Wow. Absolute rubbish. Other than the scenes by Quark, this has to be one of the worst episodes ever produced in DS9. It reminded me of stories written by little kids when the ending is just...they woke up and it was all a dream...
Is it? It all still really happened. Unlike some other Trek eps where everything literally was all a dream.
"It was just a game." Nothing really mattered. The characters were never in danger. And the experiences were just like a dream like state. They had to play hopscotch and take a drink of wine to win. Lame episode.
That's not the same thing as being a dream. And there are some amazing Trek episodes where the main characters were in no physical danger at all.
Then I hope you've never seen the Voyager episode "Twisted" where the danger wasn't real. You would lose all faith in ST writing from that one.
While it is not one of my favorite episodes, it is far away from being the worst. For me the worst Trek episodes a Conspiracy TNG and Threshold VOY. To each their own.
As others have mentioned, Quark was great here. From his refusing the Wadi offerings until gems appear to his pleading to his thinking on how to get them out. The concept of the episode was not only fun, but pretty original in STAR TREK. Basically inside a board game. How many of us have wanted to do that? I think you'll find a lot more than you expect. I liked how the Wadi were shown to be game seekers. Their technology continues to show how much emphasis high tech is in the Gamma Quadrant, and how high it really is. I've always loved that little detail on how Gamma sets itself apart from Delta. Seeing our heroes solve the puzzles... the hopscotch, the drink... shows how well and quickly they think on their feet. I always appreciate how the writers will show how they connect the dots in scenes not involving a Conference Lounge or Ready Room. Even the costuming made the Wadi pop out more, possibly due to the lack of prosthetics on them. It sets them apart from a lot of others. There truly is much more to give credit for than bemoan. I've always enjoyed "MOVE ALONG HOME", and always will.
The episode reminds me of "Doctor Strange" - the warnings come after playing the game. It wasn't my favorite episode, but I agree with Farscape One that it was fairly original for Star Trek. It doesn't have to be life-or-death to make it a worthwhile episode. These days, when I re-watch ST I'm looking for what's actually "alien" in all these species. A lot of it is rehashed from one species to another, but I appreciate this episode's "alien" way to approach entertainment. I also appreciate that it wasn't solved by blasting one's way out, or coming up with a technobabble way of escaping. Not my favorite episode, but definitely not the worst either.
Or the episode is trying to make the audience feel uncomfortable because good sci-fi is supposed to get people out of their comfy zone? Though I'll agree, Quark's subplot was a fantastic epiphany, the rest of it was a tad generic like a video game. But what it had in generic plot was made up for by bestowing an uneasy feel. Which I believe may have been the intent? Or it's a bad episode and I'm thinking from too many points of view. I choose the former, it's meant to give an aura of disconcerting feel.
But it really didn't really make me uncomfortable. The action in the game was bland. It was similar to playing Pong or some cheap 80's video game. It reminded me of TOS episode The Empath.
It's an odd one, sure, but it's not even close to the worst DS9, let alone Trek episode. I suppose that's subjective, but the one with Quark and the sex change was way, way more terrible. Move Along Home, to me, is silly but harmless.
This is not the worst DS9 episode I've seen but It did make me laugh for it's sheer stupidity. I'll give it credit for being memorable but for the wrong reasons.
The premise of the episode may have had potential. When I don't think of the specifics, the episode seems to touch on a number of interesting issues related to gaming: verisimilitude and immersion, the transparency of its mechanisms, and the seeming inane quality of puzzles. A better produced episode would have produced an interesting commentary on gaming culture.