Great start of this series, Although i watched it when it originaly aired, i started rewatching it recently, The Pilot begins for at the time as a great visual opener, when the borg attack ensues at wolf 359, now seen throug the eyes of "Cmdr Benjamin Lafayette Sisko", which sets the backstage for the main protagonist of this series, The Series then jumps forward a couple of years, to starfleet taking administrative command of DS9 a former cardassian space station, which is left behind after the Cardassians withdrew from the Bajoran systems, after 40 years of occupation, The Pilot introduces the Characters and sets up the bord, Besides fleshing out the character Benjamin Sisko, and his dealing with loss, and acceptation. the story also plays on the bajorans spiritual believes, which will be further fleshed out throughout the series.. Although a longtime trek fan, I greatly love this show, i wouldnt call it completly Unique, as its rival Show Babylon 5 also proved a fierce contender for this show. Some fans regard this show as the best "Trek Ever". I can only say it didnt dissapoint
The first season is often derided for being weak. While it definitely pales in comparison to what comes later, it's nowhere near as bad as people say. At worst, it could be accused of being a bit bland but there are some incredibly strong moments here. Characters are strongly defined and a huge amount of plot elements are established. The episodes are all standalone and there aren't many major story arcs, but the characters are consistently grown across the season.
It's nowhere near as bad as early Next Generation, that's for sure.
Best episodes for me: Emissary, Babel, Battle Lines, Duet, In the Hands of the ProphetsWorst episodes for me: Dramatis Personae, The Passenger, Move Along Home, If Wishes Were Horses
Lots of the details about Odo's backstory are given here, and the highlight of the episode is his relationship with Doctor Mora. Mora acts like something of an overprotective parent who doesn't really believe their child is capable of doing much without their help. Odo's clear frustration to this makes for a compelling and interesting dynamic between them, and culminates in some quite lovely moments as Mora expresses how proud he's become of Odo.
The story surrounding all this isn't quite as good, and the initial excitement of a shape shifting creature causing havoc on the station becomes a bit dull once more about what's going on is revealed. It's the character moments that let this shine, be they about Jake complaining about doing his homework or Julian chasing Jadzia's affections.
The ingredients are all there for a good episode, but this one leaves me pretty bored. The villagers are charming thanks to the actors cast, but they're also very clichéd and feel like ones we've seen in far too many Trek episodes. There is some genuine emotion involved in the revelation of what they are and what defines a life. Odo is quite wonderful here.
Far more interesting is Jake's story on board the station as he tries to let his dad know that he's never wanted to join Starfleet. I just love the father/son dynamic these two have, it's always done so well. Bareil is back too and he's still a bit too creepy, but fortunately nowhere near as much as his previous appearances.
One of the most ambitious seasons of the series, Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation launches the franchise to new heights. This season original cast member Denise Crosby returns to the show as a recurring character, Leonard Nimoy guest stars in a two part movie tie-in for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Michelle Forbes joins the show as the fan favorite character Ensign Ro. Additionally, the writers attempt some daring and unconventional episodes, including “Darmok,” “Cause and Effect,” “I, Borg,” and “The Inner Light.” However, some of the episodes get a little preachy, such as “The Masterpiece Society” and “The Outcast.” Still, the season’s strong focus on high-minded sci-fi concepts and contemporary sociopolitical issues provide plenty of opportunities for creative and compelling storytelling. The last season under the helm of creator Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5 does an extraordinary job of realizing his vision.
It's impossible to overlook the biggest issue this episode has: how utterly cheap it feels. The robots look ridiculous, like something from the original 1960s Star Trek or Doctor Who. It's such a failing on the part of the design team that I'm surprised the episode went ahead at all, because as a viewer watching it all I could think was "that's a guy in a really terrible suit". Star Trek should be aiming much, much higher than this.
Story-wise, though, it kind of works. B'Elanna tends to improve things when she's front and centre and it's easy to get invested as she attempts to do the work demanded of her. The ending is unfortunately cheesy, because there was never a sense that she felt any kind of motherly feelings to Prototype 0001, who never does anything other than repeat the same annoying line of dialogue.
Janeway citing the prime directive feels like nonsense, too. These robots came and specifically asked for help, there was no interfering going on at all.
Quite magnificent. This is a gorgeously slow paced and sedate episode that asks big questions - but those questions are not about our world or our own point of view, but rather questions about our characters. Captain Sisko has long been uncomfortable with the role of Emissary, but here the age old addage of not knowing what you've got until it's gone comes into play. He finally is able to embrace it and see it for the honour and pleasure that it has the potential to be.
It's also a deftly clever look at religion that allows for all points of view to be viable. Some of our characters have faith, some don't, and both are absolutely fine because they can live their lives comfortably with those beliefs. I find the notion of the Bajoran caste system quite fascinating (it's explored a bit more in the Terok Nor novels) and the ruling which Akorem makes to bring it back is obviously jarring, to the point where it's scary how many people are willing to accept it.
One thing I really enjoyed, which was understated, was the fact that Akorem accepts that he was wrong without kicking up a fuss. He was never a bad person, just of a different time.
The Miles/Julian bromance is a pleasant backdrop to all of this, again resonating with the main story by showing what our characters want or need to make them comfortable with their lives. I'd also forgotten that Keiko's pregnancy was going to start this early!
Tense and mostly exciting, while being a bit too predictable at points. The only people who die are the background characters while our main cast get through things just fine, and by this point it's something we see coming from a mile away. The episode does make an effort to cover this up, though, because we've seen Muniz in several previous episodes (although, he would be easy to forget) and Sisko has a wonderful conversation with Dax at the end about how these were all people with their own interesting lives.
It does work well as a character piece. O'Brien loses a friend and butts head with Worf, and those scenes are quite strong, as well as their mending of bridges at the end. Sisko gets to show that he's too intelligent to let a Vorta get to him with mind tricks or sweet talk, plus he gives his crew a good talking to. The rock quarry used here is also a nice location visually.
Yea sure, "a movie". More like a 20 minute episode.
Toy Story of Terror! is a fun and clever Halloween special that the whole family can enjoy. When Bonnie and her mother stay overnight at a motel Woody and his friends find themselves being attacked by a mysterious monster that abducts toys. Most of the film cast return to reprise their characters, and are joined by Carl Weathers and Stephen Tobolowsky. Additionally, the writing is especially well-done, and includes a lot of witty dialog and clever satire. But the story’s a little fast-paced and is paper thin. Yet all-in-all, Toy Story of Terror! is terrifically entertaining and a wonderful addition to the Toy Story series.
A very standard and predictable story about bickering rivals getting stranded together actually turns out to be quite good fun thanks to the great chemistry between Odo and Quark, and the actors who play them. The mountain scenery makes a nice change and we get to see Odo experience how frail a human body can be now that he doesn't have his shape shifting abilities.
The arguments between them do get over-the-top. Odo has had numerous chances in the past to "catch" Quark in a crime, so it feels a bit odd that this is the time he finally decides to do it. And of course, we know that the two of them don't really hate each other at all, although calling what they have a "friendship" does feel like a bit of a stretch. The closing moment of the episode encapsulates this nicely.
In some ways the b-story with Jake and Nog is even more fun as it rips off The Odd Couple. The show always managed to make Jake's relationships with both friends and family feel natural and it's easy to get invested with them. Sisko does a pretty great job at sorting their problems out, and I quite liked that his solution was a simple as "deal with it!".
Nothing special overall, but quite an easy watch.
haha, I remember this episode. Common theme in both this and Korra is friends being all jealous and insecure over how fast the Avatar learns lol
It does seem OP to not only get to know all 4 elements but to learn them easier too though lol
I love the fact that a hundred years of historical resentment is upended by one simple lie in this show, and yet the lie ends up bein a good thing. It calls into question whether the ends justifies the means. Telling lies is just a the first level of that concept but it helps to introduce a young audience to that idea. Great capsule episode on how differently cultures can view history and how that cause conflict in the future.
Just finished season three of Voyager.
Luckily the Kazon are gone. If you´ve read my other reviews you know why I never liked them. That freed up time for other stories and species. In a way they pushed the reset button on certain things which helped the show in the long run. I would say this is the better Season 1. This Season has one of the best episodes up to this point f.e. "Unity", "Real Life", "Distant Origin" which was my favorite of this year. We meet the "Q" again, "Before and After" was really well made and "False Profit" was a fun episode to watch. But this season also contains the infamous "Trilogy of Terror". If you don´t know what this is about google it. For me it felt like a rolercoaster that has some really exicting sections and than some boring ones. They still couldn´t keep it on the same level for a whole year. Since there were more good episodes than in the first two season combined (this is my personal opinion I´m sure other´s feel different) I´d rank this as the best Season so far.
I could never quite figure out why Voyager was my least favorite of all the Star Trek shows. With TNG and especially DS9 I was hooked after Season 1. Voyager was more of an effort to like. Since it was Star Trek I wanted to watch it and like it. Which ultimately I did. For me until the end of this year in general everything was "just-so". Watching it now, almost 20 years later, I wonder if it hadn´t been Trek would I have had the patience to see it through ?
Star Trek: Voyager enters into a third season of Delta Quadrant adventures as the crew continues their voyage home. This season starts to hint at the coming Borg threat, which will change the direction of the show for the rest of the series. Additionally, a budding romance between Paris and Torres begins as the romance between Neelix and Kes comes to an end. Some of the major episodes of the season include “Future’s End,” “Real Life,” “Scorpion,” and the Star Trek 30th Anniversary special “Flashback” (featuring George Takei). However, the writing is inconsistent, and the character development is rather weak. Star Trek: Voyager continues to improve, but it still pales in comparison to the other Trek series.
First season was good but that was just about it. When I started the second one it seemed that would go in the same direction but after the introduction of Toph, this season just keept getting better and better...
9/10
My Top Ten Avatar Episodes: #3
This is just a really nice filler episode. We get to see each of the characters just going about their lives: Aang helps someone make a nice zoo, Katara and Toph go to a spa, Iroh goes about helping people (because of course he would), Sokka gets in a haiku rap battle (because of course he would), Zuko goes on a date, and Momo has a wacky misadventure with some big cats. It's just nice to have a break from all the big events happening, and settle down with these characters a bit.
But Avatar goes further and inserts deeper meaning into these episodes. Katara and Toph's spa day helps them develop a better friendship, and so does their encounter with some bullies, who they drown like the trash they are. This encounter reveals some of Toph's worries about her looks, and Katara comforts her. Momo's adventure also conveys his feelings towards the disappearance of Appa, and how he misses him. Zuko's date shows his softer side, and he expresses happiness for possibly the first time in the series. And Iroh...I don't think I need to talk about Iroh's tale. You all probably know already. It's really sad, I cried, I don't often do that, moving on.
Overall, a phenomenal filler episode, although not really one, considering the amount of character development present.
9.7/10
My Top Ten Avatar Episodes: #7
This is a really nice finale. We get to see all of the main characters cross paths, and the result of many of these characters actually interacting with each other, such as Zuko and Katara's heart to heart. All of the major characters make a choice, and these choices are big - Katara decides to hear Zuko out, Azula manipulates Zuko, who then betrays his uncle for a chance to reunite his family, Aang gives up Katara to continue his journey as the Avatar, and Iroh defends the gAang. All of these choices lead to consequences - Zuko's betrayal causes his uncle, the person who believes in him and helps him the most, to be arrested and captured, Azula's plan/lightning almost kills Aang, even in his Avatar State (which gives quite a scare to the viewers), Katara loses her superpowered water to save Aang, and biggest of all, the Earth Kingdom falls. Plus, we get to see one of the greatest fight scenes in the series, Aang and Katara vs Zuko and Azula.
Overall, this is a great finale to an amazing season and sets up the next one very nicely, as well as continues Zuko's character arc quite well.
9.4/10
My Top Ten Avatar Episodes: #5
This episode (and the previous part) kind of feels like a finale in itself. We have almost all of the characters we've seen in the series coming together for one big invasion. We see Sokka showing his growth from the start of the season, and leading a full-on attack on the Fire Nation. The plan of attack has so many things going for it and is very interesting to watch play out.
However, the plan fails. Azula knew what was coming, and made some incredibly clever preparations for the Day of Black Sun. Even when she is caught by the others, she is still able to outmaneuver both Aang and Toph, and doesn't give up any information. The Invasion is a total failure, and that's what makes this episode so awesome. It ups the stakes for the finale, and gives a brutal sting to the audience knowing that many characters have been captured, including the reveal of Suki. Not only that, but the introduction of the Fire Nation Air Fleet is haunting, and a bit terrifying.
On the plus side, we get to see one extremely positive note near the end of the episode - Zuko finishes his character arc, one of the best redemption arcs all time, in an amazing confrontation with his father, luke skywalker Fire Lord Ozai. This scene is brilliantly written, with Zuko telling his father straight up that what he did, everything he has done to him is wrong, and redirecting his father's lightning right back at him. And seeing him following Team Avatar in a hot air balloon, while in previous episodes would be a cliffhanger for a possible fight, is instead a fist-pumping moment for the audience.
This is the 'Empire Strikes Back ending' of season 3, and a brilliant way to further set up the finale.
9.5/10
My Top Ten Avatar Episodes: #2
Look, this isn't a perfect finale. I do feel like Energybending is a bit of an easy way out for Aang, and a bit out of nowhere. In defence of this, however, it is evident that Aang could easily kill Ozai throughout the entire final fight. The purpose of the Energybending was to show that Aang is a pacifist, and does not believe in killing anyone. He wants to take his own path through life, and this is shown since the very start.
Other than that, everything else is amazing. The Final Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula is an incredibly satisfying payoff for his journey, and the music changes the context of the scene from an epic battle to a tragic circumstance, where a brother and sister are duelling, likely to the death. The faceoff between Aang and Ozai is incredibly epic and even has character relevance in it. In fact, basically every single scene in every battle is visually stunning and very cinematic. Even Sokka and Toph's side story, taking down the Fire Nation Fleet, is awesome, with each character showing the extent of their powers in taking down the airships.
My favourite scene in this finale is probably Azula's final scene, having a full-on mental breakdown at the prospect of her loss. It's not satisfying to see her like this, the primary antagonist defeated, it's saddening, to see a manipulated 14-year-old crying. And that's brilliant.
I don't have much else to say about this finale, it's just really amazing. Not perfect, but amazing.
9.7/10
wtf happened to this show?! :/
Wow, brings back memories of the essence of a TRUE villian of Gotham.
I liked the final but there is something on my mind again:
Why didn't they sent the ship with one sacrifice (the driver) to catch the damn bomb. I don't know much about the explosives but with a ship like that you can easily catch it. It would detonate on impact so if he could land land it on the ship only the ship would explode and crash, right? Or maybe try and slow it down by catching it by going a slightly lower speed as the bomb drops. :p A bit extreme but in theory it would work. As hythylodium is fictional I don't know if it would spread to the surface and still kill everything when exploded into the sky so just keep it at that and nothing I said would be valid. :)
But anyway I liked the final and would love to watch the next season. With the new planet new dangers await and there is lots of exploring and meeting new lifeforms to do. I guess there would be life on the planet if it's inhabitable, idk. Let's wait and see :)
Still can not understand why they need go to the operating room, till the end, the surgery just used some simple tools, even those tools are necessary and only the operating room has them, why not just go to get those tools and turn back? Can’t figure out why they must go there.
An amazing film about an amazingly talented man (and of course the rest of the band Queen who are equally as amazing!) Really interesting to learn the backstories!
SPOILERS FOR FUTURE EPISODES
The flashback of Gustavo and Max was foreshadowing what happens in the series finale. Gustavo is Jesse and Max is Walter.
Recently rewatched this episode and it still left me just as emotional as the first time I saw it. Masterfully done. The acting, particularly Margot Rose as Captain Picard's wife, was outstanding. Episodes like this makes Star Trek what it is.
An episode that consists of all set-up for the next part means that it feels like nothing really happens here. On the other hand, it's not the worst thing to just spend time with these characters we've gotten to know so well. The main focus here is on Worf and Data, the latter of whom has the most interesting story. His attempts to start dreaming unlock some lovely moments and some creatively shot sequences - I really loved the bird's POV shot that swoops outside of the Enterprise. Brent Spiner again plays Dr. Noonien Soong, this time without a load of prosthetics and does a really nice job of it.
Worf's story is a intriguing start that doesn't get paid off too well in this first part. Going to Deep Space Nine is a nice treat (and seeing it in HD on the blu-ray is lovely) and Worf's inner struggle is fairly compelling.
So, despite all the quite lovely things that happen in this episode it just feels like it's a whole lot of people sitting around and thinking. There's no real excitement, despite a wonderful guest appearance from an unrecognisable James Cromwell and even Dr. Bashir showing up.
There's nothing particularly bad about this episode, it's just so very forgettable. It's a great showcase for Dax and Terry Farrell finally gets to show us the slightly more fun side of her which will become a trademark of her personality. I like Trill culture so it's nice to get some info about how it all works, but the whole relationship between Jadzia and Arjin is quite dull and just feels half hearted.
Odo has a great mini disagreement with Kira and makes his points beautifully, the voles on the station are a humourous background story and the Klingon chef is always welcome back.
But the whole thing with the tiny universe is just uninteresting and feels without any real stakes. They just end up putting it back where they found it, but isn't it still going to pose a risk there once it continues to expand?
