Amph "You are of Bajor" A 'Trek' to 'Deep Space Nine'

Just bumping this for easier access, as my Trek viewing journey will be taking me to DS9 next (I'll be alternating between TNG & DS9, then eventually DS9 & VOY, but posting the episode comments in their respective threads for this forum).

It should be interesting- watching all of DS9 was actually the inciting reason for me to have started this whole project 4 or 5 years ago with TOS. I've always been curious to see how it really compares/steals/shares with B5 as well, so I'll likely be adding an additional intermittent log (ala my time travel and alternate universe logs) to track those similarities/coincidences, etc.

Also, unlike TNG, I haven't seen the majority of the DS9 series- I think I stopped watching in the 2nd or early 3rd season just as they first began to encounter the Dominion. So there'll be little in the way of nostalgia to affect me like might have been an occasional factor when watching some TNG episodes, and most of it will be very fresh (I know a few things that happen, as well as eventual cast changes, but most of it is pretty unknown to me).

I also remember I had a DS9 model kit way back in the day when I had an interest in that hobby (mostly stemming from my uncles, who were both Trek fans and occasional professional modelmakers for museum displays like ones at the USS Intrepid), though i recall never finishing it- just getting the bottom power core and flat circlular areas done, never attaching the curved spires or what have you (which I suppose nicely complements my unreapired/unfinished Enterprise-A model whose saucer was too heavy for the secondary hull's "neck" to support).

I recall there was one point in DS9 when i watched it back then that started to turn me away from Trek as it illustrated Trek's heavy use of the reset button and lack of serialistic progression from one episode to another (ironic, as it would really be the first Trek series to eventually execute such a concept- though only after I stopped watching it ), which, a few years later, would be what so attracted me to B5 when given the opportunity to watch that series. The moment involves the Klingons, but I'll save the details for when the episode comes.

 

I probably will with Voyager, yeah- I know there's less crossover for obvious reason, but it's launch is firmly anchored in DS9's run, and it will be more interesting froma Borg perspective to see how they pop up in VOY in regards to FC's events, which in turn factors (even if only slightly) into DS9 with Worf's absence and the Defiant, etc.

As for the order, I'm going by the listings on Memory-Alpha under the entries for each year, for, for example, the entry for 2369 covers TNG Season 6 & DS9 Season 1 (make sure you hit "show all" if it collapses on your browser).

I'm still debating how I'll tackle "These Are the Voyages..." as I think it'll be interesting to see it within context of The Pegasus, and sort of gives it the proper treatment of not really being a proper finale to ENT, but at the same time, it's a different series.

 

As far as I understand, yes it was the first Trek series to do so- one of the many interesting parallels between it and B5.

 

Well, I started chronological, might as well stay that way. Never know what parallels might arise.

Not the first for serialized storytelling, no, but one of the, if not the, first to be planned out entirely in advance in the structure of a novel for TV.

Regardless, I wasn't saying that as a B5-first, but rather simply "both shows had it".

 

There were accommodations in the execution to accommodate real life issues- he had a trap door for most cast members should they depart- which included Sinclair (though that was also simultaneous with the realization that it was too much to have a single main character have personal connections to both the Minbari and Shadow wars, thus needing an additional character). But otherwise, yes, it was pre-planned.

 

This week, probably.

 

Or yesterday.


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DS9 101/102: Emissary
-Premise: On the edge of explored space, a new crew takes command of an abandoned space station and makes an incredible discovery that will change the galaxy.

-T2Q Comments: As a preface, I remember seeing brief previews of DS9 back in the day, before they revealed it was set on a space station, and how it gave the impression that the visuals we did see of the station were actually that of a ship's saucer section, and I came to the conclusion that it was set in a time period when the Federation was really beaten up by the Borg, so even the ships looked dirty, stripped down and industrial- ironically somewhat like people would later expect to happen with Voyager, though that never really came to pass. Still, I was very surprised at how wrong I was about the show's concept at the time.

Really smart idea of anchoring the introduction of the main character into Wolf 359, part of what was likely the most watched part of TNG at the point of development- I'm surprised they never used this concept for other main characters. Also, the only time we ever see an Ambassador-class in action, alas.

Explosion outside the window while he searches the rubble is the only effect to not quite work so well. The shaky handheld style here, combined with the fact that everyone is dirty and burned really adds a new sense of reality to things that we haven't really seen in the franchise so far- also indicative of filmmaking trends of shows to come like Galactica. And the dirt, well, the Federation is always shown to be so clean- even when they're on messy away missions, they usually just get some sand or dust on them. Here? It's burns and carbon and soot, grease and blood. Explosion of ship outside escape pod window is great, however.

When I first watched DS9, I remember finding the theme a little boring compared to the more triumphant marching of TNG's theme, but over time, I think it's become my favorite of the Trek themes, rivaled by the theme to First Contact. This introduction for this episode alsso wisely ommits the wormhole ending effect so as not to spoil it before it's introduced in the acual show. The actual visuals of showing off the station are appropriately slow and graceful to mirror the theme itself- though I much prefer the later season intros where the station is shown to be more active with ships coming and going and repair crews working on the exterior of the station ala Baylon 5's first and second season intros, though it's not so bad right now considering the state DS9 is in at this point and not yet fully active.

Very good idea to have the Enterprise there, not only as a passing of the torch from one show to the next, but also for simply a sense of scale to the station; always handy to have a T-1000 as your security offer; I love how the Wolf connection throws Picard off.

"AND a thief"

Interesting multi=plane effect on the matte painting. I like Sisko's reaction to the holo-fountain stairs cause, yeah, that is kinda cool. Avery makes that Beach scene work surprisingly much better than it probably should have. Sisko's comment to Jake is kinda funny because it's sorta saying "i was just thinking how much you look like a girl".

Logical choice to have O'Brien here, given his past with the Cardassians. Miles farewell to Picard and the Enterprise done just right, ending with a great little transition from the opening of the TNG theme into the DS9 fanfare. Kind of a rough transition into the arrival of the Cardassian vessel, though.

Dig the look of the of Grande/Runabouts- sorta of like a shuttlecraft but cool looking. "Are you capable of communicating with me?" um, isn't that what they just did?.

Odo brings a welcome breath of sarcasm as a character. The ext

 

Actually, I meant to comment on the uniforms witch but didn't notice them until the end for some reason. I do like them better- they also seem to avoid the problems of the TNG two-piece uniforms making every actor perform a "Picard manuever" whenever they stand up.

And, yeah, I always loved Morn's look.

Also, I'll add the Dukat note, thanks.

 

She also shows up in at least two TNG episodes- she's briefly seen as an Enterprise security officer who gets shot by the possesed Data/Troi/etc who are trying to take control of the ship via hostages in Ten Foreard, and later I believe she's in the episode where Picard is left on the ship during some kind of radiation cleansing (a wall of energy moving across the ship that he has to stay ahead of).