7-16. Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

Sloan (William Sadler) wants Bashir to spy on the Romulans...

THE PLOT

The alliance with the Romulans has led to an invited Starfleet presence at a medical conference on Romulus, with Dr. Bashir scheduled to chair a discussion about ketracel-white and to give a lecture about the Dominion biological weapon known as The Quickening. For Bashir, the conference is an important step in turning the alliance into a genuine friendship between the two powers. For others, it is an opportunity of an altogether different kind.

The night before Bashir leaves the station, he is visited by Sloan (William Sadler), the agent from Section 31 who attempted to recruit him once before. Sloan wants him to observe Koval (John Fleck), chairman of the Tal Shiar, the Romulan intelligence gathering service. Koval opposed the alliance with the Federation, and his rise in influence is seen as a threat to the war effort. There is a rumor that he has Tuvan Syndrome, a neurological disease - And with Bashir's genetically-enhanced senses, Sloan believes he can diagnose Koval through observation.

Sisko and Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner) encourage Bashir to play along, in hopes of exposing Section 31. But as the plan progresses, it becomes clear that Sloan has another agenda: Once Bashir confirms the diagnosis, Sloan will use that information to arrange an entirely "accidental" assassination!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is unsurprised that Sloan made contact with Bashir, and even less surprised that he was able to evade station security. Though he's inclined to be cautious about sharing information with Sloan, he agrees with Admiral Ross that this is an opportunity to get inside the shadow organization.

Dr. Bashir: Instantly troubled when Koval expresses interest in the Quickening - not in curing it, but in replicating it. In that moment, he is briefly persuaded to Sloan's point of view, that Koval must not come to power. When the agent's plans turn toward assassination, however, he simply will not stand by for that.  This first prompts paranoia, as he fears he has no one he can trust.  which in turn pushes him to an action that has every potential to backfire spectacularly .

Garak: Only in one scene, but it's a good one. When he notes the opportunity the conference provides to gather intelligence about the Romulans, Bashir protests that they're allies. Garak all but laughs at his naivete. "I'm disappointed hearing you mouthing the usual platitudes of peace and friendship regarding an implacable foe like the Romulans. But, I live in hope that one day you'll come to see this universe for what it truly is, rather than what you'd wish it to be."

Sloan: His first appearance comes immediately after the scene with Garak, almost as if the cynical tailor/spy had summoned him into being. Sloan does share many traits with the Cardassian: He can't pass up an opportunity to gather intelligence; he sees the worst in everyone around him; and he wholeheartedly embraces assassination as a useful tool, as long as the end result is to Starfleet's benefit. So why is Garak a friend and Sloan a foe? Maybe because Garak's worst deeds are behind him (though he remains remorseless about them). Maybe it's because Garak is a lot more charming and fun to be around.  Either way, Sloan seems a reflection of Bashir's friend - The deeds he does now, Garak is fairly open about having done every bit as bad and worse in the past.


THOUGHTS

Sloan and Section 31 were introduced in last season's Inquisition, a very good episode that effectively tapped into a paranoid thriller vibe. That episode ended in a way that clearly demanded a follow-up, which we finally receive with Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.

The idea of using the alliance with the Romulans to gather intelligence makes sense at this stage of the larger arc. Garak, Sloan, and Ross all clearly believe that this alliance will not long outlive the Dominion War - And they are almost certainly right, while optimistic and idealistic Bashir is almost certainly very wrong. I particularly enjoyed a scene that points out how the post-war balance of power will shift. With the Klingons and Cardassians devastated by two back-to-back conflicts, the Federation and the Romulans will be the dominant powers moving forward. Just as was true of the U. S. and Soviet Union in the waning days of World War II, we see the two superpowers angling for every post-war advantage they can get.

Ronald D. Moore's script moves quickly, with a couple of nicely unexpected turns along the way. The paranoid vibe of Inquisition returns as Bashir realizes that Sloan must have allies; cut off from the station, he has no one to trust and there's a distinct sense that he himself may be in danger.

There is just a little too much plot here for 45 minutes, leading to a rushed climax.  Still, the way the situation is resolved is effective - It reflects the messiness of the situation, as "big picture" thinking leads to decisions that are morally questionable and that may lead to worse outcomes down the road... Not exactly unprecedented in the history of modern intelligence.

The ending also leaves the door open for a return appearance by Section 31 - Something I hope will happen, although with only ten episodes to go that may be asking too much.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
Next Episode: Penumbra

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7-2. Shadows and Symbols.

Sisko's pilgrimage.

THE PLOT

Sisko travels to Tyree to locate the Orb of the Emissary, which he is convinced will put him back in contact with the Prophets. Jake and his father accompany him, along with a surprise new arrival: Ezri (Nicole de Boer), the newest host for the Dax symbiote. Dax is exactly who Sisko needs right now - A strong-willed friend who can help break him out of his obsessive behavior. Unfortunately, the very young Ezri lacks Jadzia's confidence, and in the wake of the joining doesn't seem to even know herself anymore.

Worf and Martok have guests of their own on their mission to destroy a critical Dominion shipyard and win Jadzia passage into Sto-vo-kor. Bashir and Quark have insisted on joining, wanting to pay their final respects to Jadzia. O'Brien has also come along, mainly to keep an eye on Bashir. Martok seems to welcome the extra help, but Worf regards them as unwelcome intruders.

Back on the station, Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner) informs Kira that Starfleet is unwilling to intervene over the Romulans' arming of a Bajoran moon. The alliance with the Romulans is critical to the war effort, and Bajor simply isn't as important right now. Kira refuses to back down, however, leading a small group of Bajoran ships in creating a blockade around the moon. It's nothing the Romulans couldn't easily swat aside, if they want to escalate into a shooting conflict - But Kira believes that the Romulans will stop short of opening fire - a bet she's willing to stake her life on...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Sisko's journey is even more explicitly a religious pilgrimage than it was in Part One, with his trek across the desert mirroring images from Biblical art (and Hollywood Biblical epics). At one point he is on hands and knees, reaching out for something he has not yet found, as if begging the heavens to please deliver on his vision. Ezri, Jake, and his father are left to follow him like disciples - Though Ezri (or, more accurately, the Dax part of her) finally has enough of Sisko's non-communication and calls him on it... Which ends up being the very thing that reveals his goal!

Colonel Kira: The unmovable object awaiting the unstoppable force, she doesn't even consider backing down when Starfleet refuses to intervene. She knows that a handful of outdated Bajoran freighters are no real obstacle to the Romulans, but insists on creating the blockade anyway. Cretak is sure this is a bluff, that Kira is counting on the need to avoid an actual shooting conflict. But viewers who have been watching the series for six seasons know that Kira will engage with her hopeless blockade if she has to, and she and odo approach the confrontation with a sort of resigned fatalism.

Ezri: I'm still not 100% sold on Ezri having been a good idea... But in her first proper episode, I'll admit that I like her. We learn that Ezri was not actually trained to be a joined Trill - She was a Starfleet ensign who happened to be the only Trill aboard when the Dax symbiote's condition started to fail. As such, she was completely unprepared for the reality of being joined, and is struggling with maintaining her own identity around the several lifetimes of memories she's suddenly absorbed. This, and a tendency toward insecure babbling, makes her refreshingly different than Jadzia, while still allowing enough of a relationship with Sisko to shake him out of his fanatical visions when he reaches his lowest point.

Jake: Continues to follow his father, even as he becomes uncertain about the journey. His best scenes in the episode come opposite Ezri, however. A comparable age to the insecure Trill, he makes a good sounding board for her self doubts. He's clearly a bit taken with her, and the two actors play well enough opposite each other that I wouldn't object to an eventual relationship - Which could create some amusing complications, given Dax's long-standing friendship across multiple lifetimes with Sisko.

Worf: Resents the presence of O'Brien, Bashir, and particularly Quark on what he believes should be his mission. He denounces what he sees as their interference: "You are not here to help Jadzia get into Sto-vo-kor. You are here because you wish to convince yourselves that you were worthy of her. But the truth is, none of you could ever hope to be worthy of her or even understand the kind of woman she was!" Martok is altogether more sympathetic, and gives Worf a push to apologize to them. After the mission, having now begun to come to terms with Jadzia's death, he returns to the station... and finds a new Dax waiting for him, something that leaves him visibly shaken.


THOUGHTS

Shadows and Symbols concludes the parallel narratives of the previous episode, bringing all three stories artfully to their respective high points. This deserves praise in itself, as the three stories are only thinly connected. And yet the three strands never feel like they're interrupting each other, and they never feel disconnected. These are three separate narratives, yet they absolutely belong together in this episode.

The way in which the episode cuts from one strand to the next is perfectly-judged, allowing each story's tone to complement the other two. Humor and action come from the Worf plot, while the grim strategy of Kira's confrontation with the Romulans delivers a completely different yet sharper suspense. Meanwhile, the religious symbolism woven throughout Sisko's story gives the entire piece an additional resonance, even as the introduction of Ezri puts a coda on Worf's mission. From death to rebirth, like the mythological phoenix. Jadzia Dax is laid to rest in fire, and Ezri Dax is born. The plots have virtually nothing to do with each other - and yet they work together to create a greater whole.

Also worth noting is the return, in a vision, of Benny Russell. Benny is still writing his Sisko stories, now scribbling on the walls of his asylum cell. His current story is Sisko's current story. When he is stopped in his writing, Sisko stops. When Ezri prevents Sisko from burying the Orb of the Prophets in sand, Benny breaks through the resistance around him to continue writing - and once he continues, Sisko's story continues as well, with a jump that seems to eliminate there having been any interruption at all.

It's a breathtaking episode, one that builds on the previous installment and delivers on every promise Image in the Sand gave. An outstanding conclusion to an excellent arc.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Image in the Sand
Next Episode: Afterimage 

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6-4. Behind the Lines.

Odo links with the Female Changeling (Salome Jens)

THE PLOT:

Kira's Resistance cell has found a way to strike a blow against the Occupation with no backlash: By playing on the animosity between the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar. Damar (Casey Biggs), Gul Dukat's right-hand man, penned a report recommending poisoning the final available dose of ketracel white should no new source be established. Kira and Rom arrange for that report to be left where the Jem'Hadar would find it. The result is a full-blown riot, with casualties among both the Cardassians and the Jem'Hadar.

Odo is not pleased, worrying that Kira took a reckless chance. Their argument doesn't get very far, however, because a new arrival steps into his office: the female changeling (Salome Jens) who was Odo's first contact with the Dominion, and who presided over his sentence to become a solid. She has been trapped in the Alpha Quadrant by the minefield, and has come to Odo for the companionship of another changeling.

The link she offers to his past is too much for him to resist. He still has so many questions about who and what he is, and about the nature of changeling society and The Great Link. But as he links with her, he becomes distant from Kira and the situation on the station. And when Damar appears to have found a way to deactivate the minefield, fast action is required - action that the constable may be too distracted to be trusted with...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: In the episode's "B" plot, Sisko is made adjutant to Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner). This means more responsibility for the large-scale war effort... But it also means giving up command of the Defiant. Refreshingly, the dilemma Sisko wrestles with isn't whether or not to accept the promotion - He does so without question. His dilemma is watching his ship and crew going out on a dangerous mission without him. He has no worries over Dax's ability to command; he simply worries over not being there, something Admiral Ross frankly addresses by telling him that the Defiant will be sent out on a lot of missions, and that Sisko had best get used to it.

Major Kira: She genuinely cares for Odo and is concerned for his well-being. That concern manifests itself in hostility toward the female changeling, whom she knows has manipulated Odo at every encounter. Unfortunately, that same hostility plays right into the female changeling's hands. When Kira all but demands that Odo refuse to link with the female, her arguments play perfectly into the other changeling's insistence that solids are the ones manipulating him. He sees Kira as worried about her resistance cell, and Kira's arguments focus on the war effort and the need to conceal their activities. It takes too long for Kira to appeal directly to their friendship - something she does only when it may already be too late.

Odo: "I tried to deny it, I tried to forget, but I can't. They're my people and I want to be with them in the Great Link!"So Odo revealed to Garak in Season Three's The Die Is Cast, and that desire comes into play in a big way in this episode. When the female changeling appears, so warm and friendly as she offers him the link he has craved, the temptation is too much for him to resist. He links with the female changeling twice, and both times he is left not just calm, but detached - his manner eerily similar to that of the alternative Odo from Children of Time. As he tells Kira that in the link, the war no longer seemed to matter, she almost certainly can hear the echo of that other Odo: The Odo who decided that in the face of what he most wanted (Kira's life in that case; the link in this case), everything else just didn't seem to matter.

Quark: Uses guile, along with a healthy dose of kanar, to loosen Damar's tongue and learn the Cardassian plan to deactivate the minefield. He reports that information to Kira's resistance cell - which is significant for Quark, because it means that he's finally stopped being neutral. He has chosen his side, and proclaims as much: "I don't like Cardassians. They're mean and arrogant. And I can't stand the Jem'Hadar. They're creepy. They just stand there like statues, staring at you... I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing business with these people. I want the Federation back. I want to sell root beer again."

Weyoun/Gul Dukat: After the riot that opens the episode, Dukat is quick to defend his people and not shy about being vocal in a public place. Weyoun, who recognizes the importance of demonstrating their alliance, quickly reigns him in. He gets Dukat to agree to discipline his men with a promise that he will do the same. But while Weyoun may continue maintaining a public facade of friendship, it is obvious that these two men have come to intensely dislike each other. The female changeling observes how avidly the two compete for credit and attention, and asks Odo if this is normal behavior - Which Odo confirms is very much the case.


THOUGHTS

Behind the Lines is a difficult episode to review. The episode is less a story in itself than a foundation for future events.  It feels very much like what it is: A set-up episode.

It is however, a very good set-up episode. It moves swiftly, and writer Rene Echevarria's attention to characterization insures that both the "A" and "B" plots are abosrbing.  Both plotlines have big implications for the episodes still to come, and they echo nicely off each other. Odo is torn between his friendship for Kira and his longing to be part of the world of changelings. Sisko is torn between his responsibility to the war effort, by taking on a larger role for Admiral Ross, and his longing to be on the front lines - coordinating the war effort, when what he really wants is to be directly fighting the war.

Sisko chooses responsibility over desire; Odo falls to temptation. Which leaves him in an interesting place going into the next episodes. The series' long-term structure demands Odo reclaim his former place as an ally. It will take a lot for him to redeem himself for his actions (and inaction) here - and likely will take even more to salvage him in Kira's eyes, as someone she can once again trust.

Really, Odo has disappointed Kira several times over the past season. Past Odo was revealed as a disappointment to her ideal of him as someone who was dedicated to the truth in last season's Things Past. An alternative future Odo left her not only disappointed, but actively appalled, in Children of Time. Now the Odo of the present - her Odo - has disappointed her. That's going to be a lot to forgive, and impossible to forget.

Assuming the next episodes pay this off well, I think it merits a strong score - though if the followup disappoints, I reserve the right to adjust this downward.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Sons and Daughters
Next Episode: Favor the Bold

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6-1. A Time to Stand.

Kira and Odo work together to survive a new Occupation.

THE PLOT

It's been two months since the Dominion War finally erupted, and the fight is going badly. The Seventh fleet has been all but wiped out, with only 14 ships surviving out of 112. Federation forces are in near constant retreat. As Gul Dukat smugly observes: "It is a good time for Cardassia - and the Dominion."

Deep Space 9 again carries its Cardassian name, "Terok Nor," and is again under Dukat's command. But with Weyoun and the Dominion overseeing him, this Occupation is much different than the Cardassian Occupation of old. As Quark observes, there are no slaves collapsing in exhaustion, no fences dividing the Promenade, no children starving in the corridors. The Dominion seems determined to prove they will keep their promises to Bajor, so that other Alpha Quadrant governments that signed non-aggression treaties will consider themselves to be safe as well and continue to stay out of the fight.

At Starbase 375, Sisko and his command crew are given a new assignment: To destroy the Dominion's storage depot of ketracel white, the drug they use to control and sustain the Jem'Hadar. With a location deep inside Cardassian/Dominion space, the Defiant will not be well-suited to the mission. Instead, Sisko will be given another ship - the Jem'Hadar vessel he recovered last year, fully functional and ready to infiltrate Dominion space!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Has to be pushed by Dax to call his father from the Starbase, not knowing how to tell him that he left Jake in enemy territory. When he does finally talk to him, he promises that he will bring Jake back - but acknowledges that actually doing so might take a while. When Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner) reveals Sisko's mission and shows him the Jem'Hadar ship, Sisko seems eager to get some use out of the ship he fought so hard to recover.

Kira: Looks worn and distraught throughout the episode, doubtless reliving in her mind the last time the station was known as "Terok Nor" and was ruled by Gul Dukat. She advocates hard for the Bajoran security force, and the reactions of Weyoun and Dukat show some of the tension between them. She wisely does not trust Weyoun, but acknowledges that he has kept his word to Bajor (at least, so far) and has curbed Dukat's potential bad behavior toward the Bajoran population. She is glad of Odo's presence, finding her moments with him the only ones in which she can relax at all.

Dr. Bashir: "Ever since it's become public knowledge that you're genetically engineered, you've used every opportunity to show off!" Bashir feels that he has no reason anymore to hide his abilities, and seems very pleased (if a bit smug) about doing complex calculations in seconds. It's good that he has that freedom, because he otherwise looks completely beaten down by the situation. The Defiant's sickbay has been overstuffed with wounded, to the point that he is snappish with Garak when his Cardassian friend gripes about having to wait to be treated. Garak does seem mildly resentful about Bashir's abilities, making a noticeable number of waspish comments about them, but Bashir is still very happy to welcome his untrustworthy friend when he joins them for the mission.

Gul Dukat: Has just enough self-awareness to acknowledge to Kira that yes, he did sell his own people to the Dominion. But he insists that, while a high price, it was necessary - That Cardassia had been left so weakened by the war with the Klingons that it was becoming a "third rate power." He has himself almost fooled into thinking that he's truly in charge again. He amuses himself playing with the baseball Sisko left him as a message, and even feels bold enough to resume his long-dormant pursuit of Kira. But he bristles every time Weyoun reminds him who the real power is, and I doubt it will be very long before Kira (or Odo; or both) begin to exploit that rift.

Weyoun: For his own part, he regards Dukat with increasingly thinly-veiled disdain. He is invested in proving that the Dominion can be a friend to Bajor, and he wants to see the station return to something approximating normal. When Kira raises the question of a Bajoran security force, Weyoun obviously wants to grant the request, and is annoyed when Dukat makes that impossible. He is genuine in revering the Founders as gods, and is concerned that Odo think well of him. When Odo finally comes to him to directly ask for a Bajoran security force, Weyoun wins in three big ways: He wins Odo's acknowledgement; he is able to grant the Bajoran request that he had wanted to grant in the first place; and in return for an action he had already wished to take, he is able to push Odo into joining the station's ruling body.


THOUGHTS

Call to Arms changed the show's status quo in a massive way, splitting up the characters and giving the Dominion and Gul Dukat control of the station. That's a seismic shift, and the bulk of A Time to Stand is focused on getting the viewer adjusted to this very different situation.

The difference is shoved into our faces right after the teaser. We come back from the credits to that Trek standby, the captain's log. Only now it is the "permanent documentation file," narrated to us by Dukat. The episode then takes quite a bit of time to show where Dukat, Kira, Weyoun, Odo, and Quark all fit in this new structure: Kira representing Bajor, Weyoun "advising" Dukat but clearly the one truly in control, Odo mainly trying to avoid Weyoun, and Quark just relieved that the Dominion is allowing business as usual.

There is the sense that pieces are being carefully planted for future use. This is particularly true of the scene with Jake, who has been left free and unharmed as he goes about trying to report on the Dominion Occupation. For which Weyoun chides him: "This is not an occupation. This is a Cardassian station, Jake, and I'm sure you're aware that there are no Dominion troops on Bajor. And why should there be? We have a treaty with them. They're our friends." Weyoun goes on to tell Jake that he has made sure that none of Jake's reports have left the station, and that he won't allow them through until they are "biased against the Dominion." He dangles hope of allowing Jake's writing through, if only the young man can keep an open mind.

The quick standalone plot, with teh assault on ketracil white, doesn't even start until well past the halfway mark, and I doubt even a full 15 minutes is devoted to it. But that doesn't mean the assault comes across as an afterthought. It's made very clear at the start that the Federation is losing this war, and that this strike may represent a chance to turn the tables by starving the Jem'Hadar of their needed drug. That makes it a priority to succeed at any cost... Even when that means Sisko has to open fire on a Federation ship. The attack isn't even really an assault - It's a subterfuge, involving beaming down a bomb and then getting away before it goes off. Not the kind of thing we're used to seeing from our heroes; more the sort of thing Garak used to do for a living.

It all ends with every character facing a new dilemma to carry them (and us) into the next installment. Even as the episode has worked to establish the new status quo, it has also shifted it just enough that we can see things moving forward. Leaving me looking very forward to seeing what happens next...


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Call to Arms
Next Episode: Rocks and Shoals

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