I finished watching “Star Trek Deep Space Nine” a few weeks ago, and I’m still reeling from the experience. As as sci-fi fan and Trekkie, “Deep Space Nine” (or DS9, as it’s often called) has been on my watch list for literally decades. But I never got around to it, intimidated by the seven seasons and 176 episodes of content to get through.
Honestly I couldn’t get behind the concept of DS9 at first. I was into Star Trek’s main tagline: “To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, to boldly go….” The idea of a show based on a space station that doesn’t move just seemed uninspiring and dull.
Boy was I wrong.
From the first episode I realized this was a Star Trek show like no other. “Emissary” kicks off the show featuring Captain Benjamin Sisko, a battle-weary Starfleet officer, broken by the war with the Borg, forced to serve on a space station above a planet he doesn’t care about. He actively hates Captain Picard, which must have been so shocking to “Star Trek The Next Generation” fans of the time. And then we get a bunch of mysterious, mystical shenanigans implying that Sisko is a religious icon for a race of supernatural beings. WOAH.
Despite trying to binge-watch the show, I usually had to stop after each episode and process what I just experienced. So many genre-defying things happened that just shook me:
- Starfleet officers in conflict with each other
- Violations of Starfleet regulations as a regular occurrence
- Ethical quandaries that remain unresolved
- Appalling scenes of violence and cruelty
And yes, some of it was just bad. Seasons one and two were somewhat of a slog, with only a few bright spots. But by season three I was fully invested.
Favorite Characters
“Deep Space Nine” has some of the most memorable recurring characters of any sci-fi show I’ve ever seen. Some of my favorites:
- Garak: The tailor spy just chews up every scene he is in.
- Constable Odo: Who doesn’t love a shape-shifting curmudgeon?
- Quark: The ever scheming bar owner never failed to delight me.
- Nog: This character drove me crazy the first couple of seasons, but quickly grew on me. His PTSD episode “It’s Only a Paper Moon” is the only one to make me cry.
- Jadzia Dax: We all need an “old man” friend like Jadzia.
- Gul Dukat: Perhaps one of the best villains in sci-fi history. Marc Alaimo’s line deliveries were just so thick with arrogance and malevolence.
My Ten Favorite Episodes
It’s hard to narrow down my favorite episodes because there are so many. But I have winnowed down my top ten, (at least for now). Spoilers, I guess?
“Past Tense, Part I and II”
Perhaps the most insane Star Trek time travel episode ever. Worth it to see Jadzia Dax immediately fitting into high society and looking fly in those retro-futuristic threads! A dramatic resolution of the central conflict, without any deux ex machina. I’m shocked the government just merc’ed all those guys on a Star Trek show! And a telling message for our time: “how did they let things get so bad?” Ouch,
“Homefront/ Paradise Lost”
This two-parter could have been a movie. A classic “badmiral” episode. Plus important philosophical musings on the tension between security and freedom.
“Trials and Tribble-ations”
The funniest time travel episode ever. Loved how well they integrated the crew with the classic TOS shots. Impressive for the time!
“Children of Time”
Okay that was messed up. Alternate Odo being so selfish and love sick for 200 years was crazy.
“Far Beyond the Stars”
Seeing racial politics in a Star Trek episode just sent me.
“His Way”
One of the sappiest episodes. I appreciate the writers / producers for essentially making a screwball romantic comedy within a ST episode. I wanted to hate the Vic character, but damn he’s so good in this.
“The Siege of AR-558”
Holy shit, that was some intense combat. Got a lot of “Platoon” vibes from this one.
“It’s Only a Paper Moon”
The first DS9 episode to make me cry. Who would have thought Nog as a broken war veteran would hit me this hard?
“Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang”
Another genre experimentation episode: a 1940s era heist movie. Fun seeing the whole cast get in on the action. And a surprisingly poignant debate between Sisko and his girlfriend on the value of revisionist media including POCs in their depictions (aka “Bridgerton.”)
“What You Leave Behind”
What an incredible ending! Gul Dukat is the absolute worst, with the Kai a close second. I selfishly wanted them to suffer a bit more.
Such a lovely way to give (most of) the major cast members their flowers at the end of the show. I’m a little salty about Jadzia Dax not getting her touching montage!
I knew Odo was going to rejoin the Great Link, but that was so emotional and sad. I also knew Sisko would have to join the Prophets, which seemed inevitable. A bit disappointed he didn’t get to say goodbye to his son and the rest of the crew.
Conclusion
“Star Trek Deep Space Nine” has become one of my favorite sci-fi TV series ever. The show clearly moved the genre forward toward series like “Battlestar Galactica,” “Andor,” and “The Expanse.” The writers, producers, and actors created some of the most incredible characters ever – Constable Odo, Gul Dukat, Garak the “tailor,” and uber-capitalist Quark, among many others.
I’m already excited for my rewatch!
