Around 2020, a combination of more powerful consumer GPUs and mature AI upscaling algorithms (specifically Topaz Video AI) led to a boom in fan-made restorations. The most notable of these for DS9 is often referred to as the or the D-JPEG AI Upscale .
Why start with the worst season? Season 1 of DS9 is awkward. It is a station that doesn’t know if it wants to be Casablanca or TNG 2.0 . The lighting is flat, the Bajoran politics are clunky, and Sisko hasn’t shaved his head yet.