10 Funniest Star Trek Episodes
7. Lets' Go Down To The Ballgame - Take Me Out To The Holosuite
'What should I do?'
'Find him and kill him!'
This episode strikes the balance of comedy well, following the attempts by the Niners to beat the Logicians at a game of baseball, which everyone in the Quadrant knows is Ben Sisko's game. The challenge is issued, the board is set and the players assemble. And they are just plain awful.
As the episode progresses, Sisko's heart breaks further and further into pieces as he realises just how far behind his team is when it comes to skill. Dax may have agility and Bashir may have the best hand eye co-ordination, but that's about it. Tempers flare. Chants are shared. This serious matter of life and death is a breath of fresh air after the heavy season opener to Deep Space Nine's final season.
They lose the match (spoiler) but that's not the point - this is forty minutes of just enjoying the crew trying to make Sisko feel better, failing at first and then succeeding beyond their hopes by the end. Even Rom, the unfortunate buffoon who never can quite seem to make things work, gets the only run of the game, earning himself some respect and a well-earned apology from Sisko, after bearing the brunt of his frustrations.
The final celebration in Quark's bar, laughing in the face of adveristy and loss, sums up the hope and joy that this team shares with each other.