DS9 Season 1

Let’s abandon our starships, and set up home base at a (mostly) stationary… station! The podcast is moving onto our next Star Trek series, Deep Space 9. Featuring what Wikipedia calls, “well developed characters, original and complex plots, and religious themes”, Deep Space 9 was not a super popular series but it has a special…

After losing his wife in the Borg attack at Wolf 359, Ben Sisko accepts the command of Deep Space 9. A former Cardassian mining station in orbit around Bajor, DS9 is seen as a vital part of allowing Bajor to join the Federation. With son Jake in tow, Sisko arrives to find a station in ruins…

We know that Bajor is in disarray, but what does that actually mean? In “Past Prologue”, a Bajoran terrorist boards DS9 and Kira is forced to decide whose side she’s on: the Federation or Bajor? In an episode filled with secrets and lies, we are also meet the character of Garak, who may or may…

Now that we’ve spent a couple episodes learning about the station and Bajoran politics, let’s settle into some character development! While “A Man Alone” is technically an Odo focused murder mystery, it spends a lot of time giving us insight into the rest of the cast. And Keiko! Modi joins me to discuss the economics of…

When a mysterious virus strikes the station, it’s only a matter of time before everyone will be speaking gibberish! And then they’ll die! “Babel” is a story that reminds the audience of “The Naked Time” and “The Naked Now”, but instead of losing inhibitions our characters lose the ability to speak… and tell a good…

When the first alien visitor from the Gamma Quadrant appears in the Wormhole, Chief O’Brien learns that sometimes you have to change the rules of the game. After meeting Tosk, an alien with a mysterious past who is being chased by the subtly named “Hunters”, O’Brien is forced to decide if he should follow Starfleet…

Q makes his first (and only) appearance on DS9 in an episode that involves graviton particles and a woman who once had sex with Picard! When Vash and Q appear on DS9, strange happenings start to threaten the station. Is Q behind the chaos? Or is it something else, totally unrelated? Clay joins me to…

Was Curzon Dax a murderer? And if he was, is Jadzia Dax responsible for his crimes? It’s the question at the heart of “Dax”, an episode that examines the ethics of the Trill while also giving our new crew a chance to interact. A court room drama with a sci-fi heart, “Dax” is also peculiar…

A sinister criminal sneaks aboard DS9 in the mind of Dr. Bashir! While “The Passenger” features excellent character work and further establishes the DS9 universe, it also features some horrible acting and an anti-climactic ending. The show continues to struggle melding its new characters with new story lines, and The Passenger is an unfortunate example…

When an alien delegation from the Gamma Quadrant visits DS9, some of the senior officers are trapped in a game where Quark controls the outcome! And Quark rolls some dice! Widely regarded as one of the worst episodes of the first season, “Move Along Home” is also one of Avery Brooks’ least favorite episodes. Clay…

We’ve been clamoring for a deep dive into Ferengi culture, and finally! Our wishes have been answered! When The Grand Nagus visits DS9, Quark is pushed into a position of power in the Ferengi Alliance. But will those who would wish him harm win out in the end? Clay joins me to discuss DS9 as…

When an alien from the Gamma Quadrant shows Odo a shape shifting necklace, the DS9 Chief of Security begins to wonder if he’ll ever find another shape shifter like himself. “Vortex” is an interesting character story built around Odo, and it likely plays very differently for DS9 veterans and newbies! Modi stops by to discuss…

When Sisko, Kira and Bashir take Kai Opaka on a trip to the Gamma Quadrant, they discover a prison planet where the inmates are forced to endlessly fight each other. “Battle Lines” features Jonathan Banks in a stand out guest spot, and it also does a good job of examining some of the DS9 plots…

O’Brien and Bashir try to save a Bajoran village from destruction, while Jake and Nog befriend the young leader of a faction involved in a land dispute. The Storyteller kick starts the O’Brien and Bashir relationship, and it also bears a lot of the hallmarks of TNG’s first season. I wonder why? Wes is alone…

A stubborn farmer living on a Bajoran moon gives Kira a hard time, and Jake and Nog go about trying to turn useless items into gold pressed latinum! In “Progress”, Kira is forced to confront how her responsibilities to her people have changed when she’s placed into a situation where she has to play the…

When a trio of imaginary characters (Rumpelstiltskin, Buck Bokai, and a horny Dax) appear on DS9, the station suddenly finds itself in danger of being destroyed by a subspace anomaly! Featuring a mysterious alien race of unknown powers, “If Wishes Were Horses” continues the DS9 trend of repackaging TNG episodes with a new cast. Modi…

Ambassadors visit the station, O’Brien gets a digital puppy, and Odo melts in the loving hands of Lwaxana Troi! The Forsaken brings back the beloved(?) character of Mrs. Troi and sticks her with the gruff character of Odo, and DS9 continues its first season trend of using TNG story structure: this time it’s a character…

After a Klingon ship explodes and beams a single survivor aboard DS9, the crew start acting in peculiar ways. Kira, in particular, seems to have developed a mutinous streak! Dramatis Personae features telepathic alien orbs, and those always lead to the best episodes of Star Trek, so buckle up! Wes discusses the episode and reads…

After a Cardassian arrives on DS9, suffering from a rare disease that could only have been contracted at a Bajoran labor camp during the Occupation, Kira tries to determine if the man is a notorious war criminal.

To wrap up season one, DS9 looks all the way back to Emissary! After the Bajoran religious leader Vedek Winn discovers that Keiko O’Brien is teaching secular values to her students, the entire Federation-Bajoran relationship looks like it may crumble. Commander Sisko is hesitant to push his values on anyone, but he may need to…

We’ve finished the first season of Deep Space 9! In this episode, Wes gives his final thoughts about the premiere season of the series, discussing both the stories and characters that inhabited the up and down year. Was it 19 episodes of C-grade TNG, or did the series manage to create something unique? Wes also…