The least disliked episode of DS9 - season five

[Seven of Five]

I'll go for Apocalypse Rising. It's a very good episode, though when it first aired I thought they wimped out by not having Gowron be the changeling and kill him off. Of course they rectified this (and then some) in season 7.

Trials and Tribble-ations
The Ascent
For the Uniform
In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Business as Usual
Ties of Blood and Water
Children of Time
Call to Arms

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I felt the reason it wasn't Gowron was that they needed Odo to have something to figure out and save the day without his shape shifting ability.

 

[Seven of Five]

Yeah true. That's just how I felt at the time.

It's a minor reason to vote it off, I'm just struggling to find fault with things now.

 

[Isolinear]

I don't like Business as Usual. Quark in the arms business just doesn't interest me and that's all this episode offers.

Trials and Tribble-ations
The Ascent
For the Uniform
In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Ties of Blood and Water
Children of Time
Call to Arms

 

[boldygoing]

I'll take out Ties of Blood and Water. This was a pretty good episode for Kira, a sort of follow-up from Second Skin. I don't really have anything against this episode, its just that the remaining episodes are more memorable.

Trials and Tribble-ations
The Ascent
For the Uniform
In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Children of Time
Call to Arms

 

[Seven of Five]

I'll take out For the Uniform, which I like slightly less than the others.

Trials and Tribble-ations
The Ascent
In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Children of Time
Call to Arms

 

[DonIago]

Kicking "The Ascent" off a cliff. Great episode, though I feel the banter with Odo and Quark gets a little too vicious at times (though I suppose that's the point). Just not as good as the other remaining options.

Trials and Tribble-ations
In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Children of Time
Call to Arms

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I'll remove Children of Time. Not a bad episode but up against Call To Arms and another of those ridiculously awesome Garak two parters. I almost eliminated Trials and Tribble-ations because frankly, though it's fun it's a little cheesy. But it's just a little better than Children of Time.

Trials and Tribble-ations
In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Call to Arms

 

[Seven of Five]

These are all in my Top 10 DS9 episodes so it's hard to take one out. I think I'll remove Trials and Tribble-ations, because the other 3 advance the plot in amazing ways.

In Purgatory's Shadow
By Inferno's Light
Call to Arms

 

[Bad Thoughts]

By Inferno's Light. It has all the marks of producers trying to make a rapid pivot in the direction of the show, thus things like Dukat's betrayal and the new alliances with the Klingons and Romulans are less than organic. Garak's claustrophobia is well acted, but it is far-fetched. To its credit, the episode does have one of Trek's most feminist moments: Kira and Dax both taking out the Defiant to confront the Dominion fleet.

In Purgatory's Shadow
Call to Arms

 

[Terok Nor]

I'll eliminate In Purgatory's Shadow so we can end Season Five and move onto Six.

Call To Arms wins.

 

[DonIago]

I was hoping it would go that way, but didn't want to make the cut myself.

 

[Terok Nor]

Me neither. But it had to be done haha.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

If a plot-heavy episode was going to win the season, Call to Arms would be the one. Everything good about Purgatory's Shadow/Inferno's Light is better in CTA. It ties the previous episodes together more effectively. It prepares all the character for the upcoming season, telling us where they are going and defining the state of their important relationships. It had a genuine and direct Garak moment that would not be repeated until WYLB. It has a MacArthur style speech from Sisko. Funny Rom moments, smug Dukat moments, duplicitous and authoritarian Weyoun moments. And it had one of the most flawlessly conceived battles in televised Trek.