To this day “Emissary” (pilot episode) still affects me. Think from Way of the Warrior onward - it just got better and better.
Bascially, the moment Sisko shaved his head and grew the goatee - it was on! 
I’m with ya. Deep Space Nine had THE best pilot episode of all the Star Treks, in my opinion. The whole bit about how has to explain the concept of linear time to god like beings, and how that relates to his grief over his wife’s death—very powerful stuff.
not related to DS9, but I am curious which episode is the equivalent turning point for TNG? because i found a lot of early TNG to be tough to watch as well. But at some point things changed and the writers found their stride.
For me, I think it was Best of Both Worlds Part I - It was the 3rd season finale. And I think that was thB point that even the old guard holdouts kinda went “okay - they may have something here”. Everything pretty much clicked in that episode and left you with a jaw dropping cliffhanger to boot
One of my co-workers is watching the later half of DS9 for the first time. He is about to get to watch the begining of Season 6 without knowing how it ends! That lucky bastard!
That is truly awesome!
Thanks, so far I’m really liking it, and I hear it only gets better.
I agree completely. 
Let’s see moments that stand out… Kira setting the farmer’s cottage ablaze in “Progress,” Odo learns that Kira was the killer he’d been hunting (“Necessary Evil”), Garak telling Bashir that he deserves his punishment of exile because he killed a ship with a bunch of people including his friend and then he collapses (“The Wire”), Odo declaring his love for Kira (“Heart of Stone”?), Garak torturing Odo (“The Die is Cast”), when Sisko urges Jake to give up saving him and move on with his life (“The Visitor”).
Also two moments from the episode I watched last night also stand out (“For the Cause”) … when Sisko begs Kassidy to go away with him and when Eddington tells Sisko that the Federation’s evil is worse than the Marquis’ because it’s so insidious.
As for favorite characters, you might be able to guess them by this post… but I’d say Odo is my favorite. Kira is another great one. Garak is easily my favorite recurring character.
If you’re interested, I’ve written a write-up on each of season one, two and three. (Four will come sometime after I finish it… “For the Cause” is where we’ve left off, so not long to go before finishing up that season).
Anyway, sorry about the very long post, but you asked. :o
it’s totally awesome. Starsaber has been writing a mini-review/real time comments as he goes through the entire series of Smallville (he’s up to season 7 now, very impressive), and those of us that’s been following his progress are having a blast just living through our memories of watching those episodes for the first time through him. it is always great to see someone discover and love a series as the series moves forward.
i realized even though i posted a ton in this thread, i never mention who my favorite characters are…
i think my favorites are Kira and Dukat.
I love the contrast between them. I loved how they change. How under the same situations they’d make different decisions.
My all time favorite episode is Waltz (season 6), followed closely by The Visitor.
Deep Space Nine was my favorite series in all of Trek. It was the least popular, of course, but I think that played to it’s advantage. Although the character interaction didn’t fully come together, in my opinion, until halfway through the Dominion War at the later end of the series- it offers viewers a much broader perspective on the world than any other Trek.
It was the first Trek that didn’t focus on the crew of the Enterprise coming to the aid of someone or something and saving the day. Instead of moving between episodes with little or no correlation to each other, the back half of the series followed one continuous story arc (anothher first for Trek). That same story arc was that of the Federation, the galaxy’s favorite peacekeeping organization, was enthralled in a war that they very nearly lost.
But more importantly than all of that, I love Deep Space Nine for what it brought to the table in episodic content. How many other venues can you “discuss” valence issues such as homosexuality, genocide, transgenderism, war orphans, slavery, rebellion, the the moral/ethical ramifications of the Hippocratic Oath among others? Deep Space Nine touched on all of these topics and many more. Issues that we deal with today, but are presented in a futuristic sci-fi format. that allowed for me to connect with this series than any other.
:::::EDIT:::::
Thanks to Netflix, I’m watching all of them over again. I’m now on Season 2 (disc four), and my opinion on this series hasn’t changed. It’s still my favorite.
SUH-weet!! I’ll check that out when I gets home.
IMO, it was the best written series. I love that the gloves come off and Star Trek gets back to attacking issues.
I’m actuallyw atching DS9 for the first time here and there via Netflix by mail. I’m in the middle of season 2. Not in love with the show, but it’s fair enough, and I hear it gets better as it goes.
And Prince Humperdink was in it. That’s worth something in my book.
QFE
It does. Season Two’s finale sparks the entire rest of the series. The story arc grows from that point on.
Huh???/? I knew a lot of folks and lived in 4 countries and only met one person who liked Voyager more than DS9. ( and to be fair that was because she was a bra burning wanna-be feminist assistant prof of womens studies. She could never debate that the stories or characters were betrer… just that Voyager was important for haveing a woman captain. BTW She didn’t want to hear about Major Kera, Dax Sisko or anythng about the show that starred no white american males… and how it was maybe even more important. ) I degressed… but I don’t think I know anyone to this day that thinks that Harry Kim, Tores, Tom Paris, Neelix, or even Jayneway are better characters than Kera, Dax, Worf, Sisko, Odo or Quark.
i have to say… i was never much of a fan for Worf… blasphemous, i know. when he came on the show in the forth season it was the high light for a lot of people, but aside from providing an insight to the klingon plot, i didn’t feel he was necessary for the DS9 to be great.
he’s a klingon, and he is in starfleet, that’s awesome, and the plot involving him being sandwiched between the empire and federation is fun, but other than that some times i forget what his purpose is in DS9…
I think on DS9 Worf and Dax saved each other from being forgettable characters. but at least Dax carried one episode that was just amazing, Rejoined. That episode really touched many people, and not just because it had the first network lesbian kiss.
Worf… I can’t remember any episode that he carried on DS9 that turned out to to my favorite. The episode where he was interrogated by the klingon lawyer was great, but mostly because of the klingon lawyer.
The one problem Ive always had about DS9 was how little they used Jake. There was a lot of potential there…and he just remained basically the same. Pretty much every character on that show did a near 180 from where they started…growth and development aplenty…but not Jake
Would like to have seen him maybe go Pah Wraith…that would have been intersting for Sisko to deal with
Crom I gotta rewatch that
i do wish they use him more, i feel like i might has said this in this very thread before, but… jake actually changed a lot.
after his mom died, his dad was his only family left. So Jake went from taking the route to starfleet to please his father, to knowing what he wants in life and pursue being a writer.
i rather not see another star trek kid of super powers… we’ve already got one, and people didn’t enjoy that. Jake was just a regular kid, with regular dreams, and the love of his family. It is rare to in Star Trek, and it was nice to see.
besides when time calls for it, he was in the resistance against Dukat. And he can be more devious than a ferengi.
the episodes with him and nog trying to get something are really enjoyable too.
Are you kidding me? Even Jesus hated Voyager…
I was more implying that TOS and TNG were far more popular, but I probably could have stated that better than I did.
Is true.
And on the morrow, when they had come out of Bethany, he [Jesus] hungered. And seeing a Trek afar off having promise, he came, IYKWIM, if perhaps he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but boobs; for it was not the season of Trek. And he answered and said unto it, ‘No man [will] Trek with youfrom you from now on — for ever.’
Deep Space Nine was my favorite series in all of Trek. It was the least popular, of course, but I think that played to it’s advantage.
I think there is a big difference between what was popular while it was airing and what people think now.
DS9 was syndicated, and where I lived never got much promotion. Voyager launched a new TV broadcast network with UPN, and was their flagship show. It always got way more promotion, at least where I lived. I don’t know how they compared in ratings while they were both having new episodes, but to me Voyager always seemed like it had more people that watched the show. (Again, since DS9 was syndicated it depended on what market you were in. Where I lived in New York, DS9 was on Saturdays at 8:00 I think, and Voyager was on at 9:00 on Wednesday, so the time slot was a lot better for Voyager at least amoung people my age at that time.)
Today, when people watch either of those shows it is probably on DVD, Netflix or online. In those formats, which show is more popular has a lot more to do with which show was more enjoyable, rather than which show had a better time slot and more advertising.
That being said, today it seems like DS9 is more popular then Voyager amoung people who watch shows on DVD.