6-17. Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night.

During the Occupation, Kira's mother (Leslie
Hope) catches the eye of Gul Dukat.

THE PLOT

On the birthday of Kira's mother, who died during the Occupation, the major receives a coded message from Gul Dukat. He is also celebrating the birthday - remembering a woman who was his lover until the day she died. He smugly informs Kira that he wants to share with her "the clarity to see beyond the lies, the self-deceptions" in her life.

Kira tries to dismiss this as the lies of an enemy, but she just can't. So she goes to Sisko, not as her captain but as The Emissary, to arrange for her to use the Orb of Time. The Orb sends her back to the time and place in which her mother, Meru (Leslie Hope), was taken from her family to become a "comfort woman" for the Cardassians. Meru catches the eye of then-Prefect Dukat, who rather than simply claiming her as a prize uses all his charm to seduce her into becoming his willing lover.

When it becomes clear that Meru is enjoying her new life, Kira becomes disgusted and labels her a collaborator. But neither life nor people are generally as simple as she would like to believe...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: As a Starfleet officer, his reaction to Kira's request to use the Orb of Time is to fear for possible changes to the timeline. When she appeals to him as the Emissary of the Prophets, however, he gives in almost instantly - which shows just how much his attitude has changed toward his spiritual role on Bajor. After Kira returns, he listens to her. He does note that Kira's mother had good reasons for the choices she made, but does not try to tell Kira what to think about what she saw.

Major Kira: Even though Dukat discloses his past relationship with Kira's mother to hurt her, I think that on some level he does think he's doing her a favor. And honestly, I'm not sure he isn't. Kira has long tended to look at the world in black and white. Looked at through Kira's perspective, what she finds is horrible - Her mother not only not kicking against a relationship with Dukat, but enjoying his company and defending him. Stepping away from Kira's viewpoint, though, it's clear Meru had no better options. Her "collaboration" saves the lives of herself and her family, at the cost of not one single Bajoran life. That's cold comfort to Kira, when she reflects on how many Bajorans were dying during the years that her mother spent with Dukat... but how would joining them in misery and death have helped anyone? The episode's end leaves Kira with all the facts she was seeking but no clue how to feel about them - whether to empathize with her mother or hate her for choosing to survive.

Odo: Notices Kira's foul mood. When she refuses to talk about it, he respects that and doesn't press. However, he does add one piece of advice that sends her on her journey: "Well, if you won't talk about it, perhaps you should consider doing something about it." It's a short scene, and his only scene in the episode. But it captures the Kira/Odo dynamic so perfectly, and is so wonderfully performed by Rene Auberjonois, that it demands a mention.

Gul/Prefect Dukat: We only see the present-day Dukat in one scene, delighting in getting under Kira's skin with the most painful weapon at his disposal: The truth. Past Dukat is very much as he always was. He's all smiles, not only civil but actively charming. And also always performing, as we see when a Cardassian legate whispers to Kira what Dukat is about to say in his seduction of Meru, word for word, because this isn't the first such performance he's witnessed. But Dukat isn't a simple cad. Against our (and Kira's) expectations, he does make good on his word, and her family is better off than it's ever been. Nor is Kira's mother a simple conquest that Dukat throws away when tired of her - We learn at the end that they were together for seven years, right up until she died. I do consider Dukat an evil character... But he's still a complex one, capable of great kindness to those he cares for. We saw it with Ziyal, and we see a glimpse of it again in his relationship with this woman.


THOUGHTS

Star Trek has a habit of reducing complex situations to pat homilies. Writers Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler respect the complexity. We are left, like Kira, with all the facts about her mother's relationship with Dukat, and nothing clearly telegraphing what opinion we should hold. We are left to make up our own minds - Which I consider to be a good thing.

The return to Terok Nor and the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor is a very welcome one. Every episode that has looked at the station's dark past has been excellent, and Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night is no exception. This slice of the Occupation is very different from what we saw in Necessary Evil or Things Past. There is little direct violence on hand - but the threat of it hangs in the air: in the conditions in which Meru's family lives before her capture, in the watchful and sneering gaze of Bajoran collaborator Basso Tromac (David Bowe), and in the meek whimpering of one "comfort woman" who is too afraid to do more than quietly sob when a Cardassian pulls her onto his lap and starts pawing her.

The families in the refugee camp and the women taken to the station are very different from the Resistance fighters we've seen in previous episodes. They are members of what was almost certainly Bajor's majority - beaten and cowed, too afraid to do anything but obey and cooperate. We see only one Resistance member (Tim DeZarn), and he comes across as small and petty - hardly a powerful foe for anyone.

Performances are largely excellent, and Leslie Hope's Meru is just sympathetic enough for the episode to engage without being so sympathetic as to negate the ending's ambiguity. She may weep at being separated from her family, for example - But she is quick to defend Dukat from Kira's ire, and clearly enjoys the good food and comfort of her abduction.

This falls short of full marks, in part because Basso the Collaborator is a cartoon character, a caricature who would be more at home in a Ferengi comedy than in a multilayered piece such as this; and in part because as good as this is, it doesn't ultimately have quite as much weight to it as Necessary Evil or Things Past.

It's still a terrific episode, though, reminding us of Bajor's past as we wait for the next major event to take us into the future.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Change of Heart
Next Episode: Inquisition

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6-11. Waltz.

Gul Dukat wrestles with his demons.  And loses.

THE PLOT

The USS Honshu is transporting Gul Dukat to his arraignment for war crimes. Sisko is on board, to act as a prosecution witness. Sisko is visiting Dukat in the brig, when the ship comes under Dominion attack. The Honshu is destroyed, but several escape pods make it off, along with one shuttlecraft. The Defiant is dispatched to search for survivors - but on a tight timetable, the demands of the war effort taking priority over the rescue mission.

In a cave on an uninhabited and inhospitable planet, Sisko awakes to discover that he is still with Gul Dukat. The Cardassian rescued him, getting him to the shuttle and landing on this planet. Dukat insists that the shuttle is no longer operational, but that he has gotten the distress beacon working. As the two wait for rescue, either by Starfleet or the Dominion ("whoever gets here first," Dukat smirks), Dukat prods the other man toward conversation, trying to get him to reveal his full opinion of him.

As their talks go on, it becomes clear that Dukat is having other conversations as well. The Cardassian's psychological recovery isn't as complete as it appeared, and he is seeing people who aren't actually present, each of them feeding his worst tendencies, urging him to action - Specifically, to kill Sisko while he has the chance!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: The episode opens with Sisko approaching Dukat to express his condolences over Ziyal's death. He parrots the Starfleet view that a man is innocent until proven guilty, but even Dukat recognizes this as prevarication. After the crash, Sisko is initially grateful to the Cardassian for saving his life, but he doesn't extend his trust and rejects Dukat's description of them as "old friends." He exploits Dukat's increasingly evident mental instability, feeding his ego at some points, brutally undermining it at others - steadily pushing him until he finally makes himself vulnerable.

Gul Dukat: Over the course of the series, Marc Alaimo and the writing staff have transformed Dukat from a simple stock villain into arguably the series' most multilayered creation. Dukat still believes, as he said to Weyoun in Sacrifice of Angels, that a true victory is forcing your adversaries "to acknowledge your greatness." That is what he is attempting here.   He is keeping Sisko alive, trying to get the other man to acknowledge his respect for him. When he catches Sisko repairing the distress beacon, he shatters the beacon before beating Sisko, all the while blaming him for forcing him to brutality... Exactly the same way he blames the Bajorans for forcing him to be a despot when what he really wanted was to be a beloved, benevolent dictator. Alaimo is stunning throughout, as he shifts from a false calm to an all too real mania.

Major Kira: Is put into position of command - which in wartime, means enforcing tough decisions. That includes being able to spare only two ships to search for Sisko, and having to firmly order Worf to divert the Defiant to escort an otherwise unprotected troop convoy after 52 hours (which includes the 12 hours it will take him to reach the convoy). Kira does not appear happy about giving these orders, but she makes it clear that she stands by them.

Dukat's Hallucinatory Greek Chorus: Kira also appears alongside Weyoun and Damar as hallucinations arguing with Dukat throughout the episode. All three of these visions reinforce Dukat's view of himself as the victim. His Kira slinks around almost like the Intendant, showing that in Dukat's mind she instigated his attraction to her. Even as she poses seductively, she spits insults and announces that the Bajorans wanted to kill Cardassians, nothing more, reinforcing Dukat's view that the Bajorans were the aggressors. His Weyoun sneers at his mercy, building up his self-image as a benevolent dictator. His Damar is constantly respectful, even as he urges Dukat to stern and decisive action - representing the Cardassians who would have been far harsher toward Bajor than he was. All three underline Dukat's distorted self-image, an image Sisko rips away by the episode's end.


THOUGHTS

"He lost an empire; he lost his daughter; and he nearly lost his mind. Whatever his crimes, isn't that enough punishment for one lifetime?
-Sisko's Captain's Log, at the start of the episode.

Waltz acts almost as a companion piece to Season One's Duet. Like that episode, the meat of the story comes down to conversations between a regular and a Cardassian war criminal. Like that episode, the story involves stripping away the Cardassian's pretense to uncover who he truly is. In Duet, Kira exposed the apparent war criminal as a genuinely decent man. In Waltz, Sisko does the opposite, wearing down the affable and charismatic Dukat until the civilized veneer vanishes, leaving only the monster beneath.

The focus of Dukat's obsession remains the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. This is the failure that has shaped all of Dukat's actions since. When he joined with the Dominion, it was to re-establish the Cardassian glory that began to crumble after the end of the Occupation. When he retook Deep Space 9 and re-christened it Terok Nor, he was in effect getting a second chance at making his Occupation all he had wanted in the first place: Benevolent, respected, and permanent. A chance to rewrite his personal history and make it work out the way he always wanted it to. When it failed again, we saw his mind already starting to snap, even before Ziyal was gunned down in front of him.

Dukat's justifications for atrocity fit perfectly with who he's always been. His ego demands that he be the hero of the story; anything that doesn't fit that narrative is someone else's fault.  All of this leads to a show-stopping three minute speech, in which Dukat talks about his rule on Bajor. He begins by detailing how his initial acts as ruler reduced fatalities in the work camps by 20%. It's evident that he believes he should have been celebrated as a hero by the Bajorans for this, and felt personally betrayed when resistance continued. 

Indeed, he regards every act of resistance as a personal insult. As the speech wears on, he reveals his anger at the Bajorans not only for resisting him, but for their "stubborn pride." "They wanted to be treated as equals when they most certainly were not!" He rages at them for refusing to acknowledge the Cardassians as superior, for refusing to acknowledge him as superior. By the end of the speech, he is ranting his hatred of all Bajorans, raving that he should have killed them all when he had the chance. It is a spectacular piece, so sharply scripted by writer Ronald D. Moore and so perfectly performed by Alaimo that it's downright uncomfortable to watch.

By the end of the episode, Dukat is free again, now with a renewed purpose: To show the Bajorans what it means for him to truly be their enemy. But just as he doesn't kill Sisko at the start of the episode, he doesn't leave him to die at the end. He transmits Sisko's location so that the Defiant can rescue him.  Because it's still not enough for him to win; his enemy must live, if only long enough to acknowledge his superiority.

"Sometimes life seems so complicated. Nothing is every truly good or truly evil... Then you spend some time with a man like Dukat, and you realize that there is really such a thing as truly evil... From now on, it's him or me."
-Sisko to Dax, as the episode ends.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: The Magnificent Ferengi
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5-19. Ties of Blood and Water.

Kira and her Cardassian "father,"
Legate Ghemor (Lawrence Pressman)

THE PLOT

Tekeny Ghemor (Lawrence Pressman), the Cardassian legate who became the leader of the Cardassian dissident movement after Kira was kidnapped and surgically altered to resemble his daughter, visits the station. Kira is excited: not only is Ghemor the Cardassian best suited to lead a political opposition to the Dominion occupation, he is also someone Kira grew close to, close enough to see as a father figure.

Ghemor is terminally ill, however, and declining rapidly. He asks Kira to "be (his) daughter one last time," to perform the Shri-tal, a Cardassian tradition in which a dying man will tell closely-guarded secrets to his family. With his daughter still missing, almost certainly dead, Kira is the closest thing he has to family. For the Federation, it's a remarkable opportunity: A chance to gather an unprecedented amount of intelligence on the Cardassian government. For Kira, it's an ordeal she may not be ready to face.

She braves it as head-on as possible, conducting a series of exhausting interviews discussing various Cardassian Guls, including potentially corruptible political enemies of Gul Dukat. But Dukat is aware of Ghemor's presence on Deep Space 9. He attempts to intimidate Sisko into extraditing the dying man. When Sisko refuses, he makes a dramatic entrance in a Jem'Hadar warship - with weapons locked directly on the station!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Deals well with Dukat's attempts at intimidation. He doesn't react with fear, nor does he lose his temper. He is firm but steady in rejecting attempts to make him surrender Ghemor. He does not block Dukat from seeing the dying Cardassian - but he does keep a watchful eye, and when Dukat makes an attempt on the old man's life, he responds forcefully.

Major Kira: The episode opens with Kira happy and excited as Ghemor arrives on the station. She reacts to him very much as if he was her father, spilling over with delight at seeing him and enthusiasm at plans that would involve him. When she learns he is dying, and that he wants her to act as his daughter and stay with him as he dies, she flashes back to memories of her actual father (Thomas Kopache)'s death. Her guilt at fleeing his deathbed fuels her rage at Ghemor when she learns of his acts during the Occupation - acts that would fall far short of "war criminal" status, as Odo points out, but which do give her an excuse to flee another father's deathbed. It's a tribute to just how sharp Kira's anger can be and just how much Deep Space 9 has kicked against the usual Star Trek "safeness" that, for just moment, I had doubts as to whether Kira would come back to him.

Weyoun: Why let a little thing like death stop you from bringing back a good guest character? Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs), the ill-fated yet delightfully slimy Vorta seen in To the Death, returns via the magic of cloning. Combs remains wonderful in the role, his flippant manner offsetting Dukat's more immediately imposing presence to entertaining effect. Particularly enjoyable is Weyoun's delight when Sisko confronts him over the attempted assassination of Ghemor. As someone who delights in games of all kinds, the Vorta enjoys the moves and countermoves between Sisko and Dukat - and he loves rendering all of it irrelevant with a dramatic gesture of his own.

Gul Dukat: Has retained the title "Gul," despite claiming rulership of Cardassia, because that title sounds "more hands-on." He takes a moment to savor a little dig at Sisko, observing that his own title is less pretentious than such alternatives as "Emissary." He insists that he is no Dominion puppet, and he is enjoying his newfound power - but he can't be unaware that Weyoun is perpetually attached to his shoulder. His only significant interaction with any DS9 regulars that doesn't include the Vorta is his scene with Kira, in which he knows exactly which buttons to push to spark the major's fiery temper.


THOUGHTS

Ties of Blood and Water is a direct sequel to Season Three's Second Skin. It reunites Kira with Legate Ghemor, and plays on the surrogate father/daughter dynamic of that episode to good effect. Better still, it does so while furthering the narrative arc of the season and while giving Kira yet another excellent character episode.

The Occupation and the things Kira saw, did, and saw done represent the most definitive aspect of her character, and the one most explored by the series. Which doesn't mean that the dramatic well has run dry. After all, the reason the Occupation so defines her is that it was a horrific experience to endure, and every time the show revisits it, we see yet another way in which it left its mark on her.

The flashbacks to the death of Kira's father initially come across as intrusive. They don't remain that way, however. Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe and director Avery Brooks, both of whom have been consistently reliable behind the camera, let the flashbacks build in such a way that by the midpoint of the episode, we see the past story reverberating against the present. It results in something of a dual climax, with the tag scene nicely tying the two strands together.

The strong emotional scenes between Kira and Ghemor are the heart of the episode, but this is a character episode that also manages to build the background narrative. We get our first strong glimpse of the new Cardassian government. Despite Dukat's protestations, it is clear that he is exactly what Sisko accuses him of being: A Dominion puppet. Weyoun's interactions with Dukat strongly show this. The Vorta is quite open in telling Dukat in front of others that he will need to rehabilitate his image, or interrupting a confrontation between Dukat and Sisko to observe that using something fictitious as propaganda is merely "a small problem." I look forward to seeing more of the Weyoun/Dukat interactions; Dukat may be drunk on power for now, but I have to believe there will come a point when the Vorta will begin to seriously annoy him.

Most interesting is that the Dominion seem just about ready to move from Cold War to hot one. They may still playing at diplomacy for now. But their willingness to show up with weapons locked, all but daring Sisko to fire the first shot of the inevitable conflict, shows that the fragile peace may be about to shatter...


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Business as Usual
Next Episode: Ferengi Love Songs


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5-11. The Darkness and the Light.

Kira mourns the loss of an old friend.

THE PLOT

Latha Mabrin (Matt Roe) was a violent man, something the Bajoran Resistance greatly valued during the Occupation but which created problems for him after. Latha finally turned his life around, however, becoming a Vedek and embracing the Prophets. He is performing a ceremony involving repentance when suddenly, a disruptor blast fires from a cermonial object, killing him. Back on Deep Space 9, Kira receives a message: Latha's picture and a mechanical voice, telling her, "That's one."

As the message indicates, Latha's death is only the beginning. Someone is targeting those affiliated with the Shakaar Resistance Cell. Kira attempts to get a step ahead by contacting her friends, but is too late at every turn. One by one, the former Resistance members are assassinated. Odo investigates, but has to confess that he has no real suspects.

And with each Bajoran who falls, the killings grow ever closer to their final target: Kira herself!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Though not heavily spotlighted, we see him making sure to remain informed about Odo's progress (or lack thereof) at every stage. When Kira finally decides to strike out on her own, Sisko orders Worf and Dax to follow her. When they start to point out difficulties, he snaps at them in a tone that brooks neither argument nor excuses: "I understand the difficulties! You have your orders - Dismissed!"

Major Kira: Past episodes of Deep Space 9 have had characters, including Kira herself, describe the major as a "terrorist." This episode explores some of the implications of that. As a Resistance fighter, she engaged in attacks that not only killed and injured military targets, but spread the damage among civilians as well. When Odo presents his working theory that the killings are revenge for collateral damage inflicted by the Shakaar Cell, Kira protests that too many of their attacks fit that description for it to be helpful. Nana Visitor is excellent as usual, particularly in showing Kira's mounting frustration at being unable to investigate directly due to her pregnancy, a passivity that goes entirely against her instincts.

Odo: Kira's trust in him is shown throughout, simply in that he is the one she chooses to listen as she reflects on each of her dead friends. In Medlab, where that wonderful monologue is delivered, she waits until Dr. Bashir leaves and she is alone with Odo before she reveals such personal memories. For his part, Odo listens quietly, not speaking until she is done but clearly absorbing all that she says. He insists that he will find the man responsible for the crimes, and he's well on his way to doing so before she decides to take matters into her own hands at the end.


THOUGHTS

THIS ISN'T A MYSTERY

Despite focusing on an investigation into a series of killings, Darkness and Light is not a mystery. There are no clues that lead Kira to the killer. The first two-thirds of the episode portrays the killings. Then Odo calls in some old Cardassian favors and delivers up a list of suspects with the technical knowledge and motive to commit the murders. Kira follows up, and the fourth name on the list turns out to be the murderer. There's no real investigation shown.

That would be a significant flaw, if this episode even pretended to be a mystery story. But it doesn't. Odo gives a few status reports on his investigation, simply because otherwise we'd be very justified in wondering exactly what the heck he's doing during all this. Otherwise, the focus is very much on Kira reacting to her friends' deaths and reflecting on her past in the Resistance.

Kira reflects on how the violent Latha turned his life around through religion, or how the perpetually-frightened Fala (Jennifer Savidge) continued to funnel information to the Resistance despite her terror. When two particularly close friends are killed, she recalls her first Resistance mission in a monologue that lasts for almost three minutes. It's pure monologue, no interruptions from any other character. Director Michael Vejar shoots almost all of it in one shot closing steadily on Kira's face, cutting away only once to show Odo listening before going back to his main shot. One person talking, most of the time with the only visual being her face, and thanks to the excellence of both Ronald D. Moore's writing and Nana Visitor's acting it is the best scene in the episode.


SILARAN PRIN

Because this episode is not a mystery, it's not spoiling anything to reveal that the assassin is the mystery to reveal that the assassin is Silaran Prin (Randy Oglesby), a Cardassian living close to Bajor. (Truly, it reveals nothing: Prin is revealed as the killer in the same scene that introduces him.) Prin was a civilian, a servant of a Cardassian Gul targeted by Kira's cell, who was left horribly disfigured by an attack that killed not only the Gul, but twelve Cardassians including servants and the Gul's entire family.

Kira does not respond to these acts with remorse. She insists that Bajor was at war, and that all Cardassians occupying their world were legitimate targets. No exception is made for civilians, spouses, or children, which echoes the statement of the murderer at the end of Duet, who left Kira appalled by his claim that his killing was justified because, "He's a Cardassian. That's reason enough!" Lest it sound like I'm siding with Prin against Kira, I should say that given the situation of the Occupation, her reasoning is correct - In such a situation, mercy simply would not be a viable course to take, while Prin's murders do not have the justification of war.

Vejar's direction during this confrontation is superb, using darkness and light to wonderful effect. Prin, who hisses that Kira is a creature of darkness, imprisons her in a stasis field that puts Kira within a circle of light. Meanwhile, Prin - who presents himself as representing light - stalks around in darkness, only revealing himself fully at the very end. Kira uses his delusions of innocence and a handly plot device (which was neatly planted back in the teaser) to save herself, but she is clearly shaken. She doesn't allow Prin to get away with a claim of innocence, but it's worth noting that she also doesn't she make such a claim about herself. 


WHERE'S SHAKAAR?

My last thought of the episode, since this review is already running long. Here we have a show all about a string of killings of members of the Shakaar Resistance Cell. Kira, the woman Shakaar loves, is in enough danger to have a security detail attached to protect her. And Shakaar... is nowhere to be seen. I understand that Duncan Regehr was a working actor whose availability and expense made it a challenge to regularly feature him. But then, maybe that points to a reason why they should have kept Vedek Bareil around. Bareil's replacement has proved to be a recurring character in name only, not even seen in a episode such as this which practically calls out for an appearance.

That doesn't detract from this episode's success. Well-scripted, well-directed, and outstandingly performed by Nana Visitor, Darkness and Light is definitely a good episode, and it's an outstanding character spotlight piece for Kira.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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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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4-14. Return to Grace.

Kira and Gul Dukat, reluctant allies.

THE PLOT

Kira has agreed to go to the Cardassian outpost Korma to attend a Bajoran/Cardassian conference about the Klingon threat. She is startled to find that her escort is none other than Gul Dukat. Dukat was disgraced and demoted with the exposure of his half-Bajoran daughter, Ziyal (Cyia Batten). He now commands a lowly freighter, with no realistic prospect of anything better to come.

Dukat's ship reaches Korma without incident. But the outpost is a lifeless shell, both Cardassians and Bajorans wiped out by a Klingon attack. One Klingon vessel is still in the area - but it ignores the freighter, as the vessel is no threat to it and there is no honor in destroying it.

It's a dismissal that Kira and Dukat are determined to punish. But first Kira will have to teach the stubborn career military man a few things about fighting effectively against a stronger enemy...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Barely present, though his reaction to Gul Dukat's arrival at Deep Space 9 is amusing.

Major Kira: She tells Ziyal that she can never forgive Dukat for his actions during the Occupation. Even if he regrets those deeds now, something Kira isn't particularly convinced of, she cannot forget how many innocents died at his hands or on his orders. She can put it to the side when they work together, as long as they are focused on the work. She even seems to enjoy having someone with a similar ability to solve problems on hand to push her to solutions that much faster. But then he'll say something to remind her of the Occupation, and she sees the devil who tormented her people once more. She does recognize that Dukat's love for Ziyal is real, however, and she respects that and his loyaey lty to his people. They will never be friends, but they are something other than enemies at this point.

Gul Dukat: "Everything I have lost, I will regain. It is only a matter of time." Dukat continues to be arguably the show's most compelling character (him or Garak - I go back and forth). On the one hand, he is genuine in his love for his daughter and in his loyalty to his people. He is also fierce in his ambitions, however. Having lost all his former influence, he sees all his actions against the Klingons through the prism of restoring his own lost glory. In quiet moments, he reflects on ways he might revenge himself on rival Cardassians - That is, when he isn't pursuing his futile (and more than slightly creepy) attempts to charm Kira. Much like a scorpion, his nature is such that Kira is right not to trust him, not even when he's an ally.


THOUGHTS

The season's second Kira/Dukat episode directy follows up on Indiscretion, showing that Kira's intervention did have consequences. Everything Dukat feared when he decided to kill Ziyal is borne out in the wake of his choice to spare her. This kind of use of continuity is one of the key elements that distinguishes DS9, for me, from its other Trek contemporaries.

This is a better episode than Indiscretion. Though I enjoyed that episode, Kira was allowed to get too comfortable with Dukat, apparently forgetting all about their past in the middle part of the show. This episode is much stronger in balancing their current alliance against their bitter past, a past which is constantly present. This brings an extra level to their interactions, by keeping Kira uncomfortable even as she assists him in achieving his goals. That Dukat is right about them being a good team is evident, and it's equally clear that Kira hates how right he is about that. 

The tension with the Klingons was established in The Way of the Warrior, but has since been relegated to a largely static background element. This episode advances the conflict, showing that the Klingons are continuing to intrude on Cardassian space in a highly coordinated way. We don't know where this is going yet, but the events of this episode and the choice Dukat makes at the episode's end seem to indicate it will be going somewhere.

A good episode, with excellent character interplay between Kira and Dukat and some real tension. Season Four continues to show DS9 at its best.


Overall Rating: 8/10

Previous Episode: Crossfire
Next Episode: Sons of Mogh


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2-24. The Collaborator.

Kira makes a deal with the devil.

THE PLOT

It is now mere days before the selection of the new Kai. The election is a foregone conclusion, with it well-known that Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim) was Kai Opaka (Camille Saviola)'s personal choice to succeed her. But Bareil appears to have doubts, as he spends an increasing amount of time looking into the Orb of Prophecy, seeing visions that clearly trouble him.

Meanwhile, the station receives a new and most unexpected visitor: Kubus Oak (Bert Remsen), a member of the Bajoran government during the Occupation. For his collaboration with the Cardassians, Kubus is under a permanent sentence of exile. But the old man desperately wants to return home, and has made a deal with Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) for sanctuary on Bajor. In exchange for Winn's help, he will release the name of the Bajoran who ordered the massacre that killed Kai Opaka's son. The name? Vedek Bareil!


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Refuses to involve himself directly in Bajoran internal affairs. To that end, he has made no public gesture of support toward Bareil, even though it's clear that he favors him. He also resists a fairly blatant attempt by Winn to make a public appearance with her before the choosing. He does leave himself open to making such an appearance with Winn after the selection, though he does little to conceal his dislike and distrust of her.

Major Kira: In the wake of the attempted assassination of Bareil, she no longer trusts nor likes Winn. But Winn knows exactly which buttons to push to get Kira to run the investigation. The authority of the Bajoran Kai is too important for her to stomach even the vaguest possibility of a collaborator being selected for the office. Kubus may well be lying, but it's essential that the truth be known. A few well-placed words sets Kira in dogged pursuit of the scant crumbs of evidence Kubus has presented. She confesses to Odo that she is in love with Bareil - but though she protests that he must be innocent, it's clear that the question tugs at the back of her mind: What if he's guilty?

Odo: Is sympathetic to Kira, but realistic enough to know that it is possible that Kubus' accusation is true. He does his best to prepare Kira for that possibility, even as he works to help her in her inquiry.

Vedek Bareil: Even before the ending, it seems clear that Bareil doesn't really want to be Kai. One of his visions has Opaka present him with a serpent, telling him that "its venom will make (him) stronger." Honestly, Bareil could use a bit of strength. He is clearly a good man, but he prefers to be a sympathetic ear, and is happier at the prospect of spending time with Kira than at the prospect of inheriting the crown (so to speak). Philip Anglim's performance has steadily improved throughout the season, and at this point he is doing some very good acting. I'm not sure where Bareil's story is going, but I do think he probably isn't ready to be a true leader at this point in the series' run. Perhaps some tribulations during Winn's stewardship will grant him some strength for him to take office at the series' end - assuming he survives.

Vedek Winn: Continues to be a strong adversary. She tries to manipulate everyone around her. She has no success with Sisko, but the transparency of her attempted manipulation is such that I doubt that was even a serious effort. She plays Kira effortlessly, weaving Kira's loyalty toward Bajor together with Kira's hatred of collaborators until Kira is acting as her tool. She doesn't seem inclined to use Kira's information against Bareil once Bareil withdraws - it may be that she knows there is more to the story than that, it may simply be that she has no need to destroy him once he is no longer in her way.


THOUGHTS

"The one thing I've learned about humanoids is that in extreme situations, even the best of you are capable of doing terrible things."

In light of Necessary Evil, Odo's words to Kira carry extra resonance - not only for the viewer, but for both of the characters. A nice, unobtrusive nod at continuity, as well as an important thematic statement for the episode itself.

Though a late plot twist does offer a surprise, one that works very well both in terms of the plot and the episode's themes, this really isn't a mystery. The episode's opening lays out for us that Bareil feels deep guilt, and he behaves with the consciousness of someone with something to hide at every turn. We - and Kira - know that he is the best man to succeed Opaka as Kai, and that Winn is the worst possible choice. We also know that he does have guilt, and that his guilt will keep him from attaining the position. The result of Kira's investigation is a foregone conclusion, because this episode is not a mystery; it's a tragedy.

This episode also sees the ever-increasing consequences of Opaka's one-way trip through the wormhole. I said at the time that I hoped the removal of Bajor's spiritual leader would have consequences. Though it took a while for it to be followed up with In the Hands of the Prophets, the fallout of Opaka's removal from the show has resulted in some of the richest and most interesting episodes of the past season. Now it has had a result Opaka could not have foreseen, and I look forward to seeing where the Bajoran stories take this series next season.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Crossover

Next Episode: Tribunal

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2-8. Necessary Evil

Odo begins his first investigation.

THE PLOT

Quark is called upon by Pallra (Katherine Moffat), an old Bajoran associate. Pallra's husband was murdered in his chemist's shop on the station during the Occupation, and she now wants Quark to retrieve something that was hidden inside the shop's walls. Quark does so.  But when he makes the mistake of looking at the goods, a list of eight Bajoran names, an assassin hired by Pallra steps out of the shadows and shoots him.

As Dr. Bashir works to try to save the Ferengi, Odo investigates the shooting. When Rom shows him the shop he and Quark had broken into, he realizes that this is all linked to his very first case as an investigator, long ago. This prompts him to remember that case, in which he first met Gul Dukat, Quark, and Kira, and in which he became the constable of Deep Space 9.  Or as it was known under the Cardassians, Terok Nor...


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Plays "good cop" to Odo's "bad cop" to get Rom to divulge the truth about the list he and Quark stole from the chemist's shop. Beyond that, this is Odo's show, with Sisko barely present.

Major Kira: In flashback, we see a younger Kira pushing Odo to choose sides, insisting that he cannot remain neutral in the Bajoran/Cardassian conflict. She was the first person ever to refer to Odo as "Constable," a nickname which apparently stuck, when she thanked Odo for calling her a bad liar. In the present, Odo's friendship has come to be something Kira values greatly. She is with him in his investigation throughout, offering several key pieces of information to him.

Odo: In the past, he insisted to Kira that he would never take sides. His neutrality was among his defining characteristics, and that does not appear to have changed in the present. He did let Kira go, rather than divulge her membership in the Bajoran Underground. But he justified that by saying, quite honestly, to Gul Dukat that he was convinced of her innocence in the murder of the Bajoran merchant. Gul Dukat picked him for this job for reasons that Odo only finally understands in the present, when the discovery of the nature of the list sees all the pieces finally falling into place - even ones Odo would probably as soon have seen left out of place.

Gul Dukat: That Dukat ultimately retained Odo in the position of constable, despite Odo failing to close the case, raises an interesting question: Why? There's no real sense in the flasbacks that Dukat actually needed an outside constable. As Kira pointed out, the Cardassians had ways of getting information from Bajorans. Was Dukat actively attempting to limit casualties, by enlisting a neutral but fair-minded outsider to get information he would otherwise have obtained through torture and executions? Dukat has never struck me as anything other than a rather one-note baddie up to this point. With this episode, I'm now actively interested in learning a bit more about some of his motivations, both in the present and the past.

Quark: Gets quite a bit of character material packed into the first 10 minutes. There is something very charming about Quark's interactions with Pallra in the teaser. He may be a weasel, but he's no simple coward. When the Bajoran assassin steps out of the shadows to kill him, he faces the man down calmly, with a certain dignity. In flashback, we see how he got off on the wrong foot with Odo - but also how he developed an interest in the constable, and in finding something, anything to tempt him.


THOUGHTS

Necessary Evil is an excellent episode all-around, the best single-part episode the series has offered since Duet. Peter Allen Fields' script is effective in moving between two time periods.  The story gives us greater insight into Odo in particular, but also allows us to see some hints about Kira's background and even Quark's. It's quite interesting to have a look at the station under Cardassian rule. I wouldn't mind more episodes flashing back to the Occupation, rather than simply referencing it. I'm sure Odo, Kira, and Quark all have some interesting stories from that period - not to mention recurring characters such as Winn, Dukat, and Garak.

This is a particularly well-made episode. The starker lighting differentiates the flashbacks from the current story, and some simple but well-judged production design decisions make the station in the flashbacks look like a colder, harsher place to be. More might have been made of some of the transitions - for instance, more direct cuts of Odo/Kira in one setting to them in the exact same setting, five years earlier. But it's still well-done, and visually the contrast between the station now and the station during the Occupation is highly evident.

A lot of an episode or movie's strength lies in the final impression it leaves in the audience.  This episode soars with one of the best endings of the series to date. I like that Kira's final question goes unanswered by Odo.  Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor are superb in every scene, as has become expected by this point.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Rules of Acquisition

Next Episode: Second Sight

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