Right-on crew gets trekking

If you havn't discovered Star Trek: Deep Space Nine yet, shame on you. Not only is it beamed at you TWICE every weeknight (5pm, 10pm Sky One) but it is also the best Star Trek experience yet.

It is the first in the franchise to forego the "to boldly go" business at the start of each episode. This is mainly because it is set aboard an abandoned space station (ie, nobody is going anywhere). It also demonstrates some nous on the part of the producers who realise when all-important brand recognition is in risk of becoming self parody.

The Starfleet's role in this case is as a futuristic UN, forced to mediate between the Bajorans and the Cardassians, two races attempting to reconcile following a long war. There is something darker about DS Nine than its predecessors; largely felt through a sense of tension between members of the crew. And to keep it really in tune with modern-day America, the commander is a single-parent while the chief engineer struggles to keep a dysfunctional marriage together. Best of the bunch is Odo, the cynical head of security who can change shape (giving the makers a chance to show off some Terminator 2-style computer effects).

If you're into the Trek thing at all, grab your chance now. The next instalment in the series, Voyager, could just be, according to advance word, going where no turkey has gone before.