Deep Space Nine, 17 years later
Has it really been 17 years??? WHAT THE —-!? Wow. I mean, damn, I’m old.
This was always my favorite Star Trek, although if you asked me why I couldn’t tell you at the time. Still, even as much as I liked it, I eventually stopped watching – around the time that Dax got replaced I think, as that’s one of the last things I remember clearly. I always said I’d go back and watch the rest someday.
Well, (starting) today, someday (starts). We just watched the opening episode, Emissary, and will be trekking our way through the entire series (!), as time allows. So, maybe by the end of next year we’ll be through it. Anyway… as dated as the special effects were, I found the story quite serviceable. Yes, there was some strange acting – Avery Brooks seems to “overface” things a bit – wait – not just him, everyone. Don’t get me wrong, they are communicating emotions clearly, but it still seems a bit hammy. Still, not enough to sour anything for me. I enjoyed the pilot more than I thought I would, and am not totally put off on watching the other 140 (?) episodes. Damn, that is a lot. OK, I’m a little intimidated.
So, I’ll be reviewing a 17 year old TV series for the next year or so. Also note that my “reviews” are not so much reviews as they are disconnected rambles inspired by whatever I am reviewing. Usually they are related to said material.
After watching the episode, I think I’m a little clearer on what hooked me so well originally: the show had an overall arc! Unlike TNG, which was just basically fucking around in space for X years, DS9 had (as near as I can remember) an actual linking plot. This is killer for me these days – I love a good serial, but HATE an unplanned ending (Heroes, 4400, X-files, etc.)… and pretty much everything has an unplanned ending these days – either because they get canceled too early (Firefly, 4400), or just because they quickly descend into suckage and then either get canceled too late (Heroes) or run on too long trying to find their ass again (X-Files).
Hopefully DS9 won’t fall into either of those traps. DON’T SPOIL IT FOR ME! I seriously don’t know how it ends. I mean, I have a general idea, but I never actually saw those episodes, so I certainly don’t remember them. Annnnnd I’m going to do my best not to look stuff up ahead of time. I’m going to try and enjoy something in “linear time”.
Little Emissary joke there for you. Savor it. O.O
The episode itself does an admirable job, I think, of getting all the characters out there as individuals with some actual personality. Sure, some of the moments came across a little forced but.. it’s TV! I gotta keep reminding myself it’s TV. For TV, especially TV from 17 years ago, I think the “character moments” were just fine.
The special effects… some of them were a little cringe inducing, but nowhere near as immersion breaking as the ones on the first episode of Babylon 5, which rendered the rest of the episode unwatchable (I don’t even think I finished it). Some things don’t age well, and DS9 has aged… alright.
[edit:
They skipped the end of what happened to Sisko in the wormhole, which did piss me off. Like... 10-15 minutes just missing from the ep!
/edit]
[...] Onefinemess » Deep Space Nine, 17 years later [...]