The Beginner’s Episode Guide to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine-Season 1

Star Trek is a big franchise. 11 show, 13 movies, an impossible number of spin offs books, comics, games and even technical manuals. For a newcomer, sifting through all this content can be a daunting task. And as much as I love the Star Trek franchise, not quite all of this content is worth it. Even Deep Space Nine, arguably the strongest Star Trek show overall, has it’s fair share of clunkers. So I’m here to help you out. Obviously, there’s no shortage of Star Trek discussion on the internet, but as a relative newcomer to the franchise, I feel the need to provide a perspective that’s less rooted in nostalgia.

WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE DS9

If you’re here, you’re probably already aware that Deep Space Nine is the third series in the Star Trek franchise, following the Original Series(TOS), which debuted in 1966, and The Next Generation(TNG), which debuted in 1987. While I do believe that having watched TOS and TNG enhances the general experience of DS9 by quite a bit, it’s not strictly necessary, and you can absolutely watch the shows in whatever order you wish.

TOS:As DS9 takes place over 100 years after TOS, the two series don’t have much in common, and I don’t believe you need to watch any TOS episode to get the general gist of DS9. There are a couple of episodes that will be relevant down the line, but I will talk about them when we get there.

TNG: Since TNG not only exists within the same time frame as DS9, but also has a few direct crossovers, starting with the pilot, and even introduces a few of DS9’s main characters, there are a few episodes that I would recommend watching before you jump in, or during the first season of the show:

The Best of Both Worlds: Apart from being an excellent episode, this one expands on a crucial element of Commander Sisko’s backstory, and also explains the nature of his animosity towards Picard. Sisko doesn’t feature in it directly(and the character was probably not even conceived at the time), but it’s a relevant episode nonetheless.

The Wounded: This episode serves as the introduction of the Cardassians, who serve as the primary antagonists for much of DS9,as well as being a pretty good introduction to the character of Chief O’Brien, and probably his best TNG episode.

Ensign Ro: This is the episode that introduces the Bajorans, one of the main alien races on DS9, expands upon their culture and the current political climate of their planet, and their dynamic with the Cardassians.

Birthright: Although it doesn’t really have much bearing on the plot, this one takes place during DS9’s pilot, and is partially set on the titular space station. More importantly, it serves as an excellent showcase for Worf, who would later become a main character on DS9.

As I’ve previously stated, none of these episodes are required viewing if you have no interest in TNG, and the series does a good enough job of easing you into the Star Trek universe that you won’t feel lost without watching them. If you’re torn on whether to watch these episodes or not, I’d recommend giving at least The Wounded and Ensign Ro a go, since they’re the most relevant and also the shortest( Birthright and The Best of Both Worlds are both double episodes).

THE GRADING SYSTEM

In lieu of of a numerical system, I will be ranking the episodes into 6 distinct categories:

So Bad It’s Good-Means the episode is an absolute train wreck, but an entertaining one. Not required viewing by any stretch, but could be fun if you’re willing to turn your brain off.

Stay Away-These are the episodes that have no redeeming qualities, but are also too boring to provide any unintentional entertainment. Don’t watch these unless you’re a masochist. Or a completionist.

Flawed-Episodes that aren’t necessarily well executed, but have some redeeming qualities or throw a few interesting ideas into the mix. These are not essential episodes, but you can give them a go if they sound interesting.

Average-These are the bread and butter of the show. I’m grading on a curve, so average for DS9 is a pretty high standard. You can skip a few if you’re in a rush, but I’d advise against it.

Great-These are the absolutely unskippable episodes. The really, really good ones. If you like the show, you will want to watch all of these.

Must Watch-A step above the great episodes. These are the ones I’d recommend even if you don’t generally vibe with the show at all.

Additionally, there’s a special Gold Star(⭐) that I will be awarding to any episodes that are important the the overarching narrative or character development, regardless of their quality.

Although I will try to keep the descriptions brief and not reveal any surprises, there is some stuff that can be considered spoilers, so if you’re the type of person who really likes going blind into a series, you might want to skip the descriptions and just look at the grade.

SEASON 1

The first season of DS9 is not the complete disaster that TNG’s first season was, but it’s a bit rough around the edges, and has a few too many generic and uninspired episodes. If you don’t like the season, you might end up enjoying the rest of the show, but I’d suggest skipping ahead to episode 18, Duet, to see a proper example of where DS9’s strengths lie. If you do end up enjoying that episode, you can continue watching from there(although you will miss on a ton of character development and a few important plot points), or go back and rewatch the gold star episode to get the cliff notes version of the first season. If you don’t like Duet, you might still enjoy some of the show, but it’s probably not for you.

1. Emissary-Average(⭐):A solid premiere, but one that only hints at the future potential of the show. There’s some great interactions with the cast of TNG, a relative rarity for 90s era Trek, and a lot of relevant backstory, but still some kinks to be ironed out. Sisko is still a bit rough around the edges, and Bashir is straight up insufferable, but don’t worry, he does get better.
2. Past Prologue-Average(⭐): After getting us acquainted with the main characters and laying out the groundwork for the loose overarching storyline of the first two season, DS9 settles into a nice groove with our first episodic adventure. A tale of terrorism, espionage and complex morality, that also introduces one of the show’s best recurring characters. It’s the kind of plot that the show will do much, much better down the line, but for now, it’s gripping enough.
3. A Man Alone-Flawed(⭐): The problem with writing a whodunnit kind of story involving a member of the main cast is that, for the viewer, there’s obviously no suspense. Granted, the characters are still new and mysterious enough that we don’t quite know what they’re capable of, but no one is gonna believe they will reveal one of them as a murderer in the third episode and send them off to prison. This is a story that needed to be especially clever to pull off what it wanted to do, and it just isn’t. The one redeeming factor is that it gives the viewers some valuable insights into who Odo is and what makes him tick, as well as some nice character beats with Miles and Keiko.
4. Babel-Flawed: By this point in Star Trek, it’s already a tradition that somewhere in the first half of the first season, the show must have an episode in which some space virus makes the crew act wacky and out of character. TOS somehow pulled it off with The Naked Time, and TNG inexplicably tried to do it literally in it’s second episode, with The Naked Now. The issue, as with TNG, is that as a fresh audience, we aren’t that impressed by these characters acting in an uncharacteristic manner, since we’ve barely met them. This one takes itself more seriously than you’d expect with such a hokey premise, and it surprisingly works in it’s favor, but not enough for me to fully recommend it.
5. Captive Pursuit-Average(⭐): This is DS9 showing us that you can still do the whole Star Trek exploration of the unknown thing, even if you are confined to a space station. Featuring our first look into what lies on the other side of the wormhole, some fun alien designs, and some decent character development for O’Brien. It’s not super thrilling or original in terms of concept, at least by this point in the franchise, and perhaps relies a bit too much on some rather unimpressive action setpieces, but it’s a fun hour nonetheless.
6. Q-less-Flawed: This is DS9 trying to be TNG, and in a rather inelegant manner. Probably not the last time it goes to that well in the early seasons, but the only times it does this so blatantly. Starring our old pal Q, and Picard’s tomb raiding love interest Vash, this episode is interesting for the sheer novelty of seeing these characters so out of their element. Beyond that, and a few amusing punchlines, there’s not much here.

• Episodes you may want to watch before this one: Captain’s Holiday(TNG)-Introduces the character of Vash. Q Who(TNG)-Not the first appearance of Q(that would be the TNG pilot), but one of the best showcases of the character, and his rapport with Picard. Qpid(TNG)-The episode where Q and Vash begin their partnership.
• None of these are “required viewing” to get this episode, and quite frankly, if you’re not interested in them you shouldn’t bother for such a mediocre hour of TV, but in the interest of thoroughness, here they are.

7. Dax-Average(⭐): On the surface level, this episode isn’t all that different from A Man Alone, and it really shouldn’t work as well as it does, especially so soon after an episode with an almost identical premise. The fact that it does work, is simply on where it’s priorities lie. While the earlier episode spent a whole lot of time on an investigation that the viewer wasn’t interested in, here the investigation is almost an afterthought. Instead, the main premise is focused on one question: Is Jadzia Dax the same person as Curzon Dax, her symbiont’s former host? This is one in a long line of Star Trek episodes focused on the definition of personhood in a world where things are not as clear cut as they are today. While it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as TNG’s The Measure of A Man, it’s still a very interesting episode.

8. The Passenger-Flawed: There are a lot of bad episodes in the first two seasons of DS9. There are also a lot of decent episodes being held back by some mistake or flaw in their execution. The Passenger isn’t one of those episodes. It’s a competently written, competently acted, and competently made hour of television. And perhaps that’s the problem. The highest praise I can award this episode is that it’s competent. Nothing stands out, good or bad, and it’s not particularly interested in concept. It’s probably the most forgettable episode in the entire first season, or even the whole series. Hell, I finished watching it 10 minutes ago and I’ve already forgotten most of it.

9. Move Along Home-So Bad it’s Good: One of the coolest things about Star Trek is that it employs some extremely gifted stage actors, who can elevate bad special effects and ridiculous premises by making them believable. Another one of the coolest things about Star Trek is that sometimes the special effects are so bad and the premises so ridiculous that they drag these venerable thespians right down with them. Such is the case with Move Along Home, which is the funniest episode of the show so far, for all the wrong reason. To be fair, I’m not sure how much of the humor is intentional. The premise should be played for laughs, but the stakes appear to be very serious, and the characters do treat them as such. Occasionally. I genuinely can’t tell if they were going for absurdist horror or light hearted whimsy. Either way, this one is worth watching for the batshit insane results. If only you can stomach the incredibly dull parts that take place in the “real world”.

10. The Nagus-Average(⭐): From unintentionally funny, we go to intentionally mildly amusing. This episode, which focuses on the Ferengi, is the prime example of a plot that would have been disastrous on TNG, but somehow works on DS9. The reason why is pretty obvious: the TNG cast were all Starfleet officers with a perpetual stick up their ass, particularly in the early seasons. By contrast DS9 features a much more laid back and colorful ensemble, that can do lighter episodes without devolving into outright farce or stretching the credibility of the characters. It helps that this is also the first time we see Quark as more than a one-dimensional conman, or the Ferengi in general as an actual semi-plausible culture.

11. Vortex-Average(⭐): By this point in the show, you would be forgiven for thinking that DS9 is more of a crime drama or police procedural set in space than a Star Trek show. Of course, this particular episode has some extra significance that’s pretty hard to get into without spoiling a lot of the show. But even without the added context, it’s far more compelling than the previous adventures of Cop Odo have been. This is down to a couple of reasons. It seems like this is a script that a lot more attention has been put into compared to most other Season 1 episodes. There’s a lot of neat little touches that don’t really serve the main plot, but enhance the overall feel of the episode. Like doing some pretty interesting worldbuilding for our disposable aliens of the week. More importantly though, instead of the procedural elements of the investigation, this one focuses on creating some poignant moments, as well as Odo himself, and exploring who, rather than what he is. This is something the DS9 writers are a lot more skilled at, and, as a result, this is probably the first episode in which he feels like an actual likeable character.

12. Battle Lines-Flawed(⭐): Generally speaking, DS9 and TOS are about as far from each other as any two classic Trek shows can be. Perhaps it’s for a good reason, as this seems like DS9’s attempt at a sort of high concept TOS style morality play, and the results aren’t exactly great. There’s just too much suspension of disbelief required to see the events of this episode, and the planet on which it takes place, fit within a larger serialized narrative and the complex world this show has been building. There’s some great character beats for Major Kira here, but beyond that I wouldn’t recommend watching this episode, outside of the fact that it contains one of the most pivotal plot points in the whole first season. If you’re in a hurry, look up a synopsis. It’s not painfully bad, but it’s a dull episode.

13. The Storyteller-Flawed: Probably the nicest thing I can say about this episode is that it doesn’t really evoke any emotions. It’s like a comedy without any actual jokes(well, a few jokes, but they’re not really the laughing out loud kind). There’s no stakes here, and nothing much of consequence happens. Despite this being our first time exploring Bajor’s surface, there’s no actual relevant worldbuilding being done here. It’s just …fluff. Meaningless, harmless fluff. I guess it’s the first time the O’Brien/Bashir pairing is introduced, but beyond the basic notion of them not really getting along, there’s not much the episode does with that either.

14. Progress-Great: This is by far the strongest episode of the show so far, and one that truly reveals what DS9 is capable of achieving when it’s firing on all cylinders. Despite the fact that it takes place on a moon hundreds of lightyears away, and that it stars two aliens, this is ultimately an entirely human tale, if you strip away all the sci-fi elements you’re left with the same core story about the inevitable march of progress leaving some of the less fortunate behind. We’ve seen a couple of episodes centered on Major Kira more or less as as an action star, but this is the first one where we see an entirely different side of her. This is a fairly slow episode, and not one that’s particularly concerned with plot twists or wacky sci-fi concepts. It’s also oddly calm and serene, given the very heavy subject matter. While Star Trek does have the tendency to occasionally devolve into melodrama, Progress smartly lets its message and the excellent acting performances do their job, without resorting to tugging at your heartstrings in a heavy handed manner. There’s also a very amusing but ultimately insignificant b-plot about Nog and Jake here, which should feel tonally mismatched, but ultimately works at lightening the mood.

15. If Wishes Were Horses-Stay Away: Talk about a drop in quality! At first glance, this isn’t much different from The Storyteller. Completely inconsequential, dull, hokey, and stretching credibility even by Star Trek standards. But while the former was at least competent in it’s execution and had some amusing character interactions, this one has no redeeming qualities, barely makes sense and is also actively trying to make you think that it’s very clever and funny(it’s not) and buy into the premise that the stakes are life or death. If there’s one episode from this entire series that literally adds nothing to it, it’s this one.

16. The Forsaken-Flawed: If you’ve already watched TNG before, you know the dread that comes with realizing that you’re about to watch a Lwaxana Troi episode. The character is completely infuriating, and usually derails any story she’s a part of. What’s strange is that, in this episode, this isn’t exactly the case. She’s still not my favorite character, but pairing her up with Odo was a smart move, and they play off each other really well. Unfortunately though, apart from their scenes, the rest of the episode is a big waste of time. In fact, before rewatching it, I was almost certain that the Odo/Lwaxana storyline was the main focus of the episode, since it’s by far the most memorable, but sadly, a lot more time is devoted to a generic technobabble plotline instead.

*Episodes you might wanna watch before this one: Any of the prior TNG episodes starring Lwaxana Troi(Haven, Manhunt, Menage a Troi, Half a Life, Cost of Living). My pick would be Half a Life, since it’s the only one I find halfway decent. But as with Q-less, you won’t be lost if you don’t want to watch any of these.

17. Dramatis Personae-Flawed: We’re almost at the end of this season, and my patience for space anomaly of the week plots is wearing really thin. My expectations are obviously influence by having already watched a few dozens of these episodes before, and by my knowledge of what DS9 would eventually become, so your mileage may vary. In any case, if you do enjoy this type of story, Dramatis Personae is not particularly bad. A “telepathic matrix”, whatever that is, takes over the minds of the crew and causes them to act out of character. There’s a few laughs, some cool moments, and the cast has some fun chewing the scenery, but ultimately, the entire episode doesn’t really amount to much.

18. Duet-Must Watch(⭐):After a fairly lackluster season, it’s good to finally see the show firing on all cylinders. Duet is an amazing standalone story, the climax of Major Kira’s entire character arc up until this point, as well as a magnificent look into the Cardassian/Bajoran dynamic that has been the driving force of most of the show’s best episodes up to this point. This is such a good episode that it’s easy to forget that most of it is just two people sitting in a room and having a conversation(and two actors acting their butts off), much like many other of Star Trek’s finest hours, it has more in common with a theater play than a standard episode of television. The only “flaw” that I can ascribe to this episode is just how on point it is with it’s themes. It’s depressing to think that something written 30 years ago, and inspired by events from almost a century ago is still so topical today.

19. In The Hands of The Prophets-Great(⭐): I remember not liking this episode that much on the first watch. The premise of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism taking over such an advanced society seemed far fetched, and the episode has this sense of weight and self-importance that I didn’t think it fully earned. Watching it again however, I completely changed my mind on it. Perhaps it’s because the world has changed since I first watched DS9, or at least my perception of it, enough that the premise doesn’t seem at all outlandish now. More likely, it’s because I understand it’s place in the show’s continuity now, and, without giving away anything, the season 1 finale does earn it’s very dramatic tone in retrospect. It’s still a bit slow in places, and Vedek Bareil is one of the rare completely miscast characters on DS9, but ultimately, this is Season 1’s most important episode, and even if you won’t exactly like it on your first watch, you will grow to appreciate it as you watch the rest of the series.