From: rjg@umnstat.stat.umn.edu (Robert J. Granvin)
Subject: DS9: "PAST PROLOGUE" [Almost exclusively spoiler-free]
Organization: School of Statistics, University of Minnesota
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 17:25:22 GMT

In a market that normally sees the TNG episodes right at the tail end of
the broadcast week, little details often get "leaked" - little things,
such as names, characters, locations - either from my unavoidedly
reading the press releases or a spoiler-free comment sliding through
somewhere.

It's a fresh change of pace to be on the front end of the broadcast week
now, what with the Twin Cities seeing DS9 on Mondays.

Therefore, while everyone is still discussing last weeks episode, I can
ponder the new one.  Puts me in the position of starting to review the
episodes, if I chose to do so.  I don't.  :-)

Fortunately, many things make me un-interested. 

1) I don't want to spend the time doing a detailed summary as others have
   done, and I had done eons ago.

2) The best thing that happened was the newsgroup split.  Now there are
   MANY groups with a volume too ridiculous to contend with.  So, instead
   of being forced to read the one big group just in case something 
   interesting is there, I can now, with a guilt-free conscience, just kill
   off entire subdivisions, because of their narrower focus.  Result?  I
   barely ever read anything.  Kinda nice.  :-)  I almost certainly won't
   even notice any followups, if any, to this post.  :-)

3) We don't need any more reviewers.  Oyf.  :-)  Plus, no one asked.  :-)

In any case, having little to no chance of any, even minor, spoilers or
details leaking their way to my eyes, I find that I'm probably going to
enjoy DS9 quite well.

I was afraid of a stationary location - one where you had to wait for
people to come to _you_, and having to come up with different ways to
deal with the same basic premise every day.  The concept of a "Space:1999"
that _didn't_ at least travel through space was a tad frightening.

The previews (both for Past Prologue and the pilot) also have hit me as far 
more uninteresting than the episodes really are.  I don't know if a change 
of direction in the episodes has affected that, but the previews for Past 
Prologue actually revealed little.  Certainly, they did not reveal the 
surprise appearance of some interesting new (and old) characters.  I hope
that they don't lose this.  A teaser should be just that - but when the
teaser has to resort to reveaiing gotchas, spoilers or far too much about
the real story, then either the stories are too weak, the viewer base is
too fluid or you can't come up with a way to make the viewer at least 
_curious_ without giving away too much.

Past Prologue was fun, somewhat intriguing and a little "twisted" in
politics and "procedure."  A little bit of intrigue can be fun.  Especially
when your allies today could be anything but, tomorrow.  If this "Abrasiveness"
and continued subtle-hostility can be maintained, I think we're going to
have a fun ride.  [Note I didn't say anything about good quality science
fiction, fact, or anything along those natures... Just fun... Like Space:
1999, when you accept it for what it is...]

There wasn't any solid "depth" to Past Prologue, though the resolutions and
techno-mumbo-jumbles didn't exist in any of the same quantities as in
Emmissary.  This one took people (and a little bit of techno-mumbo-jumbo)
to make a story.

And we also learn a lot about the Runabouts.  Cool.  I want one.  :-)
A lot of speculation about these ships are shown to be accurate.

We also get some more details on Odo "...about as much trouble as I
have creating one of your noses..." Some of the questions about his
abilities are answered as well (probably to the aggravation of some
people, but it _does_ establish certain guidelines - like it or not -
live with it...)

The conflict between Sisko and Kira looks like it's going to be a nice
one.  They get along, yet they don't.  They can piss each other off pretty
well.  I'm looking forward to that, too.  I hate to make comparisons to
old TOS, i.e., Spock/McCoy, but it's similar.  (And one of those things
that people have been complaining about for 6 years now in the happy family
of TNG...)

"I think you definately need a new suit."

Deep Space 9 has leaks.  Amusing.  What a dump.  :-)

My opinion?  B+.  Your mileage may vary.

Meanwhile, the previews of next weeks episode look just a dull and un-
interesting as this one.  Odo is confronted by a man he put away for
murder.  My guess is that the first several episodes will develop the
characters, technology and major issues.  Yawn?  We'll see.

-- 
\\ Robert J. Granvin                                 User Services Specialist
// School of Statistics - University of Minnesota            rjg@stat.umn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current