Deep Space Nine is now 25 years old!

[conuly]

For my money, it remains the best Trek.

Now, I know a few people who have tried to watch it and couldn't get into it. Generally I find this happens with the first season of a series, and so I have my own list of "Episodes you can skip". You might want to try to watch these episodes, but if you're not feeling it within the first few minutes after the opening credits, you won't miss much by skipping them entirely!

The letter F in parentheses indicates that this is a Ferengi episode. The letter H in parentheses means it's a Holodeck or Vic episode. The letter L in parentheses indicates that it's a Lwaxana Troi episode, and frankly, I'd rather gouge out my eyeballs than watch any of her episodes, in any show. I'll catch you up at the bottom as to the other two.

First season

You can skip episodes 4, 5, 7 (catch the scene where Sisko punches Q on YouTube), 10, 14, 16 (this is where Sisko's baseball comes from)

You should at least read the synopsis of episodes 6, 11 (F), 13, 20 (you should at least watch long enough to develop a keen antipathy towards Vedek Winn, because my god she's one of the best Trek villains).

Second season

You can skip episodes 6, 9, 11 (F, mostly)

You should at least read the synopsis of episodes 4, 7 (F), 13, 15

Third Season

You can skip episodes 3 (F), 8, 10 (L), 23 (F)

You should at least read the synopsis of episodes 4, 11 and 12, 16 (F)

Fourth Season

You can skip episodes 8 (F), 10 (H), 25 (F)

You should at least read the synopsis of episodes 16 (F), 21 (L)

Fifth Season

You can skip episode 6

You should at least read the synopsis of episode 20 (F)

Sixth Season

You can skip episodes 10 (F), 12 (F),

You should at least read the synopsis of episode 14, 20 (H), 23 (F)

Seventh Season

You can skip episode 15 (H)

In general, if you don't like the goofier Ferengi episodes, you can gladly skip them. Even if I didn't list them, you can skip them and read the synopsis. Ditto with the Holodeck episodes EXCEPT "It's Only a Paper Moon", which is both a Ferengi episode and a Vic Fontaine episode, and is actually great.

You should definitely try all these episodes first before you decide to skip them, except any Lwaxana Troi episode and Move Along Home. (Actually, I don't particularly dislike Move Along Home, but everybody else does.) I don't remember which Vic Fontaine episode it is where Sisko sings something at the end, but you should YouTube that scene - turns out that Avery Brooks can really sing!

There are some episodes which aren't necessary but which are really good - I didn't list those as skippable. I can make a different list for those if you like, but if you feel the need to skip more than a couple of those then it may be that DS9 legitimately isn't the show for you.

Comments

[archangelbeth]

...I didn't overly dislike Move Along Home either! I mean, it would've classed as "filler episode" if it'd been anime, but hey.

Agreed about Winn. She's got some nuance. She's also REALLY VILLAIN.

[conuly]

I love to hate her so much. Her and Dukat, the original match made in Hell.

[archangelbeth]

YAAAAASSSSSS.

(My other Detested Villains I Love To Hate, off the top of my head, are from Star Trek Online. Hakeev. And Sela, who had some good arcs, really. Full of admirable snark.)

Edit: And FRANKLIN DRAKE ooooo I wanna punch me a Section 31 jerk...

[conuly]

All I know about ST: Online is that apparently there are Borg Tribbles? Which is terrifying?

[archangelbeth]

The Borg Tribble is adorable. It has this electronic trill when you pet it. (And gives a bonus to Borg-fighting damage.)

Come plaaaaay with uusssss! It's free to play! We have a fleet!

...I also may have written way too much fanfic, including one featuring the Borg Tribble (Siren Sphere). >_>

[conuly]

Free, but it takes up time.

[archangelbeth]

Sadly true. (A friend of ours plays 2 hours every Friday with us, barring other appointments, & hardly ever touches it the rest of the time. It can be done! But yeah.)

Sent from my iPhone

[conuly]

And I don't know why everybody hates on Move Along Home so much! There are way worse episodes in the first season. Like the one where Sisko gets the baseball - okay, the baseball is fine, whatever, but it's not just filler, it's old filler. I could've sworn that nearly that exact episode was filmed for TNG and TOS at least three times. (And I, personally, find that the two episodes where they go back in time to earth and poverty sucks are well in the running for preachiest Trek episodes ever, which we can all agree is a hotly contested title, but other people seem to like those.)

[archangelbeth]

The In The Past duology there was way too on the nose when we re-watched it in 2016... WAY TOO MUCH ON THE NOSE.

Apparently it was on the nose when it aired, too, literally...

(There is just so much fun in throwing Highly Advanced Starfleet back into the past and making them cope with low-tech. Like Archer trying to start the car, Kirk dealing with the stick-shift on Mob Planet... Scotty and "COM-PU-TER....")