Well, it’s done. Last night I finished the last episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The Dominion War is done.
As I’d mentioned before, I’d never seen DS9 before — I’d caught a few episodes here and there over the years, but hadn’t seen enough to really gain any appreciation for the series or the characters. Now that I’m done…well, while I hate to rank the three versions of Star Trek that I’ve seen (TOS, TNG, and DS9) as they each have their strengths and special places, I do feel comfortable in saying that DS9 is by far the strongest Trek incarnation as a whole.
I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for TOS. It’s the series that got this whole thing started, where we were first introduced to the Federation, the Klingons, the Vulcans, and many others, and the series that captured the hearts and minds of fans all over the world. I grew up watching Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the crew, and that in itself is very important to me.
TNG was the rebirth of Trek, and it took a big chance in daring to boldly go where Paramount had gone before. New characters, new ships, new aliens — and a new show that ended up being far better than many expected it would be when word first broke that it was going to be made. Much of my high school weekends were spent in the company of my friends, gathering at one person’s house or another each week to watch the adventures of Picard and crew (often followed up by watching re-runs of TOS that were broadcast immediately afterward). Here we had a modern Trek, and it turned our initial skepticism into belief and a reborn love for the Trek universe.
With DS9, I believe that all the best parts of Trek were brought to the forefront, and then given just enough of a “darker” twist that could have doomed the show from the outset, but instead served to create some of the best Trek I’ve seen. For all their strengths, the almost antiseptic perfection of much of TOS and TNG sometimes seemed almost too good to be true. The characters were almost too perfect, there was too often a definite “right” and a definite “wrong”, without the shades of grey that so often color the real world. DS9 saw this, and painted the entire show in those shades of grey (almost literally, in the design of the Cardassian station). Without breaking away from the ideals set forth by Roddenberry in creating Star Trek, DS9 showed that as good as Paradise is, it takes work to maintain, and the real decisions and ramifications of that work are rarely as clear-cut as we’d like them to be.
So while I hate ranking one series above the other, I will say that DS9 is most definitely my favorite of the three Trek incarnations I’ve seen. Wonderful stuff.
And now that I’ve finally finished it all…
…what now?
What next? You wait for Voyager to come out on DVD. You know you’re gonna watch it…
It’s good to know someone else besides me thought that DS9 was good, and overall “better” than the other series.
I’d definitely watch Voyager next. :)
I loved the pilot for DS9… Then never watched another episode. Ok, one episode here and there, but that was IT.
I’d stay away from Voyager (I did after the first season) but I agree with you on DS9 — I really liked it! next why not look at Babylon 5, if you haven’t seen it.
Picard, not Piccard ;)
Yes, DS9 is by far the best ST series. Even Enterprise is a bit crap. Avery Brooks is by far the best actor of the captains too, perhaps even rivalling Picard, although he is a great actor. I guess they all have their good qualities, though. William Shatner was the ladies man. Patrick Stewart is great at being sympathetic and showing passion (Remember the famous ‘Four lights’ scene in TNG?). Avery is great at being angry. Kate is good at being a professional captain. Scott is good at being diplomatic.
DS9 was great. I missed the Defiant blowing up :( I’ve never seen that episode.
Check out Nemesis. One of the best Trek films in my opinion. It ranks by the side of First Contact.
well, I’d love to say “watch Voyager”, but I can strongly recommend against it.
it’s just nog “trek” enough.
TNG is by far the best. The only reason DS9 was any good was because of Worf and well Worf was in TNG and yeah DS9 is second to TNG. Then TOS and Voyager and that piece of crap Enterprise.
I’m surprised to hear someone rank Nemesis up there with First Contact.
First Contact is the best Trek movie by far but I tend to think that Nemesis had too much of a Wrath of Kahn feel to it. But I did enjoy it.
Patrick Stewart is the man and the best damn captian star trek has ever had. No one compairs at all to him!
Sorry I never could get into DS9. I watched and liked the first Star Trek and later when TNG came around I watched it as well. I liked TNG very much, even better that Star Trek.
But I only watched a season of DS9 and never could get into it.
I watched Voyager…once, and never again.
Patrick Stewart set the standard and no one else has come close.
Just my .02
Cheesy as it is, Battlestar Galactica is out on DVD now. Firefly (the entire short-lived series) is out on DVD.
The first season of almost every series (not just Star Trek) seems to suck. The first season of a show has to work with characters with no background and has to set the stage for the following seasons. Plus, you have the new writers, crew, etc all getting to know each other. So, placing all your expectations on the first season of a series, without giving it a fair chance, is wrong. Unfortunately, sometimes the network execs make the decision for you and cancel what could be a good series.
Having said that, the first season of Voyager was weak, the acting stiff. However, once it got rolling in the following season, it was really good. I put it at a close tie with DS9. Sure, there were some bad episodes, just like every series, but overall very enjoyable.
However, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Alias which is out on DVD now. It is an excellent, EXCELLENT show. It has a really convoluted, complex story to follow, so you really need to pick it up from the beginning.
Also, how could I forget? You MUST watch Farscape. It’s not got the same ‘seriousness’ as Star Trek, but, their storylines are intelligent and don’t make the viewer feel stupid. And the very final episode, is extremely heart breaking. I was nearly in tears, since for the past two years or so, I’d watched these characters evolve. I highly recommend Farscape for your viewing, as i’m sure you are one to appreciate such an excellent series. It’s a shame that it was cut short.
Watch it, and let me know what you think, so I have someone else to talk about it with! :D