S1E1 - Emissary (Parts 1 & 2)

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dnaphil
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S1E1 - Emissary (Parts 1 & 2)

Post by dnaphil »

This is the pilot of the series, and of course, it had to be watched.

As pilots, go this one is pretty well done. This series has the benefit of 5 seasons of TNG. The world is better established, the effects budgets were better, the effects technology was better.

As a story, this story packs a lot into a double episode.
We get a full story about the discovery of the wormhole as well as the story about Sisko dealing with his grief.

Because this show overlaps with TNG and that O'Brien was joining the cast, it was nice to have them do the handoff with the Enterprise there. The scene with Picard and Sisko in the ready room is tough. Sisko's anger towards Picard is great, and its one of the rare times that we see the fallout from Picard's time as a Borg.

I think that that the real treat to this episode is the acting by Avery Brooks. The moments of him in the wormhole where he is confronted with the fact that he has not moved on past the death of his wife, are deep, and I felt that grief in his acting. Its well done, and those scenes set up so much about who Sisko is.

The episode does a good job of quickly introducing all the main characters and setting up the main situations on the station.

Overall, it's a solid intro to the show.
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Jared Rascher
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Re: S1E1 - Emissary (Parts 1 & 2)

Post by Jared Rascher »

When I first saw this episode at the start of the series “back in my day,” I remember thinking that this episode wore on too long. I think I was very skewed in that I didn’t have the same perspective on relationships, both with a significant other and with a child, but I could empathize a lot more with Sisko's point of view this time, and it felt like a really strong start to the series.

Everything that ends up being important, with perhaps the exception of one key crew member, is set up in this episode, between Odo talking about where he was first found, the wormhole, the external pressure with Gul Dukat, and the prophets and Bajoran religion. None of that falls by the wayside.

Compared to Sisko, Kira, and O’Brien, it feels like everyone else just gets a quick nod to their core story arcs.
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pksullivan
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Re: S1E1 - Emissary (Parts 1 & 2)

Post by pksullivan »

I think this pilot plays better now, both as TV storytelling has changed and as we look back on the series in hindsight. It was a good pilot back when it first aired but it's a very good pilot now. It sets up so much of the core drama of the show: the dynamic of the religious Bajorans vs. the atheist Federation; the relationship with Cardassia; and Sisko's special relationship with the Prophets.

That said, I do think the pacing is a bit weird. I mentioned it during the watch party but it was shocking how late in the episode the core series element of the wormhole even appeared.
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