So I was never really that into Star Trek until relatively recently. I would occasionally put re-runs on in the background, but that's about it. I was a bit too young to really "get it" when TNG first aired. However now, I've started watching TNG in its entirety and I'm loving it so far. I know that once I finish TNG, I'm gonna be craving more. I vaguely remember back in the day, DS9 being a bit controversial among fans. Like I said, I was never really into it, so I didn't pay much mind to the debates surrounding it. So, is DS9 worth binge watching, or should I just skip it?
Is DS9 worth binging?
- Thread starter TechnoGoose
- Start date
If you were really serious about it, you'd just go ahead and watch it rather than trying to get us to make the decision for you.
Greetings, and welcome aboard!
Absolutely, DS9 is worth a binge watch! It has excellent characters that get fantastic growth, has great storylines, treats the audience with intelligence, wonderful drama, and is full of the moral questions and situations that you'd expect from the best of STAR TREK. It tackles subjects that were rarely touched upon (or at the very least, only glanced at and left behind) in other shows. DS9 helped expand the STAR TREK universe greatly.
In short, DEEP SPACE NiNE is THE best series in the franchise.
If you believe Trek should unquestionably be about humans living in a utopia? No.
If you believe that any real utopia needs to be defended and should be capable of withstanding some deeper analysis and questioning? Yes.
FTFY
Watch it and you can decide for yourself. It definitely is a little bit different than TNG but captures some of that spirit and follows up some TNG stories.
Its serialized storyline lends itself very well to binge watching. DS9 has always been my favorite since watching the weekly broadcasts. But I enjoyed even more when I was able to binge watch it for the first time on DVDs years ago.
Yes.
The older I get, the more I feel DS9 did character and storytelling better than almost any other series. The evolution of the characters, from the series lead down to the snot nosed kid who couldn't keep out of trouble, was masterful. Continuity and serialization were used not primarily for plot, but to challenge those characters, to rethink their values and commitments. Except for when a new character was brought into the series at the beginning of season 4, there are no hard breaks. Everything flows from season to season. There is no pre-planned narrative, so the stories could develop based upon the successes of the previous episode and the talents of the actors. Moreover, it has the best depiction of a relationship between father and son ... and has a second that is almost as compelling. I've seen better episodes in other series as well as better single seasons, but after a rough patch mid season 1, DS9 got better and better. And the cast is hard to beat.
The older I get, the more I feel DS9 did character and storytelling better than almost any other series. The evolution of the characters, from the series lead down to the snot nosed kid who couldn't keep out of trouble, was masterful. Continuity and serialization were used not primarily for plot, but to challenge those characters, to rethink their values and commitments. Except for when a new character was brought into the series at the beginning of season 4, there are no hard breaks. Everything flows from season to season. There is no pre-planned narrative, so the stories could develop based upon the successes of the previous episode and the talents of the actors. Moreover, it has the best depiction of a relationship between father and son ... and has a second that is almost as compelling. I've seen better episodes in other series as well as better single seasons, but after a rough patch mid season 1, DS9 got better and better. And the cast is hard to beat.
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Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm pretty glad to hear that it's generally well received. For some reason, I remember it being very divisive among my friends that were super into Star Trek at the time. I didn't want to spend all that time starting a series and constantly thinking "Well, maybe it gets better, let's just watch some more" lol.
DS9 committed the cardinal crime of being different from what came before on Trek and that ruffled feathers back in the day. Fortunately, over the years people have come to see its sheer quality and brilliance. So many people now consider it the best of all the Trek shows. Unlike TNG, it has aged exceptionally well too. It does take a little while to find its confidence and voice, but it’s a show that gets better and better and BETTER. It boasts the best cast and best overall writing of ALL the modern Treks. It was pioneering and at its best not just great Trek, but great television full stop.
You might still do that. Some people don't care for the early episodes.
Fair, but at least I know it gets good!
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