RTR Blog: Matt's DS9 Top Ten


Deep Space Nine has grown to be my favourite Star Trek series. The shades of gray and later the Dominion War made it a great series that I've appreciated more and more as I've gotten older. Since we've drawn a number of Deep Space Nine episodes so far in season two of Random Trek Review, I thought it timely to count down my DS9 top 10. Let's go:

10: The Siege of AR-558

This is a great look at the ugly side of war. Several of the Deep Space Nine crew are stranded on a communications station on the front lines where they encounter a garrison of very fatigued soldiers who are on edge. The DS9 crew deal with the first hand reality of war as they prepare the troops for an assault after Jem'Hadar shock troops land on the planet. We see some outstanding performances from the guest stars who portray soldiers on the edge of completely losing it having been in combat for months. The action at the end was a great climax to a very intense episode that deals with a lot of different issues associated with being on the front lines of a prolonged conflict.

9: It's Only A Paper Moon

Reviewed in episode 15 of RTR, this episode picks up on the events of The Siege of AR-558 as Nog deals with PTSD and the loss of his leg. There are some fun, light moments in the early stages of the episode as Nog bonds with Vic Fontaine. The tension builds and culminates in the very intense climax as Nog is finally forced to confront his feelings. This was an incredible performance by the late Aron Eisenberg as Nog completely breaks down and admits that he is scared of the real world. It was an incredibly powerful scene that has had an impact in the real world. The final scene when Nog admits to several of the crew members that he isn't fine, but he will be was a great ending to a very memorable episode.

8: Take Me Out to the Holosuite

Baseball? Star Trek? Yes, sign me up! It was a collision that was bound to happen given the fondness several Star Trek producers had for America's pastime. I absolutely love this episode in which the crew of the station are challenged to a baseball game by an old rival of Sisko's. A nice diversion from the Dominion War story that had numerous great light and funny moments as the crew learns the game and hone their skills, including umpire Odo. During the game itself, there are several moments that highlight the eccentricities and nuances of the game that I truly enjoyed as a baseball aficionado. It all culminated with the glorious scene in which Rom accidentally lays down a perfect bunt allowing Nog to score the Niners lone run in the 9th inning. It was a delightful episode on so many levels for me.

7: Rocks and Shoals

This episode is part of a mini arc kicking off the sixth season which sees Sisko and crew destroy a Dominion outpost using a captured Jem'Hadar ship. Here we have the crew crash land on a planet where a group of Jem'Hadar had also crashed. Their Vorta is dying and they are running out of ketracel white. Seems like a collision is inevitable. I like this episode because we see the crew get dirty and antsy while in a very dire situation. We also get to see things from the point of view of the Jem'Hadar and gain some insight into the mentality and unwavering loyalty of the Jem'Hadar. The Vorta orders them into an obvious trap and the soldiers don't think twice about fighting to their certain deaths. Even when Sisko offers them an opportunity to live, their leader scoffs at the opportunity. An interesting episode which shockingly guest stars Phil Morris as Ramat'iklan, a major departure from his better known role on Seinfeld: Jackie Chiles.

6: Emissary

We tackled both parts of Emissary in episodes 30 and 31 of RTR and to me this is the best series premiere. Although it heavily features Sisko, we do get some nice introductions to the other crew members. It picks up nicely on the Bajoran occupation by the Cardassians that was explored briefly through the fifth and sixth seasons of the Next Generation. We also get introduced to the Bajoran wormhole and the prophets which play a huge role in the series going forward. I loved the beginning where we see the station completely trashed and the crew running around trying to clean things up while dealing with pillagers and other criminals. It quickly established the darker themes of the show and that this was not going to be your ordinary Star Trek. There was a nice little standoff with the Cardassians, although some of the action felt a bit forced, and the episode wrapped up nicely establishing the Cardassians as an early antagonist. It's a solid episode that gives a good start to the series.

5: The Visitor

Andrew named this as his favourite DS9 episode in the intro episode of RTR and for good reason. We see an aged Jake Sisko, now a famous writer, talk with an unexpected visitor who seeks refuge during a rainstorm. He talks to her about his efforts to rescue his father who became stuck in time due to an accident on the Defiant many years ago. I loved the time jumps forward where we see Nog and many other members of the crew in the future helping Jake in his attempts to rescue his father. We also see Jake give up everything he worked for in his life after the accident in an effort to save his father. He gives up his writing career, marriage, everything to learn all he can about what happened so that he can save his father. It was cool seeing the crew rally around him when it came time to mount a rescue. His ultimate sacrifice at the end when Sisko appears again to give them both a second chance was an incredible moment. It's a great episode about the bond between father and son and the lengths we will go to in order to save the ones we love.

4: Improbable Cause / The Die Is Cast

A Garak heavy two part episode? Yes, please! I absolutely loved the first part of this episode where Odo tries to unravel the mystery surrounding the bombing of Garak's shop. The visit to his Cardassian contact who won't allow Odo to see his face was great. Learning that it was all a ruse to draw Odo into an investigation into some strange activity in the Orias system was classic Garak and we learn of a plot to destroy the Founders homeworld. In part two we learn some new things about Garak and his background which was fascinating. We also get a pretty grisly scene as Garak tortures Odo using a Romulan device to prevent him from changing his shape. Kudos for the makeup team for that scene. I loved the twist at the end when we discover that the founders cooked up the whole scheme and had Jem'Hadar warships waiting for the incoming fleet bent on destroying the planet. There's a nice battle scene at the end between the two fleets with the DS9 crew swooping in on the Defiant to rescue Garak and Odo. A nice two part episode that has everything I enjoy in a Star Trek episode.

3: The Way of the Warrior

The appearance of the Klingons at the start of season four was a bit unexpected but it was certainly welcome in this episode which marks the return of Mr. Worf to Star Trek as he joins the DS9 crew. There is some good mystery at the beginning of the episode as we wonder what this massive fleet of Klingons is doing hanging around the station. Once Worf arrives, unravels the mystery and we learn that the Klingons believe the Cardassian government has been infiltrated by Changelings, it's time for some intense battle action as Sisko and the crew step in. There are some moments of levity throughout. Garak's quips before and after being roughed up by some Klingons, Sisko and Dax's bet about whether Dukat would complain before or after thanking Sisko for rescuing him. DS9 had a knack for adding some great moments of comic relief in the midst of a very intense episode. This was a classic season opener that made the Klingons a major part of DS9 and began the cold war that became a major part of the fourth season.

2: In the Pale Moonlight

An episode that could only ever happen on Deep Space Nine, this is an absolute classic that features Sisko wrestling with his conscience as he uses nefarious means to drag the Romulans into the war. This is another episode where we see Garak's full talents on display as he does all of Sisko's dirty work in the shadows as we would expect from Garak. I loved seeing a determined Sisko set his mind to a goal and work towards it by any means necessary. This sort of moral debate is something we could only see on Deep Space Nine and probably only something we could see Sisko doing. Picard or Janeway going against their own morals and Starfleet regulations? Not a chance. Sisko? Even though we see him wrestle with his conscience throughout the episode, ultimately he decides to reach his goal regardless of the cost. And in the end, he decides that his feeling of guilt are worth getting the Romulans into the war. Oh, and I nearly forgot, the plan he devises with Mr. Garak was really good and watching them put it in motion and deal with the snags along the way was really entertaining. An absolute classic DS9 episode in so many ways.

1: Call to Arms

The moment that was teased for .. well, the better part of three seasons finally descended upon us in Call to Arms as the Federation and Dominion are finally plunged into war. The episode sets things up nicely as the crew of Deep Space Nine are ordered to mine the entrance of the wormhole to prevent further Dominion convoys from reaching Cardassia. There are some nice light moments in the early parts of the episode as Rom and Leeta plan their wedding and the crew designs the mines to be used at the entrance to the wormhole. The Dominion pleads with the Federation to abandon their plan, leading to great scene with Sisko and Weyoun as they discuss the situation. Of course we all knew this would lead to a stern response and we get it in the form of a massive armada of Cardassian and Jem'Hadar warships attacking the station. The ending is a bit of a surprise and leads to a pretty solid cliffhanger as the station is lost to the Dominion, but the last thing we see is the Defiant joining an equally massive armada of Federation and Klingon vessels. It was quite a cliffhanger to live through wondering for an entire summer how epic the counter attack would be. This episode put in motion a great ongoing story arc that kept us going for two years. It had everything that made Deep Space Nine great which puts it at the top of my list.

As always, some honourable mentions in no particular order:

Duet
A rare gem from the first two seasons, a Cardassian is held for war crimes at a Bajoran labour camp. It turns out the man had cosmetic surgery to impersonate a famous Cardassian war criminal in the hope of being tried and forcing Cardassia to admit their wrongdoings during the Bajoran occupation. It is a powerful story of a man who is so overcome with guilt and remorse that he would be willing to give up his life in order to make amends to crimes he allowed to happen without opposition.

The Ship
The episode that set up Rocks and Shoals, this is a nice episode that puts the crew in a similar predicament when they capture a Jem'Hadar warship, but are stranded after their runabout is destroyed. I loved seeing the crew struggling through a dangerous situation and the cat and mouse games between Sisko and the Vorta. It was a suspenseful episode with some good emotional moments that had a pretty shocking ending

The Search
The Search finally introduced us to the Dominion in earnest and setup the conflict that would linger until all out war breaks out three seasons later. We get introduced to the USS Defiant and get a nice ship battle showing off its abilities. The second part was intriguing but finding out at the end it was merely a simulation was a bit weak. Still, this overall was a good episode that helped steer DS9 in the right direction.

Crossover
Even though DS9 went to the mirror universe well far too many times, the first episode was one that I really enjoyed. We get introduced to all the great mirror universe versions of the main characters and a few others. It was interesting to see how the universe established in the classic TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror" had evolved and the DS9 characters roles in it. The accidental foray into it was believable and it was fun to see the mirror versions of our heroes.

Faith, Treachery and the Great River
My favourite DS9 comedy episode, O'Brien and Nog go for a wild ride on the Great River as they attempt to make a crazy series of trades to obtain items to improve crew morale. There were so many good moments of humor in this episode as O'Brien and Nog struggled to make things work and faced the ire of various characters after their stuff goes missing. Of course in the end O'Brien and Nog are successful and everyone is happy, making their wild ride worthwhile.

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