What I always notice during the credits are the small glitches and distortions at the very end, just before the next episode starts. As far as I know, they still haven’t managed to create an HD version of the DVDs or VHS tapes. There was a project that impressively demonstrated how it’s not all that complicated or difficult, but the distributor hasn’t made the effort to this day. By now, especially since Star Trek: Lower Decks, it should be well known how popular DS9 is.
Another point that stands out with this quality is the exterior shots, for example, when the station is shown or shuttles take off from their respective bays. Here, too, you can see slight distortions in the image, especially when edges are overly illuminated. This also happens occasionally when filming screen displays, particularly when the screens are in the background or during motion shots on the Ops.
In the early episodes, the makeup for some characters is still settling in. This is especially noticeable with Odo, Quark, and occasionally Kira, where you can tell that as the series progresses, the routine of applying makeup and prosthetics improves, resulting in everything looking a bit smoother and more refined.
Due to the age of the series, we’re still in the standard 4:3 television format. I believe this also affects how much space characters have to move within a scene, making them stand very close together. Otherwise, if the camera zoomed out to spread them farther apart, they would appear too small within the frame. This is particularly noticeable in conversations between Odo and Sisko, especially since neither has fully settled into their roles with each other or on the station yet. (Thankfully, this resolves itself quickly.)
The episode Vortex made me chuckle because I’d never noticed it before. It’s a strong homage to the second Star Trek movie, The Wrath of Khan. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few shots were recycled here. I thought it was a lovely detail!
Otherwise, we’re still in the phase of establishing the individual characters, their backstories, and the history of the station itself. It’s interesting to see how new elements are blended with familiar characters and series. The Q episode, for example, makes this particularly clear. Also, we learn a lot about the species living together on DS9 and, because of the wormhole into the gamma quadrant, there are a lot more species die discover.
It still feels like coming home after a long, long journey through unfamiliar territories. But now, we’re back on the station, which has become our home after spending so much time here.
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