The Most Disliked Episode of DS9, 2023 Edition - Season 4...

[Farscape One]

Welcome to our bi-yearly 'Most Disliked Episode' games! Now that the 'Least Disliked Episode' games hosted by BlueStuff (who inspired me to create these games, so thank you very much for paving the way) have concluded, we can begin the opposite side of that coin.

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 most favorite or the one you deem the 'best.' 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 before you eliminate another episode.

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 (or Failures?)
2011 - "PROFIT AND LACE"
2018 - "LET HE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN..."
2019 - "THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOAK"
2021 - "THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOAK"
2023 - "PROFIT AND LACE"


Season Four -

"THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR"
"THE VISITOR"
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"OUR MAN BASHIR"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"HARD TIME"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Farscape One]

I'm going to go on record (for probably the 2,000th time) and say that DS9 season 4 is the closest thing to a perfect season the franchise ever got. Only the B plot of ONE episode in the whole season didn't work. The rest was just fantastic. It is so hard for me to choose my first. But I think I will start with "THE VISITOR".

I recently put this one, along with "IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT', as the number 1 episode in the franchise, let alone for this season. This is what I wrote about it...


--------

With "THE VISITOR", everyone can relate or will relate at some point because everybody will lose someone they love at some point in their lives. And so many of us would very likely do exactly what Jake did to bring his father back. (Damn it, I'm already shedding a single man tear as I'm typing this.) The emotions here reach us on such a basic, universal level that it's impossible to not include this in a short list of the best of ST.

-------


A stunningly powerful episode that always leaves me a crying mess at the end. A beautiful story and a beautiful episode that transcends not just science fiction, but tv as a whole. A perfect 10, easily.


"THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR"
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"OUR MAN BASHIR"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"HARD TIME"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Seven of Five]

It's such a great season. I'll go with The Way of the Warrior first, as it did a great job shaking up the series, whilst staying true to the ongoing changeling threat.

Bringing along Worf to the party was nicely done too.

There are so many brilliant scenes throughout.

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"OUR MAN BASHIR"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"HARD TIME"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Cyfa]

I'm torn between a couple of fun episodes for my first save, but Bashir looking a total fox in a tux () in "OUR MAN BASHIR" edges out those little green men (aren't they orange, though? And I don't mean Oompa Loompas).
As well as the aforementioned foxiness, I love Bashir's solution to save his friends and all the Garashir stuff. There can never be enough Garashir!

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"HARD TIME"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

P.S. Thanks for hosting these @Frightscape One Such fun! [ /Miranda'sMum ]

 

[Farscape One]

It's such a great season. I'll go with The Way of the Warrior first, as it did a great job shaking up the series, whilst staying true to the ongoing changeling threat.

Bringing along Worf to the party was nicely done too.

There are so many brilliant scenes throughout.

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"OUR MAN BASHIR"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"HARD TIME"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

I'm torn between a couple of fun episodes for my first save, but Bashir looking a total fox in a tux () in "OUR MAN BASHIR" edges out those little green men (aren't they orange, though? And I don't mean Oompa Loompas).
As well as the aforementioned foxiness, I love Bashir's solution to save his friends and all the Garashir stuff. There can never be enough Garashir!

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"HARD TIME"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

P.S. Thanks for hosting these @Frightscape One Such fun! [ /Miranda'sMum ]

Both of these would have been my next pick... "THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR" for being such a flawlessly perfect second pilot for DS9 (which it essentially served that function) and "OUR MAN BASHIR" for being unique and fun. (And for me, being THE most rewatched episode in the franchise. Not kidding.)

And Cyfa, you're very welcome! These games ARE a lot of fun. (BlueStuff deserves some thanks and credit, too. He's the inspiration for these games, so I wouldn't even be hosting these games without the 'Least Disliked' games he hosts.)

I'm going to go with "HARD TIME" next.

Colm Meaney always brought his 'A' game, but he was even better here. Especially excellent was the cargo bay scene between Bashir and O'Brien... this is possibly the darkest ST ever got with him on the brink of suicide. (Tied with VGR's "COURSE: OBLIVION" with what happened to the duplicates. My opinion, of course.)

Truly great episode that never fails to bring a tear to my eye at the end when Molly goes to hug O'Brien saying, "Daddy's home!"

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"SONS OF MOGH"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Qonundrum]

Of what's left,

"SONS OF MOGH"

is an easy save - the ending is a little hokey, but Sisko's chewing out of Worf and Dax alone has more depth than most tv fare of the day.


What's left:
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"THE SWORD OF KAHLESS"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[CitadelZombies]

"The Sword of Kahless" gets saved for me here. It's a bit like Indiana Jones, but with Klingons. It's always great to see Kor as well.

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BODY PARTS"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Qonundrum]

It's such a great season. I'll go with The Way of the Warrior first, as it did a great job shaking up the series, whilst staying true to the ongoing changeling threat.

Bringing along Worf to the party was nicely done too.

WotW is an excellent mini-reboot, refining more but changing less than one might think.

If anything,

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

"Generations" was referenced in dialogue, but nobody was expecting a partial copy/paste of the incidental music. (But what if any of the phasers missed the targets and blew a teensy hole in the outer bulkhead? And to think "The Next Phase" had selective physics, hehehehehehe!)

But it's a minor nitpick. Especially when the DS9 opener has a far more robust plot underneath it.

 

[Farscape One]

My next save is also partly on behalf of my wife... "BODY PARTS".

It's one of her favorite episodes, particularly the ending... everyone coming together to help Quark after the FCA took away everything. Quark was so surprised and speechless, that final shot was just pure gold. He truly felt like he belonged. (I also use this scene as why DS9 is the spinoff that BEST embodies the spirit of STAR TREK... "everyone is welcome here and we all help each other out. Even if you are an outcast by your own society, you are welcome and are a part of our community." What better message can there be than that? It's one of the reasons why DEEP SPACE NINE means so much to me, especially while I was growing up.)

And how they used the fetal transport to write in Nana Visitor's pregnancy into the show... ABSOLUTELY GENIUS! Most creative way I have ever seen before or since.


"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"LITTLE GREEN MEN"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Qonundrum]

This one won me over fast enough,

"LITTLE GREEN MEN"

Even if DS9 put in the 483577854874537843578543^47th way of engaging time travel, the story smartly keeps it minimal and focuses on the real meat of the story.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Okay, the one soldier in that scene is pretty much treknobabbling Star Trek's core premise to an audience that already knows it by now*, and with a spoon so big that it'd still be too small for King Kong to swallow, but - heck - they got in space hippie Charles Napier to be the lead soldier and he sorta steals the show... or Queen Kong for that matter:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

* I'd hope ​

What's left:
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"ACCESSION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Oddish]

Accession is one of my top 5 episodes, and I'm amazed that it's lingered this long. Well, no longer. Sisko really begins to accept his role as Emissary, Keiko shows that she understands her husband better than he understands himself, and Kira... well, Kira makes clay birds. Really bad ones.

What's left:
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"TO THE DEATH"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[CitadelZombies]

"To the Death". It's a really good episode, and our first appearance of (a) Weyoun (4).

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"STARSHIP DOWN"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Farscape One]

"TO THE DEATH" was going to be my next save. I LOVE that episode!

I will save "STARSHIP DOWN" next.

Always love episodes that utilize the entire cast. Superbly done here, all the stories... Quark's story, Worf learning a lesson about command, Dax and Bashir, Kira and Sisko. All done so very, very well. (Bonus points for Kira's work rotation schedule being implemented and referenced later in "ACCESSION".)

And the Defiant, even beaten down, still... kicks... ass!!!


"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"REJOINED"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Sakonna]

"Rejoined", a fabulous ROTW. I saved "Profit & Loss" for having the sense to say "this relationship has a lot of setup in the backstory to justify the intensity of feeling!'

"Rejoined" uses the same trick, in an even more clever sci-fi way.

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Oddish]

I'd save "The Quickening" for "come to Quark's, Quark's is fun" alone, but the rest of the episode was also really good, in a "triumph from tragedy" sort of way.

What's Left...
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Farscape One]

"Rejoined", a fabulous ROTW. I saved "Profit & Loss" for having the sense to say "this relationship has a lot of setup in the backstory to justify the intensity of feeling!'

"Rejoined" uses the same trick, in an even more clever sci-fi way.

"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"THE QUICKENING"
"BROKEN LINK"

I'd save "The Quickening" for "come to Quark's, Quark's is fun" alone, but the rest of the episode was also really good, in a "triumph from tragedy" sort of way.

What's Left...
"HIPPOCRATIC OATH"
"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"BROKEN LINK"

Those were going to be my exact next saves. (Definitely feel "THE QUICKENING" is the best Bashir character episode, period.)

You force me to go my next, next, next choice... "HIPPOCRATIC OATH".

Great test of the friendship of O'Brien and Bashir. And Scott MacDonald was superb as Goran'agar. (He always turned in a great performance... Tosk, N'Vek, Dolim. Would have been a great recurring character on VGR, since he was Rollins in the pilot and was mentioned several times in the first couple seasons.)

The Worf adjusting to his new duties story was really good, too.



"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"FOR THE CAUSE"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Qonundrum]

There's a lovely little multi-season arc that more or less starts here:

"FOR THE CAUSE"



What's left:
"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"BAR ASSOCIATION"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Wow, this one is going fast!

Saving Bar Association. It's the most blatantly non-political Trek ever, the one that everyone should point to to prove that NuTrek is woke.

"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"SHATTERED MIRROR"
"THE MUSE"
"BROKEN LINK

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "SHATTERED MIRROR" next.

It's a fun episode, but my main reason for saving it?

The Defiant swerving around the station during the battle and destroying Alliance ships was AWESOME!!! The entire battle there and against Regent Worf's ship was gorgeous!



"INDISCRETION"
"HOMEFRONT"
"PARADISE LOST"
"CROSSFIRE"
"RETURN TO GRACE"
"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT"
"THE MUSE"
"BROKEN LINK"

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I'd save "The Quickening" for "come to Quark's, Quark's is fun" alone, but the rest of the episode was also really good, in a "triumph from tragedy" sort of way.

Rene Auberjonois was actually a good director, but I congratulate him for the best crane shot in the franchise.

Eta: here it is!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies