The Beginner’s Episode Guide to Star Trek-Deep Space Nine: Season 2

While the first season only occasionally dipped its toes in serialization and mostly followed in the footsteps of TNG, the second one is where DS9 truly begins to set itself apart from any other Star Trek. The plots are more interconnected, the politics are grittier and less idealistic, and the characters have way more of an edge. It’s an approach that makes the show feel less like more of the same, in contrast to Voyager or early Enterprise. It’s also one that will pay off handsomely in the future. For now though, the show still hasn’t completely found its footing. There’s nothing quite on the level of Move Along Home or If Wishes Were horses, but there’s a fair number of duds, as well as a few too many forgettable and unremarkable episodes.

THE GRADING SYSTEM

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 to the overarching narrative or character development, regardless of their quality.

1./2./3.The Homecoming/The Circle/The Siege-Average(⭐): The season opens with the show’s first three part story, which is a continuation of multiple plot threads built over the course of the first season. Prison breaks in Cardassian territory. Major Kira’s terrorist friends. Civil war on Bajor. The Sisko is getting upset! These three episodes are certainly ambitious, and they provide a sort of epic large scale storytelling that wasn’t really common in TV at the time. It’s easy to take these things for granted in the age of Game of Thrones and The Expanse, but the DS9 cast and crew were working under completely different circumstances. You can clearly see the strain on the budget in places, but the fact that they pull this story off is nothing short of miraculous. Really, the only things dragging these episodes down are occasional over reliance on some rather unimpressive action sequences, and the presence of Vedek Bareil, which continues to be the dullest character in the show’s history. Will no one rid us of this meddlesome priest?

4. Invasive Procedures-Average(⭐): This is not a bad episode. Really, it is quite enjoyable to watch as a sort of quasi Die Hard on a space station, with a whole crew of John McClanes taking turns being the badass. Unfortunately, its also an episode that brings up a whole bunch of very intriguing questions it is clearly not interested in answering. What makes someone a person? We don’t have time for that. Is a stranger carrying all the memories of your friend truly a stranger? Here’s Kira wrestling with a Klingon. Ultimately, while it provides some interesting insight into Jadzia and the symbiont she carries, as well as how Trills work, this episode only really interacts with its themes on a very surface level. Which is fine, but a bit disappointing.

5.Cardassians-Great(⭐): This is one of those episodes I can’t imagine any other Star Trek series really tackling. TNG often deal with moral dilemmas, but there was always a right side and a wrong side, or at least one the writers clearly intended to be the right side. Here though, the show gives us a bunch of shades of grey, there’s no clear villains(well, there’s one clear villain, but he’s more of an instigator for the plot), some of our protagonists don’t come across as particularly likeable, and you’re still not sure if you agree with Sisko’s decisions by the end. Who knew an episode about a child custody case could be so compelling?

Episodes you may want to watch before this one: The Wounded(TNG)-If you haven’t seen the official introduction of the Cardassians already, I strongly suggest that you give it a watch before diving into this one. It’s probably the closest DS9 has come to doing a “sequel” to a TNG episode, since Chief O’Brien’s character arc here picks up directly where that episode left it off.

6.Melora-Stay Away: Up to this point in the second season the show has been on a pretty good run, and it seemed like the writers had ironed out most of the early kinks. So naturally, they decided it was time for a Bashir romance episodes. You know, the aspect of the character that worked so well and everyone loved? Oh but there’s a twist, you see the woman Bashir falls for is… in a wheelchair? And it’s supposed to be a big deal for some reason? I applaud the attempt at inclusivity, but it really doesn’t make any sense in the context of Star Trek. On the plus side, I guess here Bashir comes across and less creepy and awkward compared to season 1, but it doesn’t really help the episode that much. I wish I knew what they were thinking when they made this one. Was this supposed to be comedic? There’s certainly not much humor in the episode. Did they make the guest star unlikable on purpose? Had the writers ever talked to a woman before they decided to write a scene of two women discussing romance? Why does Starfleet hate people in wheelchairs? Why do wheelchairs even exist in the future? This just feels like the kind of “very special episode” that you would see on a Saturday morning cartoon. “People with physical disabilities exist” isn’t exactly the kind of cutting edge social commentary I expect from DS9.

7.Rules of Aquistion-Flawed: This is mostly pretty standard for a DS9 Ferengi episode. Some laughs, a bit of relevant social commentary, and a lot of stuff that isn’t particularly interesting or funny, but doesn’t cross the line into being actively unpleasant to watch. Usually, one of two of these per season would be perfectly fine. In this case though, the episode makes a pretty big mistake: it tries to tackle a very serious subject, without sacrificing the semi-comedic tone that Ferengi episodes are generally known for. And I’m not saying that having a bit of levity in an episode about otherwise serious topics is a bad thing, or that having a dramatic undercurrent in a comedy is unheard of, but this episode does neither. It doesn’t really land any sort of balance of humor and seriousness, and as a result it’s unsatisfying as both a comedy and a serious story. To be honest, most of my distaste comes from the fact that I think the whole aspect of Ferengi being cartoonishly sexist and backwards when it comes to everything involving women is just ridiculous, and a relic of one of the worst early TNG episodes, which I guess isn’t strictly this episode’s fault, but it still fails at tackling that issue in any satisfactory way.

8.Necessary Evil-Great(⭐): If you’ve followed my coverage of the first season, you know what I typically think of these types of murder mystery episodes. Unlike Season 1’s A Man Alone, however, this one is much more compelling. First of all, it’s incredibly stylish in its execution, hitting almost every element of traditional film noire. Of course, all these elements together would be fairly cliche in their natural habitat, but the novelty of them within the context of a Star Trek show, as well as some inspired performances from the main cast keep this from crossing the line from homage to parody. Secondly, the fact that most of the plot takes place in the past, and features a cast of characters that are new to the episode keeps the stakes higher. You don’t know who to trust or who is gonna make it out unscathed. And there’s of course the twist. I’m not going to spoil it here, but it’s another great example of something no other Star Trek would have been comfortable doing. This one’s a superb episode, regardless of my usual distaste for the genre, at least when it comes to Trek episodes.

9.Second Sight-Flawed(⭐): I can see a version of this episode that is a gentle, slow paced story focused on the struggles of fatherhood, as well as a widower learning to love again for the first time. It’s a great episode, and it works because of the chemistry of the performers, well defined characters, and the more “human” writing that DS9 has compared to TNG and Voyager. In other words, exactly all the things DS9 does better than any other Star Trek show. Too bad it’s all derailed by a hokey, almost nonsensical, “sci-fi”(read: pure fantasy dressed up with a bit of technobabble) subplot that eventually becomes the focus of the entire episode. In other words, the exact thing DS9 is worst at. Oh, and it also has one of the most infuriating guest stars in the show’s history. The actor’s performance is fine, and I assume exactly what was requested of him, but I can’t help but wonder why they decided to give us a caricature of that one megalomanical professor I assume everyone had in college and try to make him a sympathetic character instead of an antagonist. The resulting episode is still occasionally interesting, if only for Sisko’s character development and all the father-son bonding, but could have been so much better if they had a bit more faith in their cast’s ability to carry a story without too many fantastical elements.

10.Sanctuary-Stay Away: This is probably my least favorite episode in the entire series. Objectively, it’s perhaps not the worst, but even the parts which aren’t terrible have been done to death elsewhere in the franchise. It’s like the writers just decided to pull bad Star Trek tropes out of a hat. Ham-fisted and shallow allegory for real world issues? Check. One-note alien species of the week whose entire society is defined by like 3 things? Check. The plot being driven entirely by a bunch of characters being idiots? Yep. The entire moral dilemma set up by the episode being conveniently side-stepped at the last second so we don’t have the main characters make any tough choices? You guessed it. Just skip this one. You won’t miss anything.

11.Rivals-Flawed: After the abysmal depths of Sanctuary, I think pretty much any episode would have looked good by comparison. Rivals isn’t exactly an amazing hour of television, but it’s good enough for what it is, which is an absurd “sci-fi”(once again, using that term as loosely as possible) to generate a bit of levity and some fun character moments. It’s never laugh out loud funny, nor does it go in any particularly bold storytelling directions, and the closest it comes to an action scene is a racquetball game. In fact, that’s the closest it comes to being an actual good episode as well. The O’Brien/Bashir pairing has always been fun, and it’s great to see the show flesh out the two characters. Unfortunately, the bulk of the episode is not dedicated to them or their friendly(ish) sports rivalry. And if you think I’m daft for thinking an episode of Star Trek centered entirely around the characters playing a no-stakes sports game is a good idea, I’ll see you in about 5 seasons.

12.The Alternate-Flawed(⭐): This is an episode about Odo slowly uncovering parts of his backstory and reconnecting with his surrogate father. It is also an episode about a shapeshifting alien monster loose on the station and wreaking havoc. Neither of these premises are bad on their own, but they don’t really fit in the same episode, never mind connected together in such a clumsy way. It’s like watching a slow paced, low stakes family drama spliced together with a slasher film. In what has become a running theme in this season, the show refuses to trust in the ability of the main characters to carry an hour of television, and always brings in some undercooked sci-fi threat to make sure the viewers don’t forget this is a Star Trek show. In this case it is particularly egregious because it results in constant moments of tonal whiplash.

13.Armageddon Games-Average(⭐): In a complete reversal of the trend, Armageddon Games is a pretty generic, if competently executed action/sci-fi plot that is completely taken over by the focus on exploring its main characters. Our main duo, the ever reliable O’Brien/Bashir pairing are the real highlight here, as they trade life stories, work together to survive, and by the end of the episode, emerge as actual friends. The plot surrounding their interactions could have been better, but since it only serves as a catalyst to put these two characters in a tight spot and make them bond, that aspect isn’t particularly important.

14.Whispers-Average(**⭐): **It is once again time for O’Brien to suffer. In what has already become a tradition at this point, Starfleet’s resident everyman goes to hell and back, and lives to talk about it. This one suffers quite a bit on rewatches since it relies so much on the mystery and suspense to drive the plot, but it’s a good episode nevertheless, and provides some more insight into the character of Miles O’Brien.

15.Paradise-Flawed: I make it no secret that DS9 is one of my all time favorite shows, and there are certain episodes I could write pages and pages about. Paradise is not one of those episodes. In fact, I genuinely don’t think that I have anything to say about this episode. It’s just… there. 45 minutes of television. It’s adequately made but there’s nothing that stands out. The moral message is simplistic and obvious, the guest characters are one dimensional and boring, and our main characters don’t change in any meaningful way from the experience. I guess you could watch it, but I don’t see why you would want to.

16.Shadowplay-Average(⭐): In the simplest terms, this is a collection of character driven B-stories stitched together into a full episode. Oh sure, there’s our planet of the week with its own mystery to solve, but that perfunctory. Much like Armageddon Games earlier in the season, the plot here is just a vehicle for character interactions, and it works pretty well. Unlike that episode, the stakes are somewhat lower, and the vibe is far more relaxed. If not for the presence of certain wooden Vedek, it would be a very pleasant hour of television.

17.Playing God-Average(⭐): And the wacky sci-fi plots where they don’t belong return. In the A-plot, Dax mentors a young Trill on what it means to be joined with a symbiont, while coping with her own insecurities as a teacher. In the throwaway B-plot, the gang decide the fate of an entire universe. To be fair, it’s a very tiny universe, but that doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. At least this one doesn’t completely abandon the character driven stuff to focus on meaningless technobabble.

18.Profit and Loss-Flawed: By this point, it’s pretty obvious the writers on the show know what they’re doing, and they’re comfortable in their roles. Most bad episodes are failures of concept, not execution, bad ideas that were doomed from the start. This one though, isn’t. I know I’ve harped a bit on Ferengi episodes, but they can be entertaining. And I find the idea that Quark is inexplicably some sort of Riker-level ladies man with alien women extremely hilarious. Which is why I don’t understand how the writers could mess up such a simple and funny premise in such a way. The whole thing feels amateurish, from the script, to the performances, and even the direction. There’s some amusing stuff here, but it’s brought down by some inexplicably stupid moments, and the general sloppiness.

19.Blood Oath-Must Watch(⭐): There’s a certain kind of episode that only works with Klingons. Star Trek always has a sort of theater vibe to it, but it’s dialed up to 11 in these kinds of episodes. And it works enough that you don’t think about about the silly special effects, or the ridiculous fight choreography, or in the case of this episode, even the premise of 3 old dudes(and an old dude who’s also a young lady) taking on a fortress of armed goons armed only with the world’s most impractical swords. The premise here is pretty simple: three old Klingon warriors(who also happen to each be an antagonist from a classic TOS episode) team up with Dax to track down and kill an old foe. One of them is a drunk and the other two are very grumpy. It’s all pretty funny, but it’s also has an air of sadness to it. What really turns this episode from good to great are the performances. John Colicos as Kor in particular is a delight, bringing both humor and gravitas to his performances.

Episodes you might want to watch before this one: Errand of Mercy*(TOS)-This one serves as Kor’s introduction, and is a pretty good episode in its own right. It’s also pretty important for the backstory of Klingon-Federation relations, but that won’t be particularly relevant for now.

The Trouble with Tribbles(TOS)-This is one of the best TOS episode, as well as probably one of the funniest in the franchise. Koloth makes his debut as a character in it, but his role is fairly minor.

Day of the Dove(TOS)-This is Kang’s episode. It’s a bit of a mess, but not really bad by TOS Season 3 standards. It’s at least worth watching for Michael Ansara’s performance.

20/21.The Maquis(Parts 1&2)-Great(⭐):After a whole bunch of standalone episodes, Season 2 really kicks things into gear with this two-parter. As you’ve no doubt come to expect out of DS9, it deals in shades of grey far more than other Star Trek shows. The Federation isn’t infallible, and these episodes do a decent job of taking it to task, and deconstructing the idea of a pacifistic utopia. It turn out that to preserve all those lofty Federation ideals, and their ambition of being pals with all their unruly neighbors, sometimes, some people need to get shafted. In this case, it’s a bunch of former Federation colonists, who, after a very generous peace deal, find themselves living in what is now Cardassian territory. And they are not very happy about it. These two episodes feature compelling politics, espionage and even one of the show’s first real space battles(although it’s not particularly impressive in scale), really, the only misstep here is the performance of Bernie Casey as Commander Hudson, who unfortunately has to carry a lot of the plot here and doesn’t quite manage. Although to be fair to the actor, it sounds like he had to overdub all his lines, which probably didn’t help his performance.

22.The Wire-Must Watch(⭐): Up to this point, the character of Garak has been a sporadic, if fun presence on the show. The “tailor” has been a bit of a cypher so far, but this episode really delves into his backstory and character. Naturally, this being Garak, it leaves us with more questions than answers, but it’s a compelling watch nevertheless. Andrew Robinson steals the show here, in what might be his strongest hour in the series, but Alexander Siddig also delivers a very compelling performance. I remembered this episode as the one which cemented Garak as my favorite character, but thinking back to my first watch of the show it’s probably also the one that finally made me warm up to Dr. Bashir. And given what he had been given to work with up to this point, that’s no small feat.

23.Crossover-Average(⭐): I’m not a big fan of the Mirror Universe. Once upon a time, when TOS first came up with the idea, it was probably a fairly novel concept, but it’s been done to death since. And most versions of an alternate universe are more subtle than “everything is awful and everyone has evil beards”. Still, as far as Mirror Universe stories go, this one’s not all that bad. The alternate Sisko is somehow, even more intense. Kira is really really into herself. Her other self, that is. O’Brien is pretty much O’Brien. Shenanigans happen. We get to watch main characters die because we know the real ones will be fine next week. DS9 will eventually run the Mirror Universe into the ground, so don’t get too invested in this storyline, but for now, it’s all good fun.

24.The Collaborator-Average(⭐): Oh great. A Vedek Bareil episode. Except this one’s… actually good?To be fair, it helps that this is mostly an episode about Vedek Bareil, rather than with Vedek Bareil. And they also briefly tease him being secretly evil, which would have completely redeemed the character in my eyes. All jokes aside, this is a compelling hour, dragged down by one of DS9’s worst cliches: incomprehensible visions from the Prophets. And this time, they’re uncomfortably sexual as well. I have no idea why the show was so in love with the idea of soap opera-like dream sequences, but it is what it is.

25.Tribunal-Great:It’s been almost 10 uneventful episodes for Chief O’Brien. If you don’t count the mirror universe one. So naturally, it is time for him to suffer again. This time, he gets arrested for terrorism and sent to Cardassian jail. And this being Cardassia, naturally, he’s found guilty by default, and sentenced to death. I’ll be honest, taken at face value, the courtroom scenes in this episode make zero sense. Our characters are allowed to break every rule we’re told about in this very episode, submit evidence whenever they feel like it, and basically outsmart the Cardassian justice system without even a passing familiarity with their laws. But given a bit of creative license, it works as a theatrical drama, and it works as an homage to Orwell’s 1984. Just don’t think about it too hard.

26.The Jem’Hadar-Great(⭐): With this finale, DS9 introduces what will eventually become perhaps one of the most important elements of the series, I’m talking of course about Morn, who finally gets named on screen in this episode. Oh and I guess the Jem’Hadar also show up and the Dominion finally take the stage as the main antagonists. In all seriousness, this serves as a great proper introduction to the Dominion, via their Jem’Hadar enforcers. This episode pulls out all the stops to make you understand that they are a big deal, and they’re going to be a big deal for the foreseeable future. In fact, it might do its job a little too well. With how they’re depicted here, they seem almost omnipotent in comparison to the Federation. Which, given that the show will run for 5 more seasons, and isn’t called Star Trek: How They All Died, you already know is not really the case.