The least disliked episode of DS9 - Final Round

I'll eliminate The Wire - Excellent Garak episode, but that's about it. The other episodes are about more than just one character.

The first vote after resetting the score goes to Sacrifice of Angels. It's the weakest of the episodes left.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 0
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 0
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Once again "The Visitor"

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 1
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 0
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Visitor as well, same reasons.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 2
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 0
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

In Purgatory's Shadow, still a pale imitation of Improbable Cause. I'll feel bad if the final choices are all action episodes.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 2
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 1
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

The Visitor - getting people to cry is a big plus, but it isn't what makes Trek, Trek.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 3
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 1
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Wow, I'm surprised The Visitor is about to get the boot. My vote this round is on By Inferno's Light.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 3
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 2
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

What makes Trek, Trek? If you're going by what TOS and TNG did, then maybe 10% of DS9 is "Trek".

 

I vote for Sacrifice of Angels, because I thought Rocks and Shoals should've made the cut over it.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 3
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 2
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 2
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

I'd agree with this. By that logic, we may as well all vote for Pale Moonlight because it's arguably the antithesis of "Trek".

 

Trek is about spaceships and 'splosions. It's about "science" and technobabble. It's about aliens, and seeking out new life and new civilizations. It's about temporal hyjinx and spacial anomalies. It's about optimism for humanity's future, and how we could get there. It's about morality - the good, the bad, and what makes the difference.

Was The Visitor, the episode, Trek? Absolutely. It had all of the above. But, what is it remembered for? How it made us feel at the end. That, while really good, is not that Trekish. And when it's up against all these other episodes, that's enough to put it down.

 

I disagree. The Visitor is an excellent episode of DS9, and deserves to be here. By your logic a worse episode that fits the Star Trek tropes better would be a better episode than this one, which resonates on an emotional level.

It is, after all, the least disliked episode of DS9, not least disliked episode of DS9 which is also the most archetypal Star Trek episode.

But obviously, YMMV.

P.S. I'm voting for Sacrifice of Angels. It's not as good as what's left, and it's not even the best episode in the Occupation Arc.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 3
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 2
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 3
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Well, by that reasoning, Star Trek II isn't Trekish. It's remembered for killing Spock and how the audience felt at the end.

The City on the Edge of Forever would also apply.

 

What's trekish about the "least" trekish of the Trek series? Is an episode about family bonds trekish or not trekish? My head is spinning.

 

Then why the shit did "Emissary" get eliminated?

Sorry, still riled up about that one.

Another vote for Sacrifice of Angels, which I feel is a little bit overrated relative to its "classic" episode status.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 3
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 2
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
Sacrifice of Angels - 4
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Score reset!

And what the hell am I supposed to vote for? I'll go for By Inferno's Light. An excellent episode really, but the ending was a tad rushed.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 0
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 1
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Once again, "The Visitor", better episodes have been eliminated already

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 1
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 1
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

By Inferno's Light. It's the weakest part of the 2-parter, which is also not quite as good as the first Garak/Tain two-parter.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 1
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 2
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Inferno. Not changing my reasoning any time soon.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 1
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 3
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Pale Moonlight.

Here's why: All of the other stories stand on their own. Pale Moonlight gets the benefit of a framing device. I could be wrong, but I think if the main storyline had to stand on its own as its episode it would fall short. I feel the same way about The Visitor to some extent, but at least the "frame" in that episode leads directly into the ending.


The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 1
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
By Inferno's Light - 3
In the Pale Moonlight - 1
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0

 

Stand on their own? Four of them are two parters.

Anyways, my vote goes to eliminate By Inferno's Light. Great episode, but yeah... the ending was VERY convenient for the good guys. Scores reset.

The Die is Cast - 0
Improbable Cause - 0
The Visitor - 0
In Purgatory's Shadow - 0
In the Pale Moonlight - 0
What You Leave Behind - 0
Tacking into the Wind - 0