Category: DS9 Season 3

Another season of DS9 is in the can, and that means it’s time for Wes to ramble about what went right and what went wrong. This time, he’s discussing the third season of DS9. A transitional season of the show, season three had some tremendous highs but also an extended low. Was it an improvement over season two, and what could be done to improve things going forward? Before we move on to Way of the Warrior, let’s break down an interesting season of DS9 and try to catch our breath before we move onward. We also give out some awards and discuss the 5 best episodes and the 5 worst episodes of this past year!

John Carpenter meets Star Trek when a single Changeling boards the USS Defiant and tries to kickstart a war between the Federation and… some aliens we’ve never heard about before! Paranoia is the name of the game, and The Adversary does a good job at wrapping up season three while examining how effective the Changelings can be. It might not be the ambitious two-parter that was originally planned, but sometimes it’s nice to end the year with a smaller story that fleshes out Odo, provides some insight into Eddington, and sees Sisko finally attain the rank of captain. Clay joins me to discuss the size of the Defiant, the unusual nature of travel in DS9, and what happens when one Changeling harms another!

It’s actor play-time when a Trill ceremony requires the crew to become joined with previous hosts of the Dax symbiote. We meet most of the previous hosts, and Odo gets very familiar with Curzon. Plus, DS9 has its #MeToo moment! There’s also a subplot about Nog taking a test. Clay joins me to discuss the TNG episode “An Alien Psychopath Runs Riot on DS9”, 10 minutes of greatness, and the Curzon we expected!

Some Bajorans are not sharing their farming equipment, so Kira is sent down to negotiate a solution. She ends up meeting her old friend “Shakaar” and things get topsy-turvy when Kai Winn decides to burn the whole place down. Bajor returns to the podcast with a western-style adventure that has Kira filling the Bariel sized hole in her heart with a Shakaar shaped peg. Also, O’Brien plays darts. And his arm falls off! Clay joins me to discuss the return of the Sub Rosa candle ghost, the thematic possibilities of darts, and the ineptitude of Kai Winn!

Quark heads home when he learns that his mother has been charged with making a profit, and Sisko dips his toe into the 24th-century dating scene. It’s yet another Ferengi themed episode, so you might come into this one with prejudice. Wes certainly has a hard time avoiding that problem, but join him as he gives his thoughts about the Ferengi as a culture and as the leads of an episode! Also discussed: Jeffrey Combs as Brunt, the growth of Quark, and deciding if a date is bad or not!

Sisko and Jake build an ancient Bajoran spacecraft in order to prove that the Bajorans visited Cardassia 800 years ago, and Bashir begins to doubt himself when an old medical school rival appears on DS9. After the intensity of The Die is Cast, the show settles down with a small character piece. While it might be lacking in conflict, it makes up for it with some good old-fashioned character development. Plus, CGI spaceships! We’re living in the future now. Clay joins me to discuss Rene Echevarria as Bashir, the upside to no conflict, and Cardassian fireworks!

The Cardassian-Romulan fleet attacks the Founders homeworld, and Garak is forced to torture Odo for information. In wrapping up the story of “Improbable Cause”, DS9 re-boots its central premise by kicking the Dominion conflict into high gear, As Starfleet watches from the sidelines, the Cardassian-Romulan fleet is obliterated by the Jem’Hadar. The Obsidian Order and the Tal Shiar took a tremendous gamble, and now that “The Die is Cast” we’ll have to see how our heroes pick up the pieces. Clay and Darren join me to discuss the problem with the “epic”, the problem with pacifism, and the problem with not writing an episode where Odo pulls a “Quantum Leap”!

In “Improbable Cause”, Odo tries to find the truth behind a bombing at Garak’s tailor shop. However, the ever-vigilant detective instead finds himself digging up a plan that could alter the balance of power in the Alpha Quadrant! Romulans working with Cardassians? Obsidian Order assassinations? Perfume bombs? A wonderful piece of character work for both Odo and Garak, “Improbable Cause” is the start of a new direction for the series. Darren and Clay join me to discuss Odo and Garak as frenemies, meeting up in caves, and the clash of cultures in the Alpha Quadrant!

DS9 returns to the Mirror Universe! Sisko is kidnapped by “Smiley” O’Brien and realizes that, to save the Mirror Universe’s Terran Rebellion, he has to come to terms with his wife’s death. Or, at least, that should have been the plot. Instead, Sisko gets to act like a pirate and have sex with MU versions of his prime universe co-workers! The Mirror Universe is a location of diminishing returns, but let’s step “Through the Looking Glass” and see if we can’t wring some interest from it. Clay joins me to discuss the disgusting sexuality of DS9, Sisko buying into the Mirror Universe, and not being affected by meeting your dead wife!

Bashir is attacked by a psychic alien, and left to wander a barren dreamscape where all he hears are “Distant Voices”. In our first Bashir-centric episode of the third season, the good doctor gives us little reason to be excited. Sledgehammer symbolism is the name of the game! Plus, the villain is a rip-off of Freddy Krueger, except not as cool. Clay joins me to discuss tennis in the 24th century, having the villain explain everything, and growing old!

O’Brien gets a dose of radiation that has him jumping into the future. Meanwhile, a Romulan delegation arrives at DS9 to discuss the Dominion threat. One of Wes’ favorite style of Trek show is the sci-fi mystery, and “Visionary” covers all the bases for that kind of episode. DS9 is also starting to mix in the overarching Dominion plot, and patron Neil joins the show to explain why he’s finding that factor so enjoyable. The guys also discuss Odo being good at his job, conflict in the Alpha Quadrant, and falling asleep when you know the future!

When Grand Nagus Zek tries to completely change Ferengi culture, Quark heads into the wormhole to obtain answers from the Prophets. DS9 might have tried to move the Ferengi away from their characterization as one-note jokes, but Ferengi episodes still tend to serve as the “comedy” episodes of Star Trek: DS9. And yes, putting “comedy” in quotes was entirely intentional. We get reacquainted with the Prophets, and it might not be for the best. Also, Bashir embarks on a weirdly pointless story that takes a subtle dig at the TNG production! Wes flies solo in this podcast, so listen as he wonders about the depth of the Ferengi, the best aspects of the Prophets, and the not so subtle references to sex that DS9 really enjoys!

The vipers are upon us, the gates are a-burning, and Clay is a-snoring! Destiny is an interesting episode of DS9. It revisits the Bajoran religion in a way we haven’t seen since season one. Unfortunately, it’s not really interesting in any other way. Featuring a trifecta of half-baked plots that include some poorly thought out Gamma Quadrant exploration, Destiny is an episode that tries to do too much and ultimately accomplishes nothing. Clay joins me to discuss Kira’s new haircut, the weaknesses of the Bajoran/Emissary plotline, and the peculiarities of Cardassian make-up!

Returning to the theme of identity, “Heart of Stone” examines what will happen when Odo and Nog follow their hearts. Odo must confront his feelings about Kira when the two are stuck between a rock and a hard place on an isolated planet, while Nog decides to make a big change in his life and join Starfleet. Isaac stops by the podcast to discuss the loss of agency for Kira, thematic B plots, and the plans of the Changelings!

After an accident aboard a Bajoran transport, Vedek Bariel is seriously injured. As a Cardassian-Bajoran peace treaty hangs in the balance, Bashir becomes mired in a medical quandary. As the show says farewell to Kira’s lover (seriously!), it also spends some time doing all the things that DS9 isn’t particularly good at doing. In a solo podcast, Wes tries to determine where it all went wrong, and if it ever had a chance to go right. Also discussed: Bariel with a robot brain, episodes featuring Bashir, and episodes with ending they don’t deserve!

Sisko, Bashir, and Dax are transported back to the early 21st century where they discover that they will become a part of the Bell Riots, a violent event that shaped the future of humanity. It’s an episode that features a lot of shotguns, some terrible headwear, and some soapboxing about the upside of humanity. So, just a regular Trek episode then, right? Clay joins me to discuss the most optimistic episode from season three of DS9, how Ray Bradbury could have fixed things, and parodies of rich people!

It’s the Bajoran Gratitude Festival, and passion is in the air! DS9 becomes the setting for a romantic farce that leaves some viewers wondering what exactly is going on. Lwaxana Troi shows up, Bariel returns, and the O’Briens don’t have the energy to do the nasty. Can DS9 be the Trek series that bucks the trend and manages to create a comedy show and a romance show? And, better yet, do them as the same episode? Matt joins the show to discuss an homage to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the high school dance erotica of Star Trek, and the potential of a Sisko-Dax relationship!

When an overworked Kira tries to impress Commander William Riker by showing him the USS Defiant, she instead sets into motion a plan that might result in a Federation-Cardassian war. Also, it’s not Will Riker at all! It’s Tom Riker! Remember him? DS9 continues to examine the meaning of identity by bringing Tom Riker into the fold and having him try to walk the line between the worldviews of TNG and DS9. Can a TNG character, even a troubled one like Tom Riker, manage to bring a little bit of TNG ethos into the cynical world of DS9? Darren and Clay stop by to discuss lame reveals, the blossoming Dukat and Sisko relationship, and the tragedy of Tom Riker!

Dax falls in love with an alien who has trouble sticking around, and Quark plots to create a hologram version of Kira that people can bone. And who says romance is dead? Star Trek tends to fumble the ball when it comes to guest star romances (with a few notable exceptions), and Meridian is a prime example. We’ve got one story that’s incredibly boring, and another that potentially causes offense. What a combo! Brad stops by to discuss getting consent, the inconsistency of Dax, and the magic of Jeff Combs!

The station is on lockdown after Jake Sisko and O’Brien accidentally trigger a Cardassian security system from years past. It’s always a nice to have a reminder that DS9 was built on the blood of slave labor, and Civil Defense shows us a side of the station we hardly ever see. However, does the insanity of Cardassian paranoia ruin what could a classic “Disaster” episode? Brad joins the show to discuss Dukat’s recording sessions, sparkler explosions, and the downside of buying pants on the internet!

A young Jem’Hadar is found on a wrecked ship, and the only person who can control him is Odo. Continuing with the exploration of identity that has been the bedrock of season three, The Abandoned examines the conflict within Odo, and the raging conflict within the pants of young Jake Sisko. The episode also features a lot of details about the Jem’Hadar, so just forget about everything you learned in the last episode of the second season: this is where it gets real. Clay joins me to discuss older women dating children, concerns about racism, and DS9 doing a take on “I, Borg”!

Kira is kidnapped by Cardassians and informed that she is a memory-wiped Cardassian spy. In an episode filled with thematic symbolism, the real star turns out to be the father-daughter relationship between Kira and her Cardassian father. Does that mean that the episode is a misfire? Or just a clever misdirect? Clay joins me to discuss not choosing the right ending, the Orwellian society of Cardassia, and Garak as a crutch!

Dax begins to suffer from hallucinations, so the crew makes a trip to the Trill homeworld to see what’s troubling her. It’s an episode that feels like it would inspire both Eyes Wide Shut and Minority Report! We’ve got masked figures running around, and pools of goo serving as home to some electric eels. The Trill have proven annoyingly difficult for the show to nail down, and their culture remains as mysterious and oxymoronic as ever, but does Equilibrium shed some light on this bizarre society? Or does it simply produce more questions? Amy joins me to discuss plots with no momentum, the perks of being joined, and the timeline of being stabbed!

After Quark accidentally kills a Klingon patron, the dead man’s wife kidnaps Quark and brings him to the Klingon Homeworld to save her house. The Klingons and the Ferengi have little in common, so an episode that compares and contrasts the two has a lot of material to mine. After many years on TNG, Ron D. Moore must be licking his chops to poke fun at the honor culture of the Klingons. These topics and more combine in The House of Quark, which has a lot of fun with its subject matter. Quark gets to be a hero, the Klingons learn a little accounting, and Keiko gets sent away for no good reason!

The Dominion threat sends the crew into the Gamma Quadrant on a search for the elusive Founders. Once there, Odo finds his people and Sisko finds that the price for peace might be too damned high. The Search is a season-opening two-parter, with two distinctly separate episodes comprising the whole. We are introduced to the USS Defiant, we meet the Founders, and we learn that Sisko seems to not have a very high regard for the Federation’s testicular fortitude. Clay joins me to discuss not giving the show enough credit, machine gun phasers, and understanding the enemy!