Deep Space Nine Season 3

3.01 – The Search, Part 1: B+

Deep Space Nine’s third season gets started in a big way thanks to the tension-filled episode titled, “The Search, Part I.” Capitalizing on the ominous introduction of The Dominion in the season two finale, this installment focuses on the response from the Federation and DS9 to the new threat. There are a number of moving parts to this episode – from character to narrative developments – which are mostly designed to set up a bigger resolution in the next episode. Still, there’s enough here to make “The Search, Part I” a compelling and essential installment of the series.

3.02 – The Search, Part II: B-

“The Search, Part II” continues the Dominion storyline introduced in the season two finale, and further developed in “Part I.” The problem with “Part II,” however, is that its primary conceit effectively nullifies roughly half of what we see in the episode. It’s a bait-and-switch kind of plot device which, ultimately, reveals very little about (most of) the characters and serves only to create a rather cheap “gotcha” moment for the audience. Worse still, the nullified events are so ridiculously implausible that it’s possible for viewers to dismiss them even before the big revelation. Even so, there are a few positive developments – mostly from the subplot about Odo.

3.03 – The House of Quark: B-

“The House of Quark” is an amusingly comedic affair which manages to find some important thematic and character moments tucked into its oftentimes implausible and cringeworthy events and dialogue. Despite the missteps, however, this episode is a strong example of why DS9 is a fascinating and compelling series, even in a story with the silliest of premises. To that end, fans of DS9 will likely find much to enjoy about the events in this episode – even if they might elicit groans of derision from casual viewers.

3.04 – Equilibrium: C

“Equilibrium” is a quiet, introspective episode which can be best summarized by Dax in its final scene: “If you want to know who you are, it’s important to know who you’ve been.” The idea of understanding and reconciling your personal history – the choices you’ve made, regrets you might have – is an important theme to explore and discuss. And this episode deserves credit for raising this very point. Unfortunately, the pacing is glacial and, despite a handful of truly creepy moments, there’s very little real emotion generated by the proceedings – an unfortunate deficiency in an episode all about identity. Afterall, who we are is directly linked to the emotions we experience.

3.05 – Second Skin: B

Wrapped inside a now-typical Trek plot about surgically-altered main characters is a surprisingly moving and effective story. Perhaps “Second Skin” works well because it turns the Trek cliché on its head and provides a fresh approach to the outcome. But I suspect the episode is successful because ultimately it’s about the people involved in the story – about their loyalties and convictions. Just as important is the story’s ability to provide a deeper dimension to Cardassians, giving them motivations beyond that of simply being “the villains” of the series. As a result, “Second Skin” is a strong installment – provided viewers can endure the episode’s primary conceit long enough to get to the heart of the story.

3.06 – The Abandoned: B+

“The Abandoned” is another example of DS9 taking a familiar TNG plot and providing a slightly different approach to the story. The result is a success with an episode which nicely balances its subplot with its main plot. Indeed, the writing is very good, creating wonderfully natural, and meaningful, character development. What criticisms there are to be had –such as the biological implausibility of the episode’s primary conceit and the performance from the episode’s guest-star – are few and far between. As a result, this truly is a classic episode.

3.07 – Civil Defense: B-

“Civil Defense” is a standalone episode which manages to be a whole lot of fun, in spite of itself and its rather unimaginative premise. What makes this episode work are the character interactions. The episode successfully utilizes the character development of the series thus far and, even though the story itself comes across as implausible and silly, the execution of the story is a success, thanks to how well the characters confront the rather ridiculous circumstances before them.

3.08 – Meridian: D

Were there ever two plotlines more misplaced than those of “Meridian”? Even worse, neither plot is effective or worthy on its own merit. The result is an episode which stumbles in terms of story, character, pacing and plot. Face it. “Meridian” is a stinker of an episode which hardly warrants a detailed examination.

3.09 – Defiant: C+

“Defiant” is an example of a series indulging in more than a little bit of self-gratification. Sure it’s a lot of fun, with plenty of action and intrigue. But the episode’s plot is almost entirely implausible and, despite its obvious connection to TNG, it is simply unable to generate anything remotely close to legitimate drama. The result is an episode that can easily become a fan favorite, but is, simply, “out of character” for a series that so often pays very close attention to nuance and subtlety with respect to character and plot. Because, let’s face it, there’s nothing subtle about this episode.

3.10 – Fascination: D-

“See if I care!”

Chief O’Brien’s exasperated exclamation is, perhaps, the best way to summarize what has to be one of the most misguided and thoroughly excruciating episodes of the entire DS9 run. When compiling any list of “worst DS9 episode ever,” “Fascination” would have to be part of the conversation. In a way, it’s a bit of a shame. It starts off strongly with some compelling character moments. But with the arrival of the notoriously toxic character of Lwaxana Troi, the episode goes south in a hurry. This time, not only does she infect the story with hokey, embarrassing and pathetic infatuation, she manages to infect just about every major character as well, resulting in an episode that is mess of catastrophic proportions.

3.11 – Past Tense, Part I: B

“Past Tense, Part I” presents a fascinating and thoroughly engaging look at social and moral decay in a society that is too frightened to do anything truly constructive. The fact that its focus is Earth, and an Earth of our not-too-distant future makes its central narrative much more immediate and compelling. For the most part, this is a philosophical “talky” installment – much more at ease providing social commentary through dialogue, than providing action or suspense. And while some of the episode’s messages are a bit too blatantly on display, it is, nonetheless, a worthy attempt at exploring issues which are just as relevant in the 21st century as they were when the episode was aired.

3.12 – Past Tense, Part II – B+

With all of the setup and thematic work in place, “Past Tense, Part II” is free to focus on the more intimate character interrelationships – allowing the real moral value of this two-part tale to be told through example, rather than through strict moralizing. In fact, the more focused character moments produce a heightened tension that makes this installment a much better vehicle for thematic work than its predecessor. Really, the only errors in the entire production come from the silly subplot involving O’Brien and Kira as the search for their missing comrades.

3.13 – Life Support: B-

The prospect of peace is the backdrop for “Life Support,” a strongly emotional and powerful episode. The central conflicts of the episode do a fantastic job of capitalizing on much of the previous character work that has been done on the series and the ending, in its crushing finality, drives home the central theme: life is precious. Objectively speaking, there are more than a few plot inconsistencies and questions which undermine the story, but through the sheer force of emotion, the episode manages to be thoroughly compelling.

3.14 – Heart of Stone: C

“Heart of Stone” is an awkward, uneven affair that stumbles its way toward a rather important and well-conceived ending. Conceptually, the episode works fairly well as a vehicle for character exploration and development. But the execution of the ideas leaves much to be desired, resulting in the episode’s subplot being substantially better than its primary conflict. In the end, viewers may be able to look past the faults and accept the story on its merits but, objectively, the miscues doom the episode to mediocrity.

3.15 – Destiny: B

“Destiny” is an episode which explores the ideas of prophecy and faith – and how, when considering the significance of such concepts, interpretation means everything. What makes the episode work so well is a compelling plot focused around characters with long, detailed histories. The payoff is legitimate – even if it does feel like it is spoon-fed to the viewer. Ultimately, though, the episode is more valuable for its explorations than its conclusions. On that level, the back-and-forth debate about how one ought to interpret anything that purports to tell us something about ourselves – our identity, our past, or our future – is compelling.

3.16 – Prophet Motive: D

“Prophet Motive” is a clumsy, clunky, uneven episode which attempts to be a light-hearted comedy and ends up being dull and boring. Aside from one scene near the end, the story is wholly lacking in anything worthwhile – there’s no real character work being done, no real themes are explored, and the plot is … well … plodding. The end result is an episode which is substandard in every respect.

3.17 – Visionary: D+

“I hate temporal mechanics.” – O’Brien

Ahhh … what a way to summarize “Visionary” – an episode which dabbles, then fully immerses itself in the honor and majesty of time-shifting technobabble. In truth, the episode is hopelessly esoteric in its narrative construction, forcing audiences along obscure and literally meaningless theoretical plotlines. It’s an exercise in the obscure, with almost nothing to ground the story in any semblance of realism. Fortunately, though, DS9 has spent a great deal of time and energy on developing its characters. And it is the minor, almost forgotten character moments that make the entire installment worth watching – even if it is … well … hopelessly esoteric.

3.18 – Distant Voices: C-

“Distant Voices” is a maddeningly painstaking episode to watch. Good, compelling moments seem to hover just beyond the edge of consciousness and, all the while, there’s a kind mental detachment between the story and the characters that populate the story. This isn’t a terrible installment of DS9, however, it’s far too uneven and unmistakably contrived to be either a compelling mystery or valuable character analysis. And that’s not to say that there’s no mystery or no character work being done. It’s just that DS9 has experienced much greater success in both areas in previous episodes than it does in this one.

3.19 – Through the Looking Glass: B+

“Through The Looking Glass” is an episode which, despite its uneven presentation, becomes a thoroughly compelling and moving experience, thanks to its character-driven focus. To be sure, it’s an obscure kind of story which, without knowing the backstories of the characters, tends to lose a bit of its immediacy and impact. But for those who have been following the series from the start, there are some legitimate and profound payoffs.

3.20 – Improbable Cause: B+

“Improbable Cause” is a thoroughly entertaining and immersive episode of Deep Space Nine — though, I’m not so sure it’s as good as many DS9 fans claim it to be. True, the episode has an explosive beginning, and its dialogue, mysteries and characters are all well-developed. But the slow pacing and unfolding of the plot are also a hindrance. To be fair, though, the ending of the episode carries powerful character revelations – which are likely the cause for many fans to remember the whole outing so fondly.

3.21 – The Die Is Cast: B

“The Die Is Cast” is the kind of episode you are meant to enjoy. As a direct continuation of the previous installment, “Improbable Cause,” it features an epic storyline, plenty of action, and some powerfully intimate characterizations. From start to finish, the episode is meant to play out in grand style. But this is a case where the devil is in the details. And for a series that has so often defined itself by its attention to character details, the missteps – simply for the sake of creating false drama – are inexcusable. The result is a rousing, entertaining installment that rings more hollow than it ought to have.

3.22 – Explorers: B

If ever there were an episode meant to capture the spirit and wonder of deep space exploration, “Explorers” would be it. From start to finish, it is a testament to curiosity, ingenuity, adventure and the indomitable desire to experience something new. For the most part, the story is a sublime one, opting for muted tones and conflicts in favor of a more mature, refined and meaningful voyage of discovery. It’s the kind of episode that can be too easily overlooked because it isn’t “dark” or full of major conflict. And yet, at the end of the day, it’s a tale about the sense of wonder we all carry – from our earliest moments – and how important it is to hold on to those sensibilities for as long as we can, regardless of those who might doubt us.

3.23 – Family Business: C

“Family Business” misses its mark. Sure, it’s supposed to be a lighthearted affair. But its attempt to use humor to look at the strict Ferengi code regarding women just rings hollow. If it’s a serious subject matter, then it ought to be treated seriously. Conversely, if humor is going to be used, it needs to be insightful or illuminating in some way. Instead, the episode devolves into bickering and fisticuffs as a means to settle its conflicts, rather than providing commentary with any real conviction.

3.24 – Shakaar: B

“Shakaar” is a story about how power can corrupt – particularly if those in power are already inclined toward self-centered, self-preservation. But what makes the episode successfully is in its natural progression of events – in demonstrating how something seemingly insignificant can quickly escalate, if those in power abuse their authority. Furthermore, it illustrates the power of compromise and reason to overcome those who seek to become despots.

3.25 – Facets: C-

“Facets” is an uneven episode. Even though its final paces are compelling and intriguing, the path is filled with far too many bumps and pitfalls to make the whole journey truly remarkable. Instead, we’re left with long stretches of pedestrian scenes, just to get to the real heart of the matter. As a result, there’s enough here for fans of DS9 to enjoy, but not enough to make this a truly classic installment.

3.26 – The Adversary: B

Deep Space Nine concludes its third season with “The Adversary,” a surprisingly self-contained episode which plays out more like DS9’s version of Alien than what we have come to expect from the now cliché cliffhanger ending we usually get from Trek. The change of pace is a nice touch and the episode also manages to offer some ominous portents for future seasons. As a standalone piece, it’s exciting and fun, if lacking in any real profound or meaningful commentary. Still, this is a successful way to end the season.