Change of Opinions on Individual Seasons

[tomalak301]

In rewatching DS9, have you changed your overall opinion on individual seasons over the years. I ask because as I am watching DS9 through again, I ended season 3 tonight. I know many consider it to be kind of an inconsistent season, but after rewatching it and doing it in a matter of 2 weeks, Season 3, I've realized, is a great season. Could they have done more with the Dominion? Sure, but with what we did get, there was so much going on. Even episodes I didn't quite like before, like Heart of Stone and Family Business, are ones where I can watch and actually do enjoy them. Then we got to that awesome two parter with Improbable Cause and Die is Cast, and I think it was there to the end of the Occupation Arc in Season 6 where DS9 was really firing on all cylinders. Each episode, with some not so good ones sprinkled here or there, was just fantastic and I still enjoy them despite knowing how the series ends.

Also, was it just me or did Avery Brooks become a whole lot more comfortable and awesome when he grew the beard. In Explorers (Another fine episode), it just seemed like Brooks portrayed Sisko more cool than before that finally Brooks came to his own as the Star of the show. With the beard and then the hair shave, Brooks really improved his role as Sisko.

So are there any seasons you've had a change of heart in? Earlier today I was looking at the number of episodes I liked from season 3 compared to season 6 (I still can't enjoy Valient and Profit and Lace unfortunately), and Season 3 had a higher total. I was a bit surprised by that.

 

[DS9forever]

I never used to really like season two until I got on DVD, but now I've really come to like it. I was pleased to hear Michael Piller listed it as one of his favorite Star Trek seasons. Plus just how much better it is than TNG season seven (made at the same time) is staggering.

 

[Captain Fine]

Avery Brooks also just looks hotter without the hair LOL.

 

[PorthosShadow]

I started watching DS9 from the beginning (again) and I have to admit I liked season one more than I did the last time and I realized the nearly getting through season 2, its similiar in tone to season one with one exception. The actors are more comfortable with their characters and the stories are a little more interesting. Though I will say the only episode I skipped in season 2 was "Invasive Procedures" I don't know why the one makes me uncomfortable but it does. Wierd because I usually like John Glover but I digress.

tomalak, I have to agree that Avery Brooks really seemed to come out of his shell in season 3. I noticed that in seasons 1 & 2 he really does speak softly most of the time. I really like his portrayal of the character more from season 3 and on as do I with the rest of the characters / cast.

 

[Captrek]

I just started re-watching the series myself. (Next up: “Duet.” I’m looking forward to that.) I must say that I like Avery Brooks’s lack of star power in Season 1. He’s recognizably human. Kirk, Picard, and Janeway were always portrayed as almost superhuman. Sisko isn’t like that. He’s very confident and competent — he didn’t rise to this rank by accident — but he seems more like a real person and less like the star of a TV show compared to who we usually get in the captain’s chair.

 

[flemm]

I just started re-watching the series myself. (Next up: “Duet.” I’m looking forward to that.) I must say that I like Avery Brooks’s lack of star power in Season 1. He’s recognizably human. Kirk, Picard, and Janeway were always portrayed as almost superhuman. Sisko isn’t like that. He’s very confident and competent — he didn’t rise to this rank by accident — but he seems more like a real person and less like the star of a TV show compared to who we usually get in the captain’s chair.

I think what you're refering to above is one of the strong points of the Sisko character overall, though I don't think it's a lack of star power exactly. Obviously Patrick Stewart is a tough act to follow, but I think Avery Brooks gives Sisko a roughly equivalent presence. It helps that he has an impressive voice as well.

The difference in my view is that, unlike Kirk, Picard and really Janeway as well, Sisko isn't married to his ship. He's good at his job, but you feel there is always more going on there, and that he could give it up to do something else pretty much any time. He has a family, for one thing. And then there is that whole Emissary thing

Sisko is probably the only Captain that I could easily imagine being just as happy doing something entirely different. It's his job, basically. An important one, sure. But still a job, at the end of the day. His destiny lies elsewhere

 

[Tulaberry whine]

The first time I saw it I loved season three. But on repeat viewings I've really come to loath large parts of it. In particular, there’s a real clumsiness to the writing and plotting during this season. The handling of the Dominion and The Founders in The Search, Heart of Stone and The Abandoned stand out in particular as bad (downright horrible really).

Moreover, the huge progress I felt the writers made in giving the show a style, voice and atmosphere distinct from TNG in season 2 appeared to be lost for the first half of the season - the episodes revert back to taking on a very beige, TNG-like ‘anomaly\alien of the week’ formula. They even feel and look like TNG episodes (and not necessarily good ones) ...

In contrast, my opinion of both season 2 and 7 has continued to rise. I think season 7 is helped by the fact that I can watch it now without the baggage of wanting every major plot point wrapped up 'now' or every episode to have a major arc revelation etc - in other words, I can enjoy it for what it is rather than what is wasn't.

 

[flemm]

The first time I saw it I loved season three. But on repeat viewings I've really come to loath large parts of it. In particular, there’s a real clumsiness to the writing and plotting during this season. The handling of the Dominion and The Founders in The Search, Heart of Stone and The Abandoned stand out in particular as bad (downright horrible really).

The Search does stand out to me as one of the big disappointments of DS9 taken as a whole. The basic revelation that the Founders are Odo's people is of course an important and interesting development (that we take for granted now), but overall I find these episodes underwhelming in the extreme.

The whole virtual reality device where you have a few shocking things happen that will later un-happen is just too tired and overused to be compelling.

Really the search for the Founders needed to be a more ambitious storyline covering a whole series of episodes, but the show wasn't ready to try something on that scale yet.