r/DeepSpaceNine • u/imgaming117 • 2d ago

I really liked "Fascination"

20 year old Star Trek fan here. I recently started watching through DS9 for the VERY FIRST time and I've been enjoying it quite a bit so far. Some of my favorite episodes include Duet, Armageddon Game, Whispers, The Search, Civil Defense…there's a lot of episodes I don't care for but now that I'm on season three the show seems to be in its groove.

Last night I watched S3E10 "Fascination" and it turns out it's ranked one of the worst?? It's one of my favorites of the season so far! I like it when Trek gets goofy and watching Odo interact with Lwaxana will never get old. Plus his reaction to Bashir and Kira in the infirmary is hilarious. I don't know, I liked it. But I also found a tad bit of enjoyment in "Move Along Home" and didn't care for "Second Skin" so maybe my taste is all messed.

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u/CatholicGeekery 2d ago

I liked it too, you're not alone. Lwaxana Troi seems a divisive character in general but I find her hilarious. Especially in DS9 which is often a more "serious" trek.

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u/Darth_Floridaman 2d ago

I think most of her hate comes from her time in TNG. She was SO difficult in that show.

That said, rewatching "Move Along Home" about six months ago and realized just how wonderful she could be. While I hate the game the rest of the crew must play, the scenes between Odo and Lwaxanna are so phenomenally written and acted, and it brings me to tears. Odi is SO closed off, and Lwaxanna is even moreso, in spite of never shutting up. It hurts beautifully seeing them open up to one another and maybe just for one instant - be themselves. Entirely.

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u/CatholicGeekery 2d ago

It probably helps that I watched DS9 before TNG, in that case! When she appeared on TNG I already had all the positive associations with her character.

She is definitely an annoying character, but she's annoying in exactly the way older and opinionated relatives can be, and that endears her to me.

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u/Darth_Floridaman 2d ago

Hahaha, so did you NOT hate the Ferengi episode with her in it from TNG? I am so glad DS9 took a second crack at Ferengi.

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u/CatholicGeekery 2d ago

Believe it or not, I did not hate it. It was incredibly stupid but at least it was funny. The only episodes I actively hate are those that are just dull.

The Ferengi are another area where I'm glad I watched DS9 first, the TNG version is a bit too silly.

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u/CatholicGeekery 2d ago

You're absolutely right about Lwaxanna being deceptively closed-off. She's uninhibited in her opinions moment-to-moment but doesn't often know how to express the deeper feelings beneath them. We all know people like that in real life, and it makes her character that much richer.