In a "reverse Riker", the hair came off and the main story really takes off in this season. You can tell by my speed watch list I compiled below. A lot of episodes are part of the main story; isolated episodes are increasingly rare interludes. But even most of the lighter interludes like the occasional comedy Ferengi story or *Our Man Bashir* are quite enjoyable. No episode in season two or three matched the greatness of *Duet* from back in season one, but this changes with this 4th season. A few episodes in this season are among the best episodes ever produced in the franchise. There's really only a few mediocre or bad episodes. This assessment is backed up by the average ratings of Trakt users. Only 5 episodes are ranked below the 75% mark. All previous seasons had about twice as many episodes below 75%. Thus, I'm confident to say that this 4th season is among the best seasons in the franchise ever. There's another way how to prove my point: Episode 4x10 is the first holo episode. Usually writers use holo episodes for some isolated diversion. Such episodes are often designed to experiment with the characters w/o the need to care too much about plausibility, science or over-arching story arcs. It's an easy and cost-effective way to tell little stories that often rely on stages appropriated from other shows or movies. Don't get me wrong, I like many holo episodes. At times, this felt like cheating though. They had to fill a 25 episodes season because that's what the networks paid for. DS9 writers didn't need to resort to a holo novel until this mid-show episode. They had more than enough great story ideas to make the real universe feel alive. Worf! I didn't know that the cast needed an addition, but Worf fits in wonderfully and offers opportunities to tell many interesting stories. Finally they also came up with a better Bashir. He still isn't exactly my favorite character but he finally appears in some memorable episodes. He's funny in his secret agent fantasy and he shines in *The Quickening* and in *The Hippocratic Oath*. It was perhaps always that simple: portray Julien as a good doctor and you're all set. And to my surprise he also quite works in a comedy setting like *Our man Bashir*. The last great character of the main story is Weyoun. I love him. He's a villain, he's a witty intellectual, he's a comedian. * :clown:My guilty pleasures: *Little Green Man*, *Our Man Bashir*, *Body Parts* * 👍Best episode: *Homefront/Paradise lost* (but that's a close call. *Visitor* is also great) * 👎 Worst episodes: *The Muse* * ⏩ Guide on how to speed watch the main story: *The Way of the Warrior, pt 1* → *The Way of the Warrior, pt 2* → *Hippocratic Oath* → *Homefront* → *Paradise Lost* → [*Return to Grace*] → [*Accession*] → *For the Cause* →*To the Death* → *Broken Link* * :black_heart: Benjamin, the Civil Rights leader watchlist: (Sadly there's no such episode. Watch *The Visitor* instead. That's the "blackest" episode this season. *Homefront/Paradise lost* isn't necessarily a "black" episode neither but it's kind of about civil rights.)

One of the best seasons of all of Star Trek. There isn´t a bad or weak episode. The continuity and complexity is outstanding and could only be achieved in the setting of a fixed location. Yet the show never became boring. They went to places, even back to earth. The depth of the characters is amazing and the writers added layer after layer. Everyone had an episode where he could shine. There is the right amount of action, fun, drama - it is well balanced. The storys were building on each other with an all encompassing storyline that connects the beginning with the end of the season which was rare at the time and not without risk. But when this season ends you know you haven´t reached the top of the mountain yet.

Worf is brought aboard Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in Season 4 as the series mixes things up, making the Klingons a bigger part of the series. Believing that the Cardassians have been infiltrated by the Dominion the Klingons declare war on them and break their treaty with the Federation when they refuse to join them, leading Captain Sisko to request the help of Commander Worf, who stays on as part of his crew. The addition of Michael Dorn to the cast brings a fresh new energy to the series, and the darker tone of the show proves to be a renaissance for the Worf character; allowing a deeper more nuanced exploration than TNG allowed. There are also some interesting developments with some of the supporting characters; including Gul Dukat finding a long lost daughter, Rom quitting his brother’s bar, and the O’Briens having another child. Full of exciting adventures and compelling storytelling, Season 4 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the best season of the series so far.