Following the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor, a joint Starfleet and Bajoran command post is established in the nearby station of Deep Space Nine.
I think this is a very strong start to a refreshing perspective on the Star Trek universe, that makes good character introductions.
The plot covers a lot of ground by establishing the surroundings, introducing the main characters, and setting the tone for the show. Personally, I think it does a great job if you have a good knowledge of the shows that came before it. For those who have not watched at least 'The Next Generation' episodes like 'The Best of Both Worlds', 'The Wounded', 'Ensign Ro', and 'Chain of Command' it might not have the full effect.
An important introduction is the lead character Sisko and it does this with a lot of screen time. The opening scene is fantastic and gives a real explosive start to the pilot. From there it slows down the spectacle and focuses more on his character and backstory. For me Avery Brooks gives a mostly strong performance.
There are some scenes set in the wormhole that have been criticised for being unnecessarily complex but I think this is unwarranted. In fact this type of scrutinisation of humanity and life is quite typical of Star Trek pilot episodes, and this one takes it a step further by exploring linear existence from the perspective of a very different non-corporeal life. It is quite relevant to Sisko's arc in the episode and the overarching narrative of the series. However, visually it is slightly repetitive at times.
The concept of the wormhole is brilliant and is one of the main foundations of all the plot lines set within Deep Space Nine. It provides relevance to the setting and allows for the franchise to expand as the series moves on.
There are other strong characters introduced such as Kira Nerys, Gul Dukat, and Odo who all make big first impressions. Nana Visitor and Marc Alaimo, for me have the most charisma on the screen, and René Auberjonois, is not far behind them.
Other favourites like Chief O'Brien and Captain Picard also have memorable appearances, whilst the likes of Quark, Jadzia Dax and Dr Bashir, are presented as quite different to what has come before.
Visually it is excellent. The art design feels very Star Trek, but at the same time it gives you something very different to a bridge of a starship to look at. There is some nice camera movement between characters in the operations centre.
It is not perfect. Some performances are a little bit flat, the sequence involving Sisko's eyes is too repetitive, and some of the exposition is a bit clunky. Being a pilot it has pacing issues due to the amount of introductions required, but all things considered it is a great feature length episode in my opinion.
For me it's an 8.5/10, but I round upwards.
I think this is a very strong start to a refreshing perspective on the Star Trek universe, that makes good character introductions.
The plot covers a lot of ground by establishing the surroundings, introducing the main characters, and setting the tone for the show. Personally, I think it does a great job if you have a good knowledge of the shows that came before it. For those who have not watched at least 'The Next Generation' episodes like 'The Best of Both Worlds', 'The Wounded', 'Ensign Ro', and 'Chain of Command' it might not have the full effect.
An important introduction is the lead character Sisko and it does this with a lot of screen time. The opening scene is fantastic and gives a real explosive start to the pilot. From there it slows down the spectacle and focuses more on his character and backstory. For me Avery Brooks gives a mostly strong performance.
There are some scenes set in the wormhole that have been criticised for being unnecessarily complex but I think this is unwarranted. In fact this type of scrutinisation of humanity and life is quite typical of Star Trek pilot episodes, and this one takes it a step further by exploring linear existence from the perspective of a very different non-corporeal life. It is quite relevant to Sisko's arc in the episode and the overarching narrative of the series. However, visually it is slightly repetitive at times.
The concept of the wormhole is brilliant and is one of the main foundations of all the plot lines set within Deep Space Nine. It provides relevance to the setting and allows for the franchise to expand as the series moves on.
There are other strong characters introduced such as Kira Nerys, Gul Dukat, and Odo who all make big first impressions. Nana Visitor and Marc Alaimo, for me have the most charisma on the screen, and René Auberjonois, is not far behind them.
Other favourites like Chief O'Brien and Captain Picard also have memorable appearances, whilst the likes of Quark, Jadzia Dax and Dr Bashir, are presented as quite different to what has come before.
Visually it is excellent. The art design feels very Star Trek, but at the same time it gives you something very different to a bridge of a starship to look at. There is some nice camera movement between characters in the operations centre.
It is not perfect. Some performances are a little bit flat, the sequence involving Sisko's eyes is too repetitive, and some of the exposition is a bit clunky. Being a pilot it has pacing issues due to the amount of introductions required, but all things considered it is a great feature length episode in my opinion.
For me it's an 8.5/10, but I round upwards.