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[The Librarian]

I know it's a little late in the day (EST), but I didn't think about doing a thread for this until now.

Twenty years ago on January 3rd, 1993, the series pilot of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Emissary," aired. The show ran for seven seasons, ending on June 2nd, 1999, with the series finale "What You Leave Behind." The show was the first Star Trek series not to be set on a starship – most importantly not a starship named Enterprise – and is the only Star Trek series to take place on a space station. Fans of the series are typically called "Niners," which was the name of the crew's baseball team.

DS9 had two opening credits throughout its run. The first, which aired during S1 - S3, helped set the tone for the show's frontier theme. It's a lonely outpost on the edge of Federation space. If the Enterprise was the "wagon train of the stars," DS9 was the saloon in the Western frontier town. The second set of credits, which aired during S4 - S7, was introduced to reflect the show's changing nature. No longer was it a lonely outpost, but a busy spaceport with galactic events unfolding around it.

So I guess this thread is for the memories the show brought to everyone. What it did right, what it did wrong, and everything in between. This probably won't get more than a page worth of replies, haha, but if you're looking for a good, fun episode to celebrate the show's anniversary, I recommend Season 3's episode Civil Defense. Lots of great exchanges.

Edit: More Stuff:

1. A very well made fan trailer about the show. Really captures what made the series great.
2. If you're looking for criticisms/praise and general reading about the show, here's some good stuff:
(a) Abigail Nussbaum's Back through the Wormhole series over at her blog "Asking the Wrong Questions." She talked about how the show handled religion, comparisons to BSG, and if there really were "two DS9s."
(b) Over at AV Club, Zack Handlen has been reviewing the series episode by episode. He's currently at the beginning of Season 4.

 

[7aged]

Loved DS9, although the whole "Space Jesus Sisko versus the devil Dukat" got on my nerves

 

[Stumpokapow]

Loved DS9, although the whole "Space Jesus Sisko versus the devil Dukat" got on my nerves

I think if you actually go back and rewatch the whole series (I did this year), you'd be surprised at just how little screen time that particular plot actually got.

 

[Wuthering_Heights]

Best Star Trek by far.

 

[JdFoX187]

Loved DS9, although the whole "Space Jesus Sisko versus the devil Dukat" got on my nerves

Pretty much. As much as I love TOS, and subsequently TNG, I still consider DS9 to be the distinctive premier 'Trek. But the spiritual stuff really brought it down in my books. I thought it was strong enough without all of that.

 

[Nekofrog]

Best Star Trek show, and best television sci-fi series.

Dukat was one of the best villains of all time. Garak was one of the best protagonists/antagonists of all time. Sisko was the best captain of all time. Odo was one of the funniest, dryest characters of the entire series. O'Brien was the best everyman of the series. Kira was great when her preconceived notions of Cardassians were challenged and she was forced to reevaluate her beliefs. Quark was the best bastard with a heart of latinum. Bashir, once they finally de-pricked him and knew what to do with him, was great. Dax was there.

 

[Kabouter]

While I can't claim to have seen as much of Star Trek shows as most others, I did watch all of this on the urging of a friend and really enjoyed it. I would say "Far Beyond the Stars" is my favourite episode of any science fiction series that I've ever watched, though there were many excellent ones.

 

[EvilMario]

Loved DS9, although the whole "Space Jesus Sisko versus the devil Dukat" got on my nerves

Indeed. My favourite Star Trek series and very easy to rewatch over and over. A few episodes up to the ending were very meh, but it didn't ruin the series for me like some terrible endings would.

 

[7aged]

I think if you actually go back and rewatch the whole series (I did this year), you'd be surprised at just how little screen time that particular plot actually got.

Maybe not in terms of time, but certainly in prominance. In the finale it overshadowed the culmination of the dominion war arc.

Best Star Trek show, and best television sci-fi series.

Dukat was one of the best villains of all time. Garak was one of the best protagonists/antagonists of all time. Sisko was the best captain of all time. Odo was one of the funniest, dryest characters of the entire series. O'Brien was the best everyman of the series. Kira was great when her preconceived notions of Cardassians were challenged and she was forced to reevaluate her beliefs. Quark was the best bastard with a heart of latinum. Bashir, once they finally de-pricked him and knew what to do with him, was great. Dax was there.

Dukat WAS a great character. They then destroyed him with all that pa wraith BS.

 

[Vyroxis]

I would easily put it as the best Star Trek series, as the storyline overall was awesome and the characters all meshed together well in how they bounced off of one another. TNG almost felt forced in its characters, to the point where all you needed was a few one liners to make a sitcom which just bothered me to no end.

 

[Almighty]

Best Star Trek show, and best television sci-fi series.

Dukat was one of the best villains of all time. Garak was one of the best protagonists/antagonists of all time. Sisko was the best captain of all time. Odo was one of the funniest, dryest characters of the entire series. O'Brien was the best everyman of the series. Kira was great when her preconceived notions of Cardassians were challenged and she was forced to reevaluate her beliefs. Quark was the best bastard with a heart of latinum. Bashir, once they finally de-pricked him and knew what to do with him, was great. Dax was there.

Yeah Deep Space 9 is just awesome for all the reasons you mentioned and more.

The last part of your post though cracked me up. Just the "and Dax well eh she was there" got me.

 

[jagowar]

Best Star Trek by far.

I would call it the best SciFi series ever.

Even though ds9 did not have a ship initially the defiant is still my fav ship in the trek universe. No luxuries, just a battleship there to kick some ass.

 

[Cheebo]

Love DS9. I even grew to love it more than TNG through re-watches. It is second only to the king, The Original Series.

 

[cloudwalking]

Kira was great when her preconceived notions of Cardassians were challenged and she was forced to reevaluate her beliefs.

One of my favourite episodes, if not my favourite, is

Spoiler

Second Skin, where the Cardassians convince Kira that she was one of them, a sleeper agent all along and even go as far as to alter her appearance. However, I wish they would have went with the scrapped alternative ending for that episode where Kira would never find out if she was really Cardassian or not. Great episode, but that would have taken it to a whole other level.

 

[uncledonnie]

Best Trek of them all for me. I actually dug the spiritual stuff for the most part.

 

[super-heated plasma]

God bless Garak. One of the greatest characters of any tv show ever. He has so many great and memorable lines, and is so full of shit in an awesome way. I'm hard pressed to think of another star trek character that I cant wait to hear what he says or see what he does next, like I did him.

Odo: "you would shoot a man in the back?"
Garak: "well it's the safest way, isn't it?"

Lol. Gets me every time.

 

[Krelian]

My favorite Star Trek show. I'm currently in the middle of rewatching all of it, even the worst season 1 episodes. Beginning with season 3 it really starts to shine, though there were great episodes before, of course.

I never knew people were that annoyed with Sisko's story arc at the end. I didn't mind it at all. It's really nothing compared to BSG's ending.

One of my favourite episodes, if not my favourite, is

Spoiler

Second Skin, where the Cardassians convince Kira that she was one of them, a sleeper agent all along and even go as far as to alter her appearance. However, I wish they would have went with the scrapped alternative ending for that episode where Kira would never find out if she was really Cardassian or not. Great episode, but that would have taken it to a whole other level.

I didn't know there was an alternate ending. Now I also wish they had gone that way. Still, a great episode!

 

[gdt]

I started this but never kept it up. Watched like 4 or 5 eps. I'll look on Netflix and see where I left off.

Edit: Picking it back up on S1E4.

 

[jb1234]

Easily the best Trek show, even with the weaknesses in the final season (Ezri, Dukat).

 

[GDGF]

Think i'll watch some DS9 today. Still my favorite Trek.

 

[moojito]

I started this but never kept it up. Watched like 4 or 5 eps. I'll look on Netflix and see where I left off.

Edit: Picking it back up on S1E4.

It's about season 4 it starts getting more story arc-y, a la babylon 5. It's worth the wait, but you'd want to get settled in for a lot of filler at the start.

 

[The Real Abed]

I loved Ezri. She was my favorite late comer. Wish she had shown up earlier. But mainly because she's cute and adorable.

 

[The Librarian]

One of my favourite episodes, if not my favourite, is

Spoiler

Second Skin, where the Cardassians convince Kira that she was one of them, a sleeper agent all along and even go as far as to alter her appearance. However, I wish they would have went with the scrapped alternative ending for that episode where Kira would never find out if she was really Cardassian or not. Great episode, but that would have taken it to a whole other level.

The sequel to that episode, "Ties of Blood and Water," is even better.

Some stuff I forgot to add to the OP:
1. A very well made fan trailer about the show. Really captures what made the series great.
2. If you're looking for criticisms/praise and general reading about the show, here's some good stuff:
(a) Abigail Nussbaum's Back through the Wormhole over at her blog "Asking the Wrong Questions." She talked about how the show handled religion, comparisons to BSG, and if there really were "two DS9s."
(b) Over at AV Club, Zack Handlen has been reviewing the series episode by episode. He's currently at the beginning of Season 4.

...

For all the praise Garak gets, I really think Damar is just as good. You could make a very good argument that Damar is the best character in all of Star Trek.

 

[BobLoblaw]

I think if you actually go back and rewatch the whole series (I did this year), you'd be surprised at just how little screen time that particular plot actually got.

This. And I absolutely loved DS9. It's my favorite ST franchise by far, and I've seen them all multiple times. It wasn't perfect, but it was the most human series.

 

[sangreal]

loved everything but the holodeck episodes (and the present-day sisko stuff)

 

[Imbarkus]

I think if you actually go back and rewatch the whole series (I did this year), you'd be surprised at just how little screen time that particular plot actually got.

Sure, but it did shit up the final conflict of the series.

I loved the series too but here are some other shames:

Sisko sees a vision of how lost his son would be for his entire life if he

Spoiler

just disappeared into the ether. Series ends with Sisko disappearing into the ether.

Star Trek idealistic future pissed on entirely by revelation of

Spoiler

super-secret, dirty-dealing Section 31 Starfleet Intelligence, retconned to have existed since the formation of Starfleet.

Much of the final season wasted on

Spoiler

Ezri Dax returning to lead Jadzia Dax's old life, despite how much of a Trill taboo that was insisted to be in earlier episodes. Jadzia unsummarily "offed" and everyone just moves on to focus on Ezri. A two year bloody war in the show's fiction and they get one opportunity to kill of a regular character, and they cheese out.

And, of course,

Spoiler

Evil Devil Dukat fighting Sisko Jesus in the red soup of matte-land as a final series conflict.

Also,

Spoiler

Odo bails on Kira.

EDIT: Seriously? Spoiler tags when OP itself says the series started 20 years ago?
Jeez, okay... fine...

 

[cloudwalking]

The sequel to that episode, "Ties of Blood and Water," is even better.

Very true, that ep is amazing as well.

edit:

EDIT: Seriously? Spoiler tags when OP itself says the series started 20 years ago?
Jeez, okay... fine...

I only spoiler tagged that bit because it's a really specific thing... I think broad spoilers are fine. I just know there are some people who haven't seen the show yet and since I like that one specific ep so much I'd hate to spoil it for someone.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Best trek.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Easily the best Trek show, even with the weaknesses in the final season (Ezri, Dukat).

I'm with this guy, and the others who speak similarly. Probably the only version of Trek to actually fulfill the promise of The Original Series. The movies went off and became their own thing. Next Gen definitely became its own thing, Voyager and Enterprise fell far short of measuring up. Only Deep Space Nine seemed to be connected to the world, and the characterizations from the original show.

that said: yeah, the first two seasons got off to a slowwwwwww start, and the last season was kinda rocky, but the 60-70 episodes inbetween? More often than not, really, REALLY good television.

"...I can live with it."

 

[Medalion]

Fuck, feel old

Such an amazing series, my fave Star Trek, very close 2nd is TNG

I WUV YOU DS9!!! Come out on blu-ray plz

 

[Servizio]

If you enjoy Deep Space 9 and Babylon 5, you might also like: Arena (1989)

 

[BrokenEchelon]

Dat Dax.

It was never my favorite Trek (TNG forever) but I love it like I love all of them for their unique reasons. The Space Jew and Sisko Jesus allegory shit was incredibly annoying and my least favorite of the sub-plots.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Great show, by far the best Star Trek show. Just a pale shadow of Babylon 5 though.

 

[King of the Potato People]

The only Star Trek series I could get into.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

It's also essentially the blueprint that Battlestar Galactica was built with.

 

[EviLore]

Sisko enters mirror universe, immediately proceeds to

Spoiler

have sex with Mirror Dax.

Amazing to this day.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

The leap from barefaced Riker to bearded Riker is NOTHING compared to the leap from close-cropped Sisko to Bald & Goateed Sisko.

That man socked a GOD in the jaw.

 

[thetrin]

Still the best Star Trek series. I love TNG, but the last few seasons of DS9 are simply amazing. I'd love a new ongoing Trek series with overarching storylines.

 

[antonz]

The better show as far as diversity of good characters. Even the minor characters got lots of time to shine though that probably has to do with the fact the show was focused on one particular location the majority of the time.

Sisko is average to me he's a good captain but not nearly as amazing as people make him out to be. We have been introduced to lots of morally questionable Officers willing to do whatever for the sake of the federation.Sisko simply had the screen time to dedicate to it and seem like he was some unique fella. His punching Q wasn't badass. It was shoehorning in a god character for the sake of saying see he's not just a black Picard.

Overall I enjoyed the series but TNG/TOS are the tops

 

[Kimaka]

Love DS9. I'm currently on my third rewatch. I'm on the fifth season and dreading finishing it again.

 

[lastplayed]

I'll join just about everyone else in saying it's my favourite Trek and probably even my favourite TV series ever.

It's the first Trek where I was there day one (was only 7 when TNG came out), and thanks to it ending during the net's early years, I was mostly spoiler free during the ending.

Great memories.

My favourite moment (season 4 spoilers): http://youtu.be/lYePPtRE9eQ

The whole buildup and payoff during that episode was perfect.

 

[MisterHero]

The leap from barefaced Riker to bearded Riker is NOTHING compared to the leap from close-cropped Sisko to Bald & Goateed Sisko.

That man socked a GOD in the jaw.

I suddenly remembered when evil transporter clone Riker pretended to be the other Riker with fake patches of hair connecting his hair and beard. Best disguise ever.

When the series was running, I paid more attention to Voyager, Hercules, Xena, etc. so my tastes were probably in question back then. I've seen reruns from time to time, but nothing that I can recall instantaneously. Maybe Morn and Vic Fontaine.

I did catch the TOS crossover when it was new. The editing of that episode still blows my mind.

 

[Imbarkus]

Dat Dax.

Can't believe she left this show for Becker. I really felt they should have killed Jadzia AND Dax, the symbiote. Can you imagine the fucking drama and anger and wartime fury that could have fueled the final season as Worf loses his mate (AGAIN) and Sisko loses his best friend of decades, and Bashir loses his unrequited love? Missed opportunity.

All the cute Ezri flirting was wasted time, much as I like Nicole De Boer (sp?) it was just too fan-fic for me that final season.

Fun Fact: Terry Farrell has an allergy to sunlight, so any outdoor episodes like this had to have canopies and other tricks to keep her from blistering up.

Sisko enters mirror universe, immediately proceeds to

Spoiler

have sex with Mirror Dax.

Amazing to this day.

Yeah that was quality. Also blew up Mirror Odo the same episode.

Mirror Kira was the sexy little kitten I always knew she could be. Kind of helped make up for real Kira's absolutely horrible taste in smarmy Bajoran men the whole rest of the series.

 

[IISANDERII]

Can't believe she left this show for Becker.

I read somewhere that she didn't want to go but she was under contract to the network, and they sent her to Becker.

I started this but never kept it up. Watched like 4 or 5 eps. I'll look on Netflix and see where I left off.

Edit: Picking it back up on S1E4.

No fuck that, skip ahead to season 3. I really love DS9 but season 1 + 2 are mostly shite imo and you won't miss much development at all. You could always go back to it.

 

[Wubby]

Great show, by far the best Star Trek show. Just a pale shadow of Babylon 5 though.

I'm of the same opinion. Best of the Treks, but just not as good as B5.

 

[Choke on the Magic]

Love DS9, but I never liked how Sisko had this bad blood with Picard even though Picard wasn't at fault for anything. It never really got resolved either.

 

[Jhriad]

DS9 had the best cast of characters in any Trek show. Still my favorite Star Trek with TNG a close second.

 

[AAequal]

Great show and second best scifi show ever hit TV.

Too bad they ruined one of my favorite characters

Spoiler

Julian being genetically engineered human was just stupid and his genetically engineered pals were equally stupid. It was totally unnecessary twist that only played any part when it was convenient for the plot.

 

[soundscream]

Taken from another thread but it deserves to be here.

 

[Pagusas]

Taken from another thread but it deserves to be here.

Ah Memories!