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I've enjoyed your books, your blog, and your performances on Star Trek Next Generation. In Dancing Barefoot I particularly enjoyed the story of "William F-ing Shatner" and everything that led up to your epiphany at the Las Vegas Star Trek Experience.

In the course of that writing, you mention that Deep Space Nine is not one of your favorite Star Trek series [please don't stop reading yet]. I suggest this may be, at least in part, because you are viewing that show as a Star Trek fan. If you view it as a writer and actor, you may see more value to that series. The meat and potatoes for writers and actors is conflict, drama, and comedy. The setting and cast of DS9 is just full of opportunities for conflict, drama, and comedy. The original Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation were more about exploration and sense of wonder (and there's nothing wrong about that). All of the Star Trek shows (except for the Original Series) took at least two seasons to find their "tone", so please don't judge DS9 from its earliest episodes, which may have started even rockier than the others.

DS9 has conflicts in its initial setting: The Bajorans, who were until recently oppressed by Cardassians, have to rebuild the world and rebuild their world-view. They still must interact with Cardassians, and each race hates each other, but in many episodes they have to work with each other, and sometimes even come to love each other. Neither race particularly likes the Federation. Many of the Bajorans now involved with governing the planet and the space station were, quite frankly, terrorists during the Cardassian occupation. I sometimes wonder how this show would play in the Middle East if translated into Arabic, Farsi, etc. Would the viewers think of the Cardassians as representing the United States and/or Israel? I imagine they would identify with the Bajorans to some degree. What would the Federation, with its acceptance of tolerance and diversity, represent to them? Watching the show with those ideas in mind provides a twist quite lacking in most episodes of other Star Trek series.

Ben Sisco, the Federation man in charge of the space station, considers himself a man of science, and yet finds himself thrust into the role of the Bajoran "Emissary of the Prophets", a religious figure of much importance, in the first episode. During the seven years of the series, he grows into that role. In the early seasons, he calls the mysterious occupants of the wormhole, the "wormhole aliens," and in later seasons more and more often refers to them using the Bajoran term "the Prophets". His dual 'roles' provide conflicts on both professional and personal levels.

Like Wesley Crusher on ST:TNG, there is a child growing up on the show: Jake Sisco. Unlike Wesley, he's something of an under-acheiver. Jake has a particularly moving episode in Season 4 where he loses his father to a "wormhole inversion"; he spends his life trying to retrieve his father from this anomaly, and as an old man, realizes that to save his father, he has to kill himself the next time his father temporarily re-appears. And he does! This resets time back to the original incident and Ben Sisco is able to avoid getting trapped in the time-vortex the "second time" around.

Nog, other 'child' on the show (which under the makeup I think was played by an adult), starts outs as a truant who often gets Jake into trouble, and ends up becoming an over-enthusiastic Star Fleet cadet and ensign. He has a episode that is also a good character study in Season 7 where he has to come to terms with losing his leg in the war. You don't really see this kind of character growth in individual episodes; you have to view each season as if you're reading a novel.

The best dramatic Season 6 episode shows us what life as black science fiction writer of the 1950's might have been like. Avery Brooks portrays a man with a dream, nearly broken by racism, so well that I'm getting misty-eyed just remembering it. Far Beyond The Stars should have won mainstream awards for best TV series dramatic episode, but of course it wasn't considered because it was "just" a science fiction show. :-(

There are too many good dramatic episodes to list (poor Chief O'Brien, the "everyman" character: he gets himself wrung through the wringer many times ), but I also love the comedic episodes. The Ferengi, who are mostly used for comedic episodes, poke fun at our capitalistic society. The season 6 episode, The Magnificent Feregni , is one of the funniest because they try to act all macho, which is out of character for their kind (though Quark, Rom and Nog demonstrate honor and quiet bravery in many dramatic episodes). The House of Quark in Season 3 , where Quark temporarily marries a Klingon and saves her house through good accounting and Klingon-esque bravery, is also particularly good.

Perhaps the best comedic episode of all builds on the Original Star Trek's The Trouble With Tribbles : Trials and Tribble-ations . For a Star Trek fan, this episode is a must-see because of how detailed their recreations of the original ship model, sets, costumes, and props are. Watch the DVD's "making of" extras to see how much love went into the making of that episode. DS9 probably brought back more actors reprising the characters from the original series than any other. (But they were all Klingons!) "Darvin" from Tribbles, "Kor", "Kang", and "Koloth" in other episodes.

So there something there for a Star Trek fan, as well as for someone who appreciates comedy and drama. Check it out. :-)