Note: most of these are my posts copied over from a Star Trek group-watch going through the entire series in broadcast order, rather than properly written reviews. This is my first full watch through of the show, though I did attempt a skiplist watch a few years earlier and abandon it around S4. I think having watched all of TNG (and TOS) first, as well as watching every episode rather than skipping the worst ones helped me appreciate it properly.
DS9 S01E01&E02 'Emissary' Stardate 46379.1 Broadcast date 1993-01-03.
Wow, that pilot is a lot! There's so much stuff in there. A lot to like, too. Opening with the big action of Wolf 359 and also making it part of Sisko's backstory is a great idea. It's nice and crunchy to have a series crossover where the one lead can barely stand to be in the same room as the other. There's a ton of fun sci-fi concepts thrown in, like Odo, Dax and the wormhole inhabitants, and a bunch of fun characters introduced. The dialogue is a little pulpy and the acting is mostly naturalistic and earthy but with some Wild West and even Shakespearian tones thrown in here and there. And the concept of using a non-linear species to discuss grief is great. It's all directed and edited really nicely.
Probably the main negative to my mind, in fact, is that there's too much in there! It still feels like a show finding its feet, albeit more enthusiastically than TNG's beginnings. There's the Wild West vibe of a new sheriff arriving in town, meeting the locals and trying to clean things up, prophecies, a quest for a mystical MacGuffin, encountering a new species, and developing galactic politics. There's space battles and O'Brien kicking machinery to get it going, there's extended hallucinatory sequences. There are about ten different acting styles, most of them coming from Avery Brooks. It's a serialised show set on a space station and yet they're already off on missions, moving the station to a different location and introducing a second big local political football.
Basically, I enjoyed it, I think it's more successful than TNG's pilot, and I appreciate the energy, but also look forward to the show refining and controlling that energy a little more.
Notes from a previous watch: Just watched the opening scene of DS9 and it was brilliant! A cool idea and a dramatic start to the series, the visual effect shots are a lot more dynamic and integrated (something that started happening towards the end of TNG - an example that caught my eye was Yar and Picard approaching the Enterprise in All Good Things), and it's very energetically directed.
DS9 S01E03 'Past Prologue' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-01-10.
This one was okay. I do like the relatively complicated set-up of various factions all working their own angles, and the divided loyalties and priorities that Kira (and presumably others in the future) has to deal with. It didn't feel particularly deep or resonant here, but it's a good baseline to start from for a second episode. Also liked the Klingon sisters showing up, the doctor being a young naive dope rather than the usual worldly-wise grump/sage that we usually get, and the introduction of Garak who seems like a fun Varys-esque character.
DS9 S01E04 'A Man Alone' Stardate 46421.5 Broadcast date 1993-01-17.
I thought this one was really strong, a great mission statement of what this show can, or at least one mode of it. Winding between the multiple stories, with complex blocking and showy oners, overlapping them in the plot a little, showing the different styles of story that can co-exist like detective, domestic, romantic, and hinting at the continuing clash of cultures on the station.
Granted the detective story wasn't particularly deep or elaborate, but it was interesting enough and served well to highlight power structures and character histories. This episode made me more excited about the show's potential than Past Prologue did, certainly.
DS9 S01E05 'Babel' Stardate 46423.7 Broadcast date 1993-01-24.
I really liked the opening of this episode, O'Brien running around putting out fires and the station being in a state of unreliability that we're not used to after so much time spent on the Enterprise. There's in-built tension here before the plot even gets going. Then the idea of the rapid-onset aphasia is great. Though it's a shame they gave the game away so early with that shot of the doohickey in the replicator - why the hell did they make that choice?! It feels like the whole thing is set up to drop subtle but fair hints and then have a nice reveal when Odo catches Quark and works it out, but then they decided that audiences were too thick or impatient to wait fifteen minutes? Anyway, after that, I was looking forward to a Darmok style episode where the crew quickly fall victim to the virus and have to find non-verbal ways of communicating and solving the problem. Instead they all catch it very slowly and, conveniently, after providing their individual contribution to the solution, and then drop out of the story. The language aspect to the virus may as well not be included, they could just instantly fall unconscious for all the plot function they have once they become symptomatic. So yeah, a very slow investigation and a vague last-minute ticking clock didn't really stand up to my expectations.
DS9 S01E06 'Captive Pursuit' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-01-31.
I really enjoyed this one! It was a bit slow, but in a considered, purposeful way. I liked the Enemy Mine style growing friendship between O'Brien and Tosk (curiously similar reptilian alien name to Bossk!), the designs and culture of the new races, and just as I thought it was running out of steam, they had O'Brien come up with a smart solution. Guest actors were good, too.
I did think it was a little odd that they had that opening bit about Quark legally obligating his staff into sleeping with him only to not only immediately drop it but then have a couple of sympathetic comedy scenes with him. Stuff that didn't get thought about as much in early 90s tv, I guess.
It's funny that they've come up with this way to still have them encounter new species and have to think about the Prime Directive etc in the same way as the Enterprise shows - they just have the strange new worlds come to them via the wormhole!
DS9 S01E07 'Q-Less' Stardate 46531.2 Broadcast date 1993-02-07.
This is a rough one. A complete waste of Q (I normally like his episodes and it was pretty cool to see him show up on DS9!) and aside from him a very dull and predictable episode. I think I liked Vash okay on TNG too, and she didn't get much to do here either.
The only good bit was the Promethean stone thing turning out to be an egg instead of just exploding. Even the "Picard never punched me!" scene was worse than I remember, because Q literally puts Sisko in a boxing ring with him and punches him several times. I expect Picard probably would have punched him at that point. I had it in my head as happening in Sisko's office, Q saying something particularly obnoxious and getting caught off-guard by a Sisko haymaker. (I probably was also picturing bald goatee Sisko!)
Also, I'm not sure why, but the SD/HD gap was much more noticeable this episode, it as pretty ugly. That opening scene especially felt like watching a contemporary episode of Neighbours.
DS9 S01E08 'Dax' Stardate 46910.1 Broadcast date 1993-02-14.
Just watched the cold open and uh oh ,think I'm starting to dislike Bashir. The 'hopeless romantic/gadabout' act is starting to curdle into creepy, and he was absolutely fucking useless in that fight. Almost knocked himself out against a wall by punching someone and then just stopped fighting because, what, he was so surprised that his opponent was a woman? It's the 24th fucking century, Julian!
Turned out to be a solid episode. Trials and hearings are always strong ground in Trek, and this one works nicely with the symbiotic nature of Trills giving it some unique things to argue about, and the different members of the crew going off to investigate different areas (even if really only Odo did much there). And wow, what a guest cast - Gregory Itzin, Fionnula Flannigan and Anne Haney, all doing good work. Oh, also cool to see DC Fontana get a credit on another Trek show!
Really the main drawback here was that it was fairly obvious what the truth was as soon as Enina confirmed that someone leaked the route - it's going to be someone we know about and that list is limited. Plus the overplayed sad look a few moments later when she hears Curzon Dax died makes it obvious that they were lovers, so Jadzia is keeping quiet to cover for her. Admittedly, though, I did guess that this meant Enina leaked the route, so I didn't get it 100% but then it's a bit weird that the general leaked his own route so I'm not surprised I didn't guess that. I suppose the implication is that he wanted them to pick him up so he could escape with them?
Also, might have been nice to get this episode after we'd gotten to know Jadzia a little better so we'd be invested despite her silence and we'd have experienced the quirks of Trill life directly a bit more.
Anyway, enjoyed it, and I continue to enjoy them experimenting with what this show can be. Feels like they have a LOST style approach at the moment - we have this ensemble of characters with different jobs, strengths etc, so at any time we can do a different genre of show.
DS9 S01E09 'The Passenger' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-02-21.
Unfortunately I spoiled myself on the reveal for this one, so I can't say how obvious I would have found it, but as a Child's Play fan I suspect I would have clocked immediately! Otherwise, it was okay but pretty slow. Kind of hard to find anything to say about it.
I liked the opening scene with Bashir, where he was bragging and it clicked with me 'ohhh, they're writing him as an oblivious jackass', which they've been much closer to achieving than, I dunno, likable horndog. Maybe this is just what they're trying out with him this week, though. I also appreciated Siddig doing a different voice for the evil guy, because I often feel disappointed in body possession episodes of any show when the actor doesn't really change their speech patterns or posture or anything like that, but it just doesn't really work here because it's an 'impression' of a character we haven't met and basically all he does is put a pause between each word. I would have preferred if he stuck with the Voldemort whisper from when he grabbed Quark, I think!
DS9 S01E10 'Move Along Home' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-03-14.
I didn't like it that much. It has the seed of a good idea - they're trapped in the game figuring out riddles while Quark is also playing at a meta-level both using and resisting his gambler instincts to help them out. But it's all so overwrought and cheesy. There's a lot of over-acting in this show and it gets amplified here (mainly Siddig and Visitor), plus I hate it when an alien species is just some guy with awful facial hair and some doodles on his face. It's all a bit shallow, the connection between Quark's actions and the players' fates is ill-defined, and the threat is so vague as to be unconvincing.
Also, not particularly happy that Starfleet security officer is still around. I figured he was a one-and-done character. Feels like another Bashir right now.
DS9 S01E11 'The Nagus' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-03-21.
I found this one a bit slow, especially for the first two acts, and the Jake sub-plot is pretty flat and mostly serves to make Sisko look like a dick - angry at his son for no good reason, resigned to humans and Ferengi never getting along, and then acting all smug like he's had some big character growth moment when all he's done is spy on his son and see that he should have continued to trust him after all. The A-story does pick up once Quark gets named Grand Nagus, though, and it's fun to see more Ferengi culture. A bunch of great character actors brought in to play them all, too.
DS9 S01E12 'Vortex' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-04-18.
I found this one solid and satisfying if not particularly sophisticated in any way. The parts all work and fit together just fine, but agreed that it feels very tropey.
One subtlety I enjoyed, though, was how it can be easily inferred that Odo tarnished his honour by letting the two people go because between that and the emotional work required in taking on a surrogate daughter it was the lesser of two evils for him!
DS9 S01E13 'Battle Lines' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-04-25.
This episode is okay. Interesting concept, nicely placed as a reflection of Kira's internal struggles, but it's pretty slow and simplistic.
Funny to see Patricia Tallman again so soon after her TNG appearance!
Only Bashir would fix a computer and then say out loud to himself with no one else present, "Nice work Julian." What a prick.
From memory-alpha: "The necklace that Opaka gives O'Brien for Molly was not seen or mentioned in the series again." Booo, surely if you have a prophet give a gift to someone for no reason, you have that on the writer's room whiteboard until it's resolved! JMS would never let something like this happen. I just assumed the O'Briens would be taken hostage and saved by the necklace's religious significance to their captors or something like that.
DS9 S01E14 'The Storyteller' Stardate 46729.1 Broadcast date 1993-05-02.
Dreadful. I started skipping through for perhaps the first time since TOS (or maybe ever?). Two boys fight over a girl and an advanced outsider is worshipped as a god by a primitive tribe, two hoary old premises done in very dull and predictable ways with wonky acting from everyone involved. Except Kay E. Kuter, of course. And the Bashir-O'Brien arc, such as it is, is completely out of whack - at best, it can be summed up as 'O'Brien doesn't like Bashir, Bashir tries to make friends but eventually realises that actually he doesn't give a shit if O'Brien likes him or not'.
Apparently this was a repeatedly re-rejected TNG season 1 script. Explains a lot.
DS9 S01E15 'Progress' Stardate 46844.3 Broadcast date 1993-05-09.
A couple of interesting concepts, acted well, but both felt a little underdeveloped - the Jake/Nog one never really got past laying out its plot mechanics to make use of its comedic potential, and the Kira one never got messy enough. I did like that in the end she simply had to become the aggressive occupier, burning down Mullibok's homestead and relocating him by force, but she was so clearly painted as sympathetic that it didn't have a lot of impact. I think both of these could have benefited from getting an entire episode devoted to them. Hopefully the showrunners will realise soon that they can break the TNG rules a little more.
DS9 S01E16 'If Wishes Were Horses' Stardate 46853.2 Broadcast date 1993-05-16.
Painfully bad! A mix of Benny Hill level comedy and reams of meaningless tech gobbledegook, with a rubbish 'defeat the imaginary things by not believing in them' ending. Some of the worst Star Trek habits and tropes all thrown together.
DS9 S01E17 'The Forsaken' Stardate 46925.1 Broadcast date 1993-05-23.
I liked the Lwaxana/Odo plot. As formulaic as it was ('Lwaxana is annoying but then does something good at the end'), it worked, it was well-acted and the writing wasn't too overblown. I also liked the theme of attention (Odo and Bashir not wanting any, the non-organic lifeform wanting too much), and I thought the idea of that lifeform had a lot of potential for a fun, interesting story - an examination of the Starfleet engineers being so finely tuned to their ships and computers that they start to recognise moods and develop pseudo-relationships (or at least think they do). But unfortunately, it didn't really get taken advantage of - there was a lot of telling rather than showing in both that plot and the 'Bashir handles a situation well' one. We never see the computer trying to get attention, we never see Bashir handling the crisis. Again, it feels like the writers need to take advantage of their 20-episode seasons and delve into single plots more rather than cramming two or three of them in to a single episode (or just get good enough that they can manage the latter without compromising all the plots).
Funny how whenever I say the writers room should be trying to do something less, it turns out that they were specifically trying to do it more! Michael Piller, quoted on memory-alpha:
We were looking for A/B/C stories that gave us the opportunity to do lots of little stories in that same 'life on the space station' vein.
DS9 S01E18 'Dramatis Personae' Stardate 46922.3 Broadcast date 1993-05-30.
Ah, the old 'the crew get personality shifts' set-up, where the actors can all let loose a little. They are all great fun to watch here, but it's a strangely common mistake to do this kind of story too early in a show's run. It's a lot more effective once you've really got to know the characters, and we're only 18 episodes into a season that hasn't exactly delved deep into its main cast. Plus there's barely anything else going on here - as soon as Bashir starts acting weird, it's pretty easy to figure out 'everyone's getting turned against each other, probably due to something the Klingon brought over as he's one of only two new things on the station this episode and the ship already has a plot purpose whereas he doesn't, one character will realise and break the spell, probably Odo considering his sparkly head-fart, the obvious solution for him is to trick someone into finding the cure'. And that's, what, ten minutes in to the episode? The rest of it is just watching the cast chew the scenery.
Another issue with this episode is that El Fadil has been playing Bashir on and off as a psychopath anyway, so his character didn't really feel that different here.
Ira Steven Behr: "it was a third season show that we had the nerve to do in the first season. Anybody else would say 'You need to know the characters better before you twist them like this.' But seeing Kira come on to Dax – I don't care if it's first or third season, people are going to be interested in that!"
Good grief. The reason anybody else would say that is because it's true. Just write an 'everyone catches a sexy virus' story if that's what you're really invested in.
DS9 S01E19 'Duet' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-06-13.
Really powerful. Visitor is great, Yulin is incredible, and the messaging and tone is all on point without shying away from anything. Glad they got a strong, full-throated episode in before the end of the first season, a display of the show's potential that they haven't managed too often so far.
DS9 S01E20 'In the Hands of the Prophets' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-06-20.
Really enjoyed this one, a solid political thriller and a good way to wrap up the season. I wish I hadn't spoiled myself on the killer's identity by reading memory-alpha's continuity section on the previous episode, because I suspect I would have been none the wiser all the way up to the reveal. It would have been nice if their plans to establish her as a regular second-tier crewmember character had worked out, but still I think it works well. All the other detective mystery stuff is laid out nicely too. Louise Fletcher doesn't get to fully flex but she's still great at quietly terrifying. The only bum note for me really is the final action moment, where Sisko's plan is to simply shout "Noooo" and dive into the crowd. He doesn't alert anyone, or block the shot, or even get to Neela in time. It's even unclear as to why she misses. Are we supposed to infer that Sisko threw her aim off? Did she have last-minute reservations? Would have been nice if they could have spent a bit more time on that moment, seeing as it's the de facto big action climax of the season!
I only have vague impressions of the prophets stuff in this show, so I was glad to see here that, at least at the start, Sisko's involvement in the whole thing is a relatively grounded affair, basically a more sensible version of the 'being with advanced technology worshipped as a god by primitive tribe' trope.
One nice little touch I noticed - after the explosion of the school, you can see Morn in the crowd holding a jumja stick!
So, season 1 is over. I think overall it's about as successful as TNG S1. It has a few strong episodes and a lot of stinkers, it makes a little progress in figuring out what show it wants to be but not a lot, and there are some good characters right off the bat but some who are still barely sketched in.
DS9 S02E01 'The Homecoming (Part 1)' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-09-26.
Well, I think this is perhaps the first time that DS9 has been strikingly better than the TNG episode directly preceding or following it - compared to Descent this was a breath of fresh air! Good location shooting with some simple but satisfying action, a solid story with personal and political stakes, and intriguing arc developments. The Bajoran/Cardassian stuff just feels more... grown-up than that cowboys and indians stuff that TNG was just doing. And even the cliffhanger is a classy character-driven one rather than a goofy 'return of the moustache-twirling villain' reveal. It's great how suspicious I am that Cardassian Intelligence is behind everything and anything - did they let the earring get out intentionally? Are they behind The Circle? Are they cockblocking Jake?! (Okay, not that last one.)
A couple of great guest stars, too, plus Alaimo of course, and there's even a background crewmember with a funky undercut who might be my DS9 Jae counterpart.
DS9 S02E02 'The Circle (Part 2)' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-10-03.
Well, this one was a bit too grown-up! That is to say, it was very slow for the most part with a lot of political discussions delivered in a methodical, restrained way. It picked up a bit towards the end once Kira gets taken and we get revelations and reactions going on. Hopefully the next part of the story will continue at that slightly higher register!
Minor observations: I swear there's no consistency to Federation admirals' attitude to any given political situation except for taking the stance that causes most difficulty for our protagonists. Poor old Quark has been nothing but helpful this episode and doesn't even get a thank you!
DS9 S02E03 'The Siege (Part 3)' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-10-10.
A solid conclusion. Not particularly deep, and the victory perhaps felt a little too easily won, especially planetside, but overall it was pacy and satisfying.
DS9 S02E04 'Invasive Procedures' Stardate 47182.1 Broadcast date 1993-10-17.
This had a vaguely interesting set-up but it turned into just another hostage situation. Hopefully this series of events will change the Jadzia Dax character a little, because her 'serene monk' act is so boring. She's one of the characters I still feel I don't really know at all.
Plus, as pointed out on memory-alpha, it's another example of Quark doing something pretty heinous and not seeing any repercussions. I guess they just can't prove he did anything?
DS9 S02E05 'Cardassians' Stardate 47177.2 Broadcast date 1993-10-24.
Great episode! Politics, intrigue, personal drama and allegory all working together, no pat happy ending, and an impressive ensemble of regular, recurring and guest cast. It's good to see them not shy away from Miles having some unchecked biases that slip out when he's not consciously trying to be in diplomatic utopian Federation officer mode. I mostly find him a bit of a dull character, his interactions with Cardassians as a war veteran are when he gets interesting so hopefully the writers will use that as a springboard to continue rounding him out.
My only quibble really is a continuing one that Bashir seems to just fill any role going on the station - diplomat, detective, whatever. It's kinda sorta justified here by his friendship with Garak but it still feels odd when he's squeezing that gambler for info. It feels like the kind of thing that Odo or maybe Dax at a push should be doing, but I guess they've shot themselves in the foot here by making Odo too abrasive and Dax too passive to be applied in a variety of situations. I think this all ties in with the characterisation still not being there yet for a lot of the ensemble - they're not strong enough to only show up when they logically should and either make a splash with a single scene then duck out again or carry an entire episode. I never properly watched Deadwood, but I feel like that's probably a good comparison point for how DS9 could/should be handling things...
DS9 S02E06 'Melora' Stardate 47229.1 Broadcast date 1993-10-31.
What a half-baked episode. Bashir coming across as possibly more offputting than usual, infatuated by someone he's never met, but somehow managing to be even creepier than Geordi's usual MO because it centres around both exoticising/fetishing someone's disability fetish and wanting to 'fix' them. Melora herself has a pretty bland 'defensively proud disabled person' introduction and then a very simple arc of 'tries cure, decides against it'.
Lots of weird choices throughout, too. Melora saving the day on the runabout is framed as something only someone in her situation could have done, though anyone could have turned the gravity down and pushed themselves off a wall. It also would seem to be the perfect catalyst for her to make her decision not to finish the treatment, but she had already done that with the Little Mermaid conversation. Then her telling Bashir of her decision is played as if she's breaking up with him, like it's the only thing he cared about. And finally, Bashir acting like experiencing a low-gravity environment is a wondrous thing he never thought possible. "You let me fly!" Mate, just go play some low-grav program in a holodeck or take a runabout out and turn the gravity down.
I did like the dig at the silly sci-fi set design - "what kind of architect puts a two-inch lip around all the doorways?!"
DS9 S02E07 'Rules of Acquisition' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1993-11-07.
I liked this episode, but I actually felt like it could have done with being a two-parter, all the elements got a little short-changed - the romance, the gender politics, the intrigue, the Dominion - so the episode ended up feeling a little rushed and shallow.
It's also odd how they seem committed to making the Ferengi less likable as they reveal more about them. Just having a character tell us that 'hey, yeah, they're awful, but they're fun' isn't really very convincing, especially when that character is groovy funky hippy-dippy Dax. At least they introduced the misogynist social structure via a character pushing against it, I guess. So perhaps the gameplan is not to reveal the hidden complexities of Ferengi as we learn more about them, but to show them actively evolving as the show goes on? I can only hope.
I actually barely know anything about the Dominion except they're going to be a big part of the show, but it's a nice touch to sneak the first mention of them in via a Ferengi expansion story. Also, I liked the design of the Dosi, and it was cool to see Brian Thompson!
DS9 S02E08 'Necessary Evil' Stardate 47282.5 Broadcast date 1993-11-14.
An excellent episode! So much great stuff going on, all tied in to an enthralling mystery. The noir opening, Odo's begrudging narration, the Rom/Quark comedy stuff, the nifty segues between current day and flashbacks, the glimpses of a Cardassian-controlled DS9 (or whatever it was called back then), more in-person Gul Dukat, a deepening of Kira and Odo's relationship as well as their individual character histories (love seeing a more submissive Odo come into his own as he gets into the investigation). Also, really liked the fun little nods to detective fiction with the good cop/bad cop scene (love that we've now got to a point beyond the cops discussing the technique beforehand and even the interrogatee recognising it and saying it won't work on them, where we can just recognise it for ourselves and see it work without being noted), and the Columbo "one more thing" move that Odo pulls. And an ambiguous/downbeat ending!
Now the show just needs to do a few more of these for the other ensemble characters and we'll be getting somewhere...
DS9 S02E09 'Second Sight' Stardate 47329.4 Broadcast date 1993-11-21.
Thought this one was a bit dull for the most part - the last five minutes may have been rushed but they were also pretty much the only bit where anything happened! Gideon was kind of fun but also kind of irritating. Bit of a Lwaxana.
DS9 S02E10 'Sanctuary' Stardate 47391.2 Broadcast date 1993-11-28.
I found it interesting as a 'failed diplomacy' story. Just, the best will on both sides for the most part, friendships being made, and then everything goes to shit and everyone leaves unhappy. Did kind of feel like the set-up for a serialised storyline with more meat to it, though, with the Skrreea forced to stay on the station for a prolonged period while negotiating with Bajor, but I know the showrunners were already fighting to include any serialisation as it was.
I did think to myself 'farmers could help with famine!' and also wonder if a solution could have been to let a few thousand settle on those plains and see if they can get something up and running, then bring more in for expansion if they do. In the meantime send the rest to that other planet with a bit of hope.
I liked the stuff with the universal translator taking a while. There was an episode a while back where it worked instantly for a species they'd never spoken a word to before, and I thought at the time it would have been good to have at least a couple of sentences come out in alien then for the UT to figure it out and kick in. Otherwise we have to assume it's accessing the new ship's logs or communications or something!
It also made me wonder - how is it that sometimes a character like the Klingon chef can speak in Klingon without Bashir understanding him? I guess some sort of tortuous explanation has probably been given for that somewhere by now!
DS9 S02E11 'Rivals' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-01-02.
Oof, terrible episode, just absolute filler. Directionless, nonsensical, boring, predictable.
DS9 S02E12 'The Alternate' Stardate 47391.7 Broadcast date 1994-01-09.
This episode had some intriguing ideas but ended up rather ineffective. It has a slow start, it picks up with the reveal that the entity is Odo, but everything's so vague that the dramatic and personal stakes are never clear, even when characters are basically announcing their motivations and feelings direct to camera.
DS9 S02E13 'Armageddon Game' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-01-30.
Really enjoyed this one! Action, comedy, a touching bit with Quark in the middle, a brilliant ending gag, and Bashir was only ever intentionally annoying! It's basically a TNG episode, so it's kind of a cheat really, but still: good fun!
One thing they flubbed was that both sides were in on the conspiracy. I assume we were supposed to be surprised when the other ambassador turned out to be in on it, but it was immediately clear when they showed up in Sisko's office. I did like the reveal of their motives, though, that was interesting.
DS9 S02E14 'Whispers' Stardate 47552.1 Broadcast date 1994-02-06.
That was a great episode! Kept me guessing right up to the end, and very creepy. Then really sad at the end!
Again, kind of a TNG-y episode. Which I don't mind, obvs, but it's also not finding the show's unique strengths and playing to them. And it hasn't really deepened O'Brien as a character either, he's still just 'slightly grumpy, meat and potatoes, working class bloke'. Doing good episodes of this sort feels a bit like the show putting off the hard work!
DS9 S02E15 'Paradise' Stardate 47573.1 Broadcast date 1994-02-13.
This was all pretty obvious and heavy-handed. Felt like the kind of early TNG episode that never gets past its initial one-sentence premise, no matter how hard the cast all act.
DS9 S02E16 'Shadowplay' Stardate 47603.3 Broadcast date 1994-02-20.
This one was fine. The Odo (and I suppose Dax) story was slender but mildly interesting and the stuff with him and the kid was nice. The Kira/Quark one was undercooked (could have made a nice comedy B-story in some other episode if they'd beefed it up a bit, I think), and the Jake story was dull as dishwater.
Just didn't feel like anyone was putting in much effort this episode, except maybe Auberjonois and the kid.
DS9 S02E17 'Playing God' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-02-27.
Ahh, now this is the kind of episode I've been waiting for them to get back to! Interlocking station plots, characters interacting in fun ways, weird 'daily life on a shithole station' problems like the voles or Jake falling in love with a saloon gal. And I even feel like I'm starting to get a handle on Dax after this story. The tension of the wormhole ride didn't quite come off, and they probably could have done without that whole proto-universe subplot really, but the wormhole stuff did look great and the proto-universe was an interesting concept even if it didn't have much more depth to it than 'there's a bomb'.
Not perfect, but promising.
DS9 S02E18 'Profit and Loss' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-03-20.
I liked this one, another good station episode, with nice moments for a few characters and a good Quark romance. Only issue really is that it wrapped up far too easily and cleanly. Odo letting the prisoners go "for justice", Garak apparently being surprised by other Cardassians being less than virtuous, and making a face turn. I can pretty easily head canon that Odo had been given secret or implicit go-ahead from Sisko before Quark arrived at his office, and that Garak knew all along that he wouldn't get de-exiled just for turning these three over and that the Gul would try to undercut him and letting them go was always the plan with the added benefit of possibly currying a sliver of favour with the Empire and also getting rid of an enemy while blaming everything on him if needed. But I would have liked the episode to do a bit of that for me!
Also, I know the two revolutionaries were pacifists, but they also seemed really passive and dopey, led along by the nose by either the professor or Quark, depending on who is in the room at the time! Still nice to see Heidi Swedberg, though.
DS9 S02E19 'Blood Oath' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-03-27.
Excellent episode! A great handle on the tone, weaving between comedy, drama and action, an interesting use of Dax, and some great performances. The scene between Dax and Kira in the ops room was fantastic, just some great dialogue and acting, shot unfussily, with that ambient hum beneath it all. I was worried that it was getting a bit Return Of The Jedi at the end, but once they got to that final room it was really good again.
DS9 S02E20 'The Maquis, Part I' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-04-24.
Another good one - lots of growly conversations and political subterfuge, plus cool crossover with TNG. Good use of the different vibe to TNG as well, having members of the core crew snapping and barking at each other and it not being a big deal, just how things are here. If Geordi, Troi and Worf were all arguing like that, one would assume they'd been infected by an anger parasite or something.
DS9 S02E21 'The Maquis, Part II' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-05-01.
This one was solid, but it felt like a lot of the story complexity turned out to be empty. It really boiled down to 'Central Command are smuggling in weapons, the Maquis blew up a ship in response, Sisko pokes his nose in enough to get CC to acknowledge and disavow the smuggling which stops it, and then gets the Maquis to back off as well'. Dukat not knowing what CC are up to didn't add anything, and Sakonna had a lot of narrative weight just to boil down to 'leads to a Maquis location a couple of times'. Plus they cast Samuels and Niles as two really similar looking guys and Samuels looked really different in his holo ID, so I thought there was some extra business going on there, but maybe that's on me!
Finally, for the action scenes (one on land, one in space) they didn't find any way to break away from the classic Star Trek problem of everything being so slow - no sneaky tactics or double-bluffs. It's like watching two old people play snakes and ladders, just waiting for them to finish taking their turns at rolling a die and seeing who gets to the finish line first.
It's all fine, there are some good performances and snappy lines, and I'm glad they're going down this road more often, but it really needed either boiling down into a single episode, or beefing up a lot.
DS9 S02E22 'The Wire' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-05-08.
Great episode. Robinson is fantastic. I love that we never get to find out which version of his story was true, if any; they feint at taking the easy, pat option of pretending he was a monster then revealing he actually had a tragic or heroic backstory, but then throw that into just as much doubt. Strong, confident writing.
I also really like the callback to O'Brien regularly injuring his shoulder (which I think we originally saw an instance of in TNG?). It not only suggests the ongoing daily life at the station that we're not seeing all of, but also gives O'Brien a little extra flavour - this guy who is beyond his prime and really shouldn't be playing space squash anymore, or at least not pushing himself so hard at it, but does anyway because he's too proud and he knows that 24th century medicine can just insta-fix his injuries anyway. It's a great little slice of future life that we get told in one throwaway sentence.
Bashir isn't annoying here either, which is a relief, though I do still feel like the performance and the writing are pulling in different directions, or perhaps Siddig is trying to find something that isn't there.
They're very good now at just dropping whichever members of the ensemble best help the story in for a scene or two, too. Still wondering what that scene with the plant was about, though - I guess it's a metaphor for Garak, struggling to survive outside of his own ecosystem? For a moment I was worried that we were getting into a 'oh no the synthesised fungus grows at an order of magnitude in this climate and has taken over the station' storyline. Hopefully this scene wasn't just setting it up for the next episode!
DS9 S02E23 'Crossover' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-05-15.
I enjoyed this as a romp that calls back to a TOS episode in a fun way that allows the actors to play around with their characters, and I liked the sense of continuity in how they filled out some history of the other side following Kirk's visit. I don't really mind if it doesn't make sense, though honestly not much jumped out at me.
DS9 S02E24 'The Collaborator' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-05-22.
Solid episode! Cool visions, Louise Fletcher returning, personal and political intrigue.
A little shallow, though - part of this is that they went for the pat 'turns out he wasn't a monster but a martyr' ending that I applauded the recent Garak episode for resisting, and part of it I suspect is that the details of the Bajoran religion feel barely sketched in. This might just be on me and my bad memory, maybe there's a load of detail that I've just forgotten over the past two seasons, but as far as I can recall all we know about it is 'it's a religion, it has prophets, they think the wormhole aliens are divine and that Sisko therefore is important for having talked to them'. I guess the issue is that this story is really about governmental collaborators so all the religious imagery and discussion feels like meaningless window dressing.
DS9 S02E25 'Tribunal' Stardate 47944.2 Broadcast date 1994-06-05.
This is a really good one. It's not the Kafka-esque nightmare that I remember it being - that stuff drops away once Kira et al find the missing weapons and the O'Brien voice command and it becomes a more traditional 'prove a framed person's innocence', but then the court theatricality and the Cardassian subterfuge step in to fill the gap, so it all works really well without getting stale. And the Kafka stuff obviously has enough of an impact, as it was the main thing I remembered about the episode.
Meaney is really good here, as are the guest Cardassians. I still don't know if we've got much more of a look into O'Brien's character, though - his dedication to the Federation and his job are pretty much what I'd expect to be the attitude of any random background crewmember, if a bit heightened. But maybe that's his hook - that he has no hook.
It's pretty funny how this trial is being transmitted to the whole planet, we get these big establishing shots, and then they cut to the court interior it's just a cheap tiny little room. The magic of (Cardassian propagandist) television!
Previous watch notes: I did enjoy the Kafka-esque elements of Tribunal. It got a little slow in the second half, and O'Brien didn't have quite the same gravitas as Picard in his "four lights" episode, but overall it was pretty cool.
DS9 S02E26 'The Jem'Hadar' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1994-06-12.
Solid, though by the end it felt a bit more like set-up for the next season than a story in its own right. I like the idea of the Dominion as an evil Federation. The Jake Sisko actor is getting better - not annoying, barely any clunky line-readings and he was pretty charming when talking his dad into doing stuff. Felt a little unnecessary to tip their hand with the twist by having Aris suggest leaving Quark behind, especially as it doesn't make much sense she'd do that.
DS9 S03E01 'The Search, Part I' Stardate 48213.1 Broadcast date 1994-09-26.
A great opening episode! Starfleet getting its hands dirty, build up of the Dominion and Odo storylines, some nice ensemble work and great use of the classic Trek submarine combat tropes. Really feels like they should have been able to get here by the start of S2 rather than 3, but TNG took a long time to find itself too I guess.
DS9 S03E02 'The Search, Part II' Stardate 48213.1 Broadcast date 1994-10-03.
A very fun episode with some good twists. Throughout it I was like "everything's happening so fast, it's like one of those 'turns out it's all their head' episodes" and then when they set off to destroy the wormhole I suddenly realised why it felt so much like one of those episodes! And tying the Odo mystery and the Dominion mystery together was a really neat move.
DS9 S03E03 'The House of Quark' Stardate 48224.2 Broadcast date 1994-10-10.
The Quark storyline here is great, funny and well constructed. The O'Brien one feels perfunctory, sadly, like the old TNG 'we must have a B-story' rule coming back into play. It's very effective when the show uses its ensemble to weave a bunch of plotlines together, not so much when it feels obliged to weaken one with another.
DS9 S03E04 'Equilibrium' Stardate 48231.7 Broadcast date 1994-10-17.
This was possibly the most boring version of 'Dax has a buried murderer personality that is starting to emerge' that they could have gone with. Massive implications for the character and for Trill culture but they take 35 minutes to get to it with and then sweep it under the rug, all with zero drama. I would have said it felt like a budget-recoupment episode if it weren't for what seemed like a fairly expensive set and effects and what have you for the Guardians' and their pool/cave.
I thought maybe this was their way of rebooting the Dax character a little to give her more bite, but from what I hear this actually won't affect her at all, which is an odd choice. Also wondering if this is the rebooted Dr Bashir that I have heard mention of - one that doesn't immediately sleaze onto Jax when she comes to his room looking for company. Hard not to read it as a new 'Nice Guy' tactic though, given his characterisation so far!
DS9 S03E05 'Second Skin' Stardate 48244.5 Broadcast date 1994-10-24.
This one works out nicely in the end, but it's a bit of a bumpy trip getting there. It's feasible that they could make this sort of big Babylon 5 style change to a character in such a heavily serialised show as DS9 (though I think behind the scenes they were still fighting the execs for that level of serialisation), but it's not made particularly convincing here, and neither is Kira's seeming slide towards believing it. Almost every argument for it being real has an equally convincing argument against, because it's all 'is there feasibly a tech thing in this universe that could do this'. The most convincing argument for is the logical one of 'why wouldn't they just torture her', they should have hit that harder. They also probably should have shown that video earlier AND done something with Visitor's make-up to make her look like a Cardassian who resembles Kira closely but not exactly - a different nose and chin shape, say. Plus, the stuff with Garak et al is fun (the "hemming some trousers" line is great), but it's fairly disposable and undermines the sense that anything permanent could be happening to Kira's character, I suspect cutting that stuff right down might have helped.
Me writing this much is normally a sign that I enjoyed an episode but felt it had a lot of unrealised potential, and that's certainly the case here. Lots of cool ideas and strong acting, and it allllmost all comes together.
Finally, shout out to the passing Bajoran giving Cardassian the stink-eye at the end!
DS9 S03E06 'The Abandoned' Stardate 48301.1 Broadcast date 1994-10-31.
Me: wait, Jake is dating this Darbo girl? But he's, what, 14 and she's like 30!
Show: actually he's 16 and she's 20, and Ben isn't happy about even that age gap.
Me: nice try, this still feels about as weird as if Wesley had started dating Troi.
Anyway, this episode is otherwise fine. The Jem'Hadar lore stuff is interesting, and I like that they didn't immediately have one of them flip to being a goody. I thought there was going to be another Borg-style near-immediate watering down of the species. Outside of the squicky age thing, the Jake storyline is very mild but at least not irritating. I like Odo's ongoing crush on Kira and his developing changeling abilities, both coming out in his bouncing around like an excited puppydog when showing her around his quarters.
DS9 S03E07 'Civil Defense' Stardate 48388.8 Broadcast date 1994-11-07.
A very cool idea, and Dukat trapping himself is delicious. It perhaps could have ramped up the tension a little better towards the end, but overall a really fun episode.
DS9 S03E08 'Meridian' Stardate 48423.2 Broadcast date 1994-11-14.
Whoof, this is a rough one. The romance plot is unconvincing and dull, and the Quark one is fun but it's a C-story at best, there's nothing to it. I thought that it was going to end with Kira pretending to be a hologram of herself then punching the guy out, but the headswap gag was pretty good too (even though they put a bizarrely dramatic score underneath it and the rest of the scene, which kind of scuppered the story's ending).
DS9 S03E09 'Defiant' Stardate 48467.3 Broadcast date 1994-11-21.
Great episode! That beard reveal is simply superb. I also like Tom's longer hair. I reckon they could have given Tom a spin-off show and let him fully embrace a New Kirk role (as well as fully embracing lots of sexy aliens).
I really like the set-up here where you're rooting for people on both sides and it's all very tense, especially with the Obsidian wild card in the mix. I thought the dialogue and acting kept the negotiations engaging enough in the second half for it not to feel boring. Perhaps not as propulsive as Riker finding the evidence and escaping the jaws of death just in the nick of time, but I also like this DS9 vibe of knowing that at least a baby step has been taken, those scanner logs could shift Cardassian politics in some small way that will have a large ripple effect.
DS9 S03E10 'Fascination' Stardate 48441.6 Broadcast date 1994-11-28.
A bit of a damp squib. It takes far too long for the basic premise to get established and even then it's not that much fun - it's certainly not on the level of the TNG bonkathons. Throwing a bunch of circus performers and steadicam at it doesn't really solve the problem. Plus, O'Brien acts like a complete jackass the whole way through and it turns out it's nothing to do with the Troi fever, he's just a prick! It's some of that characterisation I've been hoping for, but it doesn't make me want to spend more time in the guy's company..!
DS9 S03E11 'Past Tense, Part I' Stardate 48481.2 Broadcast date 1995-01-02.
I got excited when I realised what episode this was, but it actually turned out to be very boring. It doesn't really get to the salient point for a good thirty minutes, and until then it feels like a Very Special Episode with a Very Low Budget.
"Wait, 'home-less'? I don't understand, Commander, why didn't people in 1995 write to their state representatives and voice their concerns?!"
DS9 S03E12 'Past Tense, Part II' Stardate 48481.2 Broadcast date 1995-01-09.
Not much different from part 1, although at least it's already in media res so it doesn't feel quite as slow. It's just that nothing unexpected happens, Jadzia still spends most of it in a holding pattern waiting to fix the one contrived problem and Miles et al still don't have much to do either, and the Very Special Episode vibe is still in full force. Sisko practically breaks the fourth wall in the final shot!
Dick 'One Take' Miller gets a little more to do but not a lot and it's all very cheesy.
Plus now there's the incredibly cartoonish 'Miles and Kira visit some time periods', and we don't even get to see the changed 21st Century Earth, and the also very silly and disposable Clint Howard scene.
DS9 S03E13 'Life Support' Stardate 48498.4 Broadcast date 1995-01-31.
This episode was okay. It set up some hefty topics - euthanasia, whether two people of wildly different cultures can reconcile their differences enough to get along - and didn't really engage very deeply with any of it. Can't argue with Louise Fletcher and Lark Voorhies appearances, though!
DS9 S03E14 'Heart of Stone' Stardate 48521.5 Broadcast date 1995-02-06.
I thought this was great! Both plots were very sweet, interesting, character-based stories played and written well, and with some nice sci-fi/worldbuilding around the edges.
I was also going to say that I'm glad that at least DS9 are still putting the Maquis to good use after all that prep work that went into them for Voyager seems to be going to waste, but then that didn't quite happen!
DS9 S03E15 'Destiny' Stardate 48543.2 Broadcast date 1995-02-13.
I really enjoyed this one, lots of interesting elements all working well together, and it helped reconcile the Bajoran prophecy stuff with the sci-fi a bit more, at least for me.
I wonder if during occupation every Cardassian on the station thought Odo was flirting with them because he was so grumpy.
DS9 S03E16 'Prophet Motive' Stardate 48555.5 Broadcast date 1995-02-20.
Pretty rough! Comedy eps are always a risk on Trek and this one didn't pay off for me. The Bashir story is inert, and the main one doesn't have much to it either. I love Wallace Shawn but he's pretty irritating as this character, de-evolved or not. Shimmerman is always good but he doesn't have much to work with here, and the 'Nog is stupid' bit gets stretched to absolute capacity.
DS9 S03E17 'Visionary' Stardate 48576.7 Broadcast date 1995-02-27.
I liked this one, it was very clever how they kept on changing the set-up so you never quite knew what was going to happen next. It perhaps made it a little less viscerally exciting because the structure is so episodic, but it did nicely evoke the feeling of actually dealing with temporal mechanics. And the end gag with Quark was great.
I'm appreciating O'Brien as a character more the more we see of him, too. I think his 'hook' is that it's as if he's a 20th century bloke living in the 24th century. He's not the same as any other standard decent Starfleet guy, which is what I thought at first. It's just a bit more subtle than someone like, say, Reg Barclay - he's not a churning mix of neuroses, he's just a bit more grumpy than most and likes a pint and a game of darts and a 20th century pop song.
DS9 S03E18 'Distant Voices' Stardate 48592.2 Broadcast date 1995-04-10.
Overall I enjoyed this one. An intriguing premise (I was going to add the caveat of it being overdone, but I can't immediately think of any examples that precede this episode, just a lot that came after it), the episode slows down a bit after the concept is explained (thoroughly and slowly, for the thickies at the back) and Bashir just wanders around helplessly for a good while. It picks up again once he's in Ops with 'Garak' and is fun till the end. It also gave Bashir a little more character depth and retroactively explained away his sudden halt of attempts to hump Dax's leg.
DS9 S03E19 'Through the Looking Glass' Stardate 48601.1 Broadcast date 1995-04-17.
I often enjoy the mirror universe episodes, but this one goes for camp fun and has a lot of the former but very little of the latter. It's just not a particularly interesting story and we don't get to discover much new about the counterparts.
DS9 S03E20 'Improbable Cause (Part 1)' Stardate 48620.3 Broadcast date 1995-04-24.
This was a really fun one. Explosions! Intrigue! Garak! Many character actors doing their 'smug double-talk espionage' voice!
I really enjoyed the Star Trek equivalent of a shadowy car park meeting as well, with the Cardassian silhouetted in the cave entrance.
Hopefully the second part will stand up to this one's quality.
DS9 S03E21 'The Die is Cast (Part 2)' Stardate 48622.5 Broadcast date 1995-05-01.
A strong resolution! I had a few quibbles but they were mostly at least somewhat neutralised by the end - Sisko disobeying orders a bit too frivolously (the admiral's final response at least suggested this was a minor disobedience that Sisko knew he could get away with), Garak displaying his emotions a bit too openly (Odo mentions he's got soft/rusty from his time on DS9) and the trap being a bit too obvious (the Cardassian does a whole speech about how he got too old and proud while also going into a dissociative state, and I suppose he is a renegade so it's not like the whole of Cardassian intelligence fell for it, plus the Romulan turning out to be a founder was a nice touch). And I suppose my expectations for Le Carré levels of subtle spycraft in Star Trek might be pitched a little high!
But yeah, otherwise, good solid espionage thriller stuff, with lots of fun performances and some cool space battles. Also vey funny seeing Bashir reduced to trying to get sparkling repartee out of O'Brien in Garak's absence.
DS9 S03E22 'Explorers' Stardate 48699.9 Broadcast date 1995-05-08.
This has a handful of nice moments in it - Bashir and O'Brien drunk, Jake trying to set his father up with a date, the little victory over Dukat - but a lot of the episode is really slow and aimless.
Leeta being used just as a way to show how invested Bashir was in that other doctor and then being dropped like a hot rock, and Bashir still seeming insecure here about having got that plasmid question wrong, despite admitting to himself in that coma episode that he botched it on purpose, both contribute to the loose aimlessness.
DS9 S03E23 'Family Business' Stardate 48731.2 Broadcast date 1995-05-15.
"Moogie's got the lobes for business" is a great album name.
I really enjoyed this one, less broad than some of the previous Ferengi episodes, great line-up of guest actors, and a surprisingly decent fight scene (thanks to the prosthetic make-up allowing them to just have two stunt people throw each other into furniture without having to shoot around their faces). I also appreciate how they're leaning into how stupid a lot of the established details of Ferengi society are, while continuing to show that there are progressive elements emerging. Even if that is just a way to have female Ferengi characters on the show without needing them to be nude the whole time.
DS9 S03E24 'Shakaar' Stardate 48764.8 Broadcast date 1995-05-22.
I appreciated how effectively this one showed the precariousness of the current Bajoran political situation and Kira still being prepared to drop everything and get back into the fight at a moment's notice. The dart subplot was fun too.
DS9 S03E25 'Facets' Stardate 48959.1 Broadcast date 1995-06-12.
I was ready to say this one was dull and hokey, but it started working for me when Curzon showed up. For one thing, Auberjonois is the only one who I truly believed was another character (arguably at least partially down to the advantage of getting to change his appearance and keep his voice). But also, it actually started to speak to Jadzia Dax's character and also take advantage of both the Joined Trill and the Changeling attributes in a way that a non-sci-fi show can't and DS9 doesn't always bother to. I'm still generally finding Jadzia underwritten and the Trill set-up underused, so this was a nice change. And I also enjoyed the Nog stuff, more just for the ongoing intriguing concept of a Ferengi joining Starfleet than any particularly strong writing here, though it was nice to see Rom standing up to Quark again - I like Quark being positioned as a regressive Ferengi while many others are trying to move forward. He reminds me a bit of Worf's stuffy traditionalism in that way, I wonder if they'll bond over it.
Finally, smart of the writers to get the predictable 'oh no the evil one is pretending to be Sisko' thing out of the way and resolved in a single scene, even if it did take me a few more scenes to really believe they weren't going to do a second reveal.
DS9 S03E26 'The Adversary' Stardate 48962.5 Broadcast date 1995-06-19.
A solid The Thing riff to end the season on, and I like that the added personal stakes for Odo give it a little something extra.
I'm trying to remember if they've said anything yet about how many changelings there are, or how they reproduce. If there are thousands of them then they seem like a pretty insurmountable threat!
DS9 S04E01&2 'The Way of the Warrior' Stardate 49011.4 Broadcast date 1995-10-02.
This episode works pretty well as a statement of intent - some changes to the opening titles with an added propulsive bassline (wonder if Goldsmith was consulted/happy), and some new ships and people in spacesuits hanging around outside the station (wonder if a bunch of this was updated from models to CG), we're going to war, we've got Bald Goateed Sisko (this is definitely his best look, I think because his bald head complements his lack of eyebrows and brings out his eyes better), Worf, and big space battles and phaser fights that don't feel like chess matches - but there's actually not a lot of story here, it certainly didn't need stretching out over 90 minutes. It feels like a re-pilot, and so it's not surprising that as a Trek pilot it doesn't have the most compelling storytelling.
I've wondered this before, can't remember if I mentioned it, but how does it work when someone says something in Klingon that only some people can understand? Why doesn't the universal translator pick those bits up?
Also, this show must be a terrible blow to the ego for any tailors watching. Endless burns about hemming things!
DS9 S04E03 'The Visitor' Stardate 49037.7 Broadcast date 1995-10-09.
I really liked this one! Todd does a great job, channelling Lofton's existing performance and making it his own, and Lofton's pretty strong too. The time-travel set-up is interesting and I think it's brave of the writers to just make it a very sad what-if story. Glad Jake doesn't have to carry any of that around with him! Also cool to see Captain Nog.
DS9 S04E04 'Hippocratic Oath' Stardate 49066.5 Broadcast date 1995-10-16.
An interesting one. I like the Worf story combining 'newcomer doesn't understand the Odo-Quark dynamic' with 'guy in new role can't leave old role behind', nice easy b-plot to ease Worf in. The Jem'Hadar story was intriguing too - as soon as you hear that an enemy force has slave soldiers you're hoping for them to revolt, but this added some interesting wrinkles. And a monkey's paw finger curled for me here, because O'Brien got some extra characterisation but goddamn was it frustrating. And he got away with it too. Can't imagine TNG O'Brien doing that to Dr Crusher on an away mission!
So yeah, I think that considering the uncomfortable emotional response it generated in me, I'd call this a successful episode. The only pure criticism I'll offer is over the slightly odd, very mild gay panic moment in their early banter on the Defiant.
DS9 S04E05 'Indiscretion' Stardate 49122.4 Broadcast date 1995-10-23.
Anyway, I thought this episode was excellent, two intimate stories different in tone, told with a light touch and some great acting. Marc Alaimo is fantastic, not least when he's twerking in pain.
Interesting sidenote: I thought I detected some Jake-ish notes in Brooks' performance this episode. I wonder if the two actors are mirroring certain aspects of each other, consciously or not, or if Lofton has been mimicking Brooks and I've only just noticed it by proxy.
DS9 S04E06 'Rejoined' Stardate 49195.5 Broadcast date 1995-10-30.
A quietly effective episode. Always good to get more insights into the Trill stuff; even if technically this could have been about a society that abhors divorced people getting back together, it wouldn't work half as well. The star-trek-crossed lovers are written and performed well, the low-key downer ending is a smart move, and there's lots of nice business around the edges with the ensemble like Quark, Julian and Worf.
DS9 S04E07 'Starship Down' Stardate 49263.5 Broadcast date 1995-11-06.
DS9 S04E08 'Little Green Men' Stardate 49201.3 Broadcast date 1995-11-13.
DS9 S04E09 'The Sword of Kahless' Stardate 49263.5 Broadcast date 1995-11-20.
DS9 S04E10 'Our Man Bashir' Stardate 49300.7 Broadcast date 1995-11-27.
DS9 S04E11 'Homefront (Part 1)' Stardate 49170 Broadcast date 1996-01-01.
DS9 S04E12 'Paradise Lost (Part 2)' Stardate 49482.3 Broadcast date 1996-01-08.
DS9 S04E13 'Crossfire' Stardate 49517.3 Broadcast date 1996-01-29.
DS9 S04E14 'Return to Grace' Stardate 49534.2 Broadcast date 1996-02-05.
DS9 S04E15 'Sons of Mogh' Stardate 49556.2 Broadcast date 1996-02-12.
DS9 S04E16 'Bar Association' Stardate 49565.1 Broadcast date 1996-02-19.
DS9 S04E17 'Accession' Stardate 49600.7 Broadcast date 1996-02-26.
DS9 S04E18 'Rules of Engagement' Stardate 49665.3 Broadcast date 1996-04-08.
DS9 S04E19 'Hard Time' Stardate 49680.5 Broadcast date 1996-04-15.
DS9 S04E20 'Shattered Mirror' Stardate 49699.1 Broadcast date 1996-04-22.
DS9 S04E21 'The Muse' Stardate 49702.2 Broadcast date 1996-04-29.
DS9 S04E22 'For the Cause' Stardate 49729.8 Broadcast date 1996-05-06.
DS9 S04E23 'To the Death' Stardate 49904.2 Broadcast date 1996-05-13.
DS9 S04E24 'The Quickening' Stardate 49909.7 Broadcast date 1996-05-20.
DS9 S04E25 'Body Parts' Stardate 49930.3 Broadcast date 1996-06-10.
DS9 S04E26 'Broken Link' Stardate 49962.4 Broadcast date 1996-06-17.
DS9 S05E01 'Apocalypse Rising' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-09-30.
DS9 S05E02 'The Ship' Stardate 50049.3 Broadcast date 1996-10-07.
DS9 S05E03 'Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-10-14.
DS9 S05E04 '...Nor the Battle to the Strong' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-10-21.
DS9 S05E05 'The Assignment' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-10-28.
DS9 S05E06 'Trials and Tribble-ations' Stardate 4523.7 Broadcast date 1996-11-04.
DS9 S05E07 'Let He Who Is Without Sin...' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-11-11.
DS9 S05E08 'Things Past' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-11-18.
DS9 S05E09 'The Ascent' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-11-25.
DS9 S05E10 'Rapture' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1996-12-30.
DS9 S05E11 'The Darkness and the Light' Stardate 50416.2 Broadcast date 1997-01-06.
DS9 S05E12 'The Begotten' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-01-27.
DS9 S05E13 'For the Uniform' Stardate 50485.2 Broadcast date 1997-02-03.
DS9 S05E14 'In Purgatory's Shadow (Part 1)' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-02-10.
DS9 S05E15 'By Inferno's Light (Part 2)' Stardate 50564.2 Broadcast date 1997-02-17.
DS9 S05E16 'Doctor Bashir, I Presume?' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-02-24.
DS9 S05E17 'A Simple Investigation' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-03-31.
DS9 S05E18 'Business as Usual' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-04-07.
DS9 S05E19 'Ties of Blood and Water' Stardate 50712.5 Broadcast date 1997-04-14.
DS9 S05E20 'Ferengi Love Songs' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-04-21.
DS9 S05E21 'Soldiers of the Empire' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-04-28.
DS9 S05E22 'Children of Time' Stardate 50814.2 Broadcast date 1997-05-05.
DS9 S05E23 'Blaze of Glory' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-05-12.
DS9 S05E24 'Empok Nor' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-05-19.
DS9 S05E25 'In the Cards' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-06-09.
DS9 S05E26 'Call to Arms' Stardate 50975.2 Broadcast date 1997-06-16.
DS9 S06E01 'A Time to Stand' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-09-29.
DS9 S06E02 'Rocks and Shoals' Stardate 51107.2 Broadcast date 1997-10-06.
DS9 S06E03 'Sons and Daughters' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-10-13.
DS9 S06E04 'Behind the Lines' Stardate 51149.5 Broadcast date 1997-10-20.
DS9 S06E05 'Favor the Bold (Part 1)' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-10-27.
DS9 S06E06 'Sacrifice of Angels (Part 2)' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-11-03.
DS9 S06E07 'You are Cordially Invited...' Stardate 51247.5 Broadcast date 1997-11-10.
DS9 S06E08 'Resurrection' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-11-17.
DS9 S06E09 'Statistical Probabilities' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1997-11-24.
DS9 S06E10 'The Magnificent Ferengi' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-01-01.
DS9 S06E11 'Waltz' Stardate 51413.6 Broadcast date 1998-01-08.
DS9 S06E12 'Who Mourns for Morn?' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-02-04.
DS9 S06E13 'Far Beyond the Stars' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-02-11.
DS9 S06E14 'One Little Ship' Stardate 51474.2 Broadcast date 1998-02-18.
DS9 S06E15 'Honor Among Thieves' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-02-25.
DS9 S06E16 'Change of Heart' Stardate 51597.2 Broadcast date 1998-03-04.
DS9 S06E17 'Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-04-01.
DS9 S06E18 'Inquisition' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-04-08.
DS9 S06E19 'In the Pale Moonlight' Stardate 51721.3 Broadcast date 1998-04-15.
DS9 S06E20 'His Way' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-04-22.
DS9 S06E21 'The Reckoning' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-04-29.
DS9 S06E22 'Valiant' Stardate 51825.4 Broadcast date 1998-05-06.
DS9 S06E23 'Profit and Lace' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-05-13.
DS9 S06E24 'Time's Orphan' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-05-20.
DS9 S06E25 'The Sound of Her Voice' Stardate 51948.3 Broadcast date 1998-06-10.
DS9 S06E26 'Tears of the Prophets' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-06-17.
DS9 S07E01 'Image in the Sand' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-09-30.
DS9 S07E02 'Shadows and Symbols' Stardate 52152.6 Broadcast date 1998-10-07.
DS9 S07E03 'Afterimage' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-10-14.
DS9 S07E04 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-10-21.
DS9 S07E05 'Chrysalis' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-10-28.
DS9 S07E06 'Treachery, Faith, and the Great River' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-11-04.
DS9 S07E07 'Once More Unto the Breach' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-11-11.
DS9 S07E08 'The Siege of AR-558' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-11-18.
DS9 S07E09 'Covenant' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1998-11-25.
DS9 S07E10 'It's Only a Paper Moon' Stardate 52235.7 Broadcast date 1998-12-30.
DS9 S07E11 'Prodigal Daughter' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-01-06.
DS9 S07E12 'The Emperor's New Cloak' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-02-03.
DS9 S07E13 'Field of Fire' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-02-10.
DS9 S07E14 'Chimera' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-02-17.
DS9 S07E15 'Badda-Bing Badda-Bang' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-02-24.
DS9 S07E16 'Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-03-03.
DS9 S07E17 'Penumbra' Stardate 52576.2 Broadcast date 1999-04-07.
DS9 S07E18 '’Til Death Do Us Part' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-04-14.
DS9 S07E19 'Strange Bedfellows' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-04-21.
DS9 S07E20 'The Changing Face of Evil' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-04-28.
DS9 S07E21 'When It Rains…' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-05-05.
DS9 S07E22 'Tacking Into the Wind' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-05-12.
DS9 S07E23 'Extreme Measures' Stardate 52645.7 Broadcast date 1999-05-19.
DS9 S07E24 'The Dogs of War' Stardate 52861.3 Broadcast date 1999-05-26.
DS9 S07E26 'What You Leave Behind' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-06-02.
DS9 S07E25 'What You Leave Behind' Stardate Unknown Broadcast date 1999-06-02.
Notes from a previous, skiplist-based watch:
the DS9 intro does reflect the series, i.e. BORING. I'm about to move onto season 3, hopefully it'll start picking up.
am on S4. DS9 is finally starting to get bearable (the changelings tend to perk everything up a bit, especially as they introduce the ever-reliable The Thing plot-mechanics, and Sisko definitely improves along with his hair stylings)
I'm giving up on DS9. Perhaps it's because I'm not watching the whole thing, but I'm at season 5 and even the cherry-picked episodes are nothing special. So I ended on a high note with the excellent "Trials And Tribble-ations" (it's a shame that Tribbles didn't become more of a tradition - TOS, TAS and DS9 got them, would have been nice for TNG, Voyager and Enterprise to get them too).
I enjoyed the three remaining DS9 eps that I watched - the Klingon one ("Soldiers of the Empire"?), Far Beyond the Stars and In the Pale Moonlight.
Just watched the end of DS9. As someone who has barely been watching it, that seemed like some pretty goofy, cheesy shit! First the Republic Serial stuff with Sisko and the prophet god dude, then all those badly-put-together flashback sequences! Also, that final shot tracking away from the window seemed really off-scale. But really, as I say, it didn't mean much to me as I haven't been invested in this series.
