Season 4 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a bit strange. After the plot finally got moving in season 3, the fourth season reverted back to build up and development. Still, toward the end we started to see some real consequences for some of the characters. Odo, in particular, revisited his people and after returning home to Deep Space Nine left us with a shocking revelation about the Klingon Empire: Changelings have infiltrated them to the highest levels.

As season five begins the Federation is forming a plan to deal with that situation and The Dominion is building their forces on the other side of the wormhole.

These are the episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5.

If you don’t already have copies of the fifth season of Deep Space Nine you can purchase them here either from iTunes or Amazon. These are of course affiliate links: if you purchase via them we will receive a cut. This helps us keep doing what we do, and we like doing what we do, so please help us out.

Reminder:

Must See episodes feature the main plot or primary character development. These are required viewing to understand everything at the end.

Should See episodes feature secondary plot elements or character development, and while they aren’t required they will give you a more complete experience with the show. If you have watched the should see episodes so far you should continue watching them now.

Take It or Leave It episodes are all the one offs and filler.

It’s worth noting that must see episodes aren’t necessarily good and take it or leave it episodes aren’t necessarily bad, and that ideally you’d just be watching all of them.

Season 5 has 26 episodes. 14 are must see, 7 are should see, 3 are take it or leave it and 1 you should straight up avoid.

5×01 “Apocalypes Rising“

Must See

Relevant to Benjamin Sisko, Worf, Odo, O’Brien, Dukat

Relevant to Klingons, The Federation and the Klingons, The Dominion, Changelings

5×02 “The Ship“

Must See

Relevant to Benjamin Sisko, O’Brien

Relevant to The Dominion, The Jem’Hadar, The Dominion is Coming

5×03 “Looking for par’Mach in All The Wrong Places“

Must See

Relevant to Quark, Worf, Jadzia Dax

Relevant to Klingons

5×04 “…Nor the Battle to the Strong“

Should See

Relevant to Jake Sisko, Odo

Relevant to War is Hell

Note: This episode is one of the season’s best

5×05 “The Assignment“

Must See

Relevant to O’Brien

Relevant to The Prophets

First Appearance of The Pah-wraiths

5×06 “Trials and Tribble-ations“

Should See

Relevant to The Federation and Klingons

Relevant to Time Travel

Callback to Star Trek (The Original Series) (Episode: The Trouble With Tribbles)

Note: This episode is one of the season’s best

5×07 “Let He Who Is Without Sin“

AVOID

Relevant to Worf

5×08 “Things Past“

Should See

Relevant to Odo, Dukat

Relevant to Odo Has Feelings And He Feels Them, Cardassian occupation of Bajor

5×09 “The Ascent“

Take It or Leave it

Relevant to Quark, Odo

Relevant to Quark And Odo: Secret Love

5×10 “Rapture“

Must See

Relevant to Benjamin Sisko

Relevant to Bajor and the Federation, The Prophets, The Dominion is Coming

5×11 “The Darkness and The Light“

Take It or Leave It “

“ Relevant to Kira

Relevant to the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor

5×12 “The Begotten“

Must See

Relevant to Odo

Relevant to Changelings

5×13 “For The Uniform“

Must See

Relevant to Benjamin Sisko, Michael Eddington

Relevant to The Maquis

5×14 “In Purgatory’s Shadow“

Must See

Relevant to Worf, Garak, Dukat

Relevant to The Jem’Hadar, Klingons, The Dominion is Coming

5×15 “By Inferno’s Light“

Must See

Relevant to Worf, Garak, Dukat

Relevant to The Jem’Hadar, Klingons, The Dominion is Coming, Cardassians

5×16 “Doctor Bashir, I Presume“

Must See

Relevant to Bashir, Rom

Callback to Star Trek: Voyager (The Doctor)

5×17 “A Simple Investigation“

Take It or Leave It

Relevant to Odo Has Feelings and He Feels Them

5×18 “Business As Usual“

Should See

Relevant to Quark, Ferengi

5×19 “Ties of Blood and Water“

Should See

Relevant to Kira

Relevant to Cardassians, Bajorans

5×20 “Ferengi Love Songs“

Should See

Relevant to Quark

Relevant to Ferengi

5×21 “Soldiers of the Empire“

Must See

Relevant to Worf, Jadzia Dax, Martok

Relevant to Klingons, Dax is Really Old

5×22 “Children of Time“

Must See

Relevant to Odo, Kira, Dax

Relevant to Odo Has Feelings and He Feels Them, Time Travel

5×23 “Blaze of Glory“

Must See

Relevant to Benjamin Sisko, Michael Eddington

Relevant to The Maquis, The Dominion

5×24 “Empok Nor“

Should See

Relevant to Garak, Nog, O’Brien

Relevant to Cardassians, Station Maintenance is Difficult

5×25 “In The Cards“

Take It or Leave It

Relevant to Jake Sisko, Nog, Benjamin Sisko

Relevant to Bajor and The Dominion, Bajor and the Federation, The Dominion is Coming, Jake and Nog are Bros

5×26 “Call to Arms“

Must See

Relevant to Everyone

Relevant to War

This Happens:

The Final Scene of the Season:

Conclusion

Season 5 is when the overreaching plot of the series really takes hold. The entire season is tense. All sides know that The Dominion is coming to the Alpha Quadrant, and the Federation in particular knows that every other squabble is only drawing resources away from preparing for that fight.

As the season draws to a close the war finally breaks out and we get the second major space battle of the series and the episode closes out with the Defiant joining a fleet of hundreds of Federation starships and klingon battleships. Basically the stuff of every Trekies dreams which could never be realized until the transition to computer generated graphics.

Everything is up in the air now. Dukat stands in Ops. Sisko is leading a fleet ready for battle. Find out what happens next when we watch season 6 next week!

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