Deep Space Nine · S1 · E1–2
The Emissary
First aired January 3, 1993
In 2369, Cardassian forces finally withdraw from 70 years of Bajoran occupation -- leaving the planet, the people and an old orbiting mine station stripped and depleted.
Commentary
We now reach my personal favorite series: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, which will eventually feature Star Trek’s first significant attempt at serialized storytelling. Like other shows in the franchise, it has a slow start, but once it gets going it’s a real joy. To stay in the correct chronological order, we’ll be bouncing between TNG and DS9, and later DS9 and Voyager, with occasional minor tweaks to avoid interrupting story arcs in progress.
Why is this here?
DS9 pretty much works just fine in aired order without any need to be creative. This series ran, and took place concurrently, with both TNG and VOY. I tend to switch back and forth between them in the viewing guide based on airdates, but I do occasionally bend or break that to avoid interrupting a two-parter or a cohesive arc, especially as the physical distance between the two story settings means that adjusting slightly doesn’t cause continuity issues.