I grew up on TOS - came home from school every afternoon in the 70's and watched it on TV with my friends, etc. Saw all the movies in the theatre and watched TWOK about 70,000 times on HBO back in the day when HBO was the only cable game in town.
I was happy to see TNG come to the screen, although like others of my generation I was fearful that no one could ever replace the TOS crew. TNG was okay and I was happy to have it, especially at the time. I think we all felt that way - just grateful to have new Trek. But I don't think it has aged well at all, and the 1980's PC bull-ony really gets on my nerves now. So while I recognize TNG's place, I still much prefer TOS.
There are a number of reasons why I like DS9, however.
First, because I felt like it was a bold new step. After the first couple of seasons, DS9 is very much it's own show. No one can say Ira Behr & Co didn't take risks. No one can say they took the easy way out by making another 'do over' show. They did their own thing, and greatly expanded the Trek universe - arguably like no other show save the original. DS9 gave us several new races, it greately expanded our knowledge of several others, it gave us a new quadrant of space, and an intergalactic war, and for the first time in Trek, a continuing arc storyline. And finally, DS9 was the first show to really put it's money where it's mouth was with regard to women and minorities in command positions as part of the main cast.
Secondly, I love DS9 because I love the characters and the depth of the character development on this show. I love the main characters, for sure...but many of the recurring characters are so fully developed and interesting that they put many of the main characters in the other Trek shows to shame. Garak, Dukat, Damar, Rom, Nog, Winn, Weyoun, Martok - ALL of them where more fully developed than some of the central characters of VOY and ENT. And the central characters - WOW! You really can't beat the personal and quite detailed backstories given to Ben & Jake Sisko, Kira, Bashir, Dax (both) and Odo. And you also can't beat how they use those backstories to create interesting stories in the present, that fit quite well into the overall picture - like Sisko with the Emissary storyline, or Bashir with the Section 31 storyline.
You have charcters changing...growing....learning from their mistakes. And so in the end, you could DO stories like Kira teaching Damar how to be a freedom fighter.
You just don't get to see that sort of development anywhere else in Trek.
Thirdly, I love DS9 because it has grit. Some say it is the darkest and grittiest of the Trek shows, and I agree - and make NO apologies for that whatsoever. True, it is no BSG. But you can certainly see Ron Moore's progression toward the dark and gritty world of BSG during his work on DS9. TNG is for the most part a 'happy-shiny' Trek. But DS9 is NOT. And it's interesting that Ron Moore, after acquiring a taste for grit on DS9, just couldn't go back to 'happy-shiny' on VOY...and left that team after only a few episodes....only to end up running BSG....perhaps one of the darkest scifi shows ever made to-date.
Fourth, I love DS9 because of the writing in general. For the most part, the writing on this show was excellent. Sure, there were a few dud episodes...but even in most of those, the B-story was strong. And the thing was that this show took us new places with it's writing. I mean, where else do you get all the surprise plot twists of...say...Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast or In the Pale Moonlight????
Finally, I love DS9 because it brought back the non-utopian feel of TOS. Like TOS, it's central characters were not perfect. Evolved, perhaps. But not perfect like the TNG crew was portrayed. The heroes of both TOS and DS9 where flawed heroes...but heroes nonetheless. I liked that about them. It made them more accessable - more 'real'. It made them part of US. Part of ME. Because of this, I see the TOS crew as the Star Trek crew of my childhood...and the DS9 crew as the Star Trek crew of my adulthood. They are the ones I relate to most. The ones I care about most.
I was happy to see TNG come to the screen, although like others of my generation I was fearful that no one could ever replace the TOS crew. TNG was okay and I was happy to have it, especially at the time. I think we all felt that way - just grateful to have new Trek. But I don't think it has aged well at all, and the 1980's PC bull-ony really gets on my nerves now. So while I recognize TNG's place, I still much prefer TOS.
There are a number of reasons why I like DS9, however.
First, because I felt like it was a bold new step. After the first couple of seasons, DS9 is very much it's own show. No one can say Ira Behr & Co didn't take risks. No one can say they took the easy way out by making another 'do over' show. They did their own thing, and greatly expanded the Trek universe - arguably like no other show save the original. DS9 gave us several new races, it greately expanded our knowledge of several others, it gave us a new quadrant of space, and an intergalactic war, and for the first time in Trek, a continuing arc storyline. And finally, DS9 was the first show to really put it's money where it's mouth was with regard to women and minorities in command positions as part of the main cast.
Secondly, I love DS9 because I love the characters and the depth of the character development on this show. I love the main characters, for sure...but many of the recurring characters are so fully developed and interesting that they put many of the main characters in the other Trek shows to shame. Garak, Dukat, Damar, Rom, Nog, Winn, Weyoun, Martok - ALL of them where more fully developed than some of the central characters of VOY and ENT. And the central characters - WOW! You really can't beat the personal and quite detailed backstories given to Ben & Jake Sisko, Kira, Bashir, Dax (both) and Odo. And you also can't beat how they use those backstories to create interesting stories in the present, that fit quite well into the overall picture - like Sisko with the Emissary storyline, or Bashir with the Section 31 storyline.
You have charcters changing...growing....learning from their mistakes. And so in the end, you could DO stories like Kira teaching Damar how to be a freedom fighter.
You just don't get to see that sort of development anywhere else in Trek.
Thirdly, I love DS9 because it has grit. Some say it is the darkest and grittiest of the Trek shows, and I agree - and make NO apologies for that whatsoever. True, it is no BSG. But you can certainly see Ron Moore's progression toward the dark and gritty world of BSG during his work on DS9. TNG is for the most part a 'happy-shiny' Trek. But DS9 is NOT. And it's interesting that Ron Moore, after acquiring a taste for grit on DS9, just couldn't go back to 'happy-shiny' on VOY...and left that team after only a few episodes....only to end up running BSG....perhaps one of the darkest scifi shows ever made to-date.
Fourth, I love DS9 because of the writing in general. For the most part, the writing on this show was excellent. Sure, there were a few dud episodes...but even in most of those, the B-story was strong. And the thing was that this show took us new places with it's writing. I mean, where else do you get all the surprise plot twists of...say...Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast or In the Pale Moonlight????
Finally, I love DS9 because it brought back the non-utopian feel of TOS. Like TOS, it's central characters were not perfect. Evolved, perhaps. But not perfect like the TNG crew was portrayed. The heroes of both TOS and DS9 where flawed heroes...but heroes nonetheless. I liked that about them. It made them more accessable - more 'real'. It made them part of US. Part of ME. Because of this, I see the TOS crew as the Star Trek crew of my childhood...and the DS9 crew as the Star Trek crew of my adulthood. They are the ones I relate to most. The ones I care about most.
) and you ARE entitled to an opinion.
