Best ACTING in Ds9? -- Who wins?

[Thestral]

I went with Avery Brooks, but already am wishing I could change my vote to Nana Visitor. Or Colm Meaney. Or all three. Gah! But I do think these three are consistently the best thoughout. Andrew Robinson is excellent, but could get tiring sometimes as Garak. Same with Marc Alaimo, although "Sacrifice of Angels" is a tour de force that's up there with any other point in the series.

I don't think any of the options were weak spots, tbh. I've always liked Terry Farrell and Jadzia, she just didn't much to do. Same with Cirroc Lofton and Jake.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Collection of all seasons. You are reviewing the performance of how well the actor handles the material through all seven seasons. Who is the most believable? To which actor would you give the award of having the best raw acting ability?

ANY of the main three Cardassians... Dukat, Damar, Garak... Odo, and Sisko.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Odo, all the way.

He starts out all rough and hard-boiled...but we quickly see that he has a big heart.

I love his bantering with Quark. You can tell that, for all the abrasiveness, the two possess a certain respect for each other.

I really like--and identify with--his no-compromise commitment to Justice. He has a dedication and purpose that gives him strength--even though he considers himself alone.

Rene gave a superb performance. He's my vote.

 

[Canadave]

"Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor."

Andrew Robinson gets my vote.

 

[EMHMark613]

I voted for Avery Brooks, with Andrew Robinson a close second (IMO)

 

[TheOriginalGuru]

For me, I would have to say, my favourite performances were by Jeffrey Coombs. He just owned Weyoun, as far as I was concerned. He was excellent. I even enjoyed him as "Brunt...F.C.A."

Marc Alaimo was always very good, as was Casey Biggs. Funny how the bad guys are getting some kudos, here. DS9 - Great villains!

Of the main cast, it was a tough choice. I liked Nana Visitor as Kira, but I would have to give props to Armin Shimmerman. It wasn't an easy role to do. Sometimes, Quark was played for laughs. Sometimes, he was there as windowdressing. But when given an episode where Quark was allowed to stretch his wings, Shimmerman always came through!

 

[DevilEyes]

For me, I would have to say, my favourite performances were by Jeffrey Coombs. He just owned Weyoun, as far as I was concerned. He was excellent. I even enjoyed him as "Brunt...F.C.A."

Marc Alaimo was always very good, as was Casey Biggs. Funny how the bad guys are getting some kudos, here. DS9 - Great villains!

Of the main cast, it was a tough choice. I liked Nana Visitor as Kira, but I would have to give props to Armin Shimmerman. It wasn't an easy role to do. Sometimes, Quark was played for laughs. Sometimes, he was there as windowdressing. But when given an episode where Quark was allowed to stretch his wings, Shimmerman always came through!

Yes, Shimerman was awesome. The funny thing is that I hate so many of the Ferengi episodes (with a few exceptions like The House of Quark or Little Green Men), but I think Quark is one of the best DS9 (and therefore, one of the best Trek) characters. I've also recently realized that he's the character with the best quotes - even more so than Garak. Garak's lines are very cool, but Quark is the character that the writers often used when they wanted to have someone utter some ugly truths (about humans, the Federation, or Klingons and their 'honor', or humanoids in general).

 

[Anika Hanson]

Quark.

 

[rahullak]

It's impossible to pick just one ...

Totally agreed. I can't decide between Avery Brooks (excellent theatrical acting), Rene Auberjonois, Colm Meaney, Andrew Robinson, Marc Alaimo and Jeffrey Combs (who I really miss in this poll). All of them were simply awesome above average actors who seemed like they could make any scene, any script interesting. Seriously, I could watch any of those simply sitting on a chair, staring into the camera and doing absolutely nothing. And I would love it.

And PKTrekGirl is quite correct, there isn't one weak link in the whole cast of Deep Space Nine.

Oh, and just for the heck of it I voted Avery Brooks in this poll. Maybe I can irritate some haters.

__________________

I concur. Shimerman's right up there with the rest of them too.

 

[Kira Nerys]

nana visitor as kira always ranked as my top choice.

 

[Tallis Rhul]

hehe, it was an excuse for the pumpkin vomit picture though!

Torn between a few- Nana Visitor, Marc Alaimo, Andrew Robinson... went with Rene Auberjonois though because you can always see what Odo is feeling despite the fact he can hardly move his face!

 

[Garak007]

Andrew Robinson (Garak) gets my vote. His delevopment over the seasons is second to none. Specially that he is a re-occuring actor. Marc Alaimo (Dukat) next, Avery Brooks (Sisko) last.

After that the rest of the actors are on level terms as the quality is first class.

 

[SharkD]

So many good actors, it's hard to pick! I had to choose Auberjonois because he maintained his character most consistently throughout all seven seasons. Other actors started out cold or shaky but grew stronger later (Visitor!). Quark toward the end seemed to have become sidelined as the thwarted love interest of the multiple Daxes and not much else (I'm not finished with Season 7 yet). Robinson, Alaimo and Combs are all very entertaining, but have somewhat limited roles (at least it feels that way to me now that I'm beginning of S7). Brooks is great as Emissary but weak as Captain. Dorn had only a handful of good episodes, and was nearly always outshined by Hertzler as Martok. Lofton is also weak as an actor but, like Brooks, can't help but be extremely likable (especially later once he starts developing his own agenda). Farell started out strong, but became increasingly unlikable as the series progressed. Meaney was just "good" in the beginning (as well as being a familiar face) but became a lot stronger but somewhat unimportant later. Siddig had a few episodes where you could just tell that he was bored and didn't like what was written for him (a string of silly plots in mid-series, including the episode where we first find out he's been genetically enhanced). The side-plot with the asylum inmates was really great and made up for it! I felt the addition of Ezri Dax was kind of unnecessary (she's too whiney).

Did I miss anyone?

Overall, the show's strength was that of an ensemble. No one actor/character really stood out and shone above the others (except maybe for any actor standing next to Dorn ).

 

[Bad Atom]

Most consistent? Colm Meaney. I could think of maybe two lines he delivered that sounded "off". He was also blessed with a consistently written character, though.

 

[DevilEyes]

Robinson, Alaimo and Combs are all very entertaining, but have somewhat limited roles (at least it feels that way to me now that I'm beginning of S7).

Limited roles? I can see what you mean when it comes to Combs (though you may change your mind when you see a different Weyoun in S7 episode "Treachery, Faith and the Great River"), but Robinson and Alaimo? Really?

 

[SharkD]

Limited roles? I can see what you mean when it comes to Combs (though you may change your mind when you see a different Weyoun in S7 episode "Treachery, Faith and the Great River"), but Robinson and Alaimo? Really?

Well, as of episode ~6 or 7 of season 7, the Garak episode is about him hyperventilating . Dukat's episode about the cult is also a one-shot deal. The Weyoun episode starts out like it might form an interesting arc, but then he kills himself.

They're all kind of lame episodes, and could have been condensed into a single one or omitted entirely with few consequences.

 

[DevilEyes]

Limited roles? I can see what you mean when it comes to Combs (though you may change your mind when you see a different Weyoun in S7 episode "Treachery, Faith and the Great River"), but Robinson and Alaimo? Really?

Well, as of episode ~6 or 7 of season 7, the Garak episode is about him hyperventilating . Dukat's episode about the cult is also a one-shot deal. The Weyoun episode starts out like it might form an interesting arc, but then he kills himself.

They're all kind of lame episodes, and could have been condensed into a single one or omitted entirely with few consequences.

So you're talking about acting/characters of Garak and Dukat in just season 7, or the entire show?

 

[PSGarak]

Also, it seems a lot of people are confused about actor versus character versus writing. A lot of the complaints I am seeing are about characters and writing, which have nothing to do with the actor or his or her performance.

 

[DevilEyes]

Another note about the acting of Rene Auberjonois (who I almost voted for - I was torn between him and Nana Visitor, but Navaros made up my mind with his anti-Nana comment so I voted for her). Not only he showed so many emotions with his eyes, despite the weird unfinished-features makeup, but, as someone on another thread noted:

Some actors had to act with nothing, like Rene Auberjonois in "The Begotten".

And his performance was so powerful - as always - that it made me feel emotionally attached to (to the point of being sad over its death) a being that did not speak a single word, did not have a face, and was only seen as a lump of goo occasionally changing shape.

 

[Mirren Audax]

Avery Brooks got better as the series progressed, I felt initially that Bill Cosby could've done a better job but as soon as he shaved his head Sisko became more compelling as he made this role his own.

DS9 benefitted from a great cast that worked well, and I feel that it would be unfair to pick one out of the hat, but my top 5 in alphabetical order would be:

1) Alexander Siddig
2) Avery Brooks
3) Colm Meaney
4) Nana Visitor
5) Nicole DeBoer - mainly because she made Dax her own character in ONE season, tough considering that she had a lot to live up to!