Far Beyond the Stars

This is a powerful hour of television that is certainly in my top five episodes that would be required viewing for any first time DS9 watcher. Not only do we get a sprinkling of humour in the banter between Douglas (Odo) and Herb (Quark) but we also get a true sense of what Star Trek is about, tackling the issues of now in a way that is not only science fiction but entertaining and if you’re not careful you may just learn a thing or two.

At no point in this episode do you feel that the issues of civil rights are being forced on you, rather you are encouraged to understand their point of view. Benny Russell will be back in the trio of eps at the start of the season seven, in the mental hospital he’s being transported to at the end of this episode.