As I’ve been approaching season seven of The Next Generation, I’ve been wondering what to do about Deep Space Nine. DS9 and TNG were on the air simultaneously, so I’ve been wondering how best to watch them, whether to finish all of TNG before starting the DS9 DVDs, or to interleave them in air order (either by disc or by episode, although the latter would probably require upping my Netflix subscription). Turns out the decision got made without my realizing it.
I had always assumed, because I sort of remembered it, that DS9 premiered the same time as TNG’s seventh season. So I was quite surprised to start watching “Birthright: Part 1” (episode 16 of season six) and find that it takes place at Deep Space Nine. It turns out—and I remember it now—that DS9 began to air in January 1993, about half way through season six. So I’ve been five episodes into Deep Space Nine and didn’t even know it. Oops. Guess I’ll keep watching TNG, then.