Deep Space Nine Rewatch

[tomalak301]

In some ways I feel like you can assess the overall quality of an early DS9 episode by the standard of "Could they have done exactly the same plot on TNG?"

Babel: Yes
Captive Pursuit: No.

That's a good point. I don't mind TNG type of episodes, mainly because I like TNG and I just got done with Voyager which many have called TNG lite. The thing is I'm not sure if the DS9 actors were able to carry it off until they got deeper into the roles and characterization. Episodes like Man Alone and Babel come across as boring while if those same episodes were done in other series I would probably like them better.

Also I'm trying not to bash the series because starting with Duet this thread might become a love fest for all things DS9 moving forward.

 

[DonIago]

Oh, I think it's generally agreed that early DS9 got off to a rocky start...though I'd say less rocky than early TNG or ENT.

 

[tomalak301]

Oh, I think it's generally agreed that early DS9 got off to a rocky start...though I'd say less rocky than early TNG or ENT.

I think I liked early Enterprise more than DS9 though.

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

1-05 Babel

This could've been better, as the concept of an aphasic virus is interesting. Unfortunately it devolves into the clichéd "race against the clock" plot, with the all too predictable Trek Insta-cure™ at the end. All this combined with the extra threat of an obnoxious freighter captain trying to leave.

Since we know that everyone on the station isn't going to die, the suspense just isn't there. They should have realized that and concentrated on other elements of the story.

But I enjoyed the Odo and Quark scenes, especially when Quark came to help out at Ops.

A slightly below average grade of 4 from me.


1-06 Captive Pursuit

I know that the plot isn't all that sophisticated or novel, but I liked Captive Pursuit nonetheless. What makes this an enjoyable episode is the nice interactions and camaraderie between O'Brien and Tosk. They had great chemistry and it was a treat to watch.

I especially appreciated the fact that O'Brien decided to ignore Starfleet protocol and actually help Tosk escape, thus allowing the hunt to continue. It was also nice to see Sisko giving his implicit approval after the fact, and that Odo caught up on it even if it was never spelled out. And of course Sisko had to chew out the Chief in the end, as he had to as C.O. but his heart wasn't really into it, which is as it should be.

This also points to the absurd interpretation of the Prime Directive they have on 24th century Trek. It should be there to protect pre-warp societies, not a general "turn a blind eye" to alien societies with questionable practices.

I might be going out on a limb when I give this episode an above average grade of 7, but I really liked it for what it was.

 

[DonIago]

^Regarding your comment about the PD and "questionable practices"...who would define what constitutes a "questionable practice"?

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

^ James T. Kirk for one

 

[tomalak301]

Q-Less

I see an episode like Q-Less and I wonder what a DS9 Q episode would have been had it been something like Death Wish or Tapestry. Heck, I actually wonder if Death Wish would have been a better DS9 episode than Voyager episode. Basically, take any serious Q episode and see if that would have worked on a show like Deep Space Nine instead of what we got, which was a cliche ridden repetitive plot featuring yet more TNG appearances. There were things I did like about this episode, like the Auction, Q from the auction scenes to the end, and seeing the creature thing expand and head towards the wormhole at the end. Other than that, this episode was another average show in a first season of average shows.

Dax

Now this is an episode I really like. Because I'm doing this as a rewatch, I was thinking about the themes of the episode about what if the crimes of past hosts affect the current host and I was thinking about Joran Dax. We know he was a killer, but because of that if the past crimes did affect the symbiont, wouldn't the symbiont have to be terminated? Of course it was all a cover up by the Trill anyway, but it did make me wonder what Trill would say about past crimes and the symbiotic relationship in their society. As for this episode, one of the more annoying facets I've come to realize is this is a Dax episode but Dax really doesn't do much. Still, this is a great episode exploring what it means to be a joined trill and I've always liked the Arbitrator. I honestly wish we could have seen her again.

 

[tomalak301]

The Passenger

I'm going to defend The Passenger here. The only thing bad about this episode was Bashir being a villian, which was so over the top I thought it could pass as laughable. However, that was the last 10 minutes of the episode. The previous 35 was actually pretty good, especially the stuff between Primmen and Odo. Loved that scene where Odo confronts Sisko about having jurisdiction over security measures and Sisko didn't play a hard ass. I guess that's one of the things I really like about him. He's tough, but he respects the people under him almost as equals rather than subordinates. Is this a highlight of season 1? Not really, but it's nowhere near as bad as an episode like Q-Less or A Man Alone.

Move Along Home

Everyone sing:

Allamaraine, Count to four
Allamaraine, than three more
Allamaraine if you can see
Allamaraine, you'll come with me.



On a serious note, I don't think this is the worst episode of DS9. I think it's unintentionally funny. I mean you have Kira probably echoing Nana Visitor when she said "This is not what I signed up for". You have Quark groveling on the floor which I thought was the funniest scene in the episode. You have that stupid rhyme which I think could embarrass anyone. I mean yeah this episode is not good but if you don't laugh at it's preposterous-ness, than something might be wrong. I do admit though I am really glad we didn't have to see the Wadi again. I think they show up again in one of the novels (Rising Son?) and they are used much better there than here. At least one of the things this season of DS9 is doing is giving the Gamma Quadrant some personality. We've met the Tosk and the Wadi. Would have been interesting to visit the home worlds of one of those aliens.

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

1-07 Q-Less

Gah! The obnoxious Q shows up and it becomes pretty clear that he has no place on this particular incarnation of the franchise. I got a chuckle when Sisko punched him in the face though. "Jean-Luc would never do that!"

The threat to the station was far too predictable and I hated the copious amounts of technobabble spouted here. Even Q made a joke about that.

The only redeeming thing about Q-Less was Vash. Aside from the fact that she's quite hot I've always found her a nice break from the all too perfect, evolved stiffs that apparently make up the bulk of humanity in this century. She even managed to bring out certain hidden qualities in the über-stiff Picard when she was on TNG.

Alas, I have to grade this episode at 2-. DS9's worst so far.


1-08 Dax

In a lot of ways I liked this episode. First of all it was a great excuse for us to learn more about how the Trill symbiots work (even if it contradicts what was once established on TNG). The "courtroom" scenes were also nice and compelling to watch. I liked the no-nonsense Bajoran arbiter lady, and how everyone one on Sisko's team pulled together and worked to free Dax.

I wasn't really surprised at the revelations about the old general, or that Curzon Dax had been his wife's lover. I noticed the she was played by Fionnula Flanagan, who played ambassador V'Lar on ENT. And of course Gregory Itzin (Sopek, admiral Black) as her son.

It is unfortunate then, that I couldn't get emotionally involved in the fate of Jadzia Dax. I don't know why but I find that she's not that interesting as a character. She's just so bland. I realize that Terry Farrell is a beautiful woman, but she comes of as really dull. From what I remember from the rest of season one that isn't going to change, but I hope it will in later seasons. As it stands now, she's my least favourite among the regular characters.

I'd grade it as slightly above average of 6. Had it not been for Jadzia I wouldn't have said "slightly" and it might have jumped up a grade.


1-09 The Passenger

Another bad mystery story on DS9! This was rather boring and predictable. As soon as the villain put his hands around Bashir's throat I knew that something bad would happen to the doctor, and when it was revealed that the villain was still at large I knew that it was "Bashir". Yawn! It would've been better had it actually been the security officer who had been possessed.

I hated the technobabble solution to eventually bring back Bashir's personality. And Siddig's performance while possessed was quite bad.

The conflict between Odo and the Starfleet security guy was all that was really interesting and Sisko had a good hand in defusing the situation.

But overall I didn't like this one. It gets a very below average grade of 3.


1-10 Move Along Home

My God, this was truly terrible! What a waste of an hour. It was cringe-worthy on almost every level and I felt sorry for the poor actors who had to go through this. Alamaraine, pfft! The plot makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Exactly how did the senior officers become pawns in a game, and where were they?

Move Along Home moves right along to the bottom of the barrel. An awful episode that only gets a 1 on my 10-graded scale.

 

[Anna Yolei]

I feel ya on Jadzia. I mean, she's no Travis Mayweather, but if they'd have introduced Ezri in season four, it wouldn't have been the worst decision they ever made on the show.

Q-Less is even more painful to sit through than his Voyager outings. At least Q Jr makes Neelix's vocal cords disappear, which is a far more valuable contribution than anything he did in that episode. DS9 gets exponentially better once they stop with the TNG references.

 

[Anna Yolei]

I found Kira in the early episodes almost needlessly abrasive, but I can understand that as the character has suffered a lot during the resistance against the Cardassians, but even when Sisko is actively helping she bites his head off.

though I loved that O'Brien had a starring role after being in TNG for so long

At the risk of going political, early series Kira makes a lot more sense to me in light of BLM.

 

[tomalak301]

I feel ya on Jadzia. I mean, she's no Travis Mayweather, but if they'd have introduced Ezri in season four, it wouldn't have been the worst decision they ever made on the show.

That could have been a pretty good idea actually. I did like Jadzia, but I also liked Ezri, mainly because Ezri had to deal with those inner demons of being forced to join and that was a very interesting character arc that could have been given more time had they actually had the time. What they did with Ezri, I wish they could have done it with Jadzia some how. I mean we don't even know Jadzia's last name, but I guess once you're joined you drop the last night and take the symbiont name? Also, did Jadzia have any family and why weren't they invited to her Wedding.

 

[Anna Yolei]

I don't think the Trill had last names unless one is joined. I don't think Ezri's family had one.

 

[tomalak301]

I don't think the Trill had last names unless one is joined. I don't think Ezri's family had one.

Her name was Ezri Tigan, as we find out from the episode "Prodigal Daughter".

 

[Seven of Five]

I think that Q-Less is pretty drab, and is one of the worst uses of Q by far. I enjoyed Vash and Picard's relationship on TNG, and never understood why she reappeared on DS9. Meh.

I always enjoy Dax, as it was pretty good at giving out some clues regarding the Trill species and how things work when the symbiont is passed on. Plus I always like Fionnula Flanagan in everything she pops up in.

I think The Passenger is average, and it isn't helped by Siddig's acting at the end. Meh again.

Move Along Home is one that I really have to be in the mood for it. The best part of the episode is the song, as I just love the frustration in Kira's voice when she sings it. Allamaraine!

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Oh, I just simply adore Ezri Dax. She's just so darn cute (like Nicole De Boer). I think she's my second favourite Trek babe (after T'Pol of course).

I wish she'd been on board much sooner, but they did put her character to good use in the last season.

 

[tomalak301]

Oh, I just simply adore Ezri Dax. She's just so darn cute (like Nicole De Boer). I think she's my second favourite Trek babe (after T'Pol of course).

I wish she'd been on board much sooner, but they did put her character to good use in the last season.

Anyone who puts Worf and the Klingon empire in their place is good in my book. I've gained more appreciation for Ezri than when I originally saw the series. The thing is I haven't seen the full series in so long, that's why I'm doing this rewatch. I know I just started, but I'm looking forward to seeing Ezri again.

 

[davejames]

You can definitely feel the writers struggling in that first season to find something interesting to DO with the show. You get the sense they thought simply having the occasional conflict with random Klingons or Cardassians or aliens from the Wormhole would be enough, or that they were going to get more mileage out of having Bajorans and Starfleet officers working together.

Still though, even if all the stories weren't that great, the characters still come across as much more interesting and complex than anything we saw from TNG early on, and visually the show was a whole lot more interesting to look at as well, with the directors being a lot more creative in how they shot the station sets versus the bland TNG sets (where it seemed like the bridge was shot from the exact same angles in nearly every episode).

 

[tomalak301]

The Negus

Every time I watch DS9, I gain more appreciation for the Ferengi episodes. DS9 did a great job turning them from annoying aliens we saw in TNG to an actual race in the Alpha Quadrant and their arc really decent. This I guess could be the start of it, when we first see Zek. I can take or leave Zek. Most of the time I find him annoying but when he's a leader of the Farengi Alliance, he's a pretty good leader. This episode has him visiting Quark for the first time and making Quark Negus to lead the Farengi to new ventures in the Gamma Quadrant. This plot was enjoyable in a fun kind of way. Loved seeing Quark fearing his life and then when we see that it was Krax and Rom, that was always a surprise. I wonder why we never saw Krax again. I wonder what he said when Zek and Ishka started seeing each other and Zek started to reform Farenginaar.

There was also the plot with Jake and Nog which I just thought was nice. There isn't much to say other than I still like this friendship but there was a scene I did think was funny. It was when Ben was just sitting down for dinner and Dax comes him and starts digging in, especially after Ben leaves.

Vortex

The first good Odo episode of the series. We learn a little bit about the Changelings, and considering what we know, Croden was somewhat accurate when talking about them. It's a shame we never saw the key again, but other than that, this was a very enjoyable episode too. For a season that's been slightly below average, things are starting to pick up a little bit.

 

[retroenzo]

It shows Odo as security chief, but I found it really distracting mainly because of Odo's voice. I know this was the real second episode that was filmed, but I never understood why Odo's voice was so different in this one over every other episode, including Emissary.

That bugs me about this episode too! I kept wondering if it was someone other than Odo talking. Especially when Odo's the prime suspect and possibly involved in some sort of split personality so I did wonder if it was a clue to that in hindsight.