Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 11: The Nagus [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 11: The Nagus [VHS] Review

Wallace Shawn makes his first of many memorable appearances as the Grand Nagus, the daffy, duplicitous leader of the Ferengi business empire. If the Ferengi are the comic relief of the DS9 universe, then the Grand Nagus is its clown prince and Shawn's lisping rants and devious cackles make him a terrific gnome of a corporate pirate. Boarding the station with imperial pomp, he indulges in a few choice holosuite fantasies and proclaims Quark his successor before abruptly dying, leaving Quark the target of a treacherous assassin. In a related story, Commander Sisko frets over his teenage son's friendship with Nog, Quark's mischievous nephew and the only boy his son's age on the station. It's a nicely handled drama of single-father frustrations and teen independence, but Quark steals the episode as he bounces between nervous paranoia, greedy scheming, and cocky power plays, doing his best Godfather impression while striking deals with former rivals. It's a whole new lesson in the Ferengi "Rules of Acquisition." --Sean Axmaker

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 13: Battle Lines [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 13: Battle Lines [VHS] Review

Original airdate: 4-25-93. Stardate: Unknown. With thematic echoes from the original series episodes "The Alternative Factor" and "Day of the Dove," this DS9 adventure begins when Kira's Bajoran spiritual leader, Kai Opaka, pays a surprise visit to DS9 and eagerly accepts Sisko's offer of a runabout tour of the wormhole. A signal from a small moon in the Gamma Quadrant leads to an attack on the runabout, and the Kai is killed in a crash landing survived by Sisko, Dr. Bashir, and the grief-stricken Kira. They soon find themselves enmeshed in a perpetual war between two opposing groups of humanoids, whose horrible fate is to be repeatedly killed and revived, forced to endure eternal battle due to the presence of biomechanical microbes that curse them--and anyone else killed in battle--to everlasting life. A vivid study of the folly of hatred, with a suspenseful subplot and a revealing glimpse of Kira's spiritual convictions, "Battle Lines" is superior Star Trek in the Roddenberry mold, intelligently crafted and ethically compelling. --Jeff Shannon

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 7: Q-Less [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 7: Q-Less [VHS] Review

Original airdate: 2-7-93. Stardate: 46531.2. While the premiere season of DS9 was sharing airtime with the final season of The Next Generation, writers were encouraged to bridge the gap between the series, which resulted in lightly enjoyable episodes like "Q-Less," in which Capt. Picard's omnipotent nemesis (played with fey sarcasm by John de Lancie) gives equal time to Sisko and the crew of DS9. Also making the leap from the NextGen episode "Qpid" is Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), Picard's paramour and intrepid archaeologist, rescued by Dax from the Gamma Quadrant and arriving on DS9 with valuable artifacts that Quark is eager to auction off for profit. It all leads to the revelation of a mantalike alien life form, which is old hat for Trek fans, so this episode's greatest asset is the banter between Q and Vash, in their one and only DS9 crossover. --Jeff Shannon

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 18: Dramatis Personae [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 18: Dramatis Personae [VHS] Review

The "frontier town" aspect of Deep Space Nine always promised more conflict than previous Star Trek series, and "Dramatis Personae" presents a what-if scenario that pits all of the main characters against each other in a cauldron of deceit, betrayal, and conspiracy, brought on by a mysterious, telepathic energy that brings out the worst in everyone involved. At one extreme is Kira, who plots a Bajoran takeover of the station, and at the other is Dax, who sits passively in Ops, content to indulge dreamy reveries while chaos explodes around her. Even as a manipulated "play" caused by an alien force, this scenario allows the cast of DS9 to cut loose and shatter the barriers of proper decorum, and the result is a rare case of Star Trek anarchy, in stark contrast to the dutiful efficiency of a "normal" Federation crew. Edgy and fun, this is Trek with its hair down, leaving everyone embarrassed but admirably nonplused. --Jeff Shannon

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 91: Hard Time [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 91: Hard Time [VHS] Review

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine , Episode 91: Hard Time (VHS)

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 39: Blood Oath [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 39: Blood Oath [VHS] Review

"Blood Oath" features another Dax-centered plot, this one trading on the way time plays tricks on those who befriend the symbiote and its host. This time, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) encounters a trio of aging Klingons that the symbiote had befriended when it was in its previous host, Curzon Dax. Curzon had sworn a blood oath with the three Klingon generals that he would help them avenge a grievous loss; an enemy known as the Albino had killed the generals' families during a war decades before, then disappeared. But when the Klingons locate the Albino and come to DS9 looking for Dax, they are surprised to find a woman in Curzon's place--and it takes time for Jadzia to convince them that she should be allowed to fulfill Curzon's oath. She also must wrestle with the idea of hunting down and killing a man outside the arena of battle, which makes it a little too close to murder. Some enjoyable Klingon interplay and a nice Wild Bunch sort of ending, as the Klingons take on their final battle. --Marshall Fine

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 120: Children of Time [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 120: Children of Time [VHS] Review

The lives of 8,000 colonists, and the ultimate fate of Kira Nerys, hang in the balance in this exceptional fifth-season episode of DS9. The trouble begins when the Defiant investigates a mysterious planet in the Gamma quadrant, penetrating an energy barrier and causing conflicting timelines that must be resolved. In one timeline, Sisko and his crew encounter the Gaian villagers, who are the descendants of... Sisko and his crew! In the other timeline, 200 years earlier, the ship crashes and its survivors--including the dying Nerys--become the progenitors of the thriving Gaian colony. While the time-travel dilemma may seem routine, René Echevarria's thoughtful teleplay--a hybrid of two freelance story submissions--places noteworthy emphasis on Odo's unspoken love for Nerys, which is finally expressed when circumstances call for intimate disclosure. Echevarria also deserves praise for not compromising the devastating outcome of the Gaian timeline; for Nerys and Odo alike, it's a hard-hitting consequence that gives the entire episode an emotional and thought-provoking spin. --Jeff Shannon