vacantlook
Super Moderator
I just finished watching tonight's TrekUncut on SpikeTV. The two episodes of Deep Space Nine shown tonight were "Homefront" and "Paradise Lost", and watching them struck me with how exceptionally similar to parts of Babylon 5 that DS9 is. Some similarity is going to exist between the two shows no matter what, but sometimes the quantity of similarities is astounding.
1. (The most obvious similarity
Set upon a space station with casinos and bars being a frequently visited location.
2. Long-distance spacial travelling through a tunnel-like event outside the station. (Wormhole; Jump Gate)
3. Commander/Captain who's lost a wife. (Sisko; Sheridan)
4. Commander/Captain who has special religious significance to an alien race of prominent importance to the existance of the space station. (Sisko to the Bajorans; Sinclair and to a lesser extent Sheridan to the Minbari)
5. Captain's onscreen relationship with his parents is shown solely through his father.
6. Tension due to racial issues regarding one promient alien race that imprisoned another promient alien race. (Cardassians imprisoned the Bajorians; Centauri imprisoned the Narn)
7. Prominent alien race who hold creating and maintaining order to be a primary goal. (The Founders; Vorlons)
8. Prominent alien race infiltrates/gains major influence over Earth goverment. (The Founders; Shadows)
9. A pilot episode that has a plot hit-point revolving around shapeshifting. (Odo being a changeling and using that ability to stop a crime; A Minbari using a changeling-net to commit crime)
10. The Captain coming to possess and use an agile prototype ship for missions away from the station. (The Defiant; The White Star)
11. The series ends with the Captain surrounded by light in relation to his death. (Sisko with the Prophets in the Wormhole; Sheridan with Lorien)
And the two TrekUncut episodes that were on tonight alerted me to the following:
12. The President on Earth declaring martial law. (Jaresh-Inyo; Clark)
13. A human conspires to seize control of the government away from the President for himself by placing people loyal to him in possitions of power. (Admiral Leyton from Jaresh-Inyo; Clark from Santiago) Interesting to note that Leyton is played by Robert Foxworth, the man who played General Hague on Babylon 5.
14. "Strengthening Earth" is a reason given for declaration of martial law and the take-over/attempted take-over of Earth government.
15. Characters wrestle with the concept of following the chain of command and obeying orders when those orders violate their principles. (Sisko and Commander Benteen; Sheridan and his crew)
16. Characters wrestle with the concept and eventuality of having to fire on their own ships. (Commander Benteen and Worf; Sheridan and numerous others)
I haven't even bothered to think more deeply about this; these are all points that sprung to mind after watching two episodes tonight and remembering a few other episodes I'd seen in the past. Now, I love Deep Space Nine, and I obviously love Babylon 5, so I'm not exactly complaining about the similarities, but I think realizing the quantity of similarities just struck me as considerable tonight after watching "Homefront" and Paradise Lost."
1. (The most obvious similarity
Set upon a space station with casinos and bars being a frequently visited location.2. Long-distance spacial travelling through a tunnel-like event outside the station. (Wormhole; Jump Gate)
3. Commander/Captain who's lost a wife. (Sisko; Sheridan)
4. Commander/Captain who has special religious significance to an alien race of prominent importance to the existance of the space station. (Sisko to the Bajorans; Sinclair and to a lesser extent Sheridan to the Minbari)
5. Captain's onscreen relationship with his parents is shown solely through his father.
6. Tension due to racial issues regarding one promient alien race that imprisoned another promient alien race. (Cardassians imprisoned the Bajorians; Centauri imprisoned the Narn)
7. Prominent alien race who hold creating and maintaining order to be a primary goal. (The Founders; Vorlons)
8. Prominent alien race infiltrates/gains major influence over Earth goverment. (The Founders; Shadows)
9. A pilot episode that has a plot hit-point revolving around shapeshifting. (Odo being a changeling and using that ability to stop a crime; A Minbari using a changeling-net to commit crime)
10. The Captain coming to possess and use an agile prototype ship for missions away from the station. (The Defiant; The White Star)
11. The series ends with the Captain surrounded by light in relation to his death. (Sisko with the Prophets in the Wormhole; Sheridan with Lorien)
And the two TrekUncut episodes that were on tonight alerted me to the following:
12. The President on Earth declaring martial law. (Jaresh-Inyo; Clark)
13. A human conspires to seize control of the government away from the President for himself by placing people loyal to him in possitions of power. (Admiral Leyton from Jaresh-Inyo; Clark from Santiago) Interesting to note that Leyton is played by Robert Foxworth, the man who played General Hague on Babylon 5.
14. "Strengthening Earth" is a reason given for declaration of martial law and the take-over/attempted take-over of Earth government.
15. Characters wrestle with the concept of following the chain of command and obeying orders when those orders violate their principles. (Sisko and Commander Benteen; Sheridan and his crew)
16. Characters wrestle with the concept and eventuality of having to fire on their own ships. (Commander Benteen and Worf; Sheridan and numerous others)
I haven't even bothered to think more deeply about this; these are all points that sprung to mind after watching two episodes tonight and remembering a few other episodes I'd seen in the past. Now, I love Deep Space Nine, and I obviously love Babylon 5, so I'm not exactly complaining about the similarities, but I think realizing the quantity of similarities just struck me as considerable tonight after watching "Homefront" and Paradise Lost."
