Plotlines

The first five episodes, including the pilot episode, which is a two-parter, are behind us, and no, it should not sound like a burden in any way—quite the opposite.

A rewatch of DS9 is always a kind of homecoming. It’s like meeting relatives you haven’t seen in ages, and you know exactly that there are more episodes to come. Especially in the last two seasons, they really go all out, even though it’s said that Avery Brooks (Sisko) didn’t even want to do the final season.

Of course, there are also characters that are only gradually introduced. These include Nog & Rom, Jake Sisko, Garak, as well as the relationships between the characters. But of course, you don’t want to overwhelm the viewer, especially since we are still in the first season, and we are stepping into entirely uncharted territory with the Gamma Quadrant. The Bajorans and Cardassians have also not been explored in depth yet, only occasionally mentioned in TNG.

But that’s exactly what makes DS9 so strong and unique—it’s self-aware. It knows the legacy it’s inheriting, and there’s an exceptionally smooth handoff between seasons, one that actually carries through the entire series. It repeatedly makes use of characters from TNG, also keeping in mind that another Star Trek series (Voyager) is running concurrently, and it already follows the Star Trek motto of “to boldly go where no one has gone before.” However, I’m not trying to make a comparison here, that would be too much of a hassle.

So, the story continues with an interesting narrative arc, beautiful matte paintings once we venture to locations outside the station, a mysterious Cardassian, a commander searching for his place, and perhaps the most important character in the entire Star Trek universe—Chief Miles O’Brien. The latter is, of course, a nod to Star Trek: Lower Decks, but even so, it might not be too far from the truth.