7-9. Covenant.

Gul Dukat, Master of the Cult of the Pah-Wraiths!

THE PLOT

Kira received a visit from Vedek Fala (Norman Parker), whose calls for faith in the Prophets helped keep spirits high during the Occupation. But that same Occupation shattered Fala's faith, and he now serves a new religion - The Cult of the Pah-Wraiths!

Fala slips Kira a homing transponder, and she is beamed directly to Empok Nor.  The abandoned station has become a headquarters and refuge for the Cult. In addition to a new home, the Cult has taken on a new Master: Gul Dukat!

Dukat believes he and Kira are "bound together by destiny." He hopes to convince her that he has changed, that he is now the benevolent presence he has always pretended to be. He basks in the love of his followers - and Kira becomes determined to expose his lies and corruption to those followers. Dukat is left with one last resort: To convince the Cult to join him in mass suicide!

"We will shed the flesh that ties us to this world and deliver ourselves into the waiting arms of the Pah-Wraiths!"


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Briefly present, to justify Avery Brooks' name in the credits as Sisko hears about Kira's disappearance. But this is strictly a "contractual obligation" appearance, and if that scene were removed it would make no difference to the overall episode.

Col. Kira: Horrified that her old teacher has turned to the Cult that attacked Sisko. "It was your faith in the Prophets that got us through! How could you of all people would turn your back on them?" She remains moderately sympathetic to the Cult members, whom she sees as dupes of Dukat, but she is scornful of the Cardassian. She does not believe he's changed in any way, and the familiar excuses he makes for his past crimes are the best evidence for her position. When she finally decides that Dukat does believe, she is even more unsettled; the faith of a zealot is the last thing that needs married to all of Dukat's other faults.

Odo: We see him only briefly, but it's clear how devoted he is to Kira. He orders her favorite drink, not for himself but for her to enjoy once she joins him after morning prayers. He talks about wishing that he was able to share her faith so that he could spend that time with her - But he won't fake that faith just for that end. We again see Odo acting as a sounding board for Kira at the episode's end, listening to (and arguing with) her conclusions about Dukat. They both view Dukat's actions through the lens of their own experiences with religion. Devout Kira thinks Dukat is a true believer; skeptical Odo believes he is simply using the Cultists' faith to prop himself up.

Gul Dukat: Me, I agree with Odo. Dukat may pretend to regret his past actions, but he still denies any culpability. Killing Jadzia was unfortunate but necessary; Kira's mother loved him, or at least convinced herself she did; the Occupation would have been so much worse without him tempering his people's brutality. He's articulate and charismatic, perfectly fitting the role of cult leader, and he is finally able to bask in the love and devotion of his followers. But in the end, this is just a new role - like benevolent dictator, freedom fighter, or leader of the Cardassian Empire - that is important to him mainly in how it props up his self-delusions.


THOUGHTS

With just a little more script work, Covenant might have been a great episode.

Certainly, much of it is good. Re-using Empok Nor as a base for the Cult of the Pah-Wraiths is a smart idea, a budget-saver that fits perfectly with established continuity. The portrayal of the Cult members not as villains, but simply as people who have lost their faith and are looking for purpose and meaning, is believable, and Dukat works perfectly as a cult leader.

The Kira/Dukat interactions remain compelling, and Marc Alaimo continues to make Dukat the most multi-faceted villain of the Star Trek franchise. I agree with Sisko's assertion that he's evil - but he's not simple, Snidely Whiplash evil. This is a villain who wants to be a savior, and much of the time convinces himself that he is one. By now, Kira believes she knows exactly who Dukat is - But her attempts to expose his duplicity attain a rising desperation by the end, when she's left trying to avert a Jonestown-style mass suicide.

I would actually have rated the episode higher had Kira failed in that attempt. The ending, in which she finally proves Dukat's treachery and all of his followers turn against him, is too simple, pat, and easy for this episode. Had Kira been left to watch helpless as this tragedy unfolded not for any great purpose, but simply so that Dukat could evade responsibility for his actions - That would have been vastly more effective and convincing. Too dark for a Star Trek show? Maybe, maybe not - But I think it would have been the right ending.

But a weak finish doesn't undo all that's good in Covenant. Propelled by the fine performances of Nana Visitor and Marc Alaimo, the episode works until the end. It's just a shame that it stumbles to such a limp and disappointing close.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: The Siege of AR-558
Next Episode: It's Only a Paper Moon

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7-1. Image in the Sand.

Sisko has a vision...

THE PLOT

It has been three months since Starfleet took the Chin'toka System back from the Dominion - and three months since Jadzia's death and Sisko's return to Earth. Sisko's stated goal when he left was to find a way to contact the Prophets - but his father and Jake worry that he's spent all that time doing nothing at all, not even leaving the restaurant.

Then the Prophets send a vision to Sisko. He sees himself on the desert planet Tyree, digging until he uncovers the image of a beautiful woman. When he wakes, he learns that this woman was actually his mother - and that she died many years ago. When his father produces a necklace of hers, with ancient Bajoran writing on it that translates to "The Orb of the Emissary," Sisko realizes that he must go to Tyree to find that Orb.

Back on the station, Worf is despondent. Not only did Jadzia die, she did not die in battle. According to Klingon tradition, she did not enter the afterlife of Sto-vo-kor, and the only way to get her there is to win a great battle in her name... Difficult to do, when the Defiant is spending all of its time escorting convoys. When he (reluctantly) confides in O'Brien, the engineer contacts Martok - who is ready and willing to take Worf aboard his ship to make a near-suicidal attack at the heart of the Dominion!

Meanwhile, the newly-promoted Colonel Kira must adjust not only to being in charge, but to accepting a Romulan presence on the station. Fortunately, Senator Cretak (Megan Cole) proves easy to get along with. Right up until Kira learns that the "hospital" the Romulans have set up on a Bajoran moon is armed with plasma torpedoes. When the Bajoran government insists the Romulans surrender their weapons, Cretak refuses, sparking the kind of confrontation that could spell the end of the Starfleet/Romulan alliance...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Sisko's journey in this episode (and, even moreso, the next) is very much that of a man on a religious pilgrimage. He has spent months isolating himself from the outside world, making his own world effectively smaller and simpler. He spends an entire day doing nothing but playing the piano... Music having been a common way for various religious devotees to meditate, the rhythm making it easier to let go of conscious thought. The episode ends with him again assuming the mantle of the Emissary - and, in a startlingly violent moment, literally paying for that in blood.

Colonel Kira: Now in charge of the station, with a freshly-minted promotion to colonel and an acknowledgement that she's done a fine job of stepping into Sisko's shoes. She continues to insist that she's "just keeping his seat warm" until he returns, but increasingly few people believe Sisko will return. Admiral Ross (Barry Jenner) stops just short of a condescending "Uh-huh" in response to Kira's statement. Kira is resistant to the Romulans' arrival, but finds a kindred spirit in the blunt Cretak - which makes her all the angrier when it's revealed that her apparent new friend has actually been manipulating her the entire time.

Worf: His first scene sees him upbraiding Nog for daring to be relieved at the lack of danger in their most recent assignment - as if a soldier in a shooting war doesn't have every right to be happy at an assignment that doesn't involve the specter of imminent death or dismemberment. He then tears Vic Fontaine (James Darren)'s holo-bar apart while listening to the crooner sing Jadzia's favorite song - something that we learn has happened multiple times over the past months. When he reveals the reason for his behavior, it makes perfect sense. By his beliefs, Jadzia will be denied peace in the afterlife until he wins a battle for her - Which puts Worf on his own religious-based quest, thematically linking his thread with Sisko's.

Ezri: This episode introduces Nicole de Boer, as the "new" Dax. She appears only in the very last scene - a wise choice on the part of writers Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler. By holding off her appearance to the last seconds, we are allowed to remember and mourn Jadzia's absence as much as Sisko, Worf, Bashir, and Quark do. The next episode should start showing how Ezri differs from Jadzia, and will hopefully establish a working relationship with Sisko that's unique to this new character - but that will be something to discuss in the next review.

Weyoun/Damar: The disappearance of the wormhole seems to have turned the course of the war back in the Dominion's favor. Weyoun doesn't fully understand how this is true, but he reluctantly acknowledges that they owe thanks to Gul Dukat. Damar has always enjoyed his drink, but now he is constantly seen with a drink in hand. Weyoun can't help commenting on Damar's constant drinking, but he relishes the news about the Romulans' betrayal of Kira. "Romulans - So predictably treacherous!" he exults, as visions of the death of the Federation/Romulan alliance dance through his head.


THOUGHTS

Image in the Sand kicks off Deep Space 9's final season. It's less the first half of a two-parter than the middle part of a trilogy, with two of its three threads directly picking up from Tears of the Prophets. Sisko is still searching for a way to reconnect with the Prophets, while Worf is finding a way to come to terms with Jadzia's death. Only Kira's thread, with the Romulan presence on the station and on a Bajoran moon, originates here, and that thread is itself a consequence of the war situation.

It's a set-up episode, largely laying groundwork for the next installment, but that doesn't mean it isn't gripping. Sisko's emotionally raw state is tailor-made to Avery Brooks' strengths as an actor. When he demands his father tell him the identity of the woman in his vision, there's an instant in which we see the potential for violence - Something both he and his father seem to recognize, and are both frightened of. Not the kind of moment you expect from a Star Trek hero, but it works very well with Sisko's instability, and shows exactly why he needs a Dax to pull him back just as much as he needs the connection with the Prophets.

Also un-Trek like is the startling brutality of a knife attack near the end. Reminiscent of the broken bottle assault that was the only memorable moment in Time's Orphan, this sort of tangible and real violence carries an immediacy phasers don't... Particularly when the scene ends with the victim holding his wound while coughing helplessly on the ground. It's meant to be disturbing, and it is - Though I find myself wondering if broadcasters/Paramount received any viewer complaints as a result.

The attack is perpetrated by a member of The Cult of the Pah-wraiths, which has sprung up in the wake of the wormhole's collapse. Some dialogue between Kira and Odo tells us that this cult was originally dismissed as fringe cranks, but has gained momentum over the past few months. Save for the knife attack, they seem to be planted for use in future episodes, but it will be interesting to see what comes of them.

The episode definitely does what it needs to, following up on Tears of the Prophets in such a way that the cataclysmic events of that episode are shown to have impact. By leaving all threads unresolved, we are given time to absorb the death of Jadzia Dax, as well as the impact on the station both of Sisko's departure and the wormhole's collapse. At the same time, new complications are established in the rise of the cult and the arrival of the Romulans. A fine season opener, holding viewer attention throughout while promising plenty of interesting things to come.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Tears of the Prophets
Next Episode; Shadows and Symbols

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