The great Tribble hunt.
I have to say that on balance season two was more consistent than three, which ultimately had something of a hit and miss quality to it. I mean, how utterly abysmal is Meridian? It must have the most half-baked, unbelievable "romance" I've ever seen and a woeful, disgusting B-plot. And Fascination is no great shakes either! Are "love potion" episodes ever actually any good? I won't even mention the Ferengi comedy episodes because I just skip through the Ferengi bits and watch the subplots, saving me considerably less pain by doing so. On the flipside, Second Skin, Heart of Stone, Visionary, Through the Looking Glass, Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast, Explorers, Facets and The Adversary (Hey, it's The Thing in space!) were all terrific. In a strange way season three is both an improvement and a step down from season two. There are less noticeably great episodes, yet it hits much higher dramatic peaks than before. The Die is Cast in particular was completely brilliant, primarily for the scene where Garak tortures Odo but also for the battle at the end. Wonderful.
Also, Sisko looks so much better with his shaved head and beard. Almost like a different person, actually.
And suddenly I actually understand why people sometimes advise DS9 newbies to start with season four. It's something I vehemently disagree with (primarily because you'd be missing out on a lot of plot and character development, and I think it's always best to start at the beginning if possible), but I suppose it's feasible if you don't mind being confused. But that's immaterial, as season four really represents the exact point where this show effectively stops being Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and becomes Deep Space Nine, figuratively speaking of course. Which is peculiar considering the whole "Suddenly, Klingons!" aspect of The Way of the Warrior, but it's true. Things are the same, but different. The tone is darker, the characters even more real, the stories wrapped in ever greyer shades of grey. On an aesthetic level everything looks bigger, but also a bit more shadowy. Real change is in the air. War is coming. You can almost taste it.
The Way of the Warrior is like DS9: The Movie. Certainly the closest thing we have to such a thing at this point anyway and I thought it was absolutely spectacular. The Visitor is absolutely devastating and incredibly moving. The scene where Sisko materialises for the very last time had me in tears, which it wouldn't have if the Jake/Sisko relationship wasn't so realistic and nuanced. I'm not sure I have enough superlatives for Rejoined, either. It takes aspects from previous Dax-centric stinkers like Equilibrium and Meridian (Trill society, romance) and makes them bloody brilliant. Easily Terry Farrell's best acting thus far, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who wished Lenara could've stayed on DS9 and had a proper relationship with Jadzia. It would've been far more compelling to watch than Jadzia and bloody Worf at any rate. And I like Worf to an extent, but he's always such a dick to Dax - their relationship makes no sense.
The only real missteps in the season were The Sword of Kahless which seemed to consist of lots of boring wandering around tunnels and the Homefront/Paradise Lost two-parter, which felt oddly small and insular considering its subject matter. Not to say it didn't have its moments because it did, but I can understand why Ira Steven Behr was unhappy with it. But those aside the awesome just kept coming: Crossfire, Return to Grace, Hard Time (this episode made me cry buckets), Accession, Shattered Mirror, For the Cause and Broken Link - all terrific episodes and all very different to each other. The variety Deep Space Nine exhibits is astonishing, practically on the same levels of Doctor Who and Farscape in the "no idea what you're going to get next week" stakes.
Season five has carried on four's brilliance very nicely so far. OK, so we've had Let He Who Is Without Sin... one of the most dire stinkers of the entire series and the rather plodding Looking For par'Mach in All the Wrong Places, which didn't work for me primarily because as I alluded to above I don't buy Jadzia and Worf as a couple (and I still don't, actually - they have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever), but everything else has been great. Especially the epic For the Uniform where Sisko takes his badassery to whole new levels, Trials and Tribble-ations (although I have no love for the original series so that might have dulled this episode's impact for me a tad - still hilarious and ingenious stuff, though), ...Nor the Battle to the Strong (seriously brutal), The Darkness and the Light and In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light. Plus, the new uniforms are a dramatic improvement.
And the Dominion War edges closer...
I think I know why my dad is so addicted to ebay. It's the adrenaline rush in those final few minutes, the desperate attempt to outbid someone for an item you really want. And the feeling when you win: utter jubilation. I can understand that it must be one hell of a kick for some people.
Not me, though. I bloody hate it. I'd much prefer to click "Buy Now" on something rather than take part in this horrible, soul-destroying auction nonsense.
But then, if it means me nabbing the bizarrely elusive Doctor Who book The Book of the Still for £4.90 as opposed to the ridiculous £21.95 and above asking price on Amazon Marketplace and numerous other exotically-priced internet book traders I'm not really sure I can complain.
So. Tell me your epic ebay wins, if you have any!
Also, Sisko looks so much better with his shaved head and beard. Almost like a different person, actually.
And suddenly I actually understand why people sometimes advise DS9 newbies to start with season four. It's something I vehemently disagree with (primarily because you'd be missing out on a lot of plot and character development, and I think it's always best to start at the beginning if possible), but I suppose it's feasible if you don't mind being confused. But that's immaterial, as season four really represents the exact point where this show effectively stops being Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and becomes Deep Space Nine, figuratively speaking of course. Which is peculiar considering the whole "Suddenly, Klingons!" aspect of The Way of the Warrior, but it's true. Things are the same, but different. The tone is darker, the characters even more real, the stories wrapped in ever greyer shades of grey. On an aesthetic level everything looks bigger, but also a bit more shadowy. Real change is in the air. War is coming. You can almost taste it.
The Way of the Warrior is like DS9: The Movie. Certainly the closest thing we have to such a thing at this point anyway and I thought it was absolutely spectacular. The Visitor is absolutely devastating and incredibly moving. The scene where Sisko materialises for the very last time had me in tears, which it wouldn't have if the Jake/Sisko relationship wasn't so realistic and nuanced. I'm not sure I have enough superlatives for Rejoined, either. It takes aspects from previous Dax-centric stinkers like Equilibrium and Meridian (Trill society, romance) and makes them bloody brilliant. Easily Terry Farrell's best acting thus far, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who wished Lenara could've stayed on DS9 and had a proper relationship with Jadzia. It would've been far more compelling to watch than Jadzia and bloody Worf at any rate. And I like Worf to an extent, but he's always such a dick to Dax - their relationship makes no sense.
The only real missteps in the season were The Sword of Kahless which seemed to consist of lots of boring wandering around tunnels and the Homefront/Paradise Lost two-parter, which felt oddly small and insular considering its subject matter. Not to say it didn't have its moments because it did, but I can understand why Ira Steven Behr was unhappy with it. But those aside the awesome just kept coming: Crossfire, Return to Grace, Hard Time (this episode made me cry buckets), Accession, Shattered Mirror, For the Cause and Broken Link - all terrific episodes and all very different to each other. The variety Deep Space Nine exhibits is astonishing, practically on the same levels of Doctor Who and Farscape in the "no idea what you're going to get next week" stakes.
Season five has carried on four's brilliance very nicely so far. OK, so we've had Let He Who Is Without Sin... one of the most dire stinkers of the entire series and the rather plodding Looking For par'Mach in All the Wrong Places, which didn't work for me primarily because as I alluded to above I don't buy Jadzia and Worf as a couple (and I still don't, actually - they have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever), but everything else has been great. Especially the epic For the Uniform where Sisko takes his badassery to whole new levels, Trials and Tribble-ations (although I have no love for the original series so that might have dulled this episode's impact for me a tad - still hilarious and ingenious stuff, though), ...Nor the Battle to the Strong (seriously brutal), The Darkness and the Light and In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light. Plus, the new uniforms are a dramatic improvement.
And the Dominion War edges closer...
I think I know why my dad is so addicted to ebay. It's the adrenaline rush in those final few minutes, the desperate attempt to outbid someone for an item you really want. And the feeling when you win: utter jubilation. I can understand that it must be one hell of a kick for some people.
Not me, though. I bloody hate it. I'd much prefer to click "Buy Now" on something rather than take part in this horrible, soul-destroying auction nonsense.
But then, if it means me nabbing the bizarrely elusive Doctor Who book The Book of the Still for £4.90 as opposed to the ridiculous £21.95 and above asking price on Amazon Marketplace and numerous other exotically-priced internet book traders I'm not really sure I can complain.
So. Tell me your epic ebay wins, if you have any!