When I introduce people to DS9 I start with the episode 'For the Cause' and move on from there. I actually got my wife into it that way since there's a string of strong episodes. When you do that, then go back to the beginning it's amazing how much the first episodes seem even better. 'In the Pale Moonlight' is truly one of the best episodes of Star Trek, or any show, ever, IMHO. I also have a personal affinity for 'Trials and Tribble-ations'.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yyyyeeeaaahhh . . I'm going to have to disagree with you there . .. . . . - Lumberg The Last 2 seasons ruined those two characters for me because THE WHOLE SERIES BEGAN REVOLVING AROUND THEM every episode seem to have them as the center peice. . or at least the solution Next Generation and DS9 - are far better than Voyager. . but Voyager was good - ENTERPRISE was very subpar I loved Babylon 5 -Stick through the second season I loved the development of the Narn - Ge'Kar [sp?] became my favorite character Rocket River
I liked Babylon 5, although they kept tinkering with it from one season to another. Liked the story line and the setting, the cast, the special effects could be pretty good. Too bad they couldn't make up their mind as to the direction of the series. Seen The Fifth Element lately? The latest version of Blade Runner?
I loved DS9 (enough so to buy the ridiculously expensive DVDs). In my opinion, the only major mistake they made in making that show was importing O'Brien from TNG. He was by far my least favorite character, and other than being a drinking buddy for Bashir, really provided nothing to the show.
I have one word for you: Data. Dammit I have more words. DS9 wasn't all plot for 22 episodes each season. They had plenty of stand alone episodes. If you enjoyed that, you'll love TNG. For the Next Generation, they still have great characters, and they do develop them but the plot arcs won't be as heavy over the course of the series. What arcs pop out at me? The Borg. Otherwise, it was a bunch of really good "monster of the week" episodes.
I loved O'Brien! He had to represent the family man on the show. As the lead mechanic, he has a very special role in a world that is so technical. He's the buffer between man and machine. He's Scotty.
Once you are on disc 3 of season 1 you'll be hooked. By far my favorite sci-fi series or any genre. Seasons 2-4 are extremely good, but the payoff is the best if you watch in order.
Having an engineer did not require O'Brien though. They could have introduced a new Starfleet engineer to go with the new (Doctor, Captain, Science Officer, etc.) or gone with a local like they did with Odo for security or Kira for executive officer. They ended up going that way later anyway with Rom. As for the family man, Sisko had it covered with Jake, plus he was doing the whole single parent thing. I just found O'Brien incredibly whiny and annoying whenever he was on at all, and the O'Brien centric episodes like when he went undercover or was imprisoned were awful.
...that's because they realized those two were the only good characters in a TERRIBLE selection of characters. Voyager was very story-driven rather than character driven. It needed to be. I kept hoping Janeway, Chakotay, Paris, Torres and Kim would all die on an away mission. Shame Kes got canned... she was decent. ...but to get back on topic, yeah... DS9 is my favorite TV show of all time. My other sci-fi series I'm obsessed with is HIGHLANDER! God I love that show. Scrubs is my favorite comedy. My top five is rounded out by two animes: Death Note and GTO.
I actually liked O'brien. Think he's a good actor and liked his relationship with Bashir. His wife was hot too. I could not stand Voyager. Besides me not digging the characters at all, Janeway's voice irritated the **** out of me. And I never gave enterprise a chance.
I liked O'Brien too... that episode where he kept jumping forward in time was awesome. DS9 had easily the strongest cast of characters/actors of all the Star Treks. I mean, I thought Jadzia and Bashir were just about the weakest characters on the show... but had either of them been on Voyager, they'd be the main attraction. The only Voyager character who had a chance of standing out amongst the gems on DS9 was the Doctor... if you haven't watched much Voyager, just find the ones that revolve around the Doctor and watch those. Just Janeway's voice irritated you? Everything about her irritated me. Her and Chakotay were two of the most unwatchable characters ever on TV.
I don't really like the idea behind the holographic doctor to be honest. I'm sure the dude acted well and all and he had some interesting episodes but the premise just didn't sit well with me tbh. And yes, for me Janeway's voice is like nails on a chalkboard(though maybe it fits her character - flat and boring). I mean, I could stand her in small doses I suppose. But she's always going to be talking, and she's going to have huge chunks of narration. You can count me out on that.
I liked that O'Brien episode where he went into "virtual prison" for a crime he didn't commit. Like that Picard episode, it was like 3 or 4 hours irl, but his mind felt like he lived 20 years. Talk about mind****.... Voyager was a lousy series. Enterprise's existence is to make people like Voyager, like a pairing a homely chick with an ugly chick. There are some decent episodes, but half of the cast was weak. Chuckles, that waste of skin Neelix, Tuvok, the vulcan who had all of the better stories already explored by Spock and Data, and Harry, who got the brunt of the jokes. They tried to build up Tom Paris, but I totally hated that guy.
I know this may not be popular but. . . . I always thought ALIEN NATION [the movie and the show] were VERY underrated Rocket River The movie was GREAT!
All I remember from that show was that the alien dude became pregnant. Was there a definite ending? Speaking of old sci-fi shows that fizzled, anyone remember TimeTrax? It was like Quantum Leap meets Timecop.
DS9 > TNG. Not to hate on TNG (I love it), but story wise DS9 was pretty intense once the whole Dominion war was going on.
On the flip side though, it's easier to tune into TNG because most of the episodes wont be part of an arc like DS9's would. If you're channel surfing and don't have an evening to kill multiple eps, TNG is a more enjoyable experience on average.
I've churned through a chunk of TNG. It is very good. After already viewing Voyager, DS9 and (ugh) Enterprise, TNG comes across basically as a first step away from the original series. The links between TNG and DS9 are very strong and I'm almost glad I saw DS9 first. It gave meaning to seeing Warf's freakishly bulbous head in the first season. It gave extra meaning to O'Brien and Keiko's wedding episode that centered around Data. The same for the introduction of the Trills, Bajorans, Cardassians, Warf's son and girlfriend, the (creepy) Ferengi, the reminder of the pure evil of the Romulans. Even though I knew what would happen, the theatrics behind how Gowron became leader of the Klingons was awesome because I had already seen DS9 to it's conclusion (some of y'all know the irony of what I mean). Data is an awesome character who was well-acted. Simple as that. I like Picard, but Data just steals the show. Riker is weak, IMO, because the character is macho and Jonathan Frakes doesn't strike me that way at all. Geordi & Deanna Troi aren't anything special. The quality of the episodes is good enough to easily overcome the lack of a story arc. I'll comment more after finishing the entire TNG series, but DS9 is clearly the best Star Trek ever, followed by TNG. I'm also glad I got Voyager out of the way first before watching DS9 and I don't mean that so much as a knock on Voyager. FWIW, I watched a chunk of Farscape episodes but I couldn't go back to it after starting TNG. The gap in quality is too huge. I wish they would start another Star Trek series that paralleled the time frame of DS9 & Voyager and combined the strengths of all 3 series. But I guess creativity for Star Trek is tired and worn out.
