DS9 Season 2

In “The Homecoming”, Kira rescues a legendary Bajoran freedom fighter, and an extremist group known as The Circle begins to terrorize Bajor and DS9. The first of a three episode arc, The Homecoming certainly feels like a new show: the rejuvenated budget has worked wonders. But is it the same old stuff we saw in…

Kira has been sent back to Bajor, and Li Nalas is the new Bajoran liaison aboard DS9. Meanwhile, Odo tries to solve the mystery of who is arming The Circle. In the second episode of the Bajoran Coup arc, things slow down and start to unfold. Can it match the heights of the previous episode?…

In the third episode of the Bajoran Coup arc, DS9 is under attack from The Circle and Kira and Dax have evidence to prove Cardassian interference in the whole messy affair. Clay joins me to discuss the possibly pointless third act of this serialized story, and to examine what the definition of “siege”might be. We…

A meek Trill stages an attack on DS9, with the ultimate goal of stealing the Dax symbiont. We’ve been complaining that the Trill have been underdeveloped since they originally appeared in TNG, so Invasive Procedures seeks to flesh out this mysterious species. Does it work? Amy joins me to discuss scowling at the television, Quark…

Dr. Bashir and Garak try to solve the mystery of Cardassian orphans on Bajor, and the podcast tries to solve the mystery of the mystery! Dr. Bashir finally gets his hands dirty when he helps Garak uncover the truth behind a Cardassian boy who has been raised on Bajor. Clay and I discuss the best…

In Melora, Bashir learns all about the pros of zero gravity, and Quark learns the cons of being a con. Ensign Melora is from a species that developed under low gravity, so getting around DS9 proves to be difficult. Fortunately, Bashir has taken an interest in the young ensign and is willing to push aside…

Quark becomes involved in a plan to develop trade agreements with the Gamma Quadrant, but his new apprentice has a troublesome secret! In yet another Ferengi episode, DS9 struggles to find a tone that suits their story. Are they a dark satire, or a light hearted farce? Either way, this episode features the first mention…

One of the positives about DS9 being set in a single location is the fact that it allows the show to explore the history of the setting, and how that impacts our characters. In Necessary Evil, Odo tries to solve a five year old murder mystery and ends up learning something unsettling about a close…

Sisko finds romance with a station visitor, but she is not what she appears. Second Sight is an attempt to humanize Sisko through romance, and it’s also an attempt to bring back some failed storytelling techniques from the first season. Clay joins me to discuss a meandering episode that feels half baked and pointless! We…

A group of alien farmers come through the Wormhole, and they have their eyes set on Bajor as a new home. Unfortunately, the Bajorans can barely take care of themselves. Sanctuary is maybe best described as an interesting failure. It has a lot of ideas, but not much in the way of execution. Clay joins…

Rivalries abound on DS9! Quark picks up a nemesis in the form of a competitor, while O’Brien and Bashir try to work through their own differences on the racquetball court. Modi joins me to discuss an episode that gives us a lot of insight into the day to day activities on the station, but also…

In the Alternate, we meet the Bajoran scientist who raised Odo from an “organic broth” to a cranky constable. We also get a little bit of a monster of the week, as a shape shifting creature is on the loose somewhere on DS9. Modi joins me to discuss the hidden past of Dr. Mora, Bashir…

A planet torn apart by biological warfare doesn’t seem like a likely place to make friends, but this is Star Trek. Armageddon Game is an episode that explores the Bashir and O’Brien “friendship”. It’s a solid character piece, albeit one book ended by some questionable science fiction. Amy joins me to discuss unnecessary murder, being…

Upon returning from a mission to the Parada system, O’Brien begins to notice the crew acting strange around him and suspects there may be some unknown influence at work. Why is his wife is acting (badly) strangely? Why does Sisko have him running useless errands? Why have they revoked his security clearance? Clay and Neil…

Sisko and O’Brien find themselves stranded on a world with no technology, and among humans who don’t have their best interests at heart. Paradise is a stock morality tale in the Star Trek universe, but that’s not to say it’s a bad hour of television. It’s hard to start a cult, but it’s even more…

Odo and Dax visit a planet where colonists are disappearing into thin air, Jake tries to avoid disappointing his father, and Kira has a sloppy make-out session with Vedek Bareil! Shadowplay is an early attempt at serialization, but it leaves much to be desired. While featuring a plethora of plots, there’s hardly any action or…

While hosting her first Trill mentee, Dax discovers a tiny, expanding proto-universe that threatens to destroy the Alpha Quadrant. We’ve already had a few Dax episodes. Unfortunately, she hasn’t impressed us so far, and “Playing God” doesn’t do much to fix that. As an attempt to examine the Trill, the episode fails. As an attempt…

Quark reunites with his long-lost Cardassian lover. Unfortunately, she’s now a member of the Cardassian Underground. Will they be able to overcome their Casablanca inspired difficulties? Will they find a way to stay together? Profit and Loss is a hodgepodge of stories. It deals with love, Cardassian political intrigue, and the mystery of Garak. The episode…

Klingon blood oaths are like student debts; you just can’t shake ’em! In Blood Oath, three Klingon warriors seek out Curzon Dax at DS9. When they find Jadzia Dax to be a warrior on par with Curzon, the quartet set off on a mission of vengeance. Kor, Koloth, and Kang (Klingons from Star Trek: The Original…

When a Cardassian freighter explodes at Deep Space 9, the Cardassians blame Federation colonists in the new Demilitarized Zone. Sisko tries to rescue Gul Dukat, stop the Maquis terrorists, and prevent a new war with the Cardassians. The Maquis is an interesting change of pace for the show: it eschews a sci-fi story to tell a…

After coming down with some serious headaches, Garak reveals that he has a device in his brain which is killing him. Dr. Bashir takes it upon himself to help his friend, only to find that the truth may be a lie, and the lies may be the truth. The Wire brings to mind Duet in…

A faulty warp engine sends Kira and Bashir into the Mirror Universe, a parallel universe that was first discovered by James T. Kirk 100 years before. Unfortunately, Kirk’s intrusion altered the landscape of the Mirror Universe, and the Terran Empire has been soundly defeated by a Cardassian-Klingon alliance. DS9 asks the question: was Kirk’s trespass…

Vedek Bareil has been accused of being a Cardassian collaborator during the Bajoran Occupation. Kira seeks out the truth about her lover. With the election for the next Kai fast approaching, will Kira be able to fend of Vedek Winn until she can find evidence to clear Bareil? Or will the truth cause everything to…

The O’Brien’s vacation plans go awry when Chief O’Brien is arrested and interrogated by the Cardassians. He’s accused of providing weapons to the Maquis, and his Cardassian trial is a mixture of Orwell and Kafka’s worst nightmares. the penultimate episode of the second season is a bit of an odd duck: it’s a darkly comic…

Sisko, Jake, Nog, and Quark are confronted by the Jem’Hadar while camping in the Gamma Quadrant. The Dominion is finally introduced, and the second season of Deep Space 9 comes to a close. It’s been a somewhat slow and ponderous journey to this point, but The Jem’Hadar represents a new direction for the series. The…

In this podcast, Wes gives his final thoughts about the second season of DS9. While being an improvement over the first season, the second year still featured a somewhat schizophrenic tone as the series settled into itself. Some new DS9 themes appeared, some bad TNG knockoffs failed to impress us, and the series ended the…