I finally decided to make an actual blog and post this in its original form to start.

Wednesday – December 5, 2007 12:18 AM

Well, I’ve said this in previous journals before, but I need to write more often. I guess this isn’t going to be a typical journal though. Maybe I’ll start an actual blog and post some of these entries. I like keeping up on Wendee’s blog and maybe she or someone else would feel the same about a possible blog of mine. Then again, maybe I’ll just keep this private and leave it in my will for Lisa Wright to have when I die. It’d be easier to keep track of for her than a notebook that she wants of mine.

The reason I’m writing this so late is that it’s the night before two major art projects are due in my drawing class and I’m doing the finishing touches on them. I’ll probably be up for a fair deal longer and wanted to take a break. I’ve also got Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing on the big screen above my head. Over the past month or so I’ve been re-watching the show from the beginning. It’s my third time through since I bought the entire series and it’s certainly a purchase I don’t regret. Star Trek: Voyager, there’s a show I could have spent better money on. It’s not horrible, but it was made during and after Deep Space Nine and I definitely think less of it. It doesn’t have the character or emotion of DS9, and that’s really why I felt like writing this.

You see, I’ve a pretty big nerd. Not one of those nerds that walks around and says “I’m a nerd.” No, I’m an actual nerd. I can talk to you about the differences between the types of dragons in the Dungeons & Dragons games. I can tell you exactly why the gold dragon race is the strongest and why red dragons would never agree to that, but also not be quick to get into a fight with a gold dragon. I can tell you why the Atlas battlemech is such a fearsome sight to behold on the battlefield of the early thirty-first century and why I wouldn’t want to exchange blows with a Kodiak ‘mech. It’s official, I’m a nerd. I have joked around with a couple of my friends about how it takes a certain level of nerd to identify nerds. We decided this was the most appropriate way to define nerdom as only a nerd would think of it. By the way, that certain level for nerd identification is 10. Only a nerd level 10 or above can tell you what level you are.

What am I getting at here? Why is me stating that I’m a nerd is so important? It’s not really. That is to say, not important in the sense that it’ll change history or even someone’s opinion of me. Those that know me know that I am a nerd. But the reason I feel it’s important to state this is to let you know where I’m coming from. When I say that I think DS9 is one of the best shows out there, a lot of people will disagree. I don’t blame them. I don’t agree that it’s a bad show, I just see why they don’t think it’s the greatest. Most anyone that likes Star Trek will say they enjoy Star Trek: The Next Generation the most. There are two main reasons for this. One) They grew up watching it. This is a big one. People get attached to their childhood and the things they did. A lot of people I know used to watch TNG with their parents and that’s a good feeling for them. Two) Throughout the entire seven season run of TNG nearly all of the episodes are non-linear. Again, this is crucial. Someone can sit down and watch nearly any episode of TNG without having to worry about the episodes that preceded it or will eventually follow it. They are disconnected, well written tales of a strongly casted crew that anyone interested could enjoy at any time without any worries of what else is going on in the Star Trek universe.

While no one I know really watched DS9 with their parents, which might be factoring into their less than stellar feelings towards the show, it is this second issue that puts the nail in the coffin. Who wants to spend the time needed on a random show to watch each episode in a row to fully grasp what is happening? Take into account the nearly two hundred sparate hour-long episodes and you can scare a lot more people away. The fact of the matter is that DS9 is not your typical science fiction show. At least it wasn’t when it first came out. This is where I will make two distinctions between dramatic programs, be it a TV show, a movie, or even books or games. You either have focus on an over-arcing story that is driven by the characters or you have a focus on the characters that are driven by the story. DS9 falls into the latter category. As you are watching the series you are meant to get to know the characters personally and even care about what is happening and might happen to them. That’s what happened for me, and as I’ve been watching the show over again I’ve been thinking about why.

I was a preteen when DS9 first began airing and up until the end I tried my hardest to watch each new episode that aired weekly. I thought it was entertaining up until one point, then things changed. A little story behind that episode: I think I was twelve or thirteen at the time. It was Saturday afternoon and I was coming home from a scout camp out at the sand dunes in central Utah and I remembered that the first episode of the new season was going to be airing for the first time. I got so excited. Season premieres and finales are really something to look forward to for me. I enjoy the buildup of a great conflict and this episode was set to fulfill that.

As soon as I got home I turned on the TV and jumped onto my bean bag. This is noteworthy of how excited I was as I had just returned from both a camping trip and the sand dunes. Both of those are good reasons to take a shower as soon as possible, but not this day! I watched intently as the two hour long episode unfolded before me, keeping me captivated at every turn. Chances are if you’ve known me for a while that I’ve had you watch this episode. It’s one of my favorites of all the shows I like. It’s called “Way of the Warrior.” It’s about the Klingon empire deciding that they need to once again engage in war and they choose the Cardassians as their target. I couldn’t turn my eyes away from this episode. You see, I’d seen probably every episode of TNG and DS9 before it and a lot of the Original Series. Star Trek was mostly about exploring. Sometimes they would get in a fight in the process, but these were little skirmishes. Ship to ship. Not much more. Battles were not something done in Star Trek and I had adjusted to that. But in “Way of the Warrior” they had a battle.

The space station Deep Space Nine is pit against dozens and dozens of Klingon warships. Things changed in that episode. Completely. It proved that the Federation was not only capable of defending themselves when needed, but that they were good at it. Not only that, but the characters changed. They became more personal. Their lives became more interesting to watch unfold. They weren’t just elements of a story. They were people interacting with one another having to face difficult situations together. The best way to state what happened is, if you’ll pardon my language, shit got real. They were risking their lives for something and I was interested in that something.

It was that very episode that made the show something I wanted to be a part of. Even though I had tried each week before to catch the new episodes, it was set in stone then. If I was capable I was going to be at the TV each following week and I would do all that I could to make sure I was capable of that. This show became something special to me. I stand by the feelings that it is one of the best shows out there. More than a few times I sat with my mouth open for minutes as the show played out. One time even, I was watching a rerun which at the time aired at eleven PM on Sunday nights. At the end of it something I didn’t think would ever happen did and I exclaimed quite loudly in surprise. I was afraid I may have disturbed everyone in the house, but no one said anything about it the next day.

If you trust me at all, sit down with me one day and we can talk TV shows. If you like what I have to say we can watch an episode or two of a show I like. And if you agree with me, I do own the entire series of Deep Space Nine, and I’m okay with lending them out to someone worthy of them.