Thoughts: This episode is definitely a step out of the norm for DS9, and it might even be considered a bit risky for the show to have taken on, but I think they handled it masterfully. It pays homage to science-fiction writers of the 1950s, who paved the way for shows like Star Trek to become a reality, but it also provides poignant commentary on the inequalities experienced by women and people of color in that time. It's a delight to see our beloved characters without their alien prosthetics and makeup (also hinted at when Pabst says, "Some of our readers have been writing in wanting to know what you people look like"), as well as witnessing them playing different, but similar, characters. Dukat and Weyoun still appear as the "bad guys," and there's still a rivalry between Quark (Rossoff) and Odo (Pabst). Finally, without exaggeration, Avery Brooks' performance as Benny Russell having his breakdown literally makes me shed a tear every time I watch it.

Thoughts: Honey, I shrunk the runabout! There are certainly comedy aspects to this story, which Kira appreciates early in the episode when she giggles at the idea of shrinking people. This silly premise is juxtaposed against the seriousness of the Jem'Hadar threat, which makes the audience a little unsure if they should take the episode seriously or give it some leeway. I ended up giving this a below-average score because I think it could have been executed better - either by leaning into the comedy or dramatic aspects more definitively. This episode introduces a sort of sibling rivalry between the original "Gamma" Jem'Hadar and the new "Alpha" Jem'Hadar bred in the Alpha quadrant specifically to tackle the challenges of the new front, but this distinction would never be mentioned ever again in the series.

Thoughts: This episode is... odd. The premise here is that Starfleet Intelligence had to tap someone outside their organization - in this case, O'Brien - because another unknown Starfleet officer leaked the identities of their usual operatives. So, O'Brien goes undercover to infiltrate the Orion Syndicate to find the identity of this unknown officer. It's believable enough, but it just starts in the middle of the story and it doesn't really tie it back to the usual story line quite well enough. The only real connection to DS9 is that it turns out the Dominion is pulling some of the Orion Syndicate's strings, but even then, their plan to assassinate a low-level Klingon ambassador is thwarted, so in the end, this episode doesn't really matter. For those reasons, I rated it as below average.

Thoughts: There just isn't much in the way of plot development in this episode. Nothing comes of O'Brien and Bashir's tango game with Quark, and that B-plot just ends in the middle of the episode. The rest is just Worf and Dax traipsing through the jungle. It's actually a little exhausting.

Thoughts: There's one thing missing from this episode that it desperately needed: some serious comeuppance for Bosso.

Thoughts: If you were to ask me, "What is Deep Space Nine?" and I could only choose one episode to answer you, it would be this episode. It's a strong example of what made DS9 unique, including the primary reason some Star Trek fans didn't care for this series: its darker storytelling which doesn't present humanity in the idealistic, utopian light originally imagined by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

Thoughts: I can't stand watching this episode. If these are supposed to be the "elite" cadets, then Starfleet is in serious trouble. They are children playing dress-up who clearly don't have any respect for their uniforms. Still, others have rated this episode highly... I just can't for the life of me figure out why. The "Captain" and "First Officer" are banal archetypes of almost-real people. Watters is an overconfident brat who refuses to allow his little power trip to be abrogated, even if it costs the lives of everyone on board. Farris is an obsequious, arrogant stooge who both literally and figuratively has her hair done up too tight. Sheppard actually smiles with glee when he gets to hold a phaser and throw Jake in the brig. Collins is just a sad, nervous little girl pining for home... but I'd be crying, too, if I were a hostage on this ship of the damned. Everyone on this ship seems to have become delusional, mindlessly chanting "Red Squad!" when someone dares mention reality. Even Nog is quickly swept up into this cult mentality.

The one and only person who can see what's going on is Jake, and that's why he gets thrown in the brig. The cult leader certainly can't have any opposition to his grand plan for glory! Even at the end, after everyone died and only Jake, Nog, and Collins manage to escape, Nog and Collins are still willing to sing their cult leader's praises. Nog wraps up the episode with the most idiotic line, "He may have been a hero. He may even have been a great man. But in the end he was a bad captain."

WHAT?! How was THAT supposed to be the moral of this story?! He wasn't a captain! He was a child who was given the responsibility to get his crew home safe, nothing more. Instead, he violated the trust his CO placed in him and essentially commandeered the ship to go on a personal crusade for glory! I'm just not sure what this episode was trying to do. If it was supposed to be a cautionary tale about cult mentality, I think it sorely failed to send that message. Nog's closing line exalts Watters, only barely conceding that he just "wasn't good at his job." The final line of the episode should have been, "I see now that Watters wasn't a hero or a great man. He was a manipulator, preying on the eagerness of others to prove themselves, so that he could fulfill his fantasy of being some sort of revered Starfleet captain. In the end, he betrayed his duty, his uniform, and everyone on that ship who trusted in him."

Thoughts: Alexander Siddig, who plays Dr. Bashir, directed this episode under the name Siddig El Fadil. Think you can hide from us with a clever name change, Doctor? Bashir only has three lines in this episode, but he has still managed to annoy the masses! The primary reason this episode was such a failure was because the producers, writers, director, and actors could not get on the same page about whether to treat this as a serious piece or as high farce comedy. As a result, we have a mixed performance that ends up being neither. Some examples include Armin Shimerman (Quark) insisting that his performance be toned down because he thought the way the "comedy" was written was too insulting to women. On the other hand, the scene where Ishka collapses had to be re-shot because the first take was directed in such a way that it was too dark.

The problem of this episode's inability to decide if it's a comedy or a drama led to a much bigger problem with the story. Someone started with the premise that "cross-dressing equals comedy," which somehow progressed to a full sex change, which was treated very casually - and that might have been okay if the episode had leaned into its comedy aspects - but instead, the serious parts of the episode makes one think about the seriousness of the transition, and, for that matter, Dr. Bashir's questionable ethics in his seemingly care-free attitude about granting sex changes on a whim.

Altogether, this episode is just a perfect storm of awfulness.

Thoughts: Wow! A working time portal! This is an amazing find that will surely be a great topic of research for years to co-- what's that? We'll never see it again? Okay.