Star Trek (DS9): The Quickening

[SuccubusYuri]

Makes me wonder, which would be the absolute most average episodes from each show? The episodes which comes in the middle on each shows internal score, and how would the absolute mediocre episodes compare from each show?

Judging by comments Chuck has made over the last ten years, I think his list of rating the 5s against one another would go:

DS9
TNG
TOS
VOY
ENT

At least that is the impression I've gotten, maybe swap TOS and TNG, the rose glasses make it hard to pin him down in that regard. Though while the cluster of good series is probably neck and neck, the gap between the top 3 and VOY is comparatively wide. And the gap between there and ENT looks like one of those "to scale" models of the solar system.

[Asvarduil]

Makes me wonder, which would be the absolute most average episodes from each show? The episodes which comes in the middle on each shows internal score, and how would the absolute mediocre episodes compare from each show?

Judging by comments Chuck has made over the last ten years, I think his list of rating the 5s against one another would go:

DS9
TNG
TOS
VOY
ENT

At least that is the impression I've gotten, maybe swap TOS and TNG, the rose glasses make it hard to pin him down in that regard. Though while the cluster of good series is probably neck and neck, the gap between the top 3 and VOY is comparatively wide. And the gap between there and ENT looks like one of those "to scale" models of the solar system.

I don't know about that. While VOY is unquestionably better than much of ENT, I feel like the gap between VOY and ENT is about half the gap between TOS/TNG and VOY. ENT when it comes to it is an exaggeration of everything wrong with VOY, after all.

Of course, this is where trying to have an absolute scale of subjective perceptions of quality breaks down. We'd need Chuck himself to weigh in on this, and provide a universal 'nebulous measure of good', in order to begin constructing this scale. I don't think he wants to pull the pin on that grenade that detonates into cans of worms.

[BunBun299]

I don't think there is a single Trek episode that I disagree with the score for more than this one. It's one of Bashir's best. I loved out defeated he seemed, yet he still kept going, determined to at least help this child be born. I was really expecting a much higher number.

Oh well, a 3 for DS9 is still probably a 6 or 7 for the later series.

[Remingtonh]

I've seen this episode once, I do remember watching it, and remember it being a pretty good and interesting episode overall.

That said, I've never revisted it. I have re-watched such episodes as Sub Rosa, Move Along Home, if Wishes Were Horses, etc., because they were fun though terrible.

3/10 is probably a bit harsh, but not egregious.

[BunBun299]

I suppose I'll bring up the other dog not barking in this episode: the Prime Directive. The Blight is a horrific and cruel biological weapon and it is good that Bashir tried to help, but once they find out that this was punishment for resisting the Dominion then trying to cure it is interefering with Dominion internal politics, right? At least by Picard's understanding of Prime Directive ethics in not interfering in wars and such.

The war is by all accounts over, so I don't see how this could be construed as interfering in a war.

As for interfering with Dominion internal politics, I suppose it depends on whether or not the planet was considered apart of Dominion territory and if the Teplan people were considered Dominion "subjects". If the Dominion just showed up, destroyed the planet, and left without making any real claim on the planet or its people, then this would easily be classified as a mission of mercy to a neutral party. Remember, Bashir and co. were answering a distress call, they were technically "invited".

This episode always does remind me of something I consider a missed opportunity to explore in DS9's later seasons - what was going on in the Gamma Quadrant during the Dominion War? Was it business as usual? Did the Dominion have the resources necessary to maintain complete, uncontested dominance over their home territory while waging a war against the Alpha Quadrant? Or were there cracks in the armor? Were there uprisings and rebellions while their iron grip started to loosen with forces and resources being diverted? Could they have been fighting some sort of war on multiple fronts?

I always had an idea for a TNG movie during the Dominion War where the Enterprise falls through an anomaly and winds up in Dominion territory in the Gamma Quadrant, but at almost the exact opposite side of the territory then where the Bajoran wormhole is. These planets are so far from the front of the Dominion War that they don't even know about it or anything about the politics of the Founders. All they know is that the their hated ruling force is starting to weaken and they see it as the perfect time to rise up and rebel. Picard has to decide whether or not to encourage or aid these people fight a war that they probably won't win simply because it would help the Federation out on the other side of the galaxy.

That sounds so infinitely better than Insurrection, I really wish we could somehow send it back in time to before Insurrection was written, and make that movie instead.

[Fixer]

Perhaps they could have delved further into the history of the Teplan people and who they used to be.

Perhaps they were like the Federation. They raised an alliance of free powers against the Dominion. When they were crushed by the Jem'Hadar only their Capital was left, it's people left infected by the blight as a warning to others.

This isn't just a tragedy for these people, this is a possible future for the Earth.

[PlasmaHam]

Personally, I do feel the episode ranking is lower than need be. It had good characterization for an at-the-time weak character, helped develop the looming Dominion threat, and provided a good story with a quite satisfying if a bit downer ending. I guess the only downside to it is that it felt much more like a TNG or VOY story than a DS9 one. IE: Protagonists come across a world with a global pandemic that is slowly killing off the population, decides to help (unless you are Archer, or Janeway depending on the mood), a character gets emotionally attached to one of the aliens, attempts to cure the pandemic seem initially hopeless, cure is found at the last minute and the protagonists warp away, never to see the aliens again. Of course there are some DS9 elements to it, I doubt the other series would have had a similar bitter-sweet ending, but it does seem out of place. I still think it is a quite good episode, but I can kinda see Chuck's point about it being just out there.

On the grading, one thing I've noticed is that average episodes in DS9, TNG, and TOS are oft described by Chuck as good episodes, pleasures to watch, just not up to snuff with the better episodes of the series. Average episodes of ENT and VOY are oft described as mediocre episodes, watchable but not that good. Given that Chuck's grading system uses averages instead of a "nebulous quality of good", it would make sense that episodes that are good would receive a lower than average score if the series overall was majority good episodes.

And I would agree that of the Star Trek series, Ds9 is Chuck's personal favorite. His grading for the series overall is probably something like DS9, TOS, TNG, VOY, TAS, ENT.

[Admiral X]

I do have to admit that it seems rather unbelievable that Bashir could cure this pandemic all on his own, though.

[FaxModem1]

I actually have an interesting story about this episode. When I was enlisted, I had a few friends who were fellow Trekkies, and we introduced it the our other friends. Usually on our make dinner and a movie night. This eventually led to a full on TNG and DS9 marathon. One of my friends, we'll call her 'Maggie', had no interest in any of the episodes, and usually joined us after our daily Trek for the dinner and to play board games with us.

When she saw this episode, being pregnant at the time herself, she got heavily invested in the characters and wanted to know what happened. Other episodes she would watch with us, but that was the only episode that mattered to her.

[Rocketboy1313]

I do have to admit that it seems rather unbelievable that Bashir could cure this pandemic all on his own, though.

He is kind of an Ace doctor by the assessment of the series.
I recall one of his early episodes was about him being nominated for an award that is usually given to doctors who have 80+ years of experience.

I actually thought that episode was a sequel to this one... but no, that one is from season 1.

But even as a fan of the character, I have to admit, Bashir only has a handful of instances in which his abilities are shown on screen, it is mostly an attributed trait with his work done off screen. They probably should have given him a plague to work on on Bajor for him to show off, so old Cardassian weapon goes off and he has to solve a medical puzzle (like that Tower of Babel virus episode)