Symptom 179: Way of The Warrior

Making the list at number four for the best episodes of Deep Space Nine is Way of the Warrior. This two parter makes the list for multiple reasons, the most important being that it is the soft reboot of the show and therefore essential viewing to have a proper context of what will follow in seasons four through seven. Beyond that though these episodes are fantastic examples of what DS9 was. This story is about Worf and how he resolves a conflict between his personal code of honor and his cultural code of honor. Placed in a spot where he has no way to choose a third option Worf selects his own personal honor over societal honor, and loses everything by doing so. What is different about DS9 from TOS or TNG is that DS9 simply shows you the moral dilemma and the characters choices, and allows you, the viewer, to decide what was the ethical choice. TNG or TOS would have taken a clear stance on what the only moral action was. Some people prefer the TNG/TOS stance to ethics, however many, myself included, believe that ethics is a fluid and shifting concept and that DS9’s nuanced. realistic and pragmatic approach to ethics is more useful in a discussion of the human condition. It is this approach that really separated DS9 from the other Star Trek iterations, more so than being serialized or having a war narrative. The ability to tell stories that allowed our heroes to act in shades of gray and let the viewer draw a moral conclusion rather than being dictated that conclusion, allowed for more depth of story telling.