I'm just finishing up my re-watch of DS9. Meaning of course I watched up to the penultimate episode of Season 6, then watched Siege of AR-558, It's Only a Paper Moon, and a couple filler episodes that I like. I think most of us here will agree that the plot-advancing episodes of Season 7, and the last part of Season 6, became very retarded very quickly. But, while what needs to go is pretty clear, what would you replace it with? Some starting points:
>S6: Waltz
Sisko and Dukat stranded together is an excellent concept for an episode, and the first part of it is set up well. Even the second part could mostly be kept as-is, if the end of the episode includes a bit of self-awareness. Rather than it being nothing more than the baste black guy heroically outsmarting the crazy hallucinating evil alt-right bigot, make it more clear that all Sisko really did is exploit and manipulate a mentally ill man for his own indulgence, going far beyond what was necessary for him to secure his own safety. Also, when Sisko discovers that the beacon is really offline, it would be far more in-character for Dukat to off-handedly apologize, briefly explain his reasoning, then continue on with the conversation, instead of chimping out.
>You really must forgive my duplicity in this matter, Captain. But, I think we should consider this a blessing in disguise. If you had known the transmitter was off-line, we wouldn't be having this enlightening conversation right now.
<Sisko visibly prepared to nog rage
>Have no fear, captain. As soon as we have concluded our little chat, I fully intend to re-activate your transmitter, and your friends can pick you up in good time.
After he's gotten what he's needed, or it's clear that Sisko isn't talking, Dukat will activate the transmitter while Sisko sleeps, then leaves in the shuttle.
>S6: Reckoning
Remove this episode and replace it with some filler episode from the cutting room floor. Kosst Amojan is stupid, the anime-tier battle of the energy beams was stupid, there's nothing redeemable to be found in the script. The Pah-wraiths shouldn't appear at all after The Assignment. In fact, let's do a quick ctrl+f of The Assignment's script and replace pah-wraiths with pah-wraith, so that viewers assume there was only one pah-wraith, and it got killed by O'Brien at the episodes' end. Obviously, this means every S7 episode that includes the wraiths has to get deleted and re-written.
>muh Prophets episodes
Sisko isn't half-Prophet, that's retarded. Neither is he secretly the creation of a 1950s nigger fiction author. Although even without the Pah-wraiths, the Prophets should have some, albeit less major, role in the finale, as they are a major part of the series. A better way to do it would be to make it more about tensions between the wormhole ayys and secular concerns, i.e. Starfleet. Perhaps Starfleet admiralty would demand that if Sisko wants to keep his posting on DS9, he needs to renounce the title of Emissary and any relationship to the Prophets. When this conflict comes to a head, Sisko will eventually choose to resign his commission, finally stop being uncomfortable about his role as Emissary, and retire to a house/restaurant that he builds on Bajor.
>Klingons, Gowron, Martok, Worf
Gowron shouldn't suddenly start making reckless attacks and being retarded, as there's no need for Martok to replace him as Chancellor. Here's what I propose instead: the Sons of Mogh episode never happened, and Kern never got his memory wiped. He's slowly been working his way back to relevance, and has become one of Gowron's most trusted advisors, despite having no House of his own. Kern has a deep-seated resentment for Worf because of his selfish actions in The Way of the Warrior, in which he put his own honor before that of his family. The two have some nice arguments with one another about honor, duty, and other Klingon things. Eventually, as the season comes to an end, Worf comes to Gowron asking for forgiveness, and asks for him to restore the House of Mogh. But, there's one condition: Worf will renounce any claim he has to the house of Mogh, and Kern will reign as its leader. Worf, who by this point has been chastised by his brother, will agree, because he does not feel that he is worthy of father's name anymore. He keeps his position in the House of Martok. Kern will gain some grudging respect for his ex-brother, but there's still no love lost between them.
>Dukat
I'm not sure about this one. Perhaps, after seeing what the Dominion are doing to his own people, Dukat is the one to lead the Cardassian resistance rather than Damar?
