Arlong Park (re)watches sci-fi shows

Darkstorm

On a side note, I can't remember where I got the idea but I thought that Vulcans don't tan … as in their melanin doesn't vary the amount in skin which would mean the race would not vary much at all in skin tone. I keep remembering a scene between Spock and McCoy= McCoy (grump as always) mentions something about tanning some Vulcan's (Spock maybe?) hide and Spock quips back "Vulcans don't tan." and then explained about the melanin thing. Like I said can't remember where its from= TOS, movie or (likely) a book. Does anyone remember that?

I know there's a scene like that in Spock's World, which is one of the best trek books. McCoy replies with something like "depends what you soak the pelt in".

Although series writers often pick up ideas from the books, they're not considered canon.

Katzztar

@Darkstorm:

I know there's a scene like that in Spock's World, which is one of the best trek books. McCoy replies with something like "depends what you soak the pelt in".

Although series writers often pick up ideas from the books, they're not considered canon.

AHA, so that where it comes from! Thanks, its been driving me crazy trying to figure it out. I was sure I heard/read it somewhere but couldn't remember where so wasn't sure if it was canon or not. Thank you for helping figure it out.

Ubiq

@Darkstorm:

Although series writers often pick up ideas from the books, they're not considered canon.

If I recall correctly, Heart of Glory from the first season of TNG has some direct references to The Final Reflection. Shame that they later turned Klingons into Vikings from SPAAAAAAAACE instead.

Nobodyman

Halfway through Season 5 now (hmm, that was fast).

Let's see, Disaster, New Ground, Hero Worship. This season's got too many damn kids.

Nah, but seriously, the season's been pretty good overall. A little on the ordinary side, but good. Matt Frewer was great in A Matter of Time.

Oh yeah, and Violations. I guess that's what you would call a literal mindfuck ba dum tush

Sarfallet

Man, I've totally forgotten how much I like the Ferengis. :)
Speaking of which, a question. If I eat quark while watching DS9, does that make me some sort of cannibal? :ermm:

Nobodyman

@Sarfallet:

Man, I've totally forgotten how much I like the Ferengis. :)
Speaking of which, a question. If I eat quark while watching DS9, does that make me some sort of cannibal? :ermm:

I wouldn't worry about that. Pretty much everything has quarks in them.

Sarfallet

@Nobodyman:

I wouldn't worry about that. Pretty much everything has quarks in them.

I'm in good company with my cannibalistic tendencies then, you say? :silly:

Katzztar

Okay I don't watch a lot of TV …and even less of commercials ... so I just now heard of the new Star Trek movie coming out "Into Darkness" .... All I caught was literally 'new movie' and "Star Trek: Into Darkness" soooo of course I went surfing to find out about it. I liked the clip I saw. [HIDE]
I was able to tell that its based on the original cast and could identify the actors as= Kirk, Uhura, Spock, Sulu, and Chekov.
I read one "review" (how can you review entire movie -that hasn't came out yet- based only on the clips??) says "Abrams destroys the character of Kirk by making him into some kind of delinquent punk. In no way does he exhibit the characteristics of a ship captain in anybody's fleet, real or fiction. Kirk was always a man's man. Pine exudes nothing more than a boyish figure making his way through puberty."
.
I automatically shook my head. Kirk was "a man's man" in the 'current time that he was shown in the shows', but he was still a hothead (another way to say punk some say). I remember the shows & movie hinted that he was even more headstrong when he was younger.
[/HIDE]
Personally based on the preview, I would like to see it

Sarfallet

@Katzztar:

Okay I don't watch a lot of TV …and even less of commercials ... so I just now heard of the new Star Trek movie coming out "Into Darkness" .... All I caught was literally 'new movie' and "Star Trek: Into Darkness" soooo of course I went surfing to find out about it. I liked the clip I saw.

There's a whole thread about Into Darkness. :) http://www.apforums.net/showthread.php?t=36965

Katzztar

@Sarfallet:

There's a whole thread about Into Darkness. :) http://www.apforums.net/showthread.php?t=36965

didn't know, Thanks!

Darkstorm

@Ubiq:

If I recall correctly, Heart of Glory from the first season of TNG has some direct references to The Final Reflection. Shame that they later turned Klingons into Vikings from SPAAAAAAAACE instead.

Yeah, I much preferred the Klingons who played klin'zha and had Thought Admirals.

Nobodyman

AH! Geordi grew a beard! What the fuck?!

Darkstorm

they switched to the mirror universe

Robby

@Nobodyman:

AH! Geordi grew a beard! What the fuck?!

He does that a couple times in the course of the series, but never for more than maybe an episode at a time.

Nobodyman

Just finished Season 5.

All around, another strong season. Admittedly, the first half was a bit dull, with some boring episodes and ones that had good concepts, but weren't pulled off particularly well. But the second half of the season really came through. Once we got to Conundrum, we got a steady stream of ridiculously good episodes. I really like the ideas that were used in these episodes, like Worf getting paralyzed, the crew losing their identities, and an episode that gives the Borg some hope. And First Duy was really intense; Wesley was crushed like a bug.

Other thoughts:
-In addition to what I previously mentioned, and Alexander becoming a recurring character, and the imaginary friend episode, this really was the season of kids.
-Lwaxanna episodes continue to be lousy (not Tony Jay's proudest moment)
-Ah yes, Inner Light. One of the series most acclaimed. Not much I can say, but that really was similar to the recent pillow episode of Adventure Time. Wonder if that was the pillow people's story as well (which would make it all the more hilarious since Finn forgot it).
-Don't care for Ensign Ro that much, but I don't hate her either.
-No Q this season? What the hell?!

Now, I watched Time's Arrow II and, unfortunately, just like with last year's premier Redemption II, I felt it didn't quite live up to the first half. In Redemption, Worf's story and time with the Klingons took backstage and didn't amount to much more than, "Y'all are jerks, I'm goin' back to the Enterprise," and the stuff with Tasha's daughter wasn't too engaging either. Time's Arrow II was better, but still fell a bit short. The stuff with Data and Mark Twain continued to be amusing, but the stuff with the aliens lost focus and didn't amount to much, even though it did raise some ethical questions, despite what they were doing was pretty messed up. Heck, even the stuff with Guinan seemed like an afterthought.

Well, here's to Season 6; the season in which DS9 premiered, and which I'll be watching alongside TNG. I actually found a blog that lists the airdates of every single Star Trek episode from every series, so I'll be watch all the episodes from both series in chronological order precisely (however excessive the idea may be).

http://startreklist.blogspot.com/2011/04/list-of-all-star-trek-episodes-sorted_05.html

Anywho…

Favorite Episodes:
Darmok
Conundrum
Ethics
Cause and Effect
The First Duty
I, Borg
The Next Phase
The Inner Light
Time's Arrow

Nobodyman

Just finished the Chain of Command two-parter. Oh god, just…..David Warner, I love you. Every scene with him and Patrick Stewart was gold.

Anyway, thoughts on the season thus far:
-How can anyone not love Barclay? Greatest wimp ever.
-The Scotty episode was good, but again felt kind of like wasted potential. Still it was great seeing Doohan and the old Enterprise bridge again.
-Ah, There's Q! Good to see him again
-Enterprise crew members as kids. Just.......why?
-A Fistful of Datas is often considered one of the worst episdoes, but....I dunno. It was just too goofy for me to hate (Rascals was worse)

Well, now that I'm up to the point where DS9 premiered, I'll be watching that and see what Sisko and his crew have to offer. Conforming with the air dates, I'll watch the first 5 episodes of DS9, after which I'll alternate between that and TNG.

Nobodyman

Watched the first 5 episodes DS9.

Gotta be honest, the first episode was kind of discouraging. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood when I saw it, but I really had trouble getting into the story and characters. And is it just me, or was Avery Brooks's acting, just….really hammy (whoever played his wife was terrible).

But the next three episodes were actually pretty enjoyable. I'm starting to get accustomed to the characters, their personalities, and their roles in the story. Quark is quickly becoming one of my favorite Star Trek characters (A Ferengi?! Gasp!) Odo's design is still kinda freaky though. Also, I'm loving the focus on the Bajorans and Kardasians.

From what I understand, the first season is pretty lame, but it gets better and better as it goes along. So yeah, it sucks I'll have to trudge through the bad/mediocre stuff first, but hey, I made it through the first two seasons of TNG, and I'll be looking forward to the payoff of this series.

Oh, and Trill or no, Dax is hot.

Sarfallet

@Nobodyman:

From what I understand, the first season is pretty lame, but it gets better and better as it goes along. So yeah, it sucks I'll have to trudge through the bad/mediocre stuff first, but hey, I made it through the first two seasons of TNG, and I'll be looking forward to the payoff of this series.

I wouldn't call it lame… It just haven't found it's footing yet. It's better than the first two seasons of TNG at least I would say.
Quark is my favorite character in the entire franchise. :) Hahaha. Might have mentioned that before.

Robby

DS9 really finds its footing after they get the character relationships in place and it starts having regular continuity between episodes.. I don't quite remember how season 2 went, but I know it was getting really good by season 3 and Worf joins the cast in season 4. (Yes, that's a ways away, but he fits in really well. It's pretty decent before that though.) It just takes them a bit to find their footing with an entirely new cast, basically new races and culture, and a setting unlike previous Trek shows. So naturally its first season is a bit shaky, they usually are.

Sisko becomes about a million times better once he grows the beard.

Has Garek shown up that early on? He's awesome. For a tailor.

(Also, Babylon 5 is the better show overall, but thats a different matter entirely.)

Sarfallet

@RobbyBevard:

Has Garek shown up that early on? He's awesome. For a tailor.

Garak shows up in the pilot but is otherwise absent in the first seasons. He gets some more appearances in season two, three or four I think. From season three and onwards he's pretty regular.
He's another of my favorite characters, hahaha.

@RobbyBevard:

(Also, Babylon 5 is the better show overall, but thats a different matter entirely.)

(Agreed, but I consider B5 a better show than all other shows, so eh. :silly:)

Nobodyman

@RobbyBevard:

Has Garek shown up that early on? He's awesome. For a tailor.

Yep, they've introduced him. He is, indeed, awesome.

(Also, Babylon 5 is the better show overall, but thats a different matter entirely.)

If they would put it on Netflix, it'd make it a lot easier for me to watch. Otherwise, it may have to wait a while.

Robby

@Sarfallet:

(Agreed, but I consider B5 a better show than all other shows, so eh. :silly:)

Fair enough. It is pretty great.

Though obviously direct comparisons to DS9 are pretty impossible to avoid given their… history.

Sarfallet

@RobbyBevard:

Fair enough. It is pretty great.

Pretty great? It's so great… That if I could travel in time I would travel back to before I hit puberty and castrate myself. Just so I could sing its praise properly.

@RobbyBevard:

Though obviously direct comparisons to DS9 are pretty impossible to avoid given their… history.

For the longest time I refused to watch DS9 just because I thought they had stolen B5s concept. Well, they did. Then I grew up and lost all my honor and slept with the enemy. As I lay in bed and felt bad for what I had done it dawned on me, it's a copy of B5! That's great! More goodness for the world! :ninja:

Robby

@Sarfallet:

Pretty great? It's so great… That if I could travel in time I would travel back to before I hit puberty and castrate myself. Just so I could sing its praise properly.

The first season was kind of weak (and the captain had no charisma) while the last season… suffered from the casting shifts anda terrible first half with all the Byron stuff. (great near the end though, all the Londa and Gkar stuff made up for it.) Seasons 2-4 were pretty near perfect though.

For the longest time I refused to watch DS9 just because I thought they had stolen B5s concept. Well, they did.

Yeah, Strazynski had been shopping the show around, so the massive similarities are not coincidence. But the actual execution split them apart pretty rapidly and they're both good in their own rights, so its okay.

Katzztar

I always liked both Deep Space 9 and Babylon 5… but if I was given the choice of having a gift of the entire series and can choose only one of them, it would be B5. I missed much of the first season, and the ending but damn it I loved what I saw and the aliens were different from any Klingon, Vulcan or Romulan (oh scratch the last one-didn't they start out as Vulcans who left when the decisiosn of 'no emotions' was reached {{more complicated than that but I'm short of space here and just making a point]])

I still enjoy DS9 and Quark really did add humor, he was a better character than any other of his race that popped up in TGN ...I was surprised that he added more character to his show than Guinin did to hers. As a Whoopi fan I was a more than a bit disappointed in the blandness I would see often but did love when some character to her was shown ...like stabbing Q's hand with a fork in one ep

Robby

@Nobodyman:

Just finished the Chain of Command two-parter. Oh god, just…..David Warner, I love you. Every scene with him and Patrick Stewart was gold.

Just noticed this part.

Of special note.. Chain of Command was supposed to air after DS9 premiered and have a crossover. That's why all the stuff with the kardasians… and the stop over scene was supposed to be DS9 and the random ferengi was supposed to be Quark. But... scheduling kinda mucked that plan up. Shame, it woulda worked much better as the intended crossover.

Nobodyman

@RobbyBevard:

Just noticed this part.

Of special note.. Chain of Command was supposed to air after DS9 premiered and have a crossover. That's why all the stuff with the kardasians… and the stop over scene was supposed to be DS9 and the random ferengi was supposed to be Quark. But... scheduling kinda mucked that plan up. Shame, it woulda worked much better as the intended crossover.

The best laid plans of mice and men, as they say. That makes a lot of sense though.

Anyway, I'll get back to you all once I finish up Season 6 of TNG and Season 1 of DS9, which should be about the same time.

Nobodyman

Finished Season 6 of TNG and Season 1 of DS9. First TNG.

Season 6 was another strong entry in the TNG series. Honestly, I think I liked it more than Season 5, but still maybe not as good as 4 and definitely not 3. As is the usual with Star Trek seasons, the season starts out kind of some decent and kind of goofy episodes, but then gets the good stuff going around the halfway point (or at least that's my experience). The last 6 or so episodes of this season, in particular, really stood out to me. All of them were top-notch episodes that really kept me engaged.

Comments:
-The return of Moriarty was quite unexpected this late in the game, but I think I liked this episode even more than the one he was previously in. Even if I was a little confused as to the method by which the episode was resolved.
-A lot of people consider Tapestry one of the best episodes, but I'm totally sure I understand or agree with the message it was trying to send.
-God, Birthright was such a disappointment. A crossover with DS9, and all we get is Bashir. And then the entire 2nd episode focuses on nothing but Worf. I mean, the Worf stuff was surprisingly interesting I guess, but the focus of the two-parter on the whole was all sorts of wacky.
-So there's a second Riker running around now. Well, that's something. Shame that plot point couldn't have been introduced earlier since now it looks like they won't get much of a chance to do anything with it.
-Descent was the best season-end two-parter since Best of Both Worlds. It gave some great development for Data and the Borg and, unlike the previos two two-parters, and it had a satisfying second half.
-Yeah, again with Descent, I really like the direction they took the Borg in. I always thought they were kind of boring as bland emotionless assimilators, but I think they're a lot more compelling as individuals.

Favorite Episodes:
-Realm of Fear
-Chain of Command, Part II
-Ship in a Bottle
-Face of the Enemy
-Frame of Mind
-Rightful Heir
-Second Chances
-Timescape
-Descent

So yeah. While this season may have one or two hiccups along the way, I think it was a really strong season all around.

Welp, only one season left. Don't let me down TNG; make it a grand finale.

Robby

@Nobodyman:

-The return of Moriarty was quite unexpected this late in the game, but I think I liked this episode even more than the one he was previously in. Even if I was a little confused as to the method by which the episode was resolved.

That was originally going to be done much, much sooner… but it turned out there was actually a rights issue with the Holmes story that they didn't know when they made the first episode. It was resolved by a few years later.

Basically they ended it by running a holodeck simulaiton where Moriarty thought he won. Real enough to him.

-So there's a second Riker running around now. Well, that's something. Shame that plot point couldn't have been introduced earlier since now it looks like they won't get much of a chance to do anything with it.

They still get a bit of play out of that actually. Not much, but a bit.

Welp, only one season left. Don't let me down TNG; make it a grand finale.

They start to run out of steam, but its still pretty good. The actual series finale is great.

Nobodyman

Also interesting how Troi started wearing her official Star Fleet uniform in this season. I know that douchebag captain forced her to wear it in that one episode, but now she's wearing it of her own accord?

Anyway, I'll post my review of DS9 season 1 tomorrow. I'm tired.

Robby

@Nobodyman:

Also interesting how Troi started wearing her official Star Fleet uniform in this season. I know that douchebag captain forced her to wear it in that one episode, but now she's wearing it of her own accord?

Somewhere near the end, she actually decides to take the test for rank. I forget if it was a minor quick missable thing or an actual plot point, but not much comes of it.

At least partly because Marina was tired of the character doing nothing and being useless… and so thus dressed appropriately. If she wasn't showing off her cleavage, maybe the writers would take her more seriously.

Nobodyman

@RobbyBevard:

At least partly because Marina was tired of the character doing nothing and being useless… and so thus dressed appropriately. If she wasn't showing off her cleavage, maybe the writers would take her more seriously.

I assumed it was something like that. But she got to choose her own wardrobe?

Robby

@Nobodyman:

I assumed it was something like that. But she got to choose her own wardrobe?

I don't think she did… but if she made a vocal complaint 6 years in, they probably would have taken her requests seriously if it was something as simple as "wear a normal uniform."

Sarfallet

@Nobodyman:

Finished Season 6 of TNG and Season 1 of DS9. First TNG.

Secondly DS9? What happened to DS9? Where is it? Did it die? Did I kill it? Nobody will ever know. :ninja:

Nobodyman

@Sarfallet:

Secondly DS9? What happened to DS9? Where is it? Did it die? Did I kill it? Nobody will ever know. :ninja:

It's right here.

Season 1 of DS9, just like the first season of TNG before it, proved to be kind of a rocky start for the series. It was just so weird and poorly-acted and I couldn't get myself invested in the characters. But thankfully the rest of the season provided a lot more promise. It still had its share of oddness outright stupidity, but there was also some greatness in there.

The show, at least in this season, pretty much follows the same format as TNG in that it's very episodic. The crew will face some conflict of a week, usually a character will get some focus, lather, rinse, repeat. The only exception being the ongoing feud between the Bajorans and the Kardasians, which I think was really well done. I'm looking forward to when the show becomes more plot-heavy.

All around, kind of a mediocre/dull season, but it had just enough to show me that this show really does have something going for it.

Comments:
-If "Move Along Home" and "If Wishes were Horses" are the worst this series has to offer, then I think I'm gonna like this series just fine.
-Man I love Wallace Shawn. Him as the Nagus was great
-After that diappointment of a Q episode, I thought the Lwaxana episode was going to be a disaster, but it provided some surprising depth for both Odo and Lwaxana.
-Damn, the final scene of Duet was great. Just…so emotional and tragic.

Sisko - The good ol' Captain of the crew, and…well, honestly, he didn't do that much for me this season. Yeah, we got his backstory in the premier episode, but that episode was so bad I just couldn't bring myself to care. And unfortunately the rest of the season didn't do too terribly much for his character. Yeah, there were a few moments he had that were good I guess, but he really needs some development. Right now he's just the intelligent good-natured captain and...meh, that's it.

Kira - Really didn't like this character at first. She just seemed like a bitchy Ro clone, and that was it. But she has grown on me quite a bit and has probably had the most development out of any other character this season. I'm still not sure that she's grown on me enough to count her among favorites, but she's getting there.

Odo - Odo's design really weirded me out at first, but it's slowly grown on me. Now, as for the actual character, he did seem a little ordinary at first, but he had some really great character development thoughout the season, and I'd say he's one of my favorites of the show. I also love the idea that this alien, being the only known member of his race, somehow ended up as a security guard and is a total hardass.

Bashir - Sheesh. Nevermind Sisko, I think this is the guy who needs the most development. Really, right now I just consider him kind of a snotty, fresh-out-of-school dork who has a hard-on for Dax. Probably my least favorite character in the show.

Dax - sigh Aren't Trills just so much fun? She has an interesting relationship going on with Sisko in that she (or he) was his former mentor, and she had an interesting episode early on season, but….she kinda lost prominence towards the end of the season. Ultimately, I feel she could have used some more development and I'm not sure how much I know about her as a character. But hey, she's a Trill, so...it's tricky.

O'Brien - Oh, hey O'Brien! You're a regular cast member on a new series now! Well….he's O'Brien. I liked him in TNG and I like him here. Granted, I don't think he really got that much development in this season (although Captive Pursuit was great), but it's always a joy to have him around.

Quark - Didn't think it was possible for me to like a Ferengi, but you did it DS9. True, he's really not different from of his other greedy Ferengi brethren, but that's part of his sarcastic cynical charm. But that's all we needed was just one Ferengi to sit down and become attached. And of course, when the chips down, he will do the right thing (more or less) in the end. So yeah, DS9 pulled off a great balancing where they did just enough to make him likeable. Definitely one of my favorite characters.

Jake - He's….just sorta there I guess; which is about as good as I can expect from a child actor. But he actually did have some surprisingly good character moments. Better than Wesley.

Favorite Episodes:
-Babel
-Captive Pursuit
-Dax
-Progress
-The Forsaken
-Duet
-In the Hands of the Prophets

Well, now that I've got through the supposedly worst season, it should all be uphill from here. And after seeing the first episode of Season 2, looks like Sisko still doesn't have the beard yet, so I guess I'll have to wait a little longer for the real good stuff?

Robby

@Nobodyman:

Sisko - The good ol' Captain of the crew, and…well, honestly, he didn't do that much for me this season.

I don't think he grows the goatee and becomes ultimate badass until the third season. maaaaybe not till early fourth. But once he does…

Sarfallet

@Nobodyman:

It's right here.

Cool.

@Nobodyman:

Well, now that I've got through the supposedly worst season, it should all be uphill from here. And after seeing the first episode of Season 2, looks like Sisko still doesn't have the beard yet, so I guess I'll have to wait a little longer for the real good stuff?

Uphill? Haha, isn't it "downhill" in that saying? :) The really good stuff is later, yes, the payoff off long continuous plot threads. I would say it's goodness has too do with Steven Ira Behrs position in the show, first season he's a supervising producer, the second co-executive producer and third and forward he's the showrunner and executive producer.
But it's still a good season and I'll say this… By the end of season two I don't think you'll dislike any of the characters anymore.

@RobbyBevard:

I don't think he grows the goatee and becomes ultimate badass until the third season. maaaaybe not till early fourth. But once he does…

The beard is grown in episode twenty two,"explorers", in the third season. Although he's not that badass in that episode… (Small spoilers for that episode)

! It's the episode where he builds a solar-sail ship… Which I kinda hate because of the stupidity of the idea that a solar-sailed ship could be an interstellar ship and all the other things wrong with that ship... Like manual winches and stuff. :getlost:

Robby

@Sarfallet:

The beard is grown in episode twenty two,"explorers", in the third season. Although he's not that badass in that episode… (Small spoilers for that episode)

When does he shave his head? That's when it really kicks in.

Sarfallet

@RobbyBevard:

When does he shave his head? That's when it really kicks in.

The first or second episode of season four, which is also when Worf joins. :)

Nobodyman

@Sarfallet:

Uphill? Haha, isn't it "downhill" in that saying? :)

Huh. I always thought that "It's all downfall from here" meant that things are just going to get worse. Apparently, it can mean either, I think. In case, I just meant that things should get better.

Anyway, Season 2 begins with a three-parter. That's new for Star Trek.

Sarfallet

@Nobodyman:

Huh. I always thought that "It's all downfall from here" meant that things are just going to get worse. Apparently, it can mean either, I think. In case, I just meant that things should get better.

Hahaha, "downfall"?? :D Now you're getting me all confused! I was sure the expression was "it's all downhill from here". But then again, until recently I had no idea what a colander was called so what do I know! :)

Nobodyman

@Sarfallet:

Hahaha, "downfall"?? :D Now you're getting me all confused! I was sure the expression was "it's all downhill from here". But then again, until recently I had no idea what a colander was called so what do I know! :)

I'm just gonna stop drying.

Sarfallet

@Nobodyman:

I'm just gonna stop drying.

Hahaha. :) And on a super-related note, I just wanted to say that I really like your "reviews" or whatcha might call 'em. They're an interesting read and I'll especially look forward to more DS9 as I'm more current with 'em.

Nobodyman

Halfway through Season 7 of TNG and Season 2 of DS9.

TNG: Really diggin' this season so far, actually. Pretty much all the episodes have been really engaging, even if they didn't always have the most stellar writing. But we'll see how long this streak lasts. Next episode is Sub Rosa (oy).

Comments:
-As a final two-parter, Gambit was pretty fun. Not the best two-parter, but still good. It's a real testament to Stewart and Frakes that they were able to play their dual roles so well.
-Lots of major developments and closure being given to many characters, what with Lwaxanna's backstory, Picard and Crusher's relationship, and Data's "mother."
-Oh, hey Terry O' Quinn. Always a pleasure to see what you were doing before Lost, and, well…just to see you in general.

DS9: So far, this season is definitely an improvement over the prior season. Some of the episodes still fall a bit flat, but I feel more invested in the characters, and the writing has definitely improved.

Comments:
-The season begins with the Star Trek franchise's (I believe) first three-parter, and...yeah, it was pretty good, but for some reason I was really distracted while watching it (Damn Internet!)
-Not sure that Sisko made the right decision in "Cardassians", but I'll grant that it was a tough call.
-The first Ferengi female! Even before her reveal I thought, "Hey, that new Ferengi sounds like a girl."
-Speaking of, Quark continues to be great.
-"Necessary Evil" was the best episode of the series to date. Flashback to the Cardassian occupation, and some major character development for Kira and Odo.

BTW, I suppose I can assume that I'm the only one engaging in any (re)watching of any Star Trek series? By all means, if anyone wants to join, jump on in, the water's fine.

Robby

@Nobodyman:

BTW, I suppose I can assume that I'm the only one engaging in any (re)watching of any Star Trek series? By all means, if anyone wants to join, jump on in, the water's fine.

Don't have Netflix at the moment, so… no. Also don't have the free time... I'm barely managing weekly Ghibli films!

I've been listening to the sci-fi debris review/recaps while I work, which isn't quite the same thing, but I saw every episode of Next Gen and DS9 3 or 4 times during their initial season runs, tapes some, and then for years afterwards in reruns. Pretty much when any episode comes on I end up going "Oh yeah, its THIS episode" and its just really hard to watch them fresh or really feel them, too ingrained into when I was 10. (I sadly have similar problems with Batman:TAS and Gargoyles... overwatched them in my youth when it was possible to watch the same episode 20 or 30 times) I've forgotten details and moments sure, but I know the overall story and most of its beats too well to really enjoy it.

So getting some snark filled/insightful/coulda been better editorials that only take 10 minutes is about the only way I can enjoy them fresh at this point. Your recaps have been fun too.

I sadly hit a similar barrier my last watch-through of Babylon 5, I'd seen it through too many times for it to reaaaally hold my interest, particularly in the lulls. Yet West Wing I can watch every year and be fine, it's weird. (And OP... but that's still ongoing, so new material always adds to the old, and I actually haven't done any straight-reads through the entire series... ever. Just arcs at a time.)

Katzztar

@Nobodyman:

-The first Ferengi female! Even before her reveal I thought, "Hey, that new Ferengi sounds like a girl."

What episode was that? Hmm is one episode with a female Ferengi that I barely remember, it may not be the one I am thinking of= one Ferengi (can't remember if it was Quark or someone else, did Quark had a brother? one he was often annoyed by?) is embarrassed by a female because she's wearing clothes and acting like a businessman. Is that same one?

@RobbyBevard:

Don't have Netflix at the moment, so… no. Also don't have the free time... I'm barely managing weekly Ghibli films!

I've been listening to the sci-fi debris review/recaps while I work, which isn't quite the same thing, but I saw every episode of Next Gen and DS9 3 or 4 times during their initial season runs, tapes some, and then for years afterwards in reruns. Pretty much when any episode comes on I end up going "Oh yeah, its THIS episode" and its just really hard to watch them fresh or really feel them, too ingrained into when I was 10. (I sadly have similar problems with Batman:TAS and Gargoyles... overwatched them in my youth when it was possible to watch the same episode 20 or 30 times) I've forgotten details and moments sure, but I know the overall story and most of its beats too well to really enjoy it.

So getting some snark filled/insightful/coulda been better editorials that only take 10 minutes is about the only way I can enjoy them fresh at this point. Your recaps have been fun too.

I sadly hit a similar barrier my last watch-through of Babylon 5, I'd seen it through too many times for it to reaaaally hold my interest, particularly in the lulls. Yet West Wing I can watch every year and be fine, it's weird. (And OP... but that's still ongoing, so new material always adds to the old, and I actually haven't done any straight-reads through the entire series... ever. Just arcs at a time.)

I have the similar problem of rewatching shows. I end up remembering whats going on and loose interest in watching it again. I think that's one reason why I've waited so long to try to rewatch Babylon 5 (still havent' started it lol)

Robby

Babylon 5 is still really good the second time because you catch the foreshadowing you missed the first time and have an appreciation for where some of the buildup is going, and its a long enough series you can forget details. And its still epic the third time.

But its not so good for an annual viewing. It loses some punch by maybe the 4th time through and you start wanting to skip episodes.

Sarfallet

@Katzztar:

What episode was that? Hmm is one episode with a female Ferengi that I barely remember, it may not be the one I am thinking of= one Ferengi (can't remember if it was Quark or someone else, did Quark had a brother? one he was often annoyed by?) is embarrassed by a female because she's wearing clothes and acting like a businessman. Is that same one?

Quark has a brother named Nog, yes. Nog starts out as just Quarks goofy brother but as the series goes on he grows a little. :) The episode Nobodyman is talking about is called Rules of Acquisition. I don't think Nog gets embarrassed by the female wearing clothes though… You might be thinking about another episode, Family Business, that time it's their mother whose wearing the clothes.

@RobbyBevard:

But its not so good for an annual viewing. It loses some punch by maybe the 4th time through and you start wanting to skip episodes.

The problem for me with re-watching B5 is that, if you really want to get the most out of it, is that you have to get so into it… In most series it doesn't matter if you skip/skim an episode or two(or several) but in B5 it's all those little details that are everywhere that makes the whole.
But given enough time I'm sure my fifth re-watch of B5 will be as epic as the second through fourth time. Maybe in half a decade or something like that. Plans ahead :)

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Nobodyman:

BTW, I suppose I can assume that I'm the only one engaging in any (re)watching of any Star Trek series? By all means, if anyone wants to join, jump on in, the water's fine.

Nah, I'm doing DS9 too. I just suck at stating my opinion. Hahaha. :D

Katzztar

@RobbyBevard:

Babylon 5 is still really good the second time because you catch the foreshadowing you missed the first time and have an appreciation for where some of the buildup is going, and its a long enough series you can forget details. And its still epic the third time.

But its not so good for an annual viewing. It loses some punch by maybe the 4th time through and you start wanting to skip episodes.

True, true. Good thing is that I've not watched Babylon 5 in nearly a decade. Its been long enough I've forgotten a lot of the big details, and most of the little ones. I remember enough of bigger details [spoleri] Delin (sp?), her race connection to humans ect, Vorlons (sp?) that I want to rewatch it.

True its one of the 'epic' shows that you need to sit & watch it and not skim. And that's what got me to like both it and DS9.
I've gotten more than a few awkward looks when I said that comparing DS9 and B5 is similar to comparing a sitcom to a soap opera, both have episodes that are connected.
The first is lightly connected where its possible to miss 1 to 3 episodes come back and still enjoy it, not really mandatory to see a specific issue unless its a 2 parter or a sequel.
The later is so 'story heavy' that if you miss an episode, its possible to be totally lost watching the next.

Niether is better than the other, I enjoy both (okay thats true for the shows, I enjoy B5 but not the 'regular soaps' anymore )

Nobodyman

@Sarfallet:

Quark has a brother named Nog, yes. Nog starts out as just Quarks goofy brother but as the series goes on he grows a little. :) The episode Nobodyman is talking about is called Rules of Acquisition. I don't think Nog gets embarrassed by the female wearing clothes though… You might be thinking about another episode, Family Business, that time it's their mother whose wearing the clothes.

Small correction: Quark's brother's name is Rom. Nog is Rom's son and Jake's friend.

Everything else you said is correct.