog and Jake running around and playing pranks, like turning a Bajoran couple into different colors.

    I loved how Garak and Ziyal met. First, they were stealing glances at one another at that sporting event. Then they were in the elevator, just the two of them. An awkward silence, and more glances. That was very amusing. It was actually kind of cute.
     
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  13. Nakita Akita

    Nakita Akita Commodore Commodore

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    Ok, what?
    That's is scaring me.
    So in Canada it's okay for a 27 year old to hit it with a 12 year old?
    :barf:
     
  14. Sakonna

    Sakonna Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    No -- where'd you get the 27 year old thing from? A 12 year old in Canada can consent to sexual activity only with someone less than two years older than themselves, so 12/13/14 year-olds only.
     
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  15. tomswift2002

    tomswift2002 Commodore Commodore

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    Best B-Story—Birthright Part 1. It’s to bad we didn’t get to see more Bashir/Data moments, or another B-plot with another TNG/DS9 team up in part 2.
     
  16. Turbo

    Turbo Changeling Premium Member

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    One of my favorite B-stories is Kira refusing to let the Romulans put weapons on one of Bajor's moons in "Image in the Sand"/"Shadows and Symbols".
    According to Memory Alpha, the Lwaxana/Odo story was originally the A-story, as it derived from a suggestion by Majel (that she's pregnant and claims Odo is the father!). There were lots of problems with scripting (imagine that), and the Jake/Onaya story was created, which grew to become more of a story than Lwaxana's story, so the A and B stories were swapped.
     
  17. "Q"

    "Q" Ensign Newbie

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    "Business As Usual" - really like this episode. Good story and Quark's cousin Gaila has the best delivery lines.
     
  18. velour

    velour Commander Red Shirt

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    I thought it was clever that the writers paired that story, Jake and the Dabo girl, with the main story of the Jem'Hadar kid in "The Abandoned". I really liked the episode.

    Both the A and B stories were essentially about wayward teens. Both Sisko and Odo, who basically acted as the Jem'Hadar teen's surrogate father, tried to steer their kid in the "right" direction.

    It was kind of sad that at the end, that no matter how hard Odo tried to get the Jem'Hadar teen to choose a more enlightened path, the teen couldn't escape his biological imperative to join his kind and be a violent fighter.
     
  19. Seven of Five

    Seven of Five Stupid Sexy Flanders! Premium Member

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    Meridian has a wonderful B story, which is hidden amongst the awful A plot. Jeffrey Combs makes his first franchise appearance as a man who wants Quark to get Kira to sleep with him.

    The mention of Nog and O'Brien and their fun little romp through Treachery, Faith and the Great River had me thinking about an earlier Nog and Jake B story, though I can't for the life of me remember the episode.

    Quark wanted to get rid of a lot of yamok sauce, which Nog did on his behalf, and traded it for self-sealing stem bolts. These were then traded for tessipates of land, and all of these wonderful names stuck with the show.
     
  20. Sakonna

    Sakonna Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    "Progress", in season one. I too love this subplot! The A plot in this one is creaky as hell, without this B story there's nothing.