DS 9 is the most cerebral series of them all

[mysticgeek]

I just want to say that DS 9 is my absolute favorite out of all of the series' from TOS to Enterprise, the new movies, even the cartoons.

It's dark, cerebral, fun, full of unforgettable characters, an incredible story arc that flows through all 7 seasons...I could go on and on, but I just wanted to say that.

Sure, there are lame one-offs, but overall it's incredibly solid.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

So say we all (us Niners at least ).

 

[Michael]

Yes, yes and yes. Although I would argue that some of the best episodes of the series – maybe even the best – have been the one-offs. “Duet”, “Our Man Bashir”, “Trials and Tribble-ations” or “The Visitor” are definitely amoung the best of the show and have mostly nothing to do with the story arc.

And then again, what is that story arc that ”flows through all 7 seasons”? Was there really anything like this?

 

[mysticgeek]

Yes, yes and yes. Although I would argue that some of the best episodes of the series – maybe even the best – have been the one-offs. “Duet”, “Our Man Bashir”, “Trials and Tribble-ations” or “The Visitor” are definitely amoung the best of the show and have mostly nothing to do with the story arc.

Yes, indeed there are some very good one-offs. The ones you mention I agree are very good.

 

[hux]

I'm a Voyagerette. Can't put my finger on why. It just has something that strongly appeals to me BUT there is no question that DS9 is the most complex, rich and adult show in the franchise. Maybe because they (eventually) explored darker themes and embraced ongoing storytelling for a large cast of characters.

 

[Shikarnov]

^ I don't think the darkness is what enriched DS9; I think it was the more complete exploration of the human condition. Star Trek, at its finest, has always been about us -- about who we are, what we believe, what we could be.

TOS, TNG, and to a lesser degree, Voyager, tended to explore these matters with the alien of the week. But that formula wasn't really plausible with DS9, and so after flailing around the first year or two, we started to see the characters themselves deepen.

We got to know them very well -- from Odo's and Kira's relationship, to the O'Brien's marital problems, to Sisko's grieving process over Jennifer and his internal struggles doing what must be done during war.

And when you have such well established characters, you're exploring more about them and their personalities; painting a complete picture of who they (and we) are and can become. DS9 is really beautiful in that regard.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Yes, yes and yes. Although I would argue that some of the best episodes of the series – maybe even the best – have been the one-offs. “Duet”, “Our Man Bashir”, “Trials and Tribble-ations” or “The Visitor” are definitely amoung the best of the show and have mostly nothing to do with the story arc.

Those episodes maybe didn't move forward any arc in particular, but they did delve into the characters and move them forward (or at least round them out more for the viewer)--which is something the DS9 did better than any other Trek series.

Personally, I think "Duet" is the best episode of all Trek, but that's just me.

 

[urbandefault]

"Cerebral." Ugh.

I'm a big fan of DS9, but I hate that word. It's the one word that almost killed Trek before it ever started, and it still amazes me that after all these years it's the one word fans grabbed and held on tight.

Love DS9, hate "cerebral."

 

[hux]

^ I don't think the darkness is what enriched DS9; I think it was the more complete exploration of the human condition.

That would be the darkness I was referring to. Nothing darker than looking inside. The other shows avoided it which is understandable considering the format.

 

[Relayer1]

Those episodes maybe didn't move forward any arc in particular, but they did delve into the characters and move them forward (or at least round them out more for the viewer)--which is something the DS9 did better than any other Trek series.

Personally, I think "Duet" is the best episode of all Trek, but that's just me.

It wasProgress for me. At that point I started to warm to Kira and get an idea that there might be some depth to the show. It had just been a bit dull until then.

It went on to become easily my favourite show...

 

[Zonker]

Yeah, I was also going to mention Progress. It might not have been the most interesting or memorable episode of Trek but that was the episode where I first thought "wow, they actually care about theses characters" and I knew in my gut that DS9 was going to be my favorite show eventually.

 

[Terok Nor]

I don't think DS9 is all that cerebral actually. It's not that deep, clever or complicated. It's pretty easy to digest. Some episodes of Next Generation and Voyager were mind boggling with all the techno mumbo jumbo. I still don't know what, if any of it, was based on actual science and what was a pile of gobbledeygook. I'd agree DS9 was the best written series but not because it was more intelligent than the others. I think the story arcs and character development due to it being set on a space station offered a rare opportunity to explore the characters and alien races on a continuing basis rather than just move on every week and reset everything.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I don't think DS9 was more cerebral than TOS or TNG, but its philosophy is the most layered. It works as kind of a response to TNG's philosophy, and asks if the idealist philosophy can survive out of its comfort zone.

 

[Kor]

and what was a pile of gobbledeygook.

All of it.

The scripts were littered with "tech" placeholders that were subsequently replaced with technobabble nonsense.

Kor

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I don't mind technobabble, so long as it's used for decoration and not to drive the story.

 

[urbandefault]

I know there was a thread about it somewhere, but I'm not going to resurrect it ...

In my current rewatch I've noticed that Terry Farrell has been front and center in a lot of episodes.. Others have disagreed, but I don't think her acting was bad at all. It's been said that she wanted a coach on set. Could the reason be that she just needed help with all the technobabble that she had to recite?

 

[mysticgeek]

I have to say, I just watched "The Ascent" and that is a great one, too. Not one of the best, but I like the dynamic between Quark and Odo and their love/hate relationship.

 

[Terok Nor]

I know there was a thread about it somewhere, but I'm not going to resurrect it ...

In my current rewatch I've noticed that Terry Farrell has been front and center in a lot of episodes.. Others have disagreed, but I don't think her acting was bad at all. It's been said that she wanted a coach on set. Could the reason be that she just needed help with all the technobabble that she had to recite?

I hadn't seen any criticisms of her acting until I joined the forum. I think she played the character well. One of the very few characters who had a fun personality. Everyone else was so serious it was nice to have characters like Dax and the Ferengi to balance things out.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Farrell was fine when Dax was in her usual 'Detached amusement' mode but had trouble giving any weight to emotional situations. Like the complex emotions in Dax when she was willing to fall on the sword to protect Curzon's lover's secret came off as apathy.

There's also some awkward moments you notice on repeat viewing. Like in Babel, she shouldn't have reacted like anything was wrong until people reacted to her nonsense words, but she reacted right when she started speaking them.

 

[urbandefault]

She's no worse than any of the rest of the cast.