Deep Space Nine: Episode 1 "Emissary"

For the longest time, DS9 was not available on Netflix, and I had to be content with buying as many episodes I could with whatever iTunes money I could get my hands on. My mother isn't a big fan of DS9. She says it's because of the format of the story - that it happens on a space station and not on a starship - that she doesn't like it - and because she doesn't like it, I couldn't hope for her to buy any of the seasons of the show. I honestly was prepared to start buying it for myself once I went to college. Thankfully, Netflix finally made it available for Canadian viewers and I didn't have to dish out any of what precious little money I have.

I'm reviewing the two parter pilot of DS9 for the 2017 Sci-Fi Experience, because I'm a sci-fi nerd, and Star Trek is one of my favourite sci-fi giants. I'm doing this for fun, and not for money, just saying.

DS9 opens in the midst of a terrifying battle between the Federation and the invading Borg. This episode begins during The Next Generation episode "The Best of Both Worlds", after Captain Jean-Luc Picard was kidnapped by the Borg and assimilated so they could take over the Federation. In the subsequent battle, the ship the main character of the episodes - Benjamin Sisko - served on was destroyed and he ended up losing his wife.

I know the real reason why my mother doesn't like DS9 - it's because the series takes a lot of time to focus on the Bajoran's religion and faith in "the Prophets", inter-dimensional alien beings who don't perceive time like people in the normal universe do. I like the series because it involves the Romulans a lot more than The Next Generation did, and they play more of a friendly role towards the end of the series where they're allies with the Federation.

This episode felt like a satisfying introduction to a series that lasted as long as this one did. The beginning was terribly sad, but it quickly gave way to a fascinating side of Star Trek that I look forward to seeing through to the end.

Some notes:

- DS9 starts out differently than the other shows. It starts out in the middle of the conflict between the Federation and the Borg at Wolf 359.

-Why the heck would they go into battle with ships laden with civilians? Wouldn't it be more logical to drop the civilians off before going to battle? Send the ships without civilians in first!