Star Trek Deep Space 9 Has One Of The Best Episodes On PTSD

I really did not appreciate DS9 when I was younger, even when I loved TOS, TNG, and Voyager. I did a rewatch during COVID, and damn did it hit well.

My DS9 watch was actually a couple of years ago. Well before that, I saw Babylon 5. One I went back to periodically over my life. But DS9...aside from a general concept that was identical to B5, it felt like just the right show to get into Star Trek. I got to see VOY after finishing DS9, and I liked it, but it did have some imperfections with its execution (yet the idea of a whole ship of people trying to get home had such a hook to get me interested). And TNG was just a very slow crawl to make it to where it got real good. But seeing TNG after DS9 gave me an appreciation for some of the connections that existed between both shows. One of the biggest changes I enjoyed was >!O'Brien!<, followed by >!Worf!<. Yet with DS9, the first season had me hooked at some point. It got me to marathon the show hard. And by the end, I resolved to get it for my home media collection. Just waiting for the DVDs to get to a good price. It sucks that getting a Blu-Ray will likely not happen, but I would sooner take DVDs of this show because it is just that good.

I always liked that Voyager and DS9 took two different elements of what star trek was and allowed the shows to be different. DS9 being more of the philosophical thoughtful show and Voyager focusing on exploration and explosions. Obviously both shows had both elements, but I like that DS9 doubled down on it.

“Duet” is still one of my all-time favorite episodes of *Trek*, regardless of series.

The fact that “Duet” was so early in the show’s lifespan was truly remarkable. Such an amazing episode, which was basically Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin in a room together acting their asses off.

And "Duet"

Fun fact: his birth name is Anson Williams Heimlich and his cousin is the doctor of the eponymous maneuver

Arguably three with Duet.

With the current "Pressteege Teevee" model, there would be no Nog, Rom, Leeta, or Vic, since all of them were one off characters who the people and writers liked and were able to evolve. So basically, this episode doesn't have any of the characters that it focuses on. But something something "filler" bad, we want 10 hour movies crammed full of padding to make an hour and a half film into 10 hours of content and chopped up into segments.

This is an unusual exception. Most series ran the "soap opera" model of positioning important or high impact episodes near holidays or seasonal breaks, sweeps week, etc. Episodes with narrative driven plots were meant to capture the most amount of eyes, otherwise you're watching a "Time's Orphan" or "Move Along Home". Shorter seasons are fine. I've never seen Stargate because there's like 500 episodes of the thing. I don't have time to gamble on a show that might be 10% filler episodes.

Isn’t it! Like surprising fantastic acting.

It’s Only A Paper Moon

Eh, there's too much going on in the world for me to have such strong opinions on people who might disagree with what I think about works of fiction.

Really Star Trek has always been woke the Kirk/Uhura kiss was revolutionary While not explicit, characters like Odo and Dax could for sure be classified under something LGBT on their very nature (Non binary or gender fluid)

The only reason it wasn't called "woke" is because the term hadn't been popularized, but it sure was hated for all the same reasons woke things are hated today. But sure, by 2026 standards I guess this show was not that progressive. Man, I wonder how Homefront would hit if it was aired today though, huh?

This exact show could come out now and you and the rest of the grifter crowd would still be screaming woke.

I think had you used different language but the same message people wouldn’t have downvoted you and would’ve gotten your meaning. And I don’t mean that your wording was actually particularly terrible, just that if you attack something for being “woke” a lot of people just get the signal “oh this is some right wing talking point” and they you won’t get the best reception. But yes, the writing of Star Trek was very good back then. Too often stuff today seems to be written like it’s nudging the audience and saying “yes, aren’t we all so right!?” Like it’s masterbatory rather than something written with the intention to tell a fantastic, dramatic story that develops and/or tests the characters. Though, I do wonder if it’s harder to write these kinds of progressive star trek stories when most people are already so aware of so many issues. Probably yes to some degree but stories have been told an retelled for millennia so I don’t think we’re “out of gas” in our progressive sci-fi tank really. Idk. If you liked new trek, I’m happy for you. I just have felt the magic hasn’t been there.

You'll get downvotes, and you should for using that lame buzzword. But you arent wrong. People often say that Star Trek was always woke, but they confuse the meanings. And the right wing lot coming in to coopt it after 4chan already had, just made the whole thing a nightmare. So, do everyone a favour and say what you mean. That way everyone knows what you actually mean is, back when woke was about actually raising awareness for important issues, and not just performing awareness for social media clout. Its funny, but everyone used to hate influencers. This is why 4chan started using "woke" Ironically to call out the self important influencers who used social issues to grow their subs and likes. Now everyone seemingly loves influencers, and wont hear a bad word said against them. Star Trek here, explored PTSD and challenged Nog with it, and forced him to ask the question "How can I live with this, and get back to being myself?". Nutrek wouldnt do that. It would just virtue signal trauma and define the character by it. Which is just... boring. Star Trek is about exploration, not just of space. But of humanity, identity, trauma, ethics, morality, all the good stuff. Using these things are character traits, isnt asking questions. And without the inquiry, you cant lead anyone to understanding. F*** woke, but long live woke. (See how annoying that is?)

Wasn't it part of a holoprogram that Julian created? For whatever reason, it had cross-cultural appeal on DS9 and resonated with humans, Ferengi, Odo, and others, so I can understand why they left it running as a permanent fixture. And the argument could also be made that Vic functioned as a sentient photonic lifeform, so ending his program would have been cruel as well.