The Most Disliked Episode of DS9, 2023 Edition - Season 1...

[Qonundrum]

My next save puts emphasis on DS9's version of Geordi:

"A MAN ALONE"

Only it's not the engineer for this series, it's the doctor.

There's one great scene in particular, and no CGI was required:

BASHIR: I guess I know the competition now.
DAX: What are you talking about, Julian?
BASHIR: Did you have a nice dinner with Commander Sisko?
DAX: Julian, Trills do not look for romance the way humans do. In fact, we find it quite a nuisance.
BASHIR: A nuisance?
DAX: It's a weakness of the young, and although a Trill host may have these feelings occasionally, it is our wish to live on a higher plane, to try to rise above these kinds of temptations.
BASHIR: You said, try to rise above, which suggests you don't always succeed.
DAX: Julian--
SISKO (right on cue): Sisko to Doctor Bashir.​

Bashir had the guts to point out "try to", knowing the minefield of cowpatties that he's now having to navigate through. Three seasons later, another story is quick to prove that Dax was so full of it that enough energy could be generated to power a city for a month. Isn't anaerobic digestion peachy? Might have been more fun if Dax succeeded, but this isn't TNG and, until then, there's that episode of Boston Public (after Jeri Ryan got into the show) that shows some pesky humans talking about the issue as well, but that show isn't on DVD to properly compare with...

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If you prefer the more "modern" method, involving fast-paced camera angle swaps and background muzak:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OUpr5tLR1Gg
(No live preview; it's one of those "Shorts" that fill up the length of the phone and will chop off the side, rather than remaining width-proportional and leaving trailing length at the end...)

What's left:
"BABEL"
"DAX"
"THE PASSENGER"
"THE NAGUS"

 

[Seven of Five]

I always quite liked Dax. Some of it is a bit hard to swallow but it's one I always enjoy rewatching.

"BABEL"
"THE PASSENGER"
"THE NAGUS"

 

[Sakonna]

"The Passenger" I love a possession episode. And the guest lead actress.

"BABEL"
"THE NAGUS"

 

[Oddish]

Babel is saved, for what I thought was a nice scene with Sisko and an afflicted Jake. Brooks and Lofton had great chemistry even early on.

THE NAGUS is the loser!

 

[Farscape One]

You beat me to it, woohoo!



And the remix!

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Remix fun aside, it's clear that Dax is clearly phoning it in, and sci-fi IS going to be weird at times. Avery Brooks is on record not liking the scene, but that doesn't show in the scenes.



A new society and culture that isn't like ours. There'd better be some mysticism and differences involved!



This is the first script that showed the Ferengi were not two-dimensional stick figures and he did a lot to improve on and add detail to the species, like Worf for Klingons. Much respect.



That depends on the game. I don't want to be in Pac-Man, but maybe Captain Blood or Rick Dangerous II.



Wits and not treknobabble? No way, LOL! That makes this one an instant win for me as well.

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I'll be right there defending it as well!

Right on, partner!


These last two I like for different reasons... "BABEL" has some good scenes (like Ben reassuring Jake while he's infected) and "THE NAGUS" is a lot of fun and introduced Zek. I'll save that one, as Zek is a fun recurring character.


"BABEL" wins season 1.

 

[Farscape One]

Babel is saved, for what I thought was a nice scene with Sisko and an afflicted Jake. Brooks and Lofton had great chemistry even early on.

THE NAGUS is the loser!

Right on, partner!


These last two I like for different reasons... "BABEL" has some good scenes (like Ben reassuring Jake while he's infected) and "THE NAGUS" is a lot of fun and introduced Zek. I'll save that one, as Zek is a fun recurring character.


"BABEL" wins season 1.

We definitely share an appreciation of Sisko as a dad.

As my post was made after Oddish's, I must reverse the call and put "THE NAGUS" as the winner of season 1.

This was exciting and unexpected. I will start season 2 at some point today. Hope to see everyone there.

Thank you all for playing.

 

[kkt]

The Nagus wouldn't have been my choice, but that's okay. I like that they're introducing Ferengi culture that doesn't make decisions through a democracy. I like that they introduced the school, even though the school works better than I'd expect. Teaching all grade levels at once is a huge challenge, and teaching kids from very different cultures will also be a challenge - Keiko would be having a much more difficult time than they show, not because of Winn but just because the kids are coming to her with very different experiences and expectations.

 

[Farscape One]

The Nagus wouldn't have been my choice, but that's okay. I like that they're introducing Ferengi culture that doesn't make decisions through a democracy. I like that they introduced the school, even though the school works better than I'd expect. Teaching all grade levels at once is a huge challenge, and teaching kids from very different cultures will also be a challenge - Keiko would be having a much more difficult time than they show, not because of Winn but just because the kids are coming to her with very different experiences and expectations.

"A MAN ALONE" introduced the school, but "THE NAGUS" was the first (and one of the very few times) we actually see it in operation inside the classroom.

I agree with you, though.

 

[Seven of Five]

I'm a little surprised to see The Nagus and Babel in the bottom two, even if the plot of Babel was right out of the TNG writer's bible.

There is a lot of technobabble, yes, but at least the disease itself was something new and fresh. There are also a lot of nice character moments throughout. Also, seeing Odo and Quark working together to save the day is hilarious.

 

[Oddish]

Talk about a three-way photo finish. Me, Farscape, and Sakonna dropped our votes (and for three different episodes) minutes apart.