Star Trek Deep Space Nine Feature Length Episodes: Ranked

The first of Deep Space Nine's experimentation with multi-part storytelling, this sees the return of a renowned Bajoran war hero to the region. He is quickly used as a pawn by a radical, xenphobic sect of Bajoran society to expel all non-Bajorans from the Station and from Bajoran space. The Circle, a terrorist group that is tasking itself with the reclamation of Bajor for the Bajorans, employs him as a symbol and the excellent Frank Langella appears as Minister Jaro Essa, a corrupt official who is working with Vedek Winn to seize power.

As would become usual in Deep Space Nine, while there are some characters who are more villainous than others, there are those who genuinely believe in what they are doing. This muddies some of the waters as there are not always two clear sides in conflicts. This is the second season opener and it would lay some groundwork for entries that followed, which is why it is a little lower on the list. A strong story to be sure, serving as a foundation for some of the plot threads that would come later.

Li Nalas, the returning hero, is everything a reluctant leader should be. His death assures his martyrdom, a difficult topic in today's society. Deep Space Nine never shied away from the fact that one of their lead characters, Kira, was a former terrorist and it is in entries like this one that this is again brought to the fore.