Game The Most Disliked Cardassian Episode

[Sakonna]

Yet doesn't 'Afterimage' mainly focus on Garak? Just seems an odd reason not to include 'Waltz'. Dukat is arguably the most famous Cardassian in the entire Trek franchise, and this episode deals more with his psychology, and in turn those Cardassians who followed in his footsteps.

Whatever though, it's not my list, and the episode probably would've been saved early on anyway.

I'm convinced, adding it to the master for the next time. "Afterimage" was an add this year, we hadn't had it before. The Cardassian list was the most challenging of the alien-race ones to pull together when they were first created in 2019, the lines there are much more porous than with the Ferengi, Borg, etc.

Speaking of! I will now save "Afterimage." I don't love a lot about this one, but it is the final episode of the series where Garak plays a central role. And I gotta say... the writers did get a bit overexcited with their new toy and went overboard with Ezri, but I am ultimately a fan of the character.

TNG Season 7: "Journey's End"
DS9 Season 4: "Return To Grace"
DS9 Season 5: "Things Past"
DS9 Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"
DS9 Season 6: "Behind The Lines"
DS9 Season 7: "Strange Bedfellows"

 

[at Quark's]

Since I didn't actually eliminate an episode (just commented on another's elimination), I feel free to eliminate DS9 Season 7: Strange Bedfellows now.

In it, we see the completion of Damar's transformation to the dark .. well, I suppose the bright side, and of Winn's betrayal. She makes quite the journey here: From elation and pride she's finally going to play an important spiritual role in the Restoration of Bajor to profound shock when she learns it's the Pah Wraiths that have enlisted her, to a crisis of faith, to a delusive reasoning that 'she must remain Kai if she is going to do any good' to, finally, consciously embracing the pah Wraiths because the prophets have never done anything for her. In a way, the stages she goes through are not entirely dissimilar to the recognized stages of grief, and are therefore somewhat believable, even when it is compressed within a single hour for purposes of storytelling.

Then, there's the Worf and Ezri arc. Not that compelling but, the They Reconcile Before They're Supposedly Being Executed But Actually Will Get To Escape scene is worth quoting.

WORF: I realise Jadzia saw physical love very differently than I do. To her it could mean many things, but to me it is a deeply spiritual act. When I made love to you, my motives were not spiritual. It was an unworthy impulse.
EZRI: Worf, we're not gods or prophets. We're people. We make mistakes. There is one other thing I want you to know. I honestly didn't realise how I felt about Julian. I would have never hidden something like that from you.
WORF: I believe you. And I do not hold any malice toward you or Doctor Bashir.
EZRI: That's good to know. Friends?
WORF: With benefits.
EZRI: With benefits.
WORF: It appears all we have left to do is to be executed.
EZRI: Sounds like a lazy day to me.

(In reality they said 'and more' instead of 'with benefits; I just thought I should fix that for them )


TNG Season 7: "Journey's End"
DS9 Season 4: "Return To Grace"
DS9 Season 5: "Things Past"
DS9 Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"
DS9 Season 6: "Behind The Lines"

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "RETURN TO GRACE". Good episode of Kira and Dukat.


TNG Season 7: "Journey's End"
DS9 Season 5: "Things Past"
DS9 Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"
DS9 Season 6: "Behind The Lines"

 

[Seven of Five]

Behind the Lines is a strong part of the Occupation Arc, with the shock ending regarding Odo and the Female Shapeshifter. It's just a shame they later blew it by sweeping the Kira/Odo angst under the carpet.

TNG Season 7: "Journey's End"
DS9 Season 5: "Things Past"
DS9 Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"

 

[Sakonna]

I recently rewatched "Journey's End" for the first time in forever and didn't hate it as much as I thought. Nice material with Nechayev in here. It is the very beginning of the Maquis, which DS9 went on to do such great things with.

These other two are just total flops for me. "Things Past" is an attempt to recapture the "Necessary Evil" magic that fails completely through sloppy plotting. "Sons & Daughters" is one of my most hated DS9 hours -- it's a serious black mark on the otherwise brilliant Occupation Arc, and trashes the satisfying resolution Worf & Alexander reached on TNG, for no compelling dramatic purpose.

DS9 Season 5: "Things Past"
DS9 Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I'm going to save DS9 Season 5: "Things Past". It's not my favourite episode of DS9, but it's not bad and has it has 100% more Kurtwood Smith than the rest of the series combined.

Which leaves:
DS9 Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"

 

[Oddish]

Sons and Daughters is today's worst of the worst!

 

[Farscape One]

But what about that wonderful Martokism????

 

[Captain's Coffee]

Ah, yes, an Alexander episode

 

[Seven of Five]

The Alexander stuff hasn't aged well, and bogs down the other Ziyal thread, which I quite liked.

I really thought Journey's End would win as it's so dreary. That or Nothing Human.

The conclusion of Basics is disappointing for the massive reset button, and losing Seska.

 

[Oddish]

Options available:
1. Have Alexander show up on DS9 when Worf does.
2. Have Alexander, as he was, show up soon after.
3. Leave Alexander on Earth with his grandparents.
4. Bring in a completely unrecognizable Alexander out of the blue.

Guess which one they chose.

Sheesh... did the Voyager showrunners take over DS9 that week?

 

[Sakonna]

I couldn't be happier with this winner. I hate "Sons & Daughters"! Hate it! I could possibly do a full rant about every single line in the damn thing. Obviously the Klingon half of it is just a trainwreck, but the Cardassian side of it is equally as bad. It's so frustrating this is the route they felt they had to go with Ziyal to make people feel sad for her death -- make her a total simp who doesn't have a thought in her head about how her father has twice tried to murder her.

 

[Oddish]

And might have, if he hadn't known that Kira would have cut him down where he stood two seconds later.

Of course, considering how much of a pain Dukat was later, that would have solved a lot of problems.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

What's next?

 

[Sakonna]

Klingon episodes! Later today or tomorrow.

 

[Oddish]

Qua'pla!

 

[Farscape One]

Qa'pla!

 

[Sakonna]

Wow, DS9 pulls into the lead with the most wins for this round! It's my 2nd-favorite-Trek, but when it went wrong, it REALLY went wrong. It especially makes sense that two of DS9's five wins are both for "Profit & Lace."

The 2020 winner of this game was VOY: "Investigations"

MOST DISLIKED WINNERS, 2022
ROMANCE-OF-THE-WEEK: TNG, Season 6: "Aquiel"
HOLIDAY: DS9, Season 3: "Meridian"
CARDASSIAN: DS9, Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"
MIRROR UNIVERSE: DS9, Season 6: "Resurrection"
FERENGI: DS9, Season 6: "Profit & Lace"
COMEDIC/LIGHT-HEARTED: DS9, Season 6: "Profit & Lace"
HOLODECK: VOY, Season 6: "Spirit Folk"
MAQUIS: VOY, Season 7: "Repression"
BARCLAY: VOY, Season 7: "Inside Man"
2-PART/DOUBLE EPISODE: VOY, Season 7: "Flesh And Blood"
VISIT TO EARTH'S PAST: ENT, Season 4: "Storm Front, Part II"
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 BEST EPS: ENT, Season 4: "Home"
TIME TRAVEL/TRAVELER/LOOP/ANOMALY: DIS, Season 2: "Perpetual Infinity"
DIRECTOR JONATHAN FRAKES: DIS, Season 3: "There Is A Tide..."
TREK NOIR: PIC, "Broken Pieces"
CAST CROSSOVER: PIC, "Et In Arcardia Ego, Part 1"
COUPLE: LD, Carol Freeman/Admiral Husband
REGULAR CHARACTER: PRO, Drednok

TOTAL SHOW WINS
TOS, TAS, ST, & Movies: 0
TNG, LD, & PRO: 1 win each
ENT, DIS, & PIC: 2 wins each
VOY: 4 wins
DS9: 5 wins

 

[Oddish]

And all four of Voyager's trainwrecks were late S6 or S7. I guess since it was basically TNG S14 at that point...

 

[Sakonna]

And aside from "Meridian", every DS9 win is from season 6.