Deep Space Nine Small Fandom Update

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the late start, although it's kind of appropriate considering this middle child of the Star Trek franchise rarely gets the attention it deserves.

nostalgia_lj wrote this fab overview for Deep Space Nine back in 2003, so I just have a couple of specs to add and some updated links before I start reccing.

Deep Space Nine was the only Trek series that figured out that it was a waste of time and dilithium crystals to boldly go looking for trouble, when trouble was perfectly willing to come to them.




DS9 is a space station parked beside a stable wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. The discovery of this wormhole was supposed to usher in an era of economic prosperity and scientific discovery for the planet Bajor and its Federation allies. Instead, it laid out the welcome mat for a genocidal race of shape-shifters who wanted to conquer the Alpha Quadrant with their homicidal evil clones. Whoops.

The Bajorans also believe that the wormhole is the Celestial Temple where their pain in the ass cryptic Prophets live. The Federation believes that the wormhole is where pain in the ass cryptic aliens live. Deus ex machina and wackiness ensue.

DS9's Federation personnel also get to play referee between the crinkle-nosed terrorist freedom-fighting Bajorans and the ridged-for-our-pleasure oppressive tough on crime Cardassians. Not surprisingly, things blow up both figuratively and literally.

Further, a cast of sexy alien and human regulars get tortured, liquored up, sexed up, and then tortured again for our weekly viewing pleasure. For more details, check out nostalgia_lj's highly entertaining cast summary here:

The Main Players

Since DS9 ended in 1999, numerous fanfic websites have been sucked into the wormhole never to be seen again. Fortunately some archives have survived to prevent classic DS9 fanfic from going gently into that good night.

DS9 Archives:
Bajorama
Better Living Through TrekStories
Kinky Corner: Deep Space Nine
Remember Us: Deep Space Nine
Trekiverse: Deep Space Nine

Garak/Bashir Archives:
Cardassia Sutra
The Garak/Bashir Fuh-q Fest
Strange Fits of Passion

Other DS9 Archives:
Odo’s Padd
The Worf Dax Fanfic Archive

Deep Space Nine love is also alive and well in a number of active ljs and yahoo groups.

Livejournals:
Cardassian_Lust
Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Stillness
Doctor_Tailor
DS9-A-Go-Go
DS9 Icons
A Stitch in Time

Yahoo Groups:
Fans of Deep Space Nine Club
Garak/Bashir

There are also numerous individual sites and ljs out there. crack_van recommendations are a great place to start your search.

If you know of any other active multi-author DS9 archives, live journals or yahoo groups, please tell me and I’ll add them to this update over the month.

Elizabeth "Putting the Ass in Cardassian since 2002" Helena

Comments

[tiggymalvern.livejournal.com]

Ah, DS9! By far the best of the Trek franchise, because it dared to be dark and ambiguous, because it had a crazy individualistic commander who occasionally decided to screw Starfleet's directives, but most of all, because it had a real, honest to god, moving on from week to week PLOT.

Oh, DS9, has it really been almost 10 years? Oh, how I miss thee....

[time-testudinem.livejournal.com]

I must say that I just adore that icon. Best description of DS9 ever. I was never a hugh fan of the show, but the potential for fic is great. Can't wait to see what you bring for us.

[lothy.livejournal.com]

I agree! Gorgeous icon, elizabethhelena!

IMO, DS9 is easily the best of the Trek shows (and the only one I've started buying on DVD). It didn't have the best individual episodes (those were mostly TNG) but the overall quality of the show was much better (TNG balanced its great eps with some total rubbish). Great plot arcs, well developed characters and some of the best SF-tv-show treatments of things like war and religion outside Babylon 5.

[twigged.livejournal.com]

Would you prominently link to the original overview at the top of your post? I will memory this post as the new overview post. Thanks!

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. DS9's strong suit was it's willingness to look at the dark and ambiguous nature of both the universe and the Federation itself, and its kickass leadership (and second in command).

Thanks for commenting.

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

Bless your heart. Give Sisko his dues, it took balls of steel to park the station where he did. :-)

All of my icons are created by the talented myrebelcat. She's highly tolerant of my strange requests.

I'll be reccing mostly oldies but goodies, but even if you don't like the fics I choose, it'll give you great places to search for more. Thanks for commenting.

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

Bless your heart, too. As I told time_testudinem, it's my talented friend myrebelcat who takes my bizarre ideas and makes them into beautiful icons.

While my heart will always belong to Spock, and my lust to Jean Luc Picard, Deep Space Nine is my favourite Trek. And I wholly agree with you, it's the show's treatment of issues like religion and war that make it a standout. I really have to get off my butt and stop subsisting on my old VHS tapes and buy the DVDs.

Thanks for commenting!

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

Okay, I made the change. Please let me know if you need anything else added. Thank you very much.

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

I just came down with the stomach flu last night. I have one more story and I really want to recommend some vids tomorrow, but I doubt I'll be feeling well enough. Is there any possibility I can get an extension until Sunday night?

[twigged.livejournal.com]

Sorry you're not feeling well! I'm sorry but our policy is not to grant extensions. We get requests every month and it would be difficult to juggle overlapping posting access. We've also got another DS9 reccer scheduled in November. But please sign up for another month!

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

I understand. It was just my bad luck that the flu and Friday vid rec day all landed on the last day of the month.

But I'm elated to hear there's another DS9er lined up for November. And I'm definitely contemplating volunteering again, it was a lot of fun. I've already found another DS9 archive!

Thanks for all your help.

[telemicus]

wooo DS9! I am still so obsessed with this show, I go all aflutter to see it mentioned. Thanks for doing this!

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. It was a lot of fun, so I'll definitely be doing it again. Especially as I got sick on the last Friday of the month, and didn't get to recommend even one vid. :-(

Love your icon!