7-25 - 7-26. What You Leave Behind.

The Dominion War ends the way wars do -
With leaders gathered around a conference table.

THE PLOT

The stage has been set for the final battle of the Dominion War. The Dominion has pulled back to defensive positions around Cardassia Prime, and Sisko and Martok lead their alliance in an invasion. There is a weak point in the Dominion defenses, and that is where they will strike with full force - And with the aid of Damar's growing Cardassian rebellion.

Even as the Federation and the Dominion put their full strength into the battle, another dark plot advances back on Bajor. Kai Winn has finished studying the Book of the Kosst Amojan. She and Dukat proceed to the Fire Caves to perform the ritual that will unleash the pah-Wraiths on the galaxy.

"Soon, the pah-Wraiths will burn across Bajor, the Celestial Temple, the Alpha Quadrant! Can you picture it? An entire universe in flames, to burn for all eternity!"


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Makes a deal with Martok and Admiral Ross to share a bottle of blood wine once they have won the battle. When the three men meet on Cardassia, however, Sisko looks at the devastation surrounding them and finds he has no stomach for celebrating this carnage. He ends the episode by fulfilling the Prophets' role for him as Emissary, moving on from the station and the relationships he has forged - Though he does promise Kasidy that he'll return. This last was apparently a late addition, insisted on by Avery Brooks - Who was 100% right to do so; Sisko would never willingly abandon his family, particularly with a baby on the way.

Col. Kira: There's a particularly good scene early in the episode. She, Damar, and Garak have just sabotaged the power in the capital, and Weyoun makes a televised announcement in response. Garak and Damar are giddy, waiting to see what Weyoun will say. Kira is far more subdued, her expression growing ever graver as Weyoun speaks. Unlike her two compatriots, she knows all too well what's coming next. During the Occupation, she saw and heard 100 such speeches from Gul Dukat, and knows that reprisals against the innocent are sure to follow. Great nonverbal acting by Nana Visitor, adding an extra layer onto an already good scene.

Odo: Unsuprisingly, Odo is key to the resolution of the Dominion War - Though I'm a bit surprised (and disappointed) that there's no follow-up to his frustration last episode at Starfleet's tolerance of the Dominion plague. Odo does admit his desire to return to his people, and volunteers to effectively act as an ambassador to them, sharing his experiences with "Solids" through the Great Link to change his people's point of view.

Damar: Remains constantly focused on stopping the Dominion. When it appears he is about to be executed, he uses what he believes will be his last moments to speak out in defiance. A terrific scene has Damar, Kira, and Garak sharing a moment of uncontrollable, semi-hysterical laughter when it appears their efforts have been thwarted by something as simple as an impenetrable locked door.

Weyoun/female changeling: Both severely misjudge Cardassia. After Damar's attack disrupts communications, they decide to take reprisals against the civilian population. Instead of quelling rebellion, their harsh actions intensify it, turning the Cardassian military against the Dominion. This is especially ill-timed for the Dominion, as the Cardassian shift turns the tide of a battle Starfleet had been losing.

Garak: Had always dreamed of returning home one day. Now that he finds himself on Cardassia, it's a shell barely recognizable as the powerful world he left behind. His one friend on the planet is brutally murdered by the Dominion, and Weyoun sneers at him about "what's left of" Cardassia. Yet another misjudgment on Weyoun's part, as Garak is far from being an honorable Federation officer bound to behave with mercy toward a prisoner. With the war won, Garak has the toughest job of all - Being left to pick up the pieces of a world that he's been outcast from, but whose culture and society he's always taken pride in. His final scene, opposite Dr. Bashir, is wonderfully written and performed, a suitable place to leave one of the franchise's richest supporting characters.

Kai Winn: Has waited for Gul Dukat to recover from his blindness before completing the ritual, something Dukat takes as sentimentality. Of course, this is Winn we're dealing with, so the real purpose is a bit darker. She continues to harbor resentment at his seduction of her under false pretenses, and tells him that he has no right to refer to her by her first name. "From now on, you will address me as 'Your Eminence.' Is that clear?" She becomes giddy at the anticipation of power when they finally reach the Fire Caves - But once the pah-Wraiths take possession of Dukat as their true intended Emissary, she finally realizes what she has done and assists Sisko in defeating the evil she has unleashed.

Gul Dukat: The most disappointing aspect of this finale is the characterization of Dukat, who is reduced from a wonderfully complex villain to just an evil caricature. I can rationalize away his final scenes as being not really Dukat - Once the pah-wraith takes possession, it makes sense that only his worst aspects would be on display. Even so, his evil cackling and final Villain Speech to Sisko feel unworthy of the character created over the course of the series. It's rare for Dukat to be the weakest element of an episode... But in this instance, he strikes the only sour note of the entire 90 minutes.


"NOT THE CARDASSIA I KNEW": CHANGES AND FAREWELLS

"Some may say that we've gotten exactly what we deserve... Our entire history is one of arrogant aggression. We collaborated with the Dominion, betrayed the Alpha Quadrant - There's no doubt about it, we're guilty as charged... (but) our literature, music, art were second to none. And now, so much of it is lost. So many of our best people, our most gifted minds..."
-Garak, reflecting on the cost of war.

What You Leave Behind is a fine finale to the Dominion War arc and to Deep Space 9 in general. It does the basics of what it needs to do, tying up the major plot and character arcs in ways that make sense for the characters. But it also is a celebration of one of Deep Space 9's greatest strengths: It's ability to be a true ensemble piece.

The episode is appropriately titled, in that every character is leaving something behind. Garak and Damar must leave behind the ideal of the strong Cardassia they remember. As Damar has previously observed, that Cardassia is dead; as Garak laments here, so much of the literature, art, and culture that he has celebrated for the entire run of the series has been destroyed in the fighting. Cardassia will survive, but as a shell of its former self.

Virtually all of the regulars make major life changes, with several leaving the station behind and their former lives in pursuit of new roles. Chief O'Brien leaves Deep Space 9 for a plumb job on Earth, leaving him more time for family but also leaving his friendship with Bashir behind. Quark and Odo leave their rivalry behind in a wonderfully unsentimental, utterly unfriendly farewell scene that leaves Quark beaming with pleasure... almost as much as the reassurance that Kira will keep the same kind of eye on him now that Odo did in the past. Kira and Odo leave their relationship behind, and Sisko leaves for a new role with no certainty as to when he might return. Quark protests at one point that he hates change - But from top to bottom, the lives of the characters are poised to change in big ways as they move on to their next chapters.

Much of this plays out in an extended epilogue, as the characters prepare to move on and pause to relive flashbacks of their time on the station. This plays out as clips of past episodes, representing their memories. Jadzia's absence from the clips representing Worf's farewell sticks out like a sore thumb - It's obvious that Terry Farrell must have declined permission for her footage to be used, but it diminishes Worf's bit as this leaves out the most formative events of his time on the station. But overall, while the clips are unquestionably self-indulgent, the indulgence works. We've become invested in these characters, and looking back on their journeys is effective on many levels.


"YOU LOOK DISAPPOINTED...": WINN, DUKAT, AND THE PAH-WRAITHS

About halfway through the episode, Winn finishes leading Dukat to the Fire Caves. Dukat is visibly underwhelmed, prompting Winn to needle him at his disappointment. Unfortunately, Dukat's reaction to the Fire Caves pretty much sums up my reaction to this entire subplot. "I know this sounds naive, but I was expecting to see fire!"

After several episodes of build-up, the Dukat/Winn strand vanished entirely in recent entries. This was fine - After being prominently featured in four episodes running, it was time to take a break from them, and I felt sure that when we rejoined them the wait would have proved worth it. Instead, their material feels tacked-on and vaguely rushed. Dukat's blindness is cured offscreen, with no struggle at all. They then spend the entire first half on a light hike to a cave and more or less sit around and wait for Sisko to have his end-of-series confrontation with Dukat.

In contrast to the close out of the Dominion arc, none of this material is compelling or even particularly interesting. Louise Fletcher and Marc Alaimo do what they can (which is actually quite a lot), but their strand doesn't really connect to anything else or build to anything in particular. Compared to the incisive character study of the episode-long Sisko/Dukat interaction in Waltz, their confrontation here is just a generic scene pitting an action hero against a sneering villain. Both characters deserve a lot better.


CONCLUSION

Emotionally, I would love to give What You Leave Behind a "10." It's the finale to my favorite Star Trek series, the Dominion wrap-up is superb, and the character endings are emotionally satisfying. But after all the buildup the Dukat/Winn arc was given, it ends up feeling like an afterthought, and one that diminishes Dukat's character in particular. It's not enough of a fault to keep this from being a first-rate episode... But it is enough to cost it full marks.

Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: The Dogs of War

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7-20. The Changing Face of Evil.

Kai Winn studies a forbidden text. This won't end well.

THE PLOT

Worf and Ezri have returned to Deep Space 9, but nothing is back to normal. The Breen have launched a surprise attack on Earth. Most of the attack force was destroyed - but not before doing severe damage and inflicting enormous casualties. General Martok, even as he admires the boldness of the attack, reassures Sisko that "every species has its weakness - They're no exception." But as Sisko notes, they had better uncover that weakness soon.

As Weyoun exults in this success, Damar moves forward with his plans to rebel against Dominion rule. He plants a seed of doubt in the mind of Gor, the Breen general, observing that all the praise the Dominion now showers on the Breen had been directed at Cardassia just a year earlier. He meets with Cardassian military allies to plot, and waits for the right moment to strike. Meanwhile, the Breen and the Dominion prepare their own strike - to retake the Chin'toka system from the Federation - a battle in which Sisko and the Federation forces very quickly find themselves outmatched.

Back on Bajor, Dukat and Winn begin studying the Book of the Kosst Amojan, the forbidden text that holds the secrets to releasing the Pah-wraiths from their ancient captivity, plotting to literally unleash hell on Bajor!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Learns the hard way that he should not interfere in his wife's career, not even "for her own good." When he tries to keep Kasidy on the station until the current crisis has passed, she reacts as if betrayed. Doubtless, in addition to his normal protective nature, he is also thinking of the Prophets' warning. To his credit, he quickly apologizes and turns his focus to the battle with the Breen - though his calm leadership is not enough to avert disaster.

Bashir/O'Brien: Basically pull comic relief duty, lightening up this otherwise dark entry. They have become obsessed with their holosuite program about the Alamo, with O'Brien creating a scale model, complete with figures for all the people, to try to figure out a way to win an unwinnable fight. The parallel with the Dominion War is obvious, but doesn't get in the way of some choice humor - particularly when O'Brien becomes upset at Bashir losing the Col. Travis figure. Worf watches their interactions with bemusement, noting to Ezri that they "play with toys" (though that doesn't stop him from showing active interest in the tactics of the Alamo).

Damar/Weyoun: Damar's choice of the previous episode has led to a new confidence. He's stopped drinking, and is planning and preparing with a decisiveness we've rarely seen before. Weyoun misreads this vigor as a response to the alliance with the Breen - As ever, he simply cannot understand that his Alpha Quadrant allies do not, and never will, view the Founders in the religious terms that he does. Weyoun has been given all the clues to Damar's turn - But his inability to grasp that his worldview isn't the only one leads him to miss what is in front of his face.

Dukat/Winn: The previous two episodes saw Dukat firmly driving this relationship, manipulating Winn with effortless glee. This episode temporarily shifts that balance. When the book appears to contain nothing but blank pages, he is nonplussed, immediately certain that this is the wrong book.  Winn knows better, and with absolute confidence insists, "The words are here. They're just hidden, that's all. It's up to us to find them." She dismisses Dukat, telling him basically to get out of her way and let her focus on the kind of studies that are her area of expertise and not his. Fittingly, Winn is the one who finds the answer - Though not remotely in the way she expected...


THOUGHTS

He who opens this book should first be armed with a chainsaw hand...

(Sorry, a recent re-watch of the Evil Dead trilogy left me unable to resist...)

Putting Winn in control of the Dukat/Winn strand is a great choice, one that creates a different dynamic than the previous two episodes and allows Louise Fletcher to show her considerable screen presence. Winn stops agonizing and starts focusing, making her Dukat's equal (for the moment at least)... And the way in which those hidden words are finally revealed has a cataclysmic quality that perfectly complements the events of the episode's other major threads.

I complained in my review of 'Til Death Do Us Part that we were told how formidable the Breen without truly seeing it - Indeed, their most significant previous appearance had a large group of Breen defeated fairly easily by Dukat and Kira, which seemed to limit them as a threat. Well, this episode's climax finally shows them as a threat, rather than simply insisting that they are one.

The climactic battle is a stunning set piece, not because of its scale and complexity, but because it's over so quickly. The point of this scene is to make the audience feel the "Oh crap" the introduction of the Breen so utterly failed to deliver, by making the formidable Defiant and the Federation fleet all but helpless. We see several Breen ships destroyed in the initial moments of the battle, underlining that they are not invincible... But before the fight is even truly underway, the Breen are disabling their enemies with a weapon unlike anything they've previously seen.

The episode ends with every status quo upended. Damar is leading an open revolt against the Dominion on Cardassia; Winn and Dukat are about to unleash the Pah- wraiths on Bajor, with no one even aware of their plans and so no real hope of stopping them; and the Federation is on the brink of losing the war if they can't find a countermeasure for the Breen weapon.

All of which make this the most momentous episode since Sacrifice of Angels. Indispensible viewing.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Strange Bedfellows
Next Episode: When It Rains...

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7-19. Strange Bedfellows.

Dukat seduces Winn to the Dark Side...
which, for her, isn't exactly a long journey.

"I'll do anything you ask. You need only give the word. Have you nothing to say to me? Am I so offensive to your eyes that I don't exist for you anymore? There must be something I can do to prove to you that I'm still worthy of your love."
-Kai Winn, begging the Prophets to speak to her.


THE PLOT

Worf and Ezri are now prisoners of the Dominion. They are being held on Cardassia, where Weyoun and Damar promise them full due process of Cardassian law: A state trial, followed by execution.

Damar has problems all his own, however. The Breen have been warmly greeted by Weyoun, and the Vorta is taking special pleasure in diminishing his hated Cardassian ally. He makes Damar answer to Breen supervision, and at the same time refuses to send reinforcements to save Cardassians from a Klingon onslaught - leaving a large contingent of loyal Cardassians to their deaths.

Back on Deep Space 9, Sisko settles into married life with Kasidy, while Kai Winn continues her relationship with the disguised Dukat. Winn is eager to fulfill her role as the Prophets' chosen one... Until she receives another vision, one that reveals that she has been chosen not by the Prophets but by their mortal enemies, the pah-wraiths!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Responds a little too well to Martok's description of marriage as a war. Right after talking with Martok, he pressures Kasidy to assist in some functions of the Emissary. When Kasidy refuses, Sisko observes, "And so the battle begins!"

Col. Kira: After Winn discovers that her visions are from the pah-wraiths, she responds by appealing to the most authentically religious person she knows: Kira. Despite her dislike of Winn, Kira doesn't hesitate when called to the Kai's quarters. When the older woman admits that she has "strayed from the path," Kira is delighted, showing genuine warmth toward her rival's admission that she wants to change. But when she suggests Winn step down as Kai, the results are entirely predictable, Winn insisting that she must cling to her position of power. The light vanishes from Kira's eyes and her face falls into a polite but hard mask as she excuses herself.

Worf/Ezri: There's a genuinely funny moment as Ezri, hung upside down from the ceiling, tells Worf that this is doing wonders for her back... Right before adding that she's about to be space-sick. Worf and Ezri hash out their personal conflicts from thoughout the season, with Worf admitting that his behavior toward her has been "dishonorable," and gets a nice moment of self-awareness when he acknowledges that he "uses that word far too often." They end the episode as friends, which should help to clear the decks for the final 7 episodes.

Damar/Weyoun: Damar's loyalty is toward Cardassia, not the Dominion - Which is something Weyoun either won't or can't understand. Gul Dukat had convinced Damar that the Dominion was a necessary evil for Cardassia to regain its status, and that Dukat would be able to control them once the war was over. Without Dukat, Damar's dislike for his "allies" has just been left to simmer - and every time Weyoun reprimands him for not being blindly loyal to the Founders, he pushes Damar ever closer to the boiling point.

Martok: Martok enjoys talking to Sisko about "the war at home," remembering his relationship with his wife in purely Klingon terms: "War has broken out, whether you know it or not. A long, grueling, intoxicating war... Over the course of our marriage I've won more than my fair share of the battles between us. But in the end, I know she will win the war." J. G. Hertzler remains a delight, and his one scene is a highlight of an episode that features many strong scenes.

Gul Dukat: Knows exactly which buttons to push with Winn - probably because she's so much like him. Like him, she thirsts for power and adoration, for the masses to recognize her greatness. At points, he pushes hard - And then lays back, meekly withdrawing at just the right moments for his words to fester in her brain. At one such point, we follow him out of her chamber and into the station corridors - and as soon as no one is around to see, he begins grinning broadly.

Kai Winn: The first time she saw the wormhole open, all the Bajorans around her spoke of how they could feel the love of the Prophets... But she felt nothing at all. She manipulated those around her so that she could become Kai, and she cherishes the power of being the Bajoran spiritual leader far more than she actually cherishes or feels anything truly spiritual. When Kira suggests that she give up that position, she balks, then retreats to the man who keeps telling her exactly what she wants to hear - Dukat.


THOUGHTS

Strange Bedfellows carries forward all the plot threads from the previous episode, this time with more dramatic results. By the episode's end, Winn is firmly with Dukat and the Cult of the Pah-wraiths, Ezri and Worf have escaped and are on their way back to the station, and Damar has entered a new phase in his hate/hate relationship with Weyoun and the Dominion.

The Dukat/Winn scenes remain the strongest. Winn's desperate monologue to the Orb, quoted at the top of the review, is particularly good. What might have come across as theatrical is genuinely emotional, Fletcher making us feel her desperation and sense of entitlement. Dukat's manipulations take on a harder edge, with him denouncing Winn's hesitation and telling her with scorn that if she stays loyal to the Prophets she will always live in Sisko's shadow. Characterization and dialogue are as sharp as the performances; and even though Winn's choice isn't in much doubt, it's a darkly fascinating joy to watch her fall to hubris, despair, and a few honeyed words.

Writer Ronald D. Moore delivers superb moments in all three strands. Damar, who has sometimes seemed frozen in place as the alcoholic who hates himself and his allies but never does anything about it, finally moves forward in a big way. The impetus? Not so much Weyoun's personal slights against him. He's no Winn; he never wanted his position of power and does not enjoy it. No, the deciding moment is Weyoun's strategic "sacrifice" of Cardassian troops. It's a misjudgment that Weyoun will never even recognize, because for him no sacrifice is of consequence when serving the Founders.

The Worf/Ezri strand is the least interesting, but still has good moments. It's reassuring that Worf and Ezri seem to finally put their past behind them and agree they can be friends, and their attempted escape is well-done, with Ezri recaptured because of her refusal to leave Worf. But the best moment comes when Damar and Weyoun are interrogating them. Weyoun makes a personal jibe against Ezri, and Worf responds in a manner that's absolutely in-character and yet utterly unexpected. Damar's reaction, by the way, is priceless.

Overall, Strange Bedfellows is a terrific hour of television, building on events that have come before and moving them forward in ways that are often compelling to watch. That it ends with most of the major players in a different place than at the beginning leaves us waiting to see what will happen next.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: 'Til Death Do Us Part
Next Episode: The Changing Face of Evil

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7-17. Penumbra.

Sisko plans for retirement on Bajor.

THE PLOT

Sisko finally proposes to Kasidy Yates. He's hoping for a quiet wedding - and then, after the war, a retirement to Bajor. He's even designing a house for them.

But the war isn't cooperating with his dreams of a simple life. Worf's ship, the Koraga, has been destroyed by the Dominion near the Badlands, a region of space marked by plasma storms. Several escape pods have been recovered, but none with Worf on board. With Dominion ships approaching the area, Sisko is forced to call off the search, effectively giving him up for dead.

Ezri cannot live with that decision. She steals a runabout and makes for the Badlands, determined to find him and bring him home. She does find Worf alive, but the trip home is cut short by Jem'Hadar fighters. Worf and Ezri barely manage to beam to the safety of a planet before the runabout is destroyed - leaving them alive, but marooned with no way of contacting the station for rescue...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is embarking on two big life changes. He has purchased some land on Bajor to build a home, and is actively thinking of retiring after the war. He also proposes to Kasidy. One gets the sense that as soon as the war ends, he's ready to be done with Starfleet, wormholes, and all of it - If only the Prophets and Dominion could stop interfering. This doesn't stop him from being a leader willing to make tough decisions, however.  When it becomes clear that Worf is unlikely to be recovered, he calls off the search - Though he doesn't stop Ezri from taking a runabout to conduct a search of her own.

Ezri: After Sisko calls off the search for survivors, she uses her override codes to enter the quarters Jadzia shared with Worf. As she walks from one part of the room to another, audio clips of highlights of the Jadzia/Worf relationship are played, making us aware of the specific memories Ezri is re-living while stoking our own memories at the same time. This is important, because it makes the emotion behind Ezri's decision to go after Worf real to us - And puts us back in the mindset of that relationship for the episode's second half.

Worf: We've seen throughout the season that Worf is conflicted about having another Dax around, from his warnings to Bashir and Quark about pursuing Ezri to his concerns for her safety. That conflict comes to its head here. Ever the stoic, he barely thanks Ezri for rescuing him and is soon gruffly avoiding all conversation with her. He tries to bar any mention of Jadzia, only to later respond to her barbs about hunting by saying, "Jadzia would have understood."

Kasidy Yates: Largely just a support for Sisko in this episode, but I'm struck once again by how convincing the relationship between these two is. There is an entirely unforced chemistry between Avery Brooks and Penny Johnson, and by this point in the series there is never a moment at which I fail to believe in them as a couple. The question is less why Ben proposes to her in this episode, and more why it took him so long to do it.

Damar: His loathing for Weyoun matched only by his disgust at himself for acting as the Vorta's lackey. He continues to drown his sorrows in women and alcohol, and is all too eager to assist Dukat when he shows up asking for a favor. His loyalty to Dukat remains strong, and he keeps his former superior's presence a secret from Weyoun and arranges the requested favor with no questions asked, even when his disapproval of Dukat's faith in the pah-wraiths is clear.


THOUGHTS

Deep Space 9 begins its march to the series finale. The script is by Rene Echevarria, arguably the series' strongest character writer, so it's appropriate that the story is heavily character-based. The main plot, about Ezri's rescue of Worf and their attempts to return to the station, is a thin clothesline, with the real focus on the relationships between Sisko and Kasidy and Worf and Ezri - which plays to Echevarria's strengths.

There's real authenticity to the scenes of Sisko mulling over the exact layout of his house, and I love the little moment where he and Kasidy debate over whether the kitchen should be separated from the dining room or open. Sisko, the son of a chef, protests Kasidy's preference for an open kitchen, arguing that he doesn't want visitors wandering in to sample the food before it's ready.

Other good character bits abound. When Ezri rescues Worf from the escape pod, she prods him to find out which Klingon opera he was singing inside the pod. He readily admits to having done exactly that, adding that the acoustics were good. The Ezri/Worf interactions continue to ring true as Ezri keeps trying to draw him into conversation while he tries to avoid it. I'm not sure I fully buy into them sleeping together near the end of the episode - Though that's more because Nicole de Boer just doesn't fit with Michael Dorn the way Terry Farrell did, as story-wise it makes sense as a development building through their interactions and non-interactions throughout the season.

For all that this is a character-based episode, the script also is busy planting lots of plot seeds. The disease plaguing the Founders gets some more attention, and Weyoun's visit to the female changeling reveals that she is deteriorating rapidly. Meanwhile, the Breen are re-introduced, with their presence an oddity Worf and Ezri comment on; and Dukat continues to be a wild card, with a plan of his own that has yet to be defined but is certain to be very dangerous to all parties.

Penumbra moves at a brisk pace throughout, and manages the tricky job of being a good episode in its own right while also effectively kick-starting the series' final arc. A promising "beginning of the end," and a thoroughly enjoyable 45 minutes.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
Next Episode: 'Til Death Do Us Part

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

Weyoun surrenders to Odo.

THE PLOT

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

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

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

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


CHARACTERS

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

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

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

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

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

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


THOUGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

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


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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

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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
 Next Episode: Image in the Sand 

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6-18. Inquisition.

Starfleet Intelligence Officer Sloan (William Sadler)
suspects Dr. Bashir of being a Dominion spy!

THE PLOT

The station receives a very unwelcome visitor: Deputy Director Sloan (William Sadler) of the Department of Internal Affairs. Sloan is there to investigate reports of a traitor among the senior staff, someone who has spent months passing sensitive information to the Dominion. The entire command staff is relieved of duty and confined to quarters for the term of the investigation.

It soon becomes clear that Sloan has fixated on a single suspect: Dr. Bashir. His actual evidence is thin, based on a minor inconsistency in reports of Bashir's time in a Dominon prison camp. But as he twists every aspect of the doctor's record to fit the narrative of him as a spy, even his closest friends begin to have doubts. As Sloan voices the theory that he was programmed to be a spy without knowing it, Bashir begins to doubt himself.

That's when he is suddenly beamed aboard a Dominon warship, where Weyoun greets him with the warmth of an old, dear friend...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: As long as I remain in command, I will see Doctor Bashir whenever I please. Furthermore, from now on I will sit in on all interrogation sessions to make sure his rights are observed. Do I make myself clear? Sisko cooperates with Sloan's investigation - Right up to the point at which Sloan makes Bashir the subject of a witch hunt. He then insists on being part of every interrogation, acting as an advocate for his officer. Even so, Sloan's words start to make him doubt - Particularly when he reminds Sisko about Bashir's recommendation to surrender to the Dominion. Sisko doesn't think the doctor is lying... But he does find Sloan's theory, that he has been programmed to act as an unwitting spy, a plausible one.

Dr. Bashir: As Sloan's implications and insinuations persist, and even Sisko begins to voice doubts, Bashir begins to doubt himself a little. His protestations of innocence sound a little less definitive, a little more like denial of the possibility that the Dominion "broke" him when he was their prisoner. It is only when he sees Weyoun, who practically repeats Sloan's statements verbatim, that he begins to realize the truth. Alexander Siddig gives another excellent performance, and his scenes opposite William Sadler crackle with tension as these two very strong personalities don't so much verbally fence as box, each circling around the other at vulnerable points, each doing his utmost to draw blood.

Weyoun: Appears only briefly, beaming Bashir onto his ship and trying to convince him of the same thing Sloan believes - That he is a Dominion agent, repressing memories of being an agent. Weyoun pleasantly tells Bashir of their many meetings, all of which follow the same pattern: "These little conversations of ours always follow the same pattern. You start out confused, then you get angry, then you deny everything until finally the walls inside your mind start to break down and you accept the truth." Then he offers refreshments - specifically, the very meal Bashir had earlier requested from Sloan. All of this leads Bashir to realize that Sloan must be the one working with Weyoun. It's uncharacteristic, in that Weyoun clearly overplays his hand... Until we learn that there's actually an entirely different game being played beneath the surface of this one.


THOUGHTS

Inquisition is the second Trek episode directed by Michael Dorn, after last season's outstanding In the Cards. This episode could not be more different than that one, but Dorn proves as adept at paranoid thriller as he was at comedy, and at this point is another Trek actor whose directorial outings are worth looking forward to.

The script, by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, makes excellent use of continuity. Sloan appears to zero in on Bashir as a suspect in large part because of his genetic engineering, repeatedly noting that Bashir is only in Starfleet because he lied, and that he only confided in Sisko after he had already been found out. Some of the "evidence" Sloan provides include Bashir's recommendation to surrender to the Dominion, and (from early Season Four!) Bashir's efforts to help the Jem'Hadar unit that was trying to free itself of addiction to ketracil white. All of these past threads are brought together here, and they serve to strengthen the story by making it believable that Bashir's past behavior could be seen as suspect.

Another aspect of Deep Space 9 that is furthered by this episode is the series' willingness to hold up Gene Roddenberry's idealized Federation to the harsh light of human nature. In Season Two, we saw that the Maquis became rebels due to Starfleet's refusal to respond to Cardassian treaty violations. In Season Four, Sisko's mentor attempted a coup that would have turned the Federation into a police state in the name of security. Now we learn that Starfleet has its own secret police, in the mysterious Section 31, with Sloan fully authorized to detain Bashir until the end of the war without any real evidence against him. Sloan and his Section work as judge, jury, and executioner - and Bashir is quick to point out how rife such a system is for abuse.

As befits a series as regularly intelligence as this one, Section 31 are not presented as simple villains. In the final scene, as the station command staff discuss what has happened, not everyone is condemning their existence. Odo points out that every civilization has such an organization. Sisko admits that he has no answers as to whether such organiations are evil, or simply a necessary evil.

In the end, this is another excellent episode in an excellent season, and I look forward to seeing the questions raised here explored in future installments.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night
Next Episode: In the Pale Moonlight

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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
Next Episode: Who Mourns for Morn?

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6-9. Statistical Probabilities.

Calculating the outcome of the Dominion War.

THE PLOT

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

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

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

Surrender...


CHARACTERS

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

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

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

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


THOUGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

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


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Resurrection
Next Episode: The Magnificent Ferengi


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