Matt’s Take on Episode 1: “Emissary”
My initial impression of “Emissary” actually revolves around the sets. One of the reasons that I like Deep Space Nine so much is because of how familiar we become with the station itself. There’s something nostalgic and comforting about seeing the characters navigate the same hotspots like Quark’s bar and the Promenade. What I really like about this is that it gives us a sense of the daily lives of these characters, not just simply the “work” side of things. We see how they behave after hours, where they spend their free time, and who they choose to associate with. While these are small things, I take the idea of canon in Star Trek very seriously. These sorts of small touches help me to suspend my disbelief and to imagine that these characters and places all actually will exist at some point in the future.
One little quirk of mine that might not be shared by everyone is that I have always enjoyed going to malls and seeing what kinds of new and exciting products are available. This goes back to my childhood, where the malls were the only places that I could connect with hobbies that I desperately loved like gaming and reading (our local library didn’t get a lot of new books, so it was of limited interest to me). These days, things have moved so heavily online that this pastime is somewhat spoiled (especially over the past year). But to me, the Promenade was always a very exotic type of walking mall. I can easily imagine myself browsing around amongst all of the other extraterrestrial visitors to the station and encountering new cultural and technological innovations.
A topic that is already heavily explored in this first episode is that of the Bajoran religion. When I first watched “Emissary” a number of years ago, I was somewhat perturbed at the religious undertones of the episode since Star Trek typically shies away from discussing theology. I always kind of assumed, watching TOS and TNG, that religion either didn’t really exist anymore or that it was simply something that nobody talked about. But after knowing where the series is headed (don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything) and rewatching “Emissary,” I can say that it is very smart that the Bajoran religion was introduced so early to get viewers accustomed to it. Rather than ignoring such a complex topic, Deep Space Nine deserves credit for “going there.” This will become more apparent as our rewatch continues.
The actors already seem to have a decent sense of who their characters are in this first episode, and even though many of the relationships that are my favorite will take a bit of time to develop, I am impressed with the level of sophistication in these early performances. Quark in particular sticks out to me as a break-out star from the first instance. I absolutely love his line toward the end of the episode, “Oh, I love a woman in uniform!” While the Ferengi episodes can be controversial, they are some of my absolute favorites, so this little gem is foreshadowing of the Ferengi comedy yet to come. One character who it took me a long time to warm up to on my first watch was Kira Nerys, mainly because she seemed too standoffish with the other characters early in the series. She has great reasons for this, however, and if anyone else felt that she was abrasive at first, I would urge you to give her a chance! I also want to point out Terry Farrell here because she has been given an incredibly difficult job: to portray a character who has several other past personalities all alive inside of her, most commonly the “old man” Curzon Dax. I don’t think that she gets enough recognition for her acting skills!
My final thought here is that “Emissary” is the best first episode of any Star Trek series. The storyline, the sets, the actors, it all comes together so very quickly in this episode. And of course the inclusion of the brilliant Patrick Stewart doesn’t hurt, either! I’m excited to see what comes next because, even though I have seen the episodes before, I can’t remember the details of next week’s episodes off of the top of my head. I did binge watch the series on my first outing with it, so some details are blurred! It will be good to rediscover them.
Return to Season 1 Episode Guide
Return to Jim’s, Rhonda’s, or Ray’s Take
Continue to Becca’s Take
Skip to Adam’s Take
Ponderings from the Promenade: A Journey through Star Trek Deep Space Nine 
You must be logged in to post a comment.