7-4. Take Me Out to the Holosuite.

A friendly game of baseball...

THE PLOT

Capt. Solok (Gregory Wagrowski), a Vulcan Sisko knew at the Academy, visits the station for repairs and takes the opportunity to revive an old rivalry with Sisko. He sniffs at the inefficiency of the human repair schedule, diminishes Sisko's accomplishment at being awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor, and ends the meeting by challenging Sisko to a "contest of teamwork, courage, and sacrifice" - a game of baseball.

Sisko accepts even before presenting the challenge to his senior staff, all of whom agree to go along with playing this completely unfamiliar, antiquated game of which their captain is so fond. But as they train, it becomes clear that Sisko doesn't regard this merely as a game. There is something deeply personal in this contest, leaving the captain regarding his upcoming game with Solok with the same ferocity as the Dominion War itself!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Becomes extremely short-tempered toward the very people trying to help him, and temporarily loses the support of his crew when he kicks (an admittedly hopeless) Rom off the team. In a private moment, he fills Kasidy in on the background between him and Solok: The Vulcan not only defeated him in a wrestling match, he then used that match for years after as a way to show Vulcan superiority over humans. Now he has picked baseball - a game that has deep personal meaning to Sisko - determined to rub Sisko's nose in it by using his own game against him.

Odo: Sisko convinces him to act as umpire, prevailing on his ability to enforce rules impartially. Odo agrees reluctantly, but then throws throws himself into the role. A charming moment has Kira observe him practicing calling people either safe or out, as well as rehearsing ejecting people from the game. He gets to use that last against none other than Sisko himself, when Sisko touches his chest while arguing a call. This cues the Third Act Crisis, as the team is left with a losing game and no leader. But it's a fun scene, not least because Sisko's behavior has demanded a comeuppance all episode long. It also sets up a very funny moment later on.

Kasidy Yates: She goes along with the game, seeing that it's important to Sisko. But as it becomes clear that it's a little too important, she pushes him to reveal the truth about his rivalry with Solok. He makes her promise not to tell the others, which she does with utter sincerity in her voice - And the episode then cuts immediately to her revealing all so that the others understand why their captain is acting like a maniac.

Rom: Volunteers for the team in order to connect with Nog, having spent far too little time with his son since the boy joined Starfleet. He is hopeless at baseball, unable to grasp any of the rules and unable to do anything with even the slightest competence, no matter how hard he tries. Sisko cuts him from the team with clear anger in his voice and face, leading to almost all of the others offering to quit if Rom isn't reinstated. Rom begs them not to do so, telling Nog and the others how badly he wants to see them play. Max Grodenchik is terrific, managing to be funny, sympathetic, and even dignified in his ineptitude, and Rom's subplot lends the episode a bit more emotional heft than Sisko's personal rivalry would otherwise have sustained.


THOUGHTS

In the middle of the Dominion War, our heroes - and the series - take an episode out to play a game of baseball on the holodeck. It's fair to say that Take Me Out to the Holosuite could have been truly dire.

Thankfully, character comedy has proved to be something Deep Space 9 does rather well. Take Me Out to the Holosuite doesn't climb the same heights as such past delights as The House of Quark or In the Cards, but it's still a charming little episode, with the characters well-captured, the regulars all giving committed performances, and the script providing enough small gems to keep a smile on my face through most of the run of the show.

Particular points to writer Ronald D. Moore and actor Gregory Wagrowski for making Solok so instantly punchable. The viewer wants to wipe away his ever-present smirk just as badly as Sisko does. Given that Sisko is far from on his best behavior for most of the episode, Solok being so hateable goes a long way toward making sure we're invested in the game's outcome.

While most of the episode tries for amiable comedy (and, more often than not, succeeds), it shifts gears effectively into drama for the scene in which Sisko recalls his past with Solok. The scene is critical to making us understand Sisko's motives. Avery Brooks sells the emotion... and then the cut from Kasidy promising to keep it secret to her spilling all to the team restores the comedy in time for the game.

The ending is also well-judged, allowing our characters a victory of a sort without straining credibility. The real win isn't the outcome of the game, it's Sisko remembering that the game is meant to be fun. The enjoyment he's able to take in the end of the game, and the unpredictability of the key point scored, remind him of all the reasons he loves the sport, allowing him a pleasure Solok - playing simply to spite Sisko - cannot appreciate. The final shot, of the baseball signed by every member of the team, ends it on a perfect note.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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6-23. Profit and Lace.

Quark as a Ferengi female. Some things you just can't unsee.

THE PLOT

Quark is surprised at the arrival to the station of his mother, Ishka (Cecily Adams) and the Grand Nagus, Zek (Wallace Shawn). He's even more surprised when they tell him Zek has been deposed. At Ishka's prodding, he decided to revoke the Ferengi ban on women wearing clothing, thus allowing them full access to Ferengi society. The response was panic throughout the Ferengi Alliance, which has turned for deliverance to Zek's rival, the loathsome Brunt (Jeffrey Combs).

Zek and Ishka have a plan. They will contact every member of the Ferengi Commerce Authority, counting on gratitude for past aid to make them throw their support behind Zek. There's only one flaw: Ferengi society isn't built around gratitude, and most of the dignitaries hang up as soon as Zek's name is mentioned.

One influential member does agree to come meet with them, however: Nilva (Henry Gibson), founder of Sluggo Cola. His voice and profit margin are such that his support alone will be enough to return Zek to the throne. They are certain that a meeting with Ishka will convince Nilva of the wisdom of letting females into society. But before Nilva can arrive, Ishka gets into an argument with Quark - which ends in a heart attack, leaving her alive but in no fit state to meet anyone.

Which leads them to Plan B: If they don't have a brilliant Ferengi female to meet with Nilva, they will make one... Out of Quark!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Just one episode ago, we saw Sisko trying to enlist Zek's help against the Dominion, yet here he doesn't even appear to notice that both Zek and his rival have arrived on the station. One can imagine an alternative, smarter version of the episode in which Sisko makes the pragmatic choice to try to win the support of Brunt, the apparent new Nagus, forced to ally with this loathsome toad in his scheming against Quark and Zek - Sort of a comedy counterpoint to In the Pale Moonlight. As it stands, Sisko is limited to a single scene in which he does nothing of interest.

Quark: As with all Quark-centric episodes, Armin Shimerman's performance is the greatest asset. The moment in which he stands up to the gloating Brunt, kicking him out of his bar with the only effective repetition of the episode's "acting Nagus" gag, sees him genuinely heroic... Just before he disappears into his quarters to lie in the fetal position. He trades venomous barbs with his mother, whose feminism he blames for Zek's downfall and his likely impending ruin - but when she collapses under the weight of his anger, he is horrified (though equally eager to hide his own culpability).

Brunt: Jeffrey Combs is deliciously malignant as Brunt, and one of the few genuinely good things about Profit and Lace is that it returns Brunt to his former status as a proper adversary. Watching Brunt swan around with the Nagus' stick in hand, gloating to his enemies as he plots their future ruin, it's obvious that the worst possible man has been put in charge of Ferengi society.

Grand Nagus: At least Zek isn't quite as pathetic here as he was in Ferengi Love Songs. Ishka may be the centerpiece of the plot to restore his position, but he's an active part of the plotting and scheming, rather than just a muddle-brained figurehead. I could have lived without the scenes of him leering at Leeta and, later, at Quark-as-a-woman, and anything that ever worked about this character has long since drained away... But he's easier to take here than in his last appearance.


THOUGHTS

As can probably be seen by this point, I do not in any way agree that Profit and Lace is the "worst episode ever" of Deep Space 9. It's not good, and more gags miss than hit. But it does offer a couple good performances, particularly by Shimerman and Combs, and at least reps an improvement over the previous Zek/Ishka horror, Ferengi Love Songs.

If that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement... Well, it isn't. But I've only liked a couple of episodes featuring Zek, and I haven't like any in which Ishka had more than a cameo. So when I say I found this episode to be reasonably watchable... Well, let's say that was enough in itself to exceed my expectations.

The show does open on a particularly bad note. The teaser sees Quark sexually harass a pretty young employee, threatening to fire her if she does not perform Oo-Moxx on him. The scene has nothing to do with the plot, its only payoff an extremely feeble joke at the very end. It's there only to make Quark unlikable enough so that we'll want to see him humiliated - And since this isn't Quark's normal behavior, it feels as wrong for the character as it is uncomfortable to watch.

That scene aside, the first half is passable. The scene in which Quark, Rom, and Nog try to get members of the Ferengi Commerce Authority to come to the station, only to have every contact insult them and hang up, is briskly-edited and quite amusing. Brunt is presented at his most obnoxious, putting us firmly on Zek's side by default, and each scene manages to stack the odds just a little bit higher against Quark & company.

The second half is genuinely awful. I'm not sure there was much comic mileage out of "Quark in a dress" to start with, and there's not one fresh or original moment. Between Zek hitting on Quark and Nilva chasing Quark around a table in a way that was tired in silent comedies, it becomes borderline embarrassing.

So, yes: I'm definitely giving Profit and Lace a below average rating. Still, given its extraordinarily poor reputation, I was pleasantly surprised to find it watchable. As an hour of Deep Space 9, it's mediocre at best - and "mediocre" is generous. But it isn't torture to watch, and it is very far from the series' worst.


Overall Rating: 3/10.

Previous Episode: Valiant
Next Episode: Time's Orphan

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6-10. The Magnificent Ferengi.

Quark takes on the Dominion. Or as Rom puts it: "We'll all die!"

THE PLOT

Quark receives a message from the Grand Nagus: His mother, Ishka (Cecily Adams), has been captured by the Dominion. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Nagus has given Quark a directive - To personally rescue her.

Rom sensibly recommends they hire Naussican mercenaries to take on the task. But Quark is feeling slighted. The deeds of Starfleet officers get all the attention, while Quark's efforts on the station's behalf are all but ignored. That stokes his Ferengi pride, and he declares a course that strikes Rom as suicidal: To mount an all-Ferengi rescue mission.

Starfleet-trained Nog makes a valiant effort to make commandos out of a band of Ferengi outcasts, but it's clear that this group will never be able to get through Jem'Hadar soldiers. That's when Quark realizes that they must play to the strengths of the Ferengi. He needs to forget a military assault, and instead open a negotiation, using one of the few bargaining chips the station has to offer: The cowardly but slippery Keevan (Christopher Shea), the Vorta captured by Sisko months earlier.

Keevan is less than thrilled about being traded back to the Dominion. Vorta are supposed to commit suicide rather than allowing themselves to be taken prisoner - Meaning that the only welcome he can expect is a long and agonizing death...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: After Kira directly voices her support for Quark, Sisko grants permission for the Ferengi to use Keevan as a bargaining chip. Both Kira's recommendation and Sisko's agreement to give up a valuable prisoner demonstrate just how much their view of Quark has changed in light of his actions during the recent occupation.

Quark: Has always had an enormous sense of pride in being a Ferengi, which makes it believable that he wants to show that his people are capable of acts of heroism. Whatever else Quark may be, he is a natural leader. He doesn't come up with the specific ideas for the rescue. It is Rom who recognizes that they need to act like Ferengi to succeed, and it is Nog who comes up with the idea of fooling Yelgren (Iggy Pop), the Vorta in charge of trading Ishka for Keevan. But Quark is the one who keeps the group moving forward at every turn, and is the one who deals directly with Yelgren. He is the definite leader of this band of miscreants, and fully deserves it when his mother and brother express pride in him at the end.

Rom: Continues to follow his brother's lead, almost by default. He is able to steer Quark in the right direction - encouraging him to barter with the Dominion rather than try to fight, for example. But for the most part, he is there to support Quark in gathering his Magnificent Ferengi and in completing the mission. Rom can't lie to save his life, though, and almost destroys the entire exchange by letting slip that the reward promised by the Nagus is much larger than Quark is letting on.

Nog: Continually tries to execute the mission in the manner of a Starfleet military operation. He barks out orders, much to the scorn of the other Ferengi, and is taken aback when Quark gets his band to move "on the double" by promising latinum. Rom expresses pride in him, exclaiming, "My son, the soldier!" Quark is simply disgusted: "They've ruined him."

Brunt: No longer Liquidator, in the wake of his failed attempt to unseat the Grand Nagus, Brunt is now powerless enough to actually turn to Quark. Not surprisingly, Quark's first inclination is to tell his one-time nemesis where to shove it, but Brunt has something the rest of them do not: A ship. It's thin justification for adding Brunt to the mix; I find it hard to believe Quark couldn't lay his hands on a ship on very short notice, and he certainly could do so once Sisko gave the mission his blessing. But Jeffrey Combs is so much fun, I can't regret it. I'm just sorry that Weyoun couldn't have been in the episode as well, so that we could have had a double-dose of his two great DS9 villains.

Keevan: The memorably despicable Vorta from Rocks and Shoals reappears here. He's still driven by a desire to save his own skin, which now means resisting the attempts to trade him back to the Dominion. He tries to talk the Ferengi out of completing the trade, noting that Yelgren will certainly kill them all either before or after the hostage exchange. When that doesn't work, he attempts to flee - an attempt thwarted only by Quark's foresight in having Rom disengage key ship functions. Keevan's final words of the episode are a perfectly disgusted and, in context, hilarious sigh of: "I hate Ferengi!"


THOUGHTS

Readers of my reviews know that I have a rocky relationship with Ferengi episodes. I've enjoyed some individual pieces, such as Prophet Motive and Bar Association, but have found many others (such as anything involving Quark's mother) to be tedious and unfunny.

Even so, I found myself looking forward to The Magnificent Ferengi. It's an episode with a good reputation, scripted by the reliable Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler. Besides, the notion of almost all of the series' recurring Ferengi banding together for a mission against the Dominion is irresistible.

Fortunately, the episode easily lives up to its reputation. It is fast-paced, clever, and very funny. While the recurring Ferengi supporting characters only get enough time to establish themselves as "types," each does get a chance to amuse. I particularly enjoyed Leck (Hamilton Camp), a Ferengi psycopath who acts as an "Eliminator," who appalls Quark and Rom - not because he kills, but because he cares more for the challenge of the kill than for the money he is paid to do it. Brunt and Gaila (Josh Pais), Quark's gunrunning cousin, return, and both have suffered for their past encounters with Quark in ways that make them fit into this episode, but that are also entirely consistent with where we last saw them. Rom and Nog both get plenty of fun moments, while Quark makes as engaging an anti-hero as ever.

The snappy pace is a big key to this show's success. Unlike Ferengi Love Songs or Family Business, this script zips along, piling one complication on top of another. There's a constant forward momentum, with no wasted scenes and no chance for the action to drag. The gags are worked seamlessly into a tight, expertly-structured narrative; and while some have found the final gag involving Keevan and a bulkhead to be in bad taste, I have to admit to laughing uproariously at this final indignity visited on a man who is, after all, one of the most despicable recurring characters in Trek history.

I could carp about Iggy Pop's casting, as he gives one of the weakest performances on this show in recent memory... but even there, his low voice and bemused attitude somehow "fit." And what can be said against an episode where even Ishka didn't annoy me?

All in all, while this doesn't quite live up to the greatest Quark episodes, such as The House of Quark and Little Green Men, this episode remains a sprightly delight. Highly recommended.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Statistical Probabilities
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6-6. Sacrifice of Angels.

Sisko engages in a desperate battle!

"Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front of them,
Volley'd an thunder'd."

"Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the Jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred."
-O'Brien and Bashir, reciting the last poem you want to hear when charging into battle.


THE PLOT:

Sisko's fleet, already short its full strength because of the need to rush the attack on Deep Space 9, has come face to face with a Dominion blockade that outnumbers them two-to-one. Sisko attempts to create a hole by sending fighters against the Cardassian forces, in hopes that they will become angry and chase their attackers. It's a strategy that plays right into Gul Dukat's hands. He sees his adversary's plan and obliges by creating the hole, with the intent to close it hard. Sisko recognizes Dukat's strategy in turn - but the clock is ticking, and this may be the only opportunity that presents itself, so he takes the bait anyway - Willfully sending his entire attack force into a trap that may well destroy them all!

On the station, Dukat and Weyoun begin planning for the sustained occupation that will follow their all-but-assured victory. Dukat orders the arrest all those he suspects of conspiring to sabotage his plans: Kira, Jake, and Leeta. But no one spares a thought for Quark, who seizes the opportunity for some surprisingly strong action of his own.

All of which may be for naught, as Sisko's forces are crushed, the Defiant only barely clearing the blockade. Rom and Kira race to stop the efforts to bring down the minefield, as the Defiant races to Deep Space 9. But as that ruthless clock keeps ticking, Sisko turns for help in an unanticipated direction...


CHARACTERS:

Capt. Sisko: The episode opens with him commanding a fleet, but only the Defiant is able to make it through the blockade. The episode opens with the Dominion still blocked by the minefield surrounding the wormhole - but that minefield is being steadily disabled. Left with nothing but one ship, Sisko makes his most desperate plea of all, one whose cost will be very steep - particularly seen in light of Sisko's words about Bajor in the last episode.

Odo: Odo finally gets back off the fence, thanks to Kira. Not because of anything she does here - but when the female changeling announces that Kira will be executed, just to cut off her influence with Odo, it completes what started at the end of Favor the Bold. Odo now recognizes that however much he may hunger for the Great Link, he cannot support his people's actions. He does not want to subjugate the Solids, and he will not allow Kira's death. He gathers together his security force - the Bajoran officers he convinced Weyoun to restore to him in A Time to Stand - and uses them to make sure Kira and Rom are able to break through the Jem'Hadar guarding the area of the station they hope to sabotage. When Kira asks why, he answers both for his original betrayal and for his coming to her rescue now: "The Link was Paradise. But it appears I'm not ready for Paradise."

Quark: With Kira and the others arrested, he is the only one left on the station who can take action. He enlists Ziyal's aid and stages a commando raid on the cells. Quark bursts in, a gun in either hand, looking like he just stepped out of a summer action movie - only in a script that recognizes the ridiculousness of the cliche. Some mild comedy follows, as Quark tells the Jem'Hadar guards to freeze, then unlock the cells, and then has to tell one of them to un-freeze so that the second order can actually be followed. Eventually, they charge - and Quark looks ready to have a heart attack after he pulls both triggers, and actually hits both targets!

Damar: In Seasons Four and Five, I largely dismissed Damar as a minor extension of Dukat. Starting with Call to Arms, and building in earnest since Behind the Lines, he has emerged as a strong character in his own right. He is loyal to Dukat, but more rigid than his mentor. He sees the world in black-and-white. Dukat gives a command, it must be obeyed - Hence, his attempt to forcibly drag Ziyal to him.  In the face of an obstacle, he falls back on force as a first resort... But he's not a dumb thug, or else he would not have figured out how to deactivate Rom's minefield to start with. When it's clear the Federation is about to retake the station and Dukat calls once again for his daughter, he instantly recognizes the truth: That Ziyal will not choose to leave. But his black-and-white view and propensity for violence leads to a shocking action, one that makes sure that Damar is not a character I will ever dismiss again.

Weyoun: Throughout this season, he's been presented as the person keeping Dukat in check. In A Time to Stand, Kira and Odo acknowledged his importance in restraining the Cardassians from mistreating Bajor or its people. He has been the voice of reason and diplomacy. But it's tactical rather than benevolent; when tactics call for ruthlessness, it's no surprise to see him advocating it. When talk shifts from winning the war to holding the territory, he eyes a star map with a clinical eye and calmly insists that Earth's population must be eradicated to break their enemies' will and spirit. This reverses what has been the standard relationship of the two men, with Dukat now trying to curb Weyoun's ruthlessness rather than the other way around.

Gul Dukat: "A true victory is to make your enemy see they were wrong to oppose you in the first place. To force them to acknowledge your greatness." So Dukat intones to Weyoun, giving both the Vorta and us a direct look into the way his mind works. In Dukat's mind, he is a hero - More than that, a savior. But it's not enough simply to win - Everyone else must see him as he so desperately wants to see himself, or else the victory is meaningless. In his mind's eye, he sees it all: The Alpha Quadrant at his feet as he enjoys the adulation of not only Cardassia, but of Bajor and Earth as well, all with his adoring daughter at his side. In the span of about ten minutes, he goes from touching with his fingertips the edges of that dream, to watching it be irrevocably destroyed before his eyes. What is left is broken, leaving Sisko no real sense of victory when he reclaims his prized baseball - Merely a sort of disgusted pity at this shell of a man, beaten less by his enemies than by the crushing weight of his own ego.


THOUGHTS:

Sacrifice of Angels does not finish the Dominion War arc. Starfleet is still in a hard situation, particularly with the heavy losses suffered in this episode at the hands of the Dominion blockade. The Dominion still hold Cardassia, and they still have enormous resources at their disposal. Starfleet has finally won a battle, and a big one - but the war is far from over.

This episode does finish the Occupation of Deep Space 9, however, and does so in spectacular fashion. The battle scenes are large-scale and chaotic. As Sisko throws his fleet at the blockade, exploding ships punctuate every frame - most of those ships, Starfleet's. I love the way the episode treats the strategies of Sisko and Dukat in this battle. Neither man outthinks the other. Dukat recognizes Sisko's strategy, and orders his men to take the bait in order to set a trap. Sisko recognizes Dukat's trap, but orders the fleet to take the bait because it may be their only opporunity. Since Dukat is not diminished, being shown as Sisko's equal in strategic terms, Sisko's ultimate victory feels much more deserved.

Marc Alaimo's performance as Dukat has been a consistent series highlight, ever since the character evolved from "recurring villain" to 3-dimensional character back in early Season Two. This episode lets him run the gamut, from absolute arrogance to absolute ruin. Alaimo is stunning throughout, and in a very real sense it is Dukat who holds this episode together. It's a testament to Alaimo's performance, every bit the equal of the richly complex character Dukat has become, that I find at least as much tragedy as satisfaction in the moment at which Dukat's relinquishes of Sisko's baseball to him, officially handing him back the station.

The entire episode is stunning. I'm sure some have taken issue with the way in which Sisko regains the station. But I found that to work as well, a way of tying what has largely been background mythology for the series into the foreground arc. And we are told that Sisko's victory will come at a price - Something I look forward to seeing delivered on.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Favor the Bold
Next Episode: You Are Cordially Invited

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6-5. Favor the Bold.

Sisko prepares to re-take Deep Space Nine!

THE PLOT:

The war is not going well for Starfleet, which keeps pulling back and retreating in the face of the Dominion forces. Dax complains that even the Klingons are starting to wonder if this war is winnable. A big victory is needed to restore morale. Sisko has just the target in mind: A bold strike that will retake Deep Space 9!

Back on the station, Quark and Kira try desperately to save Rom after his arrest for attempted sabotage. Orders left by the female changeling (Salome Jens) make it impossible for them to see Odo, and Weyoun insists that Rom must be executed, as much for making the self-replicating minefield possible in the first place as for attempting to halt efforts to bring it down. Kira prevails on Gul Dukat's daughter, Ziyal (Melanie Smith), to beg her father for a pardon - but Dukat flatly refuses, insisting that enemies of the state must be punished.  Barring a miracle, Rom's fate appears sealed.

Bad news becomes worse when a test of Damar (Casey Biggs)'s plan to deactivate the mines proves successful, and work to bring down the minefield begins in earnest. If all goes according to the Dominion's plan, the wormhole will be clear within a week - And the full force of the Dominion will be ready to come through!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: "When I go home, it will be to Bajor." The Sisko who was so reluctant to take the assignment to Deep Space 9 and who hated having the role of "Emissary" thrust upon him has transformed remarkably over the last five years. He now pores over Bajoran prophecies, hoping for some guidance, and muses about taking a couple weeks in a Bajoran monastery after the war is over. He directly states that Bajor is his home, extolling its virtues with poetic descriptiveness: "There are parts of the Eastern Province that are like Eden itself: Lush green valleys covered in wild flowers that seem to spring up overnight; hundreds of small, crystal clear ponds interconnected by waterfalls."

Major Kira: She is furious at Odo for his betrayal. Every time Quark pins his hopes for saving his brother on reaching Odo, she shoots him down: They can't reach Odo because of orders left by the female changeling; and even if they could, she insists it would make no difference. That same anger drives her through the rest of the episode. She is impatient when Ziyal insists that, now that she recognizes Dukat for what he is, she will never go back to him; and when Damar pushes her one time too many, she lets loose all the violence she's been holding back for months now, leaving the Cardassian battered and bruised, and saying that it will be up to him what happens next.

Quark: For all his years of mocking and mistreatment toward his brother, Quark is determined to save Rom from his death sentence. That his faith in Odo remains strong even when Kira's has been shattered speaks volumes about the genuine regard he has for his sometime nemesis, making this a key Quark/Odo episode even though the two don't share a second of screen time. Quark is too shrewd to let his concern be public knowledge, however, and he continues to play the mercenary Ferengi for Damar, using prodigious amounts of kanar as lubrication to keep the flow of information coming.

Odo: Has sex with the female changeling to demonstrate the solids' notion of intimacy. She reacts with amusement at how limited it is, and is surprised that Odo doesn't agree. When she gets a bit over-vehement in pronouncing that the solids must be broken of their attachment to their freedom, Odo recovers enough of himself to see her for what she is - Though his awakening comes too late for Kira to even listen to his attempted apology.

Weyoun: In an effective quiet moment, we see Weyoun musing over one of Ziyal's paintings. He looks at it from every angle, as if willing himself to see it. When Kira walks in, he reveals that the Founders kept all sense of the aesthetic out of the Vorta's genetic makeup, likely finding it irrelevant. He reacts hotly to Kira's suggestion that the Founders "made a mistake," but wistfully acknowledges that he sometimes wishes he could carry a tune.

Gul Dukat: Though he adores his daughter, a virtue even Kira will acknowledge, there is something dangerous in the way he demands to know if she had anything to do with Rom's attempted sabotage. When she asks for mercy for the Ferengi, he instantly suspects some culpability on her part and does not believe her when she (truthfully) pleads innocence. He does, at least, trust Kira to protect Ziyal's welfare. When Damar comes back from his attempt to retrieve the girl having sustained a beating by the major, Dukat knows that his man must have stepped out of line in some way.


THOUGHTS:

Favor the Bold opens with action, as an apparently cripped Defiant braces itself for a Jem'Hadar attack, only to pull a bait-and-switch on the Jem'Hadar and trap them with practiced efficiency. It's a teaser that grabs the viewer right away - desperate action, followed by a subversion of expectations. The entire episode takes a cue from that, building momentum throughout.

As with Behind the Lines, there are two main plot strands: Sisko, preparing an assault on Deep Space 9; and Kira and Quark, desperate both to save Rom and to stop the deactivation of the minefield. The Kira/Quark thread is the stronger: Kira's situation, having to work with the enemy while also trying to undermine them, is just inherently more dramatic, and her constant anger in this episode adds a wonderful additional level. But the Sisko material is also quite good, as we see just how thoroughly he has thought through his proposed attack, bringing all of his determination to bear to secure the agreement of Starfleet and its sole remaining ally.

Writer Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler even manage to adroitly connect the two strands. Learning that the minefield's deactivation is imminent, Kira and Quark manage to smuggle a message to Sisko (in one of the more plot-relevant and amusing uses of Morn). This pushes Sisko to initiate the attack before all of his forces are gathered. The episode ends with Sisko leading an incomplete fleet into battle against a vastly superior force, all because time has left no other option.

"To all ships, this is Captain Sisko. There's an old saying: 'Fortune favors the bold.' Well, I guess we're about to find out."


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Behind the Lines
Next Episode: Sacrifice of Angels

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5-26. Call to Arms.

Deep Space 9 under attack!

THE PLOT

The Dominion is preparing for war.

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

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

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


CHARACTERS

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

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

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

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

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

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


THOUGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

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


Overall Rating: 10/10.

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

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5-20. Ferengi Love Songs.

Quark's mother, in love with the Grand Nagus.

THE PLOT

With his bar closed due to a vole infestation, Quark falls into a deep depression. At Rom's urging, he returns home to Ferenginar, much to the dismay of his mother, Ishka (Cecily Adams, taking over for Andrea Martin). He has barely arrived before he discovers someone lurking in his closet: Grand Naguz Zek (Wallace Shawn), who is in a secret relationship with Ishka.

Quark senses an opportunity to use the relationship to have his FCA license restored. When the Nagus refuses, however, Quark falls under the venomous sway of Liquidator Brunt (Jeffrey Combs). Brunt promises to issue a new business license if Quark sabotages the relationship between Zek and Ishka. It's a despicable act, one Quark is all too happy to commit - until he realizes that Zek is slipping into senility, and that it is actually his mother's advice that is enabling the Nagus to hold the Ferengi government together.

Meanwhile, Rom and Leeta announce their marriage. Rom agrees to a traditional Bajoran ceremony. But when some ill-advised words from Chief O'Brien lead him to think that Leeta should agree to some Ferengi marital traditions as well, he picks the wrong one: a prenuptial agreement that would deny her the right to hold any property whatever. When Rom insists, Leeta announces that the wedding is off!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Just to add insult to the injury that is this terrible episode, we get a quick aside in which Sisko is mediating between Worf and Odo. The issue at hand involves Klingon General Martok's difficulties adjusting to life on Deep Space 9. It's a fun little scene, well-performed by all three - and enormously frustrating, because that would have been a much better plot than either of the ones actually follows.

Quark: We discover here that he's actually miserable in the wake of the FCA blacklisting and hates his life... Which would ring far truer if he hadn't seemed emotionally fine in every other episode this season. Quark is horrified to admit that he has any sort of conscience, despite many previous episode showing him doing decent things in full awareness of what he's doing. But then, this isn't the real Quark, this isn't the Quark who stood up to Sisko for his people being better than humans or the Quark who wrestled with a hard-fought internal battle between profit and saving innocent lives just two episodes ago. No, this is Quark as caricature, reduced to a joke character to further some bad comedy. Armin Shimerman does his best, as always, but there's just no saving the material.

Grand Nagus: While I was never a big fan of Zek in previous episodes, there at least was a bit of an edge to him. He was genuinely shrewd and manipulative, which kept him from being an entirely "safe" comedy character. This episode reduces him to exactly that. Giving Zek Ferengi Alzheimer's isn't entirely without merit as a plot turn - but not when that concept is used solely as an excuse for "senile old man" humor, as is the case here. Making matters worse is the portrayal of the love affair between Zek and Ishka, with the two cooing at each other in a manner that's not simply undignified, but leaves both characters downright infantilized. I never looked forward to a Zek appearance before; but now, I suspect I'll be outright dreading future guest spots.


THOUGHTS

After Business As Usual followed in the footsteps of some solid Season Four offerings, showing how enjoyable a Quark-centric episode with a bit of edge and bite can be, Ferengi Love Songs helpfully reminds us just how tedious and soul-sucking a toothless Ferengi "comedy" can be. We revisit Quark's mother, last seen played by Andrea Martin in Season Three's dreary Family Business. The change of actress has not made the character any more endearing, though in fairness to actress Cecily Adams, the problem isn't her - I just find the character to be entirely grating.

The episode really is just two jokes, alternating back and forth: two old Ferengi in love (because old people in love = comedy, particularly when they act like children), and the Nagus slipping into senility (because real life senility is such comedy gold). The "B" plot is actually even worse, with Rom attempting to push Leeta into being a proper Ferengi wife... which predictable results, only to reach a predictable conclusion.

The ever-reliable Jeffrey Combs manages to inject a few chuckles into his too-brief appearances as Brunt. Even Brunt manages to be entirely neutered by this episode, though, reduced to hiding in Quark's closet while practicing his evil laugh. The end of the episode has Quark treating his threats as a joke.  What a way to treat the first and only genuinely menacing Ferengi in all of Star Trek: de-clawing him for the sake of a few cheap (and unfunny) gags.

All told, I would rank Ferengi Love Songs as the worst episode of the season. Yes, in my opinion, even worse than Let He Who Is Without Sin... I was reduced to watching this in installments, simply because I could only take ten minutes or so of it at a time, and I will be very happy to never go anywhere near this episode, ever again.


Overall Rating: 1/10.

Previous Episode: Ties of Blood and Water
Next Episode: Soldiers of the Empire

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5-16. Doctor Bashir, I Presume.

Dr. Bashir is less than pleased by a reunion with his parents.

THE PLOT

Dr. Bashir receives a visitor: Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo), the man who created the Emergency Medical Hologram (in his own image, of course). Zimmerman's new project is to create a Long-Term Medical Hologram (LMH), to act as the doctor on assignments where assigning living medical staff would be impractical. Dr. Bashir's record has captured the attention of Starfleet, and he has been chosen as the template for this new program.

In order to make the holographic Bashir as human as possible, Zimmerman conducts a series of interviews with everyone who knows him. When Bashir requests that he not interview his parents, as they are "not close," Zimmerman says he understands - and then makes contacting them into a priority. Soon, Richard Bashir (Brian George) and his wife Amasha (Fadwa El Guindi) have come to the station, much to Bashir's annoyance.

More than simple family drama makes him reluctant to include his parents. The Bashir family has a secret: Genetic engineering, that transformed young Julian from a slow and uncoordinated child into a prodigy. This is against Starfleet law. If it's discovered, the older Bashirs will face a prison term - and Julian, the end of his Starfleet career!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Though he can see the strain between Bashir and his parents, he doesn't pursue it, obviously considering it the doctor's own business. When he does learn Bashir's secret, he pulls the needed strings to strike a deal to save Bashir's career. 

Dr. Bashir: This episode doesn't so much fill in Bashir's background as upend everything we thought we knew about him. In a way, it makes sense: Bashir is too good at everything. He's a brilliant doctor, he's an athlete, he's a quick-thinker in situations dealing with espionage or escape. Heck, he even was able to carry back a generator single-handed after getting caught in a Klingon ambush. I almost wonder if the writing staff didn't look at how improbably capable he was and decide that, if they were going to tell a story dealing with genetic engineering, figured it would explain a few things. Alexander Siddig does well with Bashir's anxiety over his secret, and he's convincing in playing his resentment toward his parents, his father in particular.

O'Brien: Has enormous fun with the Bashir hologram, at one point getting a kick out of watching the incomplete program walk into a wall over and over. When Bashir's secret comes out, he is supportive, listening to his friend talk and trying to persuade him that this doesn't diminish his own achievements. "You're not a fraud. I don't care what enhancements your parents may have had done. Genetic recoding can't give you ambition, or a personality, or compassion, or any of the things that make a person truly human." At the end, when he recognizes that Bashir has been letting him win at darts all this time, he insists that his friend play properly - but once he sees what that means, he does insist on a small handicap.

Rom/Leeta: The forming of their relationship via middle school theatrics occupies the "B" plot - unfortunately. I'll grant that the Leeta and Rom characters are childlike enough that it isn't completely unconvincing when they have so much difficulty making their interest plain. But I still don't find it entertaining, and the entire thing sucks up a lot of screentime that could have been put to better use developing Bashir's story. Ah, well: At least they're firmly established as a couple now. I can only hope that the relationship itself is more enjoyable than this was.

Dr. Zimmerman: Voyager's Robert Picardo guest stars, not as the Doctor from that show but as his creator, Lewis Zimmerman. Picardo is a lot of fun, as always. His Zimmerman performance is also very distinct from his holo-doctor, as is made very visible in a scene in which the EMH is activated. Zimmerman is just as arrogant, but without the program's insecurity and with a healthy libido (which allows him to insert himself into the Leeta/Rom subplot). I would have preferred less of Zimmerman chasing after Leeta in favor of perhaps a scene of Zimmerman and Bashir talking after the secret is revealed - but he's a welcome guest star just the same.


THOUGHTS

Doctor Bashir, I Presume is a thoughtful episode, dealing with issues ranging from tension between an adult and his parents to genetic modification. It tackles the Star Trek universe's continuity, with Starfleet's prohibition of genetic modification turned around so that it is one of our regulars who is affected. It changes what we thought we knew about Dr. Bashir, and features good performances across the board. 

I think it says quite a lot for Deep Space 9 that I find this worthy effort to be one of the five weakest episodes of the current season.

My problem with this episode isn't really with what's there, at least not in the "A" plot. The scenes with Bashir and Zimmerman are entertaining, and the idea of creating a long-term holographic doctor makes sense, a way of building on the franchise's introduction of the Emergency Medical Hologram on Voyager. Alexander Siddig gives another fine performance, Colm Meaney provides reliable support as O'Brien once again shows his fundamental human decency, and guest stars Brian George and Fadwa El Guindi make Bashir's parents convincing, flawed but still relateable, human beings.

It feels like something is missing, though. The solution to Bashir's dilemma comes too easily, Sisko basically arranging for it offscreen. More drama could have been made of it, with the guest admiral of the week maybe demanding Bashir's resignation until Sisko is able to convince him otherwise. As it stands, the only price paid comes from a guest character we've never seen before. The actors do their best to sell that as a real consequence, but unless more is done with this down the road, it feels like it comes too easily.

I think one of the main reasons the "A" plot feels incomplete is the presence of the "B" plot. With every other scene cutting back to the Rom/Leeta/Zimmeran triangle, there's barely any time to give Bashir's situation the exploration it needs. The material with Bashir is substantial enough to demand the full episode, and writer Ronald D. Moore certainly is capable of giving it the focus it needs. The "B" plot just plain doesn't allow the time, and the comedy tone of the subplot clashes badly with the rest.

In a season of shows that have regularly ranged from very good to great, this one is merely "okay." The ideas are good, and I have hopes for good things to be done with the revelation about Bashir... but it's very obvious watching how much better an episode this should have been.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: By Inferno's Light
Next Episode: A Simple Investigation 


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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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