Well after 6 strong episodes, we get our first sticker of the season! “Let he who is without sin”. The episode where Worf and Jadzia…and Bashir, Leeta and Quark go to Risa. Season 4 did not have a sticker. “Things Past” is a great Odo episode where Odo, Dax, Sisko, and Garak find themselves in the past at the time Odo was working for the Cardassians. They somehow look like Bajorans themselves. Odo is the reason they experience this while they are lying in sickbay, because he has feelings of guilt. Did Odo look the other way while 3 Bajorans were killed? “The Ascent” is an Odo / Quark story when they crash land on a cold planet. They have to work together to make it off the planet and of course that goes with a lot of bickering, especially in the runabout, which is fun for us! Meanwhile on the station: Jake moves out, he and Nog are sharing a cabin but that doesn’t go smoothly.

A Sisko story with “Rapture” where Sisko is getting visions of a lost city, B’Hala in Bajoran mythology. The visions however, become almost fatal. At the moment the festivities are going on because Bajor is about to be joining the Federation, but Sisko’s latest vision shows him that Bajor should stand alone for now, they should not join the Federation because if that happens, Bajor will be destroyed! Finally! The new Federation uniforms after we’ve first seen them in the “First Contact” movie. “The Darkness and the Light”, a Kira episode where her former friends from the resistance are being killed off one by one. Kira must find out who it is before all her friends are dead. Good episode with some nice emotional moments.

In “The Begotten” Odo gets an infant changeling under his care; the changeling hasn’t done anything yet but lay in it’s dormant shape. Odo is determined to do it differently than Dr. Mora. But when Dr. Mora does show up, Odo realizes that Dr. Mora only did the best he could with him and that he loves and misses Odo. Meanwhile, Kira is due for the O’Brien’s baby. Relaxation is key but the pissing contest between Shakaar and Miles O’Brien makes that a bit difficult. Really fun this pissing contest between these grown-up men. In “For the Uniform” Sisko goes after Eddington. He seems to be slipping away from him each time, Sisko is getting obsessed with capturing him. There are moments where Sisko definitely does not behave like a Starfleet captain. IMHO, Eddington is not all wrong, I understand where he is coming from, not entirely agree with captain Sisko here but it’s good TV.

The two-parter “In Purgatory’s Shadow” / By Inferno’s Light” definitely is in the top 3 best episodes of the 5^th season. Garak and Worf are captured by the Dominion after Garak has gotten a message from his former mentor that he is still alive. It turns out there is another familiar face in that prison camp, Julian Bashir who has been captured some weeks ago and the changeling version of Bashir is on DS9. They also find Martok there, he is forced to fight the Jem’Hadar but when Worf arrives, he take his place. A great development in the end when it becomes clear that the Cardassians are joining the Dominion! This is just the icing on the cake, perfect episodes. In “Doctor Bashir I Presume” we find out that our good doctor is genetically enhanced when he was a very young boy. Lewis Zimmerman, creator of the EMH is on the station because Bashir is chosen to be the next version, the LMH, long term. But when Zimmerman finds out about Bashir’s secret, it could very well end Bashir’s Starfleet career. Zimmerman also has a thing for Leeta, but she is waiting for Rom to make his move, he almost is too late! Another great episode with guest star Robert Picardo.

“A Simple Investigation” is an Odo story and this is the episode where first got laid! 😊 “Business As Usual” is a very entertaining Quark story, where Quark decides to go into the arms business with his cousin Gaila and Haggeth. Quite a character that Haggath, well done by actor Steven Berkoff. Everything changes when Quark’s conscience begins to act up. B-story: O’Brien is the only one who can keep his baby silent by keeping him on his arm. Directed by Alexander Siddig. “Ties of Blood and Water” is the episode where Ghemor comes to DS9 and tells Kira that he is ill. He is willing to tell Cardassian secrets! Dukat wants to prevent that and tries to poison him but fails to do so. Weyoun then drinks the poisonous Kanar purposely, he is immune to most poisons. When Kira learns from Dukat that Ghemor is responsible for the death of 18 monks, she no longer wishes to see Ghemor and she intents for him to die alone. Bashir convinces her otherwise and she also realizes she also ran away from her father when he was lying on his death bed.

“Ferengi Love Songs” to me is definitely one of the weaker episodes of the season. Rom wants Leeta to sign a pre-nup, the Nagus is getting forgetful. It is watchable but story wise it’s mwah. Have to say though that the scenes with Brunt always are good! “Soldiers of Empire” is a more than decent Klingon episode! You probably know by now that Klingon stories are usually not my favorites, but I really like this one where Worf challenges Martok for the captain’s seat, he loses on purpose, to give Martok the chance to do the right thing which he does. He felt Martok was losing his soldiers by his almost cowardice behavior, because he was very apprehensive to attack. Some fun scenes in the beginning with Bashir vs Martok and Worf vs Nog. Worf joins the House of Martok. Directed by Levar Burton. “Children of Time” is in my top 5 I think, for this season where the defiant crash lands on a planet where they find a small colony of descendants of the DS9 crew, populated by them 200 years earlier. This is an exceptionally good episode, really loved this one, especially the somewhat crude ending and the revelation from old Odo to Kira that he has always loved her.

In “Blaze of Glory” Sisko picks up Eddington from prison when it is rumored that the Maquis has sent missiles to Cardassia, Sisko fears for an all-out war with Cardassia and its allies. Like before, Eddington has planned this because he knew Sisko could not stand beside the sidelines for this. This episode wraps up the Eddington storyline which was satisfactory. Fun, B-story, Nog feels he has no respect from the Klingons, and he is determined to get it! “Empok Nor” is DS9’s “Event Horizon” in terms of Space horror. Of course, the movie is far more heavier than “Empok Nor”, still it is a good try at an horror episode, I really loved it, seeing a totally different side of Garak because of a drug. “In the Cards” is in fact the silence before the storm. A small but very interesting and entertaining episode where everyone on the station is down because of the pending war with the Dominion. Jake wants to cheer up his dad when he sees an opportunity to buy a mint baseball card of Willy Mase which is going to be auctioned. Of course, he and Nog have quite an adventure before he actually holds the card in his hands. B-story is also interesting: Kai Winn is coming to the station as also Weyoun because Bajor was invited to sign a non-aggression pact. She comes to seek the emissaries advise.

The season finale “A Call to Arms” truly delivers, this is the best of the best and this point I believe we didn’t even know this was going to get a 6-episode follow-up at the start of season six. Dominion ships are coming through the wormhole for weeks now, going to Cardassia.  Sisko decides he no longer tolerates this. A minefield is going to be placed at the mouth of the wormhole. News travels fast and Weyoun comes to the station. Sisko knows that the Dominion will come soon. He advises Bajor to sign the nonaggression pact with the Dominion. Romulans have done the same. When the minefield is set, the Federation move out with the intention of coming back but for now, the Dominion occupies the station, and it is called Terok Nor again. Jake has stayed behind to report for the Federation. Leeta and Rom get married but Rom stays behind instead of fleeing with his wife. Great scenes with Garak and also Dukat with Weyoun and Damar. And of course, Sisko and Weyoun. 30 years ago, we had to wait 3 months before we could see season 6…so glad I have the DVD’s now, but of course I’d still rather see it on Blu-ray!

Final Word:

Season Five is on par with the previous season (4) for sure. Only one stinker and one weak episode and the rest is actually quite good. Some really good episodes which are many fans favorite episodes of the whole series: Trials and Tribble-ations; “In Purgatory’s Shadow” / By Inferno’s Light”; Doctor Bashir I Presume; Children of Time; A Call to Arms. It ends on a HUGE cliff-hanger and the follow-up episodes also are one of most entertaining episodes of the whole series. I truly love these occupation episodes of the station. Two more seasons to go….

Screencaps taken from: TrekCore