I write this review on June 1st, the birthday of the late DS9 actor, Renee Auberjonois. By complete coincidence, I finished watching the series for the first time today. Although I could say it's a sign from the Prophets, I'd rather not spoil too much about this glorious and heartwarming series and resort to giving it praise and recommendations.
For the sake of convenience, I'll refer to the show as DS9. As a lifelong (healthy and non-zealous) fan of Star Trek, I had always known about this series, but for one reason or the next, avoided it. I suppose the long commitment and lack of big character names such as Kirk or Picard kept me from welcoming DS9 into my life.
I had always stuck to TOS (The Original Series), TNG (The Next Generation) and all of their respective films. I had seen bits and pieces of Voyager and attempted to get into Enterprise, but over the years, my interest in possibly watching DS9 began to increase. I happened to meet more and more people who hailed the show and I even had the chance of seeing Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko in DS9) at a table reading at my university -years before seeing the series.
It was astounding to hear Brooks' deep, dignified and marvelous voice in person. I suppose that remained in the back of my mind for a long time and contributed to my decision of watching the series. As mentioned, beginning and sticking to a series in the Star Trek canon is a commitment, albeit a highly enjoyable one. I decided to give in while the world was still in the pandemic, and it was a great companion during those times.
Fans of Star Trek would be the first to attest to the mixed bag nature of the series. There are episodes that people swear by while there are others at which people swear. DS9 may easily be the most consistently satisfying of all the Star Trek series, and I comfortably say that without seeing all of the episodes of Voyager, Enterprise or Discovery.
So, now you ask, what's so great about it? I hate to use such a generalized word, but I can't find another to define it: everything. Very early on, you see that the writers, directors and all involved really cared about the work that they were doing. The clear intent was to make a Star Trek series that was familiar yet different. It was also the first Star Trek series to REALLY push the allegory of our own lives and existence. I've heard some friends criticize the show for the endless spiritual/religious elements, but I believe that only contributed to the depth and theme of the series. DS9 has it all: love, loss, war, humor, you name it.
Gene Roddenberry gave his blessing to the creation of DS9 before passing away, and that was a hell of a gift to leave to the audience. The series boldly goes where no Trek had gone before, and even shows sides of Trek that one had always dreamt of seeing. Believe it or not, I loved the fact that the majority of the show happens on the space station, because it puts you in a comfort zone. Each time you return to a familiar place, replete with a new set of challenges. It's also very important to note that the main focus of the series is the interaction and conflicts between various sentient beings, so there was no need for constant location hopping.
Over the past several months, I have laughed my ass off, teared up and cheered on, what I now consider the best Star Trek series of all time: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999).
For the sake of convenience, I'll refer to the show as DS9. As a lifelong (healthy and non-zealous) fan of Star Trek, I had always known about this series, but for one reason or the next, avoided it. I suppose the long commitment and lack of big character names such as Kirk or Picard kept me from welcoming DS9 into my life.
I had always stuck to TOS (The Original Series), TNG (The Next Generation) and all of their respective films. I had seen bits and pieces of Voyager and attempted to get into Enterprise, but over the years, my interest in possibly watching DS9 began to increase. I happened to meet more and more people who hailed the show and I even had the chance of seeing Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko in DS9) at a table reading at my university -years before seeing the series.
It was astounding to hear Brooks' deep, dignified and marvelous voice in person. I suppose that remained in the back of my mind for a long time and contributed to my decision of watching the series. As mentioned, beginning and sticking to a series in the Star Trek canon is a commitment, albeit a highly enjoyable one. I decided to give in while the world was still in the pandemic, and it was a great companion during those times.
Fans of Star Trek would be the first to attest to the mixed bag nature of the series. There are episodes that people swear by while there are others at which people swear. DS9 may easily be the most consistently satisfying of all the Star Trek series, and I comfortably say that without seeing all of the episodes of Voyager, Enterprise or Discovery.
So, now you ask, what's so great about it? I hate to use such a generalized word, but I can't find another to define it: everything. Very early on, you see that the writers, directors and all involved really cared about the work that they were doing. The clear intent was to make a Star Trek series that was familiar yet different. It was also the first Star Trek series to REALLY push the allegory of our own lives and existence. I've heard some friends criticize the show for the endless spiritual/religious elements, but I believe that only contributed to the depth and theme of the series. DS9 has it all: love, loss, war, humor, you name it.
Gene Roddenberry gave his blessing to the creation of DS9 before passing away, and that was a hell of a gift to leave to the audience. The series boldly goes where no Trek had gone before, and even shows sides of Trek that one had always dreamt of seeing. Believe it or not, I loved the fact that the majority of the show happens on the space station, because it puts you in a comfort zone. Each time you return to a familiar place, replete with a new set of challenges. It's also very important to note that the main focus of the series is the interaction and conflicts between various sentient beings, so there was no need for constant location hopping.
Over the past several months, I have laughed my ass off, teared up and cheered on, what I now consider the best Star Trek series of all time: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999).
