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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1 Episode Guides

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Full Episode List
Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7

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Full Episode List

Season: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7

1x01/02: Emissary 1x03: Past Prologue 1x04: A Man Alone 1x05: Babel 1x06: Captive Pursuit 1x07: Q-Less 1x08: Dax 1x09: The Passenger 1x10: Move Along Home 1x11: The Nagus 1x12: Vortex 1x13: Battle Lines 1x14: The Storyteller 1x15: Progress 1x16: If Wishes Were Horses 1x17: The Forsaken 1x18: Dramatis Personae 1x19: Duet 1x20: In the Hands of the Prophets

Season 1

This season will introduce us to the station, Bajor, and the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. This first season has a number of not-so-great episodes, but we will get some decent guest appearances by Q, Vash, and Lwaxana Troi. There's a good amount of time spent on character introduction (a necessity, but without making it seem too arduous). Through the average and below-average episodes, there is one real gem in this season that stands out: episode 19, “Duet”.

Kai Opaka touching Benjamin Sisko's face

	1x01/02 (Feature-Length)	Original Air Date 3 Jan 1993	Series Episode 1	Franchise Episode 238
	Emissary
	Commander Benjamin Sisko and his son Jake arrive at Deep Space Nine.

⏳︎	Tear of the Prophets 1: Unnamed Orb, light green. (Unnumbered orb of 9)
🔀	Crossover: Picard (TNG)
👽	First Contact: Wormhole Aliens
🔗	The opening sequence is a flashback to the Battle of Wolf 359, the events of which are portrayed in TNG 4x01: The Best of Both Worlds, Part II.
🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Insulting the “natives” with his excitement over “frontier medicine!”

	Thoughts: When I first watched this series premiere in 1993, I was skeptical. I was excited for a new Trek show, but this episode was somehow unsettling. Maybe it was the text crawl at the beginning, maybe it was the station commander being a jerk to my hero, Jean-Luc Picard. Anyway, I watched a few more episodes and actually gave up on the series, at the time. Many years later, DS9 has become my definite favorite out of the 90s Star Trek offerings... but I still think the scenes in this episode that are just Sisko communicating with the wormhole aliens with over-exposed lighting and a heartbeat sound were kinda slow and even annoying at times. I think his communication with the prophets could have been portrayed better. Anyway, this episode introduces us to the idea of "nine orbs" sent by the Prophets, Bajor's gods. Eight of the orbs have been taken by the Cardassians, and we'll see a few more of them throughout this show's run, but we'll never see all nine. It almost seems like the orbs were a story concept that never fully came to fruition. Sisko takes this orb back to the station and studies it, but we don't really know what happened to it after that.

	Watch Recommendation: For better or for worse, this is the series premiere, giving it a “Must Watch” rating. It is also the first episode on the “Bare Minimum” track.

My rating:	★★★★☆		Watch Recommendation 🕶︎ ‼︎ Must Watch Bare Minimum	FINAL SCORE 7.2
SF Debris rating:	7
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	8
Normalized IMDb rating:	5.5	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Major Kira with a man holding a phaser behind her

	1x03	Original Air Date 9 Jan 1993	Series Episode 2	Franchise Episode 239
	Past Prologue
	A Bajoran terrorist, wanted by Cardassia, tests Kira's loyalties. Meanwhile, Garak introduces himself to Bashir.

🔀	Crossover: The Duras Sisters (TNG)
🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Honestly thinking that Garak was after “Federation medical secrets”.

	Watch Recommendation: This is an average episode, but I always think it's important to watch the first “real” episode after a pilot or season premiere. This often gives you a better idea of what to expect from the show as a whole. Also, this episode gives some more development to Kira Nerys's character, and it introduces the character of Garak, who will become quite a mystery in coming episodes. This is “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 4.9
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	4
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.6	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Odo, Kira, Sisko, and Bashir standing over a body

	1x04	Original Air Date 17 Jan 1993	Series Episode 3	Franchise Episode 240
	A Man Alone
	An old enemy of Odo's frames him for murder. B-plot: Keiko opens a school on the station.

🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Making someone else fetch a dish for him from a shelf that is two paces away.

	Nitpickery: “You know, I've never actually been a teacher, Commander, but it's something I've always thought about doing!” – sure, that sounds like sufficient qualifications to me!

	Watch Recommendation: Character introduction is important, and this one focuses on Odo. For this reason, it is rated as “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 4.4
SF Debris rating:	3
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	4
Normalized IMDb rating:	3.8	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Bashir and Sisko observing an unconscious O'Brien in sickbay

	1x05	Original Air Date 24 Jan 1993	Series Episode 4	Franchise Episode 241
	Babel
	An aphasia virus infects DS9.

“	Way link complete! WAY LINK!! — O'Brien, aphasicly.

	Watch Recommendation: This is a self-contained episode that doesn't provide any important developments to the series or characters. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 3.5
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

O'Brien with an alien holding a leash around another alien's neck

	1x06	Original Air Date 30 Jan 1993	Series Episode 5	Franchise Episode 243
	Captive Pursuit
	O'Brien befriends “Tosk”, the first visitor from the Gamma Quadrant.


	Watch Recommendation: Another self-contained episode where we meet two new species from the Gamma Quadrant and then never see either of them again. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.6
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	6
Normalized IMDb rating:	5.7	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Q whispering in Vash's ear

	1x07	Original Air Date 6 Feb 1993	Series Episode 6	Franchise Episode 245
	Q-Less
	Q causes mischief, Vash and Quark hold an auction, and the station hurtles toward disaster.

Q	It's a Q episode! In fact, it's the only Q episode in this series!
🔀	Crossover: Vash (TNG)
🔗	Vash appears in two episodes of The Next Generation, TNG 3x19: Captain's Holiday and TNG 4x20: Qpid. In the second episode, Vash first embarks on her journey with Q.
🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Trying to flirt by talking about Starfleet Medical final exams. Thank goodness Q made Bashir go to bed for most of this episode.

	Watch Recommendation: It doesn't provide any important developments to the characters or show as a whole, but if you want to see Q and Vash, go for it.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ♦︎ Optional DS9's only Q episode	FINAL SCORE 4.1
SF Debris rating:	3
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	3.6	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Data and Dr. Bashir shaking hands in the Enterprise's sickbay

TNG “Birthright, Part I”

The Next Generation's TNG 6x16: Birthright, Part I takes place between these two DS9 episodes (even though it doesn't air until after “The Passenger”). In it, several members of the Enterprise crew visit Deep Space Nine, and Dr. Bashir visits the Enterprise.

Dax listening to testimony at her extradition hearing

	1x08	Original Air Date 13 Feb 1993	Series Episode 7	Franchise Episode 247
	Dax
	One of Dax's previous hosts is the prime suspect in a 30-year-old murder case.

⚖️️️	Courtroom episode
🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Trying to be a hero instead of calling for security the moment he saw Jadzia was in trouble.

	Nitpickery: That salt-in-water analogy is really stupid. TANDRO: "inseparable!" SISKO: "but when you separate them..."

	Watch Recommendation: As the name suggests, this episode is focused on Dax. For the sake of character development, this episode is rated as “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 5.1
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	5
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.6	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Bashir and an alien standing over a body in the morgue

	1x09	Original Air Date 20 Feb 1993	Series Episode 8	Franchise Episode 249
	The Passenger
	An alien criminal appears to be dead, but his jailer isn't convinced. Meanwhile, a new Starfleet security officer is concerned about Odo's preparations for a valuable shipment.

🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Being overly proud of himself in the teaser.

	Thoughts: I really don't care for this episode, and I'm sorry for saying so, but this isn't exactly Emmy-winning acting from Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir). Spoiler » In fact, they had Siddig re-record all of his lines for the scenes where he was playing Vantika, so they didn't much care for his first performance, and what we ended up getting was... supposedly better? The best part of this episode is when Sisko shoots Bashir.

	Watch Recommendation: Dubious performances aside, it's another self-contained episode with no real impact on the rest of the series. No recommendation.

My rating:	★☆☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 2.2
SF Debris rating:	3
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	2.9	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Sisko being welcomed by the Wadi

	1x10	Original Air Date 14 Mar 1993	Series Episode 9	Franchise Episode 252
	Move Along Home
	A visiting delegation from the Gamma Quadrant plays games – literally – with the crew.

🙄	Annoying Bashir Moment: Yelling like an idiot to “wake himself up”.

	Thoughts: A lot of people thought this was a terrible episode. I didn't seem to hate it as much as everyone else. Sure, this episode is about as entertaining as a klon peag, but I'd still place this episode one shap above some much worse episodes in this series. Allamaraine!

	Watch Recommendation: It's silly, and it introduces another new race that we'll never see again in this series. No recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 2.0
SF Debris rating:	1
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	1
Normalized IMDb rating:	1.5	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

The Grand Nagus sitting the head of a conference table surrounded by other Ferengi

	1x11	Original Air Date 21 Mar 1993	Series Episode 10	Franchise Episode 253
	The Nagus
	Quark becomes the new Grand Nagus, and a target for assassination. B-plot: Jake and Nog decide to stay friends despite their parents' objections.


	Watch Recommendation: The “Grand Nagus” is introduced for the first time and is a recurring character. For that reason, this episode is rated as “Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 5.1
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	5
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Odo observing a man in a holding cell as he eats

	1x12	Original Air Date 18 Apr 1993	Series Episode 11	Franchise Episode 256
	Vortex
	A criminal says he has information about Odo's people and wants to trade it for his freedom.


	Watch Recommendation: This episode makes you think it's going to give you some clues to Odo's origin, but ultimately it doesn't, and we'll never see this new species again, so I'm not giving it a recommendation.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.8
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	4
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Kai Opaka holding Kira's head to her chest

	1x13	Original Air Date 25 Apr 1993	Series Episode 12	Franchise Episode 257
	Battle Lines
	A runabout carrying Kai Opaka crash-lands on a planet where the inhabitants are in a constant state of war.


	Watch Recommendation: Little bit of a spoiler: this is the last time we see Opaka in the flesh. If you want to know why, give it a watch, but ultimately her disappearance doesn't have much of an impact on the series, other than clearing the way for a new Kai to be elected.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ♦︎ Optional Kai Opaka's fate	FINAL SCORE 4.3
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	3.4	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

O'Brien pointing to a dark cloud in the sky

	1x14	Original Air Date 2 May 1993	Series Episode 13	Franchise Episode 259
	The Storyteller
	O'Brien has to tell a stupid story to keep the evil cloud away. B-plot: Jake and Nog befriend a young Bajoran leader who is having a dispute with a neighboring village.

“	Once upon a time, there was a Dal'Rok... — O'Brien, stupidly.

	Watch Recommendation: It's bad. If you want to watch something bad, go for it.

My rating:	★☆☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✖︎ Notably Bad	FINAL SCORE 1.5
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	2
Normalized IMDb rating:	1.9	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Kira watching an old man gesturing as he tells a story

	1x15	Original Air Date 9 May 1993	Series Episode 14	Franchise Episode 261
	Progress
	Kira must convince a stubborn man to evacuate his home on one of Bajor's moons. B-plot: Jake and Nog make some dubious trades to try and earn some profit.


	Thoughts: I really thought the interaction between Kira and the old man was endearing, and that the episode provided important character development for Kira as she questioned her new role after the occupation. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, but it apparently was not liked based on others' ratings!

	Watch Recommendation: I'm not attaching a recommendation to this one because my high rating seems to go against the grain. If you want to watch it, maybe you can decide for yourself!

My rating:	★★★★☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 5.3
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	2
Normalized IMDb rating:	3.8	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

O'Brien staring quizzically at Rumpelstiltskin

	1x16	Original Air Date 16 May 1993	Series Episode 15	Franchise Episode 263
	If Wishes Were Horses
	The crew's imaginations begin to manifest themselves in reality.

“	I am not submissive! ... am I? — Illusory Dax, seeking affirmation from Bashir.

	Watch Recommendation: Not a great episode. If you want to watch some silly hijinks, enjoy. But I'm not giving this one a recommendation.

My rating:	★★☆☆☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 2.9
SF Debris rating:	2
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	2.9	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Odo leaning back away from Lwaxana Troi's advances

	1x17	Original Air Date 23 May 1993	Series Episode 16	Franchise Episode 265
	The Forsaken
	A strange probe starts causing malfunctions on board the station while Bashir is assigned to shepherd a delegation of Federation ambassadors, one of whom, Lwaxana Troi, takes an interest in Odo.

🔀	Crossover: Lwaxana Troi (TNG)
🔗	Lwaxana Troi appears in 6 episodes of The Next Generation and 3 episodes of Deep Space Nine. Her first appearance is in TNG 1x11: Haven.
🔗	While stuck in the turbolift with Odo, Lwaxana talks about the time that she and her daughter, Deanna, were trapped on a Ferengi cargo ship. She is telling the story from TNG 3x24: Ménage à Troi.

	Watch Recommendation: I almost took away the “Recommended” rating on this one, but I left it there because it does introduce the relationship between Odo and Lwaxana Troi. Yes, you read that right, Deanna Troi's mother is in this episode, and a few more episodes after this one, too.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation ✔︎ Recommended	FINAL SCORE 4.5
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	3
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.1	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

O'Brien leaning over Sisko as he builds a clock

	1x18	Original Air Date 30 May 1993	Series Episode 17	Franchise Episode 267
	Dramatis Personae
	Under alien control, the crew play out the roles of two factions bent on mutual destruction.

“	You know what they say – put the shoe on the right foot first, but put the left foot first into the bathtub. — Dax
❔	In a cheap mini-cliffhanger to bookend a commercial break, Odo suffers some sort of seizure and collapses. The reason is never explained, and it doesn't have anything to do with the episode's story.

	Watch Recommendation: I gave this episode an extra ½ star because I think it's just a touch above average, despite what others have rated it. It's a classic sort of TNG “thing of the week” episode that doesn't have an impact on the rest of the series, so I'm not giving this a recommendation.

My rating:	★★★ ★☆ ☆		Watch Recommendation -	FINAL SCORE 4.9
SF Debris rating:	Unrated
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	2
Normalized IMDb rating:	4.3	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

A Cardassian smiling at Kira from inside his holding cell

	1x19	Original Air Date 13 Jun 1993	Series Episode 18	Franchise Episode 269
	Duet
	Kira interrogates a Cardassian war criminal.


	Thoughts: What really makes this episode so good is not action or explosions, it's the interaction between Kira and Marritza, and the delightful acting of special guest star Harris Yulin.

	Watch Recommendation: Not only is this an excellent episode, but it shows us the beginning of an important attitude change for Kira Nerys. This episode is “Highly Recommended”.

My rating:	★★★★★ ♥︎ Personal Favorite		Watch Recommendation ✔︎+ Highly Recommended	FINAL SCORE 9.4
SF Debris rating:	10
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	8
Normalized IMDb rating:	9.1	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Vedek Winn praying over incense as Sisko observes from behind

	1x20	Original Air Date 20 Jun 1993	Series Episode 19	Franchise Episode 270
	In the Hands of the Prophets
	A rift forms between Bajor and the Federation when the religious Vedek Winn questions Keiko O'Brien's secular teachings in the station's school.


	Watch Recommendation: This episode gives us insight into Vedek Winn Adami, who will have an important role to play in the coming seasons. It's also the first season's finale, giving this episode a rating of “Must Watch”. It's also the second episode to be on the “Bare Minimum” list, after the series premiere.

My rating:	★★★☆☆		Watch Recommendation 🕶︎ ‼︎ Must Watch Bare Minimum	FINAL SCORE 5.4
SF Debris rating:	4
Ex Astris Scientia rating:	6
Normalized IMDb rating:	6.0	Understanding Ratings and Recommendations

Full Episode List
Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7

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