Season 1

[Kathryn-janeway]

Iv finally orderd ds9 season 1 today and i just wanted to know which are the best episodes to watch, also is the season good? Thanks

 

[Lateralus]

Personally, I don't think any of them are worth skipping on a first run through. Especially if you actually paid for the full set.

And whether or not it's good is fairly subjective. In comparison to TNG's first season, DS9's is Hamlet. But as with any show that sets about to run on an arc, DS9 took a little while to get its footing.

That all said, Duet pretty much made DS9-devotees out of anybody who was watching when it aired.

 

[Michael]

Personally, I love the first season of Deep Space Nine. But you'll appreciate it more when you have seen the whole series and like the characters. It's actually kinda difficult to recommend particular episodes, because the best stuff for me – the little character moments – is interspersed throughout the whole season. Even some of the most boring episodes usually contain a nice character moment. If I were you I'd just go ahead and watch all of the episodes, but if you must have a list, I think these are the must-see episodes of the first season:

Emissary
Vortex
Battle Lines
Duet
In The Hands Of The Prophets

But personally, I wouldn't want to miss one single episode of the first season.

 

[Kathryn-janeway]

Thanks alot guys im quite exicited to get in to ds9 now. Iv being watching it on virgin 1 channel and iv took a liking to jadizia dax, so i cant wait to watch some of the episodes based on her.

 

[DevilEyes]

Well, season 1 is much weaker than the other DS9 seasons, because the writers still weren't sure what the show was supposed to do, and there are many weak standalone episodes that basically copy what has been done in a better way on TNG before. Season 1 doesn't really show what the series is like as a whole. There are still a few gems in it, though, and Duet is one my favorite DS9 episodes. The season is also worth watching for the character moments, especially Kira (who gets most development of all the characters) and Odo, but Jadzia was probably the character the writers were having most problems at the time. It feels like they really didn't have a handle on her in season 1, and that they decided to try a different characterization starting with season 2, so she is very different in season 1 from what we see later.

 

[TheGodBen]

I can enjoy season 1 when rewatching it, but that's largely because I've already seen and love seasons 2-7, so season 1 holds a lot of nostalgia in terms of the greatness which is to come. You should try and watch it all if you can because it's important to make a connection to these characters, but if you really can't get into the show then NCC-1701's list is good, but I'd add Past Prologue (because it introduces Garak) and Captive Pursuit.

Remember, DS9 season 1 is almost universally considered the weakest season of the show, but it improves each season (more or less) until at least season 5. So if season 1 doesn't seem very good then don't lose hope, because most of the show's fans feel that way too.

 

[RandyS]

Personally, I've always liked Babel, and concidentally, just finished watching it. If Wishes were Horses is another good one.

Aside from those, everybody else mentioned the other good ones.

 

[Lateralus]

The Storyteller used to be my Season 1 bane, but after repeatedly forcing myself through it over several watch-throughs of the series, it has grown on me. Which leaves only one episode of Season 1 that I want to see erased - The Foresaken.

Perhaps it's just because I hate the Lwaxana character...

 

[Admiral Shran]

Here's what you need to watch....

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

 

[Navaros]

No, Season 1 is not good overall.

Episodes you should watch are:

Captive Pursuit
Vortex
In the Hands of the Prophets

Most of the others are either mediocre, or extremely bad. Although most fans will tell you that Duet is amazing (personally I don't think it's that great).

Even so, the medicore or extremely bad episodes of DS9 Season 1 are pretty much exactly equivalent to any typical episode from any other modern Trek show (space disease of the week, etc.). So if you like the other modern Trek shows (personally I do not) you may like all the episodes of DS9 Season 1.

 

[LitmusDragon]

I'm on my third watch-through over Season 1, and I'm enjoying all of it. It's not nearly as good as what came later, but it's still quite entertaining.

Certain things they got right from the beginning:
Quark
Odo
Odo and Quark's Interaction
Garrak
Kira
Bashir (mostly)

Sisko, Dax, and O'Brien seemed to develop more depth later on.

 

[DevilEyes]

I'm on my third watch-through over Season 1, and I'm enjoying all of it. It's not nearly as good as what came later, but it's still quite entertaining.

Certain things they got right from the beginning:
Quark
Odo
Odo and Quark's Interaction
Garrak
Kira
Bashir (mostly)

Sisko, Dax, and O'Brien seemed to develop more depth later on.

Yeah, but Garak is in just one episode. It was only in season 2 they started to use him more. You're right about everyone else, although Siddig's acting was quite bad at the time compared to the later seasons.

 

[Joeman]

Of course you'll watch the whole season. Here are the episodes I rated 8/10 or higher:

Emissary
Babel
Captive Pursuit
The Forsaken
Dramatis Personae
Duet
In The Hands of the Prophets

 

[Smiley]

Season One is part of a transition period from the TNG style to what DS9 eventually became. Some of the scripts are obviously retooled from TNG, but since TNG was pretty good during that time, it is not a problem.

I think they got a lot right in the first season. O'Brien, Odo, Quark, and Kira are fun to watch from the first moment, and the Siskos present us with one of Trek's best families.

 

[Hober Mallow]

Stories are pretty hit or miss. Maybe mostly miss. But they got the characters pretty much down right off the bat, unlike with TNG, where it took three seasons to start developing the characters.

It's like season one of TNG if Michael Piller had been there to guide the characters right from the start.

 

[Sykonee]

Since there seems to be some debate over what the second-tier 'must watch' episodes are, how about a list of ones you can totally skip without worry?

Q-Less (really only good for one scene, and you can probably find it easily enough on YouTube anyway to get your fill)
The Passenger
Move Along Home
The Storyteller
If Wishes Were Horses

 

[Joeman]

Since there seems to be some debate over what the second-tier 'must watch' episodes are, how about a list of ones you can totally skip without worry?

Q-Less (really only good for one scene, and you can probably find it easily enough on YouTube anyway to get your fill)
The Passenger
Move Along Home
The Storyteller
If Wishes Were Horses

The only episode I rated below 5/10 was If Wishes Were Horses (4.5/10).

I thought the last 4 eps were a really strong finish. Most of the rest of the season I thought was consistently good, but not great. Other than Horses, the lowest rated episodes were a few rated at 6/10 to 6.5/10; Q-Less, The Passenger, The Nagus, Battle Lines, The Storyteller, and Progress. I know Move Along Home is unpopular, and I can understand why. But as silly as it is, I kind of liked it, and I also scored it in that same range at 6.5/10.

6/10 = pretty good
7/10 = good

Overall, I found that season to have only one sub-par episode, and even that one didn't fall into my "bad" category.

 

[Kathryn-janeway]

Well i got my season 1 yesterday and watched Emissary. WOW it was brilliant, i really enjoyed it. It really introduced the characters and their pasts very well. See i didnt know wolf 356 if thats what it called. Killed siskos wife, and thats how sisko and jake were left together and went on ds9. The thing what shocked me more was that i didnt think DS9 Station could use thrusters i just thought it stopped in space lol.
But now i cant wait to watch the rest of the season and start to purchase all the other seasons. I think i count my self as a DS9 fan.

 

[Lateralus]

Welcome. Indoctrination can be beautiful.

 

[TheGodBen]

See i didnt know wolf 356 if thats what it called. Killed siskos wife, and thats how sisko and jake were left together and went on ds9.

Actually, there's a two-year gap between the battle of Wolf 359 and the events of Emissary, and during that time Sisko was working as a design engineer at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards on Mars. He was working on the prototype warship Defiant, an anti-Borg vessel, but after two-years the project was put on hold because the ship was using too much power, so he considered leaving Starfleet. His old commanding officer, Admiral Leyton, offered Sisko command of DS9 and he accepted it out of loyalty to his friend. That's where Emissary begins.

Yes, all of that was important to know.

The thing what shocked me more was that i didnt think DS9 Station could use thrusters i just thought it stopped in space lol.

It will never move again. Actually, it will move a little bit in Q-Less, then it will move back.

But now i cant wait to watch the rest of the season and start to purchase all the other seasons. I think i count my self as a DS9 fan.

Don't get too eager. I really enjoy Emissary, it's probably my favourite Trek pilot, but the rest of the first season has very little to do with it and can be quite tough to get through. If you can enjoy the entire first season then you'll be an even bigger fan than many of the big DS9 fans.