7-24. The Dogs of War.

Kira, Damar, and Garak watch helplessly as their rebellion dies.

THE PLOT

Kira has rejoined Damar and Garak in time for a rendezvous with resistance fighters on Cardassia Prime. But the meeting is a trap, and the three find themselves beaming down just in time to witness Cardassians being massacred by Jem'Hadar forces. They manage to escape notice, and hide with Mila (Julianna McCarthy), the one-time housekeeper of Garak's Obsidian Order mentor. But trapped on a hostile world, they are helpless to act as they witness broadcasts of the destruction of Damar's entire rebellion.

Back on Deep Space 9, Quark receives a transmission from Zek. The old man has finally decided to step down as Grand Nagus. The communication is filled with static, but one message comes through loud and clear. Zek has settled on his successor - Quark!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Near the end of the episode, Kasidy informs him that she's pregnant. Avery Brooks is wonderful here, shifting through a series of emotions ranging from worry to joy to embarrassment at having forgotten his "injection." As he reassures Kasidy, we can almost see him mentally picturing his future family, much as he painstakingly planned out his future house in Penumbra. Though joy seems to win out with Ben in the scene, I suspect the Prophets' warning is about to hit him hard.

Col. Kira: Another strong performance by Nana Visitor, who conveys Kira's terror of being captured by Cardassians during the opening ambush. There's a note of panic in her voice as she insists they have to get away, which fits perfectly with her background - Kira has seen firsthand what it is to be a prisoner of the Cardassians. Even when they are in hiding, her main thought is to escape from Cardassia, with Garak having to talk reason to her.

Quark: "I won't preside over the demise of Ferengi civilisation, not me! The line has to be drawn here. This far and no further!" Quark stands up for traditional Ferengi values - greed and exploitation - using the same words Picard used to rail against the Borg in First Contact. An inside joke for Trek fans, but it works because it fits perfectly with Quark's character. He has defended Ferengi society throughout the series, from his insistence to Sisko that Ferengi are nothing like humans - "We're better!" - to his disgust at his mother's wearing clothes and running businesses. He's on the wrong side... But there's a certain cockeyed dignity to his final, anti-heroic stand against progress.

Damar: This dour man was always an unlikely choice as a folk hero, and even he seems disconcerted at the divide between who he actually is and the legend building up around his name. Ultimately, the thirst he sees in his own people is what drives him to take up the ill-fitting mantle of rebel leader... And speaking of stirring speeches, Damar's heroic end speech is all the better for the sense that he'd rather not be the one giving it. He would rather be helping the resistance instead of leading it (Being Dukat's second-in-command was almost certainly his happiest time)... But there's no one else, and so he has to act to save his society from its demise.

Odo: In only one scene - But it's a good one, as he expresses his outrage at the Federation's tolerance of Section 31's actions in creating the Changeling disease. He acidly observes that Starfleet publicly deplores such tactics, but is happy enough to reap the benefits. He does promise Sisko that he won't reveal the cure to the Founders of his own accord. Still, the scene - which doesn't connect to any of this episode's story strands - is fairly obviously setting up his role in the finale.

Brunt: The final appearance of Liquidator Brunt (I'm going out on a limb and guessing he won't be featured in the finale). He spends most of the episode shamelessly brown-nosing presumed future Nagus Quark. He doesn't even pretend to deny it: "It's never too early to suck up to the boss." He's also the one who clues Quark into the reforms that have taken place on Ferenginar, including "wage benefits for the poor, retirement benefits for the aged, health care," and - most shocking of all - "the T word... taxes!" Jeffrey Combs is a delight as always, and it's a rare pleasure to get to see him play both of his recurring roles in the same episode (though, regretfully, the series appears set to end without ever putting Weyoun and Brunt in the same scene at the same time).


THOUGHTS

The Dogs of War is Avery Brooks' final episode as director, and it's a consequential one. The "A" plot, following Kira and Garak as they nudge Damar into a new kind of resistance, is terrific. The script, by Rene Echevarria and Ronald D. Moore, carries all the strengths of both writers, with sharp characterizations fusing with good dialogue and meaningful plot turns. We see the trio move from shock, to despair, to finally fighting back, and everything the characters do arises naturally from who they are. Brooks' greatest strength as a director has always been his ability to work with actors, and he gets great work from all of the cast.

That last is true of the "B" plot as well - Heck, even Ishka and Zek aren't annoying (in part thanks to being used sparingly). As someone who has often criticized the Ferengi episodes, I will admit to finding some enjoyment. The script offers some genuinely funny moments and even allows Quark a perverse dignity in his defiant stand for unbridled greed. There's just one problem: It belongs in a different episode!

There is a decent attempt to draw a parallel between Damar and Quark, two men standing defiant against changes that they see destroying their respective societies. But even so, the Cardassia plot and the Ferengi plot don't truly fit in the same show. And with the Ferengi plot occupying most of the screen time in the middle, it throws off the sense of jeopardy that should pervade Kira and Damar's story. I've said this about other episodes in the final ten, but I strongly feel that these two stories should have been seprated out into their own episodes.

The addition of a "C" plot, apparently to clear the decks of the Bashir/Ezri romance subplot, further interferes with momentum. Also, by cutting between two main plots and one subplot, the episode can't help but feel a bit choppy.

Still, most of the individual parts are good, with the Cardassia plot particularly strong, and the episode ends leaving the pieces in place for the final conflict. This leaves it as an overall good episode - Even if it is a bit too "busy" to be as good as it should be.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Extreme Measures
Next Episode: What You Leave Behind

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7-22. Tacking into the Wind.

Kira's worries about Odo complicate a dangerous mission.

THE PLOT

Kira continues to assist Damar's Cardassian rebellion, but her efforts are complicated by the animosity and blatant disrespect of Gul Rusot (John Vickery). After Rusot provokes a fight that Kira wins, he swears he will take revenge - and he might get a chance sooner that later, thanks to a plan to infiltrate a Dominion repair facility to steal a ship equipped with the Breen energy weapon.

Tensions are also rising among the Klingons on Deep Space 9. It is very clear that Gowron is focusing not on winning the war, but on disgracing General Martok by sending him on missions doomed to defeat. Worf urges the general to challenge Gowron and take his place, but Martok insists that such a challenge during wartime would be dishonorable. When Gowron hatches a new suicide mission - one that could cripple what remains of the Klingons' strength - Worf feels compelled to take matters into his own hands!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Sisko's brief appearance carries shades of In the Pale Moonlight, as he urges Worf to resolve the situation with Gowron, and to "do whatever it takes." He obviously isn't telling Worf to kill the man - But he knows too much about Klingon culture to think that a bloodless solution is likely.

Col. Kira: For the most part, she manages to restrain herself in the face of Rusot's disdain. Season One Kira would have come to blows with him before the end of the last episode, and would have had to have been pulled off him to keep from killing him. Here, she's pushed ot the breaking point by worries about Odo and the frustration of trying to help the Cardassians, and still only snaps when Rusot physically accosts her... And she stops the fight as soon as she's won a clear victory, and even then knows that what just happened was not in anyone's best interest.

Worf: "Worf, you are the most honorable and decent man I've ever met... If you're willing to tolerate men like Gowron, then what hope is there for the Empire?" Ezri confronts Worf directly with the corruption in Klingon society - a thread that's been woven into the fabric of Star Trek since TNG's Sins of the Father. It was then that Worf was first made into an outcast - in the very episode in which he first realized that the society of honorable warriors he had idealized was, in truth, hopelessly corrupt. This episode brings his encounters with that corruption to a logical endpoint, and cements him as a significant figure in the Klingon Empire whether he wants to be or not.

Damar: Rusot is his friend, and was among his first allies in this resistance; Kira is a former enemy, one he personally dislikes. It's no surprise that his instinct is to support Rusot. But he's no idiot, and he recognizes that Kira's strategies are the ones his rebellion will need to embrace to have any chance of victory. As Garak notes, his greatest weakness is his romanticism of Cardassia's past. He mourns a Cardassia that's "dead, and it won't be coming back," when the truth is that his idealized Cardassia was as much a fiction as Worf's idealized Klingon Empire.

Garak: As much a Cardassian patriot as Damar, in his own way. Remember that this was a man willing to annihilate the Founders along with several people he calls friends, all in response to the female changeling's statement that the Dominion would destroy Cardassia. When Kira berates herself for a loose comment to Damar, Garak tells her that if Damar is "the man we hope him to be, then (he was) more receptive to what you said, not less."

Gowron/Martok: Two stubborn men, each clinging to their nature even when it leads to their destruction. Gowron refuses to follow the sound strategy set forth by Sisko and Martok. Instead of focusing on the war, he focuses on his own personal battlefield: Politics, with Martok as a potential rival who must be shamed. Martok, in turn, won't challenge Gowron because Klingon tradition frowns on such challenges in times of war. Without Worf's intervention, Gowron's plan would have played out exactly as he intended... And likely doomed the entire Alpha Quadrant in the process. A perfect illustration of Ezri's words about the Empire's decay.


THOUGHTS

Ronald D. Moore, arguably Deep Space 9's best writer, is paired with Michael Vejar, one of the show's most reliable directors, for a dark installment involving challenges and betrayals. And Klingons, of course - Moore being the franchise specialist in Klingon episodes. Add in that this is pretty much all payoff for the plot complications that built up in the previous installment, and it's no surprise that Tacking into the Wind is an excellent episode.

The two main plot strands parallel each other in multiple ways. Both involve a regular trying to convince a patriotic leader to take a stand against a destructive influence from within. Both strands also involve characters (Worf and Damar) who have romanticized and idealized their cultures, turning a blind eye to the corruption that has always been there. The result is that, even though the two plots don't brush up against each other even once, it all feels of a piece. Both strands also come to a strong climax, with the overall arc moved forward as a result.

The Bashir/O'Brien story, involving finding a cure for Odo's illness, also gets some screen time, but it proves to the weakest thread. Nothing really happens in this subplot, which ends this episode exactly at the same place it begins: Odo is dying, Section 31 did it, and Bashir needs to get Section 31 to cure it. Sure, they have the beginnings of a plan... But it feels like that could have been dropped in with a line or two of dialogue at the start of the next episode.

Something I really wish had been done, as the episode's only real weakness is that it feels a touch overstuffed. It doesn't feel rushed, thanks to most of the setup having been taken care of in When It Rains... - But it does feel packed, and I think the two "A" plots would have benefited from the removal of the Bashir/O'Brien scenes in order to give the characters and events a bit of breathing room.

Still, if my primary complaint is that too much happened and that I wanted more of the two primary strands, that's not a bad complaint to have. There's no question but that Tacking into the Wind is not only a significant episode, but an extremely good one as well.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: When It Rains...
Next Episode: Extreme Measures

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7-21. When It Rains...

Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) returns to Deep Space 9.

THE PLOT

Damar and several Cardassian leaders have begun an open rebellion against the Dominion, which opens up a potential advantage for Starfleet. But Damar and his men lack the skill set to be resistance fighters. They need someone who can teach them how to wage war with limited resources against a superior enemy. Sisko "volunteers" Kira to act as an advisor to Damar - but a Bajoran advising Cardassians on guerilla tactics is destined to go over badly, and Kira finds herself constantly challenged by Damar's second in command, Gul Rusot (John Vickery).

Kira's situation isn't the only turbulent one. On Bajor, Kai Winn grows closer to comprehending the ritual to release the pah-wraiths, even as Dukat pushes his luck just a little too far. Meanwhile, Dr. Bashir discovers that Odo has contracted the disease afflicting the changelings. When he contacts Starfleet for Odo's old medical scans, hoping to use them to devise a cure, he finds himself stonewalled in a manner highly reminiscent of a certain Section with which he's had previous dealings.

At least things are looking up a bit for Sisko, who finds one advantage salvaged from the disastrous battle for the Chin'toka system. It turns out that with a simple adaptation, Klingon ships can be made immune to the Breen energy weapon. Martok immediately begins planning a hit-and-run campaign to slow the Dominion offensive.

...Which is when Chancellor Gowron arrives to honor Martok's service, and to take personal command of the Klingon forces. His first order? An all-out assault that can only lead to disaster!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Realizes immediately that Kira is the exact right person to teach Damar's forces, and sticks firmly to his decision even when Kira expresses hesitance. "Whether you like Damar or not is irrelevant. We need him. The Dominion knows they have to stop his rebellion before it spreads, and it's up to you to see that they don't."

Col. Kira: Has not forgotten that Damar killed Ziyal, whom she regarded as family, but she agrees with Sisko that she will work with her former enemy for the sake of the war. Odo and Garak accompany her on the mission - which proves to be a good thing, as the two of them work to keep Kira and Gul Rusot from each other's throats. Kira voice some hard truths to Damar about running a Resistance, including the impossibility of avoiding Cardassian casualties. "Anyone who's not fighting with you is fighting against you."

Dr. Bashir: When he discovers Odo has been infected with the virus, he feels confident that he can find a cure by simply comparing Odo's current scan with an old one and isolating the differences. What he isn't counting on is stonewalling by Starfleet Medical. He is able to get around that with some (offscreen) assistance from Sisko... only to find a new layer of deception on top of the previous one. That's when he realizes the truth, and prepares to take action that will doubtless form the focus of an upcoming episode.

Damar: Acknowledges his dislike of Kira, but tells Rusot that this hatred is "a luxury (he) can no longer afford." His personal distaste shows in the stiffness of his interactions, but he genuinely listens to her advice and extends every courtesy he can. The enemy (Kira) of his enemy (the Dominion) may not be his friend - but he'll grudgingly accept her as an ally.

Martok/Gowron: Gowron is happy to sing Martok's praises while awarding him The Star of Kahless. But his real purpose is to retake command, to make himself the "savior of the Empire." As Worf observes, Martok's leadership has made him increasingly popular with the Klingon military. Gowron, a schemer who maneuvered his way into power, can only see him as a threat. Unfortunately, the political scheming that led to him becoming Chancellor did not prepare him for large scale combat tactics, leaving the Klingons - and with them, the entire Federation - on the verge of calamity.

Dukat/Winn: The balance of power has firmly shifted from Dukat to Winn. Now that she knows his true identity, she treats him with open scorn, appalled that she shared a bed with a man responsible for so many Bajoran deaths. Not that she can lay claim to any particular moral high ground - When he points out that summoning the pah-wraiths will result in more deaths, she haughtily responds: "The pah-wraiths will spare those whom they find worthy; the rest are of no consequence."


THOUGHTS

When It Rains... adds one more fine episode added to the largely superb final run of this series. Writer Rene Echevarria handles the multiple plot threads well, focusing each thread on the characters: Kira and Damar's mutual unease at having to work together; Bashir's determination to help a friend and patient, and his gradual realization of a conspiracy; Gowron's thirst for glory; Kai Winn's own appetite for power, which is balanced against her disgust at working with Dukat. Four plot threads in one episode, but it never feels choppy because each thread is so strongly rooted in the characters and in the sense that everything is building toward Something Big.

This is the third episode Michael Dorn has directed. Taken alongside the excellent In the Cards and the very good Inquisition, it's clear he has a strong handle on the series and its atmosphere. I find myself actively sorry that he didn't direct more episodes. He may not have the visual eye of Jonathan Frakes or David Livingston, but he definitely knows how to work with the cast, focus on the best elements of the script, and keep the pace moving throughout.

The story itself is mainly another building block in the larger arc, setting up elements for the next installments. Even so, it maintains a strong grip throughout, with each strand promising interesting new developments - and raising anticipation, and expectations, for those remaining installments.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Changing Face of Evil
Next Episode: Tacking into the Wind

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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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7-6. 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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6-11. 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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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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