A Season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 13 Episodes - Season 2

2x01       The Homecoming

2x02       The Circle

2x03       The Siege

2x05       Cardassians

2x07       Rules of Acquistion

2x08       Necessary Evil

2x18       Profit and Loss

2x19       Blood Oath

2x20       The Maquis, Part I

2x21       The Maquis, Part II

2x22       The Wire

2x24       The Collaborator

2x26       The Jem'Hadar

This was a hard season to narrow down, not because there were a too many great episodes, but second seasons are dedicated to fleshing out characters.  Often, we go on strange plots just to show how Sisko is a fighter for justice (Paradise) and lonely (Second Sight), or Kira's hypocrisy and changing mindset about being a refugee/terrorist fighter to a  legitimate member of her government (Sanctuary), or Jadzia is part of Dax, and Trill symbiosis is very valuable (Invasive Procedures, Playing God), or Bashir loves helping people in innovative ways, while making terrible romance choices (Melora), or Odo spending time with the scientist who rased him and trying to experience family (The Alternate, Shadowplay), or O'Brian being tortured (Armageddon Game, Whispers, Crossover, Tribunal). All of those are interesting episodes, in general, and help to develop the characters in bits and pieces.  But this thread is about condensing. Making our character moments stronger, while delivering the underlying story, so all the episodes I mentioned get cut. As in the seaon 4 post above, the character moments we get are done better in other places, often in the same season. Most of the middle of the season gets gutted out, and O'Brien gets tortured less. As I said in my previous post, Ferengi stories tend to get cut quickly when you are abridging (Rivals), and while fun, but never necessary to the main story, the Mirror Universe has still got to go (Crossover).

So what did I keep?  The real plot of DS9, for me, has to do with Bajor and Cardassia. These twin states drive the larger plot, so I stuck to them while tyring to highlight each of the characters. Bajor's attempt to become a legitimate government are the basis for Star Trek's only three parter, and show case the savyness of Vedek Winn, who will play a much larger role in the future. "Cardassians" goes into the Cardassian ethos, the backstabbing, the family, all which come back to bite Dukat in Season 4, and sets a firm ground for the Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall of Skrain Dukat, plus Garak being Garak. Quark's drive to exploit the Gamma Quadrant and deal with his culture's virtual enslavement of women leads to a wonderful Ferengi episode in "Rules of Acquisition." It is also the first introduction of the Dominion.  "Necessary Evil" is the Reconcilliation Commision for Kira and Odo. It shows what they were doing during the occupation, builds wonderfully on the Kira/Odo relationship, and someone shoots Quark, which Odo has wanted to do for years.

Quark gets a second episode in "Profit and Loss."  It not only highlights Quark's not-quite-as-Ferengi attitudes, and the Cardassian struggle to figure out who they are AFTER their 'empire' falls apart, i also offers some great Garak.  "Blood Oath" allows some development of Jadzia Dax, her connection through Curzon to the Klingons, and must be kept for the celebration of Star Trek that the episode is. The enemies of James T. Kirk come together in this new day and age, ask for Dax's help in hunting down a enemy. It plays into Jadzia's love of Klingon culture and will set her character up for later Klingon shenanigans. "The Maquis" offers the Sisko's idea of justice, while highlighting the difference between Bajor's fight for freedom from the Cardassians and the Federation citizens who were traded over to the Cardassians in the name of peace and demilitarized border. This theme of working for the powers that be and against those powers is a theme throughout this season, and is continued inthe "Collaborator." The episode is a bit boring, as Bareil isn't the strongest of characters or actors, but Vedek Winn makes an appearance that moves the overarching story of Bajor forward. "The Wire"... apparently if you name something The Wire in this universe it becomes awesome, because this episode has got it all: A Bashir doing good, Garak telling the truth and lies at the same time, and Enabran Tain, former Spymaster of Cardassia. The concept is glorious, and damned if the execution doesn't follow.   We end the season with "The Jem'Hadar," which truly introduces the threat of the Dominion. We get a Picard like figure, on an Enterprise like ship confidently going to do what TNG had done before, only to watch in horror as they get eaten up by the aggressiveness of three Dominion ships. It quickly slaps down any expectation of the game being the same when the next season starts.

Who gets screwed in this abridgment? Miles Edward O'Brien. Most of his episodes this year were cut. He has a buddy adventure with Bashir, is replaced by a replicated clone/machine who gets killed, and is placed in Cardassian custody for a crime he didn't commit. It is a shame, as O'Brien is the character you love and feel for when he is placed in those situations, but ultimately his stories didn't move the over all story forward.