Dominion War

[garoo1980]

I gave up on DS9 around season 4. I definitely stopped before the Dominion War started and Worf showed up. I've heard lots of good things about the last 2 seasons though so I'm thinking of starting up again.

Where do I have to start? Right at the beginning of season 6 or is 5 worth while too? Will I be lost if I pick it again there? Thanks!

 

[DevilEyes]

Season 5 is IMO the best season of DS9. It's certainly the most consistent. You'd be insane to skip it. Not to mention that you wouldn't understand what's going on in the next two seasons without it.

Worf showed up in the season 4 premiere, so if you stopped watching before that, you stopped during season 3 or earlier. Which means you stopped right around the time when the show was getting a lot more consistent and storytelling a lot tighter.

Where do you start? At least right there where you left it.

 

[Garak007]

I would go from the start myself but the Dominion arc gets going actually in season 2 where an alien race is seeking Asylum to get away from the Dominion by settling on Bajor.

Last Ep of the series called "The Jem'Hadar". Some things are messed up in that ep as the Vorta who stars in it does stuff which that race never does from then on. Some telepathic ability.

You know if you got the right rep because Shit realy hits the fan and I do not want to give it away.

 

[garoo1980]

I started at the beginning. I was (and still am) hardcore TNG. But after a couple seasons I gave up on DS9. Sounds like it was season 3 actually as I saw a few with him there but had no idea where he came from.

Other than Worf showing up is 4 worthwhile? From what's been said so far I think I'll start at season 5...

 

[Garak007]

Errr, the 2 parter at the start of season 4 called "Way of the Warrior". The battle scene is epic where you see DS9 kick the Kilgon's fleet's ass. Dude, seriously watch from series 2. Everything from there will build up to the whole Dominion Arc. It would be crazy if you don't.

 

[Saquist]

That was the best battle Star Trek has EVER seen.
Way of the Warrior was Trek Battles on a Star Wars level done Trek style. What we always thought they could do but limited budget and vision restricted TNG to RPG battles.

You shoot.
Now I shoot.
Now you shoot back...

(grrr: Your weapons are powerful)

Your turn!

 

[DevilEyes]

Season 4 is excellent, there is a noticeable rise in consistency and overall quality because there are almost no bad episodes, even the few weaker ones aren't awful, and there are many good episodes. There are more standalones than in seasons 5, 6 and 7 and not everything relates strongly to the main arc, but there are 3 or 4 recurring characters that are introduced, and a few important character dynamics and storylines that start in season 4 and which would significantly affect the events of the next seasons. Some of the developments in season 4 are crucial for understanding what happens when the Dominion war breaks out, and how it breaks out.

 

[TheGodBen]

I would go from the start myself but the Dominion arc gets going actually in season 2 where an alien race is seeking Asylum to get away from the Dominion by settling on Bajor.

Well, technically the Dominion arc started in the episode Rules of Acquisition when Grand Nagus Zek sent Quark on a trade mission to the Gamma Quadrant in the hope of learning about the Dominion. And if you want to be really generous it started in season 1's Vortex which is when we started getting hints about the Changelings (although the writers themselves hadn't planned anything out yet).

Other than Worf showing up is 4 worthwhile? From what's been said so far I think I'll start at season 5...

I'm of the opinion that all the seasons are worthwhile. If you start out with season 5 you wont understand the Klingon war, General Martok, Tora Ziyal, Sisko's acceptance of being the Emissary, and many other things which are important to the arcs which are to come. Season 4's not as strong as seasons 5-7 (in my opinion) but it's still a damn fine season.

 

[DevilEyes]

I'm of the opinion that all the seasons are worthwhile. If you start out with season 5 you wont understand the Klingon war, General Martok, Tora Ziyal, Sisko's acceptance of being the Emissary, and many other things which are important to the arcs which are to come.

Or Dukat's relationship with Kira - or why his actions in season 5 come as a shock.

Outside of the Dominion war, there's also the Maquis storyline, and For the Uniform and Blaze of Glory in season 5 are direct sequels to For the Cause.

Not to mention that Hippocratic Oath and To the Death give us more insight and development of the Jem'Hadar than we'll ever get, except in just one more episode (Rocks and Shoals).

 

[Admiral Shran]

Here's all the episodes of DS9 you absolutely have to watch, starting with Season Four....

• The Way of the Warrior
• The Visitor
• Hippocratic Oath
• Indiscretion
• Rejoined
• Starship Down
• Little Green Men
• The Sword of Kahless
• Our Man Bashir
• Homefront
• Paradise Lost
• Crossfire
• Return to Grace
• Sons of Mogh
• Bar Association
• Accession
• Rules of Engagement
• Hard Time
• Shattered Mirror
• The Muse
• For The Cause
• To The Death
• The Quickening
• Body Parts
• Broken Links
• Apocalypse Rising
• The Ship
• Looking For Par ‘Mach In All The Wrong Places
• Nor The Battle To The Strong
• The Assignment
• Trails and Tribble-ations
• Let He Who is Without Sin
• Things Past
• The Ascent
• Rapture
• The Darkness and The Light
• The Begotten
• For The Uniform
• In Purgatory’s Shadow
• By Inferno’s Light
• Doctor Bashir, I Presume?
• A Simple Investigation
• Business As Usual
• Ties of Blood and Water
• Ferengi Love Songs
• Soldiers of the Empire
• Children of Time
• Blaze of Glory
• Empok Nor
• In The Cards
• Call To Arms
• A Time to Stand
• Rocks and Shoals
• Sons and Daughters
• Behind the Lines
• Favor the Bold
• Sacrifice of Angels
• You Are Cordially Invited
• Resurrection
• Statistical Probabilities
• The Magnificent Ferengi
• Waltz
• Who Mourns for Morn?
• Far Beyond the Stars
• One Little Ship
• Honor Among Thieves
• Change of Heart
• Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
• Inquisition
• In the Pale Moonlight
• His Way
• The Reckoning
• Valiant
• Profit and Lace
• Time’s Orphan
• The Sound of Her Voice
• Tears of the Prophets
• Image In The Sand
• Shadows and Symbols
• Afterimage
• Take Me Out To The Holosuite
• Chrysalis
• Treachery, Faith, And The Great River
• Once More Unto The Breach
• The Siege of AR-558
• Covenant
• It’s Only A Paper Moon
• Prodigal Daughter
• The Emperor’s New Cloak
• Field of Fire
• Chimera
• Badda-Bing Badda-Bang
• Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
• Penumbra
• ‘Til Death Do Us Part
• Strange Bedfellows
• The Changing Face of Evil
• When It Rains…
• Tacking Into The Wind
• Extreme Measures
• The Dogs of War
• What You Leave Behind

 

[TheGodBen]

I appreciate the sentiment, but I think a few of those episodes are safe to skip. Let He Who is Without Sin, for example.

 

[Admiral Shran]

^ Ok, you got me there.

 

[Navaros]

Right at the beginning of season 6 or is 5 worth while too? Will I be lost if I pick it again there? Thanks!

The Dominion is mostly ignored in Season 4. Season 5 is when the Dominion starts to become the focus again.

Season 4 is about a pointless Klingon war that goes nowhere. It is still a very good season, though.

So no, you won't be lost if you start at S5. You can't go wrong if you start back at S4 though, or even S3. S3 is when DS9 became a great show on the whole, but there are bad episodes in every single season.

 

[FordSVT]

In my opinion, DS9 is one of the more consistently good Trek series, and I think you'd be foolish not to watch everything in season 4+. Yes, even the bad stuff. If you're going to watch over a hundred episodes of TV you might as well watch a few more, and it certainly makes for easier viewing. There are often tidbits of foreshadowing or interesting character insights even in the bad episodes, but sometimes you don't even notice except on hindsight.

 

[Tomalak]

Why don't you just watch from season 4 and see if you like the show? If you don't enjoy an episode, skip it and see if the next one is better. If you really don't find anything to enjoy, give up and watch something else.

It's not really rocket science.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

My advice based on what you've said: start at Season 3. That, in my opinion, is the point where DS9 got consistent and it's when they got the Defiant and the Dominion started to be a big deal. The Dominion War (i.e. Seasons 6 and 7) is definitely great to watch, but there's a lot of other good stuff in DS9, including some excellent Dominion stories from before the war begins. Anyway, whatever you do, don't skip Season 5, which I think is probably the show's best year.

If you start out with season 5 you wont understand the Klingon war

I started with Season 1 and I still don't understand the Klingon war!

 

[flemm]

I started with Season 1 and I still don't understand the Klingon war!

What's the enigma? I thought I understood, but maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention

 

[TheGodBen]

The Klingon War is very easy to understand: Some suits at Paramount got worried that DS9's ratings kept falling so they said to Berman and Behr "Hey guys, Star Trek fans love Klingons, why don't you bring back the Klingons instead of that boring Dominion/Bajor stuff".

 

[Pemmer Harge]

/\ Eh, the problem is that it seems like a bunch of episodes thrown together pretty much at random. I had trouble working out whether they were at war or not at any given time! Don't get me wrong, some of it was great, but still...

 

[Tomalak]

Yeah, I know what you mean. It wasn't all-out war, it was more a return to the pre-Khitomer state of affairs. I.E. it was like TOS again. They weren't at war, but they did get into border skirmishes and other fights.