Trek Commentary in High-Def

As some of you may know, I bought Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on BD for boxing day (along with a few other Trek movies) and part of the reason was to hear the new commentary track by director Nicholas Meyer and Enterprise executive producer, Manny Coto. I wasn't sure what to expect, seeing as how I had listened to the previous Meyer track done for the DVD release and the fact that I recently read his amazing autobiography, The View From the Bridge, and was a little worried that it would be a retread of everything I had heard or read previously. Meyer & Coto, however, do not disappoint and conduct a nice, informative discussion about the film, the franchise and the industry. Always nice to listen to anything new by Meyer & haven't heard Coto in a while.

Although it wasn't the new fan track, I also listened to the audio commentary on First Contact by Ron Moore and Brannon Braga and found it to be equally interesting and very interesting. Braga takes a lot of shit for 'ruining' Trek but listening to the guy on this track he comes off as very knowledgeable about the franchise, very willing to acknowledge what works and what doesn't in the film and the series, and I can't help but think that fandom should cut this guy some slack. I would be interested to hear or see more from this guy in some form or another. Maybe he should write a tell-all book about his experiences with the franchise like everyone from the original cast.

Moore, as always, is a commentary dream. He is incredibly frank, well-spoken, funny and a compelling creative force. I used to love listening to his Galactica podcasts and this track was different only in its polish (the podcasts were recorded on Moore's laptop in his home). I also loved the fact that Moore couldn't stop referring to the movie as an episode until Braga finally stepped in and called him on it. Considering he went from writing the series, to writing the finale "All Good Things", to the Generations movie and then First Conact in quick succession, I can't really blame him. In my opinion, all the Next Generation movies feel like episodes to me. Sue me.

I also explored the BD for VI but it was pretty unremarkable so I'm not going to elaborate on that here and I haven't even touched IV yet so I'll leave my commentary here.

Live Long and Prosper!

mike

Thinking of DS9 Again

Just started watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine again and decided to look back at some of my earlier DS9 posts from, like, 2005.

Originally I made the decision to watch the series in its entirety, since I never had before, and since I was probably looking for content at the time figured I would do reviews of the episodes as I watched them. Looking at them now I'm actually happy with what I was doing at the time but I also noticed that I stopped reviewing episodes after Season 1. I'm sure that it had something to do with nobody commenting on them at the time and me deciding that it wasn't worth the time and effort, but I'm considering going back and doing Season 2 and catching up to where I currently am on Season 3. Right now I am, literally, in the middle of watching episode 17, "Prophet Motive", so there would be a bit of catching up to do, but I am finding that every time I come back to this show after a lengthy hiatus it never gets stale, I'm never not in the mood, and the stories and characters keep getting better and better.

I was just talking to my wife about guilty pleasures or junk food TV (she watches Grey's Anatomy and Friday Night Lights for her silly fix, for example, while I have been known to occasionally watch Smallville) and I also mentioned how I used to consider DS9 just that. But the quality of the show (despite dragging along 30 years of franchise history and the baggage and clichés of two previous series) and my enjoyment of it elevates it beyond that, I think.

So, I'll give it some thought, maybe revisit the idea as I continue to run through the series. If anyone has any opinions on the matter, feel free to voice them.

Until then...

mike

Wars, Trek...What's the Difference?

I'd heard that Abrams tried to Star Wars up the new Trek film, but I never realized quite how much until I saw this video...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Cheers!

mike

Next Trek

Not entirely sure how I feel about this:



But it seems to be generating more positive responses than I expected it to, initially, so I'm intrigued as to how this will play out for the franchise.

Anybody have any opinions on this one?

mike

"The Doomsday Machine" - Behind the Scenes

I don't have a lot to say about this video other than the fact that it's kind of cool that the original writer of the classic Star Trek episode decided he would give some background on how he became involved with the show and give some commentary on the new remastered version of the episode done by CBS Digital.

I'm not a huge fan of this remastered Trek that they're peddling right now, but some of the new work being done is very nice and I can understand the impulse to want to go back and fix some things up. That being said, I love my old Trek, analog control panels and all. Every last ridiculous nut and bolt of it.

Anyway, here's writer Norman Spinrad...



Later!

mike

Wrapping Up the Deep Space Season

I'm happy to say that we are now down to the final three episodes of Season One. They don't exactly get off to a great start but they end off very strong. In fact, they cap off the season with one of the best episodes out of the 19. But before we get to In the Hands of the Prophets, we must begin with...

Dramatis Personae (1x18): Another 'concept' episode not entirely dissimilar to other episodes we've seen this season - specifically in shows like The Passenger.

The crux of the story is that the telepathic history of a dead civilisation takes hold of the crew of DS9 as they attempt to replay the power struggle that brought their culture to an end. Everyone starts to behave strangely and a rift begins to form between the Bajoran and Federation personnel as people take sides - Sisko or Kira being the two options.

Very little happens in this episode, which I think is supposed to spotlight Odo, yet again, but the usual character moments that are present in some of the worst episodes of season one are totally absent here. I have to say that I was utterly bored watching this one and cannot remember any redeeming features to it at all. I guess that makes it, perhaps, the worst episode of the season. At least previous stinkers had a moment or two that caught my attention, or at least had me actively disliking it. Dramatis Personae engendered nothing but complete apathy from me.

Duet (1x19): Duet came at a funny time where I, quite literally, was watching Clear and Present Danger special features (which included interviews with Harris Yulin and other members of the cast) when I switched to watching DS9 and this episode, also featuring Harris Yulin in a great performance as a Cardassian who is being held on suspicion of being a war criminal.

Yulin brings a weight to the episode that really helps push this one beyond your standard 'who are you...really?' episodes that you usually see. The scenes he plays with nana Visitor in the detantion area are wonderful to watch. The transformation from bewildered file clerk to mass murderer was all accomplished through the dialogue between the two characters and Yulin gives the words all the emotional resonance they need. He never goes too far, or gives too little. The guys a real pro and I think he brought out the best in Visitor who often just stands around furrowing her brow and bouncing on her heels.

I shouldn't give all the credit to Yulin for this episode since it was very nicely written by Peter Allan Fields from a story by Lisa Rich & Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci. I was missing the Cardassians (my favourite nemeses in any Star Trek series) and these guys gave me exactly what I was looking for with the wordplay, doublespeak and manipulations that are part of the Cardassian character and what, in my mind, makes them so interesting.

The ending of the episode, which I don't want to give away, was also very well handled providing for some nice character moments between Visitor and Yulin and giving viewers what has become a signature DS9 ending (at least in the good episodes) with not all of the characters coming out unscathed physically or emotionally. It's good stuff.

In the Hands of the Prophets (1x20): The season ends with 'one of the great ones' which features, not only a compelling story, but the return of the amazing Louise (Nurse Ratchet) Fletcher as Vedek Winn - one of the few actors around, I think, who could have really pulled off this character the way it needed to be played.

When Bajoran religious beliefs come into conflict with the Federation's areligious approach to education, Vedek Winn begins a crusade to either include Bajoran spiritual teachings in Mrs. O'brien's school or to seperate the children altogether. This creates a debate amongst our main cast as to what approach is the correct approach with Kira and Sisko butting heads once again, and Keiko showing how truly closed-minded and annoying she can be. I guess she's supposed to represent the Federation right while Kira takes the Bajoran spiritual left and Sisko tried to stay a moderate and believes there's room for all philosophies on the station.

They could have easily botched this episode by becoming too heavy handed and preachy but writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe doesn't forget where the truly interesting moments lie. Sisko has a conversation with Winn in the Bajoran temple on DS9 and is somewhat uncomfortable with being referred to as Emissary, sparking a wonderful exchange between the two which lays the groundwork for the rest of the episode and many more to come. Sisko also has a great scene with his son, Jake, in their quarters where he convinces him that if they treat the Bajoran's as radicals then they are just as bad as people like Winn. It was a nice subtle little scene that paid off for me far more than the 'explosive' finale.

A great episode and, from what I've seen of Season Two so far, the beginning of a direction for the series that I'm looking forward to exploring.

So, there you have it. The end of Season One, at last. Overall, it was a pretty balanced set of episodes with a handful of stinkers in the middle but enough exceptional material to really assert themselves as one of the better Trek shows, if not the best. I would argue that DS9's first season was probably the strongest of any of the five series and still stands up to scrutiny after 10 years of sitting on the shelf (try looking back at TNG season one and you'll know what I'm talking about). Considering the producers as much as admitted that they were flying by the seat of their pants for much of the season, I have to give them credit where credit is due. It could have been a rough ride but it wasn't.

Onward and Upward!

mike

Return to Deep Space

It has been a while since I've posted any of my thoughts on Deep Space Nine so, since I have recently picked up where I left off with the series, I decided it was time to resurrect the ol' Deep Space Thoughts posts. I hope this doesn't cause you all to flee in panic.

One of the benefits of starting to watch the show again is that I have now, officially, completed the first season. I have seen many of the show's episodes before, and came very close to getting the whole whack of them in on my last pass over with my buddy Brad's VHS copies but, until now, I haven't seen all 19 episodes in order and in a row. In the Hands of the Prophets ended shortly before I started typing this, and I think the next episode on the list to post on is 1x16, so here goes...

If Wishes Were Horses (1x16): Probably one of the worst episodes of Season 1, but not as bad as I was previously led to believe - or perhaps I'm just feeling overly generous given my long absence.

The story revolves around the fantasies of the crew becoming reality while they deal with the added trouble of a plasma field which threatens to destroy the station. As it turns out, the fantasies are, in reality, explorers that have recently travelled through the wormhole and are observing us and learning about us. The crew also learns that the plasma field was a figment of their imaginations turned real, and when they realise this, it disappears.

Pretty pedestrian plot that feels like something we've pretty much seen before in the Star Trek universe. Perhaps a recycled TNG episode? If I recall correctly, the DS9 companion that I had for a while stated that this was not one of the producer's favourite episodes either, nor one of the cast's.

Overall, a less than inspired episode that, while not entirely without entertainment value, fails on enough counts to make me want to breeze on to the next episode in line.

The Forsaken (1x17): After last episodes hiccup of quality we return to the good stuff with The Forsaken.

The A plot, as it were, is a standard Maguffin story featuring a strange probe that comes through the wormhole. While the DS9 folks try to download the data from the probe, it manages to somehow get into the stations computers and wreaks havoc with them. The rest of the character stories in the episode, however, are what make this one so entertaining - particularly Odo's.

I've never been a fan of Lwaxana Troi and I was worried when she came on with love eyes for Odo. When a guest character you dislike gets on your show to attempt to romance a characetr you find interesting, it usually amounts to a lot of eye rolling and getting up for snacks whenever they have scenes together. In The Forsaken the writers manage to push past the tired old clichés and use the opportunity to advance Odo's character and add hidden depth to Lwaxana, as well. Instead of being the show's resident comic relief, she ends up as one of the most sympathetic characetrs on the show. I'd almost say I'm looking forward to her return.

And while I won't get into details, I should also mention that Bashir's subplot was equally entertaining, despite its rocky start.

A nice episode overall.

Three more to go before season's end. I'll get to those in another post.

mike

Deep Space Nine Round 5

It has been some time since I've returned to good ol' Terok Nor (die-hard Trekkers should get that one) and posted some Deep Space Nine thoughts, so I figured I'd squeak some in now that I'm on a somewhat regular posting schedule again.

If you recall, the last batch of episodes I reviewed were pretty uninspiring. The momentum that the season had built up to that point was brought to an abrupt halt by misfires like 'Move Along Home' and 'The Vortex'. With the next batch of three, however, we see that those episodes were merely mid-season fumblings. With 'Battle Lines' DS9 gets back on track (at least for the nonce) and returns to the strong characters and situations that really punctuated early eps.

Battle Lines (1x13): Now, this episode had me hooked the second Camille Saviola walked on screen. Her character, Kai Opaka, was pretty interesting in 'Emissary' and I had been looking forward to her return to the show. As the spiritual centre of the Bajoran culture, her presence pretty much guaranteed some of the religious conflict/discourse that I find to be one of the linchpins for the series. I was also looking forward to seeing her matched up with Sisko again since their previous meeting was handled so well.

I wasn't disappointed.

The basic premise of the episode revolves around the Kai arriving on DS9 and wanting to go through the wormhole, also known as the Celestial Temple of the Prophets. Sisko, Kira, Bashir and the Kai grab themselves a runabout and head for the Gamma Quadrant. While exploring on the other side of the galaxy their runabout is attacked and the group manage crash land only to find themselves marooned on a prison planet. The inmates there had arranged themselves into two groups and were at war with each other, striking at the other's camp whenever the opportunity presented itself. The catch in their particular situation is that the conflict has been going on for a very long time since they can't die as long as they reside on the prison planet (something to do with nanomachines, or something). The only way out of their neverending cycle of violence is to come to terms with their hatred and find a better path.

At its heart, the show is about the Kai and creates a situation that essentially serves to write her out of the show, but it is also very much about Kira. Like the prisoners, she has lived a violent life since childhood and the episode takes a moment to question whether or not she can move beyond her past and use her energy for other purposes as well.

If you've followed these commentaries at all, you know that my favourite aspects of DS9 are the politics, the religion/mysticism dynamic, and the interpersonal relationships, for better or worse. In 'Battle Lines' we get a little bit of all of the above..

I also wanted to note that the story for this episode was by a writer I really enjoy, the late Hilary J. Bader.

The Storyteller (1x14): Another decent episode, this one focusing on Bashir and O'Brien. Bashir is on a medical mission to Bajor and O'Brien is pretty much there to fly the runabout for him. They go to a village to help an old man called a Sirah whose duty is to ward off a creature that menaces his village. Upon his death, he names O'Brien his successor and the shenanigans begin.

The plot of this episode leaves something to be desired and it is certainly not a favourite of most fans of DS9 but somehow it doesn't detract too much from my enjoyment of it. Part of it may be because of the production values - which are pretty great when you see the village all laid out with all the extras and stuff - but likely a big part of it was watching the budding friendship between Bashir and O'Brien begin to develop. What I like about these two characters together is that it is not an instant buddy-match, like where everyone on the Enterprise is best friends and plays poker every Friday, but a more realistic depiction of a friendship and working relationship in the Trek universe.

From readinf the Deep Space Nine Logbook I know the producers felt that this was a plot heavy show and not exactly what they were aiming for on the show, but I think it is far from a failure and ultimately watchable and entertaining.

Progress (1x15): 'Progress' is probably the best of the bunch being the most well-rounded and well written episode of the three. The gist of the story is that the Bajoran government is about to perform a massive energy transfer by tapping the molten core of its fifth moon, Jeraddo, to supply power for those parts of Bajor that are in need. This causes a problem because one small group of settlers on Jeraddo refuse to leave and it forces Kira to come to terms with some things about her character and her life.

She starts off the episode trying to force these folks off Jeraddo like the government demands, but when they refuse, she begins to sympathise with their plight. Kira finds what these people are going through to be somewhat similar to the sort of tyrranical oppression she fought as part of the Bajoran resistance. She doesn't like being pushed around, she doesn't like seeing her, or anyone else's, freedoms being taken away. By the end of the episode she comes to realise (with a little help from the ever wise and eternally patient Sisko) that whether she likes it or not, she is this person now. This is the life and path she chose and it comes with certain responsibilities and drawbacks that she has to learn to live with. Ultimately, no matter how much she wants to help, she also has a job to do.

Very nicely done.

And with that I'm going to bring this particular entry to a close. It's always good to go out on a high note, don't you think? Anyway, when I find a little bit of time to watch more episodes I'll cobble together another DS9 Thoughts. So, until then...

mike

Deep Space Nine Round 4

Out with the marginal and in with the bad as we head into the middle of season 1...

Move Along Home (1x10): I think this is possibly one of the worst episodes this season. It's another first contact situation with a species that is really into games. They even have one that can suck 4 of the main cast into itself and use them as playing pieces. Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?

I think what the writers were trying to do was craft one of those wacky holodeck episodes from TNG that always made me turn the channel whenever I ran across it, but without a ship to go wacky, or Data to plug in, this is what they had to settle for.

I may be being a bit harsh (there were some good moments with some of the characters) but the aliens were pretty laughable, the choice of Joel Brooks as the main alien was one of those oh-so-very-wrong casting choices that you remember for life, and it really didn't leave me with a satisfying taste in my mouth. I just wanted to move on.

The Nagus (1x11): I'm one of the few people I know who actually digs a good Quark episode from time to time so 'The Nagus' ended up being pretty a pretty welcome change of gears. Unfortunately, it was pinned between two not-so-good episodes and I think it suffers a bit as a result. Usually, the comic episodes feel right when there's been some stress on the show, and you need a little release.

Still, it's the characters who win the day in this story with Sisko and Jake coming together after drifting apart for the last few episodes, Nog and Jake's friendship is made a bit more solid and we get to see Quark be king for a day. A little fun, not too cheeky (other Ferengi episodes have been played far too much simply for the yucks) and some advancement of the situation with the cast on the station.

The Vortex (1x12): Odo is back in the spotlight getting clues to his heritage from a Gamma Quadrant miscreant who they're holding on DS9 for killing another bad guy.

Not a bad episode but the casting of Cliff DeYoung as the detainee Croden was almost as poor as Joel Brooks in 'Move Along Home'. No, that's not fair. de Young may have been doing a decent job and just been hampered by the ridiculous make-up he was required to wear for the role. I don't know if this species makes a reappearance on the show but I hope it's a long way off if they do.

Odo's predicament was well played and, while predictable, the end did have a bit of a reward to it. It was also nice to see Vulcans at the end since, at this time in Star Trek history, Vulcan's weren't showing up with any regularity on either of the two series'.

From what I can tell, the next episode features more Bajoran stuff, Kai Opaka's return and a prophecy of some kind. Looks like the drought may have ended.

mike

Deep Space Nine Round 3

Here are my thoughts on three more episodes from DS9's first season for those of you still checking in.

Q-Less (1x06): This, the sixth episode of the show's first season, was/is another favourite of mine from when the show premiered way back in 1993. Q's presence had a lot to do with that, seeing as he was one of the more popular 'villains' from TNG, but I've seen some bad Q episodes in my time, so it's not like he carried the show. Once again it was an entertaining story and good character bits that made this one stand out early on in the season.

After watching Picard match wits with Q for 7 years over on TNG it was pretty rewarding to have Sisko take him down with a couple of punches after being provoked. "Picard never hit me," Q says while massaging his chin.

"I'm not Picard," replies Sisko in a scene that could almost stand as a mission statement for the show.

The show doesn't really focus on any one character so it kind of breaks the trend of introductory stories. In fact, the presence of Q and Vash could have been a stunt to grab TNG viewers who were resisting watching the new show. Either way, it is clear that it is the characters who are carrying this show once again (which is good when you consider the MacGuffin of a 'problem' that they must overcome) and I think this is good.

Dax (1x07): The show starts its slippery slope with 'Dax', regressing into just another generic Trek show full of techno-problems and technobabble. Not to mention yet another trial, this time with Dax as the 'guilty' party.

While I thought that the episode did a good job of communicating a lot of information about Dax and how Trills operate, I think it was too soon to do another trial episode. It was only 4 episodes prior that we had Odo wrestling with much the same problem. I'm sure there was a better way to accomplish what they wanted to do, but they chose this.

It's actually a well written and well acted episode co-scripted by Trek legend, DC Fontana, and directed by veteran director, David Carson, it's just very poorly scheduled by placing it seventh in airing order. It's unfortunate but I just can't give it more points despite some of its finer points.

The Passenger (1x08): The slippery slope becomes a full-scale avalanche with this Bashir-centred episode. Again, everything but the A story is handled well and fits within the established tone of the show, but the main plot, revolving around a vicious criminal who seems to be able to organize and execute a hijacking despite being dead, falls so short of anything remotely good to render this a virtual waste of time.

There's a nice moment between Bashir and Kira in the teaser, and the introduction of a new character, Primmin, provides some comic tension as Odo is forced to accept having Starfleet security on board, but overall this could have been so much better than what it was.

Next up, the absolutely dreadful 'Move Along Home' to 'Vortex', an episode that I think may be new to me.

Until then...

mike

More DS9 Thoughts

Ok, I've just finished what I believe is the 7th episode of the series titled 'Q-Less', so I figure I should post my reactions to the episodes leading up to it before I get too far ahead of myself.

First up is...

A Man Alone (1x03): I'm assuming this script was completed prior to 'Past Prologue's since they air in reverse order, but since the official site lists them this way, I'm going to assume that it's not a situation like Farscape or B5 where they're just put out of order.

As for the episode itself, I found 'AMA' to be another entertaining story even if it didn't have the most original of plots. Security Chief Odo has been convicted of kiling an old enemy and it's a race against time to discover the truth behind the crime before the situation on the station gets too volatile.

Now, I've seen this done a dozen times before, most of them on other Star Trek franchises, but there's something about how this one plays out that keeps me from abandoning the ep altogether. I don't know if it was the twist ending or maybe getting a bit of a deeper glimpse into Odo and Quark's relationship that elevated this one for me. To be perfectly honest, it could have even been the lack of simple technical flaws that you often see in a first season of a new show that kept it from appearing too obvious that it was a recycled plot. Then again, it could have just been solid writing, directing and performances from the cast. Either way, I enjoyed it quite a bit and didn't catch myself finding other things to do while watching. Considering I've seen this episode three or four times before, that's a good thing.

Babel (1x05): 'Babel' has always been one of my favourite first season episodes and watching it again was just as fun for me as the first time it aired. The crew and civilians of DS9 are subject to an aphasia virus that does something to their brains making them speak like they're out of a William S. Burroughs fever dream.

I kind of took note of who the strongest actors on the show were in this episode. It was pretty easy to single them out because, like Colm Meaney (who did a fabulous job as O'Brien here), they were able to convincingly talk gibberish and make it sound natural and as if it had meaning somehow, somewhere to someone. Many of the cast members were a bit unconvincing with their random language skills and only one (Cirroc Lofton who plays Sisko's son, Jake) couldn't handle it at all. The episode also features Odo and Quark pretty prominently as they're the only ones who are not affected by the aphasia virus and the dynamic between these two is always great when they're forced to work together.

Another typical 'find the cure' episode that was saved by the clever twist at the end, some nice character moments and some strong writing by DS9 scribes, Michael McGreevey & Naren Shankar and Sally Caves & Ira Steven Behr.

Captive Pursuit (1x05): A nice spotlight on O'Brien wrapped up in a first contact from the Gamma Quadrant story by Jill Sherman Donner and Michael Piller. Tosk is a humanoid alien who comes through the wormhole and is welcomed at the station as the first official guest from the Gamma Quadrant. O'Brien is charged with making him feel comfortable and helping him fix his ship and, as a result, a friendship is formed between the two characters.

So, of course, big surprise then that Tosk is actually bred and raised as prey for a group of Hunters who coke looking for him on the station and who are instantly at odds with the Starfleet boys and girls for playing at bloodsports. One of the great strengths of this episode, however, is the fact that Sisko actually gives Tosk back to the Hunters rather than make your typical Star Trek stand against people who don't live like we do. Not something we would see someone like Kirk, Picard or Janeway doing.

Also, I've never been a big O'Brien fan but this episode helped change my mind about that somewhat. The character moments between he and Tosk O'Brien were pretty rewarding. Their friendship felt like it developed naturally and didn't feel forced to fit into the confines of a 44 minute show.

Five (six?) episodes in and we've yet to hit anything resembling a serious speed bump.

Next up, Q and Vash from TNG visit the station and cause some trouble.

mike

Deep Space Fix

I managed to get my hands on a complete set of the first season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine so I can finally watch the whole thing in order. I've seen many of the episodes already, but never chronologically from the pilot episode, 'Emissary' to the finale, 'In the Hands of the Prophets'.

For many fans, including myself, DS9 is pretty much as good as Trek has ever been - past or present. Kind of ironic since I was very skeptical of the show when I'd first heard of it. Sounded a little too much like another show on a space station, Babylon 5, and the lack of a wandering starship pretty much guaranteed, in my mind, that the writers would soon run out of interesting ideas and situations to put the new cast through. Needless to say, I was wrong. The show's first season was one of the strongest freshman years I'd ever seen for a Trek franchise and managed to keep things relatively fresh and interesting while going through the often tedious process of introducing characters, settings and storylines.

I may not do this every time I watch a batch of episodes but I'm going to occasionally post some thoughts on the show as I go through season 1. I won't be trying to do an analysis of each ep - there are others who do that and probably do it much better than I ever could - just posting some thoughts for posterity's sake.

Emissary (1x01 & 1x02): The pilot episode, which has been split into two parts, was originally aired as a two-hour intro to the third Trek franchise. What was immediately different about this show was the tone - much darker and more serious than previous outings in the universe that Gene built. Sisko was not your typical Federation officer and he was not placed in your typical Star Trek situation. Instead of captaining a starship across the great unknown he was in charge of a space station orbitting the newly liberated Bajoran homeworld. His purpose there was to help ease the transition for the Bajorans from an occupied people to a free and self-sufficient society. Instead of flying from planet to planet and telling people how they were living their lives wrong, these characters had to deal with maintaining a balance of power in the quadrant, guiding a planet whose society was steeped in religious beliefs into the Federation, and a political situation that often led to incindiary confrontations.

In this episode we get a nice solid introduction to the main cast of characters with mostly new faces but a few familiar ones as well. Chief among them is Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard who is there - storywise - to make sure everything is being set up smoothly and is there - practically - to pass the baton, as it were. Picard has never been my favourite ST character but I have to say he worked brilliantly in this episode opposite a barely contained Sisko (Picard as Locutus was responsible for the death of Sisko's wife, Jennifer, at the battle of Wolf 359). The tension between these two men played nicely and their scene at the end of the show made for a nice, if not predictable, bookend to the season opener.

The other characters, whom you probably know, didn't get a great deal of screen time, but they all came off as interesting with something to contribute and I looked forward to seeing how they would develop as we get further into the season.

Overall, the strongest Pilot episode of any Trek that I've seen (followed closely by Enterprise's 'Broken Bow') before and since and a nice kick-off for what promises to be an interesting ride.

Past Prologue (1x04): We were introduced to Sisko in the last episode and 'Past Prologue' provides us with a little insight into DS9's pistol of a second-in-command, Kira Nerys.

Any new series will take the first few episodes of their first season to spotlight their main cast of characters, finding stories that manage to show you some deeper character moments and flesh out who that person is a little. Some do it without tipping their hand and some are so transparent it's not even funny. Thankfully, DS9 manages to do the former with this episode.

What stands out in 'Past Prologue' for me is the incredible lack of technobabble. Instead of tying up the main story in an unintelligable problem that can only be solved by an even less clear explanation, this episode is firmly rooted in the characters and how their loyalties lie. This episode is more about politics and friendship than anti-matter converters and the cast is allowed to find the emotional core of the story and get it across to the audience. Heck, the Duras sisters appear in this episode and I found myself enjoying their presence instead of just turning the channel like I usually do.

I also can't talk about this episode without mentioning the great scene where Sisko is forced to put Kira in her place for not following the chain-of-command and going over his head with some concerns she had surrounding one of the Commander's decisions. It's not something you see everyday on Star Trek. Well, not unless Ronny Cox is guest-starring anyways.

A strong second (third?) episode that satisfied on many levels and had me putting a great deal of faith in where the writers were taking the show and the cast.

That's it for today, or at least for now. I'll probably be posting more episode commentary later so if it intersts you, make sure you check back.

I'm outta here...

mike