First-Timer's Impressions of Deep Space Nine

[Pemmer Harge]

Fascination rocks! Seriously, I love this episode. DS9 has quite a few episodes that try to be fun and fall flat on their face, but this one succeeds completely. Sisko's reaction to Jake being in love with Kira was priceless, as was Lwaxana spinning Odo around.

Oh, another thing - Lwaxana is awesome. Yes, she is, and she and Odo are great together.

I like Keiko too...

 

[pleccy]

Oh no, seems I've overtaken you. I've just watched season 4 ep 1 + 2. You have some cracking episodes coming up

So far I am loving DS9 so much.

Think I'll try to wait as I like to read your reviews after I watch an episode.

 

[Sykonee]

Jake: I love you, Nerys. Wanna go out with me?

Cracks me up every time!

 

[Jimmy Bob]

Past Tense I&II

I wasn't really impressed with Past Tense I. Everything seemed so staged and the dialogue too artificial. And I couldn't actually understand what exactly this episode was making a social commentary on.

Health care + concentration camps... why does it sound like a Tea Party nightmare about America after Obama? I thought that Trek writers were supposed to be progressive?

It was only in the end when I managed to piece it together that it was about massive unemployment and widespread homelessness. Or more precisely - the tendency for us more well-provided people to ignore the world. It's somewhat strangely relevant, yet on the other hand, this was addressed to the 90's public which I think explains the strange lag sensation I had. I just lacked the necessary cultural background to pick it up sooner.

But Past Tense II, or Sisko doing his best impression of Moorcock's Behold the Man, was just awesome. I'd hate to fall into the trap of "an actor directed it and that's the only reason I noticed" but Jonathan Frakes is really quite good as a director. I don't base this opinion only on Trek, but also other tv episodes he has directed (Dollhouse episode Belonging for example).

Past Tense II really transcended the storyline. It left a lasting impression on me that I carried with me for days.

I think we really got to see what Sisko is truly made of in this episode. He's willingness to take up the role of an historical messiah and going to the end with it.

The drama, the interactions amongst characters, the tension, the ending, Dick Miller, the retarded guy - it was all very touching and haunting.

Except for Kira and O'Brien. Their part was just meaningless.

Bashir and Sisko make a really good team.

 

[TheGodBen]

It's somewhat strangely relevant, yet on the other hand, this was addressed to the 90's public which I think explains the strange lag sensation I had. I just lacked the necessary cultural background to pick it up sooner.

The story goes that as they were filming the episode Ira Behr read in a paper that the mayor of LA was suggesting a "haven" for homeless people, a location of the city they could go to "be safe". He was shocked and he went around the set showing people the paper and pointing out that the foundation for the sanctuary districts was being laid right now. Just a few months ago someone on the forum linked to a similar story in another US city. In a way, Past Tense is even more relevant now than it was when the episode was made, which is true of many episodes of DS9.

I think we really got to see what Sisko is truly made of in this episode. He's willingness to take up the role of an historical messiah and going to the end with it.

As many of us have said before, Past Tense is the point where the writers finally got to grips with the Sisko character and his development from here on out is much better. And by that I mean that he's going to push people up against walls more than he did in the early seasons.

 

[Jimmy Bob]

Just a few months ago someone on the forum linked to a similar story in another US city.

Could you provide a link so I could also have that "wow! DS9 was right all along!" experience?

 

[flemm]

And by that I mean that he's going to push people up against walls more than he did in the early seasons.

I'M MAKING A NEW AGREEMENT!!!!

Past Tense is a turning point for Sisko, definitely, otherwise a solid social commentary-ish episode. Nothing that really brings me back for multiple viewings however. Probably my least favorite DS9 two-parter. The Search is not really all that much better, but it is much more important to the series overall, so I am more inclined to overlook its shortcomings.

 

[TheGodBen]

Could you provide a link so I could also have that "wow! DS9 was right all along!" experience?

I searched for it but couldn't find it, the best I could do was this post from 2008 that almost certainly isn't what I was thinking of.

Perhaps I read it myself in the news. Or my mind is making things up again, one of the consequences of my former meth addiction.

 

[flemm]

Perhaps I read it myself in the news. Or my mind is making things up again, one of the consequences of my former meth addiction.

Ira Behr talks a bit about this in one of the DVD extras (the newspaper article, not meth addiction). It's on YouTube, somewhat of a lengthy extra, the mention of the article is at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju4T3D_5qtM

 

[apenpaap]

Past Tense is also a turning point for Bashir. It starts him off on his journey from a total buffoon to the Bashir we find later on.

 

[TheGodBen]

Ira Behr talks a bit about this in one of the DVD extras (the newspaper article, not meth addiction).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju4T3D_5qtM

But he was a meth addict, right? How else do you explain this this picture:

 

[Jimmy Bob]

Past Tense is also a turning point for Bashir. It starts him off on his journey from a total buffoon to the Bashir we find later on.

I really loved both Bashir and Sisko in this episode. If this continues, then I might have a power struggle in my favorite list.

 

[flemm]

But he was a meth addict, right?

Right. It's just that, for whatever reason, that is not discussed in the DVD extra

 

[Evil Twin]

the retarded guy

Are you talking about Clint Howard?

"Woosssshhh... I'm INVISIBLE!"

...

"You can see me?"

"Just... barely!"

That scene always cracks me up.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Past Tense is another episode that I absolutely love. As others have said, this is a turning point for both Sisko and Bashir. You could say it's the sort of thing that could have been done on Voyager, but would it have been as good?

Oh, and kudos to Jimmy Bob for the Moorcock reference!

 

[Jimmy Bob]

You could say it's the sort of thing that could have been done on Voyager, but would it have been as good?

Speaking of which, I actually got a certain Future's End vibe from this two-parter. Future's End was much more light-hearted, but it had a similar "in this time, people aren't so nice to each other" thing.

Anyone else liked what DS9 predicted as the fashion for 2020's?

 

[Jimmy Bob]

Life Support

Hmm...

You could already sense it in Fascination that something is up between the writers and Bareil.

I absolutely hated how they killed Bareil off so randomly, without buildup, without interest.

In second season, Bareil was important enough to have personal prophecies and foreshadowing. But in 3rd season is just the butt of all jokes and then just dead and we even didn't see his crowning moment of sacrifice.

It's like Frodo would just drop dead randomly in the middle of Lord of the Rings and THE END. And having to share his last moments with inane Jake&Nog wonderful friendship storyline.

I would have prefered for Bareil to go out with the same level of importance and foreshadowing that he had in second season.

But this just sucks. Worst episode ever!

So, according to Bashir, in DS9 universe the "soul" is inside the brain? If it becomes too mechanical, it's just a robot?

 

[flemm]

Life Support is one of those episodes that mystifies me. I'm not sure what the writers had in mind for this, it's rather a mishmash of unfocused ideas. Perhaps it's a product of the writers agonizing over ways to make Bashir relevant.

I don't mind Bareil dying especially, and there are some interesting moments here, mainly for Winn and Kira, but overall it's an episode that leaves me scratching my head and wondering why the writers took a potentially interesting plot development (Bajor's treaty with Cardassia) and turned it into a episode about Bareil being chopped up and disposed of. It's especially a bit odd since Bareil was quite popular among fans as I recall. Perhaps that very thing is what made his death inevitable, along with the fact that the writers hadn't gotten over their fear of ongoing romances yet. A romantic relationship that lasts more than one episode!?!?!? Quick! Kill it, kill it, make it stop!

I agree the upbeat B-story is poorly paired with the maudlin main story.

 

[Damask]

It's especially a bit odd since Bareil was quite popular among fans as I recall.

Was he? Can't recall him being popular at all.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

I rather like Life Support, though I admit I don't remember the Jake/Nog plotline. I was especially impressed by Siddig's performance here and I think this continues the process of Bashir growing into an excellent character.