In the first episode of the first season of Deep Space Nine, I AM SO INTO THIS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to start Deep Space Nine!!!!
Look, I haven’t done one of these in a long time, and I really, really need a list of all the reasons I’m so thrilled by the opening of Deep Space Nine. Obviously, I’ve got the second half of “Emissary” to get through, but this already upends pretty much everything that I expected from the Star Trek universe.
All the Reasons that Mark Suspects Y’all Were Very Eager For Him To Start Deep Space Nine Because Everything Here Is Awesome
- I absolutely have to start with the obvious, so bear with me. A black Commander. A black commander who is allowed to have a son. A BLACK COMMANDER WHO IS STILL ALIVE FORTY-ODD MINUTES INTO THIS EPISODE AND WHO VERY WELL SEEMS TO BE THE MAIN CHARACTER.
- It may seem pedantic or ridiculous to you, but I assure you this is a big deal for Star Trek and for science fiction in general. Look, I’ve got 175 more episodes to get through, and it’s possible I’m celebrating something that’ll be ruined soon, but I can’t help it. The show wouldn’t be that brutal to give Avery Brooks lead billing and then kill him off. I mean, Joss Whedon isn’t the showrunner. Regardless, it’s incredibly significant that this is happening, so I was biased in favor of this show on that note alone.
- I could somewhat do without the fridging of Jennifer because it’s such an overly-used trope. Give men pain by killing off the women they love! At the same time, Sisko’s anger is such a HUGE part of his character, and I don’t want a bit of it to go away. Truthfully, he feels completely unlike any commander or captain we’ve ever seen in the show. He’s cynical, prone to negativity, quick to state exactly how he feels, and unafraid of necessary honesty. At the same time, the show is avoiding the Angry Black Man trope by making him full of mirth at times, and his little goofy smile is so infectious. I LOVE IT.
- Seriously, “Emissary” feels more serialized than THE ENTIRETY OF THE NEXT GENERATION. In the episode’s cold open, we learn that Sisko escaped the destruction of the Saratoga, which was destroyed during the Borg fight in “The Best of Both Worlds.” He saved his son Jake, but couldn’t save his wife AND HE WATCHED HIS SHIP GET BLOWN UP AND THIS IS THE FIRST TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. How??? Who thought they had the right to do this to me?
- On top of that, this fits perfectly after “Chain of Command” if we accept that the Cardassians pulled out of that specific sector after the events of that episode. With the Cardassians no longer in control, Bajor has a number of issues to deal with, namely the fact that their planet and culture have been devastated by the Cardassians.
- And this very aspect of the future is discussed at length and addressed largely through Major Kira, who feels a lot like Ro Laren in this pilot, though I’m hoping the show just wanted to establish this dynamic before branching off into something else. I love that Kira is allowed to express her displeasure with having the Federation helping the Bajorans with their reconstruction. She wants her people to gain their independence alone, and it’s perfectly reasonable for her to be suspicious of any involvement after what happened since the Cardassian’s “involvement” sixty years prior.
- Let’s also acknowledge how willing this episode is to address very uncomfortable things in snappy and brutal ways. When we meet Doctor Bashir, he’s charming and hilarious, and then Major Kira reminds everyone that his “charming” view of Bajor as the source of his “frontier medicine” is her home, and that he’s a giant asshole for assigning his own meaning to the place. It’s a short scene, less than a minute long, but it’s incredibly significant.
- Basically, most of my praise of this pilot is similar: Deep Space Nine gets to do things that The Original Series and The Next Generation rarely, if ever, got to do. Commander Sisko is so disagreeable and cynical here that I kept worrying he’d be hit with an insubordination charge. A silly thought, sure, but let’s examine his painfully awkward scene with Picard. Have we ever seen anything like that unfold between main characters? Maybe with singular guest characters, but here, we’ve got two major characters having a deeply uncomfortable conversation, and the writers don’t do anything to solve it. Sisko will probably forever associate Picard with the death of his wife, and how can we blame him? This is the first time Sisko’s seen him since he was assimilated by the Borg.
- I think I can see how Deep Space Nine can continue to do things like this over the course of the show. The use of the Ferengi as cautious allies instead of villains is a brilliant choice, as is the mysterious presence of Odo. The chief of security is a SHAPESHIFTING ALIEN??? YES PLEASE. We also have the return of the Trill in Dax, and it’s so clear to me how much potential this cast has. There’s so much to explore and I want to see it all. I AM VERY SELFISH RIGHT NOW.
- Oh my god, Gul Dukat is so creepy. SO CREEPY.
- Sisko is the Emissary???? I admit I don’t fully understand this part of the episode, but as far as I can tell, Sisko’s vision is related to this messiah-like role that Opaka is certain he’ll fulfill. Which comes from the orbs? Which he doesn’t need to locate because all he has to find is the temple? I don’t quite get it yet, but I’ve only seen half the story, so I’m willing to admit that my ignorance is the cause of this.
- Can we have some super intense bonding between Jake and Benjamin??? Oh my god, a father/son combo IN SPACE.
Y’all, this is pretty cool. I’m excited about the possible future of this show, and I want to see what the writers are going to do with it. HOW IS THIS GOING TO WORK???
The video for “Emissary, Part I” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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