Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

I have been re-watching the every season of Deep Space Nine in these binge batches, and my brother Jomo (RIP) was right: It is Star Trek’s darkest turn, and it’s most heart breaking.

Since the wonder of DVD's I have re-watch this series again. Personally this is my favorite Star Trek series. I am a Star Trek nerd and will randomly watch different parts of Star Trek for background when I am working on other projects.

Deep Space Nine is the one series that I normally re-watch from beginning to end once ever year. It is easy to just power through them, which is pretty easy to do. One of the strengths of this series is that it has a series long story to tell while most of the episodes stand alone. The full story of Sisko starts in the very first episode and continues along in every season to develop the story and come to a sad, but fulfilling ending.

If you are on the edge of Star Trek, this is a great series to watch. I would not use this series to introduce a new user to Star Trek. It does avoid and make some assumptions about the viewers understanding of Star Trek lore.

I´m at the point in my personal Star Trek re-run where I reached the beginning of DS9. And althought I´ve seen the show twice already I´m tickling with anticipation of what awaits me. There aren´t many shows that have that effect on me.

This is the best Star Trek Series!

IMHO the best Star Trek show up to date.
We get to see more of "everyday" life in the future and not just the life on-board a star ship.

Great show even better premise. We need more like it...

When I first heard about Deep Space Nine, I was genuinely skeptical. A Star Trek series set on a stationary space station? No starship boldly going anywhere? How could it possibly explore the moral dilemmas, frontier spirit, and diplomatic challenges that defined The Original Series and The Next Generation? But it turns out, DS9 didn't need to move through the stars to explore the unknown—it brought the unknown to its doorstep.

Yes, the first season was rocky, and it took a little time for the show to find its footing. But once it did, Deep Space Nine grew into one of the most ambitious and narratively rich series in the entire franchise. It dared to tell long-form stories in a universe that had previously relied on episodic structure. Instead of moving from planet to planet, it allowed political, cultural, and philosophical conflicts to simmer and unfold over years—most notably in its overarching Dominion War storyline.

The show also pushed the boundaries of what Star Trek could be. It wasn’t afraid to show the darker sides of the Federation, to question its ideals, and to dive into themes of occupation, resistance, faith, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity. Captain Sisko, played masterfully by Avery Brooks, stands apart from other captains not just for his commanding presence, but for how deeply rooted he becomes in the Bajoran culture, the Prophets, and the messy realities of command during wartime.

Supporting characters like Kira, Odo, Garak, and especially Quark added incredible layers to the show’s moral complexity. Even side characters were given time to grow, and story arcs were never afraid to challenge the viewer's expectations.

Deep Space Nine may have started as a gamble, but it ended as a cornerstone of the franchise—bold, emotional, and deeply relevant. 9/10.

The truth is usually just an excuse for a lack of imagination.

It's a pity that the quality of this series is degraded by the poor transfer to DVD. Looks more like the VHS tapes on which I originally watched most of it in the 1990s. It's unlikely, I gather, that any commercial effort will be made to upscale it to 1080p. Because it is excellent, although I agree with those who opine that much of the first 2 seasons can be watched just once and become somewhat cringeworthy on subsequent viewings.

The setting of a space station permits far more development of all the main characters. DS9 doesn't fall into the trope of other Star Trek offerings; another week, another alien race, another planet. Well, not often, anyway.

Long, well-thought through story arcs are also a consequence.

Recommended.

Is it a crime to slightly prefer this to TNG? I prefer a lot of the specific episodes, set pieces, overarching storylines, and characters, but maybe I’m just saying that because I saw this show more recently. Either way, I love both.