star's Journey into the World of DS9...

[InklingStar]

I don't know who decided they should have that same bowl cut as Spock, but they should all be fired.

As much as I love DS9 they made the same mistake (in my opinion) as the rest of the 24th century shows. All Vulcans and Romulans had dumb bowl cuts, all Klingons has long curly hair, all Cardassians have short slicked-back hair... Why not have some variety?

 

[Sykonee]

As much as I love DS9 they made the same mistake (in my opinion) as the rest of the 24th century shows. All Vulcans and Romulans had dumb bowl cuts, all Klingons has long curly hair, all Cardassians have short slicked-back hair... Why not have some variety?

To be fair, all humans have spiked sideburns (er, when they actually have enough hair TO have sideburns).

 

[star]

Alright, I'm back finally. I'm very sick, so what can I do but lay in bed and watch DS9 on my laptop?

The Maquis Part 2
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

The good: This speech from Sisko is brilliant: "On Earth there is no poverty, no crime, no war. You look out the window of Starfleet headquarters and you see paradise. Well, it's easy to be a saint in paradise, but the Maquis do not live in paradise. Out there in the Demilitarised zone, all the problems haven't been solved yet. Out there, there are no saints, just people. Angry, scared, determined people who are going to do whatever it takes to survive whether it meets with Federation approval or not."

The bad: Cal. He's too... stilted, like the actor barely memorized his lines the night before. There are moments when the actor connects with the character and it feels more genuine, but there are plenty of moments where it feels like the dude is just dialing it in.

The zany: Can you guess? I bet you can. There is nothing better than a Ferengi explaining a logical course of action to a Vulcan. He was right, though. It just barely edged out Odo asking Sisko how long he should keep Quark locked up and Sisko replying, "Forever."

Summary: Superb. Just superb. The space battle was okay, not super great... but the rest was fantastic. I also like that the ending wasn't the end, per se. It was merely a temporary cease-fire if you will. I kinda like that the problem wasn't solved and everybody was dancing for joy and singing koombya at the end. Real life rarely works out like that and how things turned out with these two episodes seemed very realistic to me.

The Wire
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--(8/10)

The good: Excellent Bashir episode. He's like I imagine him to be in this one. And we can never go wrong with an episode about Garak. (Curse you, DS9, for making me fall in love with Cardassians!)

The bad: In a way, the "reset" there at the end. We think we're learning all this stuff about Garak and yet we still know nearly as little about him as we did before. Did he kill the prisoners? Did he let them go? What was he exiled for? I think the only thing we learn is that he was a member of the Obsidian Order.

The zany:
BASHIR: You gave me answers, all right, but they were all different. What I want to know is of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?
GARAK: My dear Doctor, they're all true.
BASHIR: Even the lies?
GARAK: Especially the lies.
Those were some of the best ending lines ever!

Summary: This was a good character development episode for both Bashir and Garak. While we learn so little of Garak's past, at the same time I think this changed their friendship -- even subtley. I enjoyed it. I'll also admit if the episode before was crappy, this one would probably get 7/10 instead of 8. Mood does affect how I rate these things.

Crossover
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

The good: The Mirror Universe!!!

The bad: Okay, I've heard there are more than one MU episodes in DS9. How are we to carry on without Underground!Railroad!Quark and Evil!Taskmaster!Odo??

The Zany: Seriously thought Intendant Kira wanted to make-out with her counterpart.

Summary: Let me start by saying that I love the Mirror Universe. I mean, I love the Mirror Universe -- so that very much colors my rating. I watched this entire episode with a big stupid grin on my face. I LOVE Evil!Intendant!Kira. She was fantastic. Rogue!Sisko was brilliant as well. Is it just me or was his first expression when called up to Kira's quarters one of disgust before he disguised it as lust? Anyway, this was a fun little dip into the "looking glass."

The Collaborator
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

The Good: I really like episodes that deal with Bajor. I love seeing the development of this culture. Also, I have decided that Kira/Bareil are my 2nd favorite Trek couple. Though if you tell anyone that I'm shipping, I'll vehemently deny it.

The bad: This isn't a "bad" as in, "This makes this episode lose hearts from me"... but a "bad" as in, "OMG I'm so... but it's well done"... That would be Vedek Winn (or Kai now?). I absolutely despise her. She's so overtly manipulative and self-serving I want to tear my hair out. But at the same time, she's a well-written and fleshed out character.

The zany:
ODO: Relax, Quark. No one's accusing you of anything.
QUARK: The day's still young.
KIRA: Don't be so defensive.
QUARK: I can't help it. Between the two of you, I'm developing a persecution complex.
KIRA: I'm sorry to hear that.
QUARK: All right, what's going on? You want something from me, don't you?
KIRA: How'd you guess?
ODO: It's simple. We've been here more that a minute and we haven't insulted him, threatened him or arrested him.
QUARK: Exactly. So what is it and how much trouble is it going to cause me?


Summary: Great episode. I wanted to scream, yell and cry all at once. Now there have been crappy episodes that I felt that same way with, but that's because the writing in those are so poor it was a travesty against Trek. This time I felt those emotions because I was invested in the episode. I cared. I'm glad that Bareil turned out not to be the collaborator. I'm heartbroken it was Opaka... and at the same time, I understand the reasoning.

Tribunal
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The good: It was interesting to see a Cardassian court at work... especially after the implications that Garak made in "The Wire"

The bad: The ending -- sorta. I'll explain in the summary.

The Zany: O'Brien bringing work with him on vacation. I think that's a husband thing.

Summary: First of all, and I don't know if this will always be the case, I very much enjoy how comfortable the writers are with doing episodes that center on only one or two characters. In the last several episodes they also dropped the A/B plot and have stuck to just one main plot and it's helped greatly with the flow.

Now the ending... the only reason that the episode suffered a little for me was that we had this great build up and it felt like the writers said, "Whoops! We're nearly out of time, we'd better wrap this up quick." It felt too fast... but again, it wasn't bad enough that the episode lost a ton of hearts over it (like other episodes with insanely quick wrap-ups have for me).

And now... the season 2 finale:

The Jem'Hadar
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The good: And now we've established our main enemies: The Dominion.

The bad: I cannot begin to express how much eye-rolling went on in the beginning of the episode. I kept thinking, "Really? The season finale starts like this?"

The zany: Quark screaming.

Summary: I'd say that it's a pretty decent set up for this mysterious group and for the war that I heard happens as the series progresses. Space battles were pretty good. A part of me knew that the Odyssey wasn't going to make it, but it was still a bit jarring when the Jem'Hadar did the kamakazi thing on it. Very bad bad guys here. Is it possible to rival the pure evilness that was the borg of TNG (not VOY -- they weren't so scary in that series)? I shall have to wait and see.

That finishes the second season for me. I'm glad that the final episodes were good... I was getting a bit worried there. I'm looking forward to starting the 3rd season (after Netflix ships the disks to me).

 

[TheGodBen]

The Maquis Part 2
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

The good: This speech from Sisko is brilliant:

That is the famous speech that Niners like to trot out to explain why they love DS9, and it was also something of a mission statement by Ira Behr as to the direction he wanted to take DS9. At this point, Ira is beginning to take over the show; Michael Piller was still technically the head writer, but at this point he was busy with Voyager and it seems that Ira was being groomed as his successor.

The episode itself is very good, held back a little by some bad acting and a space battle that's tame, especially compared to what comes later. But the story is good, especially for something that was mandated from on high as a set-up for Voyager.

The Wire
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥--(8/10)

The bad: In a way, the "reset" there at the end. We think we're learning all this stuff about Garak and yet we still know nearly as little about him as we did before. Did he kill the prisoners? Did he let them go? What was he exiled for? I think the only thing we learn is that he was a member of the Obsidian Order.

Well, that's a pretty important thing to learn. You also get to meet Enabran Tain, a character of some significance later.

You will learn more about Garak's history later, most of it in small pieces of information dropped in over the years, but, wisely, they never give the whole game away. However, Andrew Robinson used to make notes while playing Garak and he wrote a book about Garak's life called A Stitch in Time that goes into detail about his life before being exiled. I've not actually read it (although I have been meaning to), but I know some of the details revealed in it. You'll have to finish the show before reading it, it contains many spoilers.

The zany:
BASHIR: You gave me answers, all right, but they were all different. What I want to know is of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?
GARAK: My dear Doctor, they're all true.
BASHIR: Even the lies?
GARAK: Especially the lies.
Those were some of the best ending lines ever!

One of my favourite Garak moments, perhaps only beaten by his response to hearing the story of the boy who cried wolf.

Crossover
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

Anyway, this was a fun little dip into the "looking glass."

It is, it strikes the right balance between darkness and camp. I wish I could say the same about some of the other MU episodes in DS9.

Also, this episode was a bit of a jab at TOS and TNG for their somewhat naive type of storytelling. The idea that Kirk could make a speech and change the Mirror Universe for the better is very simplistic, so this episode was designed to show that interfering with a society that you don't know much about could have profoundly negative consequences.

The Collaborator
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

The Good: I really like episodes that deal with Bajor. I love seeing the development of this culture. Also, I have decided that Kira/Bareil are my 2nd favorite Trek couple. Though if you tell anyone that I'm shipping, I'll vehemently deny it.

Oh please, you're 'shipping more than UPS.

The bad: This isn't a "bad" as in, "This makes this episode lose hearts from me"... but a "bad" as in, "OMG I'm so... but it's well done"... That would be Vedek Winn (or Kai now?). I absolutely despise her. She's so overtly manipulative and self-serving I want to tear my hair out. But at the same time, she's a well-written and fleshed out character.

This was one of the best decisions of the first two seasons, in my opinion. They were going to make Bareil Kai, and it was only when writing the episode that Ira Behr realised that making Bareil Kai would be boring, but making Winn Kai had the potential for future conflict. A very smart move, and the consequences of it are fairly significant.

Tribunal
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

It felt too fast... but again, it wasn't bad enough that the episode lost a ton of hearts over it (like other episodes with insanely quick wrap-ups have for me).

The ending was too fast, I think most would agree. They probably should have cut some of the shots of O'Brien's flabby moobs, those have been proven to be a ratings killer:

The Jem'Hadar
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

The good: And now we've established our main enemies: The Dominion.

"You have no idea what's begun here."

Summary: I'd say that it's a pretty decent set up for this mysterious group and for the war that I heard happens as the series progresses.

Oh wait, you do.

Well, you don't know what sequence that which has begun shall take!

The bad: I cannot begin to express how much eye-rolling went on in the beginning of the episode. I kept thinking, "Really? The season finale starts like this?"

Which was sort of the point. You were meant to think that this was a zany camping trip episode, then they'd surprise you by having the ultimate enemy show up. It's the same reason why the first reference of the Dominion was in a Ferengi comedy episode, the audience were supposed to hear the name but not consider it anything significant at the time.

Admittedly, that plan probably worked better in a time before the Dominion War became a thing of Trek legend, when anyone deciding to try DS9 for the first time has probably heard the name already.

That finishes the second season for me. I'm glad that the final episodes were good... I was getting a bit worried there. I'm looking forward to starting the 3rd season (after Netflix ships the disks to me).

The final section of season 2 is very strong, the writers really were in the zone at that time. If it wasn't for how mediocre the middle of the season is, season 2 would be more highly regarded by fans, I feel.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Ratings/Moobs correlation. Your finest graph yet, TGB?

 

[TheGodBen]

Ratings/Moobs correlation. Your finest graph yet, TGB?

I've got to credit NCC-1701 for that one as he made it, and made me laugh for 5 minutes straight upon viewing it.

 

[Admiral Shran]

The Maquis Part 2
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥- (9/10)

Summary: Superb. Just superb.

Since you've seen VOY, I doubt this will spoil anything, but I find it highly amusing that DS9 will go on to do more with the Maquis than VOY did (and they were created specifically for VOY).

Crossover
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

Remember in In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II, when Mirror T'Pol says that one day Humans will pay for what they've done? Now you know what the writers were referring to.

The Jem'Hadar
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥-- (8/10)

Summary: I'd say that it's a pretty decent set up for this mysterious group and for the war that I heard happens as the series progresses. Space battles were pretty good. A part of me knew that the Odyssey wasn't going to make it, but it was still a bit jarring when the Jem'Hadar did the kamakazi thing on it. Very bad bad guys here. Is it possible to rival the pure evilness that was the borg of TNG (not VOY -- they weren't so scary in that series)? I shall have to wait and see.

This episode first aired not long after TNG went off the air. I remember when I first saw the previews for it I was shocked that the Dominion destroyed the Enterprise - we weren't told that it was the Odyssey in the preview.

As for the Borg or the Dominion - I think the writers do a good job rivaling that evilness. I leave it for you to decide.

 

[star]

Crossover
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

Remember in In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II, when Mirror T'Pol says that one day Humans will pay for what they've done? Now you know what the writers were referring to.

You know I didn't make that connection before, but awesome!

I've been sick, so I haven't remembered to get to my mailbox and send off the dvds I have. I'll get it done today. I'm ready to get started on the 3rd season.

 

[RAMA]

Alright, I've got the first season dvds and finally had some time last night to get started. I promised I'd watch all seven seasons of the show -- the good, the bad and the zany.

Before we get to my reviews, I believe I ought to explain that I am not an uber-Trekkie. Write occasional fanfic? Make pretty avatars, banners & wallpapers? Participate in boards that discuss Trek? Yes, yes and yes. Nitpick every tiny detail of an episode? Understand any of the technical and scientific aspects of Trek? Believe that "canon" is the only way to gauge whether an episode or show is worth viewing? No, no and definitely no.

I will basing my reviews on whether or not I was either moved or entertained. Nothing more, nothing less. And I'm not super hard to entertain. I like good writing and good acting and as long as there is enough of both in an episode, I will most likely be content.

The "scoring" will be ? out of 5 hearts as to how much I love a particular episode. Alright, let's get this show on the road!

Last night's viewing: Emissary.

♥♥♥--

The good: Love seeing Picard. Just 'cause, he's my favorite captain. Also great to see O'Brien and I'm looking forward to seeing his story develop further. Kiera is pretty cool. Bashir is interesting. I like Quark. The Bajoran religion fascinates me. The entire storyline in the wormhole, particularly Sisko explaining linear existence to non-corporeal beings was good. My favorite was when they helped him to see that he continues to exist in the moment when his wife died. Good writing there.

The bad: Sisko. I'm hoping that as the actor settles into the role, he'll be less stiff and forced. There was a lot of over-acting, in my opinion, and it drew me out of the experience. Potentially powerful moments in the episode were rendered meaningless by the acting. Jadzia Dax also feels... not genuine. I'm not necessarily holding it against either character as I realize it takes a while for both the writers and the actors to really get a feel for them sometimes. (Heck, TNG was pretty ugh-ish to start too.) I'm withholding judgment on these two... but they did make the episode less enjoyable.

The zany: Gul Dukat. Seriously. If I had not made a commitment to watch the entire series, I might have been tempted to give up after this first episode before this Cardassian showed up. (Not a lot of time these days and I don't want to waste it watching something that isn't the bee's-knees for me.) But Gul Dukat is worth every minute. Fantastic character. The actor is great, but then it's a great role to play as well. I seem to remember from my interactions with Niners that Gul Gukat is not a one or two episode wonder. If that is the case, then I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of this deliciously evil alien.

Summary: For the most part I was ambivalent about this episode. It had good moments but plenty of moments where I felt like both the writers and the actors were trying to force me to be moved by their work instead of letting it speak for itself. All in all, mildly entertaining--along the same lines as most Trek series beginnings.

Hopefully I'll have time today to watch the next episode.

I still think Emissary is the best ST pilot ever. I think that saying something cause the only mediocre pilot was from STNG! It really started with a strong concept...introducing the conflict with the Bajorans and Cardassians and putting the station in the middle of it. Also, the 7th season conclusion of DS9 really had its origins here.

I'd give it a 10 out of 10!

RAMA

 

[RAMA]

Crossover
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

Remember in In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II, when Mirror T'Pol says that one day Humans will pay for what they've done? Now you know what the writers were referring to.

You know I didn't make that connection before, but awesome!

I've been sick, so I haven't remembered to get to my mailbox and send off the dvds I have. I'll get it done today. I'm ready to get started on the 3rd season.

Just a suggestion...

http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=4556793&postcount=214

Might aid in your Netflix usage and they are cheaper than ever this time of year.

I kind of envy your re-watching. I rewatched 4 DS9 seasons a few yrs ago with my wife and she really got into the show.

Also, I think season one was better than season 2. In fact 3 of my fav episode from the whole series are from Season 1!!

RAMA

 

[Can]

Crossover
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (10/10)

Remember in In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II, when Mirror T'Pol says that one day Humans will pay for what they've done? Now you know what the writers were referring to.

You know I didn't make that connection before, but awesome!

I've been sick, so I haven't remembered to get to my mailbox and send off the dvds I have. I'll get it done today. I'm ready to get started on the 3rd season.

I hope you get well soon....When shall you send your next reviews ?