If you had told me while I was watching DS9 for the first that the series NEEDED a character that was a holographic lounge singer who served as emotional support for the main characters I would have laughed. But sure enough...Vic came in and became the best recurring character on the show since Garak and Dukat.
My favourite episodes of DS9 are the ones with Vic Fontaine. He brought a massive new dimension to the series. Just look at the faces of the rest of the cast when he dueted with Avery Brooks. That wasn't acting, they were totally enthralled.
My Grandmother would watch this show with me because it was at the time one of the shows i watched, and this was her kind of music. I fell in love with the character Vic, and I think this is sorta where my grandmother and I bonded deeply in enjoying this. Here she was watching my sci fi nonsense and here I was watching and hearing music that she liked from a time in her past. I must of sang this song a hundred times in the next week lol. God I miss her, but I'm happy to remember.
On paper this episode is so insane. A hologram of a Dean Martin-pastiche teaches a crotchety alien the ways of love on a space station holodeck. Just the image of Odo miming on the piano in a tux should by all means be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever seen. But it isn’t. They play it so straight, and you just believe it. The character dynamics have been written so well over the past 6 seasons of tv that the whole thing just totally works. One of the greatest episodes of the show, beautiful television. I genuinely cried when Odo and Kira have their first kiss.
Funny thing about this is that Odo would have an easier time morphing into an automatic piano and playing the exact same song than he would sitting there and playing it.
I was watching TNG on TV and DS9 came on after that, i fell asleep during TNG and woke up to this part of DS9, at first waking up to this music was such a treat and open my eyes and said WTF.. whats ODO doing on TNG and on the piano?? then it hit me that i was watching DS9 and just loved this segment and this smooth style of music..
check out James Darren doing his song at the 2015 Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. the man is age less. he looks the same as his last appearance in 1999 in "Deep Space Nine" as "Vic Fontaine"
If you look the piano is playing itself and odo is super confused at first and then just rolls with the punches and I think it's the cutest and funniest thing
Ordinarily the "Vic Fontaine" character is like that little kid added to the Brady Bunch in its last season, ergo, a new and different character to revive interest in a TV series that's run its course. But in this case, James Darren's portrayal was so likeable that I wish they'd brought him in earlier. Just imagine, for example, him having to "hide out" during the temporary reoccupation by Cardassia/The Dominion of "Terek Nor". As for Rene Auberjonois "tickling the ivories"....be well there in the "Great Link, Odo!"
