Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 27 - Necessary Evil

"Necessary Evil" is a wonderful episode of Deep Space Nine. Peter Allan Fields shows that he is the premiere writer for the show, especially for Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and Kira (Nana Visitor). He knows their characters so well. He has an ear for dialogue, the plot is wonderful, and the mystery is intriguing. Everything comes together to make one stellar episode. If "Duet" is the heart of the show, "Necessary Evil" showcases the soul. The friendship between Kira and Odo is one of the cornerstones.

Quark (Armin Shimmerman) is hired by Vaatrik Pallra (Katherine Moffat) to go into her dead husband's old store back on Deep Space Nine and find a box that is hidden there. Quark, being the greedy soul that he is, opens it, and is shot for his trouble. Vaatrik knew he would do it and sent somebody to watch him. Thanks to Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), Quark is saved, and Odo begins an investigation into what happened. Rom (Max Grodenchik) leads Odo to the chemist's shop, which takes Odo back to the Cardassian occupation. Vaatrik's husband had been murdered and Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) asks Odo to find out who did it. Kira is one of the main suspects, but she has an alibi. A murder from five years ago may reach forward to the present and destroy a friendship.

I normally don't talk about the direction of an episode, though Deep Space Nine usually has a talented director at the helm. This time, though, I have to. James L. Conway does a masterful job with the transitions between the present day and the past, especially the first. When Odo opens the door to the abandoned chemist's shop, the scene suddenly changes time periods as the door opens. It's a masterful shot, and most of the other transitions are almost as good. The set design is also wonderful, this being the first time we've seen the station as it was under the occupation. Everything is dark, the mood is depressing, armed guards are everywhere and the Bajorans walk around like a beaten people. The camera work is great, capturing all this in the background even as the foreground has a standard questioning scene. It's all wonderfully done.

Enough can't be said about the strength of the story or the dialogue either. The main episode (after the teaser) begins with a wonderful security log entry by Odo, where he goes on about humanity's obsession with keeping records and him saying that Starfleet doesn't trust his "fully adequate" memory to suffice. He then makes his entry. "Everything's under control. End entry." It's a great laugh, but also a great device to get Odo's thoughts across to the viewer as he investigates this murder that's clawed at his mind for the last five years. The scenes with Rom & Quark (and later, Rom & Odo) are funny in their own way, but they don't really fit the tone of the episode. Rom's going back and forth between fear for his brother and fear that his brother won't die (he'll inherit the bar if Quark dies) are very amusing, and would work better in a different episode. They're a little too slapstick for this one, though they do break the tension a little bit. We also (*shudder*) get to hear Rom scream a few times. Definitely not a plus.

That would be the only misstep, though. Odo gets to demonstrate his observational skills (did he take a few lessons from Sherlock Holmes?) as he deduces when people are lying to him. His investigation on the station five years ago was very thorough and he faces the pressure from Dukat to find the name of the murderer as soon as possible. The dialogue between Dukat and Odo is almost perfect, with Alaimo being his normally smarmy self. Auberjonois also plays the scenes with Dukat perfectly, but he is definitely at his strongest when he's compared to his present-day self. Currently, he's confident and direct. Back then, he wasn't sure of himself, making his way on the station by settling petty disputes for the Bajoran slaves. He speaks a bit hesitantly, he looks down a lot, he's unsure of everything. It's completely unclear why Dukat would pick him for this job, as it's obvious that he's lying when he gives his reasons. We do find out at the end why he would, and the revelation is marvelous.

Even better are the scenes between Odo and Kira. Their friendship has often been portrayed in previous episodes, but it's never been a centerpiece. It's the glue that's held them together but it's never been the basis for a show. This time, however, it's showcased. When this murder comes to the foreground again, she's obviously uncomfortable around it. She's by the book whenever she's with Odo. The final scene between them is simply the best scene since "Duet."

The other characters don't have much to do, but that's ok. They get a token scene, but none of them are gratuitous. The only one we don't see is O'Brien, but that's because there was no need for him to get involved. The doctor has to take care of Quark, Odo has to ask Sisko (Avery Brooks) for permission to have Vaatrik brough on to the station. They each play their parts and then get out of the way. Quark is put to his best use in a long while as the catalyst that brings it all together (though you would think he'd have a breaking and entering charge against him when he woke up).

This is simply a beautiful episode from start to finish. The only problem is that there is no fallout from this episode in subsequent episodes. Still, that's not a strike against this one. Sparkling dialogue, excellent sets and costumes, direction, acting. You name it, this episode has it. And best of all, you don't really need to know anything about the show to enjoy it. This is one of the best Deep Space Nine episodes ever.

Memorable Quotes:

Rom: "Wait a minute! You're not suggesting that I…"
Odo: "I've had my eye on you for a long time, Rom. You're not as stupid as you look."
Rom: "I am too!"

Dukat: "Have you ever seen a dead man before?"
Odo: "Yes. In your mines."
Dukat (scoffing): "Oh, those are *casualties*. This…is murder."

5 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 26 - Rules of Acquisition

I'm not a big fan of Ferengi episodes. Some of them are funny, but a lot of them are lame attempts at humour that just don't work. The first Deep Space Nine Ferengi episode, "The Nagus," actually was quite good. However, the more the Nagus (Wallace Shawn) comes back, the more grating he is. This, coupled with Quark (Armin Shimmerman) acting like he's in love with no real indication of how he got there, knocks a couple of points off. Thankfully, "Rules of Acquisition" was a lot better than I had remembered it.

During a game of Tongo with Dax (Terry Farrell) and a bunch of Quark's Ferengi waiters, a young Ferengi named Pel (Helene Udy) brings himself to Quark's attention. He's fluent in the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, which govern all Ferengi business practices. Their game is interrupted by news that Grand Nagus Zek is coming to the station. Zek is holding trade negotiations on the station with the Dosi, and he wants Quark to run these negotiations. This will give the Ferengi a great presence in the Gamma Quadrant. Pel insinuates himself into the negotiations by giving Quark some great advice, and Quark asks Pel to be his assistant. Unbeknownst to Quark (or anybody else for that matter), Pel is actually a female! Ferengi women are not allowed to leave the home or wear clothing, and they're certainly not allowed to acquire profit. Pel is determined to change that, even if she has to masquerade as a man to do it. Unfortunately, she finds herself falling in love with Quark, a complication she hadn't intended on.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I actually enjoyed this episode, because I did not have good memories of it. However, this time there were no really offensive parts (offensive to my sense of humour, if not to my morality) other than seeing a close-up of Zek's ear hair being combed. I could have done without that. Hell, we don't even get any Ferengi screaming! There is some laughter, however, that felt like fingernails on a blackboard.

What we got instead was an examination of gender roles in Ferengi society and Quark learns a lesson. Except for the fact, of course, that he *doesn't* actually learn it, but that's beside the point. The whole thing is almost offensive in itself, but Dax's acceptance of (and actual affection for) the Ferengi as they are mitigates that a little bit. As in the quote below, she knows how they are and deals with them like that. I think she enjoys the attention and enjoys the interplay between them.

The acting is pretty good too, though nothing stellar. Shawn has his moments as Zek, but I did find him a lot more annoying this time around. Actually, he's at his best when his voice lowers and he is threatening somebody. When he's talking normally, he's almost so shrill that it hurts my ears. The final confrontation between Pel, Quark, and Zek is wonderful because of that. The two Dosi, Zyree and Inglotu (Emilia Crow and Brian Thompson) are pretty good, if a little too thug-like. (Fans of The X-Files will recognize Thompson as the Alien Bounty Hunter) Udy is actually pretty good, as it's sometimes hard to tell that she is a woman when she's got her full male Ferengi make-up on. She lowers her voice quite effectively. She also shows that she's in love quite well, with lingering glances at Quark.

The rest of the characters on the show get little or nothing to do. The scene where Zek first comes on the station is marvelous with Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Kira (Nana Visitor) requesting Zek's assurance that the Dosi will not be cheated. Sisko shows he has the mind of a Ferengi in backing Zek into a corner. However, this scene produces the sub-plot of Zek pursuing Kira, which doesn't lead anywhere interesting (other than producing Dax's line quoted at the end of this review). It's too obvious and not well-played at all by either Visitor or Shawn.

There is one thing that I found fascinating however, especially coming immediately after the "please hit me on the head with your message" episode Melora. In "Rules of Acquisition," we have a very effective indication that homosexuality is widely accepted in the 24th century. Dax realizes that Pel is in love with Quark and talks to her about it. She *then* finds out that Pel is a woman. The fact that Dax doesn't even bat an eyelash about Pel's feelings when she thinks Pel is a man speaks volumes and is a much more subtle morality statement then a bludgeoning episode like TNG's "The Outcast." Kudos to the writers for putting this in.

This episode also introduces the concept of the Dominion, which will have far-reaching effects on the show. We don't see the Dominion in action, but we get a sense of just how far the Dominion's reach goes, as the Dosi give Quark a link to them. Right now, there's no hint as to what they are. They could just be a trading consortium of some sort. But I do remember my alarm bells going off when I first saw this episode.

The main problem with "Rules of Acquisition," however, is Quark, or at least his abrupt feelings for Pel. He's clearly uncomfortable when Pel reveals herself to him, and he's clearly against everything that Pel has done to make herself noticed. I can understand Quark defending Pel to Zek, but the ending of the episode just doesn't to make sense. He acts like he has feelings for Pel when there's no way they could have developed that quickly. Unless, of course, we're seeing that Quark swings from that side of the fence too, which we haven't seen any sign of and never will again. I just found the whole thing unbelievable.

All in all, "Rules of Acquisition" is an enjoyable fluff episode. It doesn't say much, despite the fact that it deals with gender issues. Instead, it's a comedy that mostly works, or at least doesn't offend. I didn't laugh very much, but I did chuckle now and again. Is that all we can ask?

Memorable Quotes
"They're greedy, misogynistic, untrustworthy little trolls and I wouldn't turn my back on one of them for a second."

"Neither would I. But once you accept that, you'll find they can be a lot of fun." Kira & Dax, about the Ferengi

"You're…starting to *annoy* me." Inglotu to Quark, echoing the audience, perhaps?

4 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 25 - Melora

After the wonderful Cardassians, you would think that Deep Space Nine was on an upswing. Unfortunately, that would not be true. "Melora" has to be the worst episode of the series so far, worse than Q-Less, and that's saying something! This episode is so bland and boring that I couldn't even find a quote for the end of this review. A couple of Quark's (Armin Shimmerman) lines come close to being quote-worthy, but they're too long. "Melora" contains the three killer B's: Bad Acting, Bad Dialogue and Bad Plotting. Put this mish-mash together and you get the fourth killer B: plain, simple, Badness.

A new cartographer is coming to the station on a mapping mission to the Gamma Quadrant. Her name is Melora (Daphne Ashbrook), and she's from the low-gravity planet of Elaysia. Because of this, when she's in normal gravity, she must use a wheelchair and leg supports if she's walking. She also comes bearing an enormous chip on her shoulder because she's tired of everybody trying to make special allowances for her. She's the stereotypical "handicapped person with an attitude" that we've seen in all of those "the disabled are people too" after school specials. She bristles when Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) won't let her pilot a runabout by herself, despite the fact that no newly assigned ensign would be allowed to do it. She does form a special relationship with Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), though, which quickly blossoms to romance. When Bashir discovers that there may be a way to make Melora able to walk without help, she has a dilemma.

Meanwhile, Quark is confronted by an old "friend" (Peter Crombie) who he sold out to the Romulans eight years ago. Now Fallit Kot is back to exact his revenge. Much Ferengi whining ensues, though thankfully there is no screaming. I think I would have put my foot through my 47" widescreen TV if I had to put up with more of that.

"Melora" is not of the "so bad it's funny" vein of television shows. No, it's just bad. Some shows take themselves so seriously and try so hard to be "relevant" that they make a mockery of themselves. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when it first came out, I'm sure was intended to be a serious movie, but we now laugh at it. We don't laugh at "Melora," though. We resent the 45 minutes we spent with it. The writers go through every disabled cliche; in the book: Melora attacks everybody to keep anybody from getting too close. Dr. Bashir forces her to see that being dependent on somebody is not a bad thing. Dr. Bashir falls in love with his patient (thankfully, though, he waits until she's not his patient to do so, but then he becomes her doctor again when he begins the treatments to make her walk). The Quark story doesn't suffer as much as the Melora story, but it too is fairly standard stuff. Odo (Rene Auberjonois) gets to make some "I don’t like Quark" jokes, in which Auberjonois appears to just go through the motions. There's really not a lot of substance in any of these.

The story also has a couple of incidents of questionable morality. First, there's Melora's decision about Bashir's treatment. I couldn't believe that Bashir would even offer to change who Melora fundamentally is. The low-gravity existence is part of being an Elaysian. Sure, being able to walk while she's in Starfleet would make her life a little bit easier. But she would effectively be cutting off her entire world, her entire heritage. It would be like asking a Vulcan to give up logic so he can better relate to the humans he's going to be working with. It's just ridiculous.



[MAJOR SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH] The second issue is a combination of this episode and the series itself. When Melora ultimately decides not to go ahead with the treatments, Bashir looks completely crestfallen. The final scene has an uncomfortable moment at dinner between Bashir and her, where Bashir apparently struggles to be affectionate to her, the disappointment all over his face. While that could usually be explained as a temporary thing and he'd get over it, the fact that she's never even referred to again says a lot about Bashir that I don't necessarily like. I'm sure it wasn't intentional on the production side of the story, but the way El Fadil played it combined with that fact was actually quite repugnant.
[END OF SPOILER]

The acting in the episode ranges from passable to atrocious. Crombie is pretty wooden and Ashbrook tries way too hard. El Fadil doesn't have much to play off of, which makes him come off pretty badly too. The zero-gravity scene in Melora's quarters, while it's supposed to be romantic and touching, comes off as very flat. The rest of the cast phones it in too. When even Auberjonois looks bored, you know there's a problem. Wait. Nana Visitor, as Kira, delivers her two lines fairly well, so I shouldn't leave her out. Her "aye, sir" and "the ship [I can't remember its name – Dave] has docked" were well-done. I think she's probably glad she didn't have much to do. Oh, and Ron Taylor is wonderful as the Klingon chef. He does play the role with some gusto.

That's about it. This episode has a couple of inadvertently offensive aspects, but everything else is just bland and boring. After such a wonderful high in the last episode, somebody should have warned them about that cliff they were about to fall off of. Hopefully, the next episode will be better. There's nowhere to go but up.

1 Star

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 24 - Cardassians

One of the horrors of war is the effect it has on the children involved. Innocent children who have done nothing wrong but are scarred for life anyway. When the war is over, what happens to the children left behind? In "Cardassians," we have a story that starts out being about that concept. It eventually becomes a Cardassian political episode, but it still brings to light the issue of the many Cardassian children left behind on Bajor when the Cardassians withdrew. It's an outstanding episode with no "good" or "bad" side (except Dukat, of course, who usually has something up his sleeve). I do wish more had been done about the issue itself, but that's a small quibble. The episode also marks the return of Garak (Andrew Robinson) in a wonderful showcase.

Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) and Garak are having lunch at the Replimat when a Bajoran man and a Cardassian boy walk in. Garak tries to say a friendly hello and the boy, Rugal (Vidal Peterson), responds by biting him on the hand. Very soon after this is reported to Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks), Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) is calling from the Cardassian High Command asking about the incident. Sisko and Bashir investigate if there has ever been any mistreatment of the boy by his adoptive Bajoran parents, and in the meantime Rugal stays with Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and his family. Bashir and Garak continue their investigations, discovering that Rugal is not a war orphan after all, but the long lost son of a Cardassian politician (Robert Mandan). Why is Dukat so interested in the plight of war orphans? What could it get him? Bashir and Garak have to figure it all out while Rugal gets stuck in the middle of a political power play.

"Cardassians" is an outstanding episode for one basic reason: the acting. Bringing together the likes of Andrew Robinson and Marc Alaimo seems to draw out the best in Brooks and Fadil. Meaney's always good, of course, and the other guest stars do an acceptable job as well. Robinson and Alaimo light up the screen, though. Garak is the ultimate game player, never wanting to reveal his cards too early. He leads Bashir around by the nose and Bashir is hopelessly outclassed. Robinson plays Garak with relish, with an almost permanent smile on his face as if he's enjoying one of the best jokes in the world.

However, he can get a bit uncomfortable, such as when they are visiting a Bajoran orphanage and he's confronted by some real Cardassian orphans. His brusque dismissal of the girl who asks if he's come to take them home shows this. Alaimo, on the other hand, is at his malevolent best, with oily opportunism seeping from every utterance. Considering that all of his scenes except the last one are on the viewscreen, and thus must have been acted against a blue screen of some sort, he does an exceptional job.

The rest of the guest cast do ok, though they aren't stellar. Robert Mandan (of the television show Soap does a remarkable dramatic job, though he does appear to be forcing it a little in his initial meeting with O'Brien before seeing his son for the first time. The same goes for Terrence Evans as Rugal's adopted father. Overall he's fine, but he occasionally goes a little too far, especially when his hatred of Cardassians is being highlighted. Poor Dion Anderson, as the alien who brings Rugal's family to the station, does an ok job with a limited role, but the makeup must not like him. He's doomed to wear the underside of a penis on his head, and it doesn't look good on him.

I have to give credit to the writers as well. The dialogue, especially between Bashir and Garak, is simply wonderful. Granted, some of that is due to the actors, but in this case they don't have to make a bad script look good. There are bits and pieces here that don't work, such as the above mentioned meeting with the orphans that doesn't go anywhere, but overall it's top notch.

The script is at times poignant (such as O'Brien's talk with Rugal about Cardassians and how you can't hate an entire race) and at times funny (when Bashir interrupts Sisko's conversation with Dukat to ask about leaving the orphans behind), with just the right mix. As usual, Garak gets the best lines, though Sisko has a few too. When Bashir wakes Sisko up in the dead of night to ask for a runabout to take Garak to Bajor, and then proceeds to tell Sisko that Garak won't tell him why, Sisko sarcastically says "will one be enough?"

"Cardassians" builds on the mystery of Garak, as it establishes that Garak and Dukat hate each other, but it doesn't tell us why. That's one of the things I love about this series. We're give storylines that won't necessarily be played out in one hour. Boiled down to its basics, this story is about Garak and Dukat, with the Deep Space Nine crew being manipulated into following along. Sisko even admits that he feels this in a log entry. While some crewmembers are heavily involved, it's not really about them. What other Trek show would make a story that's mainly about two guest characters? Very impressive.

There are a couple of quibbles with the episode, but these in no way bring it down in my eyes. First, there is an effective scene that reiterates O'Brien's feelings about Cardassians after fighting them for years. He comes into his quarters and finds out that Rugal and Molly played together, and he's incensed. He makes a vicious comment that Keiko (Rosalind Chao) calls him on. Later, O'Brien is very tender with Rugal trying to get to the bottom of Rugal's feelings about his own people. It seemed like a very quick turnaround to me, despite the earlier dinner scene where they were united in disgust at the Cardassian stew that Keiko made. I realize why the scene was put in (it would have looked very weird not acknowledging his prejudice), but I think the latter scene could have been played better.

The other issue is the orphans. Their meeting with Garak seems to imply that something is going to happen, but the story stays a political story between two Cardassians and the orphan issue is never addressed. I liked the ending of the episode, which shows the Cardassian reluctance to deal with the issue, but it jarred with the way the meeting scene played out.

Overall, this is a massive step up over the last two episodes. These are the kinds of episodes Deep Space Nine did best. Bajoran and Cardassian politics were a rich mine of stories, and when the show played to its strengths, it was a winner. Well-acted, well-written, this episode was one of the best of the second season.

Memorable Quote:

"I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen every day. But I don't trust coincidences." Garak

5 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 23 - Invasive Procedures

For some strange reason, whenever Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has an episode about Dax (Terry Farrell), the character herself is marginalized. "Invasive Procedures" marks the second episode where this has happened. Of course, this doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the episode (in some cases, it may heighten it because Farrell's acting can be spotty), but it is curious. The "Circle" trilogy ended on a flat note, so could "Invasive Procedures" bring it back up to the respectable level that we expect from this show? Unfortunately, no. I remember hating this episode when I first saw it, but watching it again has caused me to re-think it. Instead of being a waste of celluloid, it's just a very problematic episode with some good scenes that are pretty much wasted.

A plasma storm is sweeping through the area of space where the station floats, requiring that most of the crew be evacuated and the station be operated by a skeleton crew. Of course, that skeleton crew consists of all the regulars and nobody else, but at least they had Jake leave (that would have really stretched it). Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and O'Brien (Colm Meaney) are sweeping the docking area when they happen upon Quark (Armin Shimmerman) in an airlock. He claims he's pining for his brother and while Odo scoffs, they don't really do anything about it. Bad mistake.

A ship hails the station with a distress call, and when O'Brien and Odo go to meet it, they are swiftly overpowered by a raiding party of two Klingons, a Trill, and another humanoid. The crew is swiftly overpowered and subsequently finds that the Trill, Verad (John Glover) intends to steal the Dax symbiont from Jadzia, which would end up killing her. While Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) initially refuses to do the procedure, Jadzia insists that he do so to prevent anybody else from getting hurt. Once Verad gets the symbiont, Sisko (Avery Brooks) has to race against time to stop him and retrieve Dax before it's too late.

This episode suffers from one almost catastrophic failure: what Quark did is almost unforgivable. Kira (Nana Visitor) at least addresses the issue while they're all waiting in Ops for word about how Jadzia and Verad are doing (she tells him that no matter what happens, Quark is through on the station), but it's never addressed again. There's no way that the show is going to get rid of one its major characters, which means that there will be no repercussions. He does help in the resolution of the whole situation, but given the fact that they wouldn't be in it if it wasn't for him would seem to work against forgiving him, at least to the extent they seem to. And just to add insult to injury, in the execution of Quark's plan to save everybody, we get to hear more Ferengi screaming. Twice. Oh , joy.

The other problem with the episode is that it's predictable and, well, kind of dull. It's so predictable that even the characters can see the future. Sisko tells Mareel (Megan Gallagher) that Verad will change once he's joined. He won't be the same man. She denies it, saying that while he will be more confident, he will still be essentially the same man. Then, of course, she's proven wrong in scene after scene, and we get to see her face fall lower and lower. We got lots of Klingon yelling at people, which is to be expected when they show up (and so welcome, too!). There are barely any scenes in this episode that aren't telegraphed a mile away.

The guest cast is up and down. They are mostly competent, but only Glover excels in his role. He plays the two Verads (the weaker, hesitant one pre-Dax and the stronger, self-assured one post-joining) very well. He also plays the joining scene superbly too. You see him almost afraid, shivering. Then he's in pain as the symbiont is put into his stomach area. Then the look of ecstasy and enlightenment when the joining finally begins. Also of note is his passion when he talks about how he felt slighted when the Symbiosis Commission turned him down for joining. "They reduced my entire life to one word: 'unsuitable'." All in all, it's a great performance by Glover.

Tim Russ plays the main Klingon, and he's almost unrecognizable (he later went on to play Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager, for the two or three of you reading this review who didn't know that). I thought he was doing a fabulous job losing himself in the role, and then I decided that he was playing it way too *loud*. He was almost shouting all of his lines, and we have seen Klingons before who don't do that. I think he was trying a bit too hard. Then there's Steve Rankin as the Klingon, Yeto (what a…non-Klingon name you've got there). His performance is pretty bad, especially his scene with Quark where he keeps saying "You stupid Ferengi!" Couldn't this scene have been jettisoned out into the plasma storm?

There is one scene (or two scenes, I guess, but they go together) that make this episode, though. Right before Bashir removes the symbiont from Jadzia, they share a quiet moment where Bashir apologizes to her and reassures her that he will do whatever he can for her. Then, when she wakes up after the surgery, Farrell plays the scene wonderfully. She feels empty, alone (she's had the symbiont for over two years now) and desperately scared. Bashir does his best to reassure her. These are two beautifully acted scenes.

Brooks also does well in his scenes with Verad, where he's trying to convince Verad to put the symbiont back. He's laughing and cutting up with Verad, trying to show Mareel just how different Verad is now that he's joined, and then tries to convince Verad. When that doesn't work, Brooks delivers his lines with the venom of a man who's just lost his best friend, murdered and taken over by the man standing in front of him. It's very nicely done.

Ultimately, an episode like this lives and dies by the quality of the acting involved. The story is hindered by the "idiot plot" syndrome, which requires the characters to act like morons in order for the episode to proceed. Thus, the actors have to carry it. Unfortunately, they don't. With the exception of a few scenes (mostly what I've already mentioned), they walk through the episode like they know it's just a placeholder for something more interesting coming up (at least I hope it's coming up). Let's hope that something is the next episode, because this one just doesn't cut it.

Note: There is a groan-worthy in-joke in this episode if you're a Star Trek fan. Verad and Sisko are reminiscing about their past and one of them mentions "The Cliffs of Bole." Cliff Bole, of course, has directed many, many, *many* Star Trek episodes. I did almost groan when I heard it.

Memorable Quote:

"I know. I know. He couldn't find a cup of water if you dropped him in a lake." - Quark (about Rom)

3 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 22 - The Siege

It's Star Trek tradition that the last part of a two-part story is going to stink. The trilogy that opened the second season of Deep Space Nine started out so wonderfully, with two great episodes. The conclusion had a lot to live up to. Would it be able to? Sadly, "The Siege" falls short, even more so because the setup was so outstanding. "The Siege" suffers from some overacting, some faulty plot logic, and a pedestrian feel. It certainly has its good moments, but what a letdown.

Having been ordered to abandon Deep Space Nine by the Federation, Sisko (Avery Brooks) is determined to get the information that the Cardassians are behind the Circle's coup attempt to the Bajoran Chamber of Ministers. With communications cut off, Sisko orders Kira (Nana Visitor) and Dax (Terry Farrell) to find another way down to Bajor. There are old Bajoran fighters abandoned on a Bajoran moon, and Kira asks to be dropped off there.

Meanwhile, the evacuation of non-essential personnel begins, but Quark (Armin Shimmerman) is his usual greedy self and starts selling seats on the departing runabouts, causing massive crowds at the docking bays. He's burned by his own brother, however, who has sold his seat to a Dabo girl and left Quark stranded on the station. With the Bajoran army coming to the station, can Sisko and his crew hold them off and keep them guessing long enough for Kira to accomplish her mission and end the coup?

"The Siege" suffers in many of the areas where the previous two episodes ("The Homecoming" and "The Circle") was strongest. The first two were very politically heavy with a nice action sequence to sweeten the pot. "The Siege" is mostly action with a little bit of politics. Some of the action is good (the sequence on the Bajoran flyer with Kira and Dax was quite good, both in dialogue and action), but a lot of it seemed inconsequential. I know there was a point to it within the story, but to the viewer it seemed extraneous. Worse yet, it was boring. I know that Sisko didn't want to hurt any Bajorans, but the phasers do have stun settings, you know. The fact that they couldn't hit anything was really strange. The fact that they missed so badly was even worse. There also didn't seem to be much tension during the battle scenes. Each person would calmly peer out over his/her cover, fire a shot that missed by 10 feet, then hunker down again. Am I supposed to enjoy this?

Warning: Fanboy paragraphs ahead!
Then there is a plot hole that almost sinks the entire episode, though this is really only a plot hole if you follow Star Trek, so you might not care. It speaks to the internal consistency of the show. Two years before this episode originally aired, Next Generation aired "Redemption," a two-part episode about a Klingon civil war. Captain Picard stated that they could not get involved in the civil war because of the Prime Directive preventing the Federation from involving itself in internal conflicts (which didn't really fit my definition of the Prime Directive anyway, but that's neither here nor there). However, they were able to involve themselves in the prevention of the Romulans from supplying the conspirators, even going so far as to destroy the conspiracy by exposing the Romulans as the strength behind the coup.

Now, two years later, Sisko and company are ordered off the station by the Federation because the conflict on Bajor is an internal conflict. When Sisko tells the admiral that the Cardassians are supplying the coup, the admiral asks if the Bajorans are aware of this. When Sisko says no, that he hasn't been able to get the information to the Bajorans because communications are cut off, the admiral says that since the conspiracy is internal, then it is an internal matter and the Prime Directive applies. Huh? This is the complete opposite of what happened before, and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Granted, this is a problem with "The Circle", but since it was put in that episode to set this episode up, I'll blame this one instead.
End of Fanboy paragraph

He doesn't even look good in this role

The plot was fairly standard and thus not that interesting, but sometimes that can be saved by good acting. Was it here? Well, no, not really. The regulars are fine (Visitor and Farrell are great, especially their banter when they're trying to get the fighter to fly), but surprisingly the guest cast lets the episode down a little bit. Some are criminally under-used (Beymer is great, but he only has two real scenes, not counting being included in some of the action). Louiser Fletcher is also almost non-existent as Vedek Winn, as is Philip Anglim as Bareil. Langella as Minister Jaro is almost comatose. He was mumbling a lot in the first two episodes, but he carried such power and menace that it almost added to the atmosphere. In "The Siege," he's sleep-walking. Steven Weber is over the top as Colonel Day. He shouts almost everything and overplays the arrogance that the character is supposed to have so much that it made me cringe whenever he opened his mouth. He also struts around a lot, much more than the character really called for. He was probably the weakest of the bunch.

There are some great scenes amidst the dross, though. Beymer is riveting in his scene at the docking bays. Sisko and Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) are having trouble keeping the crowds away because the runabouts are already full but more and more Bajorans are trying to get off the station. Beymer cuts through all that with a lovely speech ("Where are you running to?") and that calms them all down. Also, the scene between Miles (Colm Meaney) and Keiko (Rosalind Chao) is great as Keiko questions why Miles has to stay behind and help fight for the station instead of being with his family. The painful choice that Miles has to make when all that Keiko wants is for her family to be safe and together is wonderfully acted by both of them. Finally, the scene that produces the quote at the beginning of this review is also great. Brooks and Beymer play off each other beautifully, and we see again how uncomfortable Li Nalas is with the status that normal Bajorans have given him. He's a man who doesn't want all the attention and the power that would be his for taking if he wasn't so mild-mannered.

Sadly, though, this scene leads to the predictable ending of the episode. Anybody who didn't see it coming a mile away wasn't watching very closely. In fact, that's one of the major problems with the episode. It's predictable. It's rather dull, despite all the phaser blasts, and the acting doesn't help matters at all. The first two episodes were so good, making this even more of a letdown than it would be normally. It's certainly an ok episode, fine for blowing away 45 minutes of your time and you won't regret it, but it's not one to sit down and make time for.

What a missed opportunity.

Memorable Quotes:

"I'd die for my people." Li Nalas

"Sure you would. Dying gets you off the hook. The question is, are you willing to live for your people? Live the role they want you to play?" Sisko

3 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 21 - The Circle

(this review contains some spoilers for the first episode in the trilogy, "The Homecoming")

The middle part of any trilogy is usually the weakest of the bunch. It doesn't have the explosive beginning and it doesn't have the riveting ending. Instead, it's a transition, where things start to go even worse for the good guys. Star Trek has a reputation for having lackluster endings to its two-part episodes, but it's never had a trilogy before, so this was unexplored territory. Like a trooper, though, Deep Space Nine follows through with a solid outing that continues the trend of good episodes.

In "The Homecoming", Major Kira (Nana Visitor) rescued Li Nalas (Richard Beymer), a Bajoran Resistance hero, from a Cardassian prison camp, hoping that he could lead Bajor through the dark times that a radical group called the Circle was bringing about. Li claimed not to be the man that everybody thought he was, but Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) convinced him that he could be that man. The episode ended with Li Nalas replacing Kira as Sisko's first officer.

As "The Circle" begins, Kira is trying to discover her place in the new regime. As she tries to pack and her friends try to convince her to fight for her job, Vedek Bereil (Philip Anglim) comes to her quarters and asks her to stay at the monastery. Meanwhile, the door to Sisko's quarters has been vandalized with the sign of the Circle, indicating that they can go anywhere on the station. Quark (Armin Shimmerman) has some important information for Odo (Rene Auberjonois) about who is supplying the Circle with weapons as the violence spills into the streets. With Kira trying to relax and "be useless for awhile" and Sisko trying everything he can to get her back, the Circle tightens its noose. Revolution is coming to Bajor, and there may not be room for the Federation after it's finished.

While the teaser is positively chilling with the sign of the Circle on Sisko's door, the opening scene after the credits is simply priceless. Kira is trying to pack and one after another of her friends comes to see her. Odo is after her to fight for her position, Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) is trying to figure out what is going on and just wants to say goodbye, and everybody else just makes the situation even more chaotic. It makes Bereil's entrance even more effective and startling. It's a wonderfully played scene by Visitor and the others, and Angelim brings a wonderful serenity to his role as Bereil. In fact, Angelim is outstanding throughout the episode, contrasting the intensity of the action and emotion with his detachment, even as he fights his growing attraction to Kira. The scenes between Kira and Bereil simply crackle with potential energy, just waiting to be released.

Which brings me to another great guest-starring turn, by Louise Fletcher. She hasn't changed since "In the Hands of the Prophets". In fact, her words and tone of voice are dripping with even more malevolence. The scene where she interrupts Bereil and Kira as they discuss their orb visions is simply wonderful. Fletcher is a veteran, and she brings the wonderful smarminess to the role of Vedek Winn that she brought to Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She only has two scenes in this episode, but they are both intense.

Which brings us to Minister Jaro (Frank Langella, uncredited). What a guest cast they have brought together for this trilogy! They all bring class and style to their roles, with Langella being one of the best. He has a quiet menace to him, especially once his secret is revealed. The only problem is, once again, he seems to mumble. I'm not sure what it is, but when I can hear everybody else but not him, it's not a good thing. Still, subtitles fix that and he is otherwise fantastic.

I can also say the same for Richard Beymer. Li's very uncomfortable in his role as Sisko's first officer, and he's especially nervous with the status that Bajor has given him. "I don't even know what a Navarch (the title they have given him) does." When he's forced to command, he asks Dax (Terry Farrell) for advice, being completely out of his element. Sure, he's led fighters into battle, but command of a station? Beymer brings a quiet passion to the role, showing us a man who wants to do the right thing but isn't necessarily sure what that right thing is.

I've spent a lot of time on the guest cast, but the regulars are almost perfect as well. The opening scene mentioned above is classic, a nice bit of comic relief in the middle of a tension-filled episode. The Quark-Odo scene is quite good as well, where Quark gives Odo the information on the weapons shipment. Odo makes good use of his shape-shifting ability in finding out the secret of the Circle. There is not a bad performance in the bunch, but I have to give special kudos to Visitor. Her scenes with Bereil and opposite Jaro are well-acted.

Finally, there's the rest of the episode. What can I say about it? It carries forward the plot from the first episode and leaves us with a lovely cliffhanger for the final episode. The pieces are in place, our heroes know what is going on but can't communicate that fact to Bajor, and we're given hints that we're in for a rollicking conclusion.

There is a nice action sequence toward the end of the episode for those of you who like phaser blasts. It's well-choreographed and executed. It does suffer a bit from "Red Shirt Syndrome," but at least the men aren't killed. There is one minor niggle in the episode, though. When Kira is kidnapped, how does Quark know where she's being kept? Being an underhanded businessman, I can understand how he'd hear about the weapons trading, but knowing the secret hideout of a fanatical Bajoran sect? Please.

The normal let-down that occurs in a second episode does not happen here. Yes, it is a transition between the first and the last episode, but this one is just as interesting as the first. We were introduced to the problem in "The Homecoming," and "The Circle" shows us how things are even worse than we had figured. There's no running around incoherently or treading water while the show fills time until the final episode. Instead, the plot ratchets up another notch or two and things look even bleaker. I have to admit that I loved it, and I can't wait for the conclusion.

Memorable Quote

"We've got to leave! Well, I do, anyway. You can just turn into a couch." Quark

5 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 20 - The Homecoming

What's more important: the truth, or a legend to believe in? In times of great strife, sometimes the legend is the most important thing, especially when that legend is something that inspires us to be more than we think we can be. Does it matter if it's based on a lie? Perhaps after the fact it does, but during the time of trouble, the legend is often more important. We tend to ignore the emotional cost to that legend, however, especially in the aftermath.

The first season's finale (In the Hands of the Prophets) showed us a Bajor that was slowly coming to terms with the Federation presence on Deep Space Nine. However, Bajor is a planet in transition, in need of leadership as the Provisional Government consists of a bunch of back-biting factions that can't get along. What began in the last episode continues here, as we see a Bajor in crisis.

Now this is what I watch Deep Space Nine for. It's episodes like "The Homecoming" that could not be done on any other Trek show (at least not without feeling extremely forced). The fact that it's written with great power and just the right dash of humour makes it even more of a standout. Add wonderful acting by everybody involved, and you have three 5-star episodes in a row.

Quark (Armin Shimmerman) is given a Bajoran earring by a freighter captain (Leslie Bevis), who says that it was smuggled off of Cardassia IV. Quark gives it to Kira (Nana Visitor), who realizes that it belongs to the great Bajoran Resistance leader, Li Nalas (Richard Beymer). She wants to borrow a runabout to go on a rescue mission. Sisko (Avery Brooks) has his own problems, with a radical Bajoran group calling itself "The Circle," who wants all non-Bajorans off of Bajor, making an ugly appearance on the station. The Provisional Government is proving powerless to stop the factional fighting, and he realizes that he needs a strong Bajoran leader's help as much as Kira thinks the planet needs one.

He authorizes the mission and sends O'Brien (Colm Meaney) along for the ride. After an action-filled rescue, Li is brought back to the station, where his problems are only beginning. All Bajorans look up to him, but everything is based on a lie. He feels overwhelmed by the fact that Bajor needs him so much. Will he crack under the pressure? Or will he be everything that both Sisko and Kira need? Since this is the first part of a 3-part episode, you can probably guess.

The producers went all out on this story arc, bringing in some great guest stars. Frank Langella plays the uncredited role of Minister Jaro, a member of the Provisional Government who just oozes slime. He doesn't really do much in this first episode, but he is instrumental in the "kick in the gut" ending that leads into the fabled "to be continued" fade to black. You just know that something's not quite right, you just don't know what. He's very understated, almost to the point of mumbling (the only fault, as I found him increasingly difficult to hear), but he carries himself with such power that you can't help but come to attention when he comes onto the screen.

Richard Beymer (from Twin Peaks, among other things) plays Li Nalas beautifully. He's spent ten years in a Cardassian labour camp and he looks quite confused in his first scene. As he gets cleaned up and starts to realize just what freedom is, and how he may be shackled in a more figurative manner by the needs of his people, he becomes a very conflicted man. Every emotion appears on his face as it washes over him. He ultimately decides that he can't bear it, and the confrontation with Sisko which finally convinces him is stellar (the quote below, followed by "But it's all based on a lie." "No, it's based on a legend. And legends are as powerful as any truth.").

It's a wonderful performance, brought out by a great script that allows Beymer to stretch his acting muscles. The direction of that scene should take some kudos, as all of Sisko's lines are said while he's blurred in the background. Li Nalas is front and center, and as Sisko's words start to affect him, we can see it on his face. He's still not comfortable with his role, but he has finally accepted it.

The regulars seem inspired by a new season and a meaty story. Visitor is wonderful as Kira, playing a lot of different parts. She has to come on to a Cardassian guard and is quite effective in doing so. She's passionate in her attempts to convince Sisko of the need to rescue Li and the look on her face when she has to leave some of the prisoners behind is almost tragic (too bad that part was undercut by Dukat saying later that all of the other prisoners have been released). Brooks is also great, especially in his scenes with Li (not just the one mentioned above, but all of them).

There are also some nice humorous touches to lighten the high drama of the episode. It opens with yet another great Odo/Quark scene, which is a nice way to start the season ("Rule of Acquisition #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies."). While Quark's branding by the Circle is quite effective as an intimidation tactic, his scene where Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) is trying to treat it is hilarious. Even that scene has a nice contrasting dramatic touch, however, as Li Nalas gets his first shot of the reality of the conditions on Bajor. He can't believe that Bajorans would do such a thing to Quark.

There were only a couple of minor quibbles with the episode, and neither one brings it down in my eyes at all. The first is that O'Brien seems awfully blasé about going off on what might be a suicide mission, considering he's such a family man. I don't think Sisko ordered him on it, but I could be wrong there. Secondly, the open secret of Kira's trying to get a runabout from Sisko seemed very misguided. I know it was an attempt at humour that everybody seemed to know about it, but keep in mind that when she was trying to convince Sisko, she was also trying to keep the Federation out of it so they would have deniability if the mission failed. Having it be common knowledge that she was going to Cardassia IV seems a bit dangerous.

"The Homecoming" fulfills a lot of different roles, and it does them all very well. First, it examines the role legends play in inspiring people, and makes us think about the legends we believe in. Not only "are they true?" But also "what does the legend think about all of this?" Secondly, it's a powerful tale of a culture in transition. Will Bajor survive all this? Finally, it's an intriguing opening to what promises to be an interesting 3-part story arc to start the second season.

More of this, please. Deep Space Nine is on a roll.

Memorable Quotes

"I am not the man they think I am." Li Nalas

"Perhaps not. But Bajor doesn't need a man. It needs a symbol." Sisko

5 Stars

Star Trek: DS9 - Season 1 Boxed Set

Here's an episode by episode review of Season 1, along with a review of the boxed set of DVDs (the regular DVDs, not any Blu-Ray possibilities, though seeing them come out on Blu-Ray would be really cool).

The first season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a very interesting beginning. We discovered in the first episode that we would be staying in one place, exploring a little but dealing much more with the Bajoran people and how they are recovering from years of occupation, along with their grooming to be new members of the United Federation of Planets. Past Trek shows have been on a ship, but this show would take place on a space station.

One thing this means is that they can't run away from their problems. If something comes up, they have to deal with it, and the consequences of the problem could very well come back and haunt the crew later on. Recurring characters (Garak and Dukat are introduced in the first season, along with Keiko O'Brien coming over from Next Generation) abound, and relationships are allowed to grow and change.

These characters are not static like the Next Generation characters generally were. I can't see much of a difference between William Riker in season 1 and William Riker in season 7 of Next Generation. Kira Nerys, on the other hand, has changed greatly just within season 1 of Deep Space Nine

I was really glad when all seven seasons came out in DVD boxed sets. The presentation is wonderful, with four episodes per disc (except the first one, which includes the 2-hour premiere). The menus are great, with the Deep Space Nine theme projecting majestically from the speakers. It's always been my favourite of all the themes anyway.

After you choose an episode, you then can either play it, press "set up" (where you set up your audio and subtitle options), "chapter log" (where you can go to any scene), or return to the main menu.

There are six discs in the set, with the first five containing the episodes and then the sixth being a bunch of specials. There is a documentary on the first season, called "A Bold Beginning." There's a crew dossier on Kira Nerys, the secrets of Quark's bar, a sketchbook of production sketches and a little bit about alien props.

There are also a bunch of easter eggs on this disc, with other crew dossiers and little interesting tidbits about the actors and their roles. We hear about how they got their part and what their feelings are about their characters. Some of the interviews are from the first season, when the actors didn't know where their characters were going.

Others are from after the show, or during the last season. They're par for the course for actors' interviews, so if you're naturally bored by them, you won't find much of interest here. If you like the show, though, they're intriguing.

All in all, this is a wonderful collection of episodes. The picture quality is wonderful, with the exception of one episode, but I’m sure that's just on my edition. "The Storyteller" made my DVD player have conniptions, and I had already had so much hassle with Columbia House that I wasn't going to try and deal with them to get a better copy. It's just one episode, though.

The packaging is interesting and sturdy, with two fold-out covers revealing the plastic disc trays. The overall quality of these discs is quite high. Only the quality of some of the episodes themselves brings the rating of the boxed set down to 4 stars. They had a rough patch in the middle of the season.

Season 1 Episode Recap

Here are the episodes contained on each disc, along with my ratings and links to my individual reviews. Ratings are out of a possible 10 (just to give you something different from the original star ratings)

Disc 1
Emissary - an excellent start to the series. We get introduced to all of the characters, but we don't get massive infodumps. Only boring aliens and a little scenery-chewing bring down a great beginning (8.0)

Past Prologue - DS9 hits the ground running with a great follow-up episode that gives us a close examination of Major Kira. Some logic problems hinder it, but the characterization (especially Kira, but the others as well) more than makes up for it. Also a plus for introducing Garak (though he's not seen again in the first season). (8.0)

A Man Alone - The first bump in the road. Some questionable acting and a horrible ending (horribly abrupt, anyway) make this episode tedious in the extreme. (5.0)


Disc 2
Babel - It only took three episodes (not counting the premiere) for them to do a "disease of the week" episode, but the producers do it with style, bringing the actors along with them. Auberjonois and Shimmerman save this one. (7.5)

Captive Pursuit - An episode I've always loved, it lost a little bit in the re-watching. Still, the acting of Meaney and Macdonald (the guest star) more than make up for the really pedestrian plot and major logic holes in the episode. The best of the season so far. (8.5)

Q-Less - The first real bomb. For so long, this show has been depending on the acting to save the plot. This time, the plot is so bad that the actors take a vacation. DeLancie is always good and Q has some good quips, but the vapid Vash and the "I'll be in my trailer if you need me" acting of the regulars sinks this one. Big time. (3.5)

Dax - Much better than I remembered, but still not the greatest. It brings up some interesting issues about Trills and especially the slug inside them. Unfortunately, it doesn't deal with them very much. It's always delightful to see Anne Haney, but the rest of the guest cast needs some work. (6.0)


Disc 3
The Passenger - Another one that's better than I remembered, but only marginally so. Siddig El Fadil does a horrible job playing "evil" and the ending is a joke. Except for Caitlin Brown, the guest acting is painful too. This episode has the added "bonus" of having sent us Lt. Primmin as the new Starfleet head of security. Thankfully, he was sent packing very quickly. (4.5)

Move Along Home - What a worthless episode. Nothing really happens and Auberjonois is the only one who looks like he even cares. The plot is a cliché and we don't learn anything new. At the end, you're left saying "What's the point?" (4.0)

The Nagus - Now this is more like it! The Ferengi haven't become annoying yet, and Wallace Shawn turns in a virtuoso guest performance. Shimmerman does a wonderful job too. When the only bad thing you can say about an episode is the Ferengi laugh, you know you're in good straits. Why can't it always be this good? (9.5)

Vortex - The first episode to address the mysteries of Odo, it's more of a tease then an offering of concrete information. Still, it's interesting and it's too bad the guest cast is pretty laughable. Auberjonois and DeYoung shine, though. (7.5)


Disc 4
Battle Lines - Some standout work by Nana Visitor along with Camile Saviola as the Kai make this episode much better than it should be. There's a bit too much technobabble for my taste, and O'Brien and Dax are wasted uttering it. If we just saw the bit down on the planet, this would easily be a 10. (9.0)

The Storyteller – unfortunately, this episode crapped out on me when I tried to watch it (maybe there's a spot on the disc), so this summary is by memory of the many other times I've watched it. This is a great O'Brien and Bashir story, cementing their friendship that will carry through the rest of the series. A fluffy B-story involving Jake and Nog is good but detracts from the main storyline. Perhaps it's too light to carry an entire episode on its own, but I kept wanting to get back to Meaney and El Fadil when the others were on the screen. (7.5)

Progress - stellar guest acting by Brian Keith and Nana Visitor holding her own with him makes this another wonderful examination of Kira's character. Her character arc in this first season has been really interesting. We've seen her realize that she's not a rebel anymore. Then she has to deal with the violence that permeates her soul. Now she's has to come to terms with being part of the establishment and realizing that you can't always fight everything. A fun B-plot softens the intense drama. (10.0)

If Wishes Were Horses - DS9 stumbles into its first season stretch run with a horrible episode about fantasies coming to life. Everybody looked bored (well, it *was* late in the season) and the episode just isn't interesting. (2.5)


Disc 5
The Forsaken - the producers inflict Lwaxana Troi on our station crew (and the viewers), and none of them survive. Colm Meaney is the only one who looks like he cares, and the episode is just painful to watch. Just slight improvement on the last one. Things are not boding well. (3.0)

Dramatis Personae - A funner episode then it should be, this one doesn't really bear re-watching. The acting is good, but some major plot holes hinder the plot. Completely ignoring the problem that they've been arguing about the whole episode doesn't help, either. (7.0)

Duet - the best episode of the season, and perhaps the series (though there are certainly other contenders). The scenes between Yulin and Visitor spark with intensity and everything else about this episode stands out as well. A great story that parallels the Holocaust and its aftermath. (10.0)

In the Hands of the Prophets – An excellent ending to the season, showing us how far all of the characters have come since they came to this rattletrap of a station. It's also an interesting examination of the religion/science debate. It doesn't give us any answers, but for once that's a good thing. There are no easy answers, and it would be a disservice for a television show to even pretend to have them. A fitting coda to the season. (10.0)

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 19 - In the Hands of the Prophets

The conflict between religion and science is centuries old, and will perhaps last for centuries into the future. There is no easy solution. One man's "god" is another man's theory of how nature works. There may never be a solid answer, because something taken on faith is, essentially, unprovable. Star Trek has always been a secular show, Gene Roddenberry being an avid secular humanist. Thus religions on Trek have usually been shown as misguided, with the Federation coming along and showing that the God these people believed in was false and science could lead them to salvation.

Deep Space Nine changed all that. No, it didn't become the New Religious Hour. Instead, it deigned to show a religion and its worshipers as real people. It showed that there are different points of view, but that nobody is inherently right. The show was deeply respectful of the Bajoran religion and its "Prophets." However, you knew that, eventually, there would have to be an episode about the uneasy tension between the two. "In the Hands of the Prophets" is that episode, made all the more powerful because it ended the first season of the show after building up the Bajorans throughout the season. It's a wonderful episode, tying up very neatly the ongoing storyline of the first season, leaving us with some of the uneven ends that this conflict always does.

Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao) is teaching her class about the wormhole when she has an unexpected visitor. Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) has come with an important mission: to either get Mrs. O'Brien to stop teaching blasphemy about the Wormhole Aliens (the Prophets) or to remove the Bajoran children from the school. This has the effect of heightening tensions between the Bajorans on the station and the Federation personnel, as it seems that the "godless Federation" is trying to remove the Bajoran religion from its society.

Winn starts to win over a lot of people on the station with her ideas, including Kira (Nana Visitor), despite the fact that she's the leader of an ultra-orthodox sect that doesn't have a lot of support in the Vedek Assembly. Along with this is the suspicious death of a Starfleet engineer. Are they related? When Sisko (Avery Brooks) tries to elicit help from the Vedek who is the frontrunner in the race to be the new Kai, Bareil (Philip Anglim), he is rebuffed. When the school is bombed, however, Bareil reconsiders. This leads to an explosive conclusion that could bring the crew of the station back together again. Or it could force them further apart.

"In the Hands of the Prophets" brings up a lot of interesting points about issues of faith versus reason, but it doesn't even attempt to answer them. We haven't been able to answer them for this long, so why would we think a 45 minute episode of a television show could do it? Some shows might, but Deep Space Nine does not fall into that trap. Instead, it brings to light the various issues in a more "normal" plot. Sisko's impassioned speech after the bombing opens a few more eyes, including Kira's, about how the Bajorans and the Federation can work together, despite their differences.

The real eye-opener for any Trek fan used to the Trek tradition of looking down on religion is when Jake (Cirroc Lofton) says what every other Trek episode has hinted at before: that belief in the Prophets is stupid when it's obvious that the Prophets are really wormhole aliens. Sisko sits him down and corrects him, saying that the Bajoran faith is what got them through 70 years of occupation. The wormhole aliens' view of time is so fluid that they can see the future as well as the past, so why shouldn't they be called Prophets? He then reminds Jake that everything is a matter of interpretation, and that if Jake continues along that line, he's no better than Winn, just from the anti-religious side. It's a wonderfully played scene, displaying Sisko's worry about what's happening on the station as well as educating a boy about the value of a religion, even if you don't follow it.

In fact, there are so many standout scenes in this episode. The acting is simply wonderful, with the actors evidently finding a script with a lot of meat to it and sinking their teeth into it. Everybody, from Visitor, Fletcher and Brooks to even Shimmerman and Lofton in roles where they only have one scene, are very good. Fletcher is simply electrifying as the smarmy yet true-believing Winn, who has an agenda even more than just keeping blasphemy away from her "children." It is a bit disappointing that the writers turn her into more of a power-hungry character than a religious zealot, but she is still interesting, and that's the most important thing.

Visitor plays Kira with passion as she defends Winn at first ("Some might say pure science, taught without a spiritual center, is a philosophy, Mrs. O'Brien."), but then comes to terms with the fact that the Federation actually does deserve her support. She's come a long way since the first episode where she didn't want the Federation there, as the final, touching scene between Sisko and her shows us.

Even those with fewer scenes did well, adding some much needed humour to a dramatic episode. When O'Brien (Colm Meaney) asks what the now-dead Ensign Akino was doing in a runabout at four in the morning, Odo (Rene Auberjonois) looks at him and says "Apparently, he was getting murdered." The one Odo/Quark (Armin Shimmerman) scene in the episode is also priceless. Terry Farrell is the only one short-changed in this episode, not having much to do but saying her lines with conviction. She certainly wasn't weak. She just didn't have anything to really say.

That's obviously not Rosalind Chao

I have to give kudos on the production front as well. First, there's Neela (Robin Christopher), O'Brien's assistant. She was certainly decent, but the compliments on the production come from showing a little foresight. She was in Duet as well, and it was nice to see them showcase her in an episode before she becomes an important part of another one. She is very important in "In the Hands of the Prophets," and it was nice to see a familiar face. She was still a bit obvious, but at least the regular viewer had a little bit invested in her.

Also, the direction was great, staying out of the way for the most part (and that's good in a dramatic episode like this). There were two wonderful scenes that the director made even better, though. The first is when Sisko visits Bareil in the garden. Sisko throws a stone in the water and it disturbs his reflection in the pond. When it stabilizes, Bareil is walking up behind him and we can see that in the restored reflection. The second is the slow-motion climax, which was very effective.

I can't say enough good things about this episode. Everything works, from the plot to the script to the acting, the entire package is so juicy. Deep Space Nine ended its first season on a high note, with two first-class episodes. It bodes well for the show as it enters its second season. We leave Season 1 with a realization that, despite our differences, it is possible to get along and get some work done. It's even possible to bridge those differences and become unified.

Memorable Quotes:

"The Prophets teach us patience." Bareil

"It appears they also teach you…politics." Sisko

5 Stars

Stay tuned next week for the Season 1 wrap-up!!

Star Trek: DS9 - Ep 18 - Duet

Note: While I don't reveal everything in the main plot summary, I do talk about the ending. Some of the ending is too powerful not to talk about. Spoilers beware!

Even 70+ years later, visions of the Jewish Holocaust horrify us. To some, still living after having survived that horrible time, the reality of it still inhabits their dreams and turns them into nightmares. We keep saying that we'll never forget, but one wonders sometimes: when the last survivor of the Holocaust has finally passed on, how close will we feel to it? Will it lose some of its immediacy? We may never forget, but will we stop thinking about it?

It's questions like these that makes episodes like "Duet" all the more important and powerful. "Duet" is Deep Space Nine at its best, with nary a wrong move made. Sure, one can quibble here and there (and believe me, I will), but taken as a whole, it's a stellar episode with an important message that we should all remember. I say above that I reveal everything about the episode's plot. It doesn't matter. Episodes like this never lose their power, even if you know what happens. I have seen it countless times, and the ending still brings tears to my eyes. It's a must-see episode.

A Kobheerian transport arrives at the station, asking for medical assistance for one of its passengers, who has Kalla-Nohra Syndrome. Kira (Nana Visitor) quickly agrees, and asks permission to attend to the passenger. The only people who have Kalla-Nohra are survivors of a mining accident at the Cardassian labour camp called Gallitep, and she wishes to pay homage to one of her heroes, one of the survivors of the camp. When Kira reaches Sickbay, she's surprised to find out that the patient is actually a Cardassian, and quickly orders his arrest for war crimes.

He claims that he was only a file clerk at Gallitep, named Aamin Marritza (Harris Yulin). Sisko (Avery Brooks) is determined that he will not be handed over to the Bajoran government until his identity has been confirmed. An interrogation and subsequent investigation reveals that it is not Marritza who they are holding, but actually Gul Darhe'el, the infamous Butcher of Gallitep. Kira must not only deal with having a vicious war criminal in front of her, but also with how his story doesn't quite add up. Will Kira figure out what is going on and allow justice to take its course?

Let me get the quibbles out of the way first so I can gush. First, one of the guest actors, Tony Rizzoli, plays a Bajoran drunk who ends up playing a major role in the climax of the episode. Unfortunately, for as important as he is, he doesn't really hold up his end. He only has three scenes, but he was irritating in all three. His tone of voice and his attempted sneer when he realizes that he's imprisoned with a hated Cardassian just simply doesn't work, looking forced and unrealistic.

Secondly, while I will extol Nana Visitor's virtues for the rest of this review, she does go over the top a little bit at times. This includes the final scene, which lessens the impact just a touch. Not enough to bring the episode down, but enough to wish she had done better.

There, that's it. I can't say enough about the rest. Let's start with Harris Yulin. He was simply phenomenal in this episode. He has the perfect balance between Cardassian arrogance and the meekness of a file clerk. He turns it on and off like a faucet, and only when necessary. When he's first tossed in prison, he's just a Cardassian who wants to be released because he's being held for no reason. Then, it's confirmed that he was at Gallitep and he becomes just a little more arrogant, stating how wonderful Gul Darhe'el was as a commander. Then the insanity really starts when it's revealed that he's Gul Darhe'el.

He starts ranting and raving, poking Kira with his words, holding over her all of the crimes he's committed ("I don't think I can pay for all of them, Major. There were so many. And you can only execute me once."). Finally, there's the breakdown when the truth is revealed. He's able to change at the drop of a hat as the circumstances change, and he doesn't have a false note in any of it. When Kira says that she can't let Marritza go, he fires back, with a chilling calm: "Oh no no no no. Of course not! No, see, you're the one who's lying now, Major. It's not the truth you're interested in. All you want is vengeance."

The exchanges between Yulin and Visitor are simply wonderful. Visitor holds her own, perhaps because she has a great actor to work off of. Surprisingly, the couple of weak moments mentioned above are when she's with other people. Yulin is the catalyst for some great acting from Visitor, and my respect for her only grew with this episode. She had some tough material, and she worked it like a pro. Visitor plays Kira with a passion in this episode that had only been hinted at before ("Commander, I know what I've done isn't exactly policy, and may not even be legal. But it's right."). It's a wonder to see what a good actor can do with great material.

This is really Visitor and Yulin's episode, but the rest of the cast have some standout performances as well. Sisko and Dukat (the ever-wonderful Marc Alaimo) have some great byplay as Sisko discusses Marritza's situation with him. These two always sparkle when they're together, even when they're on a communication screen so the actors are probably not together. Alaimo has the same chemistry with Rene Auberjonois, playing Odo, when they discuss things.

In fact, it's almost better, and makes me wish there had been more Dukat/Odo scenes in the series. Odo wants to see confidential files on Gul Darhe'el and Dukat refuses to let him. The surprise on Dukat's face is palpable when Odo tells him that the man in his cell insists that he's Darhe'el, a man whose funeral Dukat attended six years ago. Even Terry Farrell gets into the act, with a great scene counseling Kira on whether the need for vengeance outweighs the need for justice. Again, the acting is simply engrossing all around.

All the acting in the world would not make this episode powerful without having a solid script and production behind it, but thankfully that's not a problem here*. The lines tingle and the camera shots perfectly capture what they're intended to. The pull-away shot at the end, as everybody gathers around the dead body is a chilling end to a wonderful episode, but even the interrogation scenes are well-done.

When Kira finally agrees to answer Darhe'el's questions, she slowly starts to walk away and then calmly sits down in the chair she's been using in her interrogation. For the most part, the director lets the actors and the words do the work, and the episode is even better because of it.

Whatever you do, you have to see this episode. It's one of Deep Space Nine's best, and deserves a look-see. It's episodes like this that will keep the Holocaust in our minds after the survivors are dead and gone.

*There have been some accusations on the Net (especially Usenet) that this episode was lifted almost word for word from Robert Shaw's The Man in the Glass Booth. I have seen a lot of debate on the subject, but have seen no real conclusions. If it's true, then it's a shame that the producers did not credit Shaw in some way. Whatever the truth is, that doesn't take away from the power of this episode, especially of the actors involved. I just wanted to acknowledge that the accusation is out there.

Here is some great interaction between Yulin and Visitor.



Memorable Quote:

"What you call genocide, I call a day's work." Gul Darhe'el

5 Stars