Review: Now this is classic Trek comedy. Episodes about these kind of one-note characters can easily fall flat (e.g. most episodes about Zoidberg in Futurama), but this one is a blast. Morn’s death brings out so much backstory (delivered with some excellent deadpan) that I was giddy the whole way through. I was a little less enamored with Quark’s chase for Morn’s estate, especially since every single step of it was predictable. The characters who played his adversaries, though, were great. I especially liked the two brothers who were chasing the money and none of the actors overplayed their roles as thieves.
Review: While predictable that they would have Jake meet his mother’s doppelganger in the mirror universe, it was necessary and executed really well. Jennifer’s transformation from using her mirror universe’s husband’s child to lure him over to genuinely connecting with her son is a beautiful thing to watch. Lofton plays it pretty well too, and an episode that could have been saccharine is pretty powerful. My only criticism is Jennifer’s death, which would have been powerful had she just died, but because it’s a TV show we get to see her slowly die and give one final heartfelt speech before dying two seconds later. It’s a trope I hate every time.
Synopsis: Sisko attempts to prevent more Dominion ships from entering the Alpha Quadrant by mining the wormhole; Gul Dukat responds by launching a massive assault fleet against the station..
Review: Going into this episode I knew it was preparing for the future of Season 6 and it didn’t disappoint. While it didn’t have the intensity of Best of Both Worlds: Part 1, it did a great job of building a similar dread without much exposition. The fake diplomatic conversation between Sisko and Weyoun was great. And the first big battle was a tour de force. The writers did an excellent job setting up the war with a significant loss for the Federation.
Review: Unlike TNG, DS9 was able to send off their second season with the bang it needed. We finally meet some of the big players in the Dominion, and can fear them, too. They’re not invincible like the Borg, but they’re willing to kamikaze into Galaxy class starships, so holy hell do they mean business. What’s left unsaid is more powerful here than what is said.
Review: Season one finally begins to pick up with this episode, where the imaginations of the crew come to life in the form of Rumplestiltskin, Buck Bokai (who, incidentally, does not appear to have the physique of a shortstop, or the greatest player ever for that matter), and Bashir’s fantasy version of Dax who is completely submissive to him.
Synopsis: During a supply run to AR-558, Sisko finds the defending Starfleet unit with over two thirds of the troops dead and the remaining soldiers’ morale extremely low. When the Defiant comes under attack, Sisko, Bashir, Dax, Nog, and Quark choose to remain on the planet, which is about to come under attack by a much larger contingent of Jem’Hadar soldiers.
Review: We have another “war sucks” episode, though this one is done better than most. There’s real tension in the silence. However, I was left feeling at many points they could have done it better.
Synopsis: Searching for a Maquis raider on an unstable moon, Kira is trapped in an expanding crystal formation that threatens to engulf her if Odo cannot set her free. Meanwhile, Nog attempts to persuade a skeptical Commander Benjamin Sisko to write him a letter of recommendation to join Starfleet Academy.
Review: Strong acting performance by Aujerbonois here. He makes us believe he’s in love with Kira. It kind of feels like a cheat that he pours out his heart with no ramifications (as we find out Kira is really a Changeling), but it does add another scary level to the Founders.
Synopsis: Odo begins an investigation after a bomb destroys Garak’s tailor shop. The Cardassian-Romulan fleet enters the Gamma Quadrant; Sisko goes against Starfleet orders to rescue Odo.
Review: Any episode that features Garak or The Dominion is going to be entertaining, and here we get both. Though I have to say, I think perhaps here we get just a bit too much Garak. There’s just a lot of snark over two hours, the interrogations with Odo and the witty repartee with Tain coming off a bit thick.
Review: I love the Eddington arc. Hell, pretty much any Maquis episode. While the debates about the righteousness of the Maquis get a little stale, the script is tight and different enough from the usual moralizing that it works for me. That Sisko further departs from Picard with his aggressiveness in decision-making makes it all the better. I find it unlikely that Sisko wouldn’t at least face a court martial for destroying the ecosystem of a Maquis planet, but you can’t really argue with the tactic.
Synopsis: After returning from the Fire Caves on Bajor, Keiko’s body is controlled by an alien lifeform that forces her husband O’Brien to do its bidding or else face the death of his wife.
Review: Finally, an episode where Keiko has something to do, and a nice reversal from Power Play, where O’Brien was taken over by an alien and tortured Keiko.
Death By Troggles 
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