"If your lies are going to be this transparent, this is going to be a very short interrogation"
This post is part of the 100 Things: A Blogging Challenge; please click here to learn more about the challenge and the full list of topics I've discussed.
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
I actually wasn't planning on starting my 100 Things challenge with this television show but a) I was prompted by this article about Bryan Fuller being interested in starting a new Star Trek television series (which I remember reading the details of last year and thought that it was creative (if not a little far time-wise...plus, really, another Kirk? But that's just an aside), exciting stuff and b) for a long time this was my favourite science fiction show. So yes, let's start with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine =)
I was a Trekker growing up. I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my mum; while other kids were reading the relative age-appropriate novels, I was reading TNG novels. I forgot exactly what happened, but one day (I must've been like, 10 or 11 years old, grade 4/5), I decided to tune in after TNG to check out DS9. It was the episode "Our Man Bashir" from series 4 which was a fun romp involving holodeck adventures and a transporter accident but it was interesting enough to keep me watching. By a few episodes, not only was I hooked but it also knocked TNG off the top spot of favourite Star Trek series.
What really captured my imagination about this particular Star Trek series is firstly the story arcs themselves. Unlike the other shows, every episode does not necessarily end with the "reboot" where all is well at the end and the status quo remains. Especially with the Dominion War, episodes don't always end happily or with some measure of relief; often, themes and issues carry on to the next episode and certain issues are continually addressed and play a role with the stories. I remember reading that there were some complaints initially about the series about how, unlike TNG and TOS, they aren't exactly on a starship going out and exploring new worlds; rather, the different races come to DS9 and all of the action and drama happens (for the most part) onboard. I never minded this; in fact, it heightens the idea that if things go wrong or if the situation is dire (and this has happened a number of times over the course of its seven-series run), they can't merely jump to Warp 9 and get out of there. They have to face the problem head-on and in a clever way.
At the same time, despite of the fact that the crew was often tied to the station, what I loved about DS9 was how grand the scope was. Unlike the other shows in the franchise, DS9 tackled with the heavier, grayer issues of morality and ethics, politics and society. Some of the ongoing themes of the show often reflected the political situation of the 1990s. There's also a lot more politiking and maneuvering going on, from mere politics to conspiracies and coups, especially given Captain Benjamin Sisko's secondary function as a political mediator between races onboard the station. This show is often pegged as "darker" compared to the other shows, but it just shows the dire consequences that are attached to some of the decisions we make and the complexities of societies, including intergalactic ones. Sometimes people are forced to make difficult decisions, which Sisko had to do over the course of his time on DS9 (and especially during the war; there was that excellent episode from series 6, "In the Pale Moonlight", where this was raised). I also enjoyed the spiritual aspect of the show as represented through the Bajorans; I thought it added to the overall epic feel of the show and enjoyed that strange, mythical aspect of the Emissary to Sisko's character, cumulating to the final showdown in the series finale.
The cast and characters for this show was just stellar from the beginning. Given the setting and situation of the show, it was especially interesting to see how the characters--of various backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives--came together (one scene that stuck out for me from the title was Major Kira Nerys, the hardened freedom fighter, almost butting heads with Doctor Julian Bashir, the idealistic and rather sheltered doctor from Earth). They all have their own personalities and at some point or another had their own storylines and development arcs going on and their dynamic together as a group is just fantastic (Quark with anyone at any given time is always a gem). You also had a few characters from TNG join the cast, which was a great bridge between the previous series and this one, especially if you started watching TNG and moved along to DS9; in the case of Miles O'Brien, it was a chance to expand and truly flesh out the character. But what's also fantastic about DS9 is how the seemingly villainous characters like Gul Dukat and Damar are equally fleshed out, showing not only what drives them but also their flaws, making them just as complex as the main cast. I always enjoyed the tug-of-war dynamic between Gul Dukat and Benjamin Sisko, one the former commander of Terok Nor and the other the current commander.
It's been a while since I've re-watched the series (why are the season boxed sets so expensive? ;_;) but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine remains my favourite Star Trek series and one of my favourite science fiction television shows ever because of its complex and grand storytelling and fascinating characters. While it was often pretty serious, tackling major subjects and intergalatic issues, it also had its light-hearted and adventurous moments, including a throwback to the original series with the episode "Trials and Tribble-ations." There's also some great humourous moments; "The Magnificent Ferengi" was a particular favourite of mine because it showcased how the Ferengi can be awesome if they put their minds to it but also quite hilarious along the way. The show remains often-forgotten on fan polls and sci-fi article ranking sci-fi shows but the show is highly underrated in my opinion and is quite up there in production value, acting and storytelling.
Note: lol, I guess this entry came off more as a review than anything else, but I'm still figuring out how to write these particular entries =P Please bear with me ^_~
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/377566.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
I actually wasn't planning on starting my 100 Things challenge with this television show but a) I was prompted by this article about Bryan Fuller being interested in starting a new Star Trek television series (which I remember reading the details of last year and thought that it was creative (if not a little far time-wise...plus, really, another Kirk? But that's just an aside), exciting stuff and b) for a long time this was my favourite science fiction show. So yes, let's start with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine =)
I was a Trekker growing up. I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my mum; while other kids were reading the relative age-appropriate novels, I was reading TNG novels. I forgot exactly what happened, but one day (I must've been like, 10 or 11 years old, grade 4/5), I decided to tune in after TNG to check out DS9. It was the episode "Our Man Bashir" from series 4 which was a fun romp involving holodeck adventures and a transporter accident but it was interesting enough to keep me watching. By a few episodes, not only was I hooked but it also knocked TNG off the top spot of favourite Star Trek series.
What really captured my imagination about this particular Star Trek series is firstly the story arcs themselves. Unlike the other shows, every episode does not necessarily end with the "reboot" where all is well at the end and the status quo remains. Especially with the Dominion War, episodes don't always end happily or with some measure of relief; often, themes and issues carry on to the next episode and certain issues are continually addressed and play a role with the stories. I remember reading that there were some complaints initially about the series about how, unlike TNG and TOS, they aren't exactly on a starship going out and exploring new worlds; rather, the different races come to DS9 and all of the action and drama happens (for the most part) onboard. I never minded this; in fact, it heightens the idea that if things go wrong or if the situation is dire (and this has happened a number of times over the course of its seven-series run), they can't merely jump to Warp 9 and get out of there. They have to face the problem head-on and in a clever way.
At the same time, despite of the fact that the crew was often tied to the station, what I loved about DS9 was how grand the scope was. Unlike the other shows in the franchise, DS9 tackled with the heavier, grayer issues of morality and ethics, politics and society. Some of the ongoing themes of the show often reflected the political situation of the 1990s. There's also a lot more politiking and maneuvering going on, from mere politics to conspiracies and coups, especially given Captain Benjamin Sisko's secondary function as a political mediator between races onboard the station. This show is often pegged as "darker" compared to the other shows, but it just shows the dire consequences that are attached to some of the decisions we make and the complexities of societies, including intergalactic ones. Sometimes people are forced to make difficult decisions, which Sisko had to do over the course of his time on DS9 (and especially during the war; there was that excellent episode from series 6, "In the Pale Moonlight", where this was raised). I also enjoyed the spiritual aspect of the show as represented through the Bajorans; I thought it added to the overall epic feel of the show and enjoyed that strange, mythical aspect of the Emissary to Sisko's character, cumulating to the final showdown in the series finale.
The cast and characters for this show was just stellar from the beginning. Given the setting and situation of the show, it was especially interesting to see how the characters--of various backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives--came together (one scene that stuck out for me from the title was Major Kira Nerys, the hardened freedom fighter, almost butting heads with Doctor Julian Bashir, the idealistic and rather sheltered doctor from Earth). They all have their own personalities and at some point or another had their own storylines and development arcs going on and their dynamic together as a group is just fantastic (Quark with anyone at any given time is always a gem). You also had a few characters from TNG join the cast, which was a great bridge between the previous series and this one, especially if you started watching TNG and moved along to DS9; in the case of Miles O'Brien, it was a chance to expand and truly flesh out the character. But what's also fantastic about DS9 is how the seemingly villainous characters like Gul Dukat and Damar are equally fleshed out, showing not only what drives them but also their flaws, making them just as complex as the main cast. I always enjoyed the tug-of-war dynamic between Gul Dukat and Benjamin Sisko, one the former commander of Terok Nor and the other the current commander.
It's been a while since I've re-watched the series (why are the season boxed sets so expensive? ;_;) but Star Trek: Deep Space Nine remains my favourite Star Trek series and one of my favourite science fiction television shows ever because of its complex and grand storytelling and fascinating characters. While it was often pretty serious, tackling major subjects and intergalatic issues, it also had its light-hearted and adventurous moments, including a throwback to the original series with the episode "Trials and Tribble-ations." There's also some great humourous moments; "The Magnificent Ferengi" was a particular favourite of mine because it showcased how the Ferengi can be awesome if they put their minds to it but also quite hilarious along the way. The show remains often-forgotten on fan polls and sci-fi article ranking sci-fi shows but the show is highly underrated in my opinion and is quite up there in production value, acting and storytelling.
Note: lol, I guess this entry came off more as a review than anything else, but I'm still figuring out how to write these particular entries =P Please bear with me ^_~
This entry was originally posted at http://caffeinatedlife.dreamwidth.org/377566.html. Please comment there using OpenID.