Best And Worst B Stories?

[Sakonna]

I loved the NoJay Consortium in Progress.

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)

"THE ABANDONED" - Sisko learning more about his son than his girlfriend. I thought it was hilarious, touching, and believable.

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...

I rather enjoyed Rom and Leeta's wedding in Call to Arms. The annoying quirks of the characters had already been established, so anything radically different would not have stood true. They were, however, restrained in this episode.

More importantly, the wedding underlined themes present in the episode and in the development of the Ferengi in general. Amidst crisis and separation, bonds were being recognized and affirmed: Sisko to Bajor, Dax to Worf, Odo to Kira, Garak to Ziyal. Being home at the station and among the Bajorans was also being affirmed. The wedding not only fit in with both themes, it also continued Rom's development, a more mundane journey into Bajoranness than Sisko's, but one in which his commitment to family was more based on his emotions and affections than on the concepts of his culture. I find that the development of the Ferengi family in the series--from Quark being a patriarch to Rom coming into his own as a father and husband--makes an interesting counterpoint to what we see of Sisko's family life.

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.

 

[CDP]

Explorers!

O'Brien and Bashir getting drunk, then Bashir suggesting that they should go to Quarks and sing Jerusalem!!

 

[at Quark's]

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.

 

[kkt]

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.

 

[BobR]

My least favorite is Doctor Bashir, I Presume. What a contrived love triangle! The talented Picardo is wasted, and Leeta is dumbed down by a factor of 10.

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.

 

[BobR]

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

 

[tomalak301]

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.

 

[Nakita Akita]

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.

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.

 

[Farscape One]

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.

 

[Mattadd]

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.

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.

 

[Mattadd]

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

 

[velour]

"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.

FOR THE CAUSE -- Garak & Ziyal meet. Such a misfire. The fact that it's the only appearance of this actress in the role has it feeling cut off from the Ziyal arc on either side, but even aside from that, Garak just seems like an idiot here, not at all the canny operator we are used to seeing.

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.

 

[Nakita Akita]

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.

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?

 

[Sakonna]

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.

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?

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.

 

[tomswift2002]

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.

 

[Turbo]

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".

I always thought we were supposed to see Space Vampire as the A story because of the title, but it's true that there's more actual substance to the Lwaxana/Odo story. I can't believe how many identical scenes there are of the vampire just sucking out Jake's brain juice. And they feel roughly equal in terms of screentime, IIRC....

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.

 

["Q"]

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

 

[velour]

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.

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.

 

[Seven of Five]

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.

 

[Sakonna]

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.

"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.