Season 2

Disk 1, Episode 1 (420): The Homecoming

Art Of War	Background
Rating	Good
Relationship	Emissary Plotline, (“The Circle” Minor Story Arc)
Notes:	This story (and the whole “The Circle” story arc) ALMOST qualify as  “Deep Background”, and if I was being really cut-throat it probably would be, but it gives us Frank Langella in a great evil role, besides which this episode is really necessary to understand the next two episodes and they do give us some GREAT background Kira and other really important characters

Disk 1, Episode 2 (421): The Circle

Art Of War	Background (almost Recommended)
Rating	Good
Relationship	Emissary Plotline, (“The Circle” Minor Story Arc)
Notes:	Just like the previous story this could be classified as Deep Background, but I have to be honest, it has my Favorite Vedek Winn Quote of the whole series and so this one alone almost makes the “Recommended” list.  As a background story it helps to understand the relationship between Kira and Vedek Bareil, and truly let us know how self-serving Vedek Winn really is.

Disk 1, Episode 3 (422): The Siege

Art Of War	Background
Rating	Good
Relationship	Emissary Plotline, (“The Circle” Minor Story Arc)
Notes:	Just like the previous entries in this arc, this could be classified as Deep Background.  There is a bit of foreshadowing on how Sisko handles having to “leave” DS9 which will come into play during the Dominion War.  As an interesting counterpoint it also lets us know there are limits that even Vedek Winn won’t progress beyond.  Which will help explain her final actions in the final episode.

Disk 1, Episode 4 (423): Invasive Procedures

Art Of War	What is Brain?
Rating	Not so Good
Relationship	None
Notes:	So they really blew out the budget with the 3 story mini arc for starting the season and they needed to do a bottle episode, and this was not one of the better ones.  Oh it wasn’t bad but it didn’t do anything for me.

 

Disk 2, Episode 5 (424): Cardassians

Art Of War	Deep Background (bordering on Background)
Rating	Very Good (I’m biased, I like almost ANY Garak Story)
Relationship	Cardassian Story
Notes:	This one is interesting because it explores a bit more of the Garak character, who will come to be VERY important in the last two seasons of DS9, gives us a better view into Dukat’s mendacity, sets up the rivalry between Garak and Dukat, and most importantly gives us our first utterance of the Cardassian name for DS9: Terak Nor

 

Disk 2, Episode 6 (425): Melora

Art Of War	What is Brain?
Rating	Poor
Relationship	Nada, zilch
Notes:	Nothing to see here move along; you know a story is not good when the “B” story is much more interesting then the “A” story!

 

Disk 2, Episode 7 (426): Rules of Acquisition

Art Of War	Deep Background
Rating	Good
Relationship	Dominion (introduction)
Notes:	This is the first mention, by Name, of the Dominion, who and what they are is ambiguous at best

 

Disk 2, Episode 8 (427): Necessary Evil

Art Of War	Deep Background (Barely)
Rating	Good
Relationship	Odo Backstory – Odo / Kira relationship
Notes:	You can skip this one, but a good episode none the less, fills in some of the backstory about Odo, and sets up the dynamic between Odo and Kira

 

Disk 3, Episode 9 (428): Second Sight

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Good
Relationship	None
Notes:	An ok episode, but completely skippable from the aspect of the Dominion War.

 

Disk 3, Episode 10 (429): Sanctuary

Art Of War	Deep Background
Rating	Poor
Relationship	Dominion background
Notes:	Again we are told about the Dominion, but in this story you still can’t tell if they are “good” or “Bad”.  They have apparently over-thrown some dictatorial race that was enslaving some other civilizations, but still the people of this story are “fleeing”

 

Disk 3, Episode 11 (430): Rivals

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Poor
Relationship	Nada
Notes:	Skip with impunity

 

Disk 3, Episode 12 (431): The Alternate

Art Of War	Deep Background
Rating	Good
Relationship	Odo backstory
Notes:	You could probably skip this one, but some of the minor elements it introduces will come into play later.

 

Disk 4, Episode 13 (432): Armageddon Game

Art Of War	Deep Background
Rating	Very Good
Relationship	Bashir / Miles
Notes:	If you want to understand the relationship between Bashir and Miles this one should be watch…

 

Disk 4, Episode 14 (433): Whispers

Art Of War	What is brain?
Rating	Poor
Relationship	Nada
Notes:

 

Disk 4, Episode 15 (434): Paradise

Art Of War	What is brain?
Rating	Good
Relationship	Nada
Notes:	I like this one, just because I like the “moral” conundrum.  But I gotta tell you if I was one of the colonists there at the end, I would have run up begging to leave!

 

Disk 4, Episode 16 (435): Shadowplay

Art Of War	Background
Rating	Good
Relationship	Bajorian Story, (Personal Fontaine Backstory)
Notes:	Kira’s relationship with Vedek Bareil is explored here, and that will come in handy in subsequent episodes.  Also the Dominion is once again mentioned here, and though its nature could still be ambiguous, the first hint that maybe it isn’t a “good” is a distinct possibility. (also I have a personal backstory that I have invented that makes this story central to the introduction to Vic Fontaine)

 

Disk 5, Episode 17 (436): Playing God

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Poor
Relationship	None
Notes:	Neither A nor B story are worth anything to me

 

Disk 5, Episode 18 (437): Profit and Loss

Art Of War	Deep Background
Rating	Good
Relationship	Cardassian Society
Notes:	Watching this would be a good idea to see the continuing pressures that are being brought to bear upon the Cardassian Empire and its internal affairs.  This story line will be central later in the War, so understanding the crumbling of Cardassia is a good thing.  Besides it features Plain Old Simple Garak!

 

Disk 5, Episode 19 (438): Blood Oath

Art Of War	Deep Background (barely!)
Rating	Good
Relationship	Klingon
Notes:	I only include this one, because it accomplishes two things that will come into play later on.  First it shows us that Kor (the Klingon villain from TOS’s Errand of Mercy [Organia]), Kolath (The Trouble with Tribbles), and Kang (The Day of The Dove) are still alive and kicking.  Kor will return in later episodes during the Dominion war and you will want to see those, so you need to know the re-introduction of Kor. Secondly it shows us that “Dax” has a particular fondness for Klingons, and this helps to understand Jadzia-Dax’s relationship later on to Klingons in general, and Worf in particular.

 

Disk 5, Episode 20 (438): The Maquis: Part 1

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Not so good
Relationship	The Maquis
Notes:	Confession time: I really find the whole Maquis story arc to be a damned distraction!  It was only put in there so that Berman and Hackga (My name for Brannon Braga) could introduce the backstory for Voyager.  And it does Nothing for me, so I’m truly brutal when it comes to making any Maquis story part of the Dominion War Definitive Guide

 

Disk 6, Episode 21 (439): The Maquis- Part 2

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Not so good
Relationship	The Maquis
Notes:	Adds nothing to the Dominion War, skip with impunity

 

Disk 6, Episode 22 (440): The Wire

Art Of War	Required
Rating	Great
Relationship	Cardassian Backstory
Notes:	Again, this is rated so high because of my personal like for “Plain old simple Garak” stories, and this is the one that finally cracks the nut and begins to give Andrew Robinson center stage in the events to unfold.  I put this at required because some of the players and events introduced here will become central to later Dominion war events.

 

Disk 6, Episode 23 (441): Crossover

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Not So good
Relationship	None
Notes:	This is the Alternate Evil Universe,  This is a well that was fun to visit once, but they will go back and back to this well again and again anytime they need to shoot a bottle story.  I’d skip these if I were you!

 

Disk 6, Episode 24 (442): The Collaborator

Art Of War	Recommended
Rating	Good
Relationship	The Emissary Story Arc, Bajorian Religious Story
Notes:	This is a talky story, and has little to do with the Dominion War per se, but it allows us to understand how Vedek Winn, becomes Kai Winn, AND that will have some real impact in the final episode of the Series

 

Disk 7, Episode 25 (443): Tribunal

Art Of War	What is Brain
Rating	Good
Relationship	Chief O’Brian
Notes:	Good story, show a bit about Cardassian society, (Fritz Weaver is funny as a lawyer) but skip away

 

Disk 7, Episode 26 (444): The Jem'Hadar

Art Of War	All War, All the Time
Rating	Very Good
Relationship	The Dominion (introduction)
Notes:	Finally, since Moore and Behr gave Berman and Hackga their Maquis story line, they are given the freedom to truly begin the Dominion Arc in earnest! We get the First Skirmish in The War and the Federation comes out all the worse for the battle.  Maybe it’s because they didn’t send the enterprise with Picard, but a Galaxy Class Starship gets blown away!  Very powerful enemy!  Note a couple of things, the Vorta here has psychic powers; this “trait” of a Vorta never shows up again, and the Jem’Hadar are missing the Ketracel White feeder tube.  [Side Note, Berman and Hackga hated the Dominion Arc, but they were so busy working on Voyager and ST:Generations that they let More and Behr get on with the good story telling… Voyager vs. Dominion war… is it even a contest?]