Been a big fan of Star Trek: Next Gen since I was a kid, and finally decided to start watching Deep Space Nine after hearing good things about it (and after finding a way to watch it for free). So far im loving it, and it does a lot of things better than Next Gen surprisingly! So what are your favorite episodes of Deep Space Nine?
Some of the less common entries have been mentioned (Far Beyond the Stars! No one ever mentions that one!) so I'll give some deeper cuts still. There are so. many. good episodes. I'll limit myself to ten.
Bar Association, where the employees of Quark's Bar form a union
Past Prologue, where Sisko, Bashir, and Jadzia are sent back in time (to 2024!) to a time where unemployment and wealth inequality have created abject poverty, to the point where the government just forgets about people
Prophet Motive, where the Grand Nagus becomes a socialist
For the Uniform, where Sisko chases Eddington throughout the galaxy and gives an order to fire weapons and Worf hesitates
Doctor Bashir, I Presume, where Bashir's genetically engineered nature is revealed to Starfleet
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges, where the military (Starfleet) ignores the law to do some espionage and cooperates with Section 31, turning a blind eye to the ally they got killed in the process
Wrongs Darker than Death or Night, where Kira (Nerys) learns what her mother (Kira Meru) sacrificed for her family
Homefront / Paradise Lost, where fear of a changeling invasion on Earth causes an admiral to go paranoid and fake an attack so he can declare martial law (pre-9/11!)
Covenant, a disturbingly realistic depiction of a cult
I made these choices because they illustrate how timeless the series is. There's a saying that good scifi isn't prescient, it's just aware, and that's true for DS9. All of these episodes could be made today and would be well-received. They are just as relevant today as they were 25-30 years ago. Just keep in mind that DS9 is a far darker series than you're used to with TNG. It is not afraid to talk about serious topics or use the language it needs to in order to get the point across (... thinking of Far Beyond the Stars in particular here).
And yes, DS9 is a hyperfixation of mine and has been for a very long time. I am always happy to talk more in depth about it, so please send me a message if you like :)
You know, 'In The Pale Moonlight' is always the default answer to this question, but I'm going to give two answers that I never see. These episodes are top for me for very different reasons.
First, 'It's Only A Paper Moon'. The episode where Nog is sinking into depression inside the holodeck after losing his leg in battle. This is the most realistic depiction of PTSD I have ever seen on TV. Usually in media PTSD is represented as literally flashes and hallucinations with the person becoming acutely unhinged. The reality is often a lot more subtle as the person withdraws to somewhere "safe". It takes the rest of the cast such a long time to even notice something is going on with Nog, which kind of feeds into the emtional isolation.
Second, 'House Of Quark'. A totally different tone than above, this episode is just so fun. No other Trek show could have pulled this off because it's about two alien species and cultures with very little interference from Starfleet human centered culture. Everything from the initial bar fight to Quark doing all his math for the Klingon council. It's all brilliant.
It's been a while since i watch DS9 but I do remember that, IMO, it improved a lot when they went from stand-alone episodes to stories which spread out over several episodes.
Hmm, “Duet” has already been mentioned, but the season 2 finale “The Jem’Hadar” is where the show really comes into its own for me. Also “Past Tense”, “Trials and Trible-ations”, “The Way of the Warrior”, and pretty much the entire last three seasons. Some fun one-offs would be “Our Man Bashir”, “Bada Bing Bada Bang”, and “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. Some more dramatic ones would include “The Siege of AR-558” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon”. Then of course “In the Pale Moonlight” and “Far Beyond the Stars” are some of the best in all of Star Trek.
Thank you so much for mentioning Far Beyond the Stars. No one ever mentions it and it is, sadly, still relevant. The racism, of course, but also the sexism, the infantalizing of people with (perceived) mental health problems, the blind pursuit of profit, all of it.
It's so impressive because not only did Avery have his on-screen role, he also directed it! So he was on stage, working, even in those few moments when he wasn't on camera. Only episode in Trek to use that word, too.
DS9 vs TNG is one of those great debates. Similar shows but went very different directions, where TNG you can drop in and watch in episode, DS9 broke the then startrek (and TV rule) that plotlines can not only seasons, but the entire show. I remember then TV execs thought that people didn't have attention spans that could handle long format shows.
Anyway, favorite episodes. It's hard because I don't want to give you spoilers! But the first time you visit the Ferengi homeworld with Quark. So ridiculous lol
I don't think I can put one show over the other (yet). Both have their pros and cons, one of them being the large overarching storyline but the show still has some fun individual episodes. And so far I love what they've done to the Ferengi. Quark has become one of my characters. The scene where he explains the Rules of Acquisition to a Romulan is so well written and acted.
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