From: mwgertz+@cs.cmu.edu (Matthew Gertz)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.current
Subject: Re: DS9-Spoilers!!!!!!!
Date: 5 Jan 93 18:04:41 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.C0E7K6.MLp.1
Organization: Dept. of ECE, The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon

cogar@cogarmac.nswc.navy.mil (John R Cogar) writes:
>This just happens to be my first post here. So I'll add plenty of space
>before I say anything.
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>CAUSE THERE ARE POTENTIAL SPOILER'S AHEAD
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>GETTING CLOSER
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(and a Control-L thrown in for good measure...)

>I was bored throughout the first hour of the DS9.  I was also disappointed
>with Avery Brooks.  I thought his acting didn't flow very well until he was
>caught by the beings in the worm hole. I thought he looked as though he
>didn't know his next line in several of the scenes.

Funny, I thought just the opposite -- IMO the acting was better before the
wormhole.  I guess Your Mileage May Vary.  I liked the "hesitation" Brooks
put in before lines, especially his humorous lines.  It was the wormhole
conversation that bothered me, which reminded me of several 1950's B-movies
("What is this thing called love, earth-man?"  8^)

>Hopefully he will
>improve.  I generally like the Sisco character.  

Me, too.

>Everyone else seemed to do a good job.  Particularly, Nan Visitor as Major
>Kira.  She did a great job and shows that Bajorian flare in the tradition
>of Michelle Forbes/Ensign Ro, but with more control.  

Indeed (and it was clear to me that the role was realy set up for Ro).
Major Kira may end up being my favorite character (though, in general,
I liked them all), though she'll face stiff competition from Sisko.

>What is the doctor's character and real name?

The character is Dr. Julian Bashar.  I can't remember the actor's name.

>  I'm not sure what his part will be in all this.

It's true that he didn't get much air time this episode.  WIth all the
carnage I expect, though, I believe our gung-ho MD will soon find 
plenty of air-time.

>He's almost too naive.

Well, it *is* his first assignment... 8^)

>  Rene Auberjois was good as
>Odo, but was dominated by the T2 effects--which I liked.  Aren't those
>rather expensive to produce?  

Yes, but getting less so all of the time.  I noticed that it wasn't really
T2 effects -- the T2 morphing involved a lot of "flowing," while Odo 
seems to "curdle" (darned if I can think of a better name for it).  The
big expense is time -- my guess is that a few hours of rendering went into 
the 8 second morphing scene.  I wonder if, for the series, they'll have
to film all of Odo's scenes first in order to leave time for post-production
rendering?

>I guess we will see what is in the Gamma Quadrant.  I would think a space
>station on the other side (or a least a patrol ship) to regulate who or
>what enters from there would be prudent. Maybe that will be Riker's next
>assignment and his first captain's position when Picard leaves the Big E
>and they name Shelby captain (Thought I'd add my .02 to that ongoing
>conversation.)

8^)  Well, I hope that there is *something* interesting over there.  I expect
there will be.  The only problem with a base on the other side is if the 
wormhole aliens change there minds... after all, it *is* 72,000 l.y. away...

>Does anyone think that the discovery of the life forms in the worm hole and
>the fact that they produced the "orbs" hurts any supernatural aspects of
>the  Bajorian religion?  Or did I miss the theological point of their
>religion?

If I recall the episode list right, this very point will be discussed quite
soon.

>
>They didn't shed any light onto O'Brian's rank.  Wasn't he wearing one
>hollow pip?

Yes, same as earlier this season in TNG.

>Like ST:TNG they managed to rap up all problems in the last 2 mins.  I
>think that is why I was bored the first hour.  TNG has tended lately to rap
>things up so quick it's predictable.  I didn't expect the BIG E to return
>in time to save the day in DS9, but Sisco leaving the worm hole with the
>Cardasian war ship and resolving his internal conflict in the nick of time
>was expected when I looked up at the clock and it was 10 till 10.  

The bummer is that we didn't even see what happened to the Cardassian
ship to cripple it.

>Compared to Encounter at Farpoint?  I think I liked Encounter better, but
>things are real close.

I personally would give the edge to DS9 on the basis that the characters
seemed much more interesting to me on first glance (the TNG characters,
of course, eventually piqued my interest, but it took a few episodes).

>  The reason is probably the fact that Encounter had
>the BIG E and I just plain like Patrick Stewart.

Nice to have him in the DS9 premiere, wasn't it?  He did a good job without
stealing the show.

>  I did like DS9 overall and I think that it has plenty of potential.

Me, too. Good luck to it.  It certainly exceeded my expectations.





-- 
Matt Gertz, mwgertz+@cs.cmu.edu
Dept. of ECE, The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.