Kira rescues the resistance hero Li Nalas; Bajor ousts all non-Bajorans.
Arc: Bajoran Coup d'État (1 of 3)
Nitpickery: When about to embark on their mission, Kira says to O'Brien, "This mission can end only one of two ways -- either we bring back Li Nalas, or we don't come back at all." ... Why? Why are those the only two options? They could fail their mission but still escape. (Obviously, the dialog is just there to help establish the high stakes for the audience, but in-universe, it's a weird thing for Kira to say.)
Watch Recommendation: This is the first in a three-episode arc. Because serialized storytelling is key to this series, the next three episodes are all rated as "Recommended."
Sisko and Odo work to reveal the true power behind The Circle's coup.
Arc: Bajoran Coup d'État (2 of 3)
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Tear of the Prophets 2: Orb of Prophecy and Change, blue. (Orb 3 of 9) It's unclear if this is the same orb as in the series premiere, but it does appear to be a different color. If it is different, it's unclear how the Bajorans obtained it since it was established that the Cardassians had 8 of the 9 orbs.
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Annoying Bashir Moment: Wasting time untying Kira instead of calling for transport like he was told. In the time he wasted, at least 4 more people are shot, including himself!
Watch Recommendation: This is the second in a three-episode arc. Because serialized storytelling is key to this series, these three episodes are all rated as "Recommended."
Sisko defends the station from The Circle; Kira & Dax take evidence to Bajor.
Arc: Bajoran Coup d'État (3 of 3)
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Annoying Bashir Moment: Making entirely unnecessary smug commentary about thorium isotope while capturing prisoners.
Thoughts: This is the last episode in the series' first foray into using longer story arcs as opposed to purely episodic storytelling, and it was... just okay. Fortunately, they'll get better.
Watch Recommendation: This is the third in a three-episode arc. Because serialized storytelling is key to this series, these three episodes are all rated as "Recommended."
A desperate Trill tries to steal the Dax symbiont.
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Annoying Bashir Moment: "The operation was a complete success! Why are you sad?!"
Thoughts: This episode just doesn't work, for a number of reasons. There were any number of opportunities and ways to avoid performing the procedure, and they apparently needed Bashir to do it or their plan would have failed. After O'Brien is shot, Jadzia insists that the doctor perform the procedure, saying "I don't want anyone else hurt because of me." But it's not because of her, it's because a madman is going around shooting people and making demands. Capitulation was never the way to go here, and afterwards, it's just a lot of waiting around. The storm is contrived and seemingly doesn't cause any damage to the station, so it's unclear why they had to evacuate everyone and, lastly, Quark suffers no consequences for his role in this caper.
Watch Recommendation: It's not good enough for any sort of recommendation. You aren't missing anything by skipping it.
After discovering a young Cardassian in the care of a Bajoran, Garak and Bashir investigate abandoned war orphans on Bajor.
Watch Recommendation: Though it does give some insight into Gul Dukat, there are plenty of other, better episodes to learn about him. No recommendation.
Pel helps Quark open negotiations in the Gamma Quadrant for Tulaberry Wine.
Watch Recommendation: Eh, it's a Ferengi-heavy episode that is pretty forgettable. And guess what? We'll never see this new Gamma Quadrant species ever again, either! No recommendation.
Odo reopens a 5-year-old investigation into the murder of the station's chemist.
Watch Recommendation: This episode provides important backstory for both Odo and Kira and shows us what the station used to be like when it was under Cardassian control. Besides all that, it's a delightful detective story and one of my favorites, earning it a rating of "Highly Recommended."
Annoying Bashir Moment: "I find the annoying man very entertaining!"
Thoughts: I found Fenna and Gideon to both be compelling characters. It had all the makings of a good "thing-of-the-week" episode, but the conclusion fell flat. By the way, Sisko's last line, "She was just like you," ...was that just some last attempt on his part to get with Nidell??
Watch Recommendation: It's a one-off and not great. No recommendation.
Skreean refugees pour through the wormhole in search of a new home.
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Annoying Bashir Moment: "All of them??"
Thoughts and Nitpickery: There's a problem with how the Skreeans are written at the beginning of the episode when the universal translator is still not able to translate their language. Instead of being portrayed as reasonable people who just don't speak the local language, they're shown to be confused and irrational, wandering aimlessly on the promenade, stopping to repeatedly comment on a dress and defiantly picking up items that Major Kira obviously wants them to put down. It's not until the translator starts working that they appear to be rational and very concerned about the rest of their people. Also, it's a little goofy how the translator starts working, especially when it manages to translate the word "million" without any frame of reference to distinguish it from another quantity like "hundred" or "thousand."
Watch Recommendation: Another alien species we'll never hear from again. No recommendation.
Dr. Mora, the scientist who helped Odo develop, arrives with evidence of others of Odo's kind.
Thoughts: I'm not really revealing anything terribly interesting here, but I guess I'll be safe: Spoiler » Doctor Bashir sums up this episode perfectly right at the end when he says, "I'm not going to try and explain exactly what happened to you, Odo, because I haven't the vaguest idea" ...and neither do we, the audience. The gang goes to a planet we will never see again, they find a proto-lifeform that they brought back to the station and essentially killed because it couldn't survive in that environment, they also bring back a spire that was never deciphered and that we will never talk about ever again, and when they remove the spire, it triggers an Indiana Jones-style tremor and gas leak that knocks everyone unconscious and makes Odo go mad. And none of it is ever explained or revisited.
Watch Recommendation: This is another episode that makes you think we're going to learn something more about Odo's origins, but in reality, nothing is learned. No recommendation.
O'Brien and Bashir help aliens destroy their bioweapons, only to be hunted down.
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Annoying Bashir Moment: "Marriage is for suckers!"
Watch Recommendation: It's a pretty good episode, but it isn't integral to the whole series. These two new species? Do you think we'll ever see them again? Of course not! No recommendation.
Watch Recommendation: Good episode, but it has no consequences for the rest of the series, and there's EVEN MORE new aliens we'll never hear from again. No recommendation.
Dax and Odo investigate the disappearance of members of a small colony.
B-plot: Vedek Bareil visits Kira on the station.
C-plot: Jake starts an apprenticeship with Chief O'Brien.
Watch Recommendation: An average episode with no consequences for the series. No recommendation.
Watch Recommendation: I'm marking this one as "Optional" if you want to see the Klingon trio from the Original Series, but this episode isn't necessarily important to the rest of Deep Space Nine.
Sisko finds himself at odds with his old friend Cal Hudson, trying to prevent a war between the Cardassians and the Maquis.
Watch Recommendation: While not my favorite two-parter, it introduces the terrorist group known as the Maquis, which plays an important role in the coming seasons. Therefore, this episode is rated "Must Watch".
Bashir helps Garak overcome withdrawal from an implant in his brain.
Nitpickery: In the opening teaser, Bashir and Garak have a conversation while looking for somewhere to eat. When Garak seems to experience some pain and abruptly leaves, Kira comes out of nowhere to say "What was that all about?" even though she clearly wasn't a witness to any of the previous conversation. Later, Bashir asks O'Brien for help retrieving the old Cardassian medical files. O'Brien says it will take two or three weeks, and Bashir just dismisses the idea. That's pretty shortsighted of him - two or three weeks might be too late for his current needs, but what if he comes across another reason to access them a month from now?
Watch Recommendation: I don't want to have too many episodes marked as "Must Watch"... but I reeeally think you should watch this one. Garak has been quite the mystery so far, and we finally get a glimpse into some of his history. Or do we? This episode is "Highly Recommended."
Kira and Bashir accidentally travel to the mirror universe.
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Annoying Bashir Moment: Every excruciating moment of his shuttle ride with Kira. It was such a pleasure to see Odo slap him across the face!
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The Mirror Universe is visited in several different Star Trek series. It was first explored in the Original Series episode, TOS 2x10: Mirror, Mirror.
Watch Recommendation: Deep Space Nine takes an interesting look into the Mirror Universe, and this is the first of five episodes where we get to "cross over." It's always fun watching people play alternate versions of themselves, so I'm marking this one as "Recommended."
With elections for the Kai imminent, Bareil is accused of being a collaborator.
Watch Recommendation: This is the lowest-rated episode that is on the "Must Watch" list because of important context surrounding the election of a new Kai and the relationships between Kira, Bareil, and Winn. It might not be the best episode, but it is fairly important to the overall story of this series.
On a camping trip, Sisko, Jake, Quark, and Nog meet the Jem'Hadar.
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First Contact: the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar
Nitpickery: This episode famously introduces the Vorta as having some sort of telekinesis, an ability that they will never demonstrate again for the rest of the series.
Watch Recommendation: Since this is a season finale and our first introduction to the (very important) Vorta and Jem'Hadar species, this episode is rated "Must Watch."
"Franchise Episode" tells you the order in which episodes from ANY/ALL Star Trek television shows aired or streamed for the first time. This number excludes movies, TOS's "The Cage", and the "Very Short Treks" web shorts. click or scroll to close