Day 1: DS9, Emissary

Let's just dive right into it, shall we? The first (and longest) show I'll be covering is one of my favorites, a show that combined amazing writing and wonderful actors to produce a show that, by the end, left me transfixed and eager to see what happened next. It's a show that's given me inspiration for some of my own stories, and has pretty much guaranteed I will always be a Trekkie. I speak, of course, of Star Trek; Deep Space Nine.

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S1EP1, “Emissary”.

Summary: The Federation has been called in to provide support to the newly liberated Bajor while they find their feet after a long occupation by Cardassia. Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) has reluctantly taken command of former Cardassian station Deep Space Nine. While the new crew trickles in and everyone tries to get the station up and running again, Sisko receives a mystical item from the religious leader of Bajor, urging him to find the “Celestial Temple” before the Cardassians do. Despite his skepticism, Sisko and his new science officer, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), do some digging and discover a stable, possibly artificially created wormhole that connects to an area of space referred to as the Gamma Quadrant. While travelling back to Deep Space Nine through said wormhole, Sisko is taken by aliens connected to the wormhole, who have no experience with humans and see them as a threat. While Sisko tries to convince them that humans mean no harm (and, cheesy as it is, comes to some realizations about himself while doing so), the rag-tag group on DS9 have to defend both the wormhole and the station from Cardassians, in order to prevent another conflict. All eventually ends well, and the episode ends with the promise of exciting new possibilities for the station and her crew thanks to this discovery.

Standalone Thoughts: I’ll freely admit this may be my enjoyment of the show coloring my vision, but just looking at this show as a pilot, it’s a great start. First off, it’s got a neat premise; a bunch of people with different views and experiences having to work together to turn a disaster area into something functional. It’s a common trope, but it keeps working, and that’s why writers keep going to that well. Secondly, the writers of this particular show are smart enough to know that the story needs both internal conflict (as exemplified by Sisko), external conflict (represented by the Cardassians), and inter-personal conflict between allies, which shines through loud and clear in this episode. This is not going to be a smooth transition, and “Emissary” acknowledges that. Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) resents the Federation’s involvement with her home planet, and therefore butts heads with Sisko. Quark (Armin Shimerman) doesn’t like the Federation’s rules and regulations, and only sticks around reluctantly. The list just goes on and on, and I absolutely love it. It shows that the writers put serious thought into the situation, and didn’t want to make it easy. As a result, it all feels very real, despite the sci-fi setting.

(On a related note, this is probably one of the reasons I dislike Voyager. They had a somewhat similar setup in their pilot—in fact, an even more dramatic one, given that they were stranded seventy years from home without any hope of getting help from Starfleet—and yet everybody got along with each other just fine almost immediately. Granted, we’ll have to see how long this sort of conflict lasts here in Deep Space Nine, but it’s already doing better than Voyager was, in my books.)

I’m also a little in awe of the section where Sisko talks to the aliens and tries to get them to understand his point of view. They are incorporeal beings who have no concept of time, and thus Sisko is left with the daunting task of trying to explain something that we ourselves barely can wrap our heads around. His discussions on the matter are almost philosophical in nature, and yet explained in such a way that we laymen can understand them. Once again, it’s incredibly smart writing, and it shows that the showrunners have a good sense of what they want to do with this show, even if they don’t have everything planned out yet. Which transitions us nicely to…

How it Relates to the Whole: “Emissary” is unique in that I not only have to look at how it relates to the rest of Deep Space Nine, but to its older sibling The Next Generation as well. Next Gen was incredibly popular at this point in time, so it’s not a surprise that the showrunners would use that property to try to convince the audience to try out this new, untested show. This is why the show opens with the battle of Wolf 359, as seen in the episode “The Best of Both Worlds”, and why Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) is on hand to discuss matters with Sisko, partially as an exposition dump and also for character development—Sisko’s wife died during the battle, and Sisko has some misgivings about Picard as a result. There’s also the matter of casting; Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) was a semi-regular on Next Gen, and had apparently impressed the brass so much that they gave him a regular spot on DS9. Hence, there’s a small scene where O’Brien says goodbye to the Enterprise, with Picard himself beaming O’Brien to the station. It’s a nice moment, a sort of passing of the torch, as it were.

Looking forward to DS9’s future, meanwhile, we can see some of the groundwork being laid for major developments. Although the episode is called “Emissary”, we’re only given the barest hint as to why that is, when Bajor’s spiritual leader Kai Opaka (Camille Saviola) murmurs something about Sisko being the Emissary. If you don’t know what’s coming, it sounds portentous, but might well be forgotten in the midst of everything else that’s going on. On a rewatch, it’s surprising that something that will become such a big deal later on is introduced so quietly.

Then there’s the matter of Odo (Rene Auberjonois), the security officer on the station who’s also a shapeshifter, which is barely commented on by the crew (another nice touch by the writers; he’s been around long enough that people like Kira and Quark are used to him, so what’s surprising to us is not surprising to them). We learn that he was found near the wormhole, and has no idea if there are others like him out there, immediately setting up a plot hook for later use. Whether or not the staff knew precisely how they were going to use that plot hook isn’t certain at this time, but at least we know they had this in mind from the start, unlike other developments.

Other than that, there’s a lot of little things that I’ll have to watch for in future episodes, to see if they’re subtle foreshadowing or just the crew trying to figure things out. Odo’s makeup, the relationships between certain characters, the role of some of the supporting characters (two people who will become major players later on in the show only show up in the end credits here; hell, one of them doesn’t even get a name!)…it’s going to be an interesting ride, that’s for sure. But that’s why I chose shows I’d already seen before for this project—watching a show grow and develop is all part of the fun.

Other: *Let’s start with the opening credits. On the whole, I’d say they’re passable if not overly exciting. The music is obviously riffing on the Next Gen theme, and the visuals aren’t anything special (though the comet at the very start is pretty). It’s the sort of opening that gives you a chance to grab some food and get settled, something you don’t pay that much attention to. A bit disappointing, considering everything else in the show is so good, but you can’t win them all.

*I find it awfully convenient that Sisko is one of only two people to survive the attack on the bridge in the opening sequence. On the one hand, it smacks of contrivance for the sake of the plot. On the other…it’s entirely possible the Prophets had something to do with this. Something to keep in mind as we go forward.

*The entire opening sequence is riddled with shaky cam, which definitely shows how hectic things are but is also distracting.

*I’m also not sure how I feel about the opening title crawl/exposition dump. It’s a bit reminiscent of Star Wars, and could probably have been cut and replaced with dialogue that flowed a bit more naturally. Then again, they may have considered it a timesaving measure, since even having extra time thanks to being a pilot episode could only get them so far. Even so, it’s jarring. (Voyager would also use this tactic in its pilot, with similar results; sometimes people just don’t learn).

*Given that this aired in January 1993, the special effects hold up pretty well. Sure, Odo’s shapeshifting looks a little clunky, but the wormhole graphics (see above) are still pretty nice to look at. We’ll have to see if they also improve as time goes by.

Best Line/Exchange: The entire exchange between Quark and Sisko as Sisko is convincing Quark to stay is great, but it’s too long to quote in its entirety. So I’ll just go with…

Quark: Commander, I’ve made a career out of knowing when to leave. And this Bajoran provisional government is far too provisional for my taste. And when governments fall, people like me are lined up and shot.

Sisko: There is that risk. But then, you are a gambler, Quark.

Odo: And a thief.

Sisko: You know, Quark, that poor boy is about to spend the best years of his life in a Bajoran prison. (Putting on a tearful, heartfelt voice) I’m a father myself. I know what your brother must be going through. The boy should be with his family, not in some cold jail cell. (In his normal voice) Think about it. It’s up to you. (Nods curtly to Odo and walks out, possibly with a bit of a smirk on his face).

Odo: You know at first, I didn’t think I was going to like him.

(Quark looks around, realizing he’s been played.)

Maybe it’s just my love for clever, subtle manipulations, but this is a great example of the form. Sisko’s getting what he wants by appealing to both Quark’s ego and his family connections, and he does it so smoothly that Quark doesn’t really seem to know what hit him. Once again, the writing is top notch, and the acting sells it beautifully. Like I said, this show’s off to a very good start. And because I know where this is going, I can tell you it’s only going to get better from here.