Just started DS9 from beginning. Which episodes should I SKIP?

[urbandk]

Just started DS9 from the start. Which episodes are so silly/irritating that I should skip them?

I generally have low tolerance for technobabble and poorly done time travel (e.g. twofer in "Past Tense"--"we were caught in the [technobabble] matrix so we didn't change"--"we only have enough [technobabble] for three more transports into the past")

 

[apenpaap]

I recently started DS9 from the beginning too and am now in season 4, and there hasn't been an episode yet I hated. (Though Meridian comes very close, but that's season 3)

 

[urbandk]

I recently started DS9 from the beginning too and am now in season 4, and there hasn't been an episode yet I hated. (Though Meridian comes very close, but that's season 3)

cool. I'll put Meridian on the do not watch list. I also understand Fascination, Profit and Lace, The Muse, Let He Who is Without Sin, The Emperor's New Cloak, and Ferengi Love Songs are bad.

Any others?

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Chrysalis.

 

[Thor Damar]

Chrysalis.

What was that one about again?

Also most of the Ferengi esp are worthless except for the 'Magnificent Ferengi'

 

[Orac]

I liked Chrysalis. But I'm also of the opinion that no episodes should be skipped when going through the series, the average ones just make the good ones seem better by comparison..

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Chrysalis.

What was that one about again?

It was the second one with the Jack Pack.

Also most of the Ferengi esp are worthless except for the 'Magnificent Ferengi'

They're not all that bad, in my opinion. But then, sometimes I enjoy something that's just flat-out silly.

 

[Lateralus]

Making a list of episodes to skip based entirely off of the opinions of others is a bit stupid considering how greatly opinions can vary. Besides, skipping episodes isn't something you do until subsequent watch-throughs.

Watch them all. Make up your own mind.

 

[Myasishchev]

Chrysalis is good, and worth watching if only for the delightful sing-along (it really is better than it sounds).

Profit in Lace is not everyone's cup of tea, but I liked it.

Move Along Home is utterly, utterly retarded, but redeeming in that it's hilariously bad.

Let He Who is Without Sin is just bad. Some decent moments, but ultimately just crap. Setting an episode on Risa is the kiss of death, it seems.

Meridian is totally awful.

I want to think Covenant was crap, but I admit I don't really remember.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

"Move Along Home" was definitely camp...but fun for some reason.

"Covenant"...I have to completely disagree. Marc Alaimo's acting brings that one home, as far as I'm concerned. He did his homework on cult leaders, that's for sure...

 

[urbandk]

@Lateralus I am capable of making up my own mind, but if there are episodes that are by consensus bad or mediocre, I'd rather not waste my time on them.

i look forward to your suggestions or rather warnings. which episodes did you not like?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

There are no disposable DS9 episodes. All are essential and required viewing.


Especially "Move Along Home".

 

[JustKate]

If you get a consensus, I will be shocked. But interested - I'll definitely be watching this thread.

 

[Photon]

Just started DS9 from the start. Which episodes are so silly/irritating that I should skip them?

I generally have low tolerance for technobabble and poorly done time travel (e.g. twofer in "Past Tense"--"we were caught in the [technobabble] matrix so we didn't change"--"we only have enough [technobabble] for three more transports into the past")

Frome S1:
(Puhlese) Move Along Home-Calling this episode retarded is an insult to all that's retarded
Meridian
Muse
Storyteller (Boring, boring, boring)
If Wishes Were Horses (Dumb)

The following watch, then watch again-they rock

• 1/4/1993. Emissary -- On the eve of the discovery of the wormhole and his new role in Bajoran mythos, a reluctant Commander Benjamin Sisko takes the first steps in building a relationship between Bajor and the Federation.
• 1/11/1993. Past Prologue -- Kira finds her loyalties divided when a Bajoran extremist wanted by the Cardassians comes to the station with questionable intentions.
• 1/18/1993. A Man Alone -- When the return of a man Odo sent to prison years earlier leads to his murder aboard the station, Odo becomes the prime suspect and a target for harassment.
• 1/25/1993. Babel -- A deadly virus created by the Bajorans 18 years earlier inadvertently breaks loose aboard the station, and prompts a race against the clock to find a cure.
• 2/1/1993. Captive Pursuit -- When O'Brien befriends the station's first visitor from the Gamma Quadrant, he learns that the mysterious alien is on the run from determined pursuers.
• 2/15/1993. Dax -- Jadzia Dax is charged with a murder that her symbiont's previous host Curzon allegedly committed. Now an extradition hearing may decide whether Jadzia can be held responsible for the actions of a previous life
• 4/19/1993. Vortex -- A wanted man from the Gamma Quadrant with questionable motives reveals to Odo stories about other "Changelings," which may hold clues to Odo's mysterious origin.
• 4/26/1993. Battle Lines -- Sisko, Kira, and Bashir take Kai Opaka through the wormhole for a brief excursion in the Gamma Quadrant. But when they crash-land on a desolate planet, they find a divided, warring penal colony where no one ever dies.
• 6/14/1993. Duet -- Kira hopes to find justice when she arrests a believed Cardassian war criminal responsible for the genocide at a horrific Bajoran labor camp.
• 6/21/1993. In the Hands of the Prophets -- The Federation and Bajoran people of DS9 fall into conflict when a Bajoran religious extremist comes to the station and challenges the secular teachings of Keiko O'Brien's school.

S2 suckers are:

• Melora -
• Rules of Acquisition
• Sanctuary -
• Rivals -
• Playing God -
• Profit and Loss --
• BTW, I hate Whispers, I know alot of ppl love it-but the Chief's disaster shows are boring to me

Don't miss from S2:

• The Homecoming -- Major Kira embarks on a mission to rescue Li Nalas from a Cardassian prison, hoping the legendary war hero can unite the torn and divided Bajor.
• 10/4/1993. The Circle -- While Kira spends time searching for self-purpose at a Bajoran monastery, Sisko learns of a Bajoran terrorist group who plans to seize the station--and possibly all of Bajor.
• 10/11/1993. The Siege -- Following DS9's evacuation in light of a Bajoran coup, Sisko and some of his crew remain on the station to deliver crucial proof that the Cardassians are secretly involved in the Circle's attempted overthrow.
• 10/18/1993. Invasive Procedures -- Led by a Trill bent on stealing the Dax symbiont from Jadzia, a team of mercenaries boards an evacuated DS9 and holds the senior officers hostage.
• 10/25/1993. Cardassians -- The visit of a young, adopted Cardassian boy and his Bajoran father opens the door to a difficult political controversy involving Cardassian children left behind after the Cardassian withdrawal.

11/13/1993. Necessary Evil -- An attempt on Quark's life leads Odo to reopen an unsolved murder mystery from years ago, rekindling memories from the when the Cardassians controlled the station.

1/31/1994. Armageddon Game -- After helping a non-Federation government destroy several reams of unwanted biological weapons, O'Brien and Bashir find themselves on the run from a group of conspirators who want them dead.

• Blood Oath -- Dax finds herself in a difficult moral dilemma when torn between Federation values and a loyalty to three Klingons with whom Curzon Dax took an oath of vengeance.
• 4/25/1994. The Maquis, Part I -- Following a terrorist bombing of a Cardassian supply ship, Sisko and Dukat observe skirmishes between Federation and Cardassian colonies in a section of space supposedly demilitarized as a result of a recent treaty.
• 5/2/1994. The Maquis, Part II -- Sisko is forced to defuse a volatile situation by stopping the Maquis--a terrorist organization formed by Federation colonists--from attacking a Cardassian outpost.
• 5/9/1994. The Wire -- When a malfunctioning brain implant places Garak in mortal jeopardy, Bashir tries to save his life ... and begins to learn of the Cardassian's mysterious past.

Those last 4 in Season 2 are really good!

This should get you by for a while

 

[Marie1]

You need to watch just the B-plot of Meridian with Jeff Combs. That part is good.

I was amused by Ferengi Love Songs, Profit and Lace, and Fascination. But that one with the gamers from the GQ... ugh, skip it.

But I agree- watch them all and decide for yourself. I mean, I don't like the Visitor, and most people are nuts about it...

 

[Robotech Master]

To keep it simple, just hop on over to www.jammersreviews.com

and check out his ratings for each episode. Skip the 0/1 star episodes, if you really feel like they will waste your time.

There aren't many, to be honest. I personally feel that DS9 has a higher ratio of good episodes to bad episodes than any other Trek.

After watching through the whole show a couple times, I can only think of a dozen that are completely disposable.

 

[urbandk]

@Photon (thanks!) & everyone else: I appreciate the advice!

 

[Eddie Roth]

@Lateralus I am capable of making up my own mind, but if there are episodes that are by consensus bad or mediocre, I'd rather not waste my time on them.

This is ridiculous since there is never unanimous consensus. Even an episode everybody else dislikes may be one that you end up loving. DS9 is not the kind of show where you can just skip episodes. Even some of the not so great ones may be ones that introduce important characters (thinking "Family Business" for example), have some well-done character moments or are simply enjoyable for the sake of seeing a DS9 you've never seen before. Why would you want to deny yourself that? Watch it all or don't watch it, is my advice.

 

[Jono]

@Lateralus I am capable of making up my own mind, but if there are episodes that are by consensus bad or mediocre, I'd rather not waste my time on them.

This is ridiculous since there is never unanimous consensus. Even an episode everybody else dislikes may be one that you end up loving. DS9 is not the kind of show where you can just skip episodes. Even some of the not so great ones may be ones that introduce important characters (thinking "Family Business" for example), have some well-done character moments or are simply enjoyable for the sake of seeing a DS9 you've never seen before. Why would you want to deny yourself that? Watch it all or don't watch it, is my advice.

Exactly. There are going to be episodes that the bulk of people here like that you'll hate, so you're going to be wasting some time anyway, why not just waste a bit more? Plus if you watch them and hate them you can then come here and bitch about how crap they are. It is what the internet was created for...after pornography.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I wouldn't skip any. I mean, you waited this long to watch the show...why not do it right?

Just sayin....

Plus, even when the A story isn't that great, the B story usually is. And since DS9 is so serialized, it is always taking a chance to skip any episode past the end of season 2. After that, the core of the story really gets going and you risk missing a key piece of information that you will need later.

And trust me...coming in here and asking about something you are confused about because you skipped this episode or that is not nearly as fun as getting the full story through actually watching the episodes.