TheGodBen Revisits Deep Space Nine

[TheGodBen]

Oh, you evil, sadistic, little....

I should of known better than to click that link. Now what has been seen can ever never be unseen.

You'll be a better man for it. It is only when we suffer true pain that we can enjoy the good times, and that scene was beyond painful.


Move Along Home (**)

Here's a controversial opinion: I don't hate this episode. I should, while watching it there were plenty of things that I could see were objectively bad, but there's a big nostalgia factor for me with this episode. Along with Captive Pursuit, this is the episode I most remember from when the show first aired, so there's that. But there's more than just simple nostalgia, this episode opened my mind to a simple concept that I hadn't considered before; 3D games. Back then, all the games I played on my Commodore 64 were in 2D, they were either top-down adventures or side-scrollers, I had never played in an immersive 3D environment before. So the idea that Sisko, Kira and the rest were in a 3D game made up of corridors and rooms, with puzzles that they had to navigate, was completely new to me. The first game of that type that I played was Doom, which would only be released later that year. So, as a gamer, Move Along Home opened my young mind to possibilities that I had never imagined.

Which is why it's unfortunate that it's not a good episode. It's tries to be surreal, but it's too stuffy to successfully pull it off. There's also a big disconnect between what Sisko and co are going through in the game and what Quark is experiencing outside the game. How do the Wadi know what's going on? How does Quark know that they're not just yanking his chain? Where exactly were Sisko and co? Why were Sisko and the others picked as the pieces in the game? Why has nobody nuked the Wadi from orbit for pulling this stunt before?

There are a couple of good points to the episode. The Sisko/Jake relationship is touched on quite heavily early in the episode, which is arguably the best aspect of Sisko's character right now. You also have the scene where Quark breaks down and realises that there are limits to his greed and he's not willing to sacrifice innocent people. But overall, not a good episode, stupid in most places, but I let it off lightly because of nostalgia.

 

[Seven of Five]

I think I agree with two stars. It has some terrible bits in it - I mean Allamaraine? Really? But then you look at some of the dreck we've endured so far Like Babel, Q-Less and The Passenger, and you end up looking upon it a bit more favourably. Well, sort of!

 

[The Dominion]

At least Sisko had a memorable first contact experience.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

I quite like Move Along Home.

Before the men in white coats are summoned to drag me off, I should say I enjoy it for what it is, and what it is certainly isn't quality, at least not when considered objectively. It's a poor episode, without much in the way of sense or purpose. But as someone who still enjoys several shows aimed at children (those with the spark of adult intelligence and humour to them), I can sit through it quite happily if I equate it to those cartoons. Of course, I admit that's not really a fair comparison: the quality in those kid's shows is genuine because they hit above their supposed target level - this falls beneath its show's level, so any quality is an illusion on my part. But it's an illusion I'm willing to partake in because I find I get genuine, if minor, enjoyment out of it when I do. Consider the episode sub-DS9, a departure from the usual fare wherein the series briefly becomes an above-average cartoon. Move Along Home is inarguably unworthy of a place among the canon of average-to-good DS9 episodes, but if you just accept that out the gate you can buy into the fun, at least somewhat. I know this thread is a rewatch review, so taking an episode out of all context like that probably runs counter to our purpose here, but why torture yourself when you can surrender to the madness?

Allamaraine, count to four...

 

[Son of Quark]

Allamaraine, count to four...

I like this episode as well.

Allamaraine, then three more...

 

[defiantfan]

Allamaraine, count to four...

I like this episode as well.

Allamaraine, then three more...

As do I as far as first contacts go this was pretty funny to me. Let's not forget Odo growling QUARK!

Allamaraine, if you can see....

 

[Admiral Shran]

Allamaraine, count to four...

Allamaraine, then three more...

Allamaraine, if you can see....

Allamaraine, you'll come with me.

In the not so decent past, I used to say that this was easily the worst Season One episode. Now, I'm not so sure. As a guy who genuinely enjoys TNG's Masks, and is even willing to accept ENT's Precious Cargo, I've been forced to reconsider my opinion of this one.

Is Move Along Home objectively good? Not by a long shot. Is it better than Masks or Precious Cargo? No. Is it absolute dreck? No.

It is nice that they were willing to try something surreal and different and Quark's breakdown is very well handled. So, I'll agree that this is worthy of two stars.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

I like it, its very unpretentious and is a bit of campy Trek fun.

Oh and Siddig's acting was always horrible to me, the guy could NOT act in DS9 or anything after it.

 

[Seven of Five]

Wow. I thought he was brilliant by the end of DS9, and I very much enjoyed seeing him in Syriana and 24 in partiular. Vertical Limit not so much. Now that film would have fit into DS9's first season.

 

[Skywalker]

He was pretty good in Kingdom of Heaven, too.

 

[Canadave]

Oh and Siddig's acting was always horrible to me, the guy could NOT act in DS9 or anything after it.

IMO, Siddig is quite possibly the best regular actor in the franchise, once you remove Sir Patrick from the equation.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Wow. I thought he was brilliant by the end of DS9, and I very much enjoyed seeing him in Syriana and 24 in partiular.

I'll grant that he did a pretty good job in Syriana. However, even there I thought he was off in certain scenes. It's been a long time since I saw it, but I remember one scene between him and Matt Damon where his character was supposed to be barely containing his anger and frustration but it seemed like he was bored instead.

 

[Thestral]

He was pretty good in Kingdom of Heaven, too.

 

[defiantfan]

Oh and Siddig's acting was always horrible to me, the guy could NOT act in DS9 or anything after it.

IMO, Siddig is quite possibly the best regular actor in the franchise, once you remove Sir Patrick from the equation.

I also recommend seeing "Cairo Time" and possibly "Miral" if you don't mind the controversy. I had a major crush on him when DS9 first came out and then recently I saw his performance on MI-5 which is called Spooks in the UK. I was mesmerized by his skill and its quite possibly the reason I came back to watching DS9 and later the movies which I just mentioned.

Also remember he started when he was 26 years old on DS9 and willingly agreed to be a disliked character from the start. I love that they didn't make Bashir the pretty boy who knew everything, but a genuine human with flaws, bad luck with girls, and trying hard to fit in.
Siddig is an awesome actor

 

[TheGodBen]

The Nagus (**)

Ah, here we go, the first Ferengi comedy episode. The problem with this episode, and it's a problem with quite a few of the Ferengi episodes, is that it's just not all that funny. The Ferengi characters can be funny, but it's usually when they're interacting with non-Ferengi, and the problem with Ferengi comedy episodes is that it's usually about the Ferengi interacting with one another. The Ferengi by themselves aren't inherently funny, they need a straight man to work against (such as Odo), but there's no straight man to be had here, so you get repetitive jokes about profit and greed for an hour.

One noticeable problem with this episode when rewatching it is how out of character Rom is. I suppose you could make the argument that Rom evolved over time due to his interactions with Starfleet types, but it still seems like a stretch that Rom would be willing to kill Quark when such an integral part of his character later on is how important family is to him. Another issue is that Quark and the others are willing to let Rom off the hook at the end. Even if you buy into the notion that Quark forgives Rom because he's proud of the initiative he has taken, that still doesn't explain why Odo lets him get away with setting off a bomb on the promenade. It's a lazy resolution that makes this episode feel less than satisfying.

What rescues this episode is the b-story. Once again, it focuses on the Sisko/Jake relationship in a touching, realistic way, the relationship with his son is the key thing that makes Sisko stand out from Picard at this point. They're also doing a good job of keeping Jake from falling into the same pitfall that Wesley did, he's just a normal kid that more interested in being a good friend than in whatever mess the senior staff are involved in. But the best thing about this episode is the development of Nog, he's not just a stereotypical Ferengi troublemaker, he's eager to learn and improve himself. I've said it before, Nog undergoes the most impressive character transformation in Trek, and this is the first step on his journey.

Also, the first mention of Bajor's Fire Caverns. It's great how the writers took a throwaway reference like that and made it into a major location later in the show.

 

[Ln X]

Disagree big time there with that review. The Ferengi episodes are brilliant and like OTT soaps episodes (you know parodies of cruddy soaps). The humour is in how much they act like us, and how crazy/stupid they get in their pursuit of wealth and maintaining the status quo (i.e. profit for men, no clothes for females, that sort of thing).

The Jake/Benjamin b-side detracted from the story. Sure this ain't quite the best Ferengi episode, but this episode is one of the highlights of season one. I love Zek's whiny voice, it's amazing! But maybe people don't have any funny bones...

 

[Harvey]

I do appreciate that long pull-back when The Nagus is first introduced that is an obvious reference to the opening of The Godfather. Other than that, I'm hard-pressed to remember the episode.

 

[Seven of Five]

Yeah, the Godfather reference was well received.

The rest if the episode was a bit by the numbers. It was better than some of the later annual Ferengi episodes, though to be fair that's not that hard.

 

[Admiral Shran]

To be honest, the only two scenes I remember from this episode are the ones with Jake teaching Nog to read and Quark sitting at a desk while stroking a pet with shades on the window behind him (another obvious reference to The Godfather).

The Ferengi comedy episodes are hit and miss for me. I love some (The Magnificent Ferengi and The House of Quark) and hate some (Profit and Lace and Family Business). Then some are just forgettable. The Nagus is one of the forgettable ones. There's nothing really great about it and nothing really horrible about it.

 

[Shatnertage]

"The House of Quark" was one of my favorite season 3 episodes. The other two Ferengi episodes are on my "Do Not Watch" list.

So I, too, find them of varying quality. When they go for the OTT gross-out yuk-yuks (ear hair! eating worms!) it kind of kills it for me.

It's worth saying that, by the end of "Profit and Loss," I was totally buying Quark as a romantic lead in the Bogie vein, simply because they stayed away from the "humor" and because of Armin Shimerman's delivery.

I'll agree with TheGodBen that Jake teaching Nog to read was the stand-out moment of the episode.