'Commence Station Log...'
Deep Space Nine immediately stood out. I remember vividly so many years ago when I got to watch Emissary, the pilot for the new Star Trek series. I was young, so very, very young back then, a mere thirteen. I'd been nuts for Star Trek for a few years, since The Next Generation debuted on the BBC, only to be swiftly nicked by Sky and replaced by the Original Series. So I'd been very immersed in both incarnations, though a relatively new fan, I'd voraciously devoured each and every morsel of Trek I could. Episodes, any magazine articles, books, comics, I'd seek it out. Obviously the Internet was not common in households at this time, so magazine articles were our only source of news, often out of date by the time they saw print in the UK.
But I knew Deep Space Nine was coming. I'd heard the rumblings. I'd heard the rumours. I'd even heard the beginnings of a backlash. But then I'd also heard a lot of Original Series fans had decried TNG before it began and I knew season 3 had won them over. And I was 13... in my mind, Star Trek was the best thing ever and more Star Trek could only be a good thing.
And so, ahead of a lot of the UK, I got my chance luckily, thanks to a local Star Trek group I never knew of until a friends chance find in the local newspaper. So, off we set for that first night, not really knowing what to expect. What we found was a friendly little group who loved coming together once a month to share their love of Star Trek. It was my first real introduction to the community that Star Trek fans are, but more on that later.
Unknown to us when we went in, the clubs organiser basically had a contact in the States who would tape onto VHS, first run Trek episodes, then mail them across. And tonight, he had Emissary.
Jackpot!
I was enthralled. It was different. There was no 'Space, the final frontier', Captains Log' was 'Station Log' and quite importantly, we now lived on a Space Station, not a starship. And obviously there was something with these Bajoran guys... Thanks to Sky pinching TNG and my parents feeling 'there was enough rubbish on TV already without paying for more!' (But I didn't want to watch the rubbish, I wanted to watch Star Trek, which was surely worth every penny!!) I was behind on TNG. Basically, The Best of Both Worlds was it. Except for a couple of sell through videos, so I was up on Wesley leaving and his brief return in The Game. And Disaster was on that tape, so I had met Ensign Ro there, but knew next to nothing about the Bajorans.
Anyway, I was enthralled. I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the setting and I loved the promise of adventures to come. I went home, declaring it the new best Star Trek ever!!
Over time, my feelings shifted and my 'Best Star Trek Ever' tended to move with it, depending on my mood or the episodes coming out. But Deep Space Nine always appealed to me. Even though the first and second series took time to really find their way into what they would become, I still loved it.
And then series 3 came along and Deep Space Nine found it's voice. It stood alone and it thrived. Obviously I didn't know about behind the scenes issues, or viewing figures, it was still early days for the internet and this was all happening in another country. When Worf joined and Sisko shaved his head and grew a beard though, it was like the last little piece was in place and we went on the rollercoaster ride of awesome. (That should be a quote for the Blu-Ray box set)
I could honestly go on for ages about how much Deep Space Nine meant to me, all the ways it's amazing and all the ways I love it. But that would defeat the purpose of this blog. Well, there's a few purposes really. Grab a raktijino and I will explain.
I write. I write sporadically and intermittently, but I write. I've co-written scripts for films that have been funded and made. Not Hollywood blockbusters, but well received stuff with a community film group. Occasionally I've blogged and I've done fan fiction. (No... it's not around, it's not available and nobody reads it.) On top of this, I'm doing a degree course, English Literature and Creative Writing. Lotsa essays, lotsa reading. So I'm doing this to break my studies up... because when I work my rear off, I deserve an episode? And if I write about it, I keep my writing and my critical analysis skills sharp. So it's all for that.
I love Deep Space Nine and really feel like watching it all through again. I did do it a few years back with a housemate at the time who hadn't seen it and became hooked. Though I may have cut a few episodes from that, which I will not be doing this time.
I've just been to Destination Star Trek Europe this year. My first convention. It was the most incredible experience to connect with the larger community. And it's an incredible community. The atmosphere in that convention hall for that weekend as everyone got chance to indulge their love of Trek, to meet actors, to learn more about the shows they love and to do all this in a crowd of people who not only wouldn't judge them but felt the same. It was a intense and special experience.
Also I got a photo with William Shatner! And one with Nicole DeBoer!
So I wanted to just engage with my Star Trek love in a new way.
Now I'm not expecting masses of readers or anything. I'm really doing this for myself. I will probably gush over how great it is more than criticise. (Though I may joke at some parts... hey every show has it's ups and downs). I will probably discuss the themes of each episode and how they relate to the messages of Star Trek AS I HAVE INTERPRETED THEM... I feel even Trek has room for more than one valid interpretation. If people find this and enjoy the blog then that is great. If they wish to engage with me in comments that's find. If they want to discuss their own interpretations of Trek, I welcome that, though my own will remain my own. But if none of that happens... well I still got to watch loads of episodes and I bet I enjoy them and I kept my writing skills going. So yay whatever!
