First time watching DS9
- Thread starter Rahul
- Start date
Yes! The difference being that Colm Meaney pulls it off erffortless. Being an otherwise well developed character certainly helps. In fact I have the suspicion that the writers switched a lot of technobabble from Dax over to O'Brien: In the beginning he was just the 'repair guy' and Jadzia the 'science guy'. Now O'Brien has to talk about space physics, too.
Siddig's performance definitely became more varied and complex as the series went on. Bashir ended up being an excellent barometer for the overall mood. Farrell tended either to play the devil's advocate or the playful imp. Unfortunately, it seems that Jadzia Dax became more essential even as the actor's performance hadn't improved significantly toward the end.
Please do continue! I have just read through your S1 reviews and really enjoyed your perspectives on the series thus far!!
Oh boy!
It's a long time since I last wrote something here. But now I finally got some time, here are my next few reviews! This time, season 2 of Star Trek Deep Space Nine begins! With a big story arc, that continues the thematically arc that started at the end of season 1.
It's a long time since I last wrote something here. But now I finally got some time, here are my next few reviews! This time, season 2 of Star Trek Deep Space Nine begins! With a big story arc, that continues the thematically arc that started at the end of season 1.
The Homecoming
Synopsis
One of Quarks shady contacts (we don't learn who) manages to smuggle a Bajoran earring to Kira. She learns that after the war the Cardassians still hold Bajorans as prisoners. She decides to do a John Rambo and teams up with O'Brien to save them. Between them is a famous Bajoran resistance movement leader. After the rescue mission Kira learns she should be transferred away from the station. Dun dun dunnn.
Review
It's very hard to say something about this episode. It doesn't stand on it's own, it's clearly designed to start a few plot threads. Although not many: the circle isn't introduced untill the next episode, this episode basically only introduces the Bajoran war hero, the animosity to the Federation and that Kira should be transferred. The rescue mission covers most of the episode, but the episode is not really about the rescue mission, since it comes nearly out of nowhere and completely works as planned. All in all this episode is a bit thin on the plot side, but fun to watch. It's clearly more like the first act of a play and not like the first of a two-parter, because it only introduces us to a new situation, not a new plot. And in this regards it works: I immediately wanted to watch the next part.
Pros
-The Cardassian prison camp is not just a set: They shot on location, and it really pays off visually.
-The long distance phaser battle on the outside between Kira, O'Brien and the Cardassians worked really well.
-Cardassians! And Gul Dukat makes a small apperance. He still has not much of a character (as he always appears as the antagonist on the viewscreen), but it's very nice to see a recurring adversary.
-The conversation between Sisko and Dax seemed really personal: it's the first time you actually get the feeling they are indeed old friends!
-Sisko plays with the Baseball from 'If wishes were horses'. His love for Baseball becomes a recurring character trait and not just a hobby of the week.
-Jake has a date with a Bajoran girl that she cancells because of the tension between Bajorans and the Federation. This really makes the political situation palpable and very personal.
-Thematically, it follows last seasons ending on the relationship between the Bajorans and Starfleet.
Cons
-The episode is actually very thin on plot and surprises. The whole rescue mission works completely as planned, and Kira being transferred is not that thrilling as a cliff hanger.
-The episode really doesn't stand much on it's own. It's not a singular episode in a longer arc, it's just the framework for an arc being layed down.
-Kira fooling the Cardassian patrol was very silly (although a nice callback to Star Trek VI)
-The Bajorans seem really racist in this episode...
Grade
6/10
A bit thin on the plot and slow in development, but very fun to watch (mostly for the rescue mission)
Synopsis
One of Quarks shady contacts (we don't learn who) manages to smuggle a Bajoran earring to Kira. She learns that after the war the Cardassians still hold Bajorans as prisoners. She decides to do a John Rambo and teams up with O'Brien to save them. Between them is a famous Bajoran resistance movement leader. After the rescue mission Kira learns she should be transferred away from the station. Dun dun dunnn.
Review
It's very hard to say something about this episode. It doesn't stand on it's own, it's clearly designed to start a few plot threads. Although not many: the circle isn't introduced untill the next episode, this episode basically only introduces the Bajoran war hero, the animosity to the Federation and that Kira should be transferred. The rescue mission covers most of the episode, but the episode is not really about the rescue mission, since it comes nearly out of nowhere and completely works as planned. All in all this episode is a bit thin on the plot side, but fun to watch. It's clearly more like the first act of a play and not like the first of a two-parter, because it only introduces us to a new situation, not a new plot. And in this regards it works: I immediately wanted to watch the next part.
Pros
-The Cardassian prison camp is not just a set: They shot on location, and it really pays off visually.
-The long distance phaser battle on the outside between Kira, O'Brien and the Cardassians worked really well.
-Cardassians! And Gul Dukat makes a small apperance. He still has not much of a character (as he always appears as the antagonist on the viewscreen), but it's very nice to see a recurring adversary.
-The conversation between Sisko and Dax seemed really personal: it's the first time you actually get the feeling they are indeed old friends!
-Sisko plays with the Baseball from 'If wishes were horses'. His love for Baseball becomes a recurring character trait and not just a hobby of the week.
-Jake has a date with a Bajoran girl that she cancells because of the tension between Bajorans and the Federation. This really makes the political situation palpable and very personal.
-Thematically, it follows last seasons ending on the relationship between the Bajorans and Starfleet.
Cons
-The episode is actually very thin on plot and surprises. The whole rescue mission works completely as planned, and Kira being transferred is not that thrilling as a cliff hanger.
-The episode really doesn't stand much on it's own. It's not a singular episode in a longer arc, it's just the framework for an arc being layed down.
-Kira fooling the Cardassian patrol was very silly (although a nice callback to Star Trek VI)
-The Bajorans seem really racist in this episode...
Grade
6/10
A bit thin on the plot and slow in development, but very fun to watch (mostly for the rescue mission)
The Circle
Synopsis
A whole new army of minor Bajoran characters get's introduced. Gul Putin secretely equips Bajoran rebels from 'the circle' with weapons so they could occupy the Crimea peninsula and overthrough the Bajoran gouvernement, all because the Cremlin wants Bajor to be controlled by the Cardassian Soviet Union again. Kira is invited to Vedek Bareils monastry, gets captured by the circle, learns that the leader of the civil gouvernement is the leader of the circle, and later gets rescued by our heroes.
Review
This should have really been a two-parter. The whole arc has a whole lot of characters, locations, many subplots, special effects and different sets. All of which is very expensive. Probably because of this they stretched the plot over three episodes (instead of two) to get more budget. And this is the episode where it really shows. It has no beginning, no conclusion, and the plot seems awfully stretched out. And we got way to many guest characters, a lot of whom have appeared only once before (Vedek Winn and Bareil) but who aren't re-introduced in this episode. We are just expected to know who everybody is (and who has which agenda). Which wouldn't be a problem if they weren't all THAT boring and similar.
Despite all of this, the episode is still fun to watch, continues the plot threads from the previous episode and moves at a fast pace.
Pros
-part of a bigger arc
-fun to watch
-We learn Odo has a crush on Kira. I can relate.
-When Kira is introduced to the Orb by Vedek Bareil it's a touching religious moment. Sadly, it's immediately followed by a very distracting and badly done vision from the prophets.
-A phaser battle! (When Kira is saved from the circle)
Cons
-I don't know what the writers were going for in Kira's farewell scene in the beginning (the one were one character after the other pops up to say goodbye): It wasn't funny (at all!), it was not emotional, we all knew she would reappear soon, and it kept. on. going. and. going. For WAY to long. Also, the departure of Kira shouldn't be that big an event in the first place. Our heroes have worked together for only one year before. They are members of different military organisations. Officers get transferred on a regular basis. They should have said goodbye, promised to visit each other in the future and tell it was an honour working with each other. End of that. The drama should have been that WE don't want Kira to depart. Not her colleagues.
-The Bajoran resistance leader from the previous episode really has not much to do in this one (So little in fact that I don't even feel the need to look up his name).
-Odo's investigation methods are highly illegal and unethical (But not so much that I would hand out a Dr. Evil-award).
-Again, important plot points come from Quarks 'contacts'. A very lame trick on part of the writers, where important plot details are introduced without bothering to tell a coherent story (from WHERE comes the info? HOW? And WHY? And why NOW?). Also, Odo forces Quark to become a deputy because of this. A scene which makes no sense, goes nowhere and is not enjoyable.
-How the hell did Odo learn where the circle has their headquarters so that they could rescue Kira??? Again, Quarks contacts...
-Okay: The circle's logo. It looks unimpressive. We never heard of the circle before, they are introduced here, so we judge them by their first appereance, and hence by their logo. And it's dull. I don't know if they were going for a meaningful symbol like a swastika or the 'V' of the french resistance movement, but if so, they completely failed. It looks more like something teenagers would spray on a subway train. My first reaction wasn't "gosh, there are revolutionaries on the station", but "where are Jake and Nog?"
-There are WAY to many Bajoran characters: We have Vedek Bareil, Vedek Winn, the former resistance hero, the Bajoran prime minister, the military leader, plus all their assistances. And ALL OF THEM are white dudes (except Winn) with an incredible slow and monotone speaking pattern. They are boring as hell. And hadn't I watched 'In the hands of the prophets' before I wouldn't know who half of them are or on what side they are.
-The phaser fight in the cave looked incredibly staged. Especially compared to the fight in the previous episode. It's funny how much action in television has improved in the last 20 years.
-The Bajoran minister leading the circle doesn't make a lick of sense. There has never in the history of ever been a civil leader that stages a coup d'Etat against himself.
Awards:
Golden Goldshirt-Award
Two Bajoran goldshirts (but still DS9 personal) get shot in the belly during the rescue of Kira.
Cave set counter: #1
All modern Star Trek series make extensive use of a big studio cave set. I have decided to count them. This time, the Bajoran movement 'the circle' has their headquarter in the cave set where they hold Kira hostage.
Grade
4/10
Storywise a disappointment. But it continues an interesting arc with a fast pace and has a few good character moments.
Synopsis
A whole new army of minor Bajoran characters get's introduced. Gul Putin secretely equips Bajoran rebels from 'the circle' with weapons so they could occupy the Crimea peninsula and overthrough the Bajoran gouvernement, all because the Cremlin wants Bajor to be controlled by the Cardassian Soviet Union again. Kira is invited to Vedek Bareils monastry, gets captured by the circle, learns that the leader of the civil gouvernement is the leader of the circle, and later gets rescued by our heroes.
Review
This should have really been a two-parter. The whole arc has a whole lot of characters, locations, many subplots, special effects and different sets. All of which is very expensive. Probably because of this they stretched the plot over three episodes (instead of two) to get more budget. And this is the episode where it really shows. It has no beginning, no conclusion, and the plot seems awfully stretched out. And we got way to many guest characters, a lot of whom have appeared only once before (Vedek Winn and Bareil) but who aren't re-introduced in this episode. We are just expected to know who everybody is (and who has which agenda). Which wouldn't be a problem if they weren't all THAT boring and similar.
Despite all of this, the episode is still fun to watch, continues the plot threads from the previous episode and moves at a fast pace.
Pros
-part of a bigger arc
-fun to watch
-We learn Odo has a crush on Kira. I can relate.
-When Kira is introduced to the Orb by Vedek Bareil it's a touching religious moment. Sadly, it's immediately followed by a very distracting and badly done vision from the prophets.
-A phaser battle! (When Kira is saved from the circle)
Cons
-I don't know what the writers were going for in Kira's farewell scene in the beginning (the one were one character after the other pops up to say goodbye): It wasn't funny (at all!), it was not emotional, we all knew she would reappear soon, and it kept. on. going. and. going. For WAY to long. Also, the departure of Kira shouldn't be that big an event in the first place. Our heroes have worked together for only one year before. They are members of different military organisations. Officers get transferred on a regular basis. They should have said goodbye, promised to visit each other in the future and tell it was an honour working with each other. End of that. The drama should have been that WE don't want Kira to depart. Not her colleagues.
-The Bajoran resistance leader from the previous episode really has not much to do in this one (So little in fact that I don't even feel the need to look up his name).
-Odo's investigation methods are highly illegal and unethical (But not so much that I would hand out a Dr. Evil-award).
-Again, important plot points come from Quarks 'contacts'. A very lame trick on part of the writers, where important plot details are introduced without bothering to tell a coherent story (from WHERE comes the info? HOW? And WHY? And why NOW?). Also, Odo forces Quark to become a deputy because of this. A scene which makes no sense, goes nowhere and is not enjoyable.
-How the hell did Odo learn where the circle has their headquarters so that they could rescue Kira??? Again, Quarks contacts...
-Okay: The circle's logo. It looks unimpressive. We never heard of the circle before, they are introduced here, so we judge them by their first appereance, and hence by their logo. And it's dull. I don't know if they were going for a meaningful symbol like a swastika or the 'V' of the french resistance movement, but if so, they completely failed. It looks more like something teenagers would spray on a subway train. My first reaction wasn't "gosh, there are revolutionaries on the station", but "where are Jake and Nog?"
-There are WAY to many Bajoran characters: We have Vedek Bareil, Vedek Winn, the former resistance hero, the Bajoran prime minister, the military leader, plus all their assistances. And ALL OF THEM are white dudes (except Winn) with an incredible slow and monotone speaking pattern. They are boring as hell. And hadn't I watched 'In the hands of the prophets' before I wouldn't know who half of them are or on what side they are.
-The phaser fight in the cave looked incredibly staged. Especially compared to the fight in the previous episode. It's funny how much action in television has improved in the last 20 years.
-The Bajoran minister leading the circle doesn't make a lick of sense. There has never in the history of ever been a civil leader that stages a coup d'Etat against himself.
Awards:
Golden Goldshirt-Award
Two Bajoran goldshirts (but still DS9 personal) get shot in the belly during the rescue of Kira.
Cave set counter: #1
All modern Star Trek series make extensive use of a big studio cave set. I have decided to count them. This time, the Bajoran movement 'the circle' has their headquarter in the cave set where they hold Kira hostage.
Grade
4/10
Storywise a disappointment. But it continues an interesting arc with a fast pace and has a few good character moments.
The Siege
Synopsis
The Bajoran military leads the Coup d'Etat and takes over DS9. Sisko, O'Brien, Bashir, the Bajoran war hero and John McLane hide in the vents of DS9 and resist the occupiers. Kira and Dax try to get to the Bajoran civil gouvernement to present proof that the Coup is orchestrated by the Cardassians.
Review
The big conclusion to the 'circle' arc. And it's an alien takeover story. On the other series the starship is taken over every other week. But on DS9 this is a really big event. And all about the takeover works really well. What doesn't are the conclusions from the plot threads from the previous episodes. But more on that later.
Pros
-The episode feels big. The Bajoran warships approaching, the evacuation of all non-Bajoran personal and visitors of DS9 is a huge event, and some of the Starfleet personal staying behind and our main characters saying farewell to each other really hits home the importance of the events.
-The Starfleet personal crawling through the inner workings of DS9 has a good 'Die Hard'-feeling to it. The duell with the Bajoran military is both technological and psychological.
-I really like the interactions between Kira and Dax on their voyage to Bajor. Dax is afraid of the big dog-spider on Bajors moon, and Kira is a hardened resistance fighter.
-When they fly to Bajor there is a very nice starfighter battle in the atmosphere.
Cons
-The conclusions to the plot threads from the previous episode really fail to live up to their premises:
~The circle is 'defeated'(?) by prooving they were armed secretly by the Cardassians. An information that was acquired by one of Quarks shady contacts. Like the secret prison camp in the first place. None of the important plot information was discovered by our heroes. And don't tell me an armed Insurrection is halted by an argument of whom backs them up. They are fanatics. They should have fought 'till the end (at least the leaders of the circle, probably not the military supporting them).
~Sisko resisting on DS9 is ultimately meaningless. The only part that was important was Kira and Dax getting the proof to the gouvernement (they don't have transporters or Mail in the future?). Sisko could have left the station with the rest and it wouldn't have changed the outcomings of the story.
~The story about the former Bajoran resistance leader is the biggest dissapointement: He contributes absolutely jack sh*t to the overall story. He gets rescued in the first part, is unconfortable in the second, and dies in the third. But his death is ultimately meaningless. He doesn't contributes anything to the story about the Coup d'Etat, and his death doesn't solve anything. It doesn't even unite the Bajorans after the big struggle, nor does it help to stop the bad guys (neither the military nor the civilian leaders). The story would have worked completely without him (probably even better, as it would have reduced the number of minor characters).
-All in all the episode felt very bloodless. It was a freaking Coup d'Etat and an occupation of the station! I would have expected at least a FEW dead guys at the end of the day (other than the Bajoran fighter pilots. whoops).
This episode gets quite a few awards:
Set course to crash - Award
After the fighter battle, the Bajoran fighter with Kira and Dax in it crashes off-screen. Kira wakes up outside and learns she got 'hurt' (she has no wounds, but her uniform is tattered) but both survived. It has ALL the tropes of a Star Trek shuttle crash.
+ 10 character shields - Award
The fighter Kira and Dax are in takes at least five hits from the two Bajoran fighters and is still working. They shoot the bad guy once(!) and he immediately crashes and burns. Now that's how Star Trek battles usually go. But usually our heroes are in their superious Starfleet vessels and the bad guys have some thirld-world starships. But this time it was an important plot point that Kira and Dax flew in a run-down, barely functional 10 years old, never maintained piece of crap, while the bad guys got brand new Bajoran military fighters. The only reason Dax and Kira still live is because they are main characters and immune to be gunned down by evil mooks.
Cave set counter: #2
This time, the cave set is used as one of Bajors moons.
Grade
7/10
The plot and the resolutions to the plot threats barely make sense. It's style over substance. But this episode is just so much fun to watch! It has enemy take-overs, battles of wits, starfighter battles, phaser battles, it moves quickly forward and has a very strong narrative. All while providing great character moments (Kira and Dax on a mission, Jake and Sisko saying goodbye, the departing from DS9), all while showing grand and important events (the conflict between Starfleet and the Bajorans, the evacuation of DS9, etc.).
Finally, some general thougts after the first big arc:
The Bajorans in general
The Bajorans still don't feel like a major Star Trek race. They feel exactly like all the other aliens of the weeks from TNG and VOY. The ones that are basically humans with one special character trait and one(!) bit of Latex make-up in their face. They are bland. The only characteristics they have is that they have a religion and once were occupied by the Cardassians. There is literally nothing else defining them. It is as if DS9 has a whole series set around one boring alien race of the week. I'm much more interested in Quarks Bar and what lies beyond the wormhole. Bajor is, as of now, the weakest part of DS9 as a series.
Vedek Bareil is probably the least interesting character to ever appear on Star Trek. Wesley and Neelix at least trigger an emotional reaction. Bareil is just bland. This guy is so perfect, he belongs in a shampoo commercial and not a drama. I'm actively rooting for Vedek Winn to try another assassination attempt at him and succeeding, just so that I don't have to see him anymore...
The three-part story arc
The story arc as a whole is a bit hit and miss. I think it's comparable to TNGs Redemption (the klingon civil war two-parter) and Unification (where Old Spock wants Romulus and Vulcan to reunite) in that all of them are big political stories about a major Star Trek race (Klingons and Romulans in the first, the Bajorans in the latter) where ultimately an evil race wants to invade something (The Romulans wanting influence on the klingons, to take over Vulcan, and the Cardassians Bajor). This three-parter doesn't reach the perfection of TNGs 'Redemption', it's more comparable to 'Unification' in terms of quality. 'Unification' has the stronger guest characters (Spock and Sela compared to a bunch of Bajorans) and a much better conclusion, where all the main characters contribute to the finale. But overall I would say the DS9-three-parter was a bit more enjoyable, especially considering it manages to hold your attention over three(!) consecutive episodes. The biggest problem of 'the circle' is that it wasn't planned out very well (if at all). It seems more like the writers decided where the story was going while they were writing it, and so a few plot threads came out of the blue or fell flat in the end. But you definetely have to give the creators of DS9 props for trying something completely new (a big thematically arc over many episodes). I would rather watch someone trying something new and not succeding on all fronts than watching them do the same stuff over and over again (lookin' at you, late Voyager and early Enterprise...). I think the writers learned a lot about handling characters and plots in longer arcs and are willing to try something new, so overall the story arc is a big success for the series. And all the while it was very fun and entertaining!
Synopsis
The Bajoran military leads the Coup d'Etat and takes over DS9. Sisko, O'Brien, Bashir, the Bajoran war hero and John McLane hide in the vents of DS9 and resist the occupiers. Kira and Dax try to get to the Bajoran civil gouvernement to present proof that the Coup is orchestrated by the Cardassians.
Review
The big conclusion to the 'circle' arc. And it's an alien takeover story. On the other series the starship is taken over every other week. But on DS9 this is a really big event. And all about the takeover works really well. What doesn't are the conclusions from the plot threads from the previous episodes. But more on that later.
Pros
-The episode feels big. The Bajoran warships approaching, the evacuation of all non-Bajoran personal and visitors of DS9 is a huge event, and some of the Starfleet personal staying behind and our main characters saying farewell to each other really hits home the importance of the events.
-The Starfleet personal crawling through the inner workings of DS9 has a good 'Die Hard'-feeling to it. The duell with the Bajoran military is both technological and psychological.
-I really like the interactions between Kira and Dax on their voyage to Bajor. Dax is afraid of the big dog-spider on Bajors moon, and Kira is a hardened resistance fighter.
-When they fly to Bajor there is a very nice starfighter battle in the atmosphere.
Cons
-The conclusions to the plot threads from the previous episode really fail to live up to their premises:
~The circle is 'defeated'(?) by prooving they were armed secretly by the Cardassians. An information that was acquired by one of Quarks shady contacts. Like the secret prison camp in the first place. None of the important plot information was discovered by our heroes. And don't tell me an armed Insurrection is halted by an argument of whom backs them up. They are fanatics. They should have fought 'till the end (at least the leaders of the circle, probably not the military supporting them).
~Sisko resisting on DS9 is ultimately meaningless. The only part that was important was Kira and Dax getting the proof to the gouvernement (they don't have transporters or Mail in the future?). Sisko could have left the station with the rest and it wouldn't have changed the outcomings of the story.
~The story about the former Bajoran resistance leader is the biggest dissapointement: He contributes absolutely jack sh*t to the overall story. He gets rescued in the first part, is unconfortable in the second, and dies in the third. But his death is ultimately meaningless. He doesn't contributes anything to the story about the Coup d'Etat, and his death doesn't solve anything. It doesn't even unite the Bajorans after the big struggle, nor does it help to stop the bad guys (neither the military nor the civilian leaders). The story would have worked completely without him (probably even better, as it would have reduced the number of minor characters).
-All in all the episode felt very bloodless. It was a freaking Coup d'Etat and an occupation of the station! I would have expected at least a FEW dead guys at the end of the day (other than the Bajoran fighter pilots. whoops).
This episode gets quite a few awards:
Set course to crash - Award
After the fighter battle, the Bajoran fighter with Kira and Dax in it crashes off-screen. Kira wakes up outside and learns she got 'hurt' (she has no wounds, but her uniform is tattered) but both survived. It has ALL the tropes of a Star Trek shuttle crash.
+ 10 character shields - Award
The fighter Kira and Dax are in takes at least five hits from the two Bajoran fighters and is still working. They shoot the bad guy once(!) and he immediately crashes and burns. Now that's how Star Trek battles usually go. But usually our heroes are in their superious Starfleet vessels and the bad guys have some thirld-world starships. But this time it was an important plot point that Kira and Dax flew in a run-down, barely functional 10 years old, never maintained piece of crap, while the bad guys got brand new Bajoran military fighters. The only reason Dax and Kira still live is because they are main characters and immune to be gunned down by evil mooks.
Cave set counter: #2
This time, the cave set is used as one of Bajors moons.
Grade
7/10
The plot and the resolutions to the plot threats barely make sense. It's style over substance. But this episode is just so much fun to watch! It has enemy take-overs, battles of wits, starfighter battles, phaser battles, it moves quickly forward and has a very strong narrative. All while providing great character moments (Kira and Dax on a mission, Jake and Sisko saying goodbye, the departing from DS9), all while showing grand and important events (the conflict between Starfleet and the Bajorans, the evacuation of DS9, etc.).
Finally, some general thougts after the first big arc:
The Bajorans in general
The Bajorans still don't feel like a major Star Trek race. They feel exactly like all the other aliens of the weeks from TNG and VOY. The ones that are basically humans with one special character trait and one(!) bit of Latex make-up in their face. They are bland. The only characteristics they have is that they have a religion and once were occupied by the Cardassians. There is literally nothing else defining them. It is as if DS9 has a whole series set around one boring alien race of the week. I'm much more interested in Quarks Bar and what lies beyond the wormhole. Bajor is, as of now, the weakest part of DS9 as a series.
Vedek Bareil is probably the least interesting character to ever appear on Star Trek. Wesley and Neelix at least trigger an emotional reaction. Bareil is just bland. This guy is so perfect, he belongs in a shampoo commercial and not a drama. I'm actively rooting for Vedek Winn to try another assassination attempt at him and succeeding, just so that I don't have to see him anymore...
The three-part story arc
The story arc as a whole is a bit hit and miss. I think it's comparable to TNGs Redemption (the klingon civil war two-parter) and Unification (where Old Spock wants Romulus and Vulcan to reunite) in that all of them are big political stories about a major Star Trek race (Klingons and Romulans in the first, the Bajorans in the latter) where ultimately an evil race wants to invade something (The Romulans wanting influence on the klingons, to take over Vulcan, and the Cardassians Bajor). This three-parter doesn't reach the perfection of TNGs 'Redemption', it's more comparable to 'Unification' in terms of quality. 'Unification' has the stronger guest characters (Spock and Sela compared to a bunch of Bajorans) and a much better conclusion, where all the main characters contribute to the finale. But overall I would say the DS9-three-parter was a bit more enjoyable, especially considering it manages to hold your attention over three(!) consecutive episodes. The biggest problem of 'the circle' is that it wasn't planned out very well (if at all). It seems more like the writers decided where the story was going while they were writing it, and so a few plot threads came out of the blue or fell flat in the end. But you definetely have to give the creators of DS9 props for trying something completely new (a big thematically arc over many episodes). I would rather watch someone trying something new and not succeding on all fronts than watching them do the same stuff over and over again (lookin' at you, late Voyager and early Enterprise...). I think the writers learned a lot about handling characters and plots in longer arcs and are willing to try something new, so overall the story arc is a big success for the series. And all the while it was very fun and entertaining!
THIS! He speaks so monotonously!
Vedek Boreil as I've seen him called.
I personally find the Circle Trilogy good, but not the best thing DS9 has to offer. I like the episode "The Siege" best, as you seem to as well. "The Circle" is my least favourite.
I do like Bajoran political sort of episodes, they tend to be quite interesting to me.
Thanks Sarahjs! 
I'm usually not a big fan of politics in scifi-series, because most of the time it boils down to territorial conflicts.
I like it when it's used to introduce us to the customs and characteristics of different alien species (I always loved the klingon political stuff or marriage politics on Vulcan). This time, actively witnessing a Coup d'Etat, was also a very refreshing.
Also, apparently all male Bajorans have this weird monotone speaking pattern! Seems the Bajorans have that rare genetical disorder where only the females (Kira, Vinn, Ro Laren) are interesting characters...
Off topic: Finally got a kick-ass profile pic!
I'm usually not a big fan of politics in scifi-series, because most of the time it boils down to territorial conflicts.
I like it when it's used to introduce us to the customs and characteristics of different alien species (I always loved the klingon political stuff or marriage politics on Vulcan). This time, actively witnessing a Coup d'Etat, was also a very refreshing.
Also, apparently all male Bajorans have this weird monotone speaking pattern! Seems the Bajorans have that rare genetical disorder where only the females (Kira, Vinn, Ro Laren) are interesting characters...
Off topic: Finally got a kick-ass profile pic!
Thanks Sarahjs!
I'm usually not a big fan of politics in scifi-series, because most of the time it boils down to territorial conflicts.
I like it when it's used to introduce us to the customs and characteristics of different alien species (I always loved the klingon political stuff or marriage politics on Vulcan). This time, actively witnessing a Coup d'Etat, was also a very refreshing.
Also, apparently all male Bajorans have this weird monotone speaking pattern! Seems the Bajorans have that rare genetical disorder where only the females (Kira, Vinn, Ro Laren) are interesting characters...
Off topic: Finally got a kick-ass profile pic!
I have also found that many male Bajorans are weirdly boring and most of the females are really cool! Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this!!
Love your profile pic - I'm a fan of Andorians!
I like politics, not generally territorial disputes like in Storyteller. But many of the DS9 political sort of episodes are quite good in my books!
Thanks Sarahjs!
Also, apparently all male Bajorans have this weird monotone speaking pattern! Seems the Bajorans have that rare genetical disorder where only the females (Kira, Vinn, Ro Laren) are interesting characters...
It's true, it's like all the actors of Bajoran characters watch videos and try to emulate the same voice. They all sound like they're on Valium or something.
I have to laugh about the cave counting. I think that trend started with Lost in Space, where just about everyone the Robinsons encountered in the galaxy lived in a cave.
I've started re watching the series,holds up well
I actually think that The Circle Trilogy shows Bajoran men at their best. Macht and Langella were quite interesting, powerful figures whom I would have liked to see in the future. Anglim is indefensible: he was sufficiently enigmatic in his debut as Bareil, but later performances were very weak.
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