Owen Williams, writing for "Empire" magazine, opines that "Star Trek" as a whole has been slow to adapt and develop to new trends, while singling out "Deep Space Nine" for special mention: "... arguably even the ace "DS9" only got good in response to "Babylon 5" ..." Adam Smith, chief features writer for "Empire" commented in a 2009 article that, "It's hard to choose the best episodes of "DS9" without mentioning the stories involving the Dominion War." He reported "", "In the Pale Moonlight" and "Far Beyond the Stars" as the features staff's favorite episodes for their portrayal of darker themes and creating a change in direction.