6-26. Tears of the Prophets.

Sisko at his heighest point - just before his fall.

THE PLOT

The war against the Dominion has finally turned in Starfleet's favor. The Romulans' entry into the war has put the Dominion on the defensive, retreating back into Cardassian space. But the enemy's ability to rapidly replenish Jem'Hadar numbers means that Starfleet must press this advantage while they still have it, and Sisko has been put in charge of the next step: An invasion of Cardassian space!

Sisko has long championed going on the offensive, and already has a plan in place. Cardassian and Jem'Hadar defenses have been weakened in the Chin'toka System, making it a perfect place to gain a foothold. The enemy also recognizes this, however, and Damar (Casey Biggs) has already begun deploying automated weapons platforms that will shore up this weak spot. The Starfleet forces will have to strike immediately, before the platforms become operational.

But on the eve of his departure, Sisko receives a vision from the Prophets. In their usual, maddeningly obscure way, they warn that is dangerous for him to leave Deep Space 9 at this time. But with no specifics, he cannot justify staying behind during such an important battle. He leaves Dax in charge of the station and leads the assault.

His forces arrive too late, however, reaching Cardassian space just as Damar's weapons platforms come to life. As the battle becomes desperate, Gul Dukat puts his own plans into effect - a plan that will lead to devastating personal consequences for Sisko, and potentially to disaster for the entire Alpha Quadrant!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: The episode opens with him at his highest point. He's awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor for retaking Deep Space 9, and he has been chosen to lead the assault on Cardassian space. Even his home life is in balance, with Jake on hand to tell him how proud he is. When you're at your highest point, though, that leaves you a long distance to fall - And as much as it's about any single thing, this episode is about Benjamin Sisko falling hard. After the Prophets' warning, Sisko is bluntly told that he now has to choose whether to be the Emissary of the Prophets or a Starfleet officer. He chooses Starfleet, leading the assault. It's the wrong choice. He is incapacitated during the fight, making him useless on the front line - And disaster strikes the station during his absence. By the end, he's left scrubbing dishes in an alley, his spirit broken... A temporary situation, which I'm sure will be reversed at the start of Season Seven, but the dismantling of this very strong man's spirit is effective and convincingly done, and Avery Brooks gives another superb performance.

Kira: Sisko's fall is accompanied by Kira's rise, as she takes command during the battle. She does an outstanding job. She gives orders sharply and confidently, but listens to the expertise of O'Brien and Garak when it becomes clear that something more than brute force is needed to break through the shielding on the weapons platforms. What makes this more dramatic than the usual "First Officer takes charge" scenario is the nature of the two characters. Sisko, who began the series finding his role as Emissary a burden, is now so reliant on his connection to the Prophets that losing that connection hits him like a physical injury. Meanwhile, Kira - who has always defined herself by her religion as much as by anything - comes into her own at the very moment the Prophets withdraw.

Worf: In the briefing scene early in the episode, as Martok becomes angry and apparently near-violent toward the Romulans, it is Worf who acts as the voice of restraint for him. Worf is stable, calm, and measured in the face of the same sort of insults that once would have driven him into a rage. The scene from A Call to Arms in which Worf and Dax left for war with plans to marry, is mirrored here. This time, Worf leaves for battle, with them making plans to have a child after he returns... Plans that will be cruelly disrupted.

Dax: Is genuinely touched when Kira tells her that she's said a prayer for her efforts to have a baby with Worf. When Dr. Bashir informs her that medically, she and Worf will likely be able to conceive - something that had been in severe doubt - she responds with a giddiness so unforced that it can't help but be endearing. She decides to go to the Bajoran temple to say a prayer as a form of thanks to Kira for her prayers - a minor decision, the sort of whim that takes people on a regular basis, and one that ends up having very big consequences.

Dr. Bashir/Quark: In Change of Heart, we discovered that Bashir's feelings for Dax never really went away - He just stopped chasing her when it became clear nothing would ever come of it. That same episode indicated that Quark also had feelings for her, though it was unclear whether Quark's confession was genuine or just a tactic to distract Bashir from his game. That question is firmly answered when Quark becomes as depressed as Bashir at learning that she plans to have a child with Worf. They were already resigned to her being married to Worf... but the thought of a child makes that into something real. This allows screenwriters Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler the perfect chance to bring back hologram Vic Fontaine (James Darren), who is seen only briefly, and thus remains likable and amusing.

Gul Dukat: Apparently did not go straight back to Cardassia after escaping with Sisko's shuttle. Instead, he has been researching the Bajorans, learning all he can about their religion. He has learned of the pah-wraiths, and sees in them an opportunity to take the war to the true enemies, the ones keeping the Dominion from overwhelming the Alpha Quadrant through sheer numbers: The Prophets! Weyoun clearly has little time for Dukat and his schemes, regarding the former Cardassian ruler with a sort of disgusted pity. Even Damar, though he still very badly wants to respect his mentor, seems doubtful at best. The episode leaves Dukat as a pure wild card - He's an enemy of the Federation, and the Dominion has no time for him. But he's far from harmless, as the events of this installment show in a big way.


THOUGHTS

Tears of the Prophets continues the Deep Space 9 tradition of upending the status quo in every season finale. The episode begins in the same space occupied by much of the season. The war is continuing, with the Dominon and Cardassians plotting on one side while Sisko prepares to act against them on the other. It ends with one of the central features of the series removed entirely, with the death of one regular, and with Sisko back on Earth licking his wounds like an injured dog.

The death will be ameliorated (for good or ill) next season, and I strongly suspect the other two changes will be temporary... But the ramifications of this finale will be felt throughout next season. If nothing else, I tend to suspect that the next time any of the regulars see Dukat, they will be ready to do more than snap insults at him.

It is another superb episode, as reflected by most of my comments in the "Characters" section. The series continues to push the television envelope with regard to space battles, presenting yet another complex large-scale combat scene. It continues to excel at balancing action with character development. Sisko, Kira, Worf, Dax - All of them experience significant events in this episode, and their reactions to those events feel entirely authentic. There are also good roles for most of the ensemble, with only Garak (of all people!) left to feel like a spare part... And after his dominance in In the Pale Moonlight, it's OK for Garak to occupy just the fringes of this episode - That already restored any of the complexity that might have been lost.

With a driving pace, some fine character moments, and a final Act in which every scene hits hard, there's not too much question of my score. Another outstanding finale in a series that has delivered consistently outstanding season enders.


Overall Rating: 10/10.


Previous Episode: The Sound of Her Voice
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6-21. The Reckoning.

Sisko investigates an impossible Bajoran artifact.

THE PLOT

Sisko takes a break from the Dominion War to view an archaeological find in the ruins of an ancient Bajoran city. A tablet has been discovered with inscriptions in Ancient Bajoran. One phrase has been translated: "Welcome, Emissary."

When Sisko touches the artifact, he receives a vision of the Prophets, in which he is told that "the Reckoning is at hand." Sisko takes the tablet back to the station, so that Dax can translate the rest. It doesn't take her long to decipher another phrase. "The Prophets will weep. Their sorrow will consume the Gateway to the Temple."

Kai Winn arrives soon after, demanding that Sisko return the artifact to Bajor immediately. Sisko agrees - only to then deliberately destroy the tablet with no explanation beyond an "uncontrollable urge." When he does so, two bursts of mysterious energy are released. One represents the Prophets, who take possession of Major Kira and prepare to battle their enemy. The other energy is that enemy, the Pah'Wraiths... And for their vessel, they select Sisko's son, Jake!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Has completely embraced his role as Emissary, and even enjoys it. As Kira observes, going down to Bajor to look at a recently-unearthed artifact is a welcome relief from the pressures of the Dominion War. When he destroys the tablet, he is convinced he must have done so because it was the will of the Prophets - something Kai Winn refuses to accept as anything more than a facile excuse, until he is outright proved correct. Kira and Dax both make observations about Sisko's faith in these Bajoran gods, whom he no longer refers to as "Wormhole aliens," and he demonstrates that faith at the end when, like Abraham with Isaac, he appears willing to sacrifice (or at least jeopardize) his son rather than interfere in the Prophets' battle.

Kira: Watches out for Sisko, as concerned with his morale as with his physical well-being. When Jake complains about taking a trip to see some Bajoran ruins, Kira tells him to at least pretend he's enjoying himself, telling the young man that it's good for Sisko to have something to focus on other than the Dominion. Her new relationship with Odo appears to be a happy one for both of them, and refreshingly they both remain very much who they've always been. Kira appreciates that Odo respects her religion, even if he doesn't share her beliefs; Odo, for his part, continues to expect the worst from every situation.

Dax: Gets a fair amount to do in the first half, as she works on translating the tablet. In these scenes, she plays the rationalist opposite Sisko's increasing spirituality. She reminds him that it wasn't too long ago that he was desperately uncomfortable with his role as Emissary, and that he used to refer to the Prophets as "the wormhole aliens." It's clear that Dax was more comfortable with that arrangement, and tells him that she hopes he doesn't mind that she'll continue to call them "wormhole aliens."

Jake: Is even more uncomfortable than Dax with how seriously his father now takes his role as Emissary. In a very good character scene, he reveals why: Twice in the last couple years, Sisko was left lying in a hospital bed, in danger of dying because of his visions, leaving Jake to watch helplessly and wonder if his father would pull through.

Kai Winn: Kira observes that one reason for Winn's animosity toward Sisko is jealousy. Winn pursued the role of Kai ruthlessly, only to find herself sharing the role of spiritual leader with Sisko. At the start of her tenure, she was only credible as a political leader because of the aid of Vedek Bareil, her former rival. Not longer after Bareil's death, she lost secular political power to Shakaar, another rival. Then in this episode, she actually sees the Prophet possessing Kira talk to Sisko with respect. When she approaches, the Prophet ignores her, treats her as irrelevant - Something that likely feeds all of the doubts and fears about herself that she already carries. Winn's action at the episode's end is entirely defensible - But Kira is probably right that what she does is for selfish reasons, to rewrite the narrative with herself as the hero.


THOUGHTS

The Reckoning is an episode of two halves. The first half is largely excellent. There's a nice build with the mystery of the artifact, and the conflict between Sisko and Winn feels organic to who these characters are. Indeed, one can actually see Winn's point when she compares Sisko's unauthorized confiscation of a Bajoran artifact with the Cardassians' similar behavior during the Occupation.

Character work is generally excellent. Kira's protectiveness toward Sisko speaks to their strong friendship, and her willingness to offer herself as a vessel for the Prophets fits absolutely with her strong sense of religion. Jake's increasing worries over what being the Emissary costs his father also fit, and the Sisko/Jake material is some of the strongest in a while.

Also effective are the background mentions of the Dominion War. Sisko's plan to bring the Romulans into the war is having its desired effect, as the Dominion is forced to retreat from one sector. As in a real war, this creates complications in itself, with Odo warning that their next problem might be getting the Romulans to relinquish the territory they're now claiming. Much like the post-World War II map of Europe, the post-Dominion War map of the Alpha Quadrant is likely to see its borders and balance of power much-changed.

But as the episode moves into the second half, it becomes progressively sillier. After Kira is taken over by the Prophet, it slides into bad TOS territory - And when the possessed Jake shows up with demonic red eyes (to show he's evil, of course), that slide is complete. Their big confrontation is an uninvolving light show, with Sisko left to stand on the sidelines watching.

In the end, that campy climax just undoes so much of the good preceding it. The episode is worth watching for the character work and performances... But the actual title event is poorly-done and does not feel really of a piece with the rest of the show, leaving the episode a near miss - Plenty of good elements, but they just don't come together.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: His Way
Next Episode: Valiant 

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5-5. The Assignment.

O'Brien's family is threatened by an unexpected source.

THE PLOT

O'Brien is waiting with chocolates and a string of excuses for killing the plants when Keiko returns from a trip to the Fire Caves on Bajor. The chocolates are appreciated, the excuses unneeded... because Keiko's body has been taken over by a Pah-wraith, a spirit of Bajoran legend.

After demonstrating its ability to kill or cripple Keiko in a single second, the wraith makes its demands. O'Brien is given thirteen hours to make a series of adjustments to station operations. It's a tight deadline, allowing no room for distractions, deviations, or attempts to warn the command crew. If he finishes the work, he is promised his wife's safe return - but when Dax notices that system specs are "slightly off," O'Brien is trapped with a tight deadline and a search for a saboteur - Himself!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Though his role is decidedly a supporting one, we do see his trust in O'Brien throughout the episode. Even at the end, he doesn't greet O'Brien with an immediate arrest - He just tells O'Brien that he has "a lot of explaining to do," with evident faith that the engineer will be able to explain his actions.

O'Brien: He gives into the wraith's demands, but he never stops trying to find a way to thwart it. Even as he performs the initial adjustments, he asks the computer to calculate how long it would take to render Keiko unconscious in various ways. He knows that for any method to stop the wraith before it can harm his wife, it has to be effective in less than a second - an interval that even a phaser set on "stun" isn't safely within. As the wraith's deadline gets nearer, O'Brien becomes steadily more desperate, finally abandoning his own hopes of covering his tracks in order to do what is needed to save those he loves.

Keiko: The wraith has access to Keiko's knowledge of O'Brien's personality, and recognizes that the only way to keep him from telling Sisko is to reinforce the threat against his family. There are several instances of this throughout the show, but the most memorable has Keiko contacting him in a meeting to show that she is with their daughter, alone in their quarters. Rosalind Chao, who is often pushed into the fairly thankless "main character's wife" role, seems to enjoy sinking her teeeth into some villainy, and the way she shifts from the cheerful wife to the icy enemy - sometimes with as little as a sideways look - is highly entertaining.

Rom: Last season's Bar Association saw Rom leaving his brother's bar for a position in Engineering. That finally sees some follow-up here. Refreshingly, Rom is where you'd expect somebody new to be: At the bottom, working the night shift in Sanitation. When a member of the swing shift is out, Rom is selected to temporarily replace him and, though the other members of the team show little interest in talking to him, he does his work well enough to catch O'Brien's notice and be enlisted as an ally in meeting the pah-wraith's tight deadline. Rom's technical knowledge is such that he quickly puts together the purpose of the adjustments, something that the wraith has hidden even from O'Brien - leading to O'Brien's own final plan to ensure his family's safety.


THOUGHTS

The Assignment is the annual "put O'Brien through the wringer" episode, something that's been a tradition ever since Season Two's outstanding Whispers. Colm Meaney's ability to be completely relateable and sympathetic in virtually any situation makes him a natural for these episodes and, far from degenerating into tedious formula, these O'Brien episodes are routinely very good-to-great.

On the sliding scale of "O'Brien Must Suffer" episodes, it is closest in quality to Season Three's Visionary. It's a good plot-driven thriller, well-constructed and very entertaining. But it lacks the paranoid edge that made Whispers so memorable even before its ending revelation, nor does it have the emotional punch of Hard Time. 

But it is a good episode, nicely anchored by Colm Meaney's Everyman persona. Effective moments include "Keiko's" birthday dinner for O'Brien, in which she invites all of his co-workers and mingles with them effortlessly and charmingly, dashing any hopes that the others will notice anything "off" about her. In fact, they shower her with praise for every aspect of the party, rubbing further salt into the pah-wraith's message that she's in control and no external party is going to rescue O'Brien from completing his assigned sabotage.

The Pah-wraith is defeated a little too easily, with O'Brien concocting a last-minute scheme that works perfectly and with no complications. Still, if the ending isn't great, neither does it fall completely flat. The Assignment remains a satisfying episode, and leaves me looking forward to seeing O'Brien get run through the wringer again next season.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Nor the Battle to the Strong
Next Episode: Trials and Tribble-ations 


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