Essential DS9 episodes

[arasam22]

So here's the situation... i got trials and tribbleations off of netflix to show my dad (he was a big TOS fan back in the day and thought he might get a kick out of it--he did ), and my 12 year old brother (who has always been a TNGer with me) watched it with us and now has his heart set on watching DS9 with me over the summer--the last big thing we'll really get to do together before i head off to college in august.

i'm very new to the series (started watching it 2 months ago and got through the whole thing, skipping a bunch of episodes on the way, watching it out of order, etc), so i'm not sure i know what all the important/really good episodes are, although i have a pretty good idea in the later seasons, when i started watching almost every episode.

so, all you niners out there--what are the episodes that we need to watch? i mostly need advice on the first three seasons, after that i'm pretty good (but if you want to suggest them for s4-7, that's great as well).

any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

It's been ages since I saw the later seasons, but I'm re-watching the early ones at the moment so for early episodes:

Emissary
Dramatis Personae
In the Hands of the Prophets
The Homecoming-The Circle-The Siege
Whispers
Paradise (this is really generic trek, but for some reason I love it)
Crossover
The Jem'Hadar
The Search parts 1 & 2
Second Skin

 

[Navaros]

It's pretty hard to do what you ask with DS9 as a show because even in episodes with non-essential A-plots, they have some important things happening that are advanced in the series later on. Ie: Nog entering Starfleet, Rom becoming an engineer, and all sorts of things like that.

Additionally, one man's 'essential' is another's man's trash. For example, many DS9 fans hate the Bajoran storylines and are thrilled that they, for the most part, get abandoned later on in the series in favor of other things like the Dominion. On the other hand, some fans love the Bajoran stories way more than the Dominion. That is to say, your own personal preferences will be the biggest deciding factor in what is an 'essential' episode to you or not. Best thing to do is to watch every episode at least once...because if you skip episodes based on what the posters here tell you then you may miss some amazing episodes that you'd love. Or, some great episodes that you'd love if you watched them may simply never get mentioned, and hence you'd miss out on them for that reason.

 

[arasam22]

^i was afraid i'd get answers like that lol. your point is taken tho.

the problem is... like i said, i only have 2 months before college... i suppose we can watch it during breaks when i come back too...

grrr i wish they were still up on youtube... this would make this a lot easier.

 

[Navaros]

^

I see your point too. If you really need an episode list for that reason then I'll provide a list of what are IMO some truly awesome episodes that should not be missed, but YMMV on some of them. I'm sure the other lists you get will also vary to some degree.

Season 1:

Captive Pursuit
Duet (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
Vortex
In the Hands of the Prophets (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)

Season 2:

Necessary Evil (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
The Wire (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
Tribunal
The Jem'Hadar (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)

Season 3:
The Search Part I and II
House of Quark
The Abandoned
Civil Defense (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
Life Support
Improbable Cause(universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
The Die is Cast (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
Explorers
The Adversary

 

[flemm]

It's tough to do this with DS9, especially the early seasons, but I'll do my best. Basically, here are a handful of episodes from each season that I'd recommend, with a star next to the best or most important.

Season 1
Emissary*
Past Prologue
Captive Pursuit
Vortex
Progress
Duet*
In the Hand of the Prophets*

Season 2
The Homecoming/The Circle/The Siege* (three-parter)
Necessary Evil*
The Maquis I+II
The Wire
Crossover
The Collaborator
The Jem'Hadar*

Season 3
The Search I+II* (part II is unfortunately not very good, but these are important episodes anyway)
The House of Quark
Second Skin
The Abandoned
Destiny
Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast*
Explorers
The Adversary*

Another thing you might want to think about is which characters you want to follow. If you like O'Brian, for example, there are a few episodes that could be added in, likewise for Quark, Dax and so on.

 

[Photon]

From S1:
Emissary
Man Alone
Battlelines
Duet

S2: Homecoming Trilogy
Necessary Evil (great great great episode)
Blood Oath (best Daxonian episode)
Maquis to the end of the season (its great) which includes
Wire
Collaborator
Crossover
Tribunal
Jem Hadar (one of my top 10's)

S3
The Search (rocks)
Defiant
Past Tense
Visionary (got a Romulan Warbird firing on station!)
Through the Looking Glass
Improbable Cause (top 10)
Die is Cast (my favorite DS9 episode)
Facets
The Adversary

S4
Watch them all and then again save, The Muse and Bar Association

That should do you for a while

 

[Vulcan Princess]

I really like character pieces, and I thought the Bajor stories were the best part of the show. This list is slanted in that direction. The best or most important ones are marked with a *.

Season 1:
Emissary*
Past Prologue*
Dax
Vortex
Battle Lines
Progress
The Forsaken
Dramatis Personae
Duet*
In the Hands of the Prophets*

Season 2:
The Homecoming/The Circle/The Seige*
Cardassians
Necessary Evil*
Armageddon Game
The Maquis*
The Wire
Crossover
The Collaborator*
The Jem'Hadar

Season 3:
The Search*
Equillibrium
Second Skin
Civil Defense
Defiant
Past Tense
Destiny
Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast*
Explorers
Shakaar*

 

[Too Much Fun]

Duet (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)
In the Hands of the Prophets (universally regarded as a great episode so you can't really go wrong here)

I'm in the universe and I don't regard these as great episodes. I think you guys are listing too many episodes. Going to school in August may not allow enough time for all these episodes. So taking into account the limited amount of time and who you're watching the show with, I offer this 'lighter' list...

"Blood Oath" - It's an entertaining, action-packed episode, and as a fan of the original "Star Trek", your father should dig the way it reunites three Klingons from the original series (even though they look totally different now).

"The Visitor" - It's a very deep, emotional episode (heart-wrenching at times, but ultimately uplifting) that should be cool to watch with a father who is into Star Trek since it is about a touching father-son relationship.

"Explorers" - Another very sweet father/son episode.

I agree that both parts of "The Search" and "Improbable Cause"/The Die Is Cast" are good choices as they have important events and are very effective with suspense and action. I think they're the first 'epic' two-parters that I found memorable.

I would also recommend "Facets" and the very underrated "To the Death" as personal favourites of mine. I think "To the Death" has almost everything that's ever been needed to make a great Star Trek episode work. First there's the high concept sci-fi idea, which is taken from TNG and ties into that show's continuity as a result.

Then, there's interesting exploration of other cultures (in this case, the Jem'Hadar), intriguing conversations between characters (especially Weyoun and Odo, as well as Dax and one of the soldiers), brilliant comedy (particularly from Miles O'Brien...I love his mocking pep talk to the Starfleet troop after the Jem'Hadar leader makes a dead serious one to his troop), and a kick ass action sequence in the climax.

Throw in any of the early mirror universe episodes (not necessarily 'essential', but always entertaining) and there you have it - an 'essential' top 10 (or 12 if you watch all three mirror episodes from seasons 2-4) from me.

 

[arasam22]

sweet, thanks so much guys!!

@too much fun: since i have been unable to find a job (damn economy) and i live in virginia (99.999% humidity FTW?), i think we'll be able to watch quite a few episodes by the time summer ends. but i will definitely take your list into account too... we won't be able to watch seven seasons worth of episodes that quickly.

 

[MarauderMo]

I don't know if I would call it essential, but I wouldn't recommend missing is the season 6 episode, "Far beyond the Stars". It has always been a favorite of mine.

I guess it could be called essential to Prophet/Emissary plot, and there is a brief follow-up in the episode "Shadows and Symbols" from season 7.

 

[Red Ranger]

Arasam22:

You have a lot of good suggestions here. I'm just going to suggest one or two from each of the first three seasons to whet your family's appetite:

S1: Captive Pursuit--We meet some unusual inhabitants of the Gamma Quadrant, and it becomes one of the most bizarre "first contact" eps. Spotlights O'Brien.

S2: The Jem'Hadar--Introduces the deadly, genetically engineered soldiers of the Dominion, the Jem'Hadar. Good scenes between Sisko and Quark.

S3: The Search, Pts. I & II--We find out more about the true nature of the Dominion, and its mysterious leaders, the Founders. Sets the stage for the later eps of the series.

Hope that helps, friend. Didn't want to give too much away so I gave you some bare-bones summaries of the eps.

Red Ranger

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Can't believe I forgot Necessary Evil, that's an amazing episode.

 

[arasam22]

I don't know if I would call it essential, but I wouldn't recommend missing is the season 6 episode, "Far beyond the Stars". It has always been a favorite of mine.

i was considering skipping quite a few seasons so we could watch that one earlier... i think it's my all time favorite episode that doesn't have garak in it. but i am stronger than that! i will wait till we get there! lol.

 

[tomalak301]

Watch them all, including the bad ones. First of all you don't know an episode is bad unless you see it, but it's also just the growth of the characters and development of the overall story that makes this series very worth it. There are so many issues this series touches on and they intermix in the later years that it just doesn't hurt to start from the beginning and go through all seven seasons.

 

[Too Much Fun]

Spoken as a true fanatical Niner. It's nice that you love the show enough to recommend everything, but it really doesn't suit the purpose of this thread, which is to pick out just a few episodes that provide a good sampling of the series. What you're suggesting is pretty much the opposite of sampling. And you have to keep in mind that not everyone who enjoys the show is going to enjoy it so much that they love and appreciate every episode. I for one adore the show now, but there are certain episodes that I absolutely despise.

 

[tomalak301]

Why sample when you can savor.

If you want the essential DS9 viewing, than from all seasons:

Season 1

Emissary - First episode, can't beat it
Captive Pursuit - Stealth technology, weapons that looked like the Jem'Hadar
Duet - Just a tour de force performance from Visitor and Yulin
In the Hands of the Prophets - Great finale

Season 2

The circle trilogy - really get into Bajor
Rules of Acquisition - Pretty much puts the Farengi arc in motion
Necessary Evil - Terok Nor at the height of the occupation
Cardassians - An underrated show and showing more Garak
Maquis - Very important to the overall scope, and best when watched in between TNG's Journey's End and Preemptive Strike
The Wire - More Garak goodness and we meet Tain
The Jem'Hadar - Introduction to the Dominion

Season 3

The Search - Bad ending but we find out who the Founders are
Second Skin - More Obsidien Order/Garak goodness
Defiant - More on the Maquis
Past Tense - Very timely
Improbable Cuase/Die is Cast - Very Very important and awesome episodes
The Adversary - We're Everywhere!

Season 4

The Way of the Worriar - Introduction to Worf and the season
The Visitor - The most magical episode of TV ever
Rejoined - Probably the best Dax episode
Our Man Bashir - If you're a James Bond fan, this episode is loads of fun
Homefront/Paradise Lost - The Answer to The Adversary
Return to Grace - Essential to understand Dukat and what he will do
Hard Time - Another very emotional episode and probably DS9's answer to follow up The Inner Light
For the Cause - More on the Maquis and something very important happens
Broken Link - The other answer to The Adversary

Season 5

Apocolypse Rising - I have to mention all Season premeires even though this might be the weakest
The Ship - I'm not a fan of the episode per say, but Kilana is hot and we find out more about Dominion Ships
Trails and Tribble-ations - Not essential, but just what a real valentine to the fans should be
Things Past - Follow up to Necessary Evil
Rapture - Sisko finally embraces the Emissary role
For the Uniform - More Maquis
In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light - Probably the most important episode of the season
Children of Time - Kira finally knows
Blaze of Glory - Follow up to For the Uniform
Call to Arms - Start of the War

Season 6

The Occupation Arc - Yes Sons & Daughters isn't all that great, but watch it all.
You are Cordially Invited - The wedding show
Waltz - Dukat goes off the deep end
Far Beyond the Stars - Another great episode
Inquisition - Section 31
In the Pale Moonlight - The War Changes
Tears of the Prophets - A Castmember dies

Season 7

Image in the Sand/Shadows and Symbols - Conclusion of the Tears of the Prophets Arc
Afterimage - Meet Ezri
Treachery Faith and the Great River - Great Odo story
Siege of AR-558 - The horror of war
It's only a Paper Moon - Follow up to Seige
Chimera - We finally meet another one of the 100 Changelings mentioned in The Search
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges - That title is really cool
The Final Chapter - The end of the series even though I could do without the first disc except for Changing Face of Evil

Hope this Helps.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Obviously it's good to watch the whole thing, but you can get away with watching individual episodes since a lot of them are pretty much self-contained. DS9 makes more use of story arcs and ongoing plots than most Star Trek shows, but it's not The Wire - it's still quite episodic. That said, there are some episodes you just have to watch because they're very important to the show as a whole.

 

[arasam22]

^^dang, that's a really awesome list tamalok! : o

ima go save that to my computer now lol.

 

[Captrek]

If you want a measure of the quality of individual episodes, a good place to look is the DS9 page on GEOS.tv. The score for each episode is calculated from hundreds of votes, so I figure that makes it a good measure of consensus.

Unfortunately, that won’t tell you which of the lesser episodes contain important plot developments or character introductions that set up later episodes.

I recently started rewatching the series. I’m watching every episode. So far, I’ve gotten through “The Maquis, Part II.” I recommend:

Emissary (duh)
Captive Pursuit (not “essential,” but one of S1’s best episodes)
Dax (good introduction to the nature of Trills, very different from how the species is portrayed in TNG)
The Nagus (always fun to see Wallace Shawn)
Battle Lines (I'm surprised that only Photon and Vulcan Princess have mentioned this so far.  It's an essential plot development, and the resolution packs a powerful emotional punch.)
The Forsaken (the best use of Lwaxana Troi in Trek TV, which admittedly isn't saying a whole lot)
Duet (one of the best episodes, period)
In The Hands of the Prophets

The Homecoming; The Circle; The Siege
Cardassians
Rules of Acquisition (first mention of the Dominion)
Necessary Evil
Whispers
The Marquis, Part I; The Marquis, Part II

BTW, I notice an interesting pattern on that GEOS page. The number of votes cast (not the average vote, but the number of votes cast) for each episode remains fairly constant through the first five seasons. Except for two spikes for Emissary and Trials and Tribble-ations, the number of votes cast stays in the range 385-528. Then through S6 and S7 that number steadily declines. I wonder why.