7-3. Afterimage.

Ezri has a difficult time adjusting to her new life.

THE PLOT

"I knew Jadzia. She was vital, alive. She owned herself. And you? You don’t even know who you are!"

Ezri is having a hard time adjusting to life on Deep Space 9. She has all of Jadzia's memories, so she knows all of Dax's old friends - but to them, she's a stranger. Except for Sisko (and, oddly, Quark), they are all uncomfortable around her. Worf goes so far as to actively avoid her, even leaving Quark's bar when he notices Ezri is there.

She plans to transfer back to the Destiny, her ship before she became joined. Sisko has other plans. He tells her that he will support her decision, but he clearly wants his old friend to remain and offers her a position as counselor on the station. "The station could use a good counselor," he observes.

His offer comes exactly when the station does need a counselor. Garak, who has been decoding intercepted Cardassian messages for Starfleet, suffers an anxiety attack caused by claustrophobia. Ezri agrees to talk to Garak, to try to help him so that he can continue his intelligence work. Garak pretends their talk helps - but shortly after, he enters an airlock and tries to open the outer door to get out of the enclosed station. When Ezri tries to help again, he denounces her "insipid psychobabble" and tells her that she's unworthy to carry the name "Dax" - leaving Ezri not just doubting staying on Deep Space 9, but doubting her very ability to continue as a Starfleet officer!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: He already went through the process of adjusting to a very different Dax with Jadzia, which I suspect is why he's so instantly accepting of Ezri. She's as different from her predecessor as Jadzia was from Curzon, but he knows that the friend he has so relied upon is there underneath the quirks. For all that he wants to be supportive, a good leader knows when someone needs handholding and when someone needs a hard kick. When Ezri responds to Garak's tongue-lashing by wallowing in her own insecurities, Sisko doesn't hesitate to deliver that kick, as harsh in his way as Garak: "Dax... had eight amazing lives. So what if the ninth was a waste? ...Dismissed!"

Ezri: A little scene that I particularly like sees her hovering in front of a replicator, uncertain what to order. The favorite foods of her past lives keep popping to the top of her head, to the point where she can't remember what she herself actually enjoys. It underscores the difficulty of her transition. Imagine not being able to remember whether you prefer coffee or tea, or pancakes or waffles, or whether you like your steak rare or medium well, or whether you're actually a vegetarian! She probably really does need a good counselor, or at least time in a low-stress environment - Luxuries the current war situation simply will not allow to the young woman carrying the Dax symbiote.

Worf: "You are not Jadzia... I do not know you, nor do I wish to know you!" Worf is not just brusque, but downright rude to Ezri, making it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Then, after she has a friendly (if not unflirtatious) chat with Dr. Bashir, he responds like... Well, like a jealous husband, loudly declaring that Ezri is absolutely off-limits. His behavior is inexcusable... But in fairness, he is also facing a difficult situation. His role in the opening two-parter was all about securing a place for Jadzia in the Klingon afterlife, allowing him to begin the process of coming to terms with her death. Then he barely sets foot on the station before being confronted with a new Dax, carrying all of Jadzia's memories. His wife is dead, but she also still lives - So in a way, Ezri takes away by her very presence the significance of what he has just done for Jadzia's soul and memory. I hope it's a long time (if ever) before these two become comfortable around each other, because this is not something Worf should just get over in a handful of episodes.

Garak: The moment in which Garak turns his venomous scalpel against Ezri is the episode's highlight, his tearing down of her more than a little reminiscent of his tirade against Bashir in The Wire. Writer Rene Echevarria builds carefully to this moment. The first Garak/Ezri scene sees Ezri displaying all of her emotional fragility - Something that might earn sympathy from Jake or Bashir, but which can only garner contempt from someone like Garak. After his second attack, Ezri uses Quark's holosuite to simulate a wide-open space while promising to do all she can to help him. Garak initially responds with gratitude - But once he's had a chance to recover himself, the thought of being so weak as to require the aid of someone he regards as pathetic has to ignite all of his self-loathing, which he directs right back at Ezri. At the heart of it all is his fear that he has become a traitor to his own people, condemning the Cardassian Empire to annihilation by deciphering their codes for Starfleet. Which is a distinct possibility, because Garak's not wrong when he says that the Dominion won't let the Cardassians simply surrender.


THOUGHTS

After the introduction of Ezri in the opening two-parter, it was the right choice to devote the next episode to her finding her place on the station. The characters' reactions to her are designed to anticipate the audience's - Sisko and Quark accept her pretty much right away, as a small but distinct segment of viewers could be counted on to do. Most of the others show varying levels of resistance, though most seem inclined to at least give her a chance - Which would be the case with the majority of viewers. Meanwhile, the distinct subset of viewers who could be counted on to resist the change with righteous fury are represented by Worf, openly resentful as if Ezri's existance cheapens Jadzia's memory; and by Garak, who tells her that she isn't worthy to carry the name "Dax."

The goal is clearly to make it easier for the audience to accept her by putting her through an emotional hell as she overcomes the very type of resistance in the regulars that the viewers will have. I find it successful in this, but I already find Ezri quite likable. She doesn't have Jadzia's confidence and humor, and I could never picture her in command of anything - But she is likable, and her reaction to her situation feels emotionally believable so far.

Rene Echevarria is regularly top-notch at characterization, and it's no surprise that not just Ezri, but all of the characters feel right for who they are. Sisko and Quark accepting her immediately feels right, because Sisko's been through this once and because Quark is just the sort who will accept that this is his friend Dax even if it's not Jadzia - He isn't going to sentimentalize when his friend/unrequited crush is standing right in front of him, just in a different form. Kira's discomfort, particularly when standing at the very Bajoran shrine where Jadzia was shot, is well-realized, and I appreciate that we don't see everyone completely losing their discomfort by episode's end.

I retain some apprehension about introducing this new character this late in the series, but I'm happy that I find myself liking this nervous, neurotic young woman. I just hope that the writers are able to balance properly developing her against the needs of the many ongoing plot threads that need tied up over the next 23 episodes.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode; Shadows and Symbols
Next Episode: Take Me Out to the Holosuite

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6-19. In the Pale Moonlight.

Sisko is haunted after sacrificing his
integrity for a chance at victory.

THE PLOT

The war is going badly. The Dominion are striking at the Federation through Romulan space, thanks to the non-aggression pact the Romulans signed, and this is proving to be crippling for Starfleet - as shown by the casualty reports posted every Friday, with every Friday bringing station staff new heartache as they read the names of more friends and loved ones who are now gone forever.

Sisko is certain that the Dominion will attack Romulus as soon as the Federation is dealt with. If he can prove this, then he has a good chance of breaking that nonaggression pact and possibly even bringing the Romulans into the war. He goes to Garak, who agrees to call in favors with his Cardassian contacts. But the Dominion is as watchful as it is ruthless, and every agent Garak communicates with quickly ends up dead.

That's when Garak proposes another solution. If they can't find evidence of a Dominion plot against the Romulans, then why not fabricate some? He comes up with a plan to create an entirely authentic-seeming forged data record, to present to Sen. Vreenak (Stephen McHattie), the Romulans' most outspoken supporter of the Dominion; if they can convince Vreenak, Garak reasons, then the entire Romulan Empire will fall in line.

As the plan unfolds, Sisko is forced again and again to compromise his integrity. If the ruse succeeds, he will secure a powerful ally for the Federation. But at what point does the cost become too great?


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Avery Brooks' stagier tendencies are on full display in the framing device that sees Sisko recording his thoughts on the events after the fact. But the emoting feels entirely in-character. As Sisko recalls the story for our benefit, he wrestles with himself to decide whether the things he did were justified. He crosses one small line after another: He agrees to fake evidence; he frees forger Grathon Tlar (Howard Shangraw) to achieve this; he covers up a crime Grathon commits on the station... On and on, keeping his eyes latched to the promise of an ultimate greater good at the end. As he records his log, Sisko seems to be weighing whether his choices were correct and he should move onto his next challenge, or whether he went too far and should resign his commission. By the end, he reaches a decision... and erases his entire personal log to make sure there is no trace of what may be considered a confession.

Quark: It's critical to Sisko's plans that there be no record of Grathon's presence on the station - So when the forger physically assaults Quark, he must stop the Ferengi from pressing charges. He asks Quark what it will take to make the situation go away, and the Ferengi's eyes light up at seeing the noble Starfleet captain reduced to offering a bribe. To his credit, Quark doesn't make Sisko squirm too badly. He secures a handful of largely reasonable concessions from the captain, then lets the matter go. But the very fact of this transaction is his true reward, as he tells Sisko when their business is concluded: "Thank you for restoring my faith in the 98th RUle of Acquisition: Every man has his price."

Weyoun/Damar: Seen only in the forged holo recording - Which, as Garak gleefully notes, is made convincing with the addition of (a bit of bickering and mutual loathing quote). Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs do a splendid job of playing convincing replicas of Damar and Weyoun - They aren't quite the real thing, but they're very close to it... Which, for this episode's purposes, is exactly right.

Garak: I commented back in my review of Empok Nor that Garak had been allowed to become too safe a character. This episode restores him to his proper status as someone who may be an ally, but one who is as ruthless as he is formidable. Garak is a little like a dark side Jiminy Cricket on Sisko's shoulder, prodding the captain to just one more compromise... And furthering a plan of his own all the while. The best part of the episode's treatment of Garak is that every single thing he says is absolutely correct, right down to his observation that Sisko came to him because he specifically needed someone like him, someone willing to do the dark and nasty things required to make the plan work. In a very real sense, Garak is the hero of the episode, arguably the hero of the entire Dominion War... Which doesn't make him any less frightening. Just like Sisko, he would do all of this again; unlike Sisko, he isn't particularly bothered by what he had to do to make this victory possible.


THOUGHTS

"I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all? I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would."
-Benjamin Sisko, allowing the ends to justify the means.

Back in the Season Four finale, Broken Link, Garak was stopped and arrested while attempting to destroy the changelings' home world. Even then, it was more than clear to everyone that the war was inevitable, and potentially unwinnable. If one could step into the series now, not quite two years later, and ask the characters (even those who would have died on the planet) if they wished Garak had succeeded, I suspect most of them would say "Yes."

One of the reasons In the Pale Moonlight works so splendidly is that Sisko's desperation here has been building all season. Even after he won back the station and convinced the Prophets to keep Dominion reinforcements from coming through the wormhole, the outlook has remained bleak. In Statistical Probabilities, Bashir and his group of augments flat-out told anyone who would listen that it was a mathematical impossibility for Starfleet to win the war. In Far Beyond the Stars, the stream of bad news and casualty reports had Sisko on the brink of resigning. Starfleet has been losing the war ever since it began - So there's a ring of inevitability to the news that the Dominion has started taking control of key Federation planets.

This is what pushes Sisko to accept Garak's advice, and what keeps pushing him as he falls ever deeper into the rabbit hole of deceptions, crimes, and cover-ups. It's revealing to watch Sisko and Garak in this story. Sisko starts feeling the strain of lies almost immediately, and that strain grows throughout the episode. Garak simply takes it all in stride, moving from lie to pleasantly-worded threat to caustic observation with ease... And why not? For Sisko, this is all strange and terrible - something that has made the world of his station into a treacherous foreign land. For Garak, this is his natural habitat.

Sisko's ending speech, a bit of which is quoted above, is of course a stunner. But the entire episode is peppered with great scenes and wonderful lines, from Quark's enjoyment at Sisko's compromised integrity to the scene in which Sisko and Garak take turns threatening Grathon - Sisko hot, Garak cold, and both of them absolutely lethal.

The script is credited to Michael Taylor, who previously penned the excellent fourth season episode The Visitor. The broadcast version was heavily rewritten by Ronald D. Moore, who has penned more excellent Trek episodes than would be reasonable to list. And it's from a (radically different) story premise by Peter Allen Fields, who wrote such early gems as Duet, Necessary Evil, and Crossover. Given the pedigree, it was probably inevitable that this would be good. But it's more than just good - This is a serious candidate for the series' best episode, and an absolute cinch for any DS9 Top Five.

Indispensible viewing, by any measure.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Inquisition
Next Episode: His Way

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5-26. Call to Arms.

Deep Space 9 under attack!

THE PLOT

The Dominion is preparing for war.

This has been true for some time, but now it seems imminent. Convoys of Dominion warships are coming through the wormhole on a weekly basis, further reinforcing their already strong presence in Cardassian space. More and more Alpha Quadrant governments are signing non-aggression pacts with the Dominion, with the Romulans the newest addition to a growing list. If this continues, Sisko knows, the Dominion will become unstoppable. So he orders his crew to mine the wormhole; and when Odo protests that this could start a war, he acknowledges as much but points out that they are "losing the peace."

Rom comes up with a plan to create cloaked, self-replicating mines to prevent the Dominion from simply vaporizing the minefield from the mouth of the wormhole, and Dax and O'Brien are quickly able to make that idea into a reality. But the Defiant has barely begun the painstaking work of laying the mines before the Dominion learns of their plans. Weyoun comes to the station, for once devoid of grins or patter. He is there to deliver an ultimatum:

"Either you remove the mines, or we will take this station from you and remove them ourselves!"


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Lives up to his role as the Emissary by endorsing the non-aggression pact between Bajor and the Dominion. As he confessed to Kai Winn in the previous episode, and repeats to Kira in this one, the Federation cannot guarantee Bajor's safety. The only way to protect the planet and its recovery is to keep it out of the fight. Left to hold off the Dominion with limited resources, Sisko relies on tactics and surprises. He orders Martok to warn him when the Dominion but not to engage until he gives the word. He uses the station's upgraded defenses to engage the enemy while the Defiant finishes the minefield. And he prepares a final surprise to avoid anything useful being left on the station - along with a last message for Gul Dukat. Avery Brooks is superb throughout, and his expression at the end of the episode is genuinely, frighteningly fierce.

Kira/Odo: Have been avoiding each other ever since the revelations of Children of Time - which would have been nice to actually see, given that their only interaction since (in Blaze of Glory) seemed entirely friendly and comfortable. Here, the awkwardness is obvious - though much alleviated once Odo reassures her that he will make no move to change the nature of their relationship, at least not until after the crisis has past. Kira visibly relaxes, and Odo cannot help but make an ironic observation about how comforting it is to only have to deal with imminent war, rather than a (gasp) relationship crisis. They are once again firmly established as a team at the episode's close; and where things leave off, they will probably need to rely on each other quite a bit over the next season.

Rom: The episode's limited "B" plot sees Rom and Leeta finally get married... Something Rom frets over even as he works with the station's command staff to make the minefield work. A very amusing scene sees Rom switching between random wedding jitters and brilliant solutions to the problems posed by the minefield: One sentence of "Rom the Idiot," followed immediately by one sentence of "Rom the Engineering Genius," and back again. It works, thanks equally to Max Grodenchik's delivery and his co-stars' nonplussed reactions as he basically solves all of their problems as an afterthought!

Weyoun: A false and smarmy good cheer has marked Weyoun's every appearance to date - which makes it all the more effective when he arrives in this episode, still and humorless and entirely determined to get his way. The scene between Weyoun and Sisko is masterful, as each man first tries to intimidate each other, then goes through the hollow motions of a diplomacy both recognize as pointless before leaving to prepare for battle. Weyoun is equally firm with Dukat. When the Cardassian wants to attack Bajor, noting that Cardassia did not sign a non-aggression treaty, weyoun has to remind him very firmly that as a part of the Dominion, he is bound by their treaties. Weyoun jerks Dukat's leash a second time, at the end, reminding him that the Dominion's highest priority is not the station but the minefield Sisko has left to block further reinforcements.

Garak: Muses about how, when the Klingons attacked Deep Space 9, he and Gul Dukat fought side by side. "At one point, he turned his back to me - And I must to admit that, for a moment, he made a very tempting target." When Odo asks if Garak regrets not killing Dukat, he replies bluntly: "Before this day is over, everyone on this station is going to regret it."

Gul Dukat: From his perspective, the assault on Deep Space 9 is simply re-taking that which is rightly his. He wants to push on to Bajor, as well, and Weyoun has to remind him that Bajor's non-aggression pact with the Dominion is binding. This scene and others show signs that Dukat is starting to resent taking orders from Weyoun and the Dominion. I suspect he's already looking for weaknesses, since a man like Dukat isn't going to be satisfied serving under an outsider's rule for very long...


THOUGHTS

The fifth season draws to a close as the Cold War with the Dominion, which has built up over the past three seasons, finally erupts. In a big way, too. Deep Space 9 has consistently raised the bar on Trek combat sequences.  The Die Is Cast was the biggest space combat scene yet seen in televised Trek (or a lot of movie Trek for that matter); The Way of the Warrior was bigger.

The combat sequence that makes up the last third of this episode makes both of those look almost small by comparison. The station is under attack by an unstoppable force, and the effects work and editing allow us to see Deep Space 9 as a small speck engulfed by a locust-like cloud of enemy ships. Jay Chattaway's excellent score, the editing, and most importantly the context built up by the carefully-constructed script all combine to make the scene as desperate and exciting as the situation demands.

What really makes the battle so effective is the groundwork laid by the first two-thirds. Stalwarts Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe take time to make sure we understand the stakes, and create a scenario where it's entirely believable that Deep Space 9 has been left to deal alone with this overwhelming force. The script also finds plenty of time for human moments: Rom's wedding jitters, and his insistence on watching out for his brother; Odo and Kira, agreeing to avoid exploring any romance until after the crisis has past; Quark, smuggling in Cardassian yamok sauce in preparation for the station's inevitable fall; Sisko reflecting on how the place he hated to be assigned to has become a home he hates to leave. This is done consistently: A big scene establishing the larger situation, a small scene showing how individuals react to it. We get to see the larger tapestry while at the same time viewing several of the individual threads.

The battle itself is splendid, but even better are the closing scenes. The last part of the episode acts as an epilogue to the combat, and it also sets the stage for next season. The characters are scattered, each becoming ready to fight his or her own part of the war that has officially begun. Some will work from behind enemy lines; some will fight on the front lines; others will stay with the main fleet to help coordinate. It's a tantalizing set-up, one which leaves me eagerly anticipating the season to come.

The final three shots could each have served as a memorable ending shot: Gul Dukat, pondering the message Sisko has left for him; Sisko, seeming to give a glare that can cut through light years to reach his nemesis; and the actual final shot, of an enormous joint Starfleet/Klingon fleet. Two nations that had been at war at the start of this season, now firmer allies than ever as they prepare to face the most formidable foe they have ever encountered.

Any one of the three shots would be a fantastic closing. But what's even more impressive is how each builds upon the one before, until the slow fade to black that leaves you desperate for the next installment.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: In the Cards
Next Episode: A Time to Stand

Season Five Overview

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5-24. Empok Nor.

Garak menaces Chief O'Brien's engineering crew!

THE PLOT

The station's plasma conduits are breaking down, leaving the staff in a bind. With Cardassia having joined the Dominion, there is no source for replacement parts, and no ability to replicate those parts. The only reasonable possibility is Empok Nor, a Cardassian space station that was abandoned a year earlier, during the Klingon/Cardassian conflict. Chief O'Brien assembles a team to scavenge the station. Knowing the Cardassians' tendency to leave booby traps, Sisko orders one addition to the team, someone with extensive experience with Cardassian sabotage: Elim Garak!

Garak proves his usefulness almost immediately, disarming a device that would have turned Empok Nor's airlock into a deathtrap. Once aboard, the engineers begin searching for the needed parts. But Garak makes two disturbing discoveries: a bio-gel that he finds only when he makes skin contact with it, and two empty stasis tubes that housed members of the Cardassian First Order, a group that is violently xenophobic even by Cardassian standards. Their statis tubes were apparently set to wake them as soon as the station was breached.

Now they are hunting the Starfleet intruders. Garak's skills as a spy and assassin seem to offer the best hope for combating them... but Garak is sliding ever further into xenophobia himself, turning gradually against the very people he was sent to protect!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: When O'Brien suggests scavenging parts from Empok Nor, Sisko barely hesitates. He does take a moment to verify that the salvage team won't be likely to run afoul of the Dominion, however, and he bribes Garak into going along to help protect the engineers, both of which show a level of caution not always typical of Sisko.

O'Brien: The strongest character material of the episode is when Garak brings up O'Brien's military service during the Federation's war with Cardassia. Garak remarks on O'Brien's audacity at the Battle of Setlik III. This battle was first brought up in the TNG episode The Wounded (the show that introduced the Cardassians), and we saw there how uncomfortable O'Brien was with the things he had to do to survive the conflict. He is similarly uncomfortable here, insisting that he is no longer a soldier but an engineer. But as his men begin to die around him, O'Brien steadily returns to the soldier role, particularly when he is pushed into a battle of wits with Garak... a battle the engineer ends up winning.

Nog: Remains highly enthusiastic about his Starfleet career, to the point that his eagerness to volunteer for every duty available can become slightly annoying at times. His respect for O'Brien is entirely genuine, both from his own observations of the man's hard work and from hearing his father talk about how the chief can fix anything.

Garak: "Lately I've noticed that everyone seems to trust me. It's quite unnerving." It's good to see that Garak - and the writers - are aware that he has become too "safe" as an ally. Part of what makes Garak such a satisfying character is that you can never fully trust him, and that edge has diminished a bit over time. This episode might have served as a reminder that he remains dangerous and unreliable... Except, of course, that Garak does exactly what he was sent to do, right up until the bio-gel makes him "turn bad." And by turn bad, I mean turn into a stock psycho who is vastly less interesting (and less fun) than normal Garak is. Before that turn, we do get some good moments between him and O'Brien, a previously unused character pairing. The scene in which Garak needles O'Brien about his war service is a particularly strong one, leaving me wondering how much better this episode might have been had he gone to the station with a secret agenda that would put him at odds with O'Brien, with no evil bio-gel required.


THOUGHTS

Empok Nor is a story of two halves. The first half, in which the engineering team goes to the abandoned station and eventually finds itself being picked apart by Cardassian commandos, is very good: Tense, well-acted, with good character material and meticulous direction by the ever-reliable Michael Vejar. The second half, in which Garak goes crazy and Andrew J. Robinson recreates his "Gemini Killer" persona from Dirty Harry, is rather weak and silly, derailing an episode that had been on track to become a fine, spooky piece.

The performances by Colm Meaney and Andrew Robinson are terrific, as expected. The guest cast is undistinguished but perfectly adequate. What keeps this episode from hitting the mark is the script, which never quite finds a proper focus. The subplot with the Cardassian First Order never receives an adequate payoff; this strand is simply and conveniently cut off at the exact moment Garak becomes homicidal. Nor does the "evil Garak" material particularly work. Unlike Garak's nastiest moments in The Wire, his behavior in this episode doesn't seem to stem from his own personality - It's forced upon him, effectively turning him into a different character. The two halves don't really gel, and there's no sense that the events of this story will have any repercussions whatever.

I would also like to raise the question: Why didn't the DS9 crew make sure to have backup supplies of Cardassian equipment? There was a lengthy period, from the end of Season Three through to the first part of Season Five, in which the Federation appeared to be on good terms with the Cardassians. Surely using that opportunity to stock up on parts that could not be obtained from other sources would have been a simple matter of common sense? Had this been addressed with even a throwaway line ("Dukat sabotaged our spares right before leaving the station to join the Dominion), then I'd be fine by it. Instead, it appears to be a situation that exists solely because the plot requires it.

I will say that this is a quite watchable episode, with some good moments. The O'Brien/Garak pairing works extremely well, with the series' most straightforward character forced to interact with the series' least straightforward one, to amusing effect. The scene near the beginning, in which Garak prods O'Brien about his military background, is excellent character material. Also very good is the closing scene, with O'Brien's admission that he was actively trying to kill Garak all the more effective for being underplayed. It's just a shame that these moments and performances are stuffed into an episode that's otherwise unworthy of them.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Blaze of Glory
Next Episode: In the Cards

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5-15. By Inferno's Light.

Gul Dukat gives Cardassia to the Dominion.

THE PLOT

Worf, Garak, Dr. Bashir, and the Klingon general Martok (J. G. Hertzler) are all prisoners of the Jem'Hadar. They have a plan for escape - but it hinges on Garak being able to modify Enabran Tain's transmitter to beam them to Worf's runabout. Garak is the only one among them with the technical knowledge to make this work... something that's badly complicated by Garak's extreme claustrophobia.

Back on Deep Space 9, what appears to be a massing Dominion attack is turned on its head when the Dominion fleet flies right past the station on its way to Cardassia Prime. Gul Dukat's ship flies after them - but not to try to attack or pass the fleet to warn Cardassia. Dukat has been in secret negotiations to join the Dominion, and is being installed as the new Cardassian ruler.

Dukat's first order of business is a promise to his people. He will restore the empire to full strength: "There will not be a single Klingon alive inside Cardassian territory or a single Maquis colony left within our borders. Cardassia will be made whole. All that we have lost will be ours again, and anyone who stands in our way will be destroyed!" As he explains to Sisko, Cardassian territory includes Deep Space 9. And with the Changeling impersonating Dr. Bashir preparing mass sabotage of the station, its destruction may be imminent!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Even though Sisko is left to mostly react to events, he still doesn't project the slightest weakness in his conversations with Dukat.  He actively encourages the Cardassian to try to take the station from him, in a tone and manner that should give pause to even the most power-mad of egotists.  He is able to convince Klingon Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) to re-commit to the Khitomer Accords, so that the Federation and the Klingon Empire can stand united against the Dominion. Finally, when he realizes that the Bashir he has been trusting is a Changeling infiltrator, he doesn't hesitate to order "Bashir's" shuttle destroyed.

Worf: Earns Martok's respect by accepting one Jem'Hadar challenge after another, and defeating every one of them. Even as Worf becomes steadily more injured, he refuses to decline a challenge. His sense of honor will not allow him to yield. His final fight is against Ikat'ika (James Horan), the Jem'Hadar First of the camp. By this point, Worf is too badly injured to put up much of a fight, but he still refuses to yield even when both Martok and Ikat'ika insist that "honor has been satisfied." His stubbornness leads Ikat'ika to yield, the Jem'Hadar stating: "I cannot defeat this Klingon. All I can do is kill him - and that no longer holds my interest."

Dr. Bashir: Part One revealed that for the last several episodes, the Bashir on Deep Space 9 was actually a Changeling while the real Bashir languished in a Jem'Hadar prison. This episode cuts between both Bashirs, showing an effective contrast. Changeling Bashir is very smooth and unflappable. The real Bashir's compassion shows itself as he tries to talk Worf out of continuing his fights with the Jem'Hadar and as he insists on Garak taking regular breaks in his work. It really makes me want to go back and watch the last several episodes again, to see if I can spot differences in Bashir's behavior after the fact. I do think it's a missed opportunity that they didn't pick his separation from his allies during Nor the Battle to the Strong the moment at which he was taken, though - It would have turned that episode's one weak point (his miraculous, off-screen return to base) into a retroactive strength.

Garak: The Garak we see here is largely robbed of his silver tongue. He is forced to face his greatest internal fear, and that strips away his acerbic armor. It does seem that Tain truly was his father (something I doubted at the end of Part One). It also seems clear that he genuinely does care about Ziyal, trying to push himself to overcome his claustrophobia by invoking his promise to her to return. I wouldn't want to see Garak this vulnerable very often, but it is worthwhile to see it occasionally. Knowing that there is a real core underneath the act makes him more complex, not less - And I'm sure another episode will come along in due course to remind us that he is a formidable figure in his own right.

Gul Dukat: "One man's villain is another man's hero." Dukat really does see himself as the hero, striking the devil's bargain with the Dominion in order to make his people strong again. It's completely consistent with what we've seen in previous episodes. In Return to Grace, he was outraged when his government overlooked Klingon aggression in Cardassian space, denouncing the new government as "paralyzed... beaten and defeated." He proclaimed himself "the only Cardassian left!" In his mind, selling his people out to the Dominion is an act of patriotism, to restore his empire to its former glory. Given the shared (pointless) resentment among some fans of the two shows, I hate to throw a Babylon 5 reference in - but Dukat's bargain with the Dominion strongly recalls Londo's dealings with Mr. Morden. I suspect they will lead in a similar direction, but likely without the redemption Londo found.


THOUGHTS

By Inferno's Light makes good use of the many strands left by In Purgatory's Shadow. This is a true Part Two, carrying on both the tone and narrative of Part One. It also functions as a piece of a larger arc. The immediate threat is resolved by the end of the episode, but the series has shifted in a fundamental way by the end.

The 2-parter continues to balance momentum against strong character moments. As the station braces for a Dominion attack, O'Brien sends his family to Bajor for refuge. He comments to "Bashir" that Molly is getting old enough to know when something's wrong, and that he doesn't like seeing her worried or afraid. Dukat says farewell to Kira, observing that it never felt right for the two of them to be on the same side. Quark looks at a potential Dominion takeover in terms of its effect on business: Neither the Founder nor the Jem'Hadar eat, drink, or have sex, which are Quark's three main profit lines. Little moments like these only take a minute or so, and therefore don't interfere with the pace - but they do a lot to personalize the plot developments for the characters, and they make the characters feel that much more real for taking that spare minute here and there.

I was fearful of a weak finish, but that doesn't end up happening. The Bashir Changeling is exposed and his immediate plot is foiled. Beyond that, the Federation and the Klingon Empire are firmly allies again, the end of their conflict fused to the Dominion arc just as the beginning of it was. But as we fade to black, the overall situation is far more grim and far less stable than it has been.

The Dominion now has a presence in the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion/Cardassian alliance has driven the Klingons out of Cardassian space. The Maquis will likely be similarly driven out, as the Dominion's scorched Earth tactics will make a guerilla war untenable. Finally, Dukat's ending conversation with Sisko makes it clear that he sees Deep Space 9 as Cardassian property - and that he fully intends to take it back or destroy it. This leaves a threat of war hanging over Deep Space 9's head, a threat which I suspect will materialize right around the season's end.

In short, it's hard to imagine that things can just go back to "business as usual" for the last part of the season. The status quo has changed - and not in a way that can remain stable for long. I look forward to the point at which it will shift again.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: In Purgatory's Shadow
Next Episode: Dr. Bashir, I Presume

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5-14. In Purgatory's Shadow.

Garak and Worf, prisoners of the Dominion!

THE PLOT

When an encoded Cardassian transmission is picked up in the Gamma Quadrant, Sisko orders Garak to decode it. Garak tells him it's innocuous, just a years-old planetary survey. But when he states that he's given up on the idea of survivors from the Cardassian attack on the Dominion, Dr. Bashir knows that he's lying. Bashir pushes Garak to reveal the truth: The transmission is a message from his old mentor, Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley), consisting of just one word repeated over and over: "Alive."

Garak insists on going after Tain, and points out to Sisko that if Tain is alive then there may be other survivors as well. He is sent with Worf in a runabout to trace the signal back... but they don't get far before they are intercepted by a Dominion fleet. Worf is able to get out a warning that Dominion forces are building up near the wormhole, but that is all he is able to accomplish before he and Garak are captured.

They are taken to a prison camp on an asteroid. The only atmosphere is provided by a dome, making escape an apparent impossibility. Meanwhile, at the station, Worf's message is received, leaving Sisko with only one option to stop a Dominion invasion: Collapse the wormhole!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Though he doesn't trust that Tain's message is real, he can't ignore the possibility of survivors. He sends Worf with Garak, knowing that the rigid Worf is unlikely to be swayed by the Cardassian's manipulations. When Worf's message gets through, Sisko gives him and Garak as much time as possible before collapsing the wormhole. Ultimately, however, he knows that cutting them off is an acceptable tradeoff to stopping a Dominion attack, and orders it done when the moment comes.

Worf: I love this show's willingness to combine different characters to create new dynamics. We've usually seen Garak paired with Bashir (and do for a bit of this episode), but we've also seen him teamed up with Odo to very different but equally enjoyable effect. Now Worf is assigned to accompany the Cardassian, and we get something different again. Worf's too inflexible to spar with Garak the way Bashir or Odo did. Instead, he calls out Garak's lies as soon as he recognizes them. His inflexible mind-set doesn't stop him from being manipulated, though. When he is about to turn back, as Sisko ordered, Garak prevails on his honor to get him to continue. Worf snaps that Garak doesn't understand the meaning of the word... but as Garak points out, that isn't the point. Worf does, and that's all that's needed for Garak to get the Klingon to do as he wants.

Dr. Bashir: Instantly recognizes Garak's claim of an inconsequential message as a lie. He waits in a runabout for the Cardassian to attempt to steal it, then takes him to Sisko to reveal the full truth. When Garak compliments him on how untrusting he's become over the past five years, Bashir says only that he had a good teacher. Much later in the episode, when Garak is stung by Tain rejecting him yet again, Bashir does provide some comfort. Garak snaps about how the best lesson he can teach Bashir is that sentiment is a weakness... Prompting the doctor to reply that this is one lesson he hopes never to learn.

Garak: Though there are big moments for several characters, this episode belongs to him and is all the better for it. Garak remains an unpredictable delight. He pushes Worf into considering sponsoring his application to Starfleet, only to reveal that he did so only to keep his lying skills sharp. He greets both Gul Dukat and his captors with a disarming grin, and doesn't seem too bothered when both encounters result in hands around his throat. For all of his rampant deception, and for all the wrongs Tain has done to him over the years, he retains a strong loyalty to his mentor. His final scene with Tain seems to reveal more about both men's backgrounds... though honestly, given Garak's nature, I don't trust that the information we seem to learn is truly genuine.

Gul Dukat: Enters the episode in a fury - literally, as he throttles Garak for his association with his daughter. This sets the tone for Dukat's entire role. When Kira confirms that she knew about Ziyal (Melanie Smith)'s association with Garak, he accuses her of willful betrayal. Gone is the smiling flirtation of the past two seasons - Dukat makes it clear in one scene that he now fully regards Kira as an enemy, and he intends to get his revenge. His last scene sees him denouncing his daughter for refusing to leave the station on his orders, lumping her in with all his other self-created enemies. For all of this, you can see that in his mind, he is the injured party in every case. Much like the man who claimed to want to protect the Bajorans as his "children," he has made himself into a victim. It will be very interesting to see where he goes from here.


THOUGHTS

Gul Dukat, Garak, and Enebran Tain all in the same episode, along with a massive Dominion build-up and a few big surprises... If I didn't know this was still the mid-season, I would think this was the first part of a season cliffhanger! It's certainly momentous enough. If the next episode sustains the momentum, this will likely rank alongside The Jem'Hadar, The Die Is Cast, and The Way of the Warrior for episodes that cause a seismic shift in the series.

I'll wait until my next review to discuss the episode's biggest revelation - I want to mull it over a while before seriously discussing it in any event. Besides, while I can't imagine many people are reading these reviews without having first seen the episodes, I want to allow at least one review's space before spoiling one of the best surprises the series has yet sprung.

Writers Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Ira Steven Behr provide the big moments and the sense of a series turning point, but they don't forget to make room for plenty of good character material. In addition to moments I've mentioned in the "Characters" section, we also see Odo adjusting to being a shapeshifter again, and finding that there are many aspects to being a solid that he's going to miss. The Kira/Dukat scenes are charged with energy, with Kira all but laughing at Dukat's attempts to intimidate her (something that I suspect she's taking far too lightly). worf and Dax get a scene together that shows the spark, humor, and chemistry that was so sorely lacking in Let He Who Is Without Sin...

All in all, an excellent first part that leaves me eagerly awaiting Part Two.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: For the Uniform
Next Episode: By Inferno's Light

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5-8. Things Past.

Odo is forced to face a secret from his past.

THE PLOT

Sisko, Odo, Garak, and Dax are returning to the station after attending a Bajoran conference devoted to the Cardassian Occupation. Garak drew some attention by ill-advisedly discussing the benefits of the Occupation, but the real star was Odo. His even-handed stewardship of the security of Terok Nor (as Deep Space 9 was then known) earned him the respect of both Cardassians and Bajorans - respect Odo isn't entirely comfortable with.

By the time their runabout arrives at the station, the four are in a comatose state, and Dr. Bashir's attempts to revive them prove futile. He observes that their neural activity indicates that they are actually conscious...

...And so they are, but not of Deep Space 9's Medlab. They awake on Terok Nor, under the Cardassian Occupation. They are dressed as Bajorans, and despite being members of various races they are perceived as Bajorans. Dax catches the eye of station commander Gul Dukat, who has her brought to him to relieve his "loneliness." Meanwhile, Sisko, Garak, and Odo discover the identities of the Bajorans whose place they have taken.

They have assumed the identities of three men whose names Odo knows all too well. They were three Bajorans who were executed for a crime they didn't commit: Attempting to assassinate Gul Dukat. And the day of the attempted assassination? This very day...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: As soon as he realizes where and when they are, he focuses on the immediate priority of not attracting any Cardassian attention. Once out of sight, he allows the others to discuss what could be occurring - but again moves them on once Dukat makes his appearance. It doesn't take long for him to recognize that Odo is agitated, but he doesn't press him until late in the episode because there is always a more immediate priority. When he does confront the constable, however, he does so with such fire that Odo is actually grateful when the Cardassian security chief, Thrax (Kurtwood Smith) comes for him.

Odo: Uncomfortable with the degree of respect he is given for his role during the Occupation. "I tried to bring order to a chaotic situation, that's all," he protests, bringing to mind what we already know about the Changeling predisposition to maintaining order above all. It's an early hint of the revelation to come, one that Odo tries very hard to keep his friends from learning and that he seems to even be trying to deny to himself. Rene Auberjonois is excellent as usual, and his pleas with Thrax to conduct a more thorough investigation (pleas he knows are doomed before he makes them) are particularly effective.

Dax: As far back as season One, I've been impressed by how good a nonverbal performer Terry Farrell is. She shows this very strongly in her scene with Dukat. She is "selected" by Cardassian guards and brought to him. She doesn't know what is about to happen - Cardassian interrogation, sexual assault, possibly both - and is visibly frightened. When Dukat presents himself pleasantly, even offering her a drink, her hand shakes as she is thrown by the incongruity of his demeanor. Then she sees that he wants her as a companion, wants her trust, and she smiles slightly, as she realizes how she can use his neediness to her advantage.

Garak: This is Garak's first Season Five appearance (presumably, after some time in the brig for his deeds in Broken Link), and both the character and actor Andrew J. Robinson are on terrific form. On the surface, Garak almost appears to be comedy relief, commenting sardonically on their situation and sniffing at his recollections of the Occupation being "tidier." But he never stops thinking. When Dax is "selected," he steps forward to attempt to bribe the guard out of taking her. That fails, and he earns a punch in the nose for his trouble... But being Garak, he takes advantage of the situation to pick the man's pocket for some gear that allows him to figure out a key piece of the puzzle. Also being Garak, he spends the time awaiting execution thinking up and evaluating excuses that might save his own skin.

Gul Dukat: It's a treat to see Dukat back when he was in power. As in Season Two's Necessary Evil, there are indications that he at least wanted to be a benevolent dictator to the Bajorans - likely for his benefit, however. His interactions with Dax show that he craves approval, not just of his men but of his subjects. He relishes holding the power of life and death over the Bajorans, but he also wants to be beloved by them. An unrealistic expectation, to put it mildly, but then he did go on to amorously pursue Kira, so it's not like he's ever been realistic in his self-image.


THOUGHTS

Things Past acts very much as a companion piece to the outstanding Season Two episode, Necessary Evil. That episode flashed back to the start of Odo's career on Terok Nor, the name for the Cardassian-run Deep Space 9 during the Occupation of Bajor. It also showed the start of his friendship with Kira, and revealed a secret about Kira's past.

Things Past returns us to Terok Nor through the magic of Technobabble, only this time it is Odo who has the guilty secret. The Terok Nor setting remains terrific, and director Levar Burton doesn't hesitate to go for broke with the grittiness of the setting. Everything is dark, varying shades of shadow punctuated by harsh shafts of light. Colors are subdued to the point of being a step removed from monochrome, and the Cardassian guards (usually seen overhead) are a near-constant presence. The atmosphere is superb, almost as strong as it was in the earlier episode.

Michael Taylor's script is a good one. The opening scene seems light-hearted, but it introduces the major idea of the episode: Odo's attempts to bring order to the station during the Occupation, and his discomfort, even guilt at the praise he receives. We get just enough scenes with Worf and Bashir to establish that the four are only mentally in the past but that damage inflicted there can affect them physically. But we only get those scenes, restricted to the episode's first half, with no other cutaways to dilute the tension. What humor there is is of the darkly sardonic variety. As even temporary victories, such as Dax knocking out Dukat and rescuing the others, are snatched away, the situation becomes ever more hopeless - and the visual style becomes ever more enclosed and claustrophobic.

Though Kira only barely appears in the episode, her one scene is a superb one, in a tag that mirrors the ending of Necessary Evil. In that episode, Odo confronted Kira with the truth. This time, it's Kira's turn to confront Odo with his shameful secret. There's even an oblique reference to the earlier episode, as she acknowledges that she's far from perfect and that "anyone who lived through the Occupation had to get a little dirty."

The episode ends perfectly, with the two on opposite sides of the room. Each has now had his or her worst secret revealed to the other, and each has now taken a turn disappointing the other. And it's on this note that we cut to the station exterior and the credits.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Let He Who Is Without Sin...
Next Episode: The Ascent

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Thoughts on Season Four.

Worf has difficulty adjusting to life on Deep Space 9.

Season Four of Deep Space 9 is the best so far. That's enough of a surprise, given how very good Season Three was. It's even more of one when you consider that this is a season which undergoes changes made for purely commercial reasons. Shifting emphasis and adding a new character, both on the record as having been done strictly to boost ratings, are the sorts of actions that usually lead to disaster for series television. Instead, the new elements are used in a way that builds on and ties into what went before.


WHEN A RELAUNCH ISN'T A RELAUNCH: THE CHANGES

Season Four of Deep Space 9 begins with a feature-length episode that, in many respects, seems to act as a second pilot for the show. The Way of the Warrior is designed as a jumping-on point for new viewers, re-establishing the world of Deep Space 9 and resetting its rules. Worf is added as a regular, the Klingons are redefined as adversaries instead of allies, and there is suddenly much more emphasis on action.

Though this shake-up may have been motivated by ratings concerns, real thought has gone into using it to enrich the show. The season premiere may appear to be a "second pilot," but The Way of the Warrior takes care to weave its plot around existing threads. Time is devoted to Worf finding his place on the station, and time is spent on the renewed animosity with the Klingons. By the middle of the season, it becomes clear that the series has not redefined itself around these new elements. The Dominion remains the foremost threat, with an ambitious mid-season two-parter showing how the Dominion presence sparks paranoia even in the heart of the Federation.

In short, what starts out looking like a second start is made part and parcel of the series as it already existed. The action builds as much from events in Seasons Two and Three as from anything created this year. The relaunch isn't actually a relaunch, and both new and old elements come together in a way that makes both more interesting than they would be individually.

Jake Sisko (Tony Todd) nears the end of his life in
The Visitor, the season (maybe series)'s standout episode.

WARRIOR, TAILOR, DOCTOR, SPY: THE CHARACTERS

Deep Space 9 continues to excel in using its ensemble. Sisko, the Star Trek captain who probably least idealizes the Federation self-image ("It's easy to be a saint in Paradise!"), nevertheless proves a strong protector of its ideals when his old mentor prepares to launch a paranoid coup.

He continues to be protective of his son's welfare, emotional as well as physical, whether the situation involves the Mirror Universe's counterpart of his dead wife or an alien muse, feeding off Jake's creative energies. His bond with his son is most evident in the season's standout episode, The Visitor, which may be the most successfully emotional episode of Star Trek ever made.

In the supporting cast, Garak continues to steal every scene he's in and almost every episode that features him. Likely in response to the character's popularity and to Andrew Robinson's wonderful performance, he is featured more and more often. Amazingly, the writers manage this without undermining the qualities that made him so much fun to start with. We still don't know much about him, and what we do know hardly inspires trust - yet he remains impossible to truly dislike. He might slip a knife in your back, but he'll be enormously entertaining company right up until the second before that happens.

Strong material is spread among all the regulars, with Odo having to deal with consequences from killing a changeling; O'Brien, facing the prospect of becoming a father a second time; and Bashir facing tests of not only medical skills, but also of his principles and his character.

On the downside, this is the weakest season yet for Kira, and the only season to date in which she does not end up being a standout character. She still gets good material, particularly when put opposite Marc Alaimo's Gul Dukat (also underused this year), but she has noticeably less to do than in previous seasons.

Season Four is probably best remembered as the season that brought Worf onto the show. His introduction in The Way of the Warrior is exceptionally well-handled, giving him a dynamic first DS9 appearance that makes use of his background from the Klingon episodes of TNG without allowing him to overshadow Sisko and the other regulars. It's an excellent episode, one of the series' best, and an outstanding introduction to Worf.

After The Way of the Warrior, however, comes a run of episodes in which the writers don't seem sure what to do with the new addition. I suspect many of these scripts had already been completed, or at least outlined, before the decision to add him was made, and there are more than a few cases of "a Worf scene" being tacked onto an episode that otherwise has no use for him.

Thankfully, this improves as the season goes along, with Worf gradually receiving strong episodes and subplots. His friendship/budding relationship with Dax has potential to develop both characters, as does his respectful but sometimes strained working relationship with Odo. Even at the season's end, I don't think the show has fully found a place for Worf - but I do think this is likely to be rectified in Season Five.

Akorem Laan (Richard Libertini) takes the title of Emissary
in Accession, one of too few episodes to deal with Bajor.

BAJOR WANING

When I wrote my Season Three overview, I observed how far into the background the Bajor arc had been pushed by the rise of the Dominion threat. Seasons One and Two were heavily centered around Bajor and its political entanglements in the wake of the Cardassian Occupation. Season Three saw that focus reduced, with only a handful of episodes continuing to follow up on Bajor and the machinations of Kai Winn.

Season Three at least continued to develop this thread, though, with the Bajoran/Cardassian peace treaty and the rise of Shakaar, Kira's old resistance cell leader, to First Minister. In Season Four, what few Bajor-centric episodes exist are just placeholders, installments which may entertain, but which don't alter the status quo.

Really, as the show becomes less about Bajor and more about the Dominion, it stands out just how well the series has done at weaving the Klingon, Dominion, and Cardassian stories together with that of the station. All of those threads feel like parts of  single, dynamic whole. Bajor, which was the focus of the series when it began, does not feel like part of that same whole, and in Season Four its situation has ceased to be as dynamic as the rest of the series' elements. Continuing to namecheck Bajor has become an obligation of a series that has moved on to other things.

Odo visits the changeling homeworld. It's not a happy homecoming.

SEASON FIVE WISHLIST

Don't get me wrong when I observe that Bajor has waned in importance at this point. I not only don't foresee a return to a Bajor-centered series, I also don't want that. The central arcs of the series now are genuinely compelling, and the show feels like a richer place than it did in its early days. What I would like is for the Bajoran threads to be woven into the larger story. If this could be done with the Klingon arc - which initially seemed like a colorful digression - then it could certainly be done with Bajor.

Beyond that, the series has gotten so good at this point, it's almost impossible to wish for major changes. I not only would like, but I genuinely do expect, to see better use made of Worf in seasons to come. I also hope to see Kira return to her former prominence.

Past that, I just hope the series continues to do as well as it has in balancing its many characters and stories, and in keeping them feeling like part of the same whole.

Even in Season One, I was impressed by how good this series often was. In Season Four, Deep Space 9 has become genuinely excellent television. My biggest wish is for it to remain such, so that I can continue to enjoy the ride.


Previous Season: Season Three
Next Season: Season Five

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4-26. Broken Link.

Odo returns to The Great Link.

THE PLOT

Odo is ill. He is having problems maintaining his form, resulting in debilitating attacks that see him literally reduced to goo. Dr. Bashir doesn't have the knowledge needed to reverse the effect. As Odo's condition worsens, it becomes clear that he has only one hope: A return to the Great Link!

Sisko makes the Defiant ready for a mercy mission to Dominion space. Without its cloaking device, and broadcasting a message to the Dominion about Odo's condition, the ship makes a rendezvous with the enemy - and thankfully, the Dominion responds with equal diplomacy.

The Founder (Salome Jens) comes aboard promising no aggression, and she even allows the "Solids" to accompany Odo to the shapeshifters' new homeworld. In private, however, she discloses to Odo that his illness is no natural occurrence. He broke the Founders' most sacred rule when he killed a changeling to save his friends. For that, he must face judgment - and punishment!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: When Odo announces that his only hope is to return to his people, Sisko doesn't hesitate. He orders the Defiant prepped and takes the Constable to the Gamma Quadrant with the intention of attracting the Founders' attention. He accedes to every demand made by the Founder, but he stands firm in remaining with Odo, refusing to simply turn him over and withdraw.  This firmness tempered by his diplomatic accommodations seems to earn a level of respect from the Founder - who likely also has heard of his conduct a few episodes earlier, when he teamed with a Jem'Hadar group.

Odo: It's no surprise to see that Odo is a very bad patient, pushing to get out of Medlab as quickly as he's taken there. When Kira brings him a crime report to keep his mind occupied, he finds something that incriminates a smuggler. The sensible thing to do would be to contact his security people to take care of the matter. Instead, he slips out to arrest the criminal himself, making himself far sicker in the process. He refuses to show weakness even at his worst, drawing himself up as he walks through the Promenade to the Defiant, battling his illness for these few minutes with his own indomitable will.

Dr. Bashir: Shows no fear or deference to the Founder when she visits Odo. When she demands he clear the room, he declares that Odo is his patient and only leaves when Odo gives his permission. He argues against Odo's faith in the Founders' "justice," his recent experience with the synthetic plague doubtless at the front of his mind when the topic of Dominion justice comes up.

Klingons: Emboldened by his success against the Cardassians, Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) is now provoking the Federation. He is demanding that Starfleet give up all rights to the Archanis Sector, territory the Klingons had voluntarily relinquished 100 years earlier. Federation colonies near the Klingon border are starting to panic, and calls are being made for preemptive action. War has become a likelihood - A war that would leave both Federation and Klingons weakened, easy prey for the Dominion.

Garak: Joins the mission in order to ask about survivors from the Cardassian attack on the Founders' homeworld. He gets his answer, in the episode's most chilling scene, as the Founder reponds to him with absolute coldness:

"There were no Cardassian survivors... They're dead. You're dead. Cardassia is dead. Your people were doomed the moment they attacked us. I believe that answers your question."

Garak then reminds us of how dangerous he is when he processes this within two seconds, then responds with a courteous smile and a bow. Had the Founder a stronger sense of self-preservation, she would have killed him right then, as the action he is pushed to take would have likely proved effective (and probably not wrong) had Worf not intervened.


THOUGHTS

An excellent season ends with a fine finale, one which is very effective in tying together many of this season's threads. For much of the season, the Klingon aggression has seemed like a digression. For the first time since The Way of the Warrior, that arc is tied into the larger Dominion story, in a way that promises much for the future.

It does this with great economy. The Klingons are only the focus of two scenes, totalling all of about five minutes' screen time. Gowron's declaration at the start of the episode reminds us of that thread, which has lain completely dormant since Rules of Engagement. Then the ending ties the Klingon thread into the Dominon story like a loop closing around a bag, sealing it shut in a single tug.

The rest of the episode is about Odo and his return to the Great Link. This story is a direct consequence of his actions in The Adversary At the end of a season in which it was intoned as Divine Law that "No changeling has ever harmed another," Odo killed one of his own people. That was already enough to leave him haunted. Now his people have decided to judge him for his crime. Odo reacts as might be expected of a man who clings to the law, any law that applies, with Javert-like devotion: He not only agrees to be judged by the Founders' standards, he actually wants to be.

This isn't just an Odo episode, however. The script is just as much about those who take him to the Link as it is about the Constable himself. In The Search, the changelings urged Odo to consider his friendships with Solids as false. Here, his friends prove their loyalty at every turn.

It's easy to talk about moments of high drama, so let me close out this review by noting how well-done and genuine the smaller moments are. There are several semi-comic character bits here: Sisko, Worf, and Dax betting on how many times Kira will sneeze, and Sisko taking a moment to enjoy having made the right guess; O'Brien, feeling outnumbered in a home full of women; Julian, having to stop himself from skipping a stone through the Changeling goo of the Great Link. All of these bits feel rooted in who these characters are, and all of them ring true.

Which I think is why Deep Space 9 continues to be my favorite Trek series: When the show is at its best, the universe feels textured and lived-in, something that often isn't true of other shows in the franchise. When the characters are properly written, they feel real. And if they feel real in the little moments, then that makes the big dramatic moments that much more powerful.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

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