The Most Disliked Episode of DS9, Finals - 2025 Edition...

[Cyfa]

Ah, drat! Too late. Although it doesn't look like another vote for PD would have saved it, anyway. I might rewatch it again this evening - along with "Meridian" if I get time - to commiserate

Thanks for hosting/running the games, @Frightscape One

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

It's a testimony to DS9's overall quality that many of these "bottom of the barrel" episodes weren't so bad.

 

[AntonyF]

It's a testimony to DS9's overall quality that many of these "bottom of the barrel" episodes weren't so bad.

Yeah. I don't hate Prodigal Daughter, but I'm not going to shed a tear over it either.

It felt like they wanted a Dax episode. And they wanted an Orion Syndicate episode. And with time running out they somehow merged the two into an unholy alliance.

Maybe it's a meta message about unexpected joinings...

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

It felt like they wanted a Dax episode. And they wanted an Orion Syndicate episode. And with time running out they somehow merged the two into an unholy alliance.

The 7th season was no time or place to break in a new Dax. They should have either given Terry Farrell what she wanted, or eliminated the character completely.

 

[AntonyF]

The 7th season was no time or place to break in a new Dax. They should have either given Terry Farrell what she wanted, or eliminated the character completely.

From a story point of view I kind of agree, but the writers openly admit they were very glad to have something new to write about.

 

[Pumpkin Bread]

Maybe. But a Trill who was neurotic from being Joined with none of the careful training and vetting that normally goes with the Joining process... that was too juicy a storyline to waste on a season that was effectively only 16 episodes (not counting the 10-part finale).

 

[The Vorta-lak]

Yeah. I don't hate Prodigal Daughter, but I'm not going to shed a tear over it either.

It felt like they wanted a Dax episode. And they wanted an Orion Syndicate episode. And with time running out they somehow merged the two into an unholy alliance.

Maybe it's a meta message about unexpected joinings...

Actually, there was supposed to be a Sisko story involving (if I remember correctly) time travel. Thompson and Weddle couldn't make it work, so Behr thought it would be easier to pivot to an Ezri story. Something like this could have happened regardless of the introduction of a new character this season.

 

[kkt]

I liked Ezri and her thread. Rewatching the series, I find her episodes more engaging than the Yes, More Space Battles episodes. Or the Dukat+Winn 4Ever episodes, I'm not finished washing my eyes out with bleach from seeing them.

 

[Qonfounding Ghooool]

Actually, there was supposed to be a Sisko story involving (if I remember correctly) time travel. Thompson and Weddle couldn't make it work, so Behr thought it would be easier to pivot to an Ezri story. Something like this could have happened regardless of the introduction of a new character this season.

By then, time travel was so beyond worn out. Even "Green Little Men" just casually introduced what felt like the fiftieth way to induce time travel... that said, the payoff was more than well worth it as it was a highly engaging story... apart from the little fourth wall joke in the middle:

GARLAND: Imagine the possibilities. Who knows what they could teach us. A few years from now, mankind could have rocket ships of our own. We could travel the galaxy, exploring new worlds and new civilizations.​

​

Even for a comedic-themed episode and one of the few that really holds up at that, that one line still got a little too syrupy and risked taking the audience out of the story's flow*. Even tone since, despite being comedic, it wasn't being self-aware for self-aware's sake. The line might have fit better in the 30th anniversary special "Trials and Tribble-ations".

* subjective to each audience member of course, some will have yummed it up, others puked at it, others were completely nonchalant​