| Review : |
The Nitpickers Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers is an interesting book that shows us that even though Star Trek through the years has certainly been of a high production quality, mistakes are made. This book follows three other nitpickers guides for the Original Series and The Next Generation respectivly (TNG had two volumes split between the seasons). The book is a good read due to the author's witty and often comical writing style. The book is divided into episodes and each episode has a few different categories. These categories consist of Plot Oversights, Changed Premises, Equipment Oddities, and Continuity and Production Problems. Plot Oversights generally list things that seemed to be overlooked within the plot of the episode. For instance in the episode "Paradise", Sisko and O'brien pick up human life signs on the surface of a planet, but they can't comminicate with them due to a low-level duonetic field that may be blocking communications. Their response is to beam down, but once they get there they can't communicate with the runabout to beam up, well duh!. Changed Premises consist of inter-episode contradictions. For example, in the episode "Heart of Stone", Nog states that he wants to join Starfleet because like his father, he doesn't have the lobes for business. Two episodes later in "Prophet Motive", Rom manages to embezzle money from the Grand Nagus, clearly demonstrating his lobes. Equipment Oddities look at inconsistancies with the technology of Trek. One of the most common cases here involve the various doors of the Star Trek universe. Sometimes a door will open and then close when someone walks through it. Other times, when that person walks through, the door will open and stay open long enough for a conversation to be carried out. As soon as the conversation concludes and the indiviual exits, only then does the door close. Continuity and Production Problems involve actual errors in production such as cameras being visible on reflective surfaces, comm badges re-appearing after being removed just moments before, Matte paintings that have dipicted multiple planests over the years, ect. Though this is a book detailing errors in the show, don't for a moment think that the author is in any way bashing it. He is a dedicated fan and he often pays tribute to various memorable scenes and lines of dialogue within certain episodes. Occasionaly there is a 'Ruminations' section at the beginning of an episode as well. Here, Phil Farand will take note of things that aren't necessarily nits, but observations both good and bad. Finally, throughout the book there are verious 'fun things' to both take part in, and to read. In the middle and at the end of each season, there is one of these. A few examples are the top 10 reasons for Sisko shaving his head, and a list of all the various appearances of the number 47. As any Trek fanatic will tell you, this is a number that has popped up many times throughout Star Trek. Another example is the three Triathalon Trivia challenges in which you have to match a name, to a description, to an episode. Finally, each episode has its own interactive feature and that is in the form of two trivia questions. The main gripe I have about this book is the fact that it only involves the first four seasons of DS9. Apparently Pharand couldn't or wouldn't find time to make a second edition that would nitpick the final three seasons. Another issue involves the trivia questions. Often times the questions are about the little details that the casual viewer would never take note of. But when all is considered, the trivia stuff is a very minor part of the book. In all other areas, this is a fantastic read for the casual Trek fan and the hardcore fanatic alike. |
