We combined the 2-parters to make it easier to think about our favorite stories from season 3.
5. Defiant
This episode is a lot of fun. Fake Riker wears fake sideburns. So there’s a decent amount of sillines, but there’s also some good Obsidian Order business and some solid suspense. It doesn’t end up amounting to a whole lot, but overall “Defiant” is entertaining.
4. Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast
While sometimes pushing a little too hard, this two–parter generally does a good job of showing us how conniving and ambitious the secretive agents of the Obsidian Order can be. We eventually get to see just how Garak behaves when certain opportunities present themselves, and even though he’s let off the hook for some of his actions, it’s still kind of chilling to see how far Garak is willing to go.
3. Past Tense
This is a really good time travel episode, ’cause it treats the time travel stuff as a means to get to an interesting story about Earth’s rocky pre-Federation past. People can be hard on DS9 for not being as optimistic as the other shows, and while that’s true, Past Tense is a good reminder that the show follows in the spirit of a greater Trek optimism.
2. The Adversary
“The Adversary” really effectively establishes how dangerous an enemy the Changelings are, and continues the build up to an eventual full blown confrontation with The Dominion. There’s also a bit of a turning point for Odo, and in general the episode is executed well.
1. The Search
The Search is Deep Space Nine’s big introduction to The Dominion, setting in motion the eventual war. It also introduces Odo’s people, the shifty Eddington, and the Defiant. Even though a lot of what’s set up here doesn’t really kick into high gear until next season, it’s a really good indicator of the heights Deep Space Nine will achieve in future episodes.