The least disliked episode of DS9 - Season Six

[BlueStuff]

This is a game that we play every few years or so, and it's generally a lot of fun, providing a chance to mentally revisit those episodes you may not have thought about in a while. With that in mind, why not play again?

So, here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your least favorite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters, and wait at least 6 hours after your last vote, before voting again.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Hall of Champions
2011 - In the Pale Moonlight
2013 - In the Pale Moonlight
2017 -

Season Six

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

 

[BlueStuff]

Profit and Lace can be thrown in the scrapheap. As soon as Quark appears in drag, the whole thing takes a nose-dive off a cliff.

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
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[BigDaveX]

I'm going to squash One Little Ship. It's an idea that might have worked on TOS or TAS, but on this series it just feels horribly out of place, and the one genuinely interesting aspect of the episode (the rivalry between the Alpha Quadrant and Gamma Quadrant-bred Jem'Hadar) is something that's never mentioned again.

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
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
His Way
The Reckoning
Valiant
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Takeru]

Valiant, I despised those snotty cadets, worst episode by far!

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
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
His Way
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I'm taking our Resurrection. Cue Lady Gaga. No one needed to see the return of Bareil, and no one needed to see him paired with the Intendant. Ironically, Philip Anglim managed to sap the usually perky Intendant, subduing what is one of the few joys to be had from the MU. That dinner with Worf and Jadzia was a little weird.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Sons and Daughters
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
Sacrifice of Angels
You Are Cordially Invited...
Statistical Probabilities
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Who Mourns for Morn?
Far Beyond the Stars
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
His Way
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Armus]

I'm glad Valiant was one of first to beam out. I'm going to sacrifice The Sacrifice of Angels, which was very melodramatic. Besides Rocks and Shoals(Sons and Daughters was Ok) I thought season 6 started on a weak footing. I never liked anything about the Dominion occupation of DS9; it felt like a gimmick that the viewer knew was pointless. I didnt think Weyoun and Dukat had good chemistry in these episodes and there was a lot of awkward
and forced drama between the other characters. The writers forced way too much into this episode, the rescue of Rom, Sisko's encounter with the Wormhole aliens, the Death of Ziyal...the suspense, build up, and resolution felt too forced.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Sons and Daughters
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
Statistical Probabilities
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Who Mourns for Morn?
Far Beyond the Stars
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
His Way
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

I'm struggling to decide on a few of them at this point, but think I'll take out His Way. Never been keen on the Vic Fontaine stuff.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Sons and Daughters
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
Statistical Probabilities
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Who Mourns for Morn?
Far Beyond the Stars
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Trek Survivor]

So I'm one of the few fans (it seems) who thought the show took a real nosedive in season 6-7 (I prefer the earlier seasons). I find the direction it was taken pretty awful, which was disappointing after a great season 4-5.

Therefore, there are numerous episodes here I would rather didn't exist, but I am going to go for "Sons and Daughters". I thought the TNG episode "Firstborn" did such a nice job with Worf and Alexander, and their relationship, that DS9 just ruined it for a few cheap laughs at Alexander's expense. As a character, lots of interesting potential wasted.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
Statistical Probabilities
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Who Mourns for Morn?
Far Beyond the Stars
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Eliminating Statistical Probabilities.

I hated the Jack Pack episodes. Perfect example of trying too hard to be funny and ending up being annoying and silly. Also it really stretched suspension of disbelief that there were no consequences for treason. It also bugs me in general the way genetic augments are treated, as that seems extremely anti-everything else the series tells us about the Federation.

The entire augment arc is pretty poor. Besides retconning Bashir's character into something much less interesting, not only is there a class of people blacklisted based on their parents' crime, Bashir gets a special exemption because of his personal connections. So, unfair exemption to the unfair policy, and Statistical Probabilities just doubles down on one of the series' poorest premises.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Who Mourns for Morn?
Far Beyond the Stars
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Sakonna]

I also hate "You Are Cordially Invited" and "Time's Orphan", but I am getting rid of "Who Mourns For Morn?" If I'm doing a rewatch, this will be the last episode of the series I just skip. There's some fun stuff at Morn's memorial, but everything else is ruined by the fact that all these characters are just making shit up. It's such an easy fix, too -- just have us learn REAL things about Morn the whole time! They could actually build out his backstory with all these crazy reveals, instead of presenting it as a series of pointless lies.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Honor Among Thieves
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Farscape One]

I am getting rid of "HONOR AMONG THIEVES". I love O'Brien and his episodes, but the premise just seemed out of place. Why would Starfleet Intelligence pick O'Brien, an engineer, as an undercover operative? No matter what reason is used, it is absurd. You NEED engineers doing what they do, particularly in the middle of a war. And the Orion Syndicate feels too much like the mafia... such plot devices can be interesting, but overall boring and predictable. To me, anyway.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Time's Orphan
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[dstyer]

Trying to decide between The Magnificent Ferengi and Time's Orphan. Both are quite low on my list of desire to re-watch.

I think I'll go with Time's Orphan due to it having a big "reset" button on the end of the show. Nothing of consequence happened (to my eyes) in the end.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
The Sound of Her Voice
Tears of the Prophets

 

[BigDaveX]

The Sound of Her Voice has now been silenced. A decent episode, but kinda inconsequential compared to the others here.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
Favor the Bold
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Armus]

Ill knock off Favor The Bold for the same reasons I removed The Sacrifice of Angels. I haven't seen this one in years but I remember a lot of phoney suspense whether The Dominion would deactivate the minefield at the entrance of the Wormhole. Oh and having Odo betray his friends for amazing founder sex was lame.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
The Reckoning
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Bad Thoughts]

If Reckoning is still on the list, you guys aren't doing this right. This was the worst turn for the Prophets storyline, turning what was a unique look at religion to cliched myth. The battle between the possessed Jake and Kira was stupid. In the end, Winn was right to put a stop to it. (ETA: Having me cheer for Winn just shows what kind of a misstep this episode was.)

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Change of Heart
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
Tears of the Prophets

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Gonna have to ditch Change of Heart. Never liked that episode. I like the idea of cementing Dax and Worf's marriage further, but I just never enjoyed the story itself.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
In the Pale Moonlight
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Takeru]

In the Pale Moonlight is done, I was never a fan of Avery Brooks's acting, way too intense. "It's a faaaaaake" became a meme and not for a good reason, the episode is overrated especially because of the bad acting, that Sisko pretty much adresses the audience is stupid, this was not a plot that called for fourth wall breaking.
I'm not sure why it's so beloved, Garak doing questionable or morally grey things isn't surprising, Sisko being okay with it isn't surprising either after we saw how far he was willing to go in For the Uniform. It's a dull episode full of badly acted monologs.


A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Inquisition
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Farscape One]

I am going to eliminate "WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT". It is the weakest of the remaining episodes, in my opinion.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
You Are Cordially Invited...
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Inquisition
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Sakonna]

You Are Cordially Invited. I appreciated the basic impulse -- we just had this big heavy war arc, now let's party! -- but ugggghhhh to that whole thing with Dax & Sirella, it's such a hackneyed sitcom story. The off-screen resolution of Odo's betrayal during said war arc is also one of the series worst storytelling missteps.

A Time to Stand
Rocks and Shoals
Behind the Lines
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Far Beyond the Stars
Inquisition
Tears of the Prophets

 

[Armus]

I think the consensus here is that season 6 represented a major drop in quality from the previous seasons.