Personal Log: The End of DS9
March 26th, 2012
When the closing credits of the final episode of Deep Space Nine ended, I angrily yanked the ear buds out of my ears and tossed them on the floor. “I stayed up all night for this??“
Yup. Kevin was mad. I have never been so enraged by the ending of a series. It may have been the wee small hours of the morning, but I had to vent to someone or I wouldn’t sleep. So I texted Hannah, our Communications Officer, one of a few friends who’ve been bugging me to hurry up and finish the series. Here’s what I wrote:
Hated, hated, HATED the end of DS9. So angry. Why did I stay up all night to see nearly every compelling, beautiful relationship on that station torn apart? I am so angry. I loved this series and its characters. Why did I go through seven seasons for such an unfinished, unsatisfying ending?
There was more, but I’ll leave it at that. I was very unhappy. In short, I had felt for a long time that DS9, for all its focus on family and deep, intimate friendships, just couldn’t help but break up every good relationship that came along. The series finale just about did that. Let’s review:
Miles and Julian
Nerys and Odo
Quark and Odo
Julian and Garak
Ben and Kassidy
Ben and Jake
Ben and his brand new baby
(Did I miss anyone? And that’s just the finale. Let’s not forget Nerys and Bareil, Dukat and Ziyal, Garak and Ziyal, etc., etc…)
At the end of the series, the only relationships that aren’t broken up are the cartoon romances (Ishka and Zek, Leeta and Rom) and Miles and Keiko, who were married onTNG and are so beset by calamity throughout the series as to make it seem that they are being punished for staying together. Okay, there’s also Martok and Worf. But give me Worf and Jadzia any day.
The thing that I most hated, though–the reason I was so angry–was Benjmin’s new baby losing her/his Daddy. As the father of a two and a half year-old boy, that just broke my heart, especially in the context of the deep bond between Ben and Jake. It just seemed to me that the Prophets, being nonlinear, need not keep Benjamin for any amount of time as far as his family was concerned. He could spend a thousand years with them and come back tomorrow. They did it for Zek and Quark; they could do it for the Emissary.
But…then I thought about it. And drat. You know what? There’s something beautiful in that tragic ending. What is it? Next post, my friends. Next post.
Hated, hated, HATED the end of DS9. So angry. Why did I stay up all night to see nearly every compelling, beautiful relationship on that station torn apart? I am so angry. I loved this series and its characters. Why did I go through seven seasons for such an unfinished, unsatisfying ending?
There was more, but I’ll leave it at that. I was very unhappy. In short, I had felt for a long time that DS9, for all its focus on family and deep, intimate friendships, just couldn’t help but break up every good relationship that came along. The series finale just about did that. Let’s review:
Miles and Julian
Nerys and Odo
Quark and Odo
Julian and Garak
Ben and Kassidy
Ben and Jake
Ben and his brand new baby
(Did I miss anyone? And that’s just the finale. Let’s not forget Nerys and Bareil, Dukat and Ziyal, Garak and Ziyal, etc., etc…)
At the end of the series, the only relationships that aren’t broken up are the cartoon romances (Ishka and Zek, Leeta and Rom) and Miles and Keiko, who were married onTNG and are so beset by calamity throughout the series as to make it seem that they are being punished for staying together. Okay, there’s also Martok and Worf. But give me Worf and Jadzia any day.
The thing that I most hated, though–the reason I was so angry–was Benjmin’s new baby losing her/his Daddy. As the father of a two and a half year-old boy, that just broke my heart, especially in the context of the deep bond between Ben and Jake. It just seemed to me that the Prophets, being nonlinear, need not keep Benjamin for any amount of time as far as his family was concerned. He could spend a thousand years with them and come back tomorrow. They did it for Zek and Quark; they could do it for the Emissary.
But…then I thought about it. And drat. You know what? There’s something beautiful in that tragic ending. What is it? Next post, my friends. Next post.
Comments (Closed in Archive)
- Steven says:
March 28, 2012 at 10:08 PM
Interesting. Of all the Star Trek franchises, DS9 is my favorite. Sure TNG is probably better overall. However, there was something about DS9, that felt more real than any other of the series. Sure, it was locked on a Station, but the threats felt more real, the politics more intriguing, and everything was just more fascinating.
So, I am curious how you would rank the series…I know you are not finished with watching Voyager or Enterprise…or are you…but I am curious about at least the ranking of the first three series.
To me Voyager was the first steps in the franchise going downhill and losing some of its creative juices…but maybe that is just me.- Kevin C. Neece says:
March 28, 2012 at 10:25 PM
What’s great about DS9 is that the consequences of our actions – good or bad – hang around with us. We can’t overturn the political structure of an entire planet and fly away. DS9 is entrenched in a consistent world, tied to a place and a collection of peoples.
As to my ranking of the series, I think you need to refresh your memory on how many Star Trek series there are, sir.
To answer you, though, I have not gone through Voyager orEnterprise yet and of the four other series, ranking is…difficult.
Hmm…
I honestly don’t think I can rank them. I am seriously torn. Wow. TNG is the reason I’m into Trek, so I could give that one the number one spot for that reason and because it is greatness. DS9 would probably come next, only because it is so rich and because there are some real limitations in TOS that I think hurt it, but TOS is so beautiful and the reason we’re all here. TAS is probably tied with TOS for me, as it is so consistent and imaginative, but it’s hard to say as I’ve only been though it once. Basically, TNG is number one (pun intended) and it’s a mad scramble for the second spot, but really TNG has only a slight advantage in being so personally important to me. Also, I adore the original crew films. They are at least as important in my Trek life as anything else. Maybe more. So…yeah.
What’s your ranking of all you’ve seen?
It’s good to hear from you, sir. Drop me a line sometime.
- Kevin C. Neece says:
- Steven New says:
March 29, 2012 at 4:20 AM
Actually, I consider the animated series part of the original, since it is the same crew, same time, and such.
Next Generation is important to me as well. It introduced me to Star Trek, and I think that it is the ultimate representation of the original Star Trek vision…which is what makes it so great…and what makes DS9 so great. Because DS9 tried to be something different in the same universe, and too often we never get to explore other areas of a created universe.
I think Voyager and Enterprise suffer from basically not being different enough…or really explore any new elements of the universe.
Voyager was more about the conflict between the crew…but that seemed boring to me, as I had a hard time accepting the struggles of the crew the first season. Later the series got better…but 7 of 9, killed it for me. I know many people like her character and that she added some interesting depth…but I’m of the opinion she pushed too much sex appeal and tainted my Star Trek. I quit the series after her…and that tells you the power of bad casting.
Now, Enterprise had a cool tone going for, and I loved the idea of presenting the world in a more realistic naval exploration aspect…it felt like they were really trying to recreate the world and universe…unfortunately because it was a prequel it meant the danger of missing up continuity…which it really did. It also meant trying to blend the Trek world into this new approach to the military style. For some reason it just didn’t gel with me.
One day I have to give the series another chance because I think it had good ideas, and maybe some distance away from the material I can look at it with fresh eyes.
As for the movies some are good, others bad, and a few are GREAT. But to me Star Trek is always best and most interesting on television. The hour long format allows for concise, carefully thought out short stories…and for longer season spanning story arcs to slowly take time to develop.
Leave the movies to Star Wars….it can have that format, and Trek should come back and reign in prime time again. I would not mind new Star Trek series soon…that takes that perfect world of Star Trek and turns it upside down, while still trying to tell short stories about the crew, morality, and bigger epics about the politics and social intrigues of the alien cultures.- Kevin C. Neece says:
March 30, 2012 at 6:25 PM
I should have known you’d have a comeback for my “six series” comment. I’ll let it go this time.
I agree that TNG gives us a purer version of Gene’s vision for Star Trek. I’ve been noting as we go through the first season the number of episodes where there’s no violent adversary, not a shot fired and sometimes no real villain. That was much more what Gene had in mind for the show. DS9 was brilliant and a very creative, smart new direction. I have the distinct feeling that Voyager and Enterprise will be letdowns by comparison, though with their own value as well.
Tim expressed the same feeling about Seven of Nine. He said she was such obvious eye candy that he just stopped watching. It will be interesting to see how I feel when I get there.
I love the films. I think Final Frontier, Insurrection and half ofNemesis are the weakest parts and there are structural flaws inGenerations, but most of the original crew films and at least First Contact from the Next Generation films are greatness. I’d not have gotten into TOS the way I did without those films and there’d be no UCP without Nemesis. I also love the new direction the films are taking.
A new series might be good, though. It’s certainly an exciting prospect. I know there’s at least a potential animated series on the horizon. Of course, I’d love to see the TNG crew do something new as older versions of the same characters, but you’re unlikely to get them all together for anything but a movie and with the new universe happening, a movie with the TNG crew is just not going to happen. Oh, well. Maybe someday.
- Kevin C. Neece says:
- Rebecca Skipper says:
March 29, 2012 at 11:48 PM
Well, first, let me say I have no problem ranking the series in order from first place to last but not least: TNG Voyager, TOS Enterprise, tas, DS9. I like all the movies except Star Trek 2009 reboot. I feel that the reboot lacked the moral story and themes I’ve come to love! Personally, I feel that the reboot version of Star Trek damaged continuity. I thought Enterprise was a wonderful series! Other critics point out that Vulcan society evolved though you should really blame the Romulans! On a more serious note, I was saddened by the ending of DS9 as well and think that the show has a lot of potential! I think its safe to say that nothing lasts forever in our Trek universe just as in life itself!- Kevin C. Neece says:
March 30, 2012 at 6:28 PM
Interesting! So DS9 is bottom of the list for you? I’m curious to know why, since it jockeys for the top spot for me.
I think there’s a definite moral/philosophical core to the reboot that is a great exploration of some of Star Trek’s central themes. I absolutely loved the 2009 film and look forward to the next one. I’ll be writing on that one eventually.
- Kevin C. Neece says:
- Rebecca Skipper says:
March 30, 2012 at 9:30 PM
Maybe I’ll appreciate the Abrams universe after reading your analysis!
Deep Space 9 is a wonderful and compelling series that is more realistic, but the darker tone isn’t my preference. Of course, by the time we see Deep Space 9, StarFleet has been around long enough to experience some growing pains and true challenges! I prefer the leadership style of Picard and the logic of Spock and data. TNG and TOS are wonderful but simplistic in some ways. We do not see the galaxy and all its complexity in the same way and I’m actually paraphrasing someone else’s idea. I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea of Section 31 either or the fact that StarFleet would act in such a cowardly and merciless way towards Odo and any other species! I thought humanity was above that! Sorry, but those scenes actually hurt and make me angry! Unfortunately, DeepSpace 9 forces us to look at our darker side which is less appealing but necesary if StarTrek is to thrive. You should really check out some of the fan films. - Andi says:
April 8, 2012 at 6:16 PM
I just watched the entire DS9 series as well… and I agree that was a horrific ending.
To separate Ben from his family… Jake, Kasidy, his new baby?
To have Odo, who loved Kira so much, leave her? I know that being with “his people” was important to him, but more important than Kira? I thought we’d been through that before. He stayed for Kira when he thought she’d never be his, just so he could be near her, but then when they have a close, loving, romantic relationship full of beauty… He leaves her to be with a people who care only for their own race and consider all others to be chattel to kill and create as they will.
And Miles leaving? He and Julian had such a wonderful, close friendship… why destroy that? What is that supposed to give the fans?
And why destroy Cardassia so entirely? There was something great about the Cardassians. Why did writers choose to destroy them so completely? Whole cities destroyed? Full of innocent people? They could have left that out and had only brave freedom fighters give their lives for Cardassia in a great battle. And Damar could have lived to lead a new Cardassia, a kinder Cardassia, one beyond occupations and conquest. Damar could have been a great leader, and Cardassia, the Federation, the Kligons, and the Romulans could have resolved to, finally, live in peace.
That’s the ending I wanted. The Alpha Quadrant in peace, Ben living with his family on Bajor, watching that sunset he raved about. Miles and Julian fighting the Alamo. And Odo and Kira happy and together.- Kevin C. Neece says:
April 8, 2012 at 9:23 PM
Thanks, Andi! So agreed. It was a heck of a letdown. And not just Miles leaving, but Miles leaving…to teach?? Would he really go for that? Yes, he’d be amazing and probably elevate the quality of Starfleet engineering for many years, but I just don’t know.
Of course, if you saw my next post, you know why I love the ending almost as much as I hate it. But even for that good stuff to come out of it, all the breakups and the Cardassian situation didn’t have to happen. You described the ending I wanted as well.
Thanks for commenting! If you’re not on the mailing list, I know how you can fix that.
- Kevin C. Neece says:
