Shatnertage's Mostly-1st-Time Watch Thread
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I think Shatnertage meant that Crusher should have sedated him after the meld was over instead of letting him experience all the side-effects.
As for Life Support, it's good. Both stories are enjoyable. But, like was said, the problem is that they just don't work together AT ALL. Taken on their own they each could work - with the A story giving us it's look into Bajoran politics and the end of Kira and Bareil's relationship and the B story giving us a humorous look into Ferengi culture without disintegrating into standard Ferengi Comedy territory. But when forced together like this, it's just too jarring.
Also, one thing that always bothered me is at the end when Bashir adamantly refuses to do any more operations. Shouldn't that be up to Bareil, not his doctor?
However, it does have have several things going for it. It further develops the character of Winn as someone who's not just a standard "bad guy." She's more complex. At times her goals line up with the heroes' and other times they don't. The episode also has the guts to kill off a fairly important character. I bet if this were TNG, they would have found a way to save him.
Well, it gets better, especially in season 7. I don't think that really counts as a spoiler, does it?
^ OMG! The whole show has been spoiled! This thread is ruined! 
^ OMG! The whole show has been spoiled! This thread is ruined!
I see that now. If only I'd kept my mouth shut.
Just keep that in mind next time. 
That's about much I think of Bareil too. Pretty much agree with everything else you said about this ep.
Oh man, that episode's combination of the two plots is legendarily wonky.
Odo's in love, but he's all alone.
Soon turned out, had a...
"Heart of Stone"
I couldn't get Blondie out of my head for a lot of this episode.
But what an episode! Easily my favorite of the season so far. The A-story was again really contrived but was redeemed by good acting and a twist (well, it would have been a twist if someone hadn't posted a thread with the title "Heart of Stone changeling phasering herself"). And the B-story has, I honestly think, the best acting I've seen from Avery Brooks yet.
The A-story first: it seems like it's a Trek cliche that characters only talk about their feelings for each other when they're in mortal danger--I'm thinking specifically of Torres and Paris here. But it was well done, at the very least. Kira's easy tears should have been a tip-off it wasn't really the Major, and things wrap up a little too neatly, but, like I said above, the solid acting redeems it. The actors make me believe in the emotional truth of what they're going through, no matter how goofy it looks on-screen.
I also love that they let Odo do another Columbo reprise, although this one was a little more subtle since he didn't actually say, "There's just one more thing..."
But the heart of the episode (pardon the pun) is Nog's story. It's amazing how in one episode he goes from being a comedy sidekick to a real character--again, due mostly to the conviction of the actor.
I rapped Avery Brooks for being too aloof in the past, and I didn't particularly like him in "Past Tense." It just seemed too forced. Likewise, I've heard the producers and writers talking in the DVD extras about how Sisko is a builder...but we never see him build anything. But here, Sisko really shows who he is--the station's father figure. Is it a coincidence that this happens around the time that "Mama Janeway" is establishing herself in the Delta Quadrant? I don't know. But I really like the direction Brooks took the character here, and I'm starting to really get Sisko.
At first, he played Nog very well--simultaneously warm and distant, much as you'd expect someone who is smart, competent, and has many responsibilities. He's taken the time to learn about Ferengi culture (referencing his knowledge of the Rules of Acquisition first mentioned in "Past Tense") but isn't so naive as to accept what Nog says at face value.
My only regret is that Nog's bar mitzvah was off-screen. Oh well.
Then we get the scene of Quark humiliating Rom, and we start to understand a little more about why Nog wants to join Starfleet.
Finally, there's the scene where Nog confronts Sisko about the letter. As I watched them moving into place, I said, "They're going to go An Officer and a Gentleman!" They did, and it was great. Brooks channeling Louis Gosset Jr. is the strongest I've seen him since he channeled Alec Guinness in "Paradise." And Aron Eisenberg did a pretty good Richard Gere, too, again making it completely believable despite all of the make-up. Powerful scene.
I watched the credits on this one with my faith in the show reaffirmed. I really can't say enough about how much I liked the Nog/Sisko material.
Soon turned out, had a...
"Heart of Stone"
I couldn't get Blondie out of my head for a lot of this episode.
But what an episode! Easily my favorite of the season so far. The A-story was again really contrived but was redeemed by good acting and a twist (well, it would have been a twist if someone hadn't posted a thread with the title "Heart of Stone changeling phasering herself"). And the B-story has, I honestly think, the best acting I've seen from Avery Brooks yet.
The A-story first: it seems like it's a Trek cliche that characters only talk about their feelings for each other when they're in mortal danger--I'm thinking specifically of Torres and Paris here. But it was well done, at the very least. Kira's easy tears should have been a tip-off it wasn't really the Major, and things wrap up a little too neatly, but, like I said above, the solid acting redeems it. The actors make me believe in the emotional truth of what they're going through, no matter how goofy it looks on-screen.
I also love that they let Odo do another Columbo reprise, although this one was a little more subtle since he didn't actually say, "There's just one more thing..."
But the heart of the episode (pardon the pun) is Nog's story. It's amazing how in one episode he goes from being a comedy sidekick to a real character--again, due mostly to the conviction of the actor.
I rapped Avery Brooks for being too aloof in the past, and I didn't particularly like him in "Past Tense." It just seemed too forced. Likewise, I've heard the producers and writers talking in the DVD extras about how Sisko is a builder...but we never see him build anything. But here, Sisko really shows who he is--the station's father figure. Is it a coincidence that this happens around the time that "Mama Janeway" is establishing herself in the Delta Quadrant? I don't know. But I really like the direction Brooks took the character here, and I'm starting to really get Sisko.
At first, he played Nog very well--simultaneously warm and distant, much as you'd expect someone who is smart, competent, and has many responsibilities. He's taken the time to learn about Ferengi culture (referencing his knowledge of the Rules of Acquisition first mentioned in "Past Tense") but isn't so naive as to accept what Nog says at face value.
My only regret is that Nog's bar mitzvah was off-screen. Oh well.
Then we get the scene of Quark humiliating Rom, and we start to understand a little more about why Nog wants to join Starfleet.
Finally, there's the scene where Nog confronts Sisko about the letter. As I watched them moving into place, I said, "They're going to go An Officer and a Gentleman!" They did, and it was great. Brooks channeling Louis Gosset Jr. is the strongest I've seen him since he channeled Alec Guinness in "Paradise." And Aron Eisenberg did a pretty good Richard Gere, too, again making it completely believable despite all of the make-up. Powerful scene.
I watched the credits on this one with my faith in the show reaffirmed. I really can't say enough about how much I liked the Nog/Sisko material.
Glad you liked Heart of Stone.
Definitely one of my favorites of the season, and maybe of the whole show.
The Sisko/Nog stuff is A+ material. And, as an Odo/Kira shipper, the rest of the episode is also very solid (no pun intended), IMHO.
Definitely one of my favorites of the season, and maybe of the whole show.
The Sisko/Nog stuff is A+ material. And, as an Odo/Kira shipper, the rest of the episode is also very solid (no pun intended), IMHO.
Here's my changeling question. I was going to open a new thread, but I'll start it here.
When Odo is in his humanoid form, does he have internal organs, or is he just undifferentiated changeling inside? I'm just kind of curious about that.
When Odo is in his humanoid form, does he have internal organs, or is he just undifferentiated changeling inside? I'm just kind of curious about that.
I'd say that Odo is just an undifferentiated mass on the inside but that the Founders have internal organs.
The Founders have been shown to be MUCH better at shape-shifting (even being capable of fooling Odo himself). And Odo has in the past explicitly stated that he has no digestive system or esophagus. He flat out told Troi that his mouth was only an approximation of a mouth and that he didn't eat.
The Founders have been shown to be MUCH better at shape-shifting (even being capable of fooling Odo himself). And Odo has in the past explicitly stated that he has no digestive system or esophagus. He flat out told Troi that his mouth was only an approximation of a mouth and that he didn't eat.
I forgot to mention....
The scene where Nog breaks down and tells Sisko that he doesn't want to end up like Rom is easily on of the most moving scenes in DS9, maybe in all of Trek. Nog, and others, have some really touching scenes, but this one really stands out for me.
.
The scene where Nog breaks down and tells Sisko that he doesn't want to end up like Rom is easily on of the most moving scenes in DS9, maybe in all of Trek. Nog, and others, have some really touching scenes, but this one really stands out for me.
.
I love Nog, the writers did some very interesting things with the character, starting here. It was a smart move having Jake decide not to join Starfleet, but it was even smarter to have Nog want to join instead. It seemed a little weird at first, but it worked out really well in the end.
I agree 100%. In the beginning Sisco didn't even want Jake hanging out with or having anything to do with Nog. That all changed when he saw Jake teaching Nog to read.
I like how they made it all flow organically from what had previously been established: Nog's father is a gofer for his brother with no real chance of going anywhere. So it makes sense for his son to rebel against all things Ferengi. What better way than to want to join Starfleet? Very clever, I think.
If you haven't seen it, here's the scene in particular from An Officer and a Gentleman that I think they referenced:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiIZLDeMOg0&feature=related[/yt]
If you haven't seen it, here's the scene in particular from An Officer and a Gentleman that I think they referenced:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiIZLDeMOg0&feature=related[/yt]
Well, I've certainly got somewhere else to go. I've got to see my...
"Destiny"
I liked this one, even though it was a little goofy at time. The tease was incredibly long and felt like a lot of padding, even though it was well-done.
I had fun msting this one by substituting "viper" for a random word when anyone was talking to the Cardassians.
I like what they did with the Cardassians here, with the obvious tension between Ulani and Gilora and Dejar. It certainly makes them a lot more complex than the usual Vulcans=logic, Klingons=honor dynamic.
I got a little lost with all of the Treknobabble about the comet, but I enjoyed Avery Brooks in this one again--another solid performance from him here. Nana Visitor was great again, too.
The best part, though, was Gilora thinking that O'Brien was interested in her. She was overplaying it a little at first, but it was great. All I could think was, if showing mild irritation is the Cardassian way of hitting on someone, Garak must think that everyone on the station has the hots for him.
Too bad we didn't see Garak in this one. It would have made an interesting three-way interaction, with Gilora and Ulani, Dejar, and he all equally suspicious of each other.
This is another example of a good show. If they can keep the quality at this level and above, I'll be happy.
"Destiny"
I liked this one, even though it was a little goofy at time. The tease was incredibly long and felt like a lot of padding, even though it was well-done.
I had fun msting this one by substituting "viper" for a random word when anyone was talking to the Cardassians.
I like what they did with the Cardassians here, with the obvious tension between Ulani and Gilora and Dejar. It certainly makes them a lot more complex than the usual Vulcans=logic, Klingons=honor dynamic.
I got a little lost with all of the Treknobabble about the comet, but I enjoyed Avery Brooks in this one again--another solid performance from him here. Nana Visitor was great again, too.
The best part, though, was Gilora thinking that O'Brien was interested in her. She was overplaying it a little at first, but it was great. All I could think was, if showing mild irritation is the Cardassian way of hitting on someone, Garak must think that everyone on the station has the hots for him.
Too bad we didn't see Garak in this one. It would have made an interesting three-way interaction, with Gilora and Ulani, Dejar, and he all equally suspicious of each other.
This is another example of a good show. If they can keep the quality at this level and above, I'll be happy.
Indeed. Another solid outing. Though, I do tend to love episodes that delve into Bajoran prophecy/religion.
And just FYI - this show tends to have some very long teasers, so be prepared.
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