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Television: 'DS9' voyage comes to conservative close
Friday, June 04, 1999 By Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV Editor
Much as I enjoyed the complex storytelling of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and greatly as it pains me to write this, tonight's two-hour series finale disappoints.
In "What You Leave Behind," airing at 11 p.m. on WCWB (Channel 22), the writers juggle multiple storylines, bring closure to several relationships -- and then there's the little matter of wrapping up the war between the Federation and the Dominion alliance. Even over the course of two hours, that's a lot to do.
The last "DS9" is similar to the final episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in that both give their respective series a sense of closure while allowing for the continuation of future adventures. However, given the unlikelihood of a "DS9" movie, a more concrete ending would have made sense.
The last "DS9" sends several characters packing for new locales with the requisite montage sequence of scenes from episodes past (goofiest omission: Worf remembers moments from his four years on the station but fails to recall his marriage to Jadzia and her subsequent death), but there's not a real sense of "that's all folks." It's more like, "See ya later."
Many of the characters meet their expected fates, but there are some surprises regarding the paths chosen by regulars.
Capt. Sisko (Avery Brooks) completes his task as the emissary, the chosen one who communicates with the gods of Bajor, and several characters get promotions or new jobs.
Fans are sure to get a charge out of the well-choreographed space battles, and they'll be moved by the quieter moments between various pairs. There's also a celebratory toast that's sure to leave some misty-eyed.
"No matter what the future holds, a part of us will always remain here on Deep Space Nine," Sisko tells his crew.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the script by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler is that it doesn't stretch. As last episodes go, this is fine, but it doesn't strive to be groundbreaking, which was to be expected given all the risks producers took during the show's seven seasons in first-run syndication.
So the series concludes with many things as they were when the show began. I'm certainly a fan of circular story construction -- it was perfect for the last "Next Generation" episode -- but with "Deep Space Nine" I had hoped for a more daring end.
'BUFFY' PRE-EMPTION: I've heard from plenty of people miffed that The WB pulled the season finale of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" due to concerns about the depiction of school violence. In "Graduation Day Part 2" the evil town mayor turns into a serpent and attacks graduating seniors.
While I understand the pre-emption, I'm not sure what the story of a student saving her classmates from a demon has to do with the Columbine shootings. More importantly, it concerns me that WB executives waited until the last minute to pull the episode. I kept hearing radio spots for the season finale the day it didn't air.
That makes me think execs purposefully waited until the last minute to cancel the episode so commercials would still air and viewers would tune in unawares, driving up the ratings on the second to the last day of sweeps.
The season finale will be rescheduled for later this summer, but so far The WB hasn't announced any dates.
To add insult to injury, the "Buffy" finale aired as scheduled in gun-hating, peace-loving Canada.
"We screened the show, and it didn't seem to us that it was related in any way to the [Columbine tragedy]," said the general manager of an Ontario TV station in the New York Post.
NEW GIG: Former KDKA news director Sue McInerney has set up shop as a talent agent based in Pittsburgh. McInerney left KDKA to go to WFOR in Miami in 1997 and quit there late last year.
"My first priority was to come back to family and friends," she said. "There's no question I certainly considered becoming a [TV station] general manager, but once I moved from Pittsburgh, I realized Pittsburgh is really where I belonged. So I gave up any aspirations in that direction and made a decision that my family came first, and I don't have any regrets."
McInerney's agency will concentrate solely on on-air TV news personalities.
McInerney said agents work for a fee as a placement service for TV anchors and reporters, attempting to find them jobs in ever-larger television markets. Agents usually are paid between 6 and 10 percent of their client's salary.
"What I intend to offer is obviously my background," she said. "I came from the newsroom side of things, and while I'm not the only [agent with that background], I'm one of the few."
Rob Owen can be reached at 412-263-2582 or by e-mail at: rowen@post-gazette.com
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