I dunno. I thought it was a bit padded out, and the scenes inside Sloan’s mind lacked bite and weirdness. Considering the episodes that act as bookends, it focuses in one place too much. Not enough scope, should have had other elements juxtaposed against the main story thread.
Saw the penultimate episode yesterday. Fuck me, did they misuse Quark. He could have been much better. Remember the episode where we became a pariah for getting involved in arms smuggling? Should have been more war profiteering, as Armin Shimmerman quite rightly said.
It has its moments, though:
- Paraphrasing Sisko and Bashir’s dialogue at the start - Bashir: We plan to kidnap an extremely dangerous, genocidal man, strap him down, drug him, and then use illegal memory scanners to rip the closely guarded secrets from his mind - Sisko (half heartedly putting on a show of being angry): Go for it! With my blessing! I’ll help you cover it up! No, really! I don’t give a flying fuck! And to think - seven years earlier, they were both misguided idealists.
- When Bashir wakes up to Ezri. Ahhh...
I saw Emissary again on Tuesday night (the pilot). Very moving how the characters start the series, looking back from being aware of how it all ends.
- Dukat: I did this one earlier, I think.
- Nog: Starts as petty thief, stereotype Ferengi, becomes war veteran and pilots the Defiant in the final battle. Ends the series as Lieutenant.
- Odo: Starts not knowing who he is or where he came from, loner, fascist, ends up getting the girl and giving her up to pursue leading his people to enlightenment.
- Ben Sisko: Starts as disillusioned single parent, can’t get over his wife’s death, becomes soldier, prophet, apostle, insane grudge-bearer par-excellence, more up for a fight than the Klingons, ascends to next stage of evolution and becomes a god.
Avery Brooks is incredible in the pilot. The second half (taking place in the Celestial Temple) is brilliantly done, as he explains time, actions, consequences, growth, and change to the Prophets (who help him come to terms with his wife’s death in return). For an audience used to episodic Trek, it’s a brave opener, and lets them know they’re in for something different.
Shame Voyager had to ruin it by going back to the episodic format. From what I’ve heard, Enterprise is closer in tone to DS9, so we should get the arc plots and character development back on the agenda.
Here’s hoping... |
), to reptilian, creeping and alien. Suddenly the façade drops and we see him as he really is. Great piece of acting.