PATRON TAKES - DS9 S1E3

I don't have too much to say about this one, I just like Garak. 7.3/10, B- Tier, Good. I rank it below TNG's Contagion and above TNG's Half a Life (which should be higher now that I think about it.)

I really loved the scene between Odo and Kira in the security office. I feel like if there’s one area where the show starts off strong here in its first few episodes, it’s in displaying and making good use of at least some of the various relationship dynamics in the cast.

Not the best, but that Odo/Kira scene in security is so amazing, it basically carries the whole episode for me. Apart from that I'd call this an interesting story that's not been told very well, which is a welcome improvement from this writer's other episode - Code of Honor. 6/10 (low B). Would be much lower without that one 10/10 scene

I feel like this is the type of episode that separates DS9 lovers from people who think it doesn’t pick up for a few seasons. To me this a great meat and potatoes episode that shows DS9 is adult and compelling, even when it’s not a classic. Low A.

Welcome to the enigma that is Plain Simple Garak.

A minor thing but I really like how the transporter room is right there in the open on the opps, makes the flow a lot smoother instead of running to another room every time

While the last episode was very heavy plot wise, this episode is a good time to dicuss the premise of the show. A cardassian station overlooking Bajor after they were occupied by the cardassian with the hopes to get Bajor into the federation and theres a stable wormhole leading to the gamma quadrant next to them. What kind of writing opportunities are you excited for with this premise and what do you hope they'll do with it?

Garak seems a bit creepy.

So you met everyone's favorite Cardasssian taylor. What do you think? Is he a spy or not? And if you think he is a spy - do you think he spies for the Cardassian government or for his own interests?

Garak is one of the best minor characters ever created for Trek.

Deleted.

To me this is an episode about feeling out what it means to have main cast members who aren't part of Starfleet, and Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois both have their characters nailed already. Some s1 episodes I can take a pass on, but there's some great stuff in here.

I guess this is a C. Not the best episode after such an awesome pilot. I love the S-tier banter and charisma in the Garak-Bashir scenes, but the terrorist-plot was D-level boring. Something about a TNG-Technobabble-Bomb? I already forgot. Nice to see the sisters again, but they could just as well have been any other criminal.

The fairly sympathetic portrayal of a terrorist is interesting. Starting off gritty.

Overall fine but not great episode. Some important moments/connections though! B- probably? an almost banger that gets elevated by a few characters and moments. Good: Good moments and characters - Ah, hello guest character "plain, simple, Garak" with the excellent Andrew Robinson - Bashir's combination of naivete and self centeredness - Duras Sisters appearance! - More good stuff with Sisko and Kira, Odo, and nice continuity with Chief and the Cardassians. Not so good: Predictable plot and 'villain' character - Main plot isn't that gripping, not bad, but not great - Tahna Los character is a little predictable and average - I think they could have better used the Duras sisters, even if it was nice to see them.

Kira knows that, post Cardassian occupation, "blow it up" can't be the solution to every problem. But as a former freedom fighter and, yes, terrorist that *is* kind of her go-to move. And that makes going against Tahna, one of her own, really painful. Not a great episode, but a really good exploration of Kira's struggle to learn how to navigate wearing a uniform.

Hopefully you guys have some mods that can pick out specific comments because a lot of these are spoilery.

Garak is the type of character that makes DS9 so great, a character that Doesn't fit into the federation morality and isn't portrayed as the baddie of the week, this outside the federation view point and conflicting values is what sets DS9 apart from tng, but what do you think does trek need more shade of Grey characters?

S tier for Plain Simple Garak alone. My favorite character of any Star Trek series who's not in the main cast.

The first season is solid. The actor was playing Garrek as Omnisexual. This episode was broadcast out of order. It should have been shown as the third episode instead of A Man Alone (1993). Sisko mentions the Klingon Civil War, which took place in TNG: "Redemption (1991)

As horror fans, you may recognize Garak's actor, as Kristy's dad in the original Hellraiser. It's the voice that really gives it away.

Everyone's got some weird things to say about a character that's only appeared in one episode..........

I hope I have the right episode. "Past Prologue" is 1x2 on Prime. I'm shocked how better this is compared to TNG by leaps and bounds. A touch of intrigue, stakes and danger at the end, world building with the different races in the station, it's just a superior show. I'm shocked.

For some reason, the teaser preview of this episode sticks in my mind almost more than the episode does. I will always remember "I want Bajor for Bajorans!" from the preview! Oh yeah, Lursa and Betor are in this.

Gotta love Garak, his dynamic of untrustworthiness wouldn't fly on a Federation starship but works wonders on this station. Episode itself is a B if you love Garak's intro as a character, or a C if you aren't particularly moved.

“Plain and simple”!

Ah, garak. One of those great day players that stays with you.

If the first episode sets up the characters well, episode 2 does a good job of setting up the conflicts DS9 has to deal with being where they are and the people they’re dealing with. Another top episode ! And hopefully just 2 of many in this season!

What I like about this episode is that it’s not afraid to show the gray side of political events, not just the black and white. The Bajorans did engage in terrorism during the occupation, and it has no qualms about calling it that. I thoroughly enjoy when the line between good and evil is blurred.

I really hope you love Garak.

Garak is easily the most interesting part of this episode. He takes what is I think a relatively mediocre outing and really elevates it, which won't be the last time a character does that.

I rewatched this recently too, and I must say that this is all around a good dayum episode. Every Star Trek show has its obligatory pilot. But then there's the first standalone where they gotta show how well the series can fly, and this one takes off incredibly well. We get the introduction of a fascinating new character (Garak), crossovers into previous Trek lore (the Duras sisters), and a proper examination of a mainstay character (Major Kira). It does SO MUCH in very LITTLE time, and it's a true showcase for how well DS9's storytelling and vision can work as the train rolls forward. I know it's super early for y'all to cast lots on the principal cast (except for maybe O'Brien), but Major Kira is my favorite character in this series, and perhaps all of Star Trek (or at least Nana Visitor may very well be my favorite actor). I look forward to seeing how you react to her in the future. And--while I'm sure everyone else is probably ranting positively about Garak--I can only echo that enthusiasm and just insist you two be patient~

Best way to start the season. Pick a character and write an episode for them and their background where all the others support them. This week was Kira. Originally the character of Kira was written to be Ro, and you can see that pedigree in Kira's writing. But it definitely worked out better having the two being separate and distinct.

Nothing notable, just Garak, a plain and simple tailor.

Nice to see the Duras sisters, but the real star was Garak. Spies are always fun to watch.

all i can say is "GARAK!"

Garak, just a plain and simple tailor! Kira’s hair and uniform makeover is fabulous. Lursa & B’Etor on DS9!

Any confusion of similarities to Babylon 5 with the complex relationships on a space station? Well, there was that famous lawsuit. 😉

Compare this to the Naked Now. They nailed ep. 2.

A great look at Kira and the conflict she is now facing. One person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. Even more relevant now than in the 90s. How different would this have been were it made post 9/11. It was great seeing Lursa and Betor but their look is off in this episode. I think it’s actually the lighting. Also, Garak. Nuff said. A for “A plain, simple tailor”

A note: All the takes in this post are for episode 404 "Past Prologue" as they switched eps 3 & 4 on airing)

Already DS9 sets itself apart by turning the tables on our perception of good v evil. By this point we've been taught the Cardassians are unntustworthy bad guys and the Bajorans are downtrodddn victims. This episode says "So?" and flips it. The Bajoran is the bad guy, and we need the Cardassians help. In the SECOND episode. Though what should we have expected when the show made it's first officer not Starfleet, but a former, ahem "Freedom Fighter." There is a lot more complex moralities already on this show, and Kira is a sign post of that. Plus a nice crossover via the Duras Sisters, tying the world together, just not too closely. And yes, Bashir is supposed to be this annoying at first.

B for Bashir! Love seeing the good doctor bumbling into espionage. Honestly this episode would probably be lower for me if it weren't for Nana Visitor's performance, she really sells the inner conflict even when the antagonist was so obviously duplicitous he should have had a Snidely Whiplash mustache.

Second ever Patron Take! Kira’s hair is now S Tier.

DS9 feels here like its trying something TNG only touched on: introducing an extended guest cast. And, a lot of people who aren't Starfleet either, to provide fresh perspectives and dramatic tension. What do you think Gene would have thought of DS9...? 😉

GARAK

Garak is one of the shining aspects of this show, and the utter ambiguity of his entrance works in his favor. The episode is more world building, but introduces many important elements, the main one in how it treats the Bajoran resistance, one of the best gray areas of the show.

World building episode. A bit of a slog. I wasn't a fan of the Cardassian/Bajoran dynamic until a season or two later. But these episodes were necessary.

A plain and simple episode? You wouldn't have security pretending to be a rat or have a tailor share intel through a wardrobe fitting on TNG, that's for sure! And now that Gene is gone, the writers are allowed to let the conflict between two regular characters with different viewpoints like Kira and Sisko play out naturally.

Best simple tailor in the quadrant.

Another good one, Kira is a force of nature and we get another intriguing Cardassian in the 92/93 seasons of trek in Garak. Trek has some great Cadassian characters appear during this year, from Madrid, Lemec and now Garak, The Klingon sisters are largely superfluous but fun to see again

Fun seeing Lursa and B'Etor again, but I'm happy that the main focus is not on cameos but regional politics. We're not exploring strange new worlds on a station, so the writers are rightfully diving deeper into the Bajoran/Cardassian conflict.

So so far we've seen Picard, O'Brian, Keiko, and now the Duras sisters on DS9. Are there any other TNG characters you'd like to see on DS9? Or any that you hope you don't see?

Garak gets introduced in this episode. Enough said.

A nice illustration of the gray areas in DS9. The Cardassians aren’t always the enemy. The Bajorans aren’t always our friends but the Duras will always be sneaky.

Pro: Garak! (Andrew Robinson later said that he played his first scene explicitly as Garak wanting sex with Bashir) Con: Duras sisters, just for the sake of bringing over some TNG fans.

What are your thoughts about plain simple Garak?

Since some of these episodes were broadcast in a different order from how they're arranged in my online reference, I'm going to be cautious. I do not remember this episode, which means I may not have seen it, or it may not have been very remarkable.

Welcome to the "get to know you" phase. A lot of these early episodes are as much about building backstory and character development as they are actual plotlines. DS9 feels like they dove into the kind of development we all enjoyed most as TNG leaned into it. Do you guys think you'll enjoy Slice of Life episodes of DS9 more or less than in TNG?

Also this episode was written by the same person who wrote the infamous TNG Season 1 episode Code of Honor and these are her only two Star Trek credits. I think she's gotten a lot better at writing women.

Garak and Kira are both great characters and I think they both exemplify the greatest strengths the show has and that its not afraid to add some shades of grey to our cast. Our XO was a freedom fighter who has done some horrible things, there is a Cardassian on the station who is just casually rumoured to be a spy and hes not a bad guy, he helps us out and plays both sides, and thats something that the show will only expand on.