Could you start watching deep space nine from series 3?

[Ln X]

Trek Survivor wrote:

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To me, much of season 2 is better than season 6/7.

Woah! Disagree big time there. I have a few dozen favorite DS9 episodes and believe it or not I think only one of them is in season 2 (The Collaborator). Seasons 6 and 7 are on a totally higher level. Also season 2 suffered a little from a lack of direction. For me season 2 is one of the more blander seasons, there just seems to be something... lacking. I dunno!

[RyuRoots]

You COULD start in season 3, but it's an absolutely awful idea. There's a lot of good you'll miss, a lot of character stuff and world-fleshing-out. Stick with it, bad eps and all, and you'll appreciate the entire show more; not just for the good eps, but for all the little things you would've missed otherwise that really add to the show.

[Skywalker]

IMO, you should take the good with the bad and start from the beginning. It's not like the first two seasons are absolutely awful. Most of the episodes are at least watchable, if nothing else.

[Crewman6]

Season 2 is my favorite because it feels like the most "diverse" season in the show's history.

Sure, there are a few stinkers, but a very small number (as compared with, say, any season of TNG, which has at least a 15-20% crap ratio, often much higher.)

So many original, interesting, powerful and clever ideas in S2.

There's Bajoran political intrigue off the bat with the "Circle" trilogy. Bajor's politics are revisited later in the season with the terrific and underrated "The Collaborator."

We delve into Garak's past in "The Wire", learn about Odo's past and life under the occupation in the stellar "Necessary Evil", revisit a trio of klassic Klingons in "Blood Oath", visit the new mirror universe for the first (and best) time in DS9's run....and the season also boasts the best Ferengi "comedy" episode (it's only downhill from here!) with "Rules of Acquisition.

The series-spanning "Maquis" arc gets off to a tremendous start with the Maquis two-parter.

And, yes, we finally meet the Dominion - never more frightening - in the epic finale, "The Jem Hadar."

But so many of the seasons run of the mill, standalone episodes are wildly enjoyable, like "Armageddon Game", "Invasive Procedures", "Second Sight", "Tribunal", etc. etc.

I would only really skip:

Melora, Rivals, Sanctuary.

Playing God and Shadowplay are not great, but they're watchable enough.

As much as I really love the series as a whole, the Dominion War came to dominate the show so much that I really missed the earlier seasons, which were weirder, more eclectic, more surprising.

S2 is the only season I ever bought on DVD.

It's not a race. There's no reason why it SHOULDN'T take you "months" to watch a series that spanned seven years. It's not going anywhere.

Enjoy it. Savor it. The show is never quite like it again.

[Neutral Zone]

Whenever i do a total rewatch of DS9 I always start from Season 1, it lays the foundations to the series and you get a refresher on the main characters. Series 1 may not be considered as the best of the lot but it still gets you into it all.

[C_Miller]

I think that DS9 has the best first two seasons of any of the Star Treks (except for TOS, of course). While the show is just finding its feet, every episode has a very watchable quality that a lot of TNG's first two seasons don't have. The show also had a lot of great character moments throughout the first couple years.

[defiantfan]

Gotta say that I don't get the slams on "Sanctuary" it really showed problems with Bajor, Kira's struggle, beautiful music at the beginning with guest stars William Schallert and Andrew Koenig.

[Ln X]

If you have seen the first two seasons and are watching them again, it's best to cherry pick the episodes you really liked and were watchable. Some episodes though like Move Along Home can be missed, simply because they don't really add anything. Still if you want to see the whole season, then watching the bad and less interesting episodes is a good idea because it makes the good episodes more (where is that thesaurus?) good.

[Tulaberry whine]

TheGodBen wrote:

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The "war stuff" doesn't really start in season 3, that comes later in the show. The only differences between seasons 2 and 3 are that the Dominion reveal themselves and the USS Defiant is introduced. In fact, some fans (including myself) believe that season 2 is slightly better than season 3 overall.

Then there's me who thinks season 2 is vastly superior and one of the show's best. The eight episodes leading into the season finale was the longest run of consistently excellent episodes in DS9's history.

And all in all, season 3 is is a pretty weak season by DS9's lofty standards (its weakest after season 1 IMO), so I wouldn't be rushing to get to it. And to make matters worse for arc fans, the Dominion storylines were by far its weakest aspect. With the obvious exceptions of Improbable Cause and The Die is Cast, the Dominion episodes in season 3 ranged from - at best - average to downright awful.

[Skywalker]

I'm almost halfway through Season Two now, and I'm enjoying it so far. I like how they've been dropping references here and there to the Dominion as the season has gone on.

[Distorted Humor]

Season 1 of Ds9 is much better then say, season 1 of Babylon 5. And Season 2 of Deep Space nine is a very good season. The best would be to watch them all, but if you Insisted on skipping episodes.

Season 1

Emissary
Past Prolog (so you understand some of the Bajorian angles)
Babel (Good episode, and reminds you that there is still booby traps about)
The Negas (So you understand the Ferengi epsiodes)
The Forsaken (Important for later episodes, even if its meh)
Duet (MUST watch, could be argued that it is the best of what DS9 can do)
In the hands of the prophets - Season final, must watch.

No reason to skip season 2, as even the weak episodes generally have fans and strong points. A big thing to remember is that DS9 thrives on characters interacting, and not all the time LIKING each other. In fact, Bashir and O'brian dislike each other at first, but in a natural progression they become great friends, Outside of season 1, I only found that ds9 has one Bad episode a season, which is rare.

[Saxman1]

My first run through on DVD, I started with Season 4 because Worf joined at that point. After I'd purchased/seen Seasons 4-7 and loved them, I went back and got 1-3. After viewing those (I'd seen most of 1-3 first run) I realized I missed a lot and then watched 4-7 again. It was an even more enjoyable experience, seeing how the show grew and improved.

I'm currently doing TOS with the kids (we took a hiatus mid-season 2 since August) and TNG on my own (up to about the second ep of season 3, the kids REALLY don't like TNG anymore because they detest the movies....who can blame them?).

Bottom line: start from the beginning: it's a much richer experience!

[Worf'sParmach]

I started watching DS9 from Season 3 (way back when it first aired) and followed it all the way to the end. Back then there wasn't a way to go back and watch the old episodes anyway. But now that I have gone back and watched the first two seasons, it does fill in a lot of the gaps and shows how DS9's storytelling was so much more developed than any other Trek.

[TeutonicNights]

Start with "What you leave behind". Then watch "Move along home". Then watch "Caprica", but only the final two episodes. Then watch "V" in reverse order.


Seriously, I think Saxman said it right. Start at the beginning and at least watch the episodes people have suggested, but definitely watch the pilot.
I mean this is one of the best sci-fi series ever and you have a chance to experience it in full...
If you must, skip right to season four imo. That's when there was a definite change of pace. Season three was pretty meh overall.