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The Most Disliked Episode of DS9, Season 6 - 2025 Edition...

F

Frightscape One

Admiral
Admiral
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"
2025 -


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"
 
I'm going to start season 6 with a very obvious one... "IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT".

This isn't just one of the best episodes of DS9, it's one of the best episodes of TELEVISION. Period. Along with "THE VISITOR", this is, what I believe, the number one episode in the franchise. This is what I wrote in another thread about absolute best in ST...


-------

With "IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT", this was so brilliantly written, acted, and directed... it's quite literally FLAWLESS. Every scene is littered with nuance and directness. Every bit of dialogue was spotless. This episode should be taught and broken down at film schools because everything about this episode is just perfect.

--------



Excellent script, excellent dialogue, excellent acting, excellent directing... I can't say enough good things about this one. And having Sisko play off Garak was a stroke of genius. In every possible way, this was brilliant.

ALWAYS a rewatch.



"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"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"PROFIT AND LACE"
"TIME'S ORPHAN"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
Another obvious save the cinematic masterpiece Sacrifice of Angels. This episode has it all.

"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"FAVOR THE BOLD"
"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"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"PROFIT AND LACE"
"TIME'S ORPHAN"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
FAVOR THE BOLD is a great lead-in to the finale of the occupation arc, which was the highlight of this season.

A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"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"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"PROFIT AND LACE"
"TIME'S ORPHAN"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
"In The Pale Moonlight" isn't the worst? Dang!

INow, 've got a thing for high concept episodes, and my first save is one of the better ones as it knows where to apply the most of itself, since we know all will be smurfy by the end, the fun part is how they might subvert expectations. Roll with the magical portal thingy and there's a good 43 minutes of high-concept sci-fi in this and the episode knows how to do it right where it really needs to:

"TIME'S ORPHAN"

The "what if" scenario being played out is both horrific and oddly compelling, complete with "older self meets younger self near the end" and in a refreshingly original way as usually both can talk and communicate and share pizza recipes but not this time.

Keiko is still a nit in trying to do the devil's advocate routine of "We can't take those years away from her, even though she's not evolved and having gone through hell!" Yeah, we can now remember Kirk doing his one-liner of "the pain is what made me strong!" (or the pale imitation in "Tapestry" with Picard), and DS9's version is... definitely proving that, in some cases, put her back in the big sparkly thing and get her back as a young child properly. It's not the same context by any measure of a human.


What's left:
"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"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"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"PROFIT AND LACE"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
My next save is "THE MAGNIFICENT FERENGI".

Best Ferengi comedy of the series. Everything was just brilliant... Sisko's reaction to Quark and Rom entering his office, the five Ferengi looking away from Keevan at the same time, Keevan the puppet. And you have Iggy Pop! His stooges were the Jem'Hadar.

Always instant laughs and smiles anytime this episode comes on.




"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"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"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"PROFIT AND LACE"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
I shall follow that up with the saving of Profit and Lace. We needed these comedic breaks as the war raged.

"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"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"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
"Who Mourns For Morn" is a sentimental favorite. I remember just dying laughing the first time I really saw this one.


"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"WALTZ"
"FAR BEYOND THE STARS"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT"
"INQUISITION"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
Saving "WALTZ".

I genuinely love this episode. And I feel everything from this point on was a natural progression because he was such a narcissistic man. All pretensions he bothered to show about being reasonable went out the window because he alone knew what was needed to be done. A layered villain still, despite many seeing him as more one dimensional from this point forward. (I disagree with that assessment, but that's a thread unto itself.)


"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"FAR BEYOND THE STARS"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT"
"INQUISITION"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
An episode that quietly hides a neat twist,

"THE SOUND OF HER VOICE"

Features MadTV lead Debra Wilson doing a fairly serious role and is so good that you want her character to survive. (Plus, the script allows some thoughtfully scripted, well-placed humor that ups the ante.) Of course, she snuffs it but the reason told is jaw-droppingly unexpected and no less powerful as a result, ensuring a very solid episode. Sadly, rewatches to diminish the effect as anything relying more on emotion than anything else does get a bit predictable more quickly, but wait years and years and it remains mostly engaging again. A shame as it's otherwise a clever story where you want to watch it multiple times a year, except it falls flat.

As I recall, after the episode was done, we get an epilogue and foreshadowing treacle about how someone is about to die, complete with corny camera pans to hype up the draaaaaama*, as if they want to risk spoiling the next episode. Oh Dax, we barely knew ye, but you're a salamander stuffed into some other's body and all you do is go on and on about your previous hosts you cute little parasite you so it's not much of a shocker as little Sammy Salamander there will get plopped into someone else, surprise surprise... and you do know that Uncle Arthur loved calling Samantha "Sammy", right? But I digress...

* Sorry for the typo, it's really spelled "dramaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"​


What's left:
"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"FAR BEYOND THE STARS"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH
OR NIGHT"
"INQUISITION"
"HIS WAY"
"THE RECKONING"
"VALIANT"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
The Reckoning is my next save, another performance powerhouse, one of many many many.

"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"FAR BEYOND THE STARS"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH
OR NIGHT"
"INQUISITION"
"HIS WAY"
"VALIANT"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
Saving "INQUISITION" next.

I love the idea of Section 31. (Until DISCO ruined it.) It makes sense that an organization like this exists.

Casting William Sadler is never a bad move. Excellent actor. He was fantastic as Sloan.


"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"FAR BEYOND THE STARS"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT"
"HIS WAY"
"VALIANT"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
Saving FAR BEYOND THE STARS. See, there IS a DS9 season 6 episode that's the Best Episode of Television, only (IMO) it's not PALE MOONLIGHT ;)

"A TIME TO STAND"
"ROCKS AND SHOALS"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT"
"HIS WAY"
"VALIANT"
"TEARS OF THE PROPHETS"
 
I can't believe "ROCKS AND SHOALS" is still here.

It was the best episode of the station occupation arc, and one of the best episodes of the entire series.

The planetside stuff was excellent. I loved Ramat'aklan... and it was another great look at the Jem'Hadar. Sisko was superb here, and his expression at the end says it all.

But the real bright star here was Nana Visitor. She conveyed a great deal with just her face. From her first mirror image indicating she was feeling good about herself to the last one where she is simply disgusted by what she sees... a clear progression from the beginning of the episode to the end. And we don't get that as often in series anymore. Let the actor convey what's on their mind with their face instead of words. Add to how effective the Vedek suicide scene was (and it was extremely effective because it was done so simply... a fallen hat and other people's faces), and this part of the episode was just magnificent.

Easily a 10 episode.

"A TIME TO STAND"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"RESURRECTION"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"ONE LITTLE SHIP"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT"
"HIS WAY"
"VALIANT"
 
"Resurrection" is an effective ROTW, and it really would have been criminal if we never had Kira and the Intendant meet again after "Crossover."

"A TIME TO STAND"
"SONS AND DAUGHTERS"
"BEHIND THE LINES"
"YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED"
"STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES"
"HONOR AMONG THIEVES"
"CHANGE OF HEART"
"WRONGS DARKER THAN DEATH OR NIGHT"
"HIS WAY"
"VALIANT"
 
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