Deep Space Nine’s pilot episode, “Emissary,” has a lot of very big ideas about what it wants to be and where it wants the series to go. Unfortunately, the execution of the episode is very much flawed – to the point where it stands to lose some viewers. That’s not to say that it’s all doom and gloom. Indeed, there is enough here to provide fertile enough ground for some of the ideas to take root and grow. But in the most important of first impressions, the episode stumbles when it should be wowing audiences.

Truth be told, I had to stop the pilot just under a half-hour into its run time because it gets off to such a troubled start. Things begin promisingly with a flashback to the battle of Wolf 359. For attentive TNG fans, the reference has a great deal of significance: it’s where the Picard-as-Locutus-led Borg decimated the Starfleet armada on its unrelenting path toward Earth during the “Best of Both Worlds” episodes. In the TNG episodes, all we saw was the aftermath of the battle and fans had long speculated what the actual encounter might have been like. So to see the battle was a special treat.

But right away things begin to fray at the edges a bit. Commander Sisko, on board the U.S.S. Saratoga is forced to endure the loss of his wife when much of the civilians on board the ship are injured or killed. But there’s little explanation given why the Saratoga would carry civilians into battle against an overwhelming foe. I suppose there might have been a reason, but none was even floated in the episode. And the result is to make the death seem like a poorly written contrivance than a real tragedy. And it’s meant to be a critical plot point both for Sisko and the episode itself.

Back in the present, Sisko, now promoted to full commander, talks with his son about their new assignment on Deep Space Nine – a remote space station orbiting the planet Bajor, following the hasty departure of the Cardassians. Once again, for TNG fans, these are welcome references back to the series they know so well. Another treat for TNG fans is the inclusion of Chief Miles O’Brien as part of the regular crew. He certainly earned the opportunity thanks to his strong minor roles, including the episode, “The Wounded,” which dealt with his own lingering resentment of the Cardassians. It ought to prove a strong source of material for later in the series.

Unfortunately, throughout this entire episode, the role of Sisko is just not strong enough to carry the story – much less a fledgling series. Actor Avery Brooks just has no clear idea yet how to portray the character. And so the performance drastically alternates between “tough guy,” “depressed guy,” “super happy guy,” and “impetuously petty guy.” None of these aspects are particularly convincing. Perhaps the worst moment was his snotty little attitude toward Picard. I get that he harbors resentment toward Picard because of Wolf 359, but the exchange makes Sisko look like a whiny brat. And it’s not just his on-screen persona, either. The voice-over work here is particularly abysmal. After filming a scene, actors often go back into to the studio to overdub the part. But Avery either had little experience, or very poor directing in this regard because the results are, truly, embarrassing for him and for the show.

The other stars manage slightly better. Major Kira Nerys, played by Nana Visitor, is the Bajoran liason officer. She seems to have tried to take Ensign Ro’s gruff attitude and tried to incorporate it into her own performance. It’s no coincidence that the further Kira gets away from trying to mimic Ro, the better, and more compelling, the performance gets. Odo, played by Rene Auberjonois, is the station’s chief of security. He’s also a shapeshifter. His performance is underused in this episode, but always welcome when he does make it on screen.

The three other prominent characters are Quark (portrayed by Armin Shimerman), Dax (portrayed by Terry Farrell), and Dr. Bashir (portrayed by Alexander Siddig). The group certainly has their strengths. But their presence in the episode just isn’t enough to get a strong indicator of each of them as characters. Rounding out the characters is Sisko’s son, Jake, played by Cirroc Lofton.

The overall plot of the episode centers around Sisko learning from a Bajoran Holy Woman that he is something called an “Emissary of the Prophets” whose task it is to find the “Celestial Temple.” The scene itself, like most of the scenes in the episode, isn’t particularly strong. However, the spiritual element is an interesting layer for the episode and the series. And it serves to finally anchor Sisko’s character as something other than a sulking brat.

During his search for this temple, Sisko and Dax inadvertently discover a wormhole to the gamma quadrant. This discovery becomes something of a flashpoint between the Cardassians and the officers on Deep Space Nine. And while Sisko is trapped in the wormhole, the derelict space station is left to fend for itself. Inside, Sisko must convince the aliens – who actually built the wormhole – that he is not a threat.

The wormhole sequences provide an interesting commentary about linear time. That would seem to be a bit too obscure, but the episode successfully drives home the point that linear time means that “each day affects the next” and “it is the unknown that defines our existence.” Both are common Star Trek themes and they are effectively presented – even with Sisko’s rather stilted delivery during the scenes.

“The Emissary” is a less-than-successful open salvo for the series. Seeing the pilot once again reminded me why I was unwilling to follow the series any further, back when it first debuted. There are a number of elements that need to be addressed if the series is going to hold my personal interest across seven full seasons. But I have been told that things get better. We’ll see.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine