You may have noticed that as much as I discuss Star Trek, DS9 does not get mentioned nearly enough. I was never a major fan, but did watch it and enjoyed several episodes. So since I haven’t given DS9 enough love, here are my favorite episodes. I will say up front, these are favorites and may not be literally the best episodes ever made. In fact at least one is a bottle show which wasn’t that remarkable, as you’ll see. And almost nothing from the war episodes are on here, not because they were bad it’s just those episodes were not my favorites. To me they’re like seeing a gritty war film while well done it’s not the kind of thing you pop in to watch over and over again. These are episodes I loved the first time and can watch over and over again.
And if you’re wondering why no least favorites list, it’s because I managed to avoid those episodes which sucked a lot. Except “Move Along Home” which felt more like a crappy season 2 TNG episode. And I talked about Q-Less already. Oh and that awful “Resurrection” episode which was boring but since the crew were coming off the war arc I can forgive it. And “Defiant” was a let down.
Ok, onto my favorites–
#10.”What You Leave Behind” (Season 7)
Yeah I know weird to start with the final episode, but in some ways I liked Voyager’s more. Not to mention TNG’s. Why? As I said in the opening I was not a loyal DS9 fan and this episode was definitely aimed at loyal fans as a way of saying goodbye. So while it didn’t leave the biggest impact, it was still a damn good final episode and a very strong way to end the series. Credit where credit is due.
#9.”Our Man Bashir” (Season 4)
Ok, I did talk about this one a few months ago but I didn’t really explain it well. And I just couldn’t leave it off here, I really enjoy this episode. Ok, most of the crew are in a runabout when it explodes, as they are being beamed off. Some energy travels back and causes an explosion on the pad, causing the physical forms to be shunted into the holodeck and integrated into Bashir’s James Bond-esque Holodeck program. The crew do not have their memories so believe they are the characters, and the program can’t be stopped in fear of losing the patterns. So while Bashir has to play along Odo has to figure out to integrate the mental patterns with the physical patterns and restore the crew. Confused? It’s actually a really good episode which deserves a full review.
#8.”Whispers” (Season 2)/”Hard Time” (Season 4)
A tie because they are both heavy O’Brien character episodes. In Whispers O’Brien appears to be the only one on the station not acting odd. As he tries to piece together what has happened to his friends, we’re along for the ride. And the twist ending is really good. As for “Hard Time”, think of “The Inner Light” only much darker. This one was an episode which surprised me. O’Brien s implanted with memories of being imprisoned for twenty years, and yeah it’s basically a PTSD episode. Unlike Voyager who did one like this which was preachy as hell, this just shows what O’Brien is going through honestly. It’s also shows what life in the prison is like, something we don’t often see. And Colm Meaney is fantastic. The final scene between Bashir and O’Brien is one of my favorite moments of the series.
#7.”Duet” (Season 1)
Where did this one come from? It sure couldn’t have come from the crapptastic season one! Even more amazing is that this is a bottle show. Heck even for a bottle show, it’s a very confined episode. Almost the entire thing takes place in a cell. But the exchange between Kira and the Cardassian war criminal is just very well written, and actually filled with some tension. This is a great Kira episode as we explore her character. But more than that you find yourself going back and forth on this guy, should we hate him or not? Which makes the ending that much more tragic. Absolutely beautiful episode, proof that the 1st season wasn’t all bad.
#6.”The Way of the Warrior” (Season 4)
This is the episode that made me realize DS9 was really something special. Yes I only watched it because Worf was on it. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t impress me. That action scene at the end with the Klingons, wow! That was movie quality stuff. Of course it would be topped later on, but still! And I liked the way Worf fit in on this show, it was a really good match. Of course Worf couldn’t do for DS9 what Seven of Nine did for Voyager, but that doesn’t take away from this excellent episode.
#5.”Crossover” (Season 2)
You had me at hello. How could I not love an episode which was basically a sequel to the classic “Mirror, Mirror”. They did these every season even though they got sillier and sillier. The first follow up wasn’t all bad. Do I really need to explain why I like this one? Having the characters flip their roles is just so much fun to watch, especially the way Kira is played in that black outfit she wore. Not much else to say, if you loved “Mirror, Mirror” you’re gonna love this episode.
#4.”Visionary” (Season 3)
Yeah another O’Brien episode but this time the attention isn’t focused squarely on him. In fact one of the things i like in this one is that everyone gets something to do, it’s a very fair episode (and a bottle show but I love those). The episode revolved around O’Brien time shifting to the future and back. And to be fair, the time travel stuff makes no sense. It’s been said this is the point Trek stopped caring about logical rules for time travel. And that it’s closer to a TNG episode, which may explain my fondness for it. But despite the gripes I still really like this one, even though it isn’t daring and doesn’t take any risks. But an episode can be good even if it plays things safe once and awhile. Maybe I’ll do a whole review of it someday, I just really like this episode.
#3.”In The Pale Moonlight” (Season 6)
The one war related episode I really like, and why not? Man the writing on this one is awesome! When you summarize the episode it doesn’t sound like a big deal. The story of how the Romulans entered the war. What’s so special about that? A lot, this is a very different kind of Trek episode. It’s darker, and the ending is far from being “happy”. Sisko recounts what he had to do in order get the Romulans in the war, and put simply they’re not things to be proud of. But he got what he wanted and he decides he can live with it. This is one of the strongest scripts you will ever see aided by a fantastic performance by Avery Brooks. It takes skill to make sitting in a room talking dramatic and intense. If someone ever doesn’t understand how DS9 differed from TNG, direct them to this fine episode.
#2.”The Visitor” (Season 4)
I think this is one that no one will disagree with me on. Coming on the heels of “Way of the Warrior” we have the beautiful episode. The time travel stuff is hokey, but who cares that’s not the point. The point is the relationship between Sisko and Jake. Jake was often ignored on this show, and when they did remember him the episodes he was featured in often sucked, but man this episode makes up for that. It’s not easy to summarize but basically it’s Jake in the future talking about how his father died and he spend his life trying to find him. And if that final scene between the two in the house doesn’t make you cry, you have no soul. Tony Todd can be hit or miss (he’s only been in a million things), but here he nails it as the older Jake!
#1.Trials and Tribble-ations (Season 5)
In a way I feel bad for this one. All the groundwork stuff DS9 came out with, and this is the best loved episode? But who can’t see why, it’s so much fun to watch. Even if you were not a fan of the classic “Trouble with Tribbles” (which I very much am) you have to admire this one. The technology is remarkable the way the DS9 crew were inserted into the old footage. Not flawlessly, but pretty darn close. The cast and crew worked their hearts out on this one and it shows. It’s a simple premise, the Defiant is thrown into the past and they have to make sure the events of the original episode proceed as it did before. The episode is a lot of fun, right down to that final shot of the Tribbles in the Promenade. I could go on and on, it’s a fantastic episode which fans love and will love for many years.
Looks like season 4 wins for most liked episodes. I also notice Dax and Odo got snubbed, that’s weird. Honorable Mentions include “Far Beyond the Stars” which I already did a whole Underrated Trek article on, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” which I discussed in my Five Great Trek Episodes That Should Have Sucked article, “Little Green Men” which was OK, Time’s Orphan which I actually liked, and “Children of Time” which most seem to like but I flat out HATED!! Oh, and there is one last episode I did not mention which I will in a forthcoming article. It got pushed of the list and since it’s sort of underrated episode, it works in that regular series.
Did I miss your favorite? Comment and let me know. Remember there are still episodes of this show I’ve never seen, so I am sure there are episodes I missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment