7-23. Extreme Measures.

Sloan lays one last trap for Dr. Bashir - inside his own mind!

THE PLOT

Odo is dying.

The Changeling virus created by Section 31 has advanced to a terminal stage, and he now has just 1 - 2 weeks to live. Dr. Bashir can make him comfortable, but cannot save him. He does have one idea, however - To lure a Section 31 operative to the station by sending a fake message to Starfleet Medical indicating that he's discovered a cure.

The bait is taken, and the trap sprung on - who else? - Sloan (William Sadler). Bashir traps the agent in a force field... But before he can interrogate Sloan, the man activates a suicide capsule. The doctor is able to temporarily stabilize him, but Sloan is already too far gone to reawaken.

Which leaves just one option to find the information he needs. He and O'Brien use Techno (Medo?)-babble devices to travel into Sloan's subconscious mind, entering the dying man's dreamscape to learn how to cure their friend before it's too late!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: When Bashir and O'Brien inform him of their plan, he indicates it's a "pretty long shot," but does not shut it down. Even when he discovers Bashir and O'Brien invading Sloan's mind, he does not stop them; and when they finally come to, just as Sloan dies, he doesn't spare a second for the late, unlamented agent. He just asks if they located the cure... Another example of how much more ruthless and goal-oriented the Sisko of recent episodes has become.

Bashir/O'Brien: The interactions between Bashir and O'Brien help to keep us invested in their disappointingly pedestrian trip down the rabbit hole. The first thing they encounter upon entering Sloan's subconscious is... the DS9 turbolift. They cling to the rails as if for dear life, each goading the other to let go first before finally agreeing to do so together. A later scene has them talking about their friendship vs. their respective romantic relationships. Bashir confesses that he is passionately in love with Ezri, but that he likes O'Brien "a bit more." O'Brien amusingly (unconvincingly) denies the same with regard to Keiko vs. Bashir. It's a funny, genuine moment.

Odo: Gets a standout scene at the start, when he pushes Kira to go back to Damar. He insists that she has to go, and tells her flatly that he wants her to leave. "You watched Bareil die in this very room, and I know how that's haunted you. I don't want your last memory of me to be witnessing my death." Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor are terrific, providing an emotional resonance lacking in the rest of the piece.

Sloan: There is one scene that indicates Sloan might have been used to provide that resonance. When Bashir and O'Brien enter his mind, they are almost immediately greeted by the dying man - But a much more open and affable version of him, who desperately wants them to witness his apology to his friends and loved ones. The scene underscores that people like Sloan usually go into their line of work with patriotism and good intentions. That this more human version ends up being assassinated by Section 31 Sloan is a rather obvious bit of symbolism, but it's not ineffective. If only the episode had devoted a little more time to the idea of a good man corrupted by his own work, rather than dodging into a weak Third Act fakeout that wouldn't fool a small child.


THOUGHTS

Just to get this out of the way up front: Extreme Measures is fine, as far as it goes. It does its job in advancing the overall story, while at the same time working as an episode in its own right. And, of course, any Bashir/O'Brien episode benefits from the wonderful screen cameraderie between Alexander Siddig and Colm Meaney.

So it should be understood that I'm not really bashing this episode. I'd probably be fairly positive about it had it popped up in the midst of the mid-season filler. But amongst the strong run of shows wrapping up the series, it feels decidedly lacking by comparison.

A fair comparison can be made to Season Three's Distant Voices, another episode that trapped Bashir inside a station-bound dreamscape. Though that was far from my favorite episode, lacking narrative momentum, it did a much better job of creating a dreamlike atmosphere on the standing sets than this one, not to mention offering some memorable set pieces. This episode achieves neither of those. Steve Posey's direction is competent but bland, and writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle spend half the running time setting up the journey into Sloan's mind, thus leaving only about twenty minutes for Bashir and O'Brien to explore that setting.

There's a Third Act fakeout in which we're meant to think O'Brien and Bashir are back in the real world, only for them to discover they are still in Sloan's mind. The problem is, it's so clearly telegraphed that I can't imagine anyone being fooled. It just provides a complication, something to delay our heroes from the final confrontation with Sloan.

Overall, the episode is serviceable and does what it needs to do, and I wasn't bored by it. But I also wasn't particularly hooked. Given the quality of most of this final run, I can't help but label this a disappointment.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Tacking into the Wind
Next Episode: The Dogs of War

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7-13. Field of Fire.

Ezri is tempted by her past host, Joran (Leigh J. McCloskey).

THE PLOT

The crew is shocked when Lt. Hector Ilario (Art Chudabala) is murdered immediately after a late night celebration of his combat conduct. Ezri is hit particularly hard; after walking the inebriated young lieutenant to his quarters, she was apparently the last person to see him alive. There is no significant physical evidence, despite the murder having been committed at close range with a projectile weapon. It's a sad, random act of violence, one Odo is not optimistic about solving.

Then another victim turns up: a woman with no apparent ties to Ilario, but who was killed in the exact same way - potentially the work of someone killing at random. Sisko assigns Ezri to assist Odo, hoping that her psychology training will help narrow the suspect pool. But to catch this type of killer, innocent young Ezri will have to somehow be able to think like him. Impossible... If not for the fact that one of Dax's past hosts was Joran (Leigh J. McCloskey), himself a cold-blooded murderer.

Faced with the prospect of more murders, Ezri takes desperate action. She performs the right of Emergence, separating Joran's personality from her other predecessors. Now she can interact with him, letting him guide her to see through a killer's eyes. But Joran's perspective is more than a little seductive, and the further Ezri goes with this line of investigation, the more she finds herself drawn into Joran's darkness...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is quick to assign Ezri to assist Odo, on logical grounds: Her background makes her more suited to anticipating a psychologically-motivated killer than anyone else among the command crew. But when it becomes clear that Ezri is being affected by the investigation, he offers (threatens?) to take her off the case, and she has to argue to keep the assignment.

Ezri: When she first thinks about Joran, her impulse is to do what her predecessors did: Bury him as deep in her consciousness as possible and do all she can to forget he even exists. But her sense of duty is too strong to allow these murders continue without doing all she can. When a second victim turns up, she calls on Joran to try to understand the kind of killer who is incomprehensible to most of us. Ezri's interactions with him are like those of a pupil with a teacher, and she finds herself easily tempted by the darkness he represents. A key scene comes as he urges her to look through a duplicate of the murder weapon. As she uses the sight on the rifle to peer through the station corridors, then into private quarters, she grows excited. She drops the gun like a biting snake when Joran urges her to pull the trigger - But it's indicated that his urging excites her almost as much as it appalls her. Nicole de Boer is very good here, and Ezri feels more fully realized in this episode than she has since Afterimage.

O'Brien: He and Bashir both feel guilty for not allowing Ilario to join them in their holosuite program, perhaps feeling that if they'd only said yes the young lieutenant might not have died. O'Brien puts his guilt to particularly good use. When the bullet is matched to a TR-116 rifle, O'Brien replicates the weapon, then modifies it so that after firing, the bullet is transported directly in front of its victim - Thus explaining both the close range and the lack of powder burns or other physical evidence. It proves a major breakthrough for Ezri in learning to see through the killer's eyes, while also putting established Trek technology cleverly in service to the mystery plot.

Worf: Startles Ezri when, late at night, she senses someone is following her. That someone turns out to be Worf. He admits he was trying to protect her, though he insists this isn't any special worry over her - "You are a fellow officer. I would have the same concern for Chief O'Brien or Dr. Bashir." Ezri isn't any more fooled than we are, and is genuinely touched at his concern. He also unintentionally pushes her into utilizing Joran when he states his confidence that she will do whatever is necessary to catch the killer: "You are Dax. It is your way."

Joran: I think the great success of this episode's Joran is that he isn't just a killer. He's genuinely wounded at being suppressed by the various Dax hosts, and basks in Ezri's acknowledgement of him. He's effectively Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty combined, interpreting the clues while tempting Ezri with darkness. In the end, she only identifies the killer thanks to his guidance, but he's no benign influence: When she intercepts a fleeing suspect midway through the episode, he urges her to kill the man - and she almost does it! Guest star Leigh J. McCloskey doesn't hesitate to push the line between "spirited performance" and "ham," but it works well for this kind of part, and his charisma makes it believable that Ezri would find his darkness so enticing.


THOUGHTS

Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was one of DS9's stalwarts during the series' first five years, writing or co-writing episodes such as The Wire, The Collaborator, and Call to Arms. His return is a welcome one, and it is no surprise at all that Field of Fire is a good episode, boasting strong character work and some excellent dialogue.

Story structure and pacing are strengths. The teaser introduces us to Ilario, giving us just enough of the young lieutenant to make him likable to both Ezri and us, then cutting to the next morning to reveal his death. Enough is done before the murder to make it convincing that Ezri is emotionally invested, but it's so economically achieved that there is no chance to become bored. Then, as Ezri wrestled with the possibility of using Joran, the murder plot is kept on track with O'Brien's unveiling of the murderer's weapon and method - Which puts all the pieces on the board by the time Ezri summons Joran to assist her.

The Ezri/Joran interactions are extremely well-done, and their dark mentor/innocent pupil relationship is what fuels the episode. Nicole De Boer is particularly good here, and it's to the credit of both script and actress that she never feels like a stand-in for Terry Farrell (which hasn't been true in certain other episodes). It's also to the episode's credit that even though this is the second Ezri-centric murder mystery in three episodes, I was never bothered by that. If I thought about it at all, it was only to reflect on how much better this was than Prodigal Daughter.

Uncovering the killer's identity does come a little too quickly and easily, which is one thing that keeps this from being a truly first class episode. But it's still a good one, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Emperor's New Cloak
Next Episode: Chimera

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7-11. Prodigal Daughter.

Ezri's unhappy homecoming.

THE PLOT

Chief O'Brien has disappeared on New Sidney after traveling there to track down the widow of Orion Syndicate operative Liam Bilby. Since New Sidney is not a Federation planet, it's difficult for Sisko to intervene... But Ezri's mother (Leigh Taylor-Young) owns one of the largest mines in that system. She readily agrees to help locate O'Brien - But only if Ezri returns home for a visit.

Ezri agrees, but reluctantly. Her mother is a domineering figure, who has forced her sons, Janel (Mikael Salazar) and Norvo (Kevin Rahm) to devote their lives to the family business at the expense of their own ambitions. After Ezri left to join Starfleet, she never looked back, and her relations with her family are strained at best.

Ezri's mother keeps her word. Not long after Ezri returns, O'Brien is rescued from a pair of Orion Syndicate thugs by the local police. But when he reveals that Bilby's widow was found murdered, and then discovers that Ezri's family is being pressured by the Syndicate as well, it becomes clear that there is a lot more at stake than family drama...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is undertandably angry when he learns that O'Brien went to a non-Federation world to play detective after indicating that he was simply visiting his father. I wouldn't want to be in either O'Brien or Bashir's shoes for the next little while - As O'Brien observes, Sisko "has a boot with (his) name on it."  Still, he immediately focuses on the problem, demanding all information on the chief's activities, then going to Ezri for help in recovering his wayward crewman.

Ezri: This episode exists to fill in her backstory... Which would be a lot more useful in making us connect to her if her backstory wasn't the stuff of soap operas. The family drama never has the blistering feel of real, decades-long resentments being re-opened. It's just cliched melodrama, dressed up with some sci-fi trappings. Nicole de Boer does her best with the material, and she manages some very good acting when Ezri realizes what actually happened to the dead woman... But I can't help but observe how much more real her disgust at gagh in the teaser feels than any of the family situation in the main story.  It's all very artificial, and the emotion it should carry feels artificial as well.

O'Brien: One indication that is a troubled episode is that it's Ezri-centric, even though O'Brien is the one driving the plot. The main plot only kicks into gear when O'Brien is recovered (about halfway through), and then it's O'Brien who steers the investigation. He is the one who has a brief confrontation with an Orion Syndicate representative, and he is the one who discovers the link between the Syndicate and Ezri's family.  The problem is that while I fully believe O'Brien continuing to feel an obligation to Bilby's family, this story should be an O'Brien episode - and it suffers for being forced to be part of an Ezri plot.

Dr. Bashir: The teaser shows him preoccupied with worry over Chief O'Brien, leaving him barely engaging in any conversation with his friends. When O'Brien doesn't return on the scheduled transport, he immediately goes to Sisko.  He doubtless knows he's going to get chewed out, and he takes thatin stride - He even draws more of the captain's wrath on himself by pointing out that O'Brien did not actually lie to Sisko.


THOUGHTS

Prodigal Daughter has a terrific teaser. The opening neatly introduces the O'Brien plot by showing Bashir's preoccupation, but tips focus to Ezri through her dismay at being informed that some gagh Jadzia had ordered has arrived. Ezri shudders as she recalls not just the taste of the Klingon delicacy, but the way it feels when swallowing it. Once again, she is shown as different from her predecessor - Jadzia jumped into such experiences wholeheartedly, while Ezri reacts... the way most people would, really. The scene scores because it's funny, and because Ezri is absolutely relatable in this moment.

This is followed by a few quick scenes that economically set up all of the conflicts of the episode: The activities of the Orion Syndicate; O'Brien's determination to find his late friend's missing widow; and Ezri's return home to secure her mother's assistance. It all works, and within ten minutes the entire story is set up and ready to take off running.

Then Ezri returns home and the rest of the episode falls completely flat.

A quick glance at Memory Alpha reveals that Prodigal Daughter was written in a hurry, and that its development was further hobbled by a refusal to even imply that Starfleet could be influenced by criminals such as the Orion Syndicate. As was true of Star Trek: Insurrection, the demands of keeping Starfleet clear of any direct wrongdoing cripple the drama, forcing writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle to make their already small-scale story even smaller.

I've already mentioned that the episode suffers from being forced to be an Ezri plot when the story clearly wants to be an O'Brien one.  This is at least partly responsible for some of the awkward pacing, with the scenes between Ezri and her family feeling too often like filler, while the Syndicate story is rushed.  We're also told over and over again how terrible Ezri's mother is... And while she is domineering, she never comes across as being the monster the script insists she is.

The episode's worst sin is that there's nothing remotely interesting about it. The mystery is thin, the murderer very easy to guess. Meanwhile, Ezri's family dynamics were cliches in 1930s melodramas, which results in an Ezri episode whose main revelation is that there's nothing very interesting to know about her!  Very likely, that's why Ira Steven Behr apologized to Nicole de Boer after the episode wrapped

I will credit some decent performances, particularly from Nicole de Boer and Colm Meaney, and this is acceptable late-night insomnia viewing.  But it's the most expendable DS9 episode since Profit and Lace, and is far below this series' usually very high standards.

Overall Rating: 4/10.

Previous Episode: It's Only a Paper Moon
Next Episode: The Emperor's New Cloak

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7-6. Treachery, Faith and the Great River.

Weyoun surrenders to Odo.

THE PLOT

Odo receives a message from Gul Russol, a former contact whom he had assumed assassinated when the Dominion took control of Cardassia. He travels to the rendezvous point, in a cave on a deserted moon. But it's not Gul Russol who is waiting for him - It's Weyoun, claiming that he wants to defect!

They have only begun the trip back to Deep Space 9 when they receive a transmission from Damar, and from his Dominion handler - Weyoun! It turns out that the Weyoun Odo knew and despised died in a suspicious "transporter accident," and the Weyoun defecting (Weyoun 6) was a replacement who was judged "defective." Weyoun 7 and Damar demand Weyoun 6's surrender or death, insisting they will not allow the runabout to reach Deep Space 9.

Weyoun 6 is certain that no member of the Dominion would fire on a ship carrying a Founder. But Damar sees no reason to tell the Jem'Hadar that a Founder is on board. The target is the runabout, and if the Jem'Hadar are ordered to ignore transmissions then they will do so. One changeling who doesn't consider himself a Founder versus the fate of the entire war?

Even the fervently devoted Weyoun 7 can do that math, and reluctantly authorizes Odo's destruction...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Sisko may just be my favorite of the various Star Trek captains. But in this episode... Sisko is an ass. The comedy "B" plot starts because Sisko gives O'Brien a ridiculous timetable for replacing a part on the Defiant. O'Brien explains that it's impossible to get the part in three days, let alone install it, and Sisko's response is to make it O'Brien's problem. After that impossible deadline is miraculously met, Sisko responds by giving the engineer yet another impossible deadline to install it. Since there's no sense of this being an emergency, I'm left thinking that it would serve Sisko right if he took the Defiant out only for every system on the ship to crash, thanks to Engineering not having proper time to install and test all systems.

Col. Kira: She and Odo both acknowledge that the message from Russol is a trap, but she does not argue with his insistence that he owes it to his contact to make the rendezvous. At the end of the episode, she lends some perspective on the actions of Weyoun 6, equating his faith in the Founders with her own in the Prophets. At the same time, she doesn't hesitate to remind Odo that his people are the enemy, and that what they learn in this episode makes them even more dangerous than they were already.

Odo: At the start, Odo is as he usually is with Weyoun: Utterly dismissive of the awe the other man feels for him, wary of traps, and callous of emotion. When it's revealed that "Weyoun 6" is a clone who has been labeled defective for not believing in the war effort, Odo becomes considerably more sympathetic, and from that moment the two work effectively as allies. Odo reveals just how much he does care about his people, even as he fights them, which prompts Weyoun to make one more revelation, one with heavy implications for the future of Odo and of the Dominion itself.

O'Brien/Nog: The "B" plot sees Nog using his Ferengi expertise to secure an elusive part for O'Brien. The comedy shenanigans that follow, in which Nog trades away Martok's blood wine and Sisko's desk, are great fun - not least because they never take up enough screen time to come at the expense of the main plot. Colm Meaney and Aron Eisenberg make an enjoyable comedy duo, with No's enthusiastic assurances that all these deals will work out in the end a perfect contrast for O'Brien's weary resignation as the situation spirals ever more out of control.

Damar: His dislike of the Dominion, and particularly of Weyoun, has reached the stage of active sabotage. It's obvious that Weyoun 5's "accident" was arranged by Damar, and it's also obvious that both of the current Weyouns know it. He's likely still alive because: (a) They can't prove it; and (b) He's useful, and more malleable than Gul Dukat had been. Damar may drink to excess, but he is clear-headed about strategy, and he is able to persuade Weyoun 7 to sacrifice Odo to protect the war effort. It isn't even a particularly hard sell.

Weyoun: A spotlight episode for Jeffrey Combs' Weyoun, seen in two different incarnations - neither of which is the one we've been watching for most of the series! It's a clever use of the "clone" aspect of the Vorta. Both Weyouns have fundamentally the same personality. Both fervently believe in the Founders, though Weyoun 6 believes this war is against the Dominion's best interests. Combs is fantastic throughout, and it's a credit to him that there's just enough difference in the performances of the two Weyouns that they become distinct individuals, and that the interactions of Weyoun 7 and Damar are almost as interesting to watch as those between Weyoun 6 and Odo.


THOUGHTS

"There are millions upon millions of worlds in the universe, each one filled with too much of one thing and not enough of another. And the Great Continuum flows through them all like a mighty river, from have to want and back again. And if we navigate the Continuum with skill and grace, our ship will be filled with everything our hearts desire."
-Nog, persuading O'Brien that his multiple deals will work out in the end.

Treachery, Faith, and the Great River is one of several Deep Space 9 episodes tying a serious "A" plot and a comedy "B" plot together. To their credit, writers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson strike an effective balance between these seemingly incompatible strands. The O'Brien/Nog subplot gets enough screen time to work, but is never allowed to take up too much time. And by anchoring that plot to Nog's religious beliefs as a Ferengi, it is able to fit thematically with the main story.

Previous episodes have made Weyoun's devotion to the Founders apparent. Here, we get some sense of the depth of his feeling, and the ways in which he can reconcile his faith and his reason. For instance, when Odo points out that the Founders have surely coded the Vorta's worship of them into their genome, Weyoun isn't bothered in the slightest. He says of course the Founders have done so - "That's what gods do. After all, why be a god if there's no one to worship you?"

Odo's discomfort with Weyoun's worship of him never changes, but it does evolve over the course of the episode. He stops treating Weyoun's devotion as a joke during their time together. Odo spends a fair bit of the middle of the episode seriously debating questions of faith and the Founders with Weyoun, who tells Odo the story of how the Vorta were uplifted. By the end, Odo is willing to give Weyoun 6 his blessing, even though he still hates the thought of being anyone's god.

In addition to the closer examination of Weyoun's faith, and what that means to Odo, this episode also pushes events forward. In the course of the episode, we see the Female Changeling (Salome Jens) appear unwell, something Damar picks up on even as Weyoun 7 denies even the possibility. By the end of the episode, Weyoun 6 has confirmed this to Odo. This leaves Odo, Kira, and presumably Starfleet as a whole aware of the Founders' weakened condition... and leaves Kira warning that their desperation will now make them even more dangerous.

Overall, this is a very strong episode, one that entertains on its own merits even as it teases more developments to come.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Chrysalis
Next Episode: Once More Unto the Breach

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7-5. Chrysalis.

Dr. Bashir tries to cure Sarina's catalepsy.

THE PLOT

The genetically engineered mental patients Dr. Bashir worked with last year return to the station. Bashir believes he has found a way to cure Sarina (Faith C. Salie)'s catalepsy, to allow her to engage with the world around her. She initially shows no change after the surgery, leaving Bashir feeling that he failed her - but then she is found wandering around the Promenade, where she announces she is looking at "everything!"

Sarina is grateful to Bashir, and happy to be able to interact with the people on the station. But as he gets to know her, Bashir finds himself drawn to her: a woman whose genetically-engineered intelligence is not only equal to, but probably greater than, his own. He initiates a relationship, pushing her to more and more activities before she's had time to adjust to her new life.

And then watches in horror as she starts to withdraw all over again...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: The group of patients arrive on the station by having Patrick (Michael Keenan) impersonate a Starfleet admiral. A serious offense, but recognizing that the childlike Patrick has no understanding of why, Sisko agrees to have the charges dropped. Not without first reminding Bashir of the trouble this group previously created, however, and not without eliciting a promise that such behavior will not happen again.

Dr. Bashir: The episode highlights his loneliness. His friends and colleagues are all either married or in relationships (and this is the only Trek series in which the bulk of the regulars are in committed relationships), which leaves him a bit of an "odd man out," with his genetic engineering making him even more of an outsider. Meanwhile, Sarina is the ultimate outsider - someone who has never been able to engage with the world around her before now. It never occurs to him that he might be too quickly pushing her into something she's not ready for, and he only recognizes his folly at the episode's end.

O'Brien: The most emotionally accessible of the regulars, he recognizes his friend's mistakes all too well. He attempts to talk to him about how fast he's moving with a girl who was his patient (something Bashir handwaves away by saying he had her assigned to a different doctor). But when it's clear that Bashir just isn't able right now to hear the truth, O'Brien stops himself from further comment, wishes him a simple and sincere "good luck," and waits for the inevitable fallout.

Ezri: Isn't she meant to be the station's counselor? I would expect Sarina, a woman who has spent most of her life completely cut off from other people only to suddenly be connected in a big way, to need to talk to a counselor - Heck, to be required to! Nicole de Boer does do well with the scene in which Ezri supplies all the reasons why Bashir should feel free to beat himself up... But that's the only moment she has in the episode that doesn't feel like it could as easily have been written for Jadzia, and that feels like a dropped ball in an episode where a counselor would actually seem to be called for.

Hot Genetically Engineered Space Babe of the Week: A nice touch of both script and performance is that when Sarina first begins to speak, she does so haltingly, with a sound in her voice approaching that of a deaf person speaking words she can't hear. That fades as she becomes accustomed to speech. It's strongly indicated that Sarina only agrees to a relationship with Bashir out of gratitude, and as Bashir turns it into a very serious relationship very quickly, she becomes overwhelmed.


THOUGHTS

Deep Space 9's take on Daniel Keys' classic Flowers for Algernon, Chrysalis offers several worthy moments. The performances are good across the board. Much of the dialogue is sharp and even funny. Patrick impersonates an admiral with startling success by simply responding to all inquiries by barking, "That's a stupid question!" Jack (Tim Ransom) and Patrick fret about the death of the universe in billions of years time, treating that deadline as an immediate emergency - something that reinforces the difference of their perspective from most people's in a way that doesn't just make them the butt of "Look at the Crazies!" jokes. The scene in which the patients celebrate Sarina's successful surgery with an improvised a cappella performance is gloriously well-done.

Unfortunately, all of these good moments are packed into the first half of the episode. Once Bashir declares he is in love with Sarina, the episode becomes flat and tepid. There's nothing terribly effective in waiting for Bashir's ill-advised romance to fall apart, and it's clear that such has to happen - So for the rest of the episode, we are simply left waiting for the inevitable.

Perhaps if some of the story had been told from Sarina's point of view, some genuine emotion could have been wrung from her dilemma. She naturally wants to show her gratitude to the doctor who gave her back her life; at the same time, she doesn't want to commit her entire life to him before she's even had a chance to start living it. That might have created some effective drama, if that had become the focus. But with the viewpoint purely Bashir's, and the dilemma being his desperation to fit and belong with someone, the results become just a bit too predictable and a bit too tedious.

And that's the problem with Chrysalis in a single word. It isn't bad in any particular way. It's just... tedious. An episode to "get through" on the way to better things.


Overall Rating: 4/10.

Previous Episode: Take Me Out to the Holosuite
Next Episode: Treachery, Faith, and the Great River

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6-25. The Sound of Her Voice.

A wake for a lost friend.

THE PLOT:

The Defiant is on its way home from a convoy escort mission when it intercepts a Starfleet distress call. Lisa Cusack (Debra Wilson), captain of the USS Olympia, is stranded on a planet whose atmosphere will not sustain her for long. When they make contact, they learn that she has barely enough supplies to keep her alive until they reach her. To monitor her condition, and to keep her from being alone as she waits, they agree to take turns talking with her over the intercom, in a series of conversations that become increasingly personal across the six-day journey.

Back on the station, Quark has a rare business opportunity, one that can only be completed if a wanted criminal can make his way onto the station undetected. Odo's vigilance would normally make this impossible. But, as Quark observes to an attentive Jake, Odo has been distracted since the start of his relationship with Kira. A nudge from Quark to celebrate their one-month anniversary is all that it takes to keep Odo clear long enough for the criminal exchange to take place.

Until Odo informs him that he plans to celebrate the anniversary of their first kiss - Which happened exactly one day after their first date. A delay of exactly one day... And with no way to reach his contact, that one day may leave Quark with a lengthy prison sentence!


CHARACTERS:

Capt. Sisko: Kasidy Yates is aboard the Defiant, having served as convoy liaison officer during the escort mission... Something which makes Sisko uncomfortable. Not because she did a bad job - He acknowledges to Lisa when it's his "turn" to speak with her that Kasidy did a fine job of it. He's just not comfortable with the intersection of his personal life and his duty. At the end, when Sisko talks to her, it's clear that she fears he's about to end their relationship, and is visibly relieved when he tells her that his behavior was all about his issues, something he promises to discuss with her privately later.

Dr. Bashir: Has changed a lot. The war, likely combined with some feelings of isolation now that it's known that he's genetically engineered, has transformed the gregarious young idealist into a taciturn, even dour, man focused solely on his work. He isn't even particularly interested in speaking with Lisa, focusing more on his reports than on what she is saying - Something she calls him on, reminding him that it isn't enough to care - Others have to see that he cares.

O'Brien: Has also become more isolated due to the war, something that in his case is entirely self-imposed. As a veteran of the war with the Cardassians, he knows only too well the emotional danger of getting close to people who might not be alive tomorrow. He admits to Lisa that he won't talk to his friends or family about his feelings, and he doesn't like the idea of talking to a ship's counselor... Which leaves him to stew, even as he pretends to still be the cheerful engineer he used to be.

Quark/Jake: The "B" plot revives the rivalry between Odo and Quark, something that's been little-seen since the Dominion War started. I love the joy Quark feels at "beating" Odo, which gives him more pleasure than the prospect of the actual payoff. That makes his devastation all the greater when Odo throws a wrench into his timing. Jake makes a great straight man to Quark, performing what are effectively the henchman duties that traditionally have belonged to Rom, resulting in some fun exchanges between two characters who have rarely interacted. Yet again, even this late in its run, Deep Space 9 combines characters in a new way and creates an enjoyable new dynamic.


THOUGHTS:

The Sound of Her Voice is basically a bottle show. It features the regulars, Kasidy, and one guest star who is present only as a voice over a communicator. Save for a brief sojourn to the venerable Star Trek cave set, it alternates between shipbound scenes and station-bound scenes, and features only standing sets. I strongly suspect it was made in part as a budget saver, squeezing a few pennies before the doubtless more expensive season finale.

In the hands of writer Ronald D. Moore and this most excellent of Trek ensembles, it is highly effective, if suffering from an entirely unnecessary indulgence in Technobabble near the end.

I'll deal with the Technobabble issue first, as it's the episode's biggest weakness. The basic ending is easy enough to see coming, and doesn't require a labored Technobabble explanation. This bit only works if we assume Sisko never checked records about the person he was diverting to rescue, and didn't exchange any messages with Starfleet about the situation during the almost week-long period it takes to arrive. It's a bizarre choice, one that undermines an otherwise very fine episode.

Fortunately, it is an otherwise very fine episode. The script is an ensemble character piece, with excellent scenes for Sisko, Bashir, and O'Brien (and some pretty darn good ones for Quark and Odo in the subplot). All the characters ring true, the actors are excellent as usual, and the material works. Alexander Siddig and Colm Meaney are particularly good in their scenes, and it's fitting that they get the best moments of the tag. Bashir's insistence on telling his friends how much he cares is a fine moment...

One which is immediately upstaged by O'Brien, saying the simple truth of the situation of the war and what he's decided it means to him (and handily foreshadowing the following episode at the same time):

"We've grown apart, the lot of us. We didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. The war changed us, pulled us apart... I want my friends in my life, because someday we're going to wake up and we're going to find that someone is missing from this circle. And on that day we're going to mourn, and we shouldn't have to mourn alone."


Overall Rating: 7/10. Would be an "8" without the Technobabble at the end.

Previous Episode: Time's Orphan
Next Episode: Tears of the Prophets

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6-24. Time's Orphan.

Molly O'Brien loses ten years to a time travel accident...

THE PLOT

Chief O'Brien celebrates his family's return to the station by taking them on a picnic to the planet Golana, a lush and peaceful world they enjoyed during Keiko's pregnancy. They are having a perfect day... Until young Molly (Hana Hatae), playing near a cavern, takes a fall - right through a mysterious device. Molly vanishes, leaving O'Brien to work desperately to figure out where she went.

The answer proves not to be so much "where" as "when." The device is a time portal, leading to the planet's distant past - before the Bajorans settled, when the only life was wildlife. O'Brien reactivates the device and uses a DNA sample of Molly to beam his daughter back. But he misses the correct time period, beaming back not the child he lost, but a feral young adult Molly (Michelle Krusiec) who has spent 10 years all alone in the planet's past.

This Molly behaves more like an animal than a human, barely interacting with the people around her. She keeps insisting that she wants to go home - to Golana. O'Brien tries to placate her with a holosuite recreation... But when it's time to leave, she goes into a violent rage - One that ends with her stabbing one of Quark's Tarkalean customers.

Leaving the O'Briens with the prospect of their already damaged daughter spending the rest of her life confined to an institution...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: As a father himself, he empathizes with O'Brien's pain. After Molly stabs the Tarkalean, Sisko is as gentle as he can be when he tells O'Brien that Molly will be sent to a facility for "evaluation." He knows as well as O'Brien does that this will turn into a life sentence - But he doesn't try to offer false hope, instead making clear that this is going to happen and that he has no alternative.

O'Brien: At this point, it should be funny just how often he ends up dealing with horrific emotional pain. But there's a reason the writers keep doing this: It works. O'Brien is so utterly relatable, and Colm Meaney so perfectly authentic, it becomes impossible not to empathize with him. No matter how many times O'Brien is dragged out for another round of mental torture, it continues to work - Something which gives a badly-needed boost to the mostly middling material found here.

Keiko: It would have been very easy for this episode to manufacture conflict by having Keiko blame her husband for not watching Molly or for failing to rescue her from her fall. Thankfully, writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle don't go this route. Keiko and O'Brien are supportive of each other throughout the episode. When O'Brien decides he must take desperate action to save Molly from a life in an institution, Keiko is a firm participant in the plan, refusing to allow him to take the risk on his own. Rosalind Chao, in her first episode in too long, remains a welcome screen presence, and she and Colm Meaney feel absolutely natural as a screen couple.

Worf/Dax: Worf and Dax take subplot duties by watching the O'Briens' young son, Yoshi. Worf determines that he must succeed at babysitting the child without Dax's help. At first, this seems like yet more Stupid Klingon Pride (TM). Then Worf explains himself, and both his words and Dax's reactions carry a ring of truth: "(Babysitting) is not important to me. It is important to you... You are judging me on my fitness to be a parent... I have proven myself to be a worthy husband to you, but you are not convinced I would be a good parent to your children." The entire subplot, including Worf's overly-urgent feelings of failure when Yoshi falls during playtime, feels authentic, and Michael Dorn and Terry Farrell are terrific in their scenes - which are just numerous enough to make an impression, without drowning out the main story.


THOUGHTS

Time's Orphan isn't a bad episode, but it is blatant filler with an exceedingly predictable story progression. From the moment child Molly is replaced by a wild-eyed adult, did anyone watching this believe for even an instant that the situation wouldn't be reset without consequence by the end? Knowing that I was watching a Reset Button Episode kept me from becoming truly invested in this from the start, since it was clear that nothing here was going to matter (or likely even be remembered) even a single episode later.

The weak plot is somewhat made up for by the strong performances of the regulars and of guest actress Michelle Krusiec. Krusiec does a commendable job with the damaged Molly, her feral qualities visible without being overplayed. The connection she slowly forms with her not-quite-forgotten parents is well played, and the moments of calm make the disturbed moments more effective by contrast.

Particularly strong is the scene in w hich Molly goes truly, dangerously wild when removed from the holosuites. Director Allan Kroeker does a great job of giving an immediacy to this sequence that is rarely seen in Trek action scenes. When she injures the Tarkalian standing between her and the exit, she stabs him with a broken bottle - an act of raw violence that carries the kind of punch sci-fi shootouts just can't equal. The devastation on O'Brien's face is vivid as he takes in what has happened and realizes that his daughter has just done something irrevocable.

Moments such as this elevate the episode in bursts... But there's just no getting around how predictable the whole thing is. It feels expendable - a sense only heightened by the knowledge that O'Brien will not have to endure a single consequence for the station regulations he breaks in the second half.

It's not a bad episode, and it is worth watching for the performances and the character material. But in an excellent season, this is a decidedly lesser episode.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Profit and Lace
Next Episode: The Sound of Her Voice

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6-15. Honor Among Thieves.

O'Brien befriends a member of the Orion Syndicate.

THE PLOT

Starfleet Intelligence has called on Chief O'Brien to go undercover on Farius Prime, a neutral planet with a heavy Orion Syndicate presence. The Syndicate has an informant in Starfleet, which has resulted in the deaths of several intelligence agents. The hope is that O'Brien, who isn't directly affiliated with Intelligence, will be able to make contact with the Syndicate and uncover the identity of the mole.

O'Brien is surprisingly successful. Posing as a "fix-it man down on his luck," O'Brien is able to gain the trust of Liam Bilby (Nick Tate), the leader of a minor group of hoods who is in turn working under Syndicate boss Raimus (Joseph Culp). With his friendly and honest manner, he quickly befriends Bilby, learning enough information to pass along to his contact (Michael Harney) to figure out the identity of the mole.

Then the situation becomes complicated. Raimus makes a personal appearance, introducing his new business partners: Agents of the Dominion!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Deflects questions about where O'Brien has gone. When Dr. Bashir prods him about the need for repairs, Sisko recognizes that what the doctor is really asking is about the welfare of his good friend. He is compassionate toward Bashir's concern, but tells him that he cannot reveal any information.

O'Brien: From the moment he arrives on Farius Prime, his greatest desire is simply to finish the job and get back to his wife and children. When Bilby talks about his own family, O'Brien feels guilt for putting the petty criminal into an impossible situation. His Intelligence contact promises that they will try to arrest Bilby before the Syndicate can get to him, but it's a fragile hope at best - one that becomes impossible once the Dominion presence is revealed, changing the stakes dramatically.

Bilby: Like O'Brien, he places a high value on family. When he believes O'Brien to be single, he urges him to start a family because "it's the most important thing." He responds to O'Brien's basic honesty, which makes him take him into his confidence far more quickly than he otherwise would - Because he's lonely on this world of petty criminals, and wants a friend who's actually worth spending time with. None of which makes Bilby a good man, as we're reminded when he viciously murders a weapons dealer who tried to cheat him. But the weary likability lent by actor Nick Tate sells the unlikely friendship at the core of this episode.


THOUGHTS

Honor Among Thieves has the skeleton of your basic midseason filler episode - Which, at heart, is what it is. Even with the Dominion ties, I tend to doubt that the events of this story will have any real impact on future episodes.

What distinguishes it is how very well-made it is. Director Allan Eastman infuses the piece with a dark, film noir atmosphere that fits the material perfectly. The alley in which O'Brien meets his contact is drenched in shadow, and the bar that is Bilby's base of operations has dim lighting. Even Bilby's apartment, his refuge from the life he has chosen, has a run-down look, with lighting that is brighter than the bar but still not fully bright. Everything here is worn and rumpled, everything a little bit dark - And that boosts the drama's effectiveness significantly.

Rene Echevarria's script is also well-turned. Ever the strong character writer, Echevarria largely focused on the O'Brien/Bilby relationship and leaves the well-worn plot to take care of itself. This is a good choice, as the time devoted to Bilby sharing some of his wife's cake or musing about buying a birthday present for his daughter underline the things these two men have in common. The friendship feels genuine, and that makes the episode work, even when the overall plot runs along predictable lines.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: One Little Ship
Next Episode: Change of Heart 

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6-14. One Little Ship.

A shrunken runabout must save the Defiant!
 - after it pushes a button on a console, that is.

THE PLOT

Sisko and the Defiant crew take a break from the Dominion War to investigate an anomaly. One of those Star Trek anomalies that operates on the science of High Concept - in this case, that it shrinks the Rubicon, the runabout sent into the anomaly, to a tiny fraction of its normal size, shrinking crew members Dax, O'Brien, and Dr. Bashir in the process. All of this is according to plan - with full assurances that they will return to normal size when they exit the anomaly.

The investigation is cut short when a Jem'Hadar warship attacks the Defiant. Caught unawares in mid-experiment, the Defiant is forced to surrender. Sisko and his crew are taken captive. The battle-hardened Jem'Hadar Second (Fritz Sperberg) recognizes Sisko as a threat and urges his immediate execution. But his First (Scott Thompson Baker), an inexperienced soldier bred in the Alpha Quadrant, decides to keep Sisko and his crew alive in order to repair the ship's warp engines, in order to get their prize to Cardassian space.

The Rubicon crew is unaware of the Defiant's capture. Dax, O'Brien, and Bashir just know that something went wrong and that they need to get back to the ship. They find the Defiant very quickly. But something has gone wrong - They did not return to normal size. As they enter the warship, and discover its capture, they know they must do something to help Sisko and the others. And they have to do it while the size of a child's toy!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: When he sees the hostility between the arrogant, inexperienced First and the veteran Second, he uses that. He plants the idea in the First's mind that he and his crew can repair the warp drive much faster than the Jem'Hadar would be able to, then works with his crew to simultaneously repair the drive and break through the ship's security systems to take control from the engine room. When the First barks about their slow progress, Sisko blames the Second's constant interference, with the end result that he frees his crew from detailed scrutiny as they go about their sabotage.

Dax: In command of the runabout mission, which carries over once they discover that the Defiant has been taken. O'Brien's engineering knowledge is key to helping Sisko retake the ship, but Dax does a good job of listening to his technical knowledge and to Bashir's scientific knowledge and applying both to the current situation. She also has fun embarrassing Worf by publicly announcing that she's looking forward to him writing her a poem - Something which he amusingly turns around on her in the tag.

O'Brien/Bashir: Very much a double-act. O'Brien has trouble wrapping his head around just how small they currently are, something Bashir delights in needling him about. When they have to beam off the runabout to reroute a bridge console from the inside, O'Brien begins hyperventilating, unable to clear his head enough to figure out which circuit is which. Bashir steps up, pushing O'Brien to stop looking at the giant circuitry surrounding them and instead draw on his ingrained knowledge of which components are where, which both calms the engineer and allows him to orientate himself to finish the job at hand.

Jem'Hadar: Dominion presence in the Alpha Quadrant has lasted long enough for them to start breeding Jem'Hadar here. This is creating a conflict between the veteran Jem'Hadar from the Gamma Quadrant and the new Jem'Hadar "Alphas," which I hope we see Sisko exploiting in future episodes. Here, it mainly plays out in the friction between the highly competent Second and his superior. The Second is correct at every turn: Sisko is a threat, and is actively working to retake the ship. Disrupting Sisko's crew and their attempted "repairs" also disrupts their planned resistance. The First's refusal to listen, to the point that he treats the Second with more hostility and suspicion than he does Sisko, is the main reason why the Dominion doesn't end up with the Defiant and its crew at the end. "Obedience breeds victory," the Jem'Hadar insist - But that doesn't hold true when you're obeying bad orders issued by a fool.


THOUGHTS

One Little Ship is a lightweight episode built around a silly and ridiculous concept. It reduces most of the Jem'Hadar to the status of guards so dumb they would qualify as Star Wars stormtroopers, and its situation plays out more as a comedy/adventure than as a thriller. It is, at heart, a rather dumb episode.

It's also a lot of fun to watch. The script, by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, zips along merrily, taking viewers on a ride through two cliche stories: the "shrink" episode and the hostage episode. There is a lot of humor, from the tiny runabout hiding from view by flying directly behind the oblivious First's head to the way Dax pilots the shrunken ship to gently press buttons on a keypad. But the humor, while infectious, never compromises the characters. The situation itself is funny, but the regulars take that situation seriously - which keeps it just the right side of campy.

Some of the visuals are imaginative, as well. I particularly enjoy the scenes in which O'Brien and Bashir are working inside the bridge console. With giant, Tron-like components surrounding them, it looks - as Bashir observes - like they are "in the middle of an optronic forest."

In the end, One Little Ship is thoroughly silly, but also thoroughly entertaining. Another winner.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Far Beyond the Stars
Next Episode: Honor Among Thieves 

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6-9. Statistical Probabilities.

Calculating the outcome of the Dominion War.

THE PLOT

Dr. Bashir has agreed to spend time with a very special group of psychiatric patients, four individuals whose minds were left disturbed after genetic engineering went wrong. The patients are: Jack (Tim Ransom), who is antisocial and violently hostile; Lauren (Hilary Shepard Turner), who attempts to seduce virtually any man she sees; Patrick (Michael Keenan), who possesses keen hearing and understanding of mechanical engineering but is emotionally like a small child; and Sarina (Faith C. Salie), who barely responds to the world around her.

Bashir's initial reaction is a mix of pity and horror. "There but for the grace of God go I," he tells his friends as they gather for dinner, waiting for an announced broadcast by the newly-christened Gul Damar (Casey Biggs). But when a peace proposal by Damar and Weyoun is also broadcast, the patients are able to see their manipulations just by observing them. They notice that Damar and Weyoun make a point of avoiding any mention of the Kabrel system, and tell Bashir that this system is what they want. Further research shows that control of the Kabrel system would allow the Dominion to manufacture ketracil white in the Alpha Quadrant, taking away one of Starfleet's few advantages.

This analysis proves valuable enough for Starfleet to furnish the group with more information. Bashir is delighted that his charges are finally being allowed to contribute in a valuable way. His delight soon turns to horror, however, as the group turns in their analysis of the Dominion War as a whole. Their projection? That a Starfleet victory is statistically impossible. The Federation is doomed, and there is only one option that will save hundreds of billions of lives on both sides:

Surrender...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Refuses to accept that a mathematical formula can dictate the future. He insists that the calculations are based on "a series of assumptions," that couldn't possibly take into account every factor. He also adds: "Even if I knew with one hundred percent certainty what was going to happen, I wouldn't ask an entire generation of people to voluntarily give up their freedom... If we're going to lose, then we're going to go down fighting so that when our descendants rise up against the Dominion someday, they'll know what they're made of!"

Dr. Bashir: In A Time to Stand, Bashir expressed relief at no longer having to hide his abilities. His genetic engineering allows him to contribute in ways that would be impossible for most - So he understands the frustrations of these patients, who have been denied any chance to do anything meaningful with their lives. In normal circumstances, Bashir would understand without effort why Sisko and O'Brien can't accept his "surrender" recommendation - The Bashir who threw himself endlessly against the brick wall of a Dominion plague certainly would understand. But insulated with only fomulae, calculations, and a group of like-minded people he has bonded with a little too completely, he loses the pulse of the real world... At least, until he's abruptly wakened by drastic action from Jack.

O'Brien: It falls to O'Brien, the show's Everyman, to point out the obvious to Bashir. He and Sisko both fully comprehend the calculations. It's the conclusion that they can't accept, because you don't surrender just because a statistical analysis says that you should. When Bashir expresses confusion at this, unable to see how anyone could reasonably disagree with the recommendation, O'Brien snaps at him angrily: "I can see two possible explanations... Either I'm more feebleminded than you ever realized, or you're not as smart as you think you are!"

Weyoun/Damar: Bashir's group labels Damar "the pretender," a man playing king who isn't - and as Weyoun reminds him, he serves in this role only at the Dominion's pleasure. While Weyoun at least paid lip service to being an equal partner to Dukat, he makes no bones about treating Damar as an inferior. Part of that is likely a response to Dukat's failures in holding Deep Space 9, but part of that also has to do with the differences between the two men. Whatever else Dukat was guilty of, he was a born leader, charismatic and able to impose his will on others. Damar is more of a blunt instrument - a born "second-in-command," if you will - and Weyoun certainly recognizes his limitations. Besides, Damar doesn't even try to hide his disdain, so why should Weyoun do anything other than return the favor?


THOUGHTS

"We've grown too complacent about the Dominion. We may have driven them back into Cardassian space, but we haven't beaten them."

After a couple of episodes in which the Dominion threat was reduced to a background element, Statistical Probabilities reminds us that the war is still being waged, and that the outlook for the Federation remains bleak. Downright hopeless, if Bashir and the genetically engineered group's statistics can be believed.

Statistical Probabilities also provides some welcome follow-up to Doctor Bashir, I Presume. I was disappointed in that episode's pat, near conflict-free resolution to a complicated problem. This episode practically opens by having Jack call Bashir on it: "There are rules... And then, when you got caught, you cut a deal with Starfleet. You got yourself off the hook!"

As Bashir bonds so completely with these emotionally-damaged people who are nevertheless the only ones to truly understand what he's capable of, we also see that something is missing in his interactions with the other regulars. He always has to be less than he is to be "one of them." Being with others who can think as quickly as he can fills a need that has otherwise gone unfilled.  At the same time, the damage suffered by the members of this group shows what might have happened to Bashir, had his DNA resequencing been just a little less successful.

All of this works very well. For a good two-thirds of its running time, Statistical Probabilities was on track to be at least a "7" and probably an "8." But the last third stumbles. Bashir's internal conflict, having to accept continuing the fight when he knows the fight is mathematically hopeless, is interesting and involving. Seeing him torn between his old friends and his new friends, who share something with him the others could never understand, is also absorbing.

But all of that internal conflict is thrown aside for a manufactured third act crisis that never feels convincing. Bashir doesn't come to terms with the situation by himself; external factors force him to do so. My disappointment in that resolution costs the episode at least one full point, possibly two - Which still leaves it as a solid...


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Resurrection
Next Episode: The Magnificent Ferengi


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