Thread by @DrinkingQuest

I finished Star Trek: Deep Space Nine recently and it's possibly my favourite show I've ever watched

This is a DS9 appreciation thread

About 10 years ago, a good friend of mine got really drunk at my wedding and wouldn't shut up about how amazing Deep Space Nine was

Throughout the years, I kept hearing about how it's an amazing show and I should watch the whole thing especially if I liked Star Trek (which I do)

When the documentary "What We Left Behind" came out (a look back at Deep Space 9) I was again surrounded by nerds that were into this show and then I decided I wanted to be one of those nerds!

I started from the beginning.

I remember watching the first 2 seasons when it came out but it doesn't really pick up until season 3 (though before that is still perfectly good Star Trek)

As the show goes on it starts to pick up and reference character and plot threads in a really clever way and focuses on character just as much as heady sci-fi themes

Continuity hadn't really been done on that level in Star Trek yet.

But DS9 also has this absolutely incredibly dry sense of humour which you might miss if you weren't paying attention. There are a lot of clever comedy beats in this show that really work so I also like it on the level of "Funny Star Trek"

But I think what it's most known for and what sets it apart from other Star Trek are the continuing storylines and specifically The Dominion War. It examines how an idealistic society would approach war and looks at the inevitable shades of gray with characters you're invested in

I love the characters and actors on this show so much.

Avery Brooks as Ben Sisko is the most human captain we've seen in Star Trek. He makes mistakes, he takes some shortcuts but he's also a family man. He has to balance that with being a single father.

The relationship between Ben and Jake Sisko is the heart of the show. @CirrocL doesn't fall into any child actor tropes, he can play convincingly against Avery Brooks in any given scene and has a great arc.

The friendship between Miles O'Brien and Julian Bashir really stood out to me as some amazing beats that make you think about bromances in a new way.

They're great characters individually but are a really fun on screen duo

Dax and whole concept of a trill who has lived multiple lifetimes is compelling and played perfectly by @4TerryFarrell

Then later when ugly behind-the-scenes business stuff played out, @Nikki_deboer did a great job as a trill, shaking up the show dynamic in an interesting way.

The non federation characters Kira, Odo and Quark are a huge part of what makes the show so interesting. Props to @NanaVisitor @ShimermanArmin and the late René Auberjonois for playing such nuanced alien characters.

Worf from Star Trek: TNG joins the show in season 4 and it is not a lazy add... these writers did such a great job with Worf and @akaWorf plays the character so convincingly. It was a great addition.

And a shoutout to the late @AronEisenberg who played Nog. In any other show this character would have remained goofy comic relief until the last episode but even as a side character, Nog gets some of the most profound moments of the show.

I'm not crying, you're crying.

And in general, the side characters in DS9 are amazing and often just as important as the main cast. Leeta, Rom, Morn, Vic Fontaine, the Grand Nagus and Gul Dukat are some favourites.

So the point I'm trying to make is that this year has been particularly shitty for almost everyone but if isolating means that you can binge-watch Deep Space 9 and experience this great show you might not have watched otherwise, that's a bit of a silver lining.

I could gush more but I'm on tweet 19 and I'll stop here for now.

Yes, I think you should watch #DeepSpaceNine