The Most Disliked Episode of DS9 - Season 1...

[Farscape One]

This is a twist on a game that is played here, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your most favorite or the one you deem the 'best.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Hall of Champions (or Failures?)
2011 - "PROFIT AND LACE"
2018 - "LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN..."
2019 - "THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOAK"

Season One -

EMISSARY
PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
CAPTIVE PURSUIT
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
MOVE ALONG HOME
THE NAGUS
VORTEX
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
DUET
IN THE HANDS OF THE PROPHETS

 

[Farscape One]

I will get the ball rolling with "DUET". Excellent story, beautifully acted, and just about perfect. Definitely one of the best of the season, and the series.

EMISSARY
PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
CAPTIVE PURSUIT
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
MOVE ALONG HOME
THE NAGUS
VORTEX
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
IN THE HANDS OF THE PROPHETS

 

[PSGarak]

"EMISSARY" As series openers go, it was a strong episode. It set the stage right away for themes to come, and it had some beautiful moments between Sisko and his son, Jake.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
CAPTIVE PURSUIT
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
MOVE ALONG HOME
THE NAGUS
VORTEX
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
IN THE HANDS OF THE PROPHETS

 

[Armus]

I really enjoyed VORTEX, the episode where Odo meets a man who teases his knowledge of other Changlings to get him to rescue his daughter before the alien whose brother he killed hunts him down. DS9 in it's anthologized glory, with a great score by Dennis McCarthy.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
CAPTIVE PURSUIT
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
MOVE ALONG HOME
THE NAGUS
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
IN THE HANDS OF THE PROPHETS

 

[Qonundrum]

There are a few episodes of DS9/S1 I am lukewarm to or dislike because, despite being a fledgling series, feel half-baked if not fake. There are three episodes in the list remaining that are all worth saving because they all offer something more than the sum of their parts, regardless of how some of those parts are. And, right now, my choice to save is:

MOVE ALONG HOME

There are some reasons, and I understand these need to have some weight to them so that's easy, which include: Quark is given some depth that would be instrumental for the remainder of the show as well as getting rid of the cheap comic routine the Ferengi would often be used as. His relationship with Odo also stands out. We meet a new race from the Gamma quadrant and it is that sense of unknown that has us feeling unnerved. That includes "the song", which is supposed to induce the reaction of cringe because it is so different. And the ending is a nice twist on the plot, rendering the entire scenes we thought were putting characters in danger moot yet telling a much more interesting story - for the benefit of Quark - is as striking as Quark's realization he's controlling the lives of crewmembers early on. Not all stories need to be the more generic, straightforward types. This one cleverly plays with its concepts and delivers something refreshingly different where it needs to. Something stories more deserving of "most disliked" don't begin to do. Not just because of that other trope, "they're using the main characters so we know they're not going to die" - we know that's not going to happen so what's it all about? In that regard, we got something a lot more fresh and a lot less... cliched, actually.

Most interestingly of all: In another time or place, this story makes for a good Doctor Who episode, just replace the Wadi (with their pretty cool fashion sense) with the Celestial Toymaker or Eternals or something.

The hatred the story gets by some is misplaced or undeserved because the good as well as "alienness" in the story are overlooked. It is that simple.

What remains:

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
CAPTIVE PURSUIT
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
THE NAGUS
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
IN THE HANDS OF THE PROPHETS


(on edit: Spelling, grammar, minor clarification that doesn't impact the content typed before said edit.)

 

[Qonundrum]

"EMISSARY" As series openers go, it was a strong episode. It set the stage right away for themes to come, and it had some beautiful moments between Sisko and his son, Jake.

The episode gets almost into TOS territory with "teach us about this emotion of 'luuuuuurve'" by its second half, but DS9 is far closer to TOS in spirit than TNG was, which may have been deliberate as a callback - and is better than some of the callbacks to TNG that early-DS9 used because they largely don't fit into DS9's style, proven even more as DS9 gets fleshed out to become its own and larger than its progenitor in the way TNG became larger than TNG. IMHO, DYHA*?

Sisko's story with Jake, how he deals with Picard, and how Sisko in the end compels Quark to stay in rather a good scene (one of many)... it's easy to see why Sisko is "The Emissary" (and why that theme isn't overused or watered down during the course of the show's run.) Not to mention every character in the episode gets a strong start, the Bashir/Kira contrast being one of the most compelling. It's great to see it removed from the "dislike pile" but it's a decent tale in of itself.


* DYHA - "don't you hate acronyms"?

 

[Farscape One]

Cutie McWhiskers...

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart on saving "MOVE ALONG HOME". That was going to be my next save. I always felt like I was the only defender of the episode, and you listed most of the reasons why it is a good episode. Thank you for not making me feel alone in defending this episode.

ALLAMARAIN!

 

[BigDaveX]

In the Hands of the Prophets; a pretty middling episode when compared to DS9 overall, but it sets up many story arcs and recurring characters.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
CAPTIVE PURSUIT
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
THE NAGUS
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

[Farscape One]

"CAPTIVE PURSUIT" is set free from this list. A great O'Brien episode, and I loved Tosk. One of the best of the season.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
THE NAGUS
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

[Qonundrum]

Cutie McWhiskers...

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart on saving "MOVE ALONG HOME". That was going to be my next save. I always felt like I was the only defender of the episode, and you listed most of the reasons why it is a good episode. Thank you for not making me feel alone in defending this episode.

ALLAMARAIN!

Glad to oblige! I was 100% serious, it is a legitimately solid episode, let down for some by some set pieces - which for them overshadow the story's highlights. It often makes the top of these lists, which just isn't fair or right...

I also recall the cliff scene where Dax, Sisko, and Bashir are trying to figure out if they should leave the injured one behind or to save. These officers had just recently met n DS9 and it was a nice way to show what was told in TNG/S1's "Skin of Evil" (another underrated episode as I can think of many others that are truly bad.) I will admit the game structure and intercutting between scenes did eliminate some of the suspense (MAH isn't perfect, but there was no way to keep both Quark's story and the rest of the crew's to work independently so they focused on Quark's, to the story's ultimate benefit and larger theme.)

"CAPTIVE PURSUIT" is set free from this list. A great O'Brien episode, and I loved Tosk. One of the best of the season.

The episode took a couple liberties (could DS9's replicators or O'Brien really figure out gamma quadrant species' technology THAT quickly if Tosk and Hunters are new to Alpha Quadrant? It's a moderate plot point (not severe), but to its credit the episode focused more on what it needed to do. If the story flopped, the nitpicks would just come off bad or even worse. "Captive Pursuit" is a strong entry and with some interesting plot ideas at work - as well as innovating on "The Most Dangerous Sport" with some robust twists. And Quark's inquiring sparks O'Brien's solution in act 5. Not to mention Sisko's dealing with O'Brien at the end, in not a dissimilar way he would chide at Worf in "The Sons of Mogh" and Sisko was right both times... All those facets and set pieces alone do make the Treknobabble-related conveniences incredibly easy to overlook as well as being a fairly smooth flowing story, from what I recall. There may be no unified Dominion threat yet, but it is nice to see DS9 finding other ways to use the thing other than The Big Stompy Bad With Their Drug Addiction(tm) and/or The Mystery Deities(tm) tropes.

Also, the next five hours are going to crawl before I get to my next entry, it's like having a cup of itching powder, a ferret, and a can of beans in just all the wrong places simultaneously while carrying plates across the museum floor.

 

[Armus]

THE STORYTELLER was a fun little adventure for O'brien and Bashir, and the start of a beautiful relationship.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
THE NAGUS
BATTLE LINES
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

 

[Armus]

"CAPTIVE PURSUIT" is set free from this list. A great O'Brien episode, and I loved Tosk. One of the best of the season.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
THE NAGUS
BATTLE LINES
THE STORYTELLER
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

What O'brien did for Tosk still warms my heart.

 

[PSGarak]

"THE NAGUS"

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
BATTLE LINES
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

There was so much to love for me in this episode, it's hard to settle on just one or two broad strokes, but I'll try. Ferengi scheming and politics galore. Shawn Wallace's excellent turn at the type of character he's so very good at playing. Rom getting a little time in the spotlight and getting a little of his own in the face of Quark's usual position on top.

And the B-plot is nothing to sneer at, either. DS9 consistently handled the child characters in a way I found engaging rather than annoying, less for the cutesy factor and more for what they had to bring to the table. The glimpse into civilian life with the school, showing that Keiko's job isn't easy and isn't something just anyone can do well, and the bonding time between Jake and Nog for a friendship that would later turn out to be one of the more real and grounded ones on the show sets this episode apart from the pack.

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "DRAMATIS PERSONAE" next. This was an episode placed pretty perfectly in the grand scheme of things. You know the two crews get along but there are some times when they rub each other the wrong way. This just amplified that.

I like how they use a dead race as essentially making thd characters act out their own version of a power play. A sort of mythology from the dead race. Use of mythology... a Joe Menosky trademark. I have always loved that.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
BATTLE LINES
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES
THE FORSAKEN

 

[Armus]

THE FORSAKEN was an enjoyable 42 minutes of television. Troi and Odo had a nice chemistry and I enjoyed Bashir's struggles with the obnoxious ambassadors.

PAST PROLOGUE
A MAN ALONE
BABEL
Q-LESS
DAX
THE PASSENGER
BATTLE LINES
PROGRESS
IF WISHES WERE HORSES

 

[Brennyren]

"Past Prologue" introduced Garak. I don't need another reason to save it.

A Man Alone
Babel
Q-Less
Dax
The Passenger
Battle Lines
Progress
If Wishes Were Horses

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Progress was a great vehicle for Visitor and a good look at the dynamics of Bajoran politics.

A Man Alone
Babel
Q-Less
Dax
The Passenger
Battle Lines
If Wishes Were Horses

 

[BigDaveX]

Battle Lines, which had an interesting set-up, and was further elevated by a great guest performance from Jonathan Banks.

A Man Alone
Babel
Q-Less
Dax
The Passenger
If Wishes Were Horses

 

[Seven of Five]

I realise that she wasn't her enjoyable self until season two, but I still like this look into Dax's past in Dax.

A Man Alone
Babel
Q-Less
The Passenger
If Wishes Were Horses

 

[Armus]

The Passenger is very edgy, let down only by Siddig El Fadil's ineffective performance at the end.

A Man Alone
Babel
Q Less
If Wishes Were Horses