In 1999, Trek Nation's Greg Fuller said the series had been successful among its peers, writing: "Even when it became a near-serial show (usually, long-term serial shows are ratings disasters -- witness Babylon 5) airing in prime-time in less than 60 percent of the nation, DS9 managed well over a 4.0 average in its final two years. As a general rule, a syndicated show needs to maintain a 3.0 to be successful, DS9 always maintained that despite the strikes against it."[8]
In 2019, CBR rated all 31 seasons (across seven series at that time, including the first season of Star Trek: Discovery) of the Star Trek franchise, separately ranking each season of each series.[9] They rated Season 6 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the very best season of any Star Trek season up to that time.
CBR rankings
1 – Season 6
6 – Season 7
15 – Season 5
18 – Season 2
20 – Season 3
21 – Season 4
26 – Season 1
In 2016, The Washington Post called the Dominion war story arc in the later seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine possibly the "richest narrative" of the Star Trek universe.[10]
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 1". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 3, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 2". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 3". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 3, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 4". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 5". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 6". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Nielsen Ratings – Season 7". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2022.