Star Trek Deep Space Nine Feature Length Episodes: Ranked

13. Emissary

Perhaps it is a little mean to kick off the list with the pilot. There is a lot to like in this feature. The opening battle of Wolf 359. The station moving to the mouth of the wormhole. Odo's take-down of the thief. It is the strongest Trek pilot, pre-Discovery era. Several of the characters arrive almost fully formed.

Quark and Odo embody their characters, while Kira and Bashir seem to be well on the way to becoming the characters they would end up becoming. Perhaps the most established is O'Brien, as of course he was moving over from The Next Generation.

But the star of the show is Avery Brooks. He shows in this first episode many of the traits that his Sisko would become famous for. He is both calm and quick to anger. He can show vulnerability and bravery. He opens talks with the Prophets and helps guide a shaky peace with the Cardassians.

The only reason that Emissary comes in at this ranking is that from the off, Deep Space Nine proved itself to be one of the finest examples of the Star Trek franchise. Like many of the series, its first and second seasons were a little shaky, but not without excellent entries. Emissary is a fantastic introduction to the show, immediately grabbing the viewers and holding their attention. The bottom of this list, perhaps, but still one of the best Trek has to offer.