The Essential Deep Space Nine
Today we take high quality serialized television drama for granted with shows like Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Lost, Fringe, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, and so on. Fifteen years ago if you wanted a televised drama with an on-going story, stakes, consequences, and character arcs you had few choices. Among them was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Now I'm not saying that DS9, the second Star Trek spin-off, was original in this respect. It had influences from other shows like Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues, The Prisoner, Babylon 5, and so on. What DS9 did was to mix that story-arc format and dark tone with the previously episodic and family-friendly Star Trek universe. What the writers, actors, and directors created was a show that alternated between epic and personal, comic and tragic, brilliant and stupid.
DS9 is the best Star Trek series. Period. Yeah. I said it. Better than the original. In fact, it ruins Gene Roddenberry's whole utopian vision of humanity's future in the best way possible. It's Star Trek with risks and consequences populated by fallible "human" characters who grow and change.
But, like any 26-episode per season series, there is a lot of crap and the show doesn't really take off until the third season. In an effort to make it more palatable to a modern audience I boiled each season down to 8-15 essential episodes. This puts the show in line with contemporary cable dramas. Unfortunately this leaves some real gems out so I included those as bonuses if you want to explore the universe further. I also gave the must-watch episodes asterisks. If nothing else, check those out.
If you like Star Trek and sic-fi, even just a little, watch this show. This condensed episode list can guide you through all the best DS9 has to offer. It's all on Netflix Instant.
Also Ronald Moore, the Battlestar Galactica show runner, and some others were core members of the DS9 writing staff. You can clearly see the pedigree when you watch DS9.
The Next Generation Episodes you can watch before DS9:
Chain of Command 1+2 (S6E10-11)
In the Hands of the Prophets
Preemptive Strike (S7E24)
Ferengi: House of Quark*, Prophet Motive
Bonus: Past Tense 1+2, Equilibrium
Mirror: Through The Looking Glass
The Way of the Warrior **
Bonus: Hard Time, The Quickening, Rejoined
Ferengi: Little Green Men*, Body Parts, Bar Association
Worf: The Sword of the Kahless, Sons of Mogh
Looking for Par'Mach in all the Wrong Places
Nor the Battle to the Strong
Trials and Tribbleations **
Bonus: Ties of Blood and Water, The Assignment, Doctor Bashir I Presume
Ferengi: Business As Usual, The Ascent
You Are Cordially Invited
The Magnificent Ferengi *
In The Pale Moonlight ***
Bonus: Statistical Probabilities, His Way
Ferengi: Who Mourns For Morn *
Take Me Out To The Holosuite *
Treachery, Faith, and the Great River
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges *
The Changing Face of Evil
Mirror/Ferengi: The Emperor's New Cloak *
Bonus: Chrysalis, Field of Fire
Worf: Once More Unto the Breach
