Deep Space 9 Superior

[Anubis69]

To be fair, i can see where you're coming from with that. But tbh, it never bothered me. RA did a great job of showing emotions just through his eyes and i guess hanging his mouth in different ways!

I liked it a lot though in.. "Time's Children" i think it was (correct me if i'm wrong), when he had mastered morphing so wel, his face was fully formed... you could really see in his face how much he cared for Kira... Actually, now that i think about it more, they really could've utilised that aspect of Rene (and odo) more. Nice call, and an excellent point.

[Missster.Freeman]

Ah, that's just reminded me of an interview I read recently on Rene Auberjonois over at Trek Today. He was talking about how fans often told him how they couldn't understand how Odo could be so expressive, because his mask was so restrictive and inexpressive.

He actually goes on to say that the mask did not hide emotions, but actually amplifies them, as emotion is expressed more through the eyes and body than it is through facial expression.

I agree with Anubis, new thoughts and ideas helps to keep the discussion alive and fresh.

[the Fifth Race]

Starting with Trek: TNG with the character of Geordi, the writers came up with this thought that we should watch TV characters without complete faces. With Geordi, you can't see his eyes. With Odo, it's the ONLY thing you can see, since the rest of his face is essentially a mask.

Now, this is OK when the character is a minor character, but Odo has a major plot line, multiple episodes which focus on his relationships and is connected to one of best characters on the show, Kira.

I understand that if you buy into the Odo character that you forgive this, but it's a little like watching a mime artist. You have to imagine the details.

I think one of the main reasons they gave Odo the "mask type face" that shows very little expression is to differentiate him as an alien.

I kind of like how he can change into basically any type of creature or object he wishes yet he can't perfect a human face. It lends uniqueness to humans and kind of ties in with the storyline about how the Founders hate solids and humans in particular because they never bothered to perfect a human face.

One of my favorite scenes with Odo comes in season 7 where much of his shapeshifter face is sort of melted and you can see more of his natural expressions. When I saw that scene, I thought I wish they had done something to him when they started the more compelling love stories so that you could see his face.

How about Odo's very human looking face in the season V episode Children of Time where the Defiant crashes into a planet that is populated by there descendants 200 years into the future. Odo is 200 years older and has learned to semi-perfect the human face.

[the Fifth Race]

To be fair, i can see where you're coming from with that. But tbh, it never bothered me. RA did a great job of showing emotions just through his eyes and i guess hanging his mouth in different ways!

I thought Odo's emotional expressions came through rather well myself brother Anubis69. In the earlier seasons Odo didn't get a lot of dedicated episodes or lines for that matter, but once the Dominion conflict started and the Founders made themselves known Odo got a lot more work.

It sure was easy seeing the disdain and anger in his face whenever he had to deal with Quark.

[Starbase]

Ah, that's just reminded me of an interview I read recently on Rene Auberjonois over at Trek Today. He was talking about how fans often told him how they couldn't understand how Odo could be so expressive, because his mask was so restrictive and inexpressive.

He actually goes on to say that the mask did not hide emotions, but actually amplifies them, as emotion is expressed more through the eyes and body than it is through facial expression.

I agree with this brother MF, Rene (Odo) did a great job expressing his emotions, even though 95% of all his emotions were negative or anger related (dealing with Quark like brother Fifth pointed out). It's a testament to his acting skill and character portrayal.

I agree with Anubis, new thoughts and ideas helps to keep the discussion alive and fresh.

Personally I can wax-philosophical about DS9 allday. There is so much depth and character to this wonderful Trek series that I never get tired of talking about it.

Plus the fact that having Anubis69, kmiller, the Fifth Race, yourself and a few others that are such great posters with exceptional knowledge and ideals about everything Trek makes this thread truly superior!.

[Missster.Freeman]

Oh dear. I've just noticed how many times I used "how" in that paragraph. I should proofread more.

I’ve always felt I could make an emotional connection with Odo. Anubis hit the nail on the head when he said RA was great at showing emotion just through his eyes. I always paid attention to his eyes and body language to make that connection.

I agree with this brother MF, Rene (Odo) did a great job expressing his emotions, even though 95% of all his emotions were negative or anger related (dealing with Quark like brother Fifth pointed out). It's a testament to his acting skill and character portrayal.

Yes and there's always his gruff voice, you could really tell what mood he was in at the time. And it was usually a tirade when dealing with DS9's Ferengi population.

[Anubis69]

...Actually, you folks gave me an idea. I googled "Odo" to see if i could tell what emotions he was going through, or what he was thinking. It's surprisingly easy. So i tried other DS9 characters, they were all pretty easy (maybe apart from Sisko) and the most surprising thing is, i found Odo the easiest to read. Perhaps it could just be the pictures available on the first few pages but try it for yourself...

[kmiller1610]

How about Odo's very human looking face in the season V episode Children of Time where the Defiant crashes into a planet that is populated by there descendants 200 years into the future. Odo is 200 years older and has learned to semi-perfect the human face.

Yes. That was a very fine episode. As with most things if you have followed a character closely through the whole series, it is easier to embrace things which seem strange or even a bit offensive.

Thanks for everyone's responses...... Now about those Ferengi in love episodes........

[Trek_Girl42]

Thanks for everyone's responses...... Now about those Ferengi in love episodes........

Saw "Ferengi Love Songs" recently.....I barely survived.....

[the Fifth Race]

Saw "Ferengi Love Songs" recently.....I barely survived.....

LOL, you had to name the one episode from season five I did not like. Some of those episodes with Quarks mother (Ishka aka "Moogie") and the Kai Winn were rather blase.

..... Now about those Ferengi in love episodes........

The House of Quark and Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places following the adventures of Quark and the wonderful Klingon female (and Quarks wife) Grilka are two of my favorite and fun Trek episodes.

[kmiller1610]

We have a convert! My son, who watched all of seasons 5-7 with me has proclaimed DS-9 the best Trek ever. His reason was the Dominion story arc, but I think he also really enjoyed (as did I) the excellent character of Ben Sisko and the impressive handling of race issues in multiple episodes. This all came up after we had watched seasons 5-7 the past 4 months and as we watched the Fan collection set on Time Travel. Nick and I spent many hours watching TOS when he was wee lad and Voyager when he was a wee bigger.

[the Fifth Race]

We have a convert! My son, who watched all of seasons 5-7 with me has proclaimed DS-9 the best Trek ever. His reason was the Dominion story arc, but I think he also really enjoyed (as did I) the excellent character of Ben Sisko and the impressive handling of race issues in multiple episodes. This all came up after we had watched seasons 5-7 the past 4 months and as we watched the Fan collection set on Time Travel. Nick and I spent many hours watching TOS when he was wee lad and Voyager when he was a wee bigger.

That's great to hear kmiller!. DS9 wasn't afraid to tackle all kinds of racial and religious tolerance issues among many other controversial topics. Brannon Braga and the other creators and writers of DS9 deserve all the credit for making DS9 unique and different than any other Trek series or movie.

As I have said before I was a huge fan of Avery Brooks (Sisko) before DS9 became from his work as Hawk on Spencer for Hire and then his own show titled Hawk. Sisko was rather stiff in those first couple seasons, but in the later seasons (4 - 7) he had much better material to work with and of course the great Dominion war story arc. One the things I really like about the Sisko character was that out of all the Starfleet captains to come down the pike, Sisko came across as the most human. They weren't afraid to show a vulnerable side to him and not portray him as perfect.

[Starbase]

Happy Birthday Captain Picard.

He was born July 11, 1940 in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England. The guy looks great for 66 years old. Long live Picard!.

[Missster.Freeman]

Happy Birthday Jean Luc Picard aka Patrick Stewart.

Hey! There's a picture of him over at startrek.com sporting a full beard. Makes him look very distinguished. Just the perfect look for an Admiral.

[the Fifth Race]

Happy Birthday Jean Luc Picard aka Patrick Stewart.

Hey! There's a picture of him over at startrek.com sporting a full beard. Makes him look very distinguished. Just the perfect look for an Admiral.

Geez how could I have missed this one, Happy B-Day Picard.

He does look great and quite regal for his age.