DS9 thoughts on why I don't enjoy O'Brien eps
I started rewatching season two of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to keep up with 
skygiant's reviews, and I found myself going, "Oh no, not another O'Brien episode!" whenever there was one.
At first, that surprised me. Sure, O'Brien isn't the most interesting character, but I don't mind him. So why do I mind his eps so much?
Then I realized it's because his role as the "everyman" means that he gets stuck in episodes that could have happened to anyone. Most of the other eps are really character-specific. You can't give a Kira ep to Dax or a Bashir ep to Odo. Even when the plot is due to external influence, the way the plot goes down depends on the characters. For instance, "Crossover" depends on its primary characters being Kira and Bashir. Kira gets to face a world where she's the oppressor, rather than the oppressed, and where her reluctant admiration of Sisko is replaced with seedy sexual coercion. And Bashir, who has been given so many opportunities (with a price, but neither Kira nor the show knows that yet), has to experience life as a slave.
Likewise, "The Jem'Hadar", while setting up a new threat, also serves to explore Sisko's and Quark's attitudes towards one another, human-Ferengi relations, and the friendship between Jake and Nog. (Also, Odo acknowledging that he wants to rescue Quark and would miss him. Aww.)
For the most part, O'Brien eps - at least the ones from this season - aren't like that. They may explore interesting issues, but they don't explore interesting issues about O'Brien, and they could easily be given to other characters. In some instances, that might actually improve them.
This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/619391.html and has
comments there.
skygiant's reviews, and I found myself going, "Oh no, not another O'Brien episode!" whenever there was one.
At first, that surprised me. Sure, O'Brien isn't the most interesting character, but I don't mind him. So why do I mind his eps so much?
Then I realized it's because his role as the "everyman" means that he gets stuck in episodes that could have happened to anyone. Most of the other eps are really character-specific. You can't give a Kira ep to Dax or a Bashir ep to Odo. Even when the plot is due to external influence, the way the plot goes down depends on the characters. For instance, "Crossover" depends on its primary characters being Kira and Bashir. Kira gets to face a world where she's the oppressor, rather than the oppressed, and where her reluctant admiration of Sisko is replaced with seedy sexual coercion. And Bashir, who has been given so many opportunities (with a price, but neither Kira nor the show knows that yet), has to experience life as a slave.
Likewise, "The Jem'Hadar", while setting up a new threat, also serves to explore Sisko's and Quark's attitudes towards one another, human-Ferengi relations, and the friendship between Jake and Nog. (Also, Odo acknowledging that he wants to rescue Quark and would miss him. Aww.)
For the most part, O'Brien eps - at least the ones from this season - aren't like that. They may explore interesting issues, but they don't explore interesting issues about O'Brien, and they could easily be given to other characters. In some instances, that might actually improve them.
This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/619391.html and has
comments there.