Ive watched every episode of TOS, Enterprise, Voyager and just finished TNG. First time Ive watched all of TNG and Im kinf of disappointed the way it ended. Growing up, I never was a fan of DS9 so Im debating on watching it. So.. even tho you've watched all the episodes do you watch them again? Maybe i need some convincing to watch DS9. What do you think?
ok.. now what?
- Thread starter carbons2k
- Start date
Logically, you would watch DS9. Why go back and rewatch episodes of one of the other series when you still have a whole different series to watch?
Dude, trek is trek.
If you liked the others, there's really no good reason you would dislike DS9.
If you liked the others, there's really no good reason you would dislike DS9.
I...don't think that's necessarily the case. DS9 IS pretty different from all the other Treks (in a good way for me, but still). It's not set on a ship, it is much more character-driven, and it does arcs and things that depend on or reference to earlier episodes much more frequently.
I guess a big part of it is characters. I'd recommend watching a few eps (esp. of S2 or late S1 where they're really getting a feel for the characters) and seeing if you like the main cast. If you do, I think it's worth giving DS9 the effort.
I won them all including DS9 which is my least favorite. I've been watching and rewatching for the last 44 years. I still haven't done a rewatch of DS9 though. Even though i don't love that one, i do think you should give it a try. And then just start all over again!
Oh! Have you watched all of the movies yet?
Oh! Have you watched all of the movies yet?
carbons2k I think you should make the investment in watching DS9. If you watched all the rest, why not? I think you will find that many of the story themes are similar, but never have they been explored with greater depth, or attention to consequences, as they were on Deep Space Nine.
Example
You probably watched an episode of TNG called The Hunted, wherein a planet wants to join the Federation but the skeleton the closet is the way they treat their ex-soldiers. Good episode. I loved it, especially the end of it, where Picard said that if the government "survives the night," he will recommend their inclusion to the Federation. It ends with Picard believing that he thinks they will survive, out of force of will and out of the need to resolve the issue, and, poetically, the big E rides off into the sunset. The episode works by having us believe that the government did survive, and that we really don't need to actually know for sure for the point of the story to shine through.
Now imagine if we actually got to see if the government survived the night. Imagine if we got to remain on or near the planet as the real, delicate issues were resolved over time, and you didn't have the option of just flying away to next week's planet.
If that was the case, the show you would be watching would be Deep Space Nine. Throw in some non-Starfleet officers, some pressing moral dilemmas, villains that are not even really villains, (Garek and Dukat are more well-rounded as guest stars than any of the major players on Voyager and most of the other characters on any of the other of the other Star Trek shows) add political strife, paranoia, war, comedy, a little spying and intrigue, and you have a recipe for a great show. Not just a great show, but a show that will challenge you. If you are so used to all the other series and have not watched DS9, I can assume that you have yet to be really challenged by Trek. Maybe the heroic Federation isn't always right, and maybe that makes the stories DS9 tells more interesting.
Example
You probably watched an episode of TNG called The Hunted, wherein a planet wants to join the Federation but the skeleton the closet is the way they treat their ex-soldiers. Good episode. I loved it, especially the end of it, where Picard said that if the government "survives the night," he will recommend their inclusion to the Federation. It ends with Picard believing that he thinks they will survive, out of force of will and out of the need to resolve the issue, and, poetically, the big E rides off into the sunset. The episode works by having us believe that the government did survive, and that we really don't need to actually know for sure for the point of the story to shine through.
Now imagine if we actually got to see if the government survived the night. Imagine if we got to remain on or near the planet as the real, delicate issues were resolved over time, and you didn't have the option of just flying away to next week's planet.
If that was the case, the show you would be watching would be Deep Space Nine. Throw in some non-Starfleet officers, some pressing moral dilemmas, villains that are not even really villains, (Garek and Dukat are more well-rounded as guest stars than any of the major players on Voyager and most of the other characters on any of the other of the other Star Trek shows) add political strife, paranoia, war, comedy, a little spying and intrigue, and you have a recipe for a great show. Not just a great show, but a show that will challenge you. If you are so used to all the other series and have not watched DS9, I can assume that you have yet to be really challenged by Trek. Maybe the heroic Federation isn't always right, and maybe that makes the stories DS9 tells more interesting.
^^^Definitely. The Wire's probably my favorite TV show of the past decade, and I also recommend people give it a try. It's got some of the best story-telling I've ever seen.
Folks know I am not a fan of DS9. As already stated it contains long story arcs, many references to earlier episodes (to me it is a soap opera, most disagree). If you think you might like that sort of thing, then by all means give it a try.
My (only) two favorite episodes are "Trials and Tribble-ations" where the crew of DS9 go back in time to Station K-7, site of TOS "The Trouble with Tribbles"; and "Little Green Men" where the DS9 Ferengi go back in time to 1947 Roswell and hilarity ensues. Both of these will remind you of TOS, as far as fun and excitement go.
Perhaps you could try those as a starter to see if you will like the characters, if you are timid about watching DS9.
My (only) two favorite episodes are "Trials and Tribble-ations" where the crew of DS9 go back in time to Station K-7, site of TOS "The Trouble with Tribbles"; and "Little Green Men" where the DS9 Ferengi go back in time to 1947 Roswell and hilarity ensues. Both of these will remind you of TOS, as far as fun and excitement go.
Perhaps you could try those as a starter to see if you will like the characters, if you are timid about watching DS9.
If you made it through VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE, and lived to tell about it, you should have no problem making it through DS9. It's MUCH MUCH better than those other two.
Have you seen Babylon 5? DS9 is more or less like that. Similar setting, some similar characters, but different enough that it's just as good. in fact, because it's connected to Star Trek, it's better.
That said, I still whole-heartedly endorse Babylon 5.
Have you seen Babylon 5? DS9 is more or less like that. Similar setting, some similar characters, but different enough that it's just as good. in fact, because it's connected to Star Trek, it's better.
That said, I still whole-heartedly endorse Babylon 5.
I can't recommend DS9 highly enough. DS9 is often compared to B5, but in my mind there is no comparison. I just watched B5 from beginning to end for the first time. I was expecting a show as good as DS9 and boy was I dissap-pointed. I found B5 to be plagued with hokey writing, bad acting and shoddy production values. DS9, while not perfect, is by far the superior show.
Watch DS9. If the first season bores you - and that wouldn't be surprising because it's by far the weakest season - just watch Emissary, Duet and In the Hands of the Prophets. Battle Lines is also fun.
Of all the spinoff series, DS9 best recaptures the spirit and the point of TOS, which is not that Starfleet is some namby-pamby organization of perfect people who run around the galaxy giving sanctimonious lectures to aliens, but that it's about people who try to be good and sometimes fail but usually succeed.
Kirk made a speech about this once, about deciding that we're not going to kill today. TNG took Trek wildly off-course by pretending that a military spacefaring organization wouldn't need to grapple with such issues. I prefer the honesty of DS9 to the sanctimonious phoniness of TNG (and by extension, VOY and most of ENT, which were just pallid imitations of TNG).
People who think Star Trek is about spaceships as opposed to space stations are wildly and completely missing the point of Star Trek altogether.
Of all the spinoff series, DS9 best recaptures the spirit and the point of TOS, which is not that Starfleet is some namby-pamby organization of perfect people who run around the galaxy giving sanctimonious lectures to aliens, but that it's about people who try to be good and sometimes fail but usually succeed.
Kirk made a speech about this once, about deciding that we're not going to kill today. TNG took Trek wildly off-course by pretending that a military spacefaring organization wouldn't need to grapple with such issues. I prefer the honesty of DS9 to the sanctimonious phoniness of TNG (and by extension, VOY and most of ENT, which were just pallid imitations of TNG).
People who think Star Trek is about spaceships as opposed to space stations are wildly and completely missing the point of Star Trek altogether.
I gotta say, I don't understand why everybody says that season 1 is the weakest. This season alone we had:
The Pilot
Babel
Duet
Q Less (anything with Q is automatic Gold)
Dax
Captive Pursuit
If Wishes Were Horses
The Nagus
Dramatis Personae
In the Hands of the Prophets
Ten excellent episodes out of nineteen hardly makes this a weak season.
The Pilot
Babel
Duet
Q Less (anything with Q is automatic Gold)
Dax
Captive Pursuit
If Wishes Were Horses
The Nagus
Dramatis Personae
In the Hands of the Prophets
Ten excellent episodes out of nineteen hardly makes this a weak season.
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