Emissary (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Deep Space Nine's pilot episode is nothing less than a masterpiece. I could call it the best pilot episode of any Trek series (as many, though for some reason not…
Past Prologue (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Past Prologue" is a pretty good follow-up to the pilot episode that makes a lot of solid storytelling moves. It's not an incredible standout by any means, and four stars…
A Man Alone (⭑⭑⭑)
"A Man Alone" is a pretty busy episode, weaving together a lot of disparate elements that don't reallly cohere into a meaningful whole. I like a lot of the individual…
Babel (⭑⭑)
This fairly dull and routine-feeling offering confronts us with the unwelcome reality that, thus far, each episode of the new series has been worse than the previous one. "Babel" isn't…
Captive Pursuit (⭑⭑⭑)
This is a perfectly serviceable little episode. It has modest ambitions, but it's quite engaging, and I don't have any major complaints (though I will have some things to say…
Q-Less (⭑)
Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. An episode written by Hannah Louise Shearer (who penned a number of terrible TNG episodes in its first few years, including "Pen Pals" and "The…
Dax (⭑⭑⭑)
I find "Dax" both engaging and a bit disappointing as an episode, placing it pretty solidly in the three-star category. Going into this re-watch with only the dimmest memories of…
The Passenger (⭑⭑⭑)
"The Passenger" is a pretty down-the-middle three-star episode, albeit one that, I must say, I really did not remember very well at all from previous viewings. It's the least "DS9-specific"…
Move Along Home (⭑)
This nonsensical episode is nothing but a pointless waste of fucking time. I can only surmise that the writers must have wanted to do a DS9 take on the "classic"…
The Nagus (⭑⭑)
Well, here we are: The first of DS9's infamous "Ferengi episodes." While there will be some exceptions, the show's periodic forays into Ferengi-centric (attempted) comedy will, on the whole, be…
Vortex (⭑⭑⭑)
"Vortex" is a few notches closer to the kind of episode that I want from DS9 as compared to the previous few, and there's some engaging material with real potential…
Battle Lines (⭑⭑)
"Battle Lines" is a puzzling little episode that, while it has its moments, is ultimately hugely disappointing. It starts out seeming to represent the show finally turning its attention back…
The Storyteller (⭑⭑⭑)
How to succinctly sum up my thoughts and feelings about this episode? It's a strange one, for sure, and there are questionable things about both of its storylines—but I must…
Progress (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
FINALLY!! This is the kind of DS9 that I signed up for: a story about Bajoran problems that has no good or easy solution and doesn't pretend to, and one…
If Wishes Were Horses (⭑⭑)
Yawn. "If Wishes Were Horses" is (ironically enough) an unimaginative, pointless, and boring episode on so many levels. It scores above the very worst episodes of this season by virtue…
The Forsaken (⭑⭑⭑)
Here is one of the most confounding things about the first season of Deep Space Nine: its Lwaxana Troi episode is better (and by a considerable margin) than its Q…
Dramatis Personae (⭑⭑⭑)
"Dramatis Personae" is going to be a tricky episode for me to review, because I have kind of a weird history with it. I don't know whether or not I…
Duet (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Duet" is frequently cited as the best episode of DS9's first season. I'm not sure that I'm willing to go quite that far, but beyond any doubt, it is one…