Synopsis: Odo consults a holographic lounge singer about his relationship with Kira.

Memory Alpha Summary: Fly them to the moon

Review: A nice change of pace this season with strictly a character development episode that has nothing to do with the Dominion.  James Darren, who plays Vic Fontaine, has the kitsch down perfect and I enjoyed Auberjonois’ take on Odo trying to have more fun.  Plus, the music was rather pleasant.  

Synopsis: Sisko’s crew crash land their Jem’Hadar ship into the waters of an alien ocean on a world where a group of Jem’Hadar have also crash landed with only one vial of ketracel-white remaining. Meanwhile, on Terok Nor, Kira finds she cannot live with herself working side by side with the Dominion.

Memory Alpha Summary: Sticks and stones

Review: A decent episode in the middle of the Dominion War arc, though not much of any surprise happens and I wasn’t moved like some fans.

Synopsis: When holographic mobsters assume control of Vic Fontaine’s lounge, Bashir, O’Brien, and others plot to run Vic’s rival out of business and restore the program to normal.

Memory Alpha Summary: A bunch of jamokes!

Review: The last “fun” episode of DS9 isn’t amazing by any means, but it’s a nice cleanser before we get to the final Dominion arc.  An excuse for the crew to pretend to do noir, but unlike TNG, they handle the racism of that time period which is just a wonderful touch.  

Synopsis: To prevent a Maquis missile attack from reaching Cardassia, Sisko must force Starfleet traitor Eddington to lead him to the launch site.

Memory Alpha Summary: Soup, Salad, and Sandwiches

Review: While I’m glad Deep Space Nine decided to wrap up the storylines of The Maquis and Michael Eddington, I found the episode to be a bit hamfisted.

Synopsis: Trapped on an inhospitable world, Quark and Odo must work together to survive. Meanwhile, Nog returns to the station from Starfleet Academy.

Memory Alpha Summary: Ain’t no mountain high enough

Review: Deep Space Nine needed an episode that was all about Quark and Odo, and this was a nice change of pace, as the crux of their conflict requires them to help each other and it never felt terribly contrived. There’s nothing in particular that stands out, but the banter was fun, the struggle real, and resolution realistic.

Synopsis: O’Brien and Bashir help to rid two races of their biological weapons, however both governments want to ensure no technical knowledge of the weapons can survive.

Memory Alpha Summary: Tabula Rasa

Review: A really good show to develop Bashir and O’Brien’s relationship. It’s just too bad the plot that does so is so contrived.

Synopsis: Three years after his wife died at the hands of the Borg and following the Cardassian withdrawal from the planet Bajor, Commander Benjamin Sisko and a new crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers take command of an abandoned Cardassian space station and make an incredible discovery that will change the galaxy and Sisko’s future.

Memory Alpha Summary: The Sisko begins.

Review: The pilot of DS9 tries really, really hard to usher in a new era of Star Trek. Like most pilots, it has its ups and downs. The intro is great, utilizing one of the iconic moments of the currently running TNG series (Wolf 359) as a backdrop for our Captain Sisko’s character. Using Captain Picard could have been cheap, but it works seamlessly with the plot. Sisko’s confrontation with him is fantastic, as he reminds Picard they had already met before (when he was Locutus).

Synopsis: Quark’s cousin Gaila offers him a job as a weapons dealer.

Memory Alpha Summary: That can’t possibly go wrong

Review: A shockingly decent Quark episode, though as usual they’re not terribly subtle with the moral dilemma Quark has to wrestle with.

Synopsis: After Worf becomes first officer of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commanded by General Martok, he is caught between loyalty to his commander and loyalty to the crew.

Memory Alpha Summary: Worf torn between two decisions? Glad to finally see it.

Review: Bashir is an asshole, jesus. The way he treats Martok is condescending and culturally demeaning. 

This reminds me quite a bit of A Matter of Honor, with Worf replacing Riker as the first officer. In some ways it’s more ambitious as the Klingons on the ship are diverse. The writers also do their best to explain how the Klingon system of murdering one’s captain is only a last resort and otherwise their system is quite functional.