Deep Space Nine: The Wrap-up

It's been a long time coming, but here it is (as promised) – my final thoughts on “Deep Space Nine.”

It's a great series, one of my favorites ever. It's right up there with “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” (and has a better ending than either of those).

As I've said before, though, I think DS9 was too ahead of its time. It should be a post-9/11 show, but at the time it wrapped, worries were just surfacing about Y2K. So perhaps people weren't ready to embrace a show with such dark themes as DS9. Perhaps people weren't ready for an allegory on terrorism, occupation, cultural imperialism or interventionism. DS9 touched on all this without being overwrought, pretentious or boring. On the contrary, DS9 was often engaging, intriguing and funny.

Through all these deep subjects we get to know some great characters. It's the only way sci-fi can truly be great. Fantastic and extraordinary plots seem cheesy and cheap when there's not some connection with the people involved.

That being said, let's examine some of the characters of DS9, including my new favorite character and my ruling in the Jadzia vs. Ezri (Who is the better Dax?) debacle.


Some character highlights:
Kira Nerys: Kira probably wound up being my favorite character, probably because she had the greatest, most noticeable arc. She grows from being a resistance fighter who hates Cardassians to being part of the occupation of the station (finding her self too closely resembling the very people she once hated), to aligning with Cardassians to teach them how to lead an uprising.

Odo: Don't worry, Odo's still up there – a close second favorite. He grew from being someone who didn't understand humans and their emotions to becoming human himself (both literally and figuratively). It's when he embraced and accepted his emotions that he was able mature into a better person (with some big missteps along the way). And, I for one, was a big supporter of the Kira-Odo relationship; it felt so genuine and so sweet.

Benjamin Sisko: Probably the best captain of “Star Trek,” Sisko is fair yet flawed, good-natured yet emotional. He lets his heart get in the way of his head many times, and that just shows he's human. And his relationship with Jake is one of the show's best.

Jake Sisko: At first, I thought Jake to be somewhat of a boring character (though not overly so), but it was great to see his relationship with his dad and how that strengthened through the years, which makes the final shot of the series all the more memorable.

Dr. Julian Bashir: Bashir had some fun moments, but he was a mostly boring, forgettable character.

Quark: Quark brought a lot of fun and humor to the show, and he was at his best when he was going against the Ferengi way. However, too often he followed the Ferengi way. In a show of outcasts, Quark was too much of a typical Ferengi; would've loved to see him break the mold some more. Oh well.

Jadzia Dax: I didn't hate Jadzia's character, but I didn't love her either. The most interesting quality about her was her race, and I enjoyed knowing about Trills and the joined life style. However, Jadzia herself was somewhat bland.

Ezri Dax: I believe I'm in the minority here, but I must say I preferred Ezri to Jadzia, for one main reason: She had far more personality. From the beginning when we see her struggling with being a joined Trill, we see someone with more depth than her predecessor. Ezri has Jadzia's most interesting aspect (being a Trill), but with Ezri, we get to see more of the struggle and see a person with flaws but who tries to make the most out of life. I remember laughing within the first couple of moments of meeting Ezri and her bringing me to laughter throughout the rest of the final season, however I can't recall a single moment when Jadzia made me laugh. And laughter goes a long way. I only wish we could've had more than one season with Ezri, but alas, it wasn't to be.

Worf: While I didn't watch a lot of TNG, Worf was one of my favorite characters – I think because it was just interesting to see a Klingon as a main character and not a villian. But on DS9, Worf's not very memorable. Yet his realationship with Jadzia allows him to grow and see another side of Worf. As was said about Jadzia above, here Worf's a tad boring on his own, but with Jadzia, he becomes intriguing again.

Miles O'Brien: O'Brien is an everyman. As such, it's difficult to pick him as a favorite, but he's also someone who is easy to relate to. He's probably the character I indentify most with in the series: He's an average guy, with a big heart and a deep loyalty. He may not grow much as the series progresses, but that's because he starts the series already as a pretty stand-up guy.

Elim Garak: While not a main character, Garak easily became one of my favorites. He had many humorous moments, and it was never really clear where his loyalties lay. He's truly a memorable character.

Gul Dukat: I once heard Gul Dukat described as the most-layered villain of any “Star Trek” series. I haven't seen enough to make such a claim myself, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. He's a very layered character, and it's odd – and almost chilling – when you find yourself sympathizing with him at parts. When his daughter is murdered, wow, what a fantastic turn for both the character and the show.

And so there's my thoughts on the biggest/best characters. Now to end this write-up with one final list of favorite episodes. Below are my top 9 episodes (hey, the show isn't called “Deep Space 10”) of the series, in order of original air date.

The Top 9 of DS9
Necessary Evil (2.08)
The Visitor (4.03)
Call to Arms (5.26)
Sacrifice of Angels (6.06)
Waltz (6.11)
Far Beyond the Stars (6.13)
In the Pale Moonlight (6.19)
Tacking Into the Wind (7.22)
What You Leave Behind (7.25-26)