The Most Disliked Episode of DS9, Season 1: 2021 Edition...

[Sakonna]

Wow, I'm rarely properly surprised by the winners, but I am surprised by this one! (Which is a good thing, lest anyone think I'm complaining )

...I always liked Kai Opaca. It was one of the episodes that stuck with me after my initial watch of S1 during first run.

Me too! I always thought that character was such a missed opportunity, and I was sooo upset as a kid when she was written out this way. I have seen that actress on stage and been absolutely blown away -- she could have delivered so much more if they had written to her.

It would have been great to see Opaka return and tangle with Winn, but I would have even been happy with just her turning up in the prophet visions more. For one thing, she would have made a lot more sense as a Prophet in Sisko's "Sacrifice Of Angels" vision than Damar did!

 

[Vger23]

I will save "If Wishes", if nothing else for Molly's incredible cuteness, and the horny alternate Dax.

Past Prologue is the "winner".

I'll never forget how let down I was, after the amazing and epic pilot episode that "Emissary" was, with the boring, mundane, unremarkable "Past Prologue" episode that followed. It felt like some of the crappy, dull episodes TNG S6 had churned out at that point, and almost single-handedly turned me off of DS9. It's easily my least-liked episode of S1.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The Nagus is easily one of the best Ferengi episodes. Quark being Marlan Brandon when he's the Nagus is worth the price of admission alone.

PAST PROLOGUE
IF WISHES WERE HORSES

I appreciate Nagus if only for his big speech to the other Ferengi leaders. “We have been plagued by malicious lies by our competitors that we are not to be trusted!”

It also spells out the strangely contradictory system of being simultaneously libertarian and a dictatorship. What drags the episode down is the whole fake death test thing made no sense.

 

[Sakonna]

I always love the bit at the end of "The Nagus" where Odo comes upon an attempted murder in progress -- stops it -- and then shrugs at these crazy murderous Ferengi and walks off without arresting anyone!

And of course there is the fact that one of these would-be murderers is Rom.

It's all very delightfully season 1.

 

[Brobdingnag]

Missed it.

 

[Orphalesion]

I missed it too, but DS9 is always the hardest series for me in these games, because with DS9 I tend to remember scenes or storylines more than individual episodes.

 

[Vale]

Damn, missed it!

 

[Farscape One]

Worry not, for I shall start season 2 late tomorrow evening.

I am surprised "PAST PROLOGUE" won this season, particularly since this is the first appearance of Garak. Really goes to show that anything is possible.

Thanks for playing, everyone. Season 2 will be posted late tomorrow.

 

[Sakonna]

Oh god, I totally blanked that "Past Prologue" was the first appearance of Garak! All that was in my mind was the Kira story. But I don't think it would have changed my eliminations either.

This thread did prompt me to have season 1 DS9 autoplaying in the BG all day today while I worked. Which was delightful!

 

[Pikirk_Janesisko]

I'm really surprised too, Past Prologue is an ok episode. I always thought Babel and If Wish Were Horses were quite awful to honest.

 

[Farscape One]

My honest opinion, and it may not be unique, is that the early DS9 episodes that were weakest were the ones that could be dusted off TNG scripts.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Past Prologue is a super forgettable episode but I would have saved it in a second over Storyteller or Passenger.

One episode about a village so stupid, their stupidity physically manifests and attacks them. And the other possibly the series worst acting performance.

 

[Vale]

Past Prologue is a super forgettable episode but I would have saved it in a second over Storyteller or Passenger.

One episode about a village so stupid, their stupidity physically manifests and attacks them. And the other possibly the series worst acting performance.

"The Storyteller" does get a great O'Brien expletive though.

 

[Qonundrum]

Missed it, but would definitely defend "Move Along Home" for deliberately being different in tone (if not by accident, with DS9 finding itself and all) and restoring a sense of awkwardness to the audience. Quark gets some terrific development here as well.

If anything, if it had a bigger budget (and by then the budget was already used up), it probably wouldn't be so high up on everyone's hatepile list as it would show greater scope and scale for the Wadi and how they imprisoned the senior staff into the game - instead of the same tiny room in bold color pastels-for-1988 redressed.

 

[Qonundrum]

I know many hate this episode, but I absolutely love "MOVE ALONG HOME".

There is a lot to love about this one.

^^this

1. It gives a rare look at another Gamma Quadrant species. The Wadi show us another example of just how highly advanced technology is over there.

And different technology too.

They also have great sartorial taste, but in DS9, who hadn't? So lush and detailed and colorful-in-great-ways...

2. We have a great showcase of Quark. Armin Shimerman brought so much to his role, and this was a great example of just how good he was.

I recall an article with him saying a lot for him because they allowed him to develop the character, and it shows. DS9 and the Ferengi would be worse off, had it not been for this story.

3. It's a fantastic concept. How many of us have wanted to actually be inside a game?

4. It's a rare occasion where we see our Starfleet heroes use their wits to solve puzzles instead of relying on gadgets and technobabble.

5. I don't care what anyone says, the hopscotch scene is really fun. It's a catchy little tune.

Seconded. It's supposed to have a sense of weird awkwardness to it. Usually people want to cry from drama, not feel bewildered. Bit of a shame at times...

6. Sisko singing. That's a rare treat.

That moment when they all pan by the camera and Brooks is easily selling it the best. Other actors almost show themselves going out of character because they were feeling no less awkward while making it...

I will always defend this episode, as it most certainly does not belong on any 'most disliked' list.

ALLAMARAIN!!!

+1^42