Synopsis: Sisko falls in love with a woman visiting the station, but she is not what she appears to be.

Memory Alpha Summary: Too bad Riker wasn’t around to commiserate with

Review: A really slow, pointless episode that could have been great for Sisko’s character. Eventually, we figure he’d move on and begin dating again. So, the first woman he sees is a telepathic image from a married woman? Sheesh. Why is it so hard for the writers to allow a Star Trek captain some good times? Were they making up for Kirk who had one too many? Regardless, they “fall in love” too quickly. Why can’t they just acknowledge it’s a crush? That would still deepen Sisko’s character. 

Synopsis: Fleeing a Jem’Hadar attack aboard a runabout, Jake and Nog are rescued by a Defiant-class ship crewed by over-eager Red Squad cadets who are biting off more than they can chew.

Memory Alpha Summary: Nobody has the conch

Review: Yet another great concept ruined by poor execution. A starship run entirely be teenagers could have been an excellent character study in the vein of Lord of the Flies.  But what we get is a hackneyed story, shoddy acting, and putrid direction.

Synopsis: Odo is contacted by Weyoun, who reveals that he wants to defect to the Federation. Meanwhile, O’Brien and Nog sail down the Great Material Continuum.

Memory Alpha Summary: A rather short defection

Review: A defecting Weyoun is a fantastic concept to explore, but unfortunately the A-Plot here dumps too much new info all at once; we’ve had many Weyouns so far; they have an instant kill switch; and the Founders are dying. The result is a rushed episode and the feeling the final season is also being rushed.

Synopsis: When Captain Solok of the Federation starship T’Kumbra challenges former classmate Sisko and his crew to a game of baseball, Sisko refuses to lose to the arrogant Vulcan and begins to take the game too seriously.

Memory Alpha Summary: Katie Casey was baseball mad…about this episode

Review: Being a huge baseball fan, I’ve heard about this episode for years. I was really looking forward to it and left sorely disappointed.  The reason for the baseball game is mildly interesting, but the antagonist is a character we just met this episode and barely explore. The baseball itself is terrible; not just the players, but the depiction of it, including some of the rules (e.g. the Vulcan player would be automatically out when he enters the dugout). 

Synopsis: Kira asks Tekeny Ghemor to come to Deep Space 9 to provide information about the Cardassian government and the revitalizing dissident movement; Gul Dukat arrives and demands Ghemor’s extradition.

Memory Alpha Summary: Family ties, you say?

Review: A sequel to “Second Skin”, but unlike that one fails miserably to evoke any intrigue or emotion. Again I think a huge part of the problem is Visitor just over emotes when she’s angry, happy, or sad. The script doesn’t do her any favors, though. I understand why she cares about Ghemor, but she treats him like he’s her actual father, and she didn’t even spend that much time with him. Additionally, the flashbacks with her real father are cliché (“Don’t go Nerys”  “I’ll be right back father!”  “Oh, he died while I left!”).