And so begins my DS9 rewatch! Roughly my fourth time through, discounting single episode rewatches. My plan is to do some light liveblogging while I watch (to be put up on my website when that section is ready), compare with previous liveblogs, and after each episode, read through the relevant entries in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, The Deep Space Log Book first and second season companions and Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages to read about all those production details Memory Alpha keeps citing (though I really wish I had access to the Cinefantastique and Star Trek magazine issues!). And I'll try my best to write some thoughts up and share them!
So, starting off with The Emissary. It's always strange to come back to early episodes like this – everyone feels sort of underbaked, not quite done cooking. Aside from Bashir being, as the producers admit, still quite underdeveloped, Odo feels the most different to me, at least in visuals and performance. His voice is higher pitched, more nasal than throaty, and the collarless uniform really doesn't suit him, frankly, particularly with the less smoothed-over makeup. He's a bit of a wrinkly old man, rather than Smooth Yellow Goop! Quark feels a bit lean in the face, too, not quite as friendly-looking. Kira's hairstyle is... a choice. I feel the need to compile all of her various hairstyles on a webpage at some point. No complaints about the set design though, it's as immersive as ever – and the lighting is done so cleverly in these complex spaces, as is detailed in the Companion, it's super cool and effective!
I have to say, it was refreshing to go back to a slower pace and different style of filmmaking, compared to many modern-day TV shows (the new Starfleet Academy trailer comes to mind as a striking contrast...). Everything had room to breathe, time to sink in, time to get used to what we were being introduced to! And that was definitely helped by the long, stiller shots that established locations very well. Even the action was quite chill comparatively! Bit of a camera shake, but no need for cut-cut-cuts! Such a nice change of pace.
Overall, I think the pilot manages to establish the setting of the show pretty well, though I think the next few episodes that show the establishing status quo more (Past Prologue, for instance) help. The Orb plot can at times feel a bit confusing, but I think Sisko's experiences in the wormhole/Celestial Temple ground it, I think because of how the episode takes its time with the encounter. It also gives us quite a bit of time to get inside Sisko's head, where he is at the start of the show. He is also really great in dealing with the messy, developing situation he's been thrust in, too. Especially fun is his maneuvering with Quark – and we get our first taste of that backbone of the show, the Quark–Odo dynamic! Kira's also established well, we immediately know what her deal is and how she tackles things, and implying what she's been through and what her life has been like so far, which is great to plant so early on for later exploration. The scene between O'Brien and Picard was also really sweet (though I found it funny how they clearly could not afford to get any of the rest of the bridge crew there, hah).
It may be a bit rocky, as season 1 is in general, but I think it's a solid start that covers all the ground it needs to without feeling crammed. Rating: 7/10 (I guess I'll do ratings! I admit I am tempted to do it out of 9, but that would complicate comparisons so much haha. Out of 10 it is, I'll just have to land on a good symbol! Deltas, perhaps? Too Starfleet? I'll workshop it, heh.)
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aikoto
