Star Trek – The Deep Space Nine Companion –
Terry J. Erdman, Paula M. Block (2000)
From 1993 until 1999, what I
consider the greatest science fiction television show ever aired in syndication
in the United States. Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine (DS9) turned the Star Trek formula upside down. Instead of a ship and crew of high-end
achievers exploring the galaxy and encountering a new threat or danger or
problem every week, DS9 showed us a flawed Commander and crew who take over a commandeered
Cardassian outpost orbiting a small, seemingly inconsequential planet named
Bajor. Whereas, in Star Trek: The Next
Generation (TNG) the entire ship was populated by Starfleet personnel and their
families, in DS9 the command crew is composed of a mix of Starfleet officers
and staff, Bajoran military and government officials, and a whole slew of
civilian shopkeepers and workers, not to mention the constant arrival of
travelers seeking refueling, repairs, or just some rest and relaxation after a
long voyage. Because of this, DS9 was
able to tell deeper, more involved stories, sometimes taking years to fully
understand.
DS9 began in 1993, as a premium
syndication show, meant to be the showpiece of a new network, UPN, now
defunct. It aired for 7 years, and
because it was a syndicated show sometimes it was moved, pre-empted, or
otherwise ignored by the UPN people. DS9
always sought to maintain a sense of continuity between its episodes, but once
they began to fully explore serialized storytelling, if became a difficult show
to follow if you had missed a few episodes.
TNG, on the other hand, told stand-alone episodes, capable of being
watched in nearly any order. Watching
DS9 out of order would lead to massive confusion! It was a good thing that the people in charge
of DS9 knew how special the cast and show were and kept this all in mind as
they crafted season after season of amazing science fiction television.
Because of this, Terry Erdman and
Paula Block’s book, Star Trek – The Deep Space Nine Companion, is such a
favorite among fanatics of DS9. (We call ourselves Niners, BTW) Not only does this heavy tome detail every
single episode’s narrative, but it provides countless piles of data and
information about the show, including cast members, trivia from behind the
scenes, the production teams, and thoughts about each episode from the
pertinent cast or crew members involved.
It is literally the DS9 bible, and it fetches a fair price on the secondary
used book market!
I am a huge fanatic of reference
material, and to have such a motherload of data about my all-time favorite
television show is so cool. I enjoy the
insight provided to me by the cast and crew as they look back on some of the
best work they ever did. I look forward
to a lifetime of curiosity leading me to dig back into the Deep Space Nine
Companion. I highly recommend it, either
for yourself if you are a Niner, or as a gift for someone in your life that
loves Deep Space Nine.
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