Deep Space 9 Superior

[Dark Falcon]

The Ascent is one of my favorite episodes. I always enjoy watching Quark and Odo banter back and forth with each other. - In Ascent we saw there relationship change, you could see, really for the first time, they both cared for each other no matter how nasty there arguing was. Odo, who was human at the time thanks to the Founders, had never had to depend on anyone and being put into a situation where his life was put into Quarks hands showed a side of Odo we had never seen at that point. That last scene in the infirmary when they laughingly re-declared there hatred for each other made me laugh out loud.

I remember reading how hard it was for both actors to film this episode. They shot those outdooor scenes in the Sierra Mountains near Lake Tahoe in full make-up at an elevation of 7000'.

The Ascent was one of the first DS9 episodes that I ever saw. I think I was...8 or 9 when I saw it. It was intriguing to see Quark and Odo working together to survive on another planet. The best part was that there were no planetary natives to distract us from the Odo/Quark story.

Interesting facts there, Brother Fifth. I'll bet that at 7000 feet the actors had to constantly keep drinking water to stay hydrated.

[the Fifth Race]

The Ascent was one of the first DS9 episodes that I ever saw. I think I was...8 or 9 when I saw it. It was intriguing to see Quark and Odo working together to survive on another planet. The best part was that there were no planetary natives to distract us from the Odo/Quark story.

Interesting facts there, Brother Fifth. I'll bet that at 7000 feet the actors had to constantly keep drinking water to stay hydrated.

Definitely one of my favorite episodes from the entire series. The relationship between Quark and Odo changed after The Ascent. - It peaked with pure hatred towards each other as they were stranded on the mountain, to mutual respect type friendship afterwards. Neither wanted anyone else to know that they weren't hated rivals anymore so they kept up the adversary act for the public.

I absolutely loved that last scene when they were both in sick-bay lying on beds when they laughingly re-declared there hatred for each other, it made me laugh out loud.

Both Quark and Odo stated that this was by far the hardest episode they filmed on DS9. From the freezing temperatures to the very thin air at those elevations to having to worry about messing up there make-up and prosthetics while climbing up a mountain.

So whats new brother DF, always good to see you on the superior thread my friend. I hope life is treating you well. Did you ever find a job, I assume you are out of school now?.

[Trek_Girl42]

Definitely one of my favorite episodes from the entire series. The relationship between Quark and Odo changed after The Ascent. - It peaked with pure hatred towards each other as they were stranded on the mountain, to mutual respect type friendship afterwards. Neither wanted anyone else to know that they weren't hated rivals anymore so they kept up the adversary act for the public.

I absolutely loved that last scene when they were both in sick-bay lying on beds when they laughingly re-declared there hatred for each other, it made me laugh out loud.

Both Quark and Odo stated that this was by far the hardest episode they filmed on DS9. From the freezing temperatures to the very thin air at those elevations to having to worry about messing up there make-up and prosthetics while climbing up a mountain.

The Ascent was brilliant for any number of reasons stated. I agree that it was so much better with no distracting bumpy-headed natives on the planet. I think they achieved a number of things very rare in Trek with this episode: that the planet actually felt alien; the performances from the two actors really reached a higher level that I don't think the camera in Trek always picks up, I really wish Trek would experiment with some other-than-the-predictable filming techniques; and the story was fantastic with some great character development that actually held through the rest of the series.

I really can't admire this episode enough- is it from season five or six?

[Starbase]

The Ascent was brilliant for any number of reasons stated. I agree that it was so much better with no distracting bumpy-headed natives on the planet. I think they achieved a number of things very rare in Trek with this episode: that the planet actually felt alien; the performances from the two actors really reached a higher level that I don't think the camera in Trek always picks up, I really wish Trek would experiment with some other-than-the-predictable filming techniques; and the story was fantastic with some great character development that actually held through the rest of the series.

I really can't admire this episode enough- is it from season five or six?

It was the ninth episode from season 5 Trek_Girl. And I have to agree with everything said about this wonderful episode. Brother Fifth stated that the relationship between Quark and Odo slightly changed after there little near-death adventure. - I never really paid attention until he mentioned this to me awhile back. Even though they kept up there "adversary" relationship for everyone else to see, but behind the scenes (no pun intended) they did respect each other a lot more. Quark taught Odo a lot about being mortal when the Founders took away his shape-shifting abilities, which continued even after Odo got his abilities back.

The planet really did have that alien feel to it. They were filming at an elevation high enough where brids or animals were virutally non-existant so they didn't have to contend with dubbing out animal sounds. They also used color filters over the camera lens to create that alien type background look, a lot like they do on BSG, which you and Fifth Race talked so adeptly talk about in an earlier discussion.

Well tonight is the night for us Trek_Girl, I am working on trying to score a couple Shark's tickets right now so I can see the game live. If we don't win our great season is over.

[Missster.Freeman]

I remember being really surprised by this episode because of its outdoor setting. Sure, all the live action Treks have had their fair share of outdoor settings, but this one felt different somehow. I think it had something do with the scale; we're that used to being in the claustrophobic setting of a space station, it was seeing a wide open mountain range that made the contrast so apparent.

Where were the outdoor scenes filmed, btw? I assume it's somewhere in the US. As far as I know, none of the Trek series were filmed in Canada.

[Starbase]

I remember being really surprised by this episode because of its outdoor setting. Sure, all the live action Treks have had their fair share of outdoor settings, but this one felt different somehow. I think it had something do with the scale; we're that used to being in the claustrophobic setting of a space station, it was seeing a wide open mountain range that made the contrast so apparent.

I was also pleasantly surprised that TPTB went with the true outdoor filming instead of on one of those montrous Trek sets made to look outdoors. That alone went along way in enhancing the whole episode. It gave it a much more perilous feel to what was going on.

Where were the outdoor scenes filmed, btw? I assume it's somewhere in the US. As far as I know, none of the Trek series were filmed in Canada.

Brother Fifth Race and I went to an annual Trek convention in San Francisco years ago where someone asked Allen Kroeker, who directed The Ascent, about how unique it was to film those scenes with Odo and Quark outdoors. He went to on talk about what a challenge it was, especially for Quark to keep his make-up and prosthetics in place. They also had to adjust the coloring of there make-up for the outdoor scenes to match there normal DS9 skin color.

It was filmed on the north side of Lake Tahoe which in of the California side of the Sierra Mountains. They wanted to film it a very high elevation to avoid birds and animal sounds and to give a real alien feel.

[Missster.Freeman]

Wow! It must have been hard going on the actors and crew filming at such a high altitude. Thanks for the info, Starbase!

[Trek_Girl42]

Well tonight is the night for us Trek_Girl, I am working on trying to score a couple Shark's tickets right now so I can see the game live. If we don't win our great season is over.

Good luck- with getting the tickets and on winning the game.

I was also pleasantly surprised that TPTB went with the true outdoor filming instead of on one of those montrous Trek sets made to look outdoors. That alone went along way in enhancing the whole episode. It gave it a much more perilous feel to what was going on.
Brother Fifth Race and I went to an annual Trek convention in San Francisco years ago where someone asked Allen Kroeker, who directed The Ascent, about how unique it was to film those scenes with Odo and Quark outdoors. He went to on talk about what a challenge it was, especially for Quark to keep his make-up and prosthetics in place. They also had to adjust the coloring of there make-up for the outdoor scenes to match there normal DS9 skin color.

It was filmed on the north side of Lake Tahoe which in of the California side of the Sierra Mountains. They wanted to film it a very high elevation to avoid birds and animal sounds and to give a real alien feel.

Those indoor Trek sets- especially for Voyager that were supposed to look like outdoor forest scenes at night were horrendous, the lighting on the leaves that made them all shiney.....so painfully fake.

Unlike shows such as the Stargates and BSG that do fantastic outdoor filming. Don't understand why Trek couldn't do the same- are there really that few a number of forests in California?



Definitely would have been neat to hear from the director on a filming experience like that- are there any special DVD features for this episode?

[Dark Falcon]

So whats new brother DF, always good to see you on the superior thread my friend. I hope life is treating you well. Did you ever find a job, I assume you are out of school now?.

Likewise, Fifth!

I came close to getting one, but the position was taken before I could schedule an interview.

My College classes end on May 24th.

Fifth, let me ask you something: Are you a boss at work, or are you a regular employee? If you are a boss, I'd be happy to email you my resume.

Just wondering...

[the Fifth Race]

DS9 season 1: episode #17
Dramatis Personae:
A Klingon ship returns from the Gamma Quadrant, virtually destroyed by an internal mutiny. When the DS9 crew beams aboard the only survivor, they also beam over a "telepathic matrix," which infects the senior staff and causes them to re-enact an alien power struggle.

"Dramatis Personae" does not have an inspired premise, the power play has been done before, and using a convenient sci-fi explanation to warrant erratic behavior is hardly conducive for real drama. However, what works to a degree here are some of the subtle details surrounding the concept, which makes it interesting enough to be reasonably entertaining. The way Kira's mutiny grows out of the situation set up at the beginning of the episode - her disagreement with Sisko on allowing suspected Cardassian-aiding smugglers to dock at DS9 - smoothly integrates the real plot into the contrived one. Also neat is how the different characters take on distinct personalities of circumstance once the mutiny begins to brew. The uncaring Sisko, the sultrily venomous Kira, the anecdote-spewing Dax, the strategizing O'Brien, and the "neutral" Bashir in the middle, all are characters who convey a weird persona that somehow adds a bizarre spin on the show's tone. Odo's cleverness works decently in the plot, as he plays both sides long enough to resolve the problem. Most of the show's best moments are subtle touches that aren't crucial to the story, but raise the overall level of interest. Sisko's inexplicable clock-building is one welcome bit of strangeness in this 100 percent Joe Menosky concept. Still, the inevitable feeling of pointlessness that ultimately comes out of the forced situation is all but unavoidable.

OK...enough with the engineered virus stories already. I must admit that this one was much more fun than the aphasia virus, however. O'Brien becomes a bad guy! Sisko becomes a flake! And Kira hits on Dax! That scene was magnificent - I couldn't help noticing that the two women have marvelous chemistry, compounded by the odd fact that Dax used to be a man, but I never expected this series to capitalize on it. Here, Kira swipes a sip of Dax's drink, runs her fingertips over the other woman's skin, and insinuates that joining her rebellion could have unexpected side benefits for the Trill. Woo hoo! It almost makes me wish that she had won. I found it interesting to note who ended up on which side; it's not surprising that O'Brien became the consummate Starfleet man, though his megalomania was certainly novel - he hasn't acted like that since he was possessed by the spirit of an ancient criminal on TNG - and I wasn't sure where Bashir would end up until I realized that he'd probably head wherever the women were.

Odo was well-used in this episode, particularly in the scenes where he had to pretend that Kira had won him over. This was the episode where you could start to tell that Odo has a crush on Kira.

[the Fifth Race]

Fifth, let me ask you something: Are you a boss at work, or are you a regular employee? If you are a boss, I'd be happy to email you my resume.

Just wondering...

I own and operate a family business at Fisherman's Wharf called Guardino's. My great Grandfather started the business in 1908, I am the fourth generation to take over and run the business.

Unfortunately we have recently had to lay off a few workers. Business is great, but with these regulations that ultra liberal city of San Francisco has passed in the last year has forced me and a lot of other business' to scale down the number of employee's we keep on the payroll. They are forcing us to pay all health care to all employee's whether they are full-time or part-time, plus we are now forced to pay 10 paid sick days a year to each employee, again, whether they are full-time or part-time employee's. As much as I love San Francisco (I was born and raised there), it is a crappy place to run a business, they just keep taking profit away from the business owner while passing these ridiculous policies that NO other city in the world forces on business'.

With the price of gas these days (the San Francisco Bay Area has the highest in the USA), you are better off finding a job that is close to home. Communting back and forth between San Francisco with the bridge toll coupled with high gas prices makes commuting a losing deal.

So what did you think of the Shark's going in to the tank (no pun intended) for the 4rth year in a row. We can't get past the second round. I thought this was the year, we had the best road record in the league and were bigger and stronger than any other team, yet we choked again.

[USS Defiant]

DS9 season 1: episode #19
Duet:

"Duet" is quintessential DS9. It's an issue-oriented episode that is brilliantly characterized, with some absolutely riveting performances.

The plot centers around a Cardassian named Marritza (Harris Yulin) who "happens" upon the station as a passenger on a passing ship. Kira promptly arrests him for being a war criminal and throws him in a cell. You see, he has a medical condition that he could only have acquired at a Bajoran labor camp named Gallitep. This labor camp was also the site of horrific Bajoran treatment at the hands of Cardassian atrocities. As far as Kira and the Bajorans are concerned, any Cardassian at Gallitep is guilty. But a mystery arises concerning the Cardassian's identity, with a number of clues that don't add up, and Kira begins a search for the truth.

The resulting dialog between Kira and the Cardassian pulls no punches in either content or delivery. Evidence indicates that Marritza is really Gul Darheel, the man who actually ran Gallitep and made it his mission to terrorize "Bajoran scum." Suddenly Kira finds herself face to face with one of the most hated Cardassians Bajor has ever known.

Nana Visitor delivers a powerhouse, emotional performance. Even better is Harris Yulin's turn as Darheel, whose absolute tour de force display of acting brings the raving, menacing, downright evil Cardassian frighteningly to life, with such lines as "What you call genocide, I call a day's work." Odo's subsequent investigation of the Cardassian's identity brings Dukat into the plot with a great deal of sensibility. It turns out that Darheel is really Marritza posing as the Cardassian criminal (who has been dead for years), trying to martyr himself so the Cardassian government will be forced to acknowledge its guilt for the Occupation, a moving display of self-sacrifice for the sake of progress on all ends. "Duet" is all substance, completely engrossing in its conveyance, and it also features a tragic ending. It's one of the best moments in the entire series' run.

[the Fifth Race]

DS9 season 1: episode #19
Duet:

"Duet" is quintessential DS9. It's an issue-oriented episode that is brilliantly characterized, with some absolutely riveting performances.

Great review and I couldn't agree more my friend. This is one of, if not the best hour of Star Trek and one of the best hours of television I've ever seen. This episode is about ideas and emotions, with little plot, it didn't even need a B story. Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin, and to a lesser degree Rene Auberjonois, carried the drama, but the dialogue writing is as good as it gets.

We knew before that Kira was a terrorist who killed Cardassians during the war, possibly even civilians, I don't think we saw so clearly the price she paid for those killings up until this episode. We saw all sides of her here: the diplomat who's outraged to have a criminal on her station, the terrorist who wants to kill her enemy, the spiritual person who's appalled at war, the idealist who wants to believe that not everyone involved in the atrocities condoned them. Marritza had a dark, spooky attraction to her - he singled her out as the person to whom he wanted to confess, and did extensive research on her to make sure she'd buy his story. She didn't run away from him, nor from the common elements in their past which she wanted so much to deny.

From a distance, I can see that this is the episode when I first realized the depth of Odo's feelings for Kira, and to some extent the reasons for them. He witnesses her courage and her struggle with her violent impulses, he hears her confessions - she lets him into her soul in a way that no other humanoid ever has. This incident marks the beginning of Kira's ability to let the past go, it probably made it possible for her to fall in love with Bareil, and to deal with the conspiracy which would unfold on Bajor in rapid succession. This was really the start of a five-episode arc spanning the beginning of the second season, and the resonances are stunning.

Duet is one of those truly brilliant DS9 episodes that makes it superior to all other Trek series.

[Starbase]

DS9 season 1: episode #19
Duet:

"Duet" is quintessential DS9. It's an issue-oriented episode that is brilliantly characterized, with some absolutely riveting performances.

Every previous episode from Season 1 was okay or interesting, all evidence of a new show getting on it's feet. 'Duet' was DS9's first really solid episode, a precursor of the shows eventual dramatic greatness.

For me, the best part of this episode was watching Kira deal with her own demons. Kira is naturally struggling with her natural hateful instincts for Cardassians. She is suprised to find out not all Cardassians are evil, and here was a good one (Marritza) she would be proud to know. A tragic and unfortunate ending forces Kira to realize she has started to change, and for the better. This is one of the darker episodes of the series, but brilliantly written and performed.

To Fifth Race: You made mention awhile back that you had found an interview with Branon Braga he did a year or so after DS9 finsihed its 7 year run. Do you still have it?, and if so, could you please post it up, Thank's.

[the Fifth Race]

To Fifth Race: You made mention awhile back that you had found an interview with Branon Braga he did a year or so after DS9 finsihed its 7 year run. Do you still have it?, and if so, could you please post it up, Thank's.

It's actually with Ira Steven Behr. - He talks about how some people thought DS9 "disrespected Roddenberry's vision". I also found some rather cool stuff where Ex DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe talks about the creation of the Dominion and the motivations of the Founders. I also found a rather interesting interview with Ronald D. Moore that was done right before the premiere of BSG where he talks about the flaws of TNG, which I'm sure Lady Rac would enjoy. I will post these up in the next couple days.

By Steve Krutzler / 00:01, 14 July 2004
In part two of our interview with Ira Steven Behr, the former STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE writer/producer reflects on the critically-acclaimed series. We also asked Behr what he sees in the future of the STAR TREK franchise.

TW: What is DS9’s greatest contribution to the STAR TREK franchise?

IB: I think the series as a whole was the greatest contribution. Getting back to telling character-oriented stories, getting back to having conflict between human beings; plot at the service of character. We did our share of space anomalies, usually to screw up O’Brien, [but] I think we created a much more complete universe in which you can have all these characters with all these backstories, all these races, all these supporting characters. You knew more about 'Garak' or 'Gul Dukat', ultimately, than you knew about 'Riker'. So that to me is the contribution.

Plus we brought back money, greed, racial bigotry, war, all the stuff that disappeared that I just could not wrap my head around in terms of the reality. We obviously did the thing we made a big deal about in season two, which was for me when I began to see opportunities that I hadn’t seen before. It was then [that] we decided that Earth is paradise--we’ll buy into that (I don’t quite understand it, but we'll buy it. It’s unique and "it’s easy to be a saint in paradise" is one of the things Sisko said in "Maquis, Part II." And to have a Federation person say that as opposed to a Cardassian or Ferengi or Bajoran was telling because Sisko was learning things. That opened the door in my mind for the rest of the series. We certainly took the series where [co-creator] Michael Piller would freely admit he hadn’t thought of [taking it at the outset].

TW: How do you respond the criticism by some that the series disrespected Gene Roddenberry's "vision"?

IB: Everyone speaks for Gene Roddenberry, who’s gone, and I would not speak for Gene Roddenberry or be so quick to speak about what Gene would want or not want. The Gene Roddenberry of 1966 was a hell of a lot different than the Gene Roddenberry of 1989 and I'm sure had he been around in 1997 he would’ve been different from the Gene Roddenberry of 1989. So that criticism I don’t care about at all.

What I resented a lot of the time in both series, TOS (which I was a huge fan of) and TNG, was their "having their cake and eat it too" attitude. When they needed to blow up ships, they blew up ships. But there was no repercussions to it, usually, not really. No one sweated, it was like a tea party in the Hamptons. People were getting killed, there was no sweat, there was no fear, there were no repercussions, and I don’t care whether they're people on a ship and you don’t see them and you don’t care--bad, bad, bad, no good, bad, bad, image!--[and] bad storytelling.

We wanted to say, "hey, people in this world that we live in can't get along in this little tiny planet and we have more in common than Cardassians and humans and we can’t get along." So why do we believe in our absolute arrogance that in the future we can have these disparate races and they will all find ways to avoid war, and we will find ways to avoid war especially with our Federation way of sucking people into our Federation [laughs]. It’s a very interesting universe that I did not think had been explored enough. We said, "we’re going to explore it, not fully certainly, we’re gonna go down some avenues that people won’t like, and some of it won't hold up to scrutiny, but at least we’ll be doing it instead [of the alternative]." DS9 certainly was the series that refused on a day by day basis to play it safe. We all knew it, every writer was behind it. It was an exhilarating place to be in creatively.

TW: What did you think of VOYAGER, which got a lot of the attention from the studio and perhaps allowed DS9 to go its own way?

IB: I never saw it, except the premiere episode [when it was shown at the studio]. Putting the Maquis into Starfleet uniforms--that was already how I wouldn’t have done the show. But may they go into it with all good graces.

TW: Some of DS9's cast has said the show could've done an eigth season. If there had been, what's a story you would've liked to have told?

IB: I talked this over with David Weddle and Bradley Thomspon (DS9 writers seasons six and seven) yesterday and I mentioned this interview and whether people still ask about if the show could’ve gone on. They totally agreed with me that yeah, we could have but... if its and buts were candy nuts, we'd all have a hell of a Christmas!

Fact is seven years, 170+ episodes. Wow, terrific, great, how lucky can we be to have been able to live there that long? The Beatles, everyone complains when the Beatles broke up in '69; would the world have been a better place with twelve more Beatle albums? Well, the fact is that you have the amount of Beatle albums that you have; enjoy them, revel in them, and be thankful you have that. I'm a big Sam Peckinpah fan. It kills me on one level that he only got to do twelve feature films and that's his body of work in films. But on the other hand, given Hollywood’s propensity for screwing over the rebels in their creative community, let’s just be thankful that he did twelve films and six of them were really fantastic and some of them were interesting failures and one or two were god awful. But they’re his films with his stamp on them, so you've got twelve of his films--enjoy it. Same thing with DEEP SPACE NINE. It’s ridiculuous, it’s the American way of looking at the world: "super-size me, give me more, I'm not satisfied, my belly’s big, I want to consume!"

TW: You briefly consulted on ENTERPRISE, or had a meeting with Rick Berman and Brannon Braga prior to the start of this past season. Can you summarize that?

IB: Rick called me up, it was his initiative. He asked me had I seen ENTERPRISE, I told him no. He asked if I could look at it--they were thinking maybe of stepping back and that "this be another DS9 experience," whatever that meant. I didn’t really think it over in terms of what were the chances of that reality happening again. They sent me the three shows, I went in, had a two hour meeting with Rick and Brannon. It was a very cordial meeting, but everything I said I am sure they did not like hearing. I would not liked to have heard it if someone came into my office and talked as bluntly as I was talking to them. Though again, it was done all cordially. After it was over I am sure they were uncomfortable, I was very uncomfortable, we shook hands, Rick said, "well, all interesting stuff, we’ll think it over," and I never heard from him again. That's the whole story and it's barely a blip in anyone's lives, it has no impact whatsoever on the franchise. It's just something that happened.

TW: What do you think of the future of the franchise? Does the franchise need a break?

IB: What I think doesn’t matter, we live in a capitalist society where it’s all about making money and that’s the bottom line and STAR TREK, no matter how many barnacles are attached to the hull of the franchise, is still a big behemoth moving forward sluggishly or not. And they are just gonna keep the ship afloat and plug the holes and keep on going. Yes, in a perfect world would it be nice to rest it? But Berman’s been doing this for 15, 16 years; what, is he going to turn around and do something else now? Why?

It’s a cash cow, so look here’s the bottom line from my tiny little view: whatever is good for the franchise is good for DEEP SPACE NINE. If the franchise is considered a joke and loses touch with the genre fans and the creative zeitgeist, it’s bad for DEEP SPACE because it’s just another lumpy STAR TREK series. If the franchise is considered viable and entertaining and interesting and a flagship in pop culture, people will be drawn to check it out and they'll look at DEEP SPACE NINE and I think they'll be intrigued. I want the franchise to do well, that’s beyond any personal feelings about anything else.

TW: You also consulted on an early draft of Michael Piller's INSURRECTION.

IB: He asked me to read the first draft, which was a first draft, and he asked me to come in and give him notes. I came in and, most people who know me know that I wear sunglasses a lot, and I sat down and took off my sunglasses and put on my regular glasses and when I did that, Michael claims he thought, "oh my god, he’s taken off his sunglasses. I’m really in trouble!", which is very cute. Michael is very near and dear to me, one of my oldest compadres in Los Angeles and I love the guy. It was a first draft and I gave him notes and he agreed with a lot of them, I wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t know or suspected. He wrote some book about it that never got published about the whole experience. But that's what happens when you're a big part of the corporate structure--you can only have positive news stories and positive recollections, unless you're a disgruntled actor.

TW: You're now working on DR. VEGAS with Rob Lowe. What is it about Vegas that inspired you to create a whole Vegas universe inside STAR TREK and now are writing in the real Vegas?

IB: It’s real simple: it’s a double whammy. I loved the original OCEAN’S ELEVEN, I saw it when I was a kid and I loved it then, but I never was involved with the culture more than that. I just loved that movie, as bad as it might be. As I got older I finally did come to the whole Sinatra, Dean Martin, that whole style. That whole world finally opened up to me when I realized I could like things beside Iggy Pop and Bob Dylan.

And then my Dad was a gambler his entire life and in the last ten years of their lives my parents lived in Vegas so I was going with my family four or five times a year. So my kids know Vegas as well, which hotels, where to eat, which one’s kid friendly, which one isn’t. So the whole Vegas thing was something I got more and more into and was fascinated by and read a lot about. This idea of the holosuite which I thought wasn’t always used all that well, and the idea of what could be the thing you would least expect to see on a STAR TREK series is a Vegas rat-packer type giving advice about love and life to members of Starfleet, let alone Ferengi. It just became an idea that we toyed around with for a year and when we were heading toward the end of the line we just realized now or never, let’s just ******* do it. I know there were people who hated it, which is fine, and people who really dug it, which is even finer. That moment when Avery Brooks and Jimmy Darren were singing together, I knew the lunatics had taken over the asylum! We had a Starfleet captain, Starfleet god, basically, singing a duet with a holographic ball of light. It doesn't get better than that, at one level.