When you look back at the whole of Deep Space Nine, the first season feels a bit out-of-place. The tone of the episodes in this freshman outing don’t quite mesh with the persona DS9 took on in later seasons. Yet there are plenty of seeds being planted in these early adventures, and there are even a few moments of sheer brilliance.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing take a trip through every episode from DS9 Season One to see which shine, which don’t, and what elements connect with the overall series arc—either hinting at the greatness to come or falling under the label of Niner Essentials.

Chapters

Emissary (00:04:15)

Past Prologue (00:06:49)

A Man Alone (00:13:50)

Babel (00:19:13)

Captive Pursuit (00:20:33)

Q-Less (00:27:24)

Dax (00:27:54)

The Passenger (00:30:46)

Move Along Home (00:32:21)

The Nagus (00:33:08)

Vortex (00:36:27)

Battle Lines (00:38:47)

The Storyteller (00:41:41)

Progress (00:43:25)

If Wishes Were Horses (00:46:33)

The Forsaken (00:47:24)

Dramatis Personae (00:49:30)

Duet (00:50:39)

In the Hands of the Prophets (00:54:06)

Closing (00:59:37)