Deep Space Nine Rewatch
- Thread starter tomalak301
- Start date
I just love the fact that captain Sisko thought , if he's going to hang around the bridge, I may as well give him a station on the bridge.
Just finished my rewatch, Have to say I have enjoyed the show a lot more a second time around.
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I am rewatching it at the moment It's still my favourite. I always seem to find bits I didn't pick up on the previous time.
I've resumed my DS9 rewatch this weekend. It's a little eerie how close to our times Homefront and Paradise Lost is to our current situation. I don't want to bring up Politics (and I'm not here to talk about Politics) but these episodes really do hit close to home. DS9 had a way to do that quite a bit. I wish more was done with the changlings on earth story though. It did feel like an afterthought as the series went on.
Return to Grace is also a good but awkward episode. Seeing Kira and Dukat work together never did feel right and I'm glad they got a better actress to play Zyial.
Return to Grace is also a good but awkward episode. Seeing Kira and Dukat work together never did feel right and I'm glad they got a better actress to play Zyial.
I wonder if there is an episode arc-line that shows the progression of Sisko becoming the Emissary. I know up to midway season 4, you have Emissary, Destiny, and now Accession and he is full on Emissary in Rapture. I wonder if there are any episodes I'm missing or what the other episodes are. If I do another rewatch of the series, I might do it in a theme format, so you have your Maquis episodes, Dominion War episodes, and Emissary episodes could be another theme.
Just a little update on my rewatch so far. I got up to To the Death last night. This is a decent episode, showing the differences in values between the Jem'Hadar and Starfleet, but it always bugged me that DS9's pylon was completely destroyed and it was good as new next episode. Other than that, it is a great follow up to the Iconian story from TNG's Contagion.
Speaking of next episode, The Quickening is probably my favorite Bashir episode of the series. Really excited to see it again.
Speaking of next episode, The Quickening is probably my favorite Bashir episode of the series. Really excited to see it again.
Finished Season 4 and watched Apocolypse Rising tonight. I'm now at the point in the series where I haven't seen these episodes in years so I'm excited. I had done a rewatch of the series maybe a year ago but I stopped, for some reason, at Apocolypse Rising. Now that I'm committed to this rewatch, (And I'm caught up with Arrow 
) I'm going to finish this series.
One thought on each episode I saw tonight:
The Quickening - Like I said, this is my favorite Bashir episode. We really get to see him as a Doctor and the hope you see at the end of the episode is one of those feel good moments.
Body Parts - I love the idea that the Rules of Acquisition were written as a marketing propaganda piece. That's so very much Ferengi.
Broken Link - I'd probably say this was one of the weaker finales in the series. It's still good because it circles back to Odo being the first changling to ever harm another, but it feels quieter, somehow.
Also, as an overall thought to Season 4, it's my second favorite season of the series, but doesn't it feel like a diversion to the rest of the series? You want to talk about misfires (And I'm liking reading that thread by the way), I would say a wasted opportunity was not doing more with the Klingon arc in Season 4. I mean you have Way of the Warrior, Rules of Engagement, and then Broken Link and I think those were the only deep Klingon episodes in this season. I don't want to include Sons of Mogh mainly because that's more of a Worf story, even though it does pay off a consequence of his decision in WOTW to side with the Federation. Still, it would have been nice to see more done in season four. Imagine an episode like Nor the Battle to the Strong in Season 4 rather than Bar Association or something. Maybe it also would have helped build the climax of Broken Link better.
Apocalypse Rising - I almost feel like this is the biggest Klingon episode of that entire arc, minus Way of the Warrior of course. We see the Klingons wanting to seize land they lost 400 years earlier and this episode and the bookends of Broken Link really do a nice job bringing us an update on the Klingon conflict. I also still like the revelation that Martok was the Changling, but I wonder the possibilities if it really was Gowron. Who would lead the Klingon Empire if Gowron was the Changling and would the conflict with the Federation end right then and there? Seems like the writers could have taken a risk there, but it did lead to seeing the real Martok in Purgatory/Light so that was a great plus.
Really looking forward to diving into season 5. There's so many episodes I love this season, like Nor the Battle to the Strong, Trials and Tribble-ations, Things Past, For the Uniform, The Begotten, In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light, Blaze of Glory, In the Cards and of course Call to Arms. Then there's the under appreciated shows like A Simple Investigation (It might be not as good, but I forgot what this episode is about), Doctor Bashir, I presume, Soldiers of the Empire, and Empok Nor. This is going to be really fun discovering this season again for the first time in over 3 years, I think.
) I'm going to finish this series. One thought on each episode I saw tonight:
The Quickening - Like I said, this is my favorite Bashir episode. We really get to see him as a Doctor and the hope you see at the end of the episode is one of those feel good moments.
Body Parts - I love the idea that the Rules of Acquisition were written as a marketing propaganda piece. That's so very much Ferengi.
Broken Link - I'd probably say this was one of the weaker finales in the series. It's still good because it circles back to Odo being the first changling to ever harm another, but it feels quieter, somehow.
Also, as an overall thought to Season 4, it's my second favorite season of the series, but doesn't it feel like a diversion to the rest of the series? You want to talk about misfires (And I'm liking reading that thread by the way), I would say a wasted opportunity was not doing more with the Klingon arc in Season 4. I mean you have Way of the Warrior, Rules of Engagement, and then Broken Link and I think those were the only deep Klingon episodes in this season. I don't want to include Sons of Mogh mainly because that's more of a Worf story, even though it does pay off a consequence of his decision in WOTW to side with the Federation. Still, it would have been nice to see more done in season four. Imagine an episode like Nor the Battle to the Strong in Season 4 rather than Bar Association or something. Maybe it also would have helped build the climax of Broken Link better.
Apocalypse Rising - I almost feel like this is the biggest Klingon episode of that entire arc, minus Way of the Warrior of course. We see the Klingons wanting to seize land they lost 400 years earlier and this episode and the bookends of Broken Link really do a nice job bringing us an update on the Klingon conflict. I also still like the revelation that Martok was the Changling, but I wonder the possibilities if it really was Gowron. Who would lead the Klingon Empire if Gowron was the Changling and would the conflict with the Federation end right then and there? Seems like the writers could have taken a risk there, but it did lead to seeing the real Martok in Purgatory/Light so that was a great plus.
Really looking forward to diving into season 5. There's so many episodes I love this season, like Nor the Battle to the Strong, Trials and Tribble-ations, Things Past, For the Uniform, The Begotten, In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light, Blaze of Glory, In the Cards and of course Call to Arms. Then there's the under appreciated shows like A Simple Investigation (It might be not as good, but I forgot what this episode is about), Doctor Bashir, I presume, Soldiers of the Empire, and Empok Nor. This is going to be really fun discovering this season again for the first time in over 3 years, I think.
I was watching The Ship last night and the circumstances that lead to this episode's message were terrible. So let me get this straight. This episode is about trust, but the Jem'Hadar assault the landing party and destroy the runabout in orbit all before the negotiations start. If they wanted the founder, they should have just asked and the episode is done in a half an hour, because I think Sisko would have made that trade. Sisko isn't heartless (Other than poisoning an atmosphere but that's for For the Uniform) but he had no reason to trust Kilana at all. Also, Worf is so out of character in this episode. The whole Klingon sitting by a dead body totally contradicts all the screaming they do to warn Sto'vo'kor a soul is on the way.
The episode wasn't all bad though. Kilana was an interesting character, (I'm glad we got another female vorta by the way) and the stuff with Munioz was the best part. Still, there's a lot in this episode that just doesn't work.
The episode wasn't all bad though. Kilana was an interesting character, (I'm glad we got another female vorta by the way) and the stuff with Munioz was the best part. Still, there's a lot in this episode that just doesn't work.
They were already given reasons not to though. The destruction of the runabout in orbit was reason enough for the negotiations to be futile.
Anway, continuing my DS9 rewatch I made it to Trials and Tribble-Ations tonight. Other than putting Kirk on a pedestal so high he can't be touched, I still really enjoy this episode. The work done to make it look authentic and bringing the original in to 1996 technology is still a remarkable feat. This really was a love letter to the Franchise for it's 30th anniversary.
I also watched Let He Who Is Without Sin tonight and while I don't hate it as much as others do, it's still not a good episode. Not really much to say other than that.
I watched Things Past last night. I still think it's one of the most underrated episodes of the series and it kind of lies in the shadow of necessary evil. I also forgot Kurtwood Smith was in this episode, which happened to be another episode about time. It's always fun to go back to Terok Nor and what this episode says about justice and order is really poignant.
This always bugged me as well, but, if I recall correctly, in the following ep the only establishing shots of the station they use are those that are tight on the center and exclude most of the pylons from the shot. I try to hold onto that as some minimal continuity -- "and this week they're rebuilding the pylon right outside the frame!"
(Yeah, it's a weak rationalization, I'm grasping at straws...)
God season 5 rocks. I watched Rapture and Darkness and the Light tonight. Rapture is the best Sisko as emissary episode and Darkness and the Light really tells the Kira in the resistance story. Visitor is still pregnant at this time but she is kicking all kinds of ass in this episode.
Ended up also watching The Begotten tonight. This was a good episode too but I wish more was done with Odo as a solid before they gave him back his shapeshifting abilities. It seemed like this was a missed opportunity (or another DS9 misfire for that thread). It's great to see Dr. Mora again.
One of the things I'm noticing about Season 5 is the callbacks to previous seasons so far. We've had Things Past, which is a lot like Necessary Evil. We have Rapture, which was a continuation of Sisko as Emissary arc that was started in the first episode (Hell, this whole episode was dealing with the mission of bringing Bajor into the federation), Darkness and the Light, which one could say is a callback to Duet, and now The Begotten with Dr. Mora coming back to the station. One of the big reasons why I consider Season 5 my favorite season in Star Trek was because this felt like a transition year for the series and the Star Trek Universe as a whole. We are transitioning from the Klingons, Maquis, and the internal conflicts of Bajor and Cardassia, and we are going into a bigger picture with the oncoming Dominion War and how the various races must work together to defeat the Dominion. This season is building up to that War and it feels like every episode is offering something that will impact that War in some way. The 24th century universe got bigger this year (And with Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, they were doing their own thing) and it was so much fun watching that transformation happen.
Ended up also watching The Begotten tonight. This was a good episode too but I wish more was done with Odo as a solid before they gave him back his shapeshifting abilities. It seemed like this was a missed opportunity (or another DS9 misfire for that thread). It's great to see Dr. Mora again.
One of the things I'm noticing about Season 5 is the callbacks to previous seasons so far. We've had Things Past, which is a lot like Necessary Evil. We have Rapture, which was a continuation of Sisko as Emissary arc that was started in the first episode (Hell, this whole episode was dealing with the mission of bringing Bajor into the federation), Darkness and the Light, which one could say is a callback to Duet, and now The Begotten with Dr. Mora coming back to the station. One of the big reasons why I consider Season 5 my favorite season in Star Trek was because this felt like a transition year for the series and the Star Trek Universe as a whole. We are transitioning from the Klingons, Maquis, and the internal conflicts of Bajor and Cardassia, and we are going into a bigger picture with the oncoming Dominion War and how the various races must work together to defeat the Dominion. This season is building up to that War and it feels like every episode is offering something that will impact that War in some way. The 24th century universe got bigger this year (And with Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, they were doing their own thing) and it was so much fun watching that transformation happen.
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Part of the point is that the Jem'Hadar and Vorta either didn't know that they could have just asked for the founder, or didn't believe the federation crew would just hand it over, or wouldn't want a dead god as a prize.
Worf sitting vigil may not be true to a Klingon, but Worf was raised by humans and the dead crew member is not a Klingon...so it sits fine. It also harkens back to Saaviks vigil by Spock in the Novelisations of ST 2 and other books, though I doubt that was an influence. It is about Worf bonding with the crew. Or...it's about trust. Worf goes against his Klingon side, because he is trusted to sit vigil though he is expected not to...a Klingon can be trusted by humans in what amounts to a religious ritual, despite not being human, and the Klingons were once enemies. The Dominion crew do not have that trust in the Federation crew....is that just down to their enmity? Or is it the lack of understanding?
The thing about the in-franchise Kirk worship is....he did save the home world. Twice. Without firing a shot, which lives up to federation ideals. That's before you get to things like Khitomer, or being a famous Starfleet captain and explorer, or the legacy of the name enterprise. The only other Captain who has similar claim to fame is Picard...and he's still alive, and hasn't passed into legend yet. (Kirk also has SFA campus fame for beating the Kobayashi Mary.) Sisko will have it to, but only really to BajorAns, and Riker will probably have his own fans because of Wolf 359....and I dare say Worf will feature heavily in Klingon history....but until we see a hundred years after these events, Kirk is the archetype for federation hero. (Of course, this should mean archer and his crew really can't do anything of note in Enterprise, but ironically TATV retcons him into making more sense, even if it disappoints in other ways.)
In Purgatory's Shadow & By Inferno's Light
When I started this rewatch, there were episodes I was looking forward to seeing again because I had not seen them in years. A lot of those episodes were from Season 5 and later because I had done a rewatch of Season 1-4 and for some reason stopped before watching The Ship. I have been binge watching Season 5 as if I was watching it for the first time this week because I was getting close to probably my favorite "big event" episode of the series. Yeah you have your In the Pale Moonlight's and your Visitor's, but these two episodes might have been the peek of Deep Space Nine. Like I said earlier, this was a season where we see the transition from the Klingon and Maquis conflict, and the internal workings of the Bajoran provisional government to how all these powers will now be interconnected with the upcoming Dominion War. We see Sisko's visions from Rapture actually coming to fruition, or at least part of the way, and when you're binge watching season 5, you start seeing these threads come together meticulously and that's why DS9 is such a well written and just a kick ass series. The attention to detail for these characters, these plots, and just the 24th century as a whole is top notch and entirely rewatchable, even if the twists are something you know going in.
I've mentioned Arrow a lot in this thread and I'm reminded how series now have a mid-season finale to take Christmas off. Now in 1997, there probably was no such thing as the midseason finale, but In Purgatory's Shadow would have been an amazing midseason finale. I mean you have Worf and Garak on Internment Camp 371, we find out Martok is still alive, we find out that Tain is Garak's father, and we find out that Bashir was a changeling. I remember when I first watched these episodes on DVD in 2003, I think my jaw hit the floor with all these revelations. You want an example of a show paying off some of it's storylines, look no further than In Purgatory's Shadow. These revelations hit you one after the other and they make so much sense when you think about the big picture. Then you have By Inferno's Light and the revelations continue in the first 5 minutes of the show: Dukat and Cardassia has joined the Dominion. Now that's how you answer a cliffhanger, with almost another cliffhanger right at the beginning of the episode. You see this stuff and you know this series is hitting on all cylinders at this point. To watch these episodes again, knowing what is still going to happen but still in awe of the writing is what makes DS9 stand the test of time. These two episodes rewarded the viewer for staying with the series better than any other series I can remember.
I probably rambling right now but I can't say enough how much these two episodes rocked. I mean if it weren't for the big events, you still have those smaller moments, like Kira's threat against Dukat, Dukat and Garak when he finds out Garak is seeing his Daughter, Zyiel's conversation with Quark speculating that the Vorta are sex maniacs, stuff like that.
One final thing I noticed about these episodes was how honorable everyone was. Worf and Garak's mutual respect for one another when they escape the camp is just like Garak and Odo's mutual respect at the end of Die is Cast. Worf physically put his life on the line to fight the Jem'Hadar, and Garak put his life on the line to face his fears and get the crew out of the camp. Watching these two characters in these episodes was really a beautiful journey and some great character development.
When it comes to the series as a whole, I think this is my favorite two parter. Yeah you have that little quip about the Runabout high on the asteroid, but I look past it because everything else was just really great. Not only that, but we're on the road to the Dominion War and the final 2 and a half seasons of the series. In Purgatory's Shadow and By Inferno's Light, when all is said and done from my perspective, might be the very best that DS9 had to offer. Amazing episodes and I had so much fun revisiting them tonight.
When I started this rewatch, there were episodes I was looking forward to seeing again because I had not seen them in years. A lot of those episodes were from Season 5 and later because I had done a rewatch of Season 1-4 and for some reason stopped before watching The Ship. I have been binge watching Season 5 as if I was watching it for the first time this week because I was getting close to probably my favorite "big event" episode of the series. Yeah you have your In the Pale Moonlight's and your Visitor's, but these two episodes might have been the peek of Deep Space Nine. Like I said earlier, this was a season where we see the transition from the Klingon and Maquis conflict, and the internal workings of the Bajoran provisional government to how all these powers will now be interconnected with the upcoming Dominion War. We see Sisko's visions from Rapture actually coming to fruition, or at least part of the way, and when you're binge watching season 5, you start seeing these threads come together meticulously and that's why DS9 is such a well written and just a kick ass series. The attention to detail for these characters, these plots, and just the 24th century as a whole is top notch and entirely rewatchable, even if the twists are something you know going in.
I've mentioned Arrow a lot in this thread and I'm reminded how series now have a mid-season finale to take Christmas off. Now in 1997, there probably was no such thing as the midseason finale, but In Purgatory's Shadow would have been an amazing midseason finale. I mean you have Worf and Garak on Internment Camp 371, we find out Martok is still alive, we find out that Tain is Garak's father, and we find out that Bashir was a changeling. I remember when I first watched these episodes on DVD in 2003, I think my jaw hit the floor with all these revelations. You want an example of a show paying off some of it's storylines, look no further than In Purgatory's Shadow. These revelations hit you one after the other and they make so much sense when you think about the big picture. Then you have By Inferno's Light and the revelations continue in the first 5 minutes of the show: Dukat and Cardassia has joined the Dominion. Now that's how you answer a cliffhanger, with almost another cliffhanger right at the beginning of the episode. You see this stuff and you know this series is hitting on all cylinders at this point. To watch these episodes again, knowing what is still going to happen but still in awe of the writing is what makes DS9 stand the test of time. These two episodes rewarded the viewer for staying with the series better than any other series I can remember.
I probably rambling right now but I can't say enough how much these two episodes rocked. I mean if it weren't for the big events, you still have those smaller moments, like Kira's threat against Dukat, Dukat and Garak when he finds out Garak is seeing his Daughter, Zyiel's conversation with Quark speculating that the Vorta are sex maniacs, stuff like that.
One final thing I noticed about these episodes was how honorable everyone was. Worf and Garak's mutual respect for one another when they escape the camp is just like Garak and Odo's mutual respect at the end of Die is Cast. Worf physically put his life on the line to fight the Jem'Hadar, and Garak put his life on the line to face his fears and get the crew out of the camp. Watching these two characters in these episodes was really a beautiful journey and some great character development.
When it comes to the series as a whole, I think this is my favorite two parter. Yeah you have that little quip about the Runabout high on the asteroid, but I look past it because everything else was just really great. Not only that, but we're on the road to the Dominion War and the final 2 and a half seasons of the series. In Purgatory's Shadow and By Inferno's Light, when all is said and done from my perspective, might be the very best that DS9 had to offer. Amazing episodes and I had so much fun revisiting them tonight.
