And now: the third season. This post is a few days late because I was running from the truth. And the truth, Internet, is that I want you to watch every episode. The first episode I cut from the list was a relatively easy call. The second broke my heart a little. By the third, I was at a total loss. I just started hacking and slashing the things I love. I cut an episode with Garak in it. Ignore this post, Internet. Watch it all.
3×01-02: The Search parts 1& 2:
Part 1 of this pair is about the futility of bargaining with any organization that calls itself something like The Dominion, and also about the social dynamics of a pudding-based species. Part 2 is an episode about how everyone subconsciously trusts and respects Garak, but is too shy to tell him so. Once again, I am not even making this up.
These episodes whittle further down to the core of these characters, to how ugly they can be, how obstinate, and how morally courageous. Most importantly, we get to meet the USS Defiant. Just don’t get too attached.
Thankfully, it has a hot twin.
3×03: The House of Quark:
I’m just going to spoil this because it’s amazing: Quark marries a Klingon. How can you not watch that, how, how, how, how.
How??
And in a sincerely unexpected twist, Doctor Bashir gives good relationship advice.
3×05: Second Skin:
This show is full of the loss, adoption, and construction of family, and this episode covers each of those bases. As Americans are about to remember on Thanksgiving, any good family reunion requires deception, yelling, the danger of physical violence, and Cardassians. At least, that’s what my Thanksgiving is going to be like.
Everyone is hotter as a Cardassian.
3×11-12: Past Tense parts 1&2:
Due to Science, Sisko and Bashir are sent back in time to attend Occupy San Francisco. Dax befriends Bill Gates.
Actually, you know what, I don’t want to be flippant about this one. If you’ve ever doubted that genre television can be socially and politically relevant, can be substantive, can be enduringly important, then watch these episodes.
“It’s not your fault that things are the way they are.” / “Everybody tells themselves that. And nothing ever changes.”
More importantly, if you can’t fathom why people protesting on the streets are worried, cynical, pessimistic, scared about the future, why they’re trying to do something to change it, then watch these episodes.
3×13: Life Support:
So for a while now Kira’s had this really boring boyfriend, and I’ve been ignoring him on account of how boring he is. In this episode, however, he’s actually likable! He’s especially likable at the end. Kai Winn helps his to become more likable, and so I like her more too! There’s a lot of liking going on in this one.
3×18: Distant Voices:
Bashir dreams extensively about growing old with Garak.
There’s some subtext.
And then this happens.
Look at this adorable bastard.
He has his napkin tucked into his collar, people. Elim Garak, former Cardassian oppressor, has tucked his napkin into his collar for the duration of this meal. This meal of Kraft Easy Mac and coffee. More than tucking, he has folded the napkin so that it doesn’t ruin the lines of his outfit, but rather forms a sort of napkin-cravat hybrid. Feared by the Federation, scorned by the Cardassian Empire, Elim Garak tucks and folds his napkin, savors his Easy Mac, and does not give a single fuck.
3×19: Through the Looking Glass:
We return to the land of everyone’s a huge slut! Sisko faces down Mirror! Bashir’s horrifying wig.
Why. Why. Why.
3×20-21: Improbable Cause and The Die is Cast:
God, these episodes. Especially in the first, there’s just not a moment wasted. Which is apt, in a two-parter that’s all about control. Odo and Garak, two characters near-pathologically obsessed with controlling how others see them, see each other get torn right down to the bones. It’s brutal. It’s essential.
Oh, and in Garak’s absence, Bashir tries to see other people. It’s rough.
What an unclassy way to tuck your napkin, Chief.
3×23: Family Business:
Quark’s mom has got it going on.
3×25: Facets:
This cast, Internet. This cast is just having a ball and looking good doing it.
So it turns out that joined Trill all go through this ritualized therapy session where they commune with their past selves by allowing dead people to take over the bodies of their living friends. Human therapists, take note: this is a great practice!
Amidst these undead slug people, and the really very wonderful b-plot concerning Nog’s Starfleet aspirations, we have a simple story of people who just need to know that someone believes in them, in their potential certainly, but also in their present person, the worth of who they are in this moment. For all the talk that DS9 is the darkest Trek, episodes like this show its very Roddenberry, humanist heart.
3×26: The Adversary:
In which shit begins to get real.
From the first season to the last, there is a slow burn of building paranoia, and in this episode it begins to come into the forefront. In a great set-up for the fourth season, this episode pokes and jabs at the delicate trust that’s been built between the mixed Starfleet and Bajoran crew. The erosion of the Federation crew’s easy and passive morality begins. And a Bolian gets a speaking role.
You know. Briefly.
In the next post: WOORF! Dax’s ex-wife! Fake secret agents! Real secret agents! Garak wears a tuxedo! Dukat becomes a pirate! Bashir is the worst doctor ever! Sisko’s dead wife! Changelings everywhere! WOOOOOORF!
Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Quark which Rules of Acquisition are the best. There are too many that lead to profit to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the best episodes from DS9.
The Visitor
The only episode of Deep Space Nine to be nominated for the Hugo Award, “The Visitor” is a story that works with or without the Star Trek elements, and that makes it pure science fiction at its best. This account of Jake Sisko’s life following the apparent death of his father tugs on the heartstrings and effectively conveys to the viewer that enormous sense of loss, anguish, and guilt. Feeling responsible for the accident that caused Captain Sisko to lose his life, Jake spends years looking for a way to bring him back. He studies science at the cost of his writing career, his marriage, and his health. In the end he comes to find that only his own death can restore things to the way they were, and he sacrifices himself to save the person he loves most.
Far Beyond the Stars
In 1998, during Black History Month, DS9 aired one of the most creative stories in Star Trek history. Under the stress of the Dominion War, Sisko loses consciousness and finds himself in 1953 New York working as an SF writer named Benny Russell. “Far Beyond the Stars” is the tale of Russell’s struggle as a black writer in the 1950s who must conceal his identity and who fights to publish his story about a future space station and its black commander. More than just another commentary on racism, “Far Beyond the Stars” explores the feeling of insiginificance humanity faces as we learn how vast the universe really is, and delivers one of DS9’s most memorable quotes when the Preacher tells Benny “You are the dreamer—and the dream.” Without a doubt one of Star Trek’s finest moments.
Past Tense
Halfway through DS9’s third season came this two-part episode that was a glimpse of the greatness to come. Like “The City On the Edge of Forever” 28 years earlier, “Past Tense” tackles the issue of homelessness and poverty. But unlike TOS’s foray, “Past Tense” delves into the societal and governmental reaction to the problem, revealing the cold shoulder that most of the “haves” of the world turn on the “have-nots,” and the possible long-term consequences. The story is set in the year 2024—Sisko, Bashir, and Dax having been thrown back in time by a transporter malfunction—and thus says something about the urgency of the problem as it faces American society. Thrown into special “districts” of San Francisco—essentially walled prisons—people whose only crime is not having a job finally reach the breaking point and revolt. Caught in the middle, it is up to Sisko to protect the timeline when a historical figure is killed prematurely. Forgetting all the nonsense about the transporters and the timeline, no viewer can fail to stop, if only for a moment, and think about this injustice of our society. Effective storytelling.
Sacrifice of Angels
What appeared to be the culmination of the Federation-Dominion War proved to simply be one of several turning points in the conflict. Nevertheless, “Sacrifice of Angels” is about as exciting as they come and features special effects of a quality rarely seen on television (in those days). But beyond these fun superficial elements is a story a love, betrayal, and loss. As the long-lived tension between Gul Dukat and his daughter reaches its apex, it appears that a happy resolution is at hand when she admits that she loves him. At that moment we are granted a glimpse into the heart of an evil man, and see a tiny, flickering flame of goodness. But when it becomes clear that the title refers not to the destruction of the Prophets and the wormhole, but to the death of Ziyal at the hands of Dukat’s assistant, Damar, the house of cards comes tumbling down. In the end, one of the most powerful scenes in the Star Trek canon comes when a broken, dejected Dukat morosely returns Sisko’s baseball, saying only “I forgive you.”
Trials and Tribble-ations
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Trek, both DS9 and Voyager produced special episodes. And while Voyager’s “Flashback” was great, it was “Trials and Tribble-ations” that had its cake and ate it, too. Marrying the best of the past with the best of the present, DS9 used techniques perfected in Forrest Gump to send Sisko and crew back to Deep Space Station K-7 where they witness firsthand the events of the classic TOS episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.” The original Enterprise never looked so beautiful, and comic moments abound. One of the many highlights is when Worf is questioned about the difference in appearance between current Klingons and those of TOS. His response? “We do not discuss it with outsiders.” If you’ve never seen this one, do yourself a favor and watch it tonight. A fabulous tribute.
Other Favorites
In addition to these five, here are some other episodes that I consider the best of Deep Space Nine:
“A Time to Stand”
“Babel”
“Badda Bing-Badda Bang”
“Call to Arms”
“Crossover”
“Defiant”
“Doctor Bashir, I Presume?”
“Homefront”
“If Wishes Were Horses”
“In the Pale Moonlight”
“Little Green Men”
“Paradise Lost”
“Playing God”
“Rapture”
“Rejoined”
“Shattered Mirror”
“Tears of the Prophets”
“Through the Looking Glass”
“Visionary”
“What You Leave Behind”
“Whispers”
So those are my picks for the best of DS9. Certainly there are many others that I love and that are great examples of Star Trek. Think of this as a starting point. No doubt you’ll disagree with some of my picks, and you may even think I’m a Cardassian vole for leaving your favorite off the list. But that passion and debate is what has allowed Star Trek to endure for 45 years. So feel free to add to the comments* below and let me know which episodes are your favorites and why you love them.
Jennifer and Jake accompanied Ben on his assignment to the USS Saratoga, where she was killed when that ship was destroyed by the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367. Jennifer’s death devastated Ben and it would be years before he began to move on emotionally. In fact, his bitterness and anger over her death, specifically toward Captain Jean-Luc Picard, whom the Borg assimilated and forced to lead their invasion of Earth as Locutus, almost led him to resign his Starfleet commission, before he accepted that he was trying to escape his memories of Jennifer’s death rather than Starfleet itself. (DS9: “Emissary“, “The Way of the Warrior“)
Jennifer’s image was later used in a vision projected to Ben by the Prophets in 2369. (DS9: “Emissary“)
She was able to get her position as a scientist by coming from one of the few privileged Terran families and “cooperated” with Alliance officials.
She was married to CaptainBenjamin Sisko, but their relationship encountered a never-ending torrent of problems; such as Sisko’s liking of other women, fighting, his ship the Denorios, Sisko’s constant promise to change, never listening to her, never wanting to talk, caring only about himself etc. This led Jennifer to adopt a cold attitude and hard veneer towards him and they separated in 2366.
Five years later, Sisko began the Terran Rebellion, and IntendantKira Nerys of Terok Nor assigned her the task of creating a new transpectral sensor array that would allow Alliance ships to locate every rebel base in the Badlands and “disarm” the rebels. Jennifer, though knowing it was more likely the rebels would be massacred, felt upset over all the death and destruction the rebels had caused, the worsening treatment for the Terran population in response to the rebellion, especially the knowledge that Sisko himself was leading the rebellion.
This compelled her to work on the array, believing that the fighting must end and that the rebels could reach a peaceful settlement when confronted and life for Terrans everywhere could be improved.
The rebellion received word from their sources that Jennifer was nearly finished in her development of the array. To make sure Jennifer never finished the project and hoping to gain a rebel with knowledge, Sisko took a small fighter to Terok Nor convinced he could convince her to switch sides, but was intercepted by the Cardassians and killed. Jennifer felt nothing after hearing about his apparent death.
Suddenly, Sisko, seemingly alive and well, was captured after a second attempt to reach Terok Nor and summoned Jennifer as he wished to meet with her. During the argument, Sisko shook her to the core by pointing out she was a prisoner of the Alliance, but unlike the mine slaves, she didn’t know it.
When Sisko escaped and met Jennifer in a hallway, Jennifer decided to join the rebellion and escaped with Sisko off the station. Jennifer by this point, had realized that Sisko wasn’t her Sisko, and bid good-bye to him as he journeyed back to his universe. She later learned of Sisko’s true nature from Miles O’Brien. Jennifer, now serving the rebellion, used her knowledge to counteract the development of other Alliance weapons. (DS9episode: “Through the Looking Glass“)
In 2372, she aided in the development of the Defiant and helped create the strategy that eventually overcame the Alliance forces on Terok Nor, allowing the rebels to take the space station and capture Kira Nerys. Though Jennifer and Smiley were confident the Defiant would be ready for the imminent Alliance counterattack, the Defiant encountered several significant technical faults that prevented it from becoming operational..
Desperate for any ideas, Jennifer had the idea of recruiting Sisko, the USS Defiant‘s designer, to help complete the repairs by kidnapping his son, Jake Sisko. Jennifer then came to primary-Deep Space 9, using a multi-universal transporter, seemingly there to deliver the good news and to catch up with Sisko. Jake instantly bonded with Jennifer, and she used it to convince Jake to come with her to the Mirror Universe for a visit. Sisko later followed, and agreed to repair the Defiant in time for the attack.
Meanwhile, Sisko chastised her for using such unorthodox methods and demanded that she leave Jake alone, but refused as she had already grown feelings for him. It seemed future plans would be made between them, but the Alliance fleet arrived earlier than expected, so Sisko left to command the finished-Defiant while Jennifer escorted Jake to the transporter to transport him back to his universe. Before she could, however, Kira Nerys escaped rebel custody and held Jennifer and Jake hostage.
Kira intended to present Jennifer to RegentWorf as a gift while planning to kill Jake as she had no use for him. But just as she fired her phaser, Jennifer lept out in front of him and took the shot instead. Kira then fled the station while Jake got Jennifer to the infirmary. Jennifer shared one last talk with Sisko, where they admitted they loved each other, and she died. (DS9episode: “Shattered Mirror“)
Shortly after, Sisko met Fenna, who he told Jadzia Dax was the first person he’d “felt really drawn to” since Jennifer’s death. (DS9: “Second Sight“)
Fenna was the alter ego of Nidell who was created when Nidell lost control of her psychoprojective telepathy. Fenna was actually a being of pure energy, a doppelganger for Nidell.
He was surprised when he met Nidell on the Prometheus and found out what was happening. Her manifestation was killing Nidell due to the extreme stress of projecting Fenna. When Fenna realized she was a projection of Nidell, she returned to Nidell to save her life. (DS9: “Second Sight“)
When Ben began dating Kasidy Yates he was initially uncomfortable being with her, as it was his job that got Jennifer killed and he did not want the same to happen to her. (DS9: “Indiscretion“)
As their relationship went on, Yates decided to take an opportunity to work for the Bajorans. This allowed her to move to Deep Space 9 permanently. However, she also used this opportunity to smuggle cargo to the Demilitarized Zone for the Maquis.
In 2372, she unwittingly aided the Maquis in the theft of twelve industrial replicators that were intended for Cardassia. Yates was suspected of working for the Maquis by Odo and by Deep Space 9′s head of Starfleet security Michael Eddington, who was himself secretly working for the Maquis at the time. Yates was tricked into taking her ship on another smuggling run, drawing a suspicious CaptainSisko and the USS Defiant into the Badlands long enough for Eddington to defect to the Maquis with the replicators.
Yates accepted sole responsibility for her ship’s smuggling activities, and after allowing her crew to rejoin the Maquis she returned to Deep Space 9 to face punishment. She was sent to prison for her actions. (DS9: “For the Cause“)
After her release in 2373, Yates and Sisko picked up where they had left off, with Sisko accepting her back to the station and into his life without a second thought. (DS9: “Rapture“) Yates subsequently returned to work for the Bajorans.
In 2374, Yates agreed to act as convoy liaison officer aboard the Defiant while it served as escort for the PQ-1 convoy, as she knew many of the freightercaptains involved with the mission. However, she complained that she had no idea the job would involve writing twenty log entries a day and filling out formal reports for Starfleet every night. She joked that the reason she didn’t join Starfleet was because she couldn’t do the paperwork.
Yates was still present aboard the Defiant when it received a distress call from Captain Lisa Cusak, and she took part in shifts with the Defiant crew in keeping an open communication line to the stranded Captain. However, Sisko felt uncomfortable having Kasidy, a civilian, aboard the Defiant, and she was worried by his unfriendly behavior. He later apologized and promised to make it up to her over dinner. (DS9: “The Sound of Her Voice“)
In 2375, Sisko proposed to Yates, and she accepted, causing much celebration among the Bajoran people, who began to plan a grand wedding for their Emissary of the Prophets. (DS9: “Penumbra“) Sisko initially backed out of the marriage, having been warned by the Prophets that he and Kasidy could not walk the same path. Sisko decided to ignore the warning and the two were married by AdmiralWilliam Ross in a private ceremony on Deep Space 9. (DS9: “‘Til Death Do Us Part“)
The first few weeks of their marriage were not all clear sailing, however. Shortly after their wedding, Yates destroyed some of Sisko’s home-grown bell peppers in a failed attempt to cheer him up by cooking for him. Sisko attempted to keep Yates and her freighter out of the escalating Dominion War by having the Bajoran Freight and Shipping Authority take her off the active list, much to her annoyance; he later relented. (DS9: “The Changing Face of Evil“)
Later in 2375, Yates discovered that she and her husband were going to have a baby. The pregnancy was unplanned, and Sisko surmised that his last contraception injection must have expired without him returning to the infirmary for another. Yates worried that something might happen to the baby following the Prophets‘ earlier warning to Sisko that marrying Kasidy would bring him sorrow. Sisko reassured his wife that nothing would happen to their baby, giving her his word as the Emissary. (DS9: “The Dogs of War“)
During a battle with the Pah-wraith-possessed Dukat in the Bajoran Fire Caves, Sisko sacrificed his life to defeat the evil Kosst Amojan and joined the Prophets in the Celestial Temple, leaving Yates and their unborn child behind. Sisko later appeared to Kasidy in a vision, and promised her that he would be back, “maybe (in) a year, maybe yesterday.” (DS9: “What You Leave Behind“)
In the script of “Family Business“, in which Kasidy Yates first appears, she is described as “an attractive human woman in her mid-thirties. Kasidy is the captain of her own ship, an independent interstellar freighter, and she bears herself with the confidence befitting her position. She is, however, a civilian, which allows her to be a little more relaxed with her crew than if she were in Starfleet.”
According to Ronald D. Moore, Yates’ character was not developed initially with a Maquis affiliation in mind. The connection was pitched by a freelance writer. (AOL chat,1997)
Penny Johnson said of Yates, “She’s a woman who’s very strong in her beliefs, she’s good at what she does, she is a wonderful, extraordinary woman for Benjamin Sisko, she’s loving, romantic, I think she’s sexy, I think she’s powerful, I think she’s a wonderful role model, and her full arc is from seeing her just as a person to a woman to a blossoming lover, and then to a real friend for life.” (Hidden File 05, DS9 Season 7 DVD, Special Features)
Benjamin’s mentor during his younger days was TrillAmbassadorCurzon Dax. After meeting Dax on Pelios Station in the 2350s, Dax and Sisko were close for almost twenty years. While defending Dax against charges of murder in 2369, Sisko described the Trill’s influence on him: “[He] taught me to appreciate life in ways I’d never thought about before. He taught me about art, and science and diplomacy. Whatever sense of honor I have today, he nurtured.” (DS9: “Dax“)
When Curzon died in 2367, his symbiont was passed on to a woman named Jadzia. Despite the new appearance of Dax, Sisko insisted on calling her “old man.” (DS9: “Emissary“) Though it was initially difficult for him to adjust to Dax’s new appearance, Jadzia and Sisko became friends again quickly. (DS9: “A Man Alone“)
Sisko soon considered Jadzia one of his closest friends. On at least two separate occasions, when faced with the possibility of her death, Sisko did whatever it took to save her. (DS9: “Invasive Procedures“, “Equilibrium“) When Jadzia called off her wedding to Worf in 2374, it was Sisko who told her that she was being unreasonable, finally convincing her to proceed with the nuptials. (DS9: “You Are Cordially Invited“)
Jadzia was killed by Gul Dukat later that year, and Sisko was forced to say goodbye to her. Taking a moment before her funeral, Sisko told her that he needed her most now, and painfully regretted that she was gone. (DS9: “Tears of the Prophets“)
Soon after graduating the Academy in 2354, Ben met his future wife Jennifer on Gilgo Beach on Earth. Sisko was carrying lemonades through the hot sand and stopped on Jennifer’s towel to cool his feet. When Jennifer learned that Sisko was a young ensign, she was reluctant to go out with him, because her mother had warned her about dating young ensigns. However, she relented, and her mother turned out to love Sisko. The two were married, and their son Jake was born a year later. Jennifer and Jake accompanied Sisko on his assignment to the USS Saratoga. When the ship was destroyed in a battle with the Borg, Jennifer was killed. (DS9: “Emissary“)
A woman named Fenna was Sisko’s first attraction after his wife’s death. In 2370, Sisko met her on the Promenade and was instantly taken with her. Unfortunately, he later discovered that Fenna was only a mental projection of Nidell, a telepathic woman married to ProfessorGideon Seyetik. (DS9: “Second Sight“)
Sisko was introduced to Kasidy Yates in 2371 by his son. The two began dating after they discovered a shared interest in baseball. (DS9: “Family Business“) Yates later began smuggling supplies to the Maquis, and Sisko was forced to arrest her in 2372. (DS9: “For the Cause“) After Yates served her sentence, she returned to Deep Space 9 a year later, and the two resumed their relationship. (DS9: “Rapture“)
The two were engaged in 2375. (DS9: “Penumbra“) The Prophets warned Sisko that the two were not destined to walk the same path, causing Ben to call off the wedding; however he soon relented and the couple was married in a small ceremony conducted by Admiral William Ross. (DS9: “‘Til Death Do Us Part“) Shortly thereafter, Kasidy became pregnant. (DS9: “The Dogs of War“) After being taken by the Prophets to the Celestial Temple, Sisko appeared to Kasidy in a vision, telling her that he would someday return, and that he loved her. (DS9: “What You Leave Behind“)
I have a confession to make: I love Deep Space Nine.
I don’t know what I was doing when I first saw Man Trap or Encounter at Farpoint or Wrath of Khan, but I can tell you exactly what I was doing when I saw Emissary. I was 12 years old sitting in my room huddled with my sisters and my Dad around a 13″ B&W tv, the only one we had that had an antenna.
Why did we need an antenna? Because the only station that was broadcasting Deep Space Nine on that January night was in Dallas, and it was a hell of a chore to line up those rabbit ears. Luckily the local CBS affiliate picked it up the next week so I got to see the Wormhole open up in all it’s glory.
From that point on, for seven years, every Saturday night at 10:35 I was hooked.
More than TOS, more than Next Generations, DS9 is Star Trek in my eyes.If has everything that I love about Science Fiction: Aliens, Social Allegory, Space Battles, Random Technobable (admittedly less so than in TNG)… and eventually I will go into great detail about Deep Space Nine, but today I’ll just go into the Nine best story arcs, in my opinion, of the whole seven season run:
These are presented in no particular order…
1. The Ferengi
This is probably better described as Quark’s Arc. It has been often reported that the Ferengi were meant to be a serious antagonist to the Federation in TNG, a race whose driving philosophy was diametrically opposed to Starfleet’s utopian ideals. An off hand remark in Encounter at Farpoint and a true introduction in The Last Outpost did set up conflict, but the characterization by Armin Shimerman is laughably sinister.
It’s a Bald Off, bring it Pee-card!
Probably the lamest enemy ever introduced in the history of television. – Wil Wheaton
And he’s right, the Ferengi of TNG were, for lack or a better word, lame.
But, that’s okay, they gave us the Borg as penance… until Voyager ruined them.
That could have been all there was for the Ferengi if it hadn’t been for a hole in the plot of DS9. The problem of setting you series on a space station that is… well stationary, is that you can’t go out and get your villains, they either have to come to you or be there already. This is where Ferengi greed really came into it’s own.
Armin Shimerman, one of the Ferengi from The Last Outpost was cast as the quintessential Ferengi as they would appear in all future incarnations: greedy, self serving and cowardly, but also strangely noble, and honest (in their own way) and above all prescient. Through-out DS9 the Ferengi are shown to be put down by everyone, detested and scorned, but also absolutely essential to galaxy.
The Ferengi start out as one dimensional rogues, cheats and scoundrels but as viewers move through the series we are introduced to a vibrant thriving culture thousands of years old with ideals as strongly held as any other race. The Rules of Acquisition are more binding to the Ferengi than logic to a Vulcan. Success in Business more important than Death in Battle for a Klingon. And the Grand Nagus more revered than the Bajoran Kai.
Other races may have gotten more screen time, and greater focus in the primary plots, but the Ferengi were always there, in the background. At times comic relief or minor antagonists, but ever-present.
I’d recommend (re)watching the entirety of Deep Space Nine, paying careful attention to the way the Ferengi interact with each other and other races. There are too many good moments hidden in otherwise unrelated episodes to make a specific list, but some good ones are: The Nagus, Rules of Acquisition, Necessary Evil, Rivals, Profit and Loss, The House of Quark, Prophet Motive, Family Business, Bar Association, Ferengi Love Songs, The Magnificent Ferengi and Profit and Lace. Wow that is a long list and it still leaves two of the best scenes from Quark out… so here they are:
At the beginning of the second season, DS9 did something that Star Trek hadn’t tried before, a three episode, fully contained story arc. It was a story that could only have been told by DS9 at the time. TNG’s style of story telling made long story arcs difficult to set up and the syndication deal meant that it was highly unlikely that beyond the first run broadcast the three episode would play together, leaving the viewers that caught the show on the second or third run could be lost or confused.
TNG was the Flagship series at the time, and that meant it had a higher burden to remain profitable in syndication. DS9 was never, even after TNG ended, the Flagship, as Voyager quickly filled that spot as a network show.
Real Actors!!!!
Without that burden DS9 could experiment, and do so wonderfully. The Story is set up in a variant of the three act structure, with each episode representing one act. The First episode, Homecoming, sets up the main players, those we know from the Main Cast and those that would play a leading role in the arc. Strong performances from Frank Langella, Louise Fletcher and Stephen Macht drive the story forward. Fletcher reprising her role from In the Hands of the Prophets as Winn would go on to be a recurring antagonist in later seasons. Homecoming would also introduce The Circle, xenophobic extremists, pursuing a campaign to purge non-Bajorans from Bajor. A sentiment that echoes the previous episode, Past Prologue.
The xenophobia is also presented in scenes where Jake is stood up by a Bajoran girl whose father will not allow her to date a non-Bajoran and when Quark is branded with the icon of The Circle.
In the second episode, The Circle, the rising conflict has Kira shipped off to Bajor, later to be kidnapped by The Circle, and Quark discovering that the extremist are buying up enough weapons to over through the Provisional Government. Weapons it is discovered are being supplied from an alien source.
While on Bajor, Kira has her first direct contact with the Prophets and begins her relationship with Vedek Bareil. The episode ends with Kira’s rescue from The Circle and assault ships headed to the Station.
I won’t spoil the last episode, though the title should tell you a great deal of what happens, The Siege.
I cannot recommend this story arc enough, in fact I would recommend skipping the first season until after watching this arc. Some events from the first season will be spoiled, but this is stronger than all but one episode from the first season, Duets.
This recommendation is actually very similar to the Ferengi, in that since Odo is a Changeling there is one in every episode, but the two races are handled in completely different ways.
At their best the Changelings are mysterious and insidious agents sowing chaos through out the Alpha Quadrant (Homefront, Paradise Lost, Apocalypse Rising). At their worst, their despotic conquerors (Call to Arms, A Time to Stand). Originally, I had titled this section The Dominion and then The Dominion War, before narrowing down to focus on just the Changelings. You can’t talk about the Vorta without spending days on Weyoun or the Jem’Hadar without their chemical dependencies.
The best episodes to focus on the Changelings are The Search Parts 1 & 2, Homefront, Paradise Lost, Apocalypse Rising and the entirety of season 7. This is probably going to the be the shortest section as there is far to much to say about the Changelings and the Dominion. From the third season forward everything was centered the Changelings.
The Bajorans are very, very religious, this is well established in Emissary and In the Hands of the Prophets. The Prophets, the Wormhole Aliens, are the gods of the Bajoran people. The Prophets are non-linear lifeforms that actually built and live in the wormhole. They also sent Orbs to the people of Bajor to guide the Bajorans in their worship if the Prophets.
Now here’s where everything takes a turn for the Judeo-Christian, the Prophets have enemies. Evil spirits called Pah Wraiths. The Pah Wraiths are just as powerful as the Prophets, though less numerous, and are just as willing to roll full steam over anyone that gets in their way.
Though the Pah Wraiths only appear in a handful of episodes, where they do it is made very clear that the Prophets have set in motion the majority of events in Sisko’s life to force him to battle the Pah Wraiths.
Pah Wraiths bringing the smack down.
Even possessing his mother so that he will be conceived. The Pah Wraiths are so hardcore the Prophets conceived a child so that he would grow up to find an Orb to release a trapped Prophet to defeat the Pah Wraiths in just one battle.
General Martok, as he was known throughout the majority of his appearances in DS9, was a lead General of the Klingon Defense Forces. He was introduced in the the fourth season episode Way of the Warrior. From the beginning he is presented as a bad-ass, even ready to slice his own hand open to prove he’s not a Changeling. He lead the invasion of Cardassia and pressed Chancellor Gowron to attack DS9.
And that was just the Changeling version of Martok, the real Martok was a much bigger BMF.
While the Changeling Martok was in the Beta Quadrant waging war, the real Martok was single-handedly beating the ketracel-white out of a company of Jem’Hadar, and doing it with one eye. He kept fighting until getting the Mick treatment when Worf arrived to take his place.
Even after escaping the detention asteroid and adopting Worf, he still felt the need to prove himself awesome, taking command of the worst ship in the Klingon Fleet, the Rotarran as his flagship. The Rotarran by simply being around Martok became unstoppable, even against the Breen Super Weapon.
It’s the ship with Bad Ass Mother***ker painted on the hull.
This is where Martok drinks on a Saturday night.
Commanding this ship throughout the rest of the Dominion War, all the way to Cardassia Prime.
After the defeat of the Dominion he was the only Commander Klingon enough to drink to the Victory.
Start with Martok’s first appearance in The Way of the Warrior, then skip to Apocalypse Rising, In Purgatory’s Shadow and By Inferno’s Light. These episodes form a good base for the Martok story line, after this he becomes a more recurring character and spreads his development out across 30+ episodes.
Soldiers of the Empire focuses on Martok taking command of the Rotarran. You Are Cordially Invited shows Martok’s relationship with his wife. Once More Unto the Breach has a bit of back story about Martok. Tacking Into the Wind Martok becomes Chancellor of the Klingon Empire.
The thing that I thought they did so well with Nog was that they didn’t make him perfect. He joined Starfleet with the determination and the tenacity to succeed, but he didn’t always make the right decision, but he always kept trying again. And I always felt that Nog was one of the most human characters on that show. – Aron Eisenberg
This is as good a time to address the elephant in the airlock, I do not think that all of DS9 is good. I do like the vast majority of the episodes, and more DS9 than the other series, but I have to admit the first season was not great. It was barely watchable. The lone exception being Duets, as mentioned before probably stands out so clearly because the rest of the season is lacking.
What does this have to do with Nog?
As with most things DS9, I do not often recommend watching the 1st season to get an idea of who Nog is or would become. As with almost every Star Trek Series the first 20 odd episodes are a tough slog and all that happens to Nog is he gets arrested, meets Jake and goes to school.
Really the story of Nog starts at the end of season two, in the episode The Jem’Hadar. This episode is used to introduce the Vorta and the eponymous Jem’Hadar of the Dominion. Nog is used, with Jake, as a sort of comic subplot, but the episode also starts the chain of events that present Nog, and to a lesser degree his father Rom, as a different kind of Ferengi.
In the episode Heart of Stone, Nog asks to join Starfleet, a first for the Ferengi. The reasons he gives at the end of the episode are a major departure for Nog’s character.
Until this point he is presented as trying to be a “Good” Ferengi. He attempts to make money in Progress, tries to woo a girl in the Ferengi fashion in Life Support and even in Heart of Stone he attempts to “buy” his apprenticeship from Sisko before proving that he has good reason to want to join Starfleet.
At this point Nog becomes the Starfleet Cadet they were not able to go with Wesley in TNG. He studies, and is shown having difficulty.
But he keeps trying and eventually succeeds on his first try, something Wesley and even Picard could not do.
Start with The Jem’Hadar and then skip to Heart of Stone and Facets. After that jump to Homefront and Paradise Lost this two episode art presents Nog at the Academy (as a side note to comicbook fans, Nog was also the lead in the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy book series, not a great book but it is a fun read).
At this point, like Martok, Nog became a more recurring character as the writers were able to inject him into the plot more frequently than Jake Sisko, and though the to remained friends Nog became closer with the Officers in the cast and was seen doing more with O’Brien. A few highlights are: Empok Nor, where Nog assists O’Brien on a salvage missing to a sister station to DS9; Rocks and Shoals a loose follow up to Empok Nor; The Magnificent Ferengi, a must for the Ferengi Marathon as well that includes and awesome Cameo by Iggy Pop (I am not joking); Valiant, a tie in to Paradise Lost where Nog takes a major role on a doom starship; The Siege of AR-558 and It’s Only a Paper Moon, essentially a two-parter focusing on Nog; and finally Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang the last stand alone episode of the series before the nine-part finale.
Nog was a great character on DS9, at least once he came out of Jake’s shadow. And that really happened when it became clear that Cirroc Lofton was not really going to grow up to be Tony Todd.
This one was very much a given for the DS9, much of the series hinged on Avery Brooks being awesome as Com./Capt. Ben Sisko. He was the first character we see, not counting Locutus, and the first to really show an emotion on screen. And “Girlfriend in the Fridge” allusions aside his introduction is very strong.
Part of the at strength was his evolving reaction to being the Emissary. The Emissary arc is separate from, but intertwined with, his arc as a character. He starts out casually dismissing it as an affectation of the Bajoran Religion, he is the Emissary, but not really.
Over time he begins to really connect with the Bajorans and the Prophets, partly because he has too, it’s his job, and partly because they are ever present and, fo rthe most part, good people trying to do good.
I can only point out a couple of episodes that really focused on Sisko’s role as the Emissary: Emissary, the pilot introduces the concept of the Emissary, the Prophets and the Bajoran religion; Accession, Sisko is replaced as Emissary but a Bajoran poet from the past; Rapture, Sisko discovers B’Hala and begins having prophetic visions of a danger to Bajor; The Reckoning, Sisko has to decide between following the Prophets and losing his Son and/or Kira; and the whole Last Season.
Section 31 in DS9 is focused in the specific, tangentially connected episodes: Inquisition, Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges and Extreme Measures. For me the main thrust of these episode is inconsequential to the presence of Section 31. From the beginning of Star Trek (or at least it’s first appearance in mid-season one of TOS) the Federation has been held aloft, as a paragon of virtue in an otherwise dangerous galaxy.
But there have always been hints at something darker in the back ground, Admirals Cartwright, Pressman and Leyton’s actions in response to outside pressures. The Bugs from season one of TNG and the conspiracy to steal the Romulan Cloaking device. All these events could be seen as random, or as a careful pattern of selectively addressing the specific threats by an uber-intelligence agency hiding in the background. DS9 tried to answer that by retconning the disjointed stories of dozens of writers into Section 31.
As with most things, I feel I have to explain my position on a couple of things. One, I am not a conspiracy nut. I know Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy, Man landed on the Moon and the US Government is not clandestinely reading my email. Two, the government could not work that way, the very idea that 2 million Civil Servants would all agree to the Grand Conspiracy and actually maintain their secrets, especially in the information age, is ludicrous. It just couldn’t happen.
But, if it could happen, I’d want it run like Section 31. Contrary to what these episodes may try to imply, it is very clear that Section 31 is performing exactly as it was intended. The Federation is a vibrant, growing organization where the vast majority of people live free peaceful lives. Military service, if you can call Starfleet a military (they’re are more like the Merchant Marine or NOAA really), is completely voluntary and any pursuit is open to anyone. And, it seems, Section 31 quietly makes that happen, or at least greatly assists that in happening.
I have included a couple of clips of one character, Luther Sloane’s, explanation of Section 31:
Trust him or not, you can tell that this man believes what he is doing is right, and that may be enough to scare most people, but he is still working for the ideals of the Federation, and that is worth something in the long run.
At the end of Inquisition, after learning the nature of Section 31, Sisko, Odo and Bashir discuss this new “threat.”
The truth is, we have relied on men, and now women, to do just that for our survival. The Law in the United States is very clear, killing another human being and even animals in some cases is illegal.
However, we maintain five uniformed organizations whose best course for completing the primary mission of defending our freedoms is killing our enemies. Capture is an option, but not the preferred option in most cases. That is a direct contradiction of our laws. Those organizations swear an oath to defend the Laws and Constitution against all threats Foreign and Domestic, an oath they do not take lightly.
What’s my point? Simply that Great Ideals and $4.93 will get you a Vente White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and not much else.
Oh, one more thing. The second episode is titled: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges this is Latin for “In the face of arms, the law falls silent,” it is a quote from Cicero. It was wasted as a title of this episode and would have better suited one of the other episodes from the end of the series.
I do recommend watching all three episodes in one sitting and then thinking about the questions each raise in regard to their subject matter.
I lied earlier… this will be the shortest section since it will simply be a list of the episode to watch. There is not a great character arc as we had with Martok or Nog. It doesn’t progress the overall story of the series, the last of the episodes air in the last season, but was certainly more of a gift to the loyal fans, than a driver of plot. The entire arc could have ended the previous season without much fuss.
So, in order, and it won’t make sense other wise, the DS9 Mirror Saga:
Crossover
Bashir and Kira are thrown in the Mirror Universe by a glitch in the wormhole. The Klingon Cardassian Alliance has overthrown the tyrannical Terran Empire and has enslaved the Terrans and Vulcan… and quite a few other races as well.
This is an interesting episode because it introduced the update Mirror Universe along with The Intendant and Avery Brooks allowed to be a lot less reserved than he had been up to now. Nana Visitor and Alexander Siddig had probably started their relationship by this point and this is the first time the share a significant amount of screen time together.
Through the Looking Glass
A year later the Terran Resistance kidnaps Sisko to pose as him mirror self in order to keep the rebellion together. This time we get to see the mirror Bashir and Dax, as well as a very militant mirror Rom and still very Vulcan mirror Tuvok from Voyager.
Shattered Mirror
Another year has past and Sisko is once again lured into the Mirror Universe, this time to help complete the construction of a ISS Defiant. Most of the player from the previous year are returned as well as the introduction of the mirror Worf, the Regent of the Sector.
Michael Dorn had just recently joined the cast of DS9 from TNG and was a good fit for the much more Klingon Regent Worf.
Bonus clip:
Resurrection
This is by far one of the weakest episodes of DS9 outside the first season, but it does need to be watched to pick up on some references from the following episode. The episode also sees the return of Philip Anglim as the mirror Bareil Antos.
The one saving grace is that it is well directed by LeVar Burton, at least there’s that…
The Emperor’s New Cloak
This is a return to form for the Mirror Universe. The Grand Nagus has crossed over to the Mirror Universe to attempt to expand into new markets. He has been kidnapped but Regent Worf and is being ransomed for the Romulan Cloak from the Defiant. Only Quark and Rom can save him.
This is a very light hearted episode and was very much needed in the overbearing season seven. We are introduced to the mirror Ezri, Nicole de Boer had recently replaced Terry Farrell as Dax, and to mirror Brunt and mirror Vic Fontaine.
As Vic Fontaine in the regular universe is a holographic character, he was included probably as a meta-joke.
Well there they are, the nine best story arcs from Deep Space Nine, that is not to say these are the only story arcs. There is also the Marquis, the Dominion war, the Klingon/Federation War, the Shakaar story arc and about a hundred more.
