Sure, and the idea of Earth going fascist is an intriguing one, and that whole plot thread has bite to it in spite of the ham-handedness. It's just, the creeping fascism is telegraphed to an absurd degree, to the point where it's impossible to believe that people wouldn't go "Hey, anyone notice that this all seems a…

Yes, people tend to think "Star Trek = Prime Directive" but the show was actually all over the place in terms of the stance it took towards nonintervention. Sometimes the Prime Directive seemed more like a stodgy, bureaucratic rule that was standing in the way of Kirk doing good. And of course, all of this was…

I got the impression that JMS's attitude, or at least the attitude of the show, was old-school Kennedy-esque Democrat, in line with classic Star Trek. Interventionalist, but in the name of enforcing classic liberal ideals. (Yes, I know, Prime Directive, but Kirk broke the damn thing every week and the show always…

If I thought JMS was trying to seriously paint the heroes as having stained consciences and occasional bad ideas in the manner of a modern show like Battlestar Galactica, I would respect Babylon 5 a lot more. But while this is definitely true of some of the supporting characters, I never got the sense that Sheridan…

Alright, I'll say it—all the Neville Chamberlain, "peace is another word for surrender" shit is kind of alarming, and in fact it might be one of the things that never sat right with me about this show. Of course I have the benefit of 20 years of hindsight, and from what I've heard JMS's attitudes have changed in the…

"JMS is the greatest screenwriter of all time, past, present, and future."

Given that Harlan Ellison was the creative consultant on this show, I wonder if his story "The Prowler in the City At The End of the World" (which is also about Jack the Ripper being kidnapped into the future) was an influence.

Eh, Trek is one adventure-story franchise where it's made crystal clear that the characters aren't engaging in non-stop battles and action but spend a lot of their time travelling, waiting around for other ships, doing paperwork, etc. etc. etc. No wonder the Enterprise-D was so fully stocked with entertainment…

The problem with the Ferengi as they were presented on first-season TNG is that they highlight a recurring problem with Trek, and TNG in particular: the idea that humans have become so enlightened and understanding and open-minded, but there's a smugness bordering on contempt for how alien races are treated. It's like…

I think the reason that the cloning retcon works and doesn't feel like an X-Men-ish "characters can come back whenever we feel like it" moment is that it's something the *bad guys* do, and more, it's played as a somewhat creepy violation of the natural order. Almost Monkey's Paw-ish, except Weyoun is already a…

But the fact that their culture is so loathesome—and that DS9 never backs down or tries to soften it (well, except via the idea of gradual social reform, which we see happening over the course of the show)—is something I respect, because it puts Trek's "co-existence with other cultures" philosophy to the test. How do…

On Ferenginar, it is ALWAYS too wet to play.

SPOILERS

I liked those Peter David books when I was a kid. No idea if they'd ever stand up, but I liked them. I read his first DS9 book, which had Odo facing off against a Changeling serial killer, and which, interestingly enough, did NOT clash with the post-S3 continuity that I can remember.

Hey, they could have made Bareil Kai and have him go mad with power. That would have been an interesting twist to the character!

The thing is, as awful as the Ferengi are on TNG, their stuff LOOKS cool—the laser-whips, the awesome Marauder design, even their caveman duds. I really wish they'd managed to incorporate that back into DS9.

Right On Q.

I thought the weapon not working was perfectly fair as a resolution to that cliffhanger—I mean, the Borg had all of Picard's knowledge, so in retrospect it's almost too obvious that it wouldn't work.

I love, love, LOVE Weyoun's little "…interested?" to Sisko after he's done explaining about his psuedo-immortality. It says so damn much, not just about the character but about the Dominion as a whole.

And yeah, sorry to say, Zack, but the worst Ferengi episode, Profit and Lace, is still to come. Possibly the worst episode, period. Of anything. Ever.