Some of you have never watched DS9, and thus never transitioned from the idealistic liberalism of TNG to an incendiary resentment of the police state, liberal hypocrisy and imperialism, and it shows.

Section 31 was one of most important developments in Trek history because it acknowledged that nothing as powerful as the Federation could be as pure as it pretended to be. It ripped the idea of patriotism out from under one of DS9's most idealistic characters. It was perfect.

With the Jem'Hadar, DS9 nailed US militarism to the wall. "Obedience brings victory, and victory is life." That shit was chilling.

All depictions of police in the 20th and 21st centuries on DS9 are appropriately bleak, including that soul scarring shit that happens in Far Beyond the Stars. It took me actual time to recover from that episode. It's brilliant tho. Truly.

To folks who are wondering what the hell is going on with this thread: Hi, I'm Kelly. I'm an organizer, writer and prison abolitionist who occasionally goes off on tangents about how amazing Deep Space Nine was. Because it was fucking amazing.