This list is presented in production order as they flow better that way, rather than in a rank order, with the season the story is from in brackets after the title(s). One thing I would recommend though is watching a little backstory from The Next Generation first in the form of the episodes “The Best Of Both Worlds,” “The Wounded,” “Ensign Ro,” and watch “Journey’s End” and “Pre-emptive Strike” as part of watching DS9‘s second season as they tie into key stories.

Emissary (1)

Starting a new show off in the middle of the Battle of Wolf 359 from Next Generation‘s “The Best Of Both Worlds” could be seen as giving a new show a crutch to help it stand, but Deep Space Nine was fortunate in that it was handled well enough to give Commander Sisko and his son, Jake, some serious backstory and grounding for the stories to follow.

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Many of the themes and stories that followed call back to the events of this pilot, so it’s essential viewing prior to many of the other entries in this list, even with the cast clearly not having found their feet yet.

Duet (1)

A Cardassian arrives on Deep Space Nine who appears to be suffering from a medical condition only contractable by being present at the time of an accident in a labor camp during the occupation of Bajor by the Cardassian Empire. Major Kira is convinced he is a war criminal and detains him, but in the course of interrogation and investigation, nothing appears as it seems… The result is a some real character development for the first officer of the station after the realization that not all Cardassians are, in fact, the same.