Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Top 10 Episodes

 

 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

 

 

During my senior year of college, I watched every single Deep Space Nine Episode straight through, from “The Emissary” to “What You Leave Behind” in only a matter of a few months. I had not seen many episodes when it aired and was very curious about the series. I had seen a number of episodes when it was airing, but the stations in my area had them on at odd times, changing them regularly. And the episodes I had seen were a smattering from all the series, and as a series that really has a beginning and middle and end that connect to each other, I was left confused by some things. My top episodes, listed in order below, seem to change all the time, when I start watching the series again when I do critical reviews of each episode, I’m sure everything will be different.

 

That senior year was a binge, of sorts, on all things Deep Space Nine. I bought a number of books, including numerous novels and the convoluted Technical Manuel, and read with diligence. Now, I am and always will be, a big fan of TNG and the Original Series and really do feel those are great series, especially as compared to Voyager and Enterprise. This series, though, was by far the best and most well written of any of them. The characters seemed at once real, and a vision of Roddenbery. They were complex, dreamy, dreary eyed explorers and wonderers who were at the edge of the frontier, in a backwater station. Sisko, a nearly washed-out commander who was slowly becoming stagnant in his career (no thanks to telling a great captain like Picard to stuff himself, became one of the most influential and multifaceted character of the series. As other Star Trek incarnations, DS9 pushed the envelope once again and showed us the best of what Trek and Science Fiction as a whole could be.

 

 

The Visitor

Season 4, Episode 3

 

This is THE best episode of Star Trek, hands down. I cried throughout. The heartfelt love between father and son went so far that Jake Sisko was willing to sacrifice his lifetime as well as his life in the hopes that he could HOPE to save his father. He knew things could be worse, you could see it in Old Jake’s eyes, but he knew that it was more than enough. Practically flawless in its showing, The Visitor is by far my favorite Star Trek episode.

 

Duet

Season 1, Episode 19

 

When a Cardassian arrives at the station, Kira, the Bajoran second-in-command of the station, finds evidence that he has been at a labor camp during the Cardassian occupation, a brutal concentration camp during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. This story revolves, mainly, around the interaction between Kira and this Cardassian and through a brilliant twist that I did not see coming, it shows brilliantly the charged and emotional state of the post-Bajor Occupation.

 

Homefront/Paradise Lost

Season 4, Episode 11

Season 4, Episode 12

 

These two episodes show just how easily the Dominion, a bunch of shapeshifters from another part of the galaxy, can infiltrate and disrupt one of the most secure planets in space, Earth. With only a handful of operatives there were able to cause rampant paranoia through Starfleet that led to the establishment of martial law and the near overthrow of the current Federation administration. It is unfortunate that these two episodes were not developed more, especially considering the odd and out of place short Klingon incident that happened early in the season. The paranoia and deception in this episode really echoes the current state of the USA.

 

Past Tense

Season 3, Episode 11

Season 3, Episode 12

 

Yet another time travel episode, but this time, one that goes into the twenty-first century. We see for the first, and almost only time, the first half of the century that would lead up to World War III and a nuclear holocaust. Society has gotten so low by this time period that they have hearded the homeless and immigrants into ghettos called “Sanctuary District”. This is a brilliant social criticism of where we might be heading and an ominous sign of things to come, considering the politically charged nature of immigration here in the United States.

 

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

Season 7, Episode 16

 

The Federation at Romulus, legally. This must have been one of the first instances of a Federation ship actually visiting Romulus in the entire series of Star Trek. The only other one I can think of is the visit by the Enterprise-E in Nemesis. A political intrigue episode that deals with an assassination, a clandestine organization within the Federation and the Romulan Empire and Bashir, the doctor, in the thick of everything.

 

Trials and Tribble-ations

Season 5, Episode 6

 

This episode was a tribute to TOS for the 30^th anniversary of Star Trek. A great episode that was able to fuse footage from the Trouble with Tribbles episode with Deep Space Nine characters. A remarkable feat of technology and creativity, this episode is a great one. I just don’t understand how it was beaten for a Hugo by a Babylon 5 episode, and an Emmy by the Voyager episode “Fair Trade”, fair indeed…

 

Far Beyond the Stars

Season 6, Episode 13

 

An absolutely fantastic episode. Another episode nominated for awards that did not receive any, Far Beyond the Stars is truly a Benjamin Sisko episode. It showed what the 1950s were like and what effect it had on people who weren’t in the majority, which included basically everyone. Avery was at his height in this episode and easily makes my top 10.

 

In the Pale Moonlight

Season 6, Episode 19

 

This episode was very controversial as it depicted Ben Sisko and the federation itself as something less than perfect. In the episode, it is suggested that the Dominion are continuing their advances into the Alpha Quadrant and some top brass think things may only continue to get worse. Without any more major support, the Alpha Quadrant may be doomed. Only in persuading the Romulans into war does the Quadrant face a fighting chance. It means, however, that morality may need to be overlooked. Do the needs of the many truly outweigh the needs of the one?

 

The Homecoming/The Circle/The Siege

Season 2, Episode 1

Season 2, Episode 2

Season 2, Episode 3

 

I love politics and political intrigue and this is mainly why I enjoyed this episode. I really liked all the Bajoran political and social storylines DS9 had. I really wish they would have developed them more, though, as the Bajoran people and the planet were a real asset to the creative elements of DS9. This was the first three part arc in star trek and one that sadly was not used as often as it should have been (Enterprise finally picked up on it in its fourth and final season much too late).

 

Prodigal Daughter

Season 7, Episode 11

 

For some reason, I really enjoyed this episode. It certainly isn’t in most peoples top episodes and barely makes mine. I think it was the atmosphere of the episode. It seemed refreshing in a way, very realistic. I absolutely loved the setting and the set architecture, most notably Norvo’s room. Ezri is somewhat of an annoying character and I really felt that the entire Ezri-Worf relationship should have gone differently, but in this episode she begins to come to her own and we see a new and exciting character emerging who has real issues and real problems.

 

Move Along Home

Season 1, Episode 10

 

A fun episode which includes the first official contact from the other side of the Bajoran wormhole, this story deals with a game so complex that it actually looks and feels as if someone is really there, as if it was a holodeck game. But for the four Starfleet crewmembers that get sucked into this game, they feel it is real as do the gameplayers playing it, which include the lovable Quark and the stern yet humorous Odo. To anyone watching, notice the subtle Dominion reference in this episode.

 

Distant Voices

Season 3, Episode 10

 

Another reality bending episode, this story deals with a pysionic attack on Julian Bashir, the doctor for the space station, who seems to undergo age advancement. Apparently, this psyionic attack attempts to shut down the person’s brain. An interesting episode that gives us a number of interesting glimpses into Bashir’s personality.

 

~ by shadowsphere on June 17, 2008.