Have I done myself a huge disservice by starting with season 5?

[SomniumRabidum]

I never really got into DS9 when it was first on the air. I started watching, but didn't make it much past season 2. I can't really put my finger on it, but the show just didn't hook me at all.

So I've recently come to regret my decision to give up on DS9 and I decided to give it another chance. After reading tons of posts about how awesome the Dominion War gets in seasons 5-7, I decided to start with season 5 and see if I could get really into it.

I'm about halfway through season 5 now, and I'm hooked!

Unfortunately, I've read several posts now referring to really good episodes and scenes from season 4.

Should I make a serious effort to watch season 4, or is there a few episodes that really stick out that I should watch? What have I really missed in season 4?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[RyuRoots]

I believe that you have done yourself a huge disservice indeed. Missing season 3 is bad enough since this introduces the Defiant and has some important things that come back later in "Second Skin" and "The Dies is Cast", but missing 4 is that much worse. It starts up the Klingon conflict story arc, the 3-part Eddington arc, as well as has two of the best Bashir eps (IMO) in "Hippocratic Oath" and "The Quickening". To say nothing of Dukat's developments in "Return to Grace".

DS9 isn't one of those shows that you have to watch EVERY single episode of or you'll be completely lost or anything, but you really are missing out.

 

[Marie1]

I watched the later seasons first, which helped me appreciate the former seasons and the post fiction better. I'd watch them all eventually if I were you... and yes, I'd start at season 3 or 4 at least, as they intro what goes on in 5-7.

 

[SomniumRabidum]

Thanks for the responses.

I'd hate to take a step backwards and start over at season 4. Does anyone think that maybe watching a few episodes of season 4 in order would at least bring me up to speed with the Klingons/Romulans/Cardassians/Dominion?

Would anyone mind listing what they think the most important season 4 episodes are?

 

[Thor Damar]

Thanks for the responses.

I'd hate to take a step backwards and start over at season 4. Does anyone think that maybe watching a few episodes of season 4 in order would at least bring me up to speed with the Klingons/Romulans/Cardassians/Dominion?

Would anyone mind listing what they think the most important season 4 episodes are?

Well, in season 4 you see the reasons why the Cardassians joined the Dominion in the first place. As for the Romulans, we simply do not see enought of them in season four alas.

 

[SomniumRabidum]

Well, in season 4 you see the reasons why the Cardassians joined the Dominion in the first place. As for the Romulans, we simply do not see enought of them in season four alas.

Really? That's lame, I was hoping to catch up on the Romulans. I was under the impression that the Romulans played a large part in DS9, am I mistaken?

 

[Thor Damar]

Well, in season 4 you see the reasons why the Cardassians joined the Dominion in the first place. As for the Romulans, we simply do not see enought of them in season four alas.

Really? That's lame, I was hoping to catch up on the Romulans. I was under the impression that the Romulans played a large part in DS9, am I mistaken?

In the 'Die is Cast' the Romulans play a huge part in trying to end the threat from the Dominion and a Romulan temporarily joins the Defiant crew but there isn't much more than that. In later season six episodes the Romulans become central in a very big way

 

[Navaros]

You'll get a better appreciation of Season 5-7 DS9 if you have the background of seeing from Seasons 2-4 as well.

But no, you haven't done yourself a huge disservice at all by starting with Season 5. Season 4 is mostly about a Klingon War that goes nowhere and then fizzles into nothingness. Whereas Season 5 is mostly about the growing tension between the Feds and the Dominion and the Klingons are abstracted to the sidelines. That is to say, Season 4 doesn't have a whole heck of a lot of relevance to the story of the series in Season 5 and on. You're fine as is with how you are watching it.

Don't get me wrong, Season 4 and the earlier Seasons of DS9 certainly have many masterpiece episodes in them as well. You definitely wanna watch them eventually. But the order you get to them in is not all that big of a deal.

 

[Daneel]

I would personally go back and start with the Season 2 finale, "The Jem'Hadar", which is when the Dominion is properly introduced and kick-starts the conflict and tension that eventually escalates into the full-blown war of Seasons 5-7. Then there are a number of episodes throughout Seasons 3 and 4 (mostly two-parters like "The Search" "Improbably Cause/The Die is Cast", "Homefront/Paradise Lost", but also some others like "The Adversary", "Hippocratic Oath", "To the Death", and "Broken Link") which also include Dominion stuff.

Yes, the Dominion actually takes a bit of a back seat to the Klingon/Cardassian action in Season 4, but the conflicts and political situations are all interconnected in some way, so I'd suggest that it's still worth watching. Naturally, there are a few clunkers, and a fair amount of episodes that are stand-alones, but I'd say give it a shot anyway.

Oh, and it's true that the Romulans are largely absent in Season 4 (perhaps totally absent, I don't completely recall), but they have a bit of a presence in Season 3 (since they're the ones who provide Starfleet with the Defiant's cloaking device), so if you're looking for a Rommie episode, you'll find a few there.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy!

 

[Jaespol]

Frankly I think all these fans who slag off the earlier seasons but constantly go on about how awesome the Dominion war was aren't really true fans of DS9.
I watched DS9 straight thru from season 1 to season 7 and it was a great experience, its an excellent series with or without the Dominion war and every episode deserves a watch.
I do indeed think you've done yourself a huge disservice by starting at season 5 and I suggest u just stop now and watch every single episode you have missed up to this point before resuming.

 

[Daneel]

^^^^^
Oh, I agree, definitely. I do think the series hit its stride with the Dominion War, but there were plenty of good episodes and storylines before that. I would encourage anyone interested in the show to watch it from beginning to end in order to get the full experience. Season 1 was a little uneven, but Season 2 was solid, and I think it only got better from there.

 

[TheGodBen]

I wouldn't recommend that anybody start with season 5, but DS9 isn't as serialised as some shows so its not all that important that you watch the early seasons in order to grasp what is going on. However, there is some really great episodes that you missed out on (Improbable Cause, The Die is Cast, The Way of the Warrior, The Visitor) and you would certainly be doing yourself a disservice by never going back to rewatch those seasons. If you want to continue with season 5 right through to the end then you can, but once you are finished you really should go back and watch all the episodes you skipped.

 

[Michael]

Frankly I think all these fans who slag off the earlier seasons but constantly go on about how awesome the Dominion war was aren't really true fans of DS9.

Nonsense. I hate it when people think they are truer fans of something. What exactly is a true DS9 fan anyway? Isn't someone who has only seen one season and nothing else just as entitled to consider himself a true fan as someone who has seen every single episode? That kind of behaviour comes across as a little arrogant to me. When I like something it makes me fan. It's as easy as that.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Yes. I think you have done yourself a huge disservice.

Since DS9 is so arc-based, you have essentially spoiled yourself on every major plot point. So yeah, you can go back later and watch the earlier seasons (I LOVE how you are now thinking about going back for ONLY season 4 )...but I don't think it will ever be the same experience as you'd have had watching it from the beginning.

I still think you can be a fan....and I disagree with those who say you are not a 'true fan' for starting at the beginning of season 5. But yeah...I do think your impatience to 'get to the good part' will ultimately decrease your overall long-term enjoyment of the show.

Part of the fun and excitement, after all, is the anticipation of what will happen next and how it will all turn out.

For example, I remember when I saw The Jem'Hadar for the first time. I was positively awestruck. I remember thinking to myself - "Wow, these guys are some SERIOUS bad-asses. How in the world are we going to beat THEM?" It was a great way to end season 2 - with anticipation and excitement for what was to come! For you, this episode, which was very cool for the rest of us, will be rather humdrum, I'm afraid, because you will already be used to seeing them.

And then there is one of my personal favorite mini-arcs in the show that you've spoiled for yourself - the Garak/Tain arc that starts with The Wire, then moves through Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast, and finally concludes with In Purgatory's Shadow/By Inferno's Light - a season 5 episode you have now seen, I assume. Shame, really. Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast is a kick-ass good double episode - among my top 3 episodes in all of DS9, in fact. And The Wire is in my top 10 episodes of the show.

This sort of thing is why when folks come to this forum (and they do this quite regularly) and ask us if they should start at the beginning or if they can just start with season 4 (that is usually where they want to start...I guess because of Worf...although I can't imagine why as he is really one of the least interesting characters on DS9), we always counsel them to start at the beginning.

Because once you spoil yourself, you can't take it back.

The show will still be good, don't get me wrong. But there was nothing in this world like watching this show unfold from the beginning. The only thing that rivals it is watching Babylon 5 unfold from the beginning.

 

[Jono]

Frankly I think all these fans who slag off the earlier seasons but constantly go on about how awesome the Dominion war was aren't really true fans of DS9.

Nonsense. I hate it when people think they are truer fans of something. What exactly is a true DS9 fan anyway? Isn't someone who has only seen one season and nothing else just as entitled to consider himself a true fan as someone who has seen every single episode? That kind of behaviour comes across as a little arrogant to me. When I like something it makes me fan. It's as easy as that.

Completely agree, liking the latter seasons over the first seasons making a people not a "true fan" is a load of crap. Just because you are a fan doesn't mean you have to like everything about what you are a fan of equally.

 

[apenpaap]

You should just start from the beginning. I understrand that you don't want to watch the earlier seasons, so you should start at season 2 (season 1 is the one with a lot of shitty TNGripoff episodes)

 

[Robotech Master]

Jeez, just watch the whole thing.

It's a great show from start to finish.

It doesn't start off with a whimper like 1st season TNG, it doesn't take a huge dive in quality like TOS season 3, and it is stronger on a season to season basis than VOY or ENT could ever hope to be.

If you think the show is only about the Dominion War, then yes you are doing yourself a disservice. The show is really about the characters and you're missing lots of the early character development if you skip to the end.

 

[Jaespol]

Frankly I think all these fans who slag off the earlier seasons but constantly go on about how awesome the Dominion war was aren't really true fans of DS9.

Nonsense. I hate it when people think they are truer fans of something. What exactly is a true DS9 fan anyway? Isn't someone who has only seen one season and nothing else just as entitled to consider himself a true fan as someone who has seen every single episode? That kind of behaviour comes across as a little arrogant to me. When I like something it makes me fan. It's as easy as that.

Completely agree, liking the latter seasons over the first seasons making a people not a "true fan" is a load of crap. Just because you are a fan doesn't mean you have to like everything about what you are a fan of equally.

You can use your stupid "what is a true fan" anyway crap on me if you like but I don't consider anyone who says they are a fan of DS9 but constantly b*tch about the earlier seasons and any episodes not directly related to the dominion war. A real fan of the show should love it for what it is, a show with a lot of variety and a lot of heart and not simply about epic space battles.
Ron Moore always said in his online chats etc. that DS9 was about variety which is why we got so many characters and different kinds of episodes but then you get some people who only like the Dominion war stuff.
It makes me mad that people say they like the show but actually don't, they don't like the show as a whole like it is.
You guys can continue on exclusively watching 5, 6 and 7, I'll continue appreciating the show as a whole.

 

[Praetor]

Frankly I think all these fans who slag off the earlier seasons but constantly go on about how awesome the Dominion war was aren't really true fans of DS9.

Nonsense. I hate it when people think they are truer fans of something. What exactly is a true DS9 fan anyway? Isn't someone who has only seen one season and nothing else just as entitled to consider himself a true fan as someone who has seen every single episode? That kind of behaviour comes across as a little arrogant to me. When I like something it makes me fan. It's as easy as that.

Well said. I agree.

 

[Jono]

Thanks for the responses.

I'd hate to take a step backwards and start over at season 4. Does anyone think that maybe watching a few episodes of season 4 in order would at least bring me up to speed with the Klingons/Romulans/Cardassians/Dominion?

Would anyone mind listing what they think the most important season 4 episodes are?

*The Way of the Warrior (season opener)
*Homefront
*Paradise Lost (follows on from Homefront)
*Broken Link (season finale)

These four episodes at a minimum would probably be the "most important" season 4 episodes.

There are several other episodes in the season that might not be as important to the overall plot but you should probably consider watching as well:

*The Visitor - Really has no bearing on on series plot but has been rated in several polls around the place as one of the best (if not the best in some cases) episode of DS9. The story focuses on the relationship between Jake and Sisko and is one of the few Jake heavy episodes. This would be my favourite episode of DS9, so I'm a bit biased towards it.

*Little Green Men - This is a Ferengi episode so if you don't like them then you're probably unlikely to enjoy this. I found it an enjoyable little time travel romp which sees Quark, Rom and Nog end up in 1947 Roswell.

*Return to Grace - Moves along Dukat's character, it also introduces the character of Damar (don't expect to see Damar of season 5/6). Actually before you see this maybe watch Indiscretion for the backstory of Tora Ziyal.

*Sons of Mogh - Revolves around Worf dealing was the consequences of his actions in The Way of the Warrior on his brother, Kurn. Tony Todd reprises his role as Kurn and personally I think it is worth watching just to see Todd in action. I think he is a fantastic actor.

*Accession - Important in Sisko as The Emissary plot. Can't think how to describe it without spoiling the episode.

*Hard Time - The fourth season's "O'Brien must suffer!" episode.

*For the Cause - Has important ties to season 5's For the Uniform and Rapture.

*To The Death - Introduces Weyoun, you get to see Starfleet work with the Jem'Hadar and season 6's Rocks and Shoals references the events in this episode.

*Rejoined - Wasn't going to include this but thought I might as well. It's an okay episode, Dax heavy and deals with Trill society. It is slightly infamous as being the first Trek episode to have a lesbian kiss, which doesn't sound like much today but was a much bigger deal back in the mid-1990s.

To parrot the others though, you should try to watch the entire season and also the stuff from season 3 and 2 you missed. There are some important episodes the the earlier stuff towards the overall plot. You also might come across a "less important" episode that you really enjoy as well.

You can use your stupid "what is a true fan" anyway crap on me if you like but I don't consider anyone who says they are a fan of DS9 but constantly b*tch about the earlier seasons and any episodes not directly related to the dominion war. A real fan of the show should love it for what it is, a show with a lot of variety and a lot of heart and not simply about epic space battles.
Ron Moore always said in his online chats etc. that DS9 was about variety which is why we got so many characters and different kinds of episodes but then you get some people who only like the Dominion war stuff.
It makes me mad that people say they like the show but actually don't, they don't like the show as a whole like it is.
You guys can continue on exclusively watching 5, 6 and 7, I'll continue appreciating the show as a whole.

All bow before Jaespol for he is the one true fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!