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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7-7. Once More Unto the Breach.

Kor (John Colicos) yearns for a return to his glory days.

"Savor the fruit of life, my young friends. It has a sweet taste when it is fresh from the vine. But don't live too long. The taste turns bitter after a time."
-Kor, Dahar Master, teaches his final, bitter lesson.


THE PLOT

Kor (John Colicos) returns to Deep Space 9, seeking Worf's help. He has made too many enemies throughout his long life. Despite his status as a Dahar Master, he is unable to receive a battle command during the current war. He pleads with Worf to find him a place in Martok's fleet. "Help me fight again, Worf. Help me end my life as I've lived it: As a warrior."

Martok becomes enraged at the mention of Kor's name, but allows Worf to assign him as Third Officer on his ship. When Worf presses to know why he hates Kor so much, Martok reveals that long ago, when he was working to become trained as an officer, Kor struck his name from consideration because of his bloodlines. Though Martok would later rise through his own merit, he has never been able to forgive the slight, not least because his father died before he was able to prove himself.

Martok's current mission is a bold one: A strike across enemy lines, to quickly hit a Jem'Hadar breeding facility and then race back to Federation territory, doubtless with the enemy in pursuit. They find their target easily and decloak to begin the attack. But when a hit on Martok's ship leaves both him and Worf temporarily incapacitated, Kor assumes command - Barking orders that make it clear that he cannot distinguish this battle from battles long past!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Appreciates the audacity of Martok's plan, which he likens to a cavalry charge. Is so enthusiastic that he offers to join the raid, but settles for waiting at the rendezvous point to turn back any Jem'Hadar pursuit.

Worf: Even after all he's been through, Worf cannot always reconcile the Klingon ideals that he grew up yearning for against the nastier realities of an often corrupt Empire. He labels Kor's long-ago dismissal of the young Martok as "unworthy," barely listening to Kor's protestations about the importance of bloodlines to the Empire. He remains protective of Kor, but never at the expense of his loyalty to Martok or the mission - and when Kor's weakness shows itself, he does not hesitate to remove the old man from active duty.

Ezri: Clearly enjoys seeing Kor again. Even so, she complains to Kira that she keeps having the same conversation with people who knew Dax's previous hosts: incredulity that she could be Dax, then insistence on finding (likely nonexistent) physical similarities between her and previous hosts. She talks about how vividly she remembers being with Kor on a Klingon ship in the past - which Quark, in true sitcom fashion, misinterprets as her talking about wanting to get back together with Worf.

Martok: The episode's central character conflict doesn't center on any of the regulars, but rather on Kor and Martok. Over the past two seasons, J. G. Hertzler's Martok has become part of the series' fabric, and it's a credit to how well DS9 has integrated its recurring cast into its overall tapestry that focusing on an episode on his resentment of a guest character doesn't feel jarring at all. An early scene in which he tells Worf exactly why he despises Kor so much makes the Kor/Martok conflict meaningful. Martok gets his revenge in the second half, his old adversary laid as low as a Klingon warrior likely could be... But he gains no joy from Kor's misery, and his entire attitude shifts from that point on.

Kor: Shades of King Lear, as Kor's bravado in the first half cracks, revealing diminished capacity as he confuses present and past. John Colicos is suitably larger than life as he boasts about his past and basks in the young crew's admiration of him. But his best acting comes in the second half, when a shattered Kor sits and endures the scorn of those same warriors, now mocking him for his age and weakness. What happens next can be seen coming from as far away as the teaser - But to the episode's credit, Kor's final stand works, in large part because Colicos makes us invested in the character.


THOUGHTS

"The only real question is whether you believe in the legend of Davy Crockett or not. If you do, then there should be no doubt in your mind that he died the death of a hero. If you do not believe in the legend, then he was just a man and it does not matter how he died."
-Worf, unwittingly foreshadowing Kor's final mission.

Once More Unto the Breach is utterly predictable in its plot, with no surprises in the way its story unfolds. Kor's disintegration during the first battle is clearly telegraphed, as is his triumph at the end. That Kor will earn Martok's sympathy and, ultimately, his respect is something most viewers will guess before the teaser ends. In story terms, this is pedestrian stuff.

But writer Ronald D. Moore, the default Klingon scribe of both TNG and DS9, has a way of breathing life into this warrior race. Kor, Martok, Worf, and the elderly Darok (Neil Vipond)... They are all fully realized characters, and their interactions resonate. The scene in which Martok and his crew sneer at Kor's mental weakness is the episode's best, Kor reduced to an object of ridicule by the very crew that had previously worshipped him. Director Allan Kroeker keeps the focus of the scene on Kor's face, which is stone-like, betraying no emotion as he endures this verbal onslaught. When he finally does speak, he does so with equal stoicism, weariness in his voice but no real emotion, which makes the effect of his words all the stronger.

The follow-up scene is also good, as a subdued Worf and Martok contemplate how they might appeal to the Klingon Chancellor to grant Kor an honorary position to lend some dignity to his dying days. Kor's acceptance of the insults, and his reply that rang too true, has drained away Martok's antagonism; he recognizes that this could be him in 100 years' time, if he lives that long. It's almost a shame when the action plot returns, with the too-predictable finish, as the character material up to then is so much more compelling than any of the actual combat scenes.

In the end, this is a touch too predictable to rank among this excellent series' greats - But the performances, sharp characterization, and excellent dialogue ensure that it's still quite a good one, and a suitable sendoff for Star Trek's original Klingon.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Treachery, Faith and the Great River
Next Episode: The Siege of AR-558

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6-7. You Are Cordially Invited.

No easy ceremony: The wedding of Worf and Dax.

THE PLOT:

A mood of celebration runs through the station in the wake of Sisko's retaking of Deep Space 9. As Sisko observes, the war is far from over and the station will continue to be "one of the most tempting targets in the entire Quadrant." But with business returning to normal and not a Jem'Hadar in sight, the war "seems very far away."

Worf and Dax had agreed to wait until after the war to marry. But when they learn that Worf's son Alexander (Marc Worden) will be transferred to a new ship at the end of the week, they decide to move the wedding up so that he will be a part of it. Both bride and groom have much to do to prepare for the ceremony. Worf gathers his closest friends - Sisko, Martok, Bashir, and O'Brien - to join him for a four-day Klingon bachelor party... which turns out to be an ordeal of deprivation, pain, and violence ("Sounds like marriage all right," Bashir notes).

Meanwhile, Dax greets Martok's wife, Sirella (Shannon Cochran). As mistress of the House of Martok, Sirella must approve of every wedding... which, since Worf joined Martok's House, includes his. Sirella is a Klingon traditionalist, believing that admitting aliens will dilute their sense of identity - leaving Dax fighting an uphill battle to keep this formidable Klingon woman from cancelling the wedding!


CHARACTERS:

Capt. Sisko: One of his first acts after retaking the station is to recommend Martok for the position of Supreme Commander of the 9th Fleet. He brushes off Martok's gruff irritation with sincere congratulations. In an amusing bit of nonverbal business, Sisko becomes protective of his prized baseball when the Klingon shows a little too much interest in it. After a confrontation between Dax and Sirella temporarily derails the wedding, Sisko is the one to confront his old friend, pushing her to set aside her pride and make the needed apologies.

Major Kira: Grins almost constantly at Sisko throughout their first scene in Ops, and tells him how much she hated to say "Good morning, Dukat," during Sisko's absence. She and Odo attempt to avoid each other, not wanting to talk about either his betrayal or his feelings for her. She's the one who finally decides it's silly to dodge each other in hallways and corrals him at Dax's bachelorette party, pulling him into a private room for a long discussion. We don't see the talk, but based on its aftermath - which sees both of them having lost track of time just talking to each other for the first time in a long time - it would appear to have been a good talk.

Worf: As we glimpsed in earlier episodes this season, he has been obsessing over the wedding ever since Dax told him she would marry him. Worf is much like the stereotypical "bridezilla." He has dreamed of his perfect Klingon wedding, obsessed over it, and needs it to be perfect in every detail. When Dax announces that she doesn't really care about Klingon tradition and just wants to get married, he takes it as a direct assault on all he holds dear. In conversation with Martok, he lists all the ways in which he and Dax are mis-matched... Which are also all the ways in which they complement each other so well: "When she is laughing, I am somber. When I am happy, she is crying... She mocks everything, while I take everything seriously. She is nothing like the woman I thought I would marry."

Dax: If Worf has been given the traditional "bride" traits of obsessing ridiculously over the wedding, then Dax has been given the traditional "unconcerned husband" role. She doesn't particularly care about the wedding details, and is perfectly happy to leave all that to Worf. Her very long life-span has cured her of any excitement for weddings: "I've gone through five Trill ceremonies: Three as a bride, two as a groom... I'm a little bored with it." She takes an instant (albeit warranted) dislike to Sirella. When one of her tasks for the Klingon matron is to recite "the chronicle of the women of (Sirella's) family," Dax keeps interjecting with facts from Klingon history that are at odds with the mythology of the chronicle, deliberately baiting her.

O'Brien/Bashir: Or the episode's comedy double-act. Looking forward to a debauched, drunken, four-day Klingon bachelor party, they are gobsmacked when Worf and Martok inform them that they are in for an ordeal. When the wedding is temporarily called off, there's a moment when it seems like they plan to do something to save the day... but their plan of action is to immediately order themselves a feast to celebrate an end to their four-day fast (only to predictably, but still hilariously, have the wedding back on course just as they are about to take their first bite). As he undergoes a particularly painful ritual, Bashir announces that his consciousness has genuinely expanded: "I've had a vision about the future. I can see it so clearly... I'm going to kill Worf!" O'Brien is enthusiastically on-board with the idea.

Quark: In an unguarded moment, he lets slip to Jake that he feels jealous of Worf. He probably doesn't actually "have feelings" for Dax, but he's certainly fond of her. She is a rare non-Ferengi who genuinely enjoys the Ferengi pastimes most of the rest of the Trek races sneer at. She gambles with enthusiasm, haggles when the occasion calls for it, and is a genuine friend to Quark, something that's been very rare in his life. It's no surprise that he thinks she's too good for Worf, a joyless man he describes as "a walking frown."

Martok: It's startling to think that Martok only truly became part of the series' framework in the middle of Season Five, only slightly more than half a season before this episode. By now, he's become an integral part of the series, which shows just how well this show does with its regular and recurring characters. He's the perfect counterpart to Worf: Every bit the true, honorable Klingon warrior, the living model of what Worf inspires to be - Yet at the same time, with a wonderful sense of irreverence and impatience with pompous ceremony for its own sake. J. G. Hertzler is perfect in every scene, and the irritable, growling old warrior steals the show right out from under the rest of the cast.


THOUGHTS:

The first episode after the extended Occupation arc is a character comedy, the first comedy episode the series has provided since In the Cards. This has a nice symmetry to it. The dark, dramatic 7-episode arc that saw the station's fall, Occupation, and finally retaking is bookended with two character-based comedy episodes, allowing some levity and even silliness to counter the heavy material in between.

You Are Cordially Invited is not as splendid as In the Cards. Then again, few episodes are.  This warm, smart, and very funny offering is a joy to watch on its own terms. Ronald D. Moore is hardly the first writer you'd think of for comedy. But the conviction he brings to the characters allows it to work exactly the way character comedy should work. Every person in the show is a fully-realized indivual, driven by a specific viewpoint that makes sense once given context.

Dax and Worf have radically different outlooks on the marriage, but both outlooks make sense: Why should Dax, who has been married numerous times over numerous lifetimes, be excited about yet another wedding? At the same time, why shouldn't Worf, who has always idealized all things Klingon, be insistent on making what he believes will be his only wedding exactly in-keeping with the culture his existence has centered on? Even Sirella, the villain of the piece, has her own viewpoint which is reasonable from her perspective: Why should she give her blessing to a union that, to her, diminishes the purity of her House? She already dislikes that Worf, still officially considered a traitor, is now part of her House. Why should she extend her House to that same traitor's marriage to an alien?

I'll dock the episode a point because we never see how Dax manages to convince Sirella to change her mind about the wedding. It feels like there's a big piece missing - one which in my opinion could have been accommodated by cutting the (overlong) bachelorette party scene in half.

Still, this is an overall well-paced and well-constructed hour. It's a comedy that manages to be extremely funny without ever losing sight of the truth of its characters. Definitely a good one - And quite a bit better than I had expected.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Sacrifice of Angels
Next Episode: Resurrection

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6-3. Sons and Daughters.

Worf gets a surprise reunion with his estranged son.

THE PLOT:

The IKS Rotarran, captained by Martok (J. G. Hertzler) with Worf as first officer, rescues Sisko and his crew from Dominion territory and returns them to Starbase 375. At the same time, the Klingon ship takes on replacement crew members - one of whom is Alexander (Marc Worden), Worf's son. Worf is shocked to see the young man, who had previously rejected the life of a Klingon warrior, enlisting to serve the Empire. He is also displeased to see how poorly-suited Alexander is to a warrior life, unable to even hold his own in a simple brawl. The young man is finding his place; unfortunately, that place, as Worf observes, is "as the ship's fool."

Meanwhile, Kira finds herself dealing with a dilemma of her own. Ziyal (Melanie Smith), Gul Dukat's half-Cardassian, half-Bajoran daughter, has returned to the station to try to have a relationship with her father. Dukat is thrilled to have her back in his life - but that doesn't mean he's above using her to manipulate Kira, who is the closest thing she has had to a mother. With Ziyal genuinely wanting relationships with both of them, Kira finds herself pulled back into the personal orbit of the man she most despises...


CHARACTERS:

Capt. Sisko: Only briefly glimpsed, but it is clear that he and Martok share a strong mutual respect - one warrior to another. I look forward to seeing which of them wins Sisko's bet regarding who will first set foot on Deep Space 9.

Worf: Claims that he accepted Alexander's choice not to become a warrior, and has probably convinced himself that this is true. But we learn in this episode that, shortly after the events of TNG's Firstborn, Worf sent the boy back to his human parents.  He has basically not even seen him in the intervening years - a tidy explanation for why Alexander has barely been mentioned during Worf's DS9 tenure. He has difficulty standing back and allowing his son to fail, or even to take a beating, which actually makes things harder for Alexander in fitting in with the crew. In the end, he is able to make a reconciliation with his son, but to the episode's credit it feels like a fragile one.

Martok: The last episode to focus on Martok as ship's captain was Soldiers of the Empire, in which his time as a prisoner of the Dominion left him a shadow of his former self. He only regained his strength when challenged from within. This episode marks a direct contrast, with the Klingon back at his zenith. He is a strong captain, a man who sees and recognizes the dynamics of his crew. He tries at first to get Worf to accept the situation, pointing out that Alexander is finding his own place. When it becomes clear that Worf's effectiveness as first officer is compromised, though, Martok acts decisively, telling the boy that he will be transferred off the ship. "I need (Worf)," he says flatly, "I do not need you."

Major Kira: Though the Klingon material is entertaining enough, the "B" plot is far more engrossing. Nana Visitor's splendid performance is part of the reason why, as Kira finds herself torn between her genuine caring for Ziyal and her loathing for Dukat. It's a problem made worse by how easy it is for her to be briefly comfortable around Dukat, who is very calculated in showing his most charming face when they are in front of Ziyal. There's a particularly fine moment when he sends her a dress. For just a second, Kira is overjoyed at the lovely garment and how beautiful she will look in it. Then her face sinks as she realizes that she is allowing herself to be claimed - bought, and not even at any great cost. Almost as good is the follow-up, as she confronts Dukat. She accurately labels him as "opportunistic" and "power-hungry." In the first two seasons, she would have been spitting the words at him. Here, she just states them as fact, with no rancor or even emotion - Which is likely why he doesn't try any counter-move; games are no fun when the other person has lost interest in playing.

Gul Dukat: I believe his pride in Ziyal is genuine. The one genuinely selfless moment we've ever seen from Dukat was when he sacrificed his position to save her (though admittedly, only after intending to kill her). He wants her to do well, and he wants a positive relationship. But he wants that on his own terms, terms that include being seen by her as some sort of heroic white knight. Being Dukat, it's easier and truer to himself to manipulate reality rather than actually live up to such an image. A telling moment comes right after Kira returns the dress, denounces him, and leaves. Ziyal enters a moment later, asking who was there. Dukat's smile never wavers as he announces that it was "a delivery... Do you like it?" His pleasure is in no way diminished by her adoration of both gift and him being based on a lie.


THOUGHTS:

Sons and Daughters is the weakest Dominion War episode thus far... Which, given how good much of it is, speaks more to the quality of this run of episodes than to any great weakness in this particular script. The Kira/Dukat material is wonderful, with both Nana Visitor and Marc Alaimo in fine form. The Klingon material isn't as strong, but neither is it bad. The episode rolls along at a solid pace, with plenty of good scenes and no particularly bad scenes. It's a solid piece of Trek, that really suffers only in comparison to the four episodes preceding it.

Readers of my TNG reviews are doubtless aware of how little I enjoyed the character of Alexander on that show. His return to the franchise is not a welcome one. Marc Worden is easier to take as an (arguably too much) older Alexander than Brian Bonsall was, but the character remains irritatingly whiny and unsympathetic. He brings out the worst traits of Worf's character, showcasing how inflexible and self-defeatingly stubborn he can be in his dealings with his son. This leaves Martok as the only truly likable character in the Klingon plot, though J. G. Hertzler is thankfully up to the task, stealing every scene in which he's present.

The script cleverly bookends the Klingon drama with a minor drama of Worf's. Dax tells him that she intends to refuse to join Martok's House - something Worf fears would be a grave dishonor. She lets him rant for a moment before revealing that she's just teasing him and fully intends to join the Klingon House. Alexander, Worf's son, has no House and insists on being referred to as "Rozhenko." By episode's end, when Worf has reached a reconciliation with him, Alexander joins Martok's House as Worf had done previously.

A problem with the Klingon plot is that it doesn't really reach much of a climax. There's a minor space battle, but however urgently the actors may speak, it doesn't feel particularly significant. The convoy escort doesn't so much close in triumph as simply run out after a single, fairly uninspired action scene. This, coupled with the "A" plot being far less interesting than the "B" plot, keep the episode feeling a bit small, as if things are being padded out before the next important episode.

In short: Entertaining and probably about as good as an Alexander episode can be. But a fair step below the excellent shows that preceded it.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: Rocks and Shoals
Next Episode: Behind the Lines

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5-21. Soldiers of the Empire.

Worf begins to doubt Martok (J. G. Hertzler)'s resolve.

THE PLOT

General Martok (J. G. Hertzler) extends an invitation to Worf: Join him as first officer on the Rotarran, a Klingon Bird of Prey. The Rotarran has been assigned to find the B'Moth, a battle cruiser that disappeared near the Cardassian border. It is a great chance at redemption for both men: Martok, to prove that he remains a strong leader after two years in a Dominion prison camp; Worf, to earn honor in the eyes of the Empire that disbanded his House. Dax also insists on coming along as Science Officer, determined to protect Worf from a crew that she can tell is dangerous.

Dax is right: The crew of the Rotarran is in a dark state. Ever since the Cardassians allied themselves with the Jem'Hadar, the Klingon ship has suffered one defeat after another. The Klingons are hungry for a victory, any victory. When Martok plots a course designed to avoid battle, insisting on focusing on the mission, the atmosphere goes from dark to dangerous. And when Martok plays it safe a second time, passing up a potentially easy kill for fear of a Dominion trap, the crew starts to hover on the edge of mutiny!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Talks with Worf before granting the request to temporarily release him to be Martok's first officer. He mainly wants to make sure that Worf genuinely desires this. When Worf explains why he feels loyal to Martok, he adds that he isn't sure Sisko, a human, can understand. Sisko's expression says otherwise, and he grants the request with no further questions.

Worf: His loyalty to Martok stems from his time in the Jem'Hadar prison camp. When the Jem'Hadar forced him to fight in their arena, he could see no end to the cycle and considered letting them win. Martok recognized his intent and stopped him with a single look, saving Worf's life and allowing him to eventually escape. His defense of Martok even when it becomes clear that the general is going out of his way to avoid a fight feels more like something from his human upbringing than from the Klingon values he has always prized. When situations force him to finally confront Martok, that loyalty is still in evidence - something Martok again recognizes, fortunately for Worf.

Dax: With Worf behaving more like a human, it falls to Dax to be "more Klingon than Klingon" this week. She bonds with the crew quite quickly, having calculated exactly how to ingratiate herself: Her first day in the mess hall, she picks just the right fight as a prelude to delivering three crates of blood wine. She quickly recognizes that the crew is in despair over their string of defeats. Worf sees this too, but Dax sees what he does not: Namely, the danger to Worf and Martok in this situation. She pushes Worf at every turn, reminding him that this is not a Federation ship: "If you think the blood looks bad on my uniform, wait until the decks are dripping with it!"

Martok: "Broken" by the Jem'Hadar, just as the crew of the Rotarran has been. Like the crew, he needs a victory to restore his confidence. But he's too fearful of the Jem'Hadar to actually get one. Having fallen victim to them once, he sees Dominion traps in every situation. His first choice, to avoid a nebula where warships are certain to be, is sensible: Their mission is to find the B'Moth, not to endanger the ship needlessly. But when he avoids a fight with a Jem'Hadar ship directly in their path just because a trap is possible, it's clear that he is afraid. Once again, his crew directly reflects him, as we see one Klingon officer drunkenly talk about how the Jem'Hadar's lack of honor makes them "better... they're faster and they're stronger than we are!" When Martok refuses to rescue the ship they've been sent to retrieve just because it drifted across the border, he sparks a challenge - and when Martok wins that challenge, his crew begin chanting his name, then singing as he recovers his Klingon blood lust and presses forward into the very battle he (and the ship) have dreaded.


THOUGHTS

In terms of developing the Klingons, Soldiers of the Empire doesn't add anything new to Trek lore. The Klingons live by a warrior code. There is a very specific structure to the way in which a Klingon warrior may advance by challenging his superior, and that structure and code keep the society from chaos despite the chaotic way their culture may appear from the outside. An honorable victory is what a warrior lives for, and defeat is ignominy... All of which is ground tread by previous TNG and DS9 episodes many times before.

What keeps this episode from feeling like a stale retread is the way it is framed. Putting our regulars on a Klingon ship, serving with a Klingon crew, heavily recalls TNG's A Matter of Honor. But the ship Worf and Dax serve on is a ship that has endured a series of defeats, to the point at which the crew now goes into battle expecting to be defeated. This gives it a different flavor from other Klingon episodes, as Worf and Dax must watch their backs around this dangerously demoralized crew even as Worf slowly comes to realize that he will have to challenge Martok for the captain's seat.

Like many Klingon episodes, this is very broadly played, almost operatic in tone and style... Which works, because the Klingons feel right and the dimmer lighting and more claustrophobic set design of the Bird of Prey interiors adds an atmosphere well-suited to the proceedings. It isn't actually an action episode - A brawl that's cut short by Dax and a knife fight at the climax are the only two "action" pieces in the show. But Moore's script and Levar Burton's steady directing keep the tension of the situation tangible, with the viewer left waiting right along with the characters for it to reach its boiling point.

What keeps this from reaching the heights of the best Klingon episodes, such as TNG's Sins of the Father or DS9's The Way of the Warrior, is the guest cast. The crew of the Rotarran are a bunch of one-dimensional "types." There's the drunken one, there's the dangerous one, there's the sympathetic woman... I couldn't even tell you any of the characters' names unless I wanted to look them up. The script is effective in having the crew's fractured state reflect Martok's fractured state, and in bringing the crew together as a unified force just as Martok recovers his old Klingon fire... But I can't help but think that the same could have been accomplished while making at least one or two members of the crew into layered characters.

The weak guest characters are made up for by very strong characterizations of the regular and recurring cast. Moore's script gives Worf and Dax very strong material, with this being one of the best Dax episodes in a while. Martok continues to develop as a memorable and interesting recurring character, and his friendship with Worf promises to become another of the several wonderful character relationships this show has created.  That's more than enough to make this a good episode... Even if it leaves it short of being a great one.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Ferengi Love Songs
Next Episode: Children of Time

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5-6. Trials and Tribble-ations.

Kirk and Sisko: Captains of two eras, face-to-face.

THE PLOT

The Cardassian government has decided to return a Bajoran Orb. The Defiant is transporting the artifact along with a passenger: Barry Waddle (Charlie Brill), a human merchant who was trapped on Cardassia during the Klingon invasion. They are about halfway home when there's a sudden power surge.  The ship drops out of warp - and Sisko and his crew quickly discover that they have been transported back in time.

The Bajoran artifact was actually the Orb of Time, and the human was actually Arn Darvin, a Klingon agent who fell into disgrace 100 years earlier when assigned to poison a supply of Federation grain.  Darvin's assignment failed when he was unmasked by Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), leaving the agent in exile from his own people, wearing a human face and doomed to eke out whatever living he can manage

The Orb of Time has provided him with an opportunity to get his revenge - by giving him a second chance to defeat Kirk at Space Station K-7. Now Sisko and his crew must track him down, searching both the station and the Enterprise, all while taking care not to interfere with the course of history. But with a fetching Enterprise crew member taking a liking to Dr. Bashir, Tribbles taking a decided dislike to Worf, and Dax reveling in her memories of the first time she lived through this time period, that just might be easier said than done!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Has a case of hero-worship toward Kirk, and is excited at being on Kirk's ship. Nevertheless, he sticks firmly to the mission, even reigning in Dax's own enthusiasm at several points. He only allows himself one, tiny indulgence after the crisis has passed.

Dax: Comes across particularly strongly in this episode. Dax's enthusiasm, humor, and playfulness makes her particularly winning in this lighthearted romp, and her rapport with Avery Brooks makes their scenes together a joy to watch.   Her nostalgia for an era that she actually lived through does require Sisko to drag her back on-task a couple times, but she doesn't ever really stop working on the mission - She just has a hard time not wanting truly be part of an era she associates with her younger years.

Odo: Paired with Worf for the bulk of the episode, essentially playing straight man to feed Worf's entertaining reactions to Tribbles and old-style Klingons. Odo likes the Tribbles enormously and mocks Worf for his hatred of them and for Klingons' "Great Tribble Hunt" that wiped them out by the end of the 23rd century. Odo's attachment to one little Tribble helps set up the episode's visual punchline.

Worf: Gets some amusing bits, particularly his reaction to the Tribbles and his acknowledgement of the TOS Klingons. "They are Klingons... It is a long story." Has little else to do in this episode, but Michael Dorn's presence and comic timing help him to still register.

Bashir/O'Brien: Get some of the most amusing bits of the episode.  O'Brien, the miracle worker of the current series, can't make head nor tails of the 100-year-old technology on the Enterprise.  He struggles with something as simple as operating the old ship's turbolift!  O'Brien also gets to lie to Kirk at one point - not long after mistaking a random Goldshirt for the legendary captain.  Meanwhile, Bashir tries to come up with a convoluted rationalization that will allow him to take a pretty young lieutenant (Deirdre Imershein) up on her flirting.


THOUGHTS

For Star Trek's anniversary, the production teams of Deep Space 9 and Voyager decided to make episodes that harkened back to the original series. For Voyager, the result was flashbacks to Sulu set during Star Trek VI. Deep Space 9, meanwhile, used visual effects and trickery to put its regulars, Forrest Gump-like, into the action of a TOSepisode. The episode choice: The old favorite, with fans and the general public alike... The Trouble with Tribbles.

The resulting episode is a lot of fun.  It's a good episode, with a smart script by Ronald D. Moore and Rene Echevarria that works both as a companion piece to the original episode and as a solid story in its own right.  The episode definitely gains (considerably) if viewed alongside the 1960's episode.  But Moore and Echevarria have written it with enough clarity, and enough going on among its own characters, that this would likely still hold up if watched by someone who knew nothing about The Trouble with Tribbles.  That person would miss out on a lot of the fun, but would still be able to follow the story.

I like the episode, but I'll admit that I don't find it as enjoyable as the original. The crisis never feels like much of one, and the plot is clearly just an excuse for everyone to enjoy themselves in sets and costumes that are decades out of date. Also, while it's probably unavoidable given the schedule and budget involved, it feels like a shame that interaction between old cast and new is so limited. There are only a few, very short bits in which the new cast does anything that approaches active interaction with the old footage. Mostly, they just look on while slightly-doctored clips from the earlier show are piped in. I'll allow that as much has been done as was feasible on a 1990's television budget with 1990's television technology... but when watching, I can't help but wish there was a little more.

Also, and more within the production's control, the episode makes a bad music choice that wrecks one of the original episode's highlights. The 1960's episode was hugely enhanced by its incidental music, particularly in a barroom brawl sequence. The movement of the music from generic action to a jaunty comedy beat was brilliant, and lined up perfectly with the visuals on-screen. Here, we just get a generic action score.  This, along with too much cutting of amusing background details from the original, kills the humor of Cyrano Jones dodging brawlers with drinks in hand.  A great comedy scene is reduced to a generic action bit.

I don't want it to sound like I'm carping about the episode, though. It is tremendously enjoyable, both on its own terms and as a celebration of 30 years of Star Trek. The cast is clearly on-board with the concept, the characters are likable, and it's well-judged to appeal equally to fans of Trek from the '60's and Trek from the '90's


Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Assignment
Next Episode: Let He Who Is Without Sin...

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5-4. Nor the Battle to the Strong.

Jake and Bashir, in a war zone.

THE PLOT

Despite the cease fire, the Klingons have attacked a Federation colony on Ajilon Prime. The distress call comes in just as Jake and Dr. Bashir are returning from a medical conference, which Jake is covering for an article. Bashir reluctantly diverts, stating that they will render what aid they can but leave as soon as reinforcements arrive.

The Farragut is the closest starship, but the Klingons intercept it and destroy it en route, leaving the colony cut off for an indefinite period. The situation grows even more dire as the Klingons shift to an all-out ground war. When the power to the colony's medical center is disrupted, Jake and Bashir head to their runabout for power cells to keep the wounded alive.

Then a barrage of shelling separates them.  As the shells continue, Jake runs for his life - and is left branding himself a coward for having done so...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Consumed with worry from the second he learns that his son is now in a war zone.  When he learns that the Farragut was destroyed, he insists on leaving in the Defiant. Refreshingly, he doesn't arrive in time to save the day. The situation is resolved before he arrives. Avery Brooks gets some excellent scenes opposite Rene Auberjonois and Terry Farrell, reflecting on what it means to be a parent when you are unable to protect your child.

Jake: The start of the episode sees him practically willing the universe to send along a crisis to save him from having to write about Bashir's boring medical conference. Be careful what you wish for, Jake. As he transcribes his thoughts, he observes how much more real the danger seems here than it did during any of the attacks on DS9. There, his father was present. Here, he's alone save for a (very busy) Bashir, and that in itself makes him feel less protected. His terror-stricken flight is actually very easy to forgive. He's a civilian, not a soldier, so he's undergone absolutely no training - and with explosions all around, every impulse in his body is screaming at him to run. But as the son of a Starfleet captain, as someone who has spent his life surrounded by military, he can't forgive himself. Even at the end, it takes his father's words for him to begin to let go of his lapse.

Dr. Bashir: When he steps into the overwhelmed medical center, Jake is overwhelmed. Bashir, however, is utterly in his element. It doesn't even take five seconds for him to start helping patients. When the power goes down, he doesn't hesitate to go out to recover power cells from the runabout. After Jake returns, Bashir sees that something is bothering the young man and makes himself available if Jake needs to talk. He claims not to have seen Jake after their separation, but I wonder if he did see what happened and simply wants to give Jake space to come to terms with it on his own.


THOUGHTS

Apocalypse Rising had me worried that the Klingon arc had been resolved too neatly and easily, effectively brushed aside without real mess or consequence. Nor the Battle to the Strong answers those concerns, showing that the building hostility of the previous year did simply evaporate with the reveal of Changeling involvement. Like in real conflicts, there were talks that broke down, resulting in an attack before the talks start up again. As Jake observes, it's a battle that will be remembered as "a pointless skirmish," a minor epilogue to the Klingon conflict. Nothing is won or lost - nothing except for many lives.

It's one of the best and grittiest portrayals of war Star Trek has attempted in any incarnation. Rene Echevarria's script avoids any big battle scenes, instead confining the bulk of the story to the colony's medical ward. We hear the sounds of battle in the background, and in the stream of patients overloading the meager staff, we see its consequences. In several early moments, I was actually reminded of the classic MASH episode, O. R. - which, if there's any doubt, is something I mean as a very high compliment.

This extends even to when Jake is outside for the middle part of the episode. He sees dead bodies in the aftermath of a skirmish. He meets a mortally-wounded soldier, who describes the fierce fighting that left him in this state. But the only "action" we witness is Jake running from some shelling. It is left to our imaginations to piece together what happened from the aftermath.

Jake's personal story is expertly structured. He is certain, even cocky, of his ability to "handle himself" in a fight. Once he enters the medical center, however, he is almost instantly aware that he's gotten much more than he bargained for. He copes well as long as he's able to keep busy, but descriptions of Klingons' blood-lust eat at his imagination even before he goes with Bashir to get power cells. Once he runs from the shelling, he is absolutely convinced of his own cowardice.

This is our Red Badge of Courage episode, and the plot does what is required to redeem Jake (to the extent that he needs redeeming at all)... but as he observes, his "heroic deed" at the end is simply him doing what he must to stay alive. The same impulses that lead to flight at the episode's midpoint lead him to desperate action at the end. What's different between the two deeds isn't anything within him - it's just a question of circumstances.

I am tempted to deduct a point for the convenience of Bashir returning, offscreen, to the base almost entirely unscathed. But Bashir isn't the focus of this episode; Jake is. And in a way, learning that Bashir wasn't even badly hurt by the bombardment that led to his flight likely makes his emotional pain all the stronger.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places
Next Episode: The Assignment 

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5-1. Apocalypse Rising.

Sisko infiltrates the Klingon Empire.

THE PLOT

Sabre-rattling has finally given way to open conflict: The Klingon Empire and the Federation are at war. In the wake of Odo's revelation that Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) is a Changeling, Starfleet has decided to send an infiltration team to go into Klingon territory and do "whatever it takes" to prove that the Klingons have become dupes of the Dominion.

Sisko has been given polaron emitters, which should bombard a Changeling with enough radiation to make him drop his disguise. He has himself, Odo, and O'Brien modified to look like Klingons, and he makes arrangements for the use of Gul Dukat's hijacked Bird of Prey to get them through Klingon space to Gowron's military base at Ty'Gokor.

But as Worf says, it is not enough to merely look like a Klingon. They must learn to act like Klingons, as well. And in a warrior society where one wrong move can lead to a duel to the death, this simple feat may prove as perilous as the mission itself...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: The aggressiveness required to play a Klingon is well-suited to his own personality traits. He focuses tightly on the mission, but is a good enough commander to recognize Odo's personal crisis and make time for a couple of private chats with him. When he sees that Martok (J. G. Hertzler) has his own doubts about Gowron, he exploits those, working to convince Martok that turning against Gowron's Changeling imposter would not be treason to the Empire, but rather service to it.

Odo: With his shapeshifting abilities now gone, he feels diminished and useless. He reacts to being asked on the mission by suggesting one of his deputies come instead. "There's nohting I can do that he can't," Odo says bitterly. He worries that he will be the reason the assignment fails. Dramatic structure demands that the last third of the episode see this prediction likely to come true, as Odo's emitter is discovered by a Klingon - prompting quick thinking on the part of both Odo and Worf to effectively defuse the situation.

Worf: A scene on Dukat's ship sees Worf training the others in Klingon behavior. Odo and O'Brien make unconvincing Klingons in these early bits, while Sisko is actually too aggressive, engaging in behavior that would prompt a duel to the death. Once at their destination, Worf interprets the Klingon ritual and customs for his comrades (and for the audience), and his interactions with Gowron remind us of the rivalry between them.

Gul Dukat: Makes his first appearance since Return to Grace in mid-Season Four. It was entirely too long a gap, and Marc Alaimo instantly reminds us how delightful he is. Dukat may be Sisko's ally, but he remains ruthlessly pragmatic. It is clear that he believes Sisko's trip is a one-way one, though he is more diplomatic than his first officer in saying so. He limits his assistance to dropping the party off, bluntly telling Sisko: "If you succeed, the war will be over and you won't need us. And if you fail..."

Klingons: Have gone to war with the Federation with ghastly enthusiasm, bragging of their raids on their former allies. We see more of their warrior culture, with the ceremony for those awarded The Order of the Bat'leth doubling as an endurance test. Only those who remain standing after a night of drinking and, inevitably, brawling will actually receive the honor. Those who are not still on their feet the morning after are removed from the chamber, presumably returning to their units in dishonor.


THOUGHTS

Apocalypse Rising is a solid season premiere. It establishes the new status quo and re-introduces the major characters and situation. We are reminded of the conflict with the Klingons, and we see that it's now gone further than it had at Season Four's close. We are reminded of Odo's loss of his abilities, and see how he is reacting to that. We get at least one moment with each of the regulars, with even Jake getting a brief look-in. At the same time, a solid action/suspense story is told, one which ties directly to the arc while still standing on its own as a good episode.

That said, the previous four seasons opened with some real heavy hitters: Emissary, the Bajoran "Circle" 3-parter, The Search, and The Way of the Warrior. After that run, my expectations of a Deep Space 9 season opener have been raised a bit higher than just a good episode that does what it needs to do.

There's nothing wrong with Apocalypse Rising. Writers Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe have crafted a fast-paced story. It does an excellent job of building on the Klingon and Changeling complications of Season Four, and turning those strands in a way that will allow for a new direction in Season Five. There's even a nicely-executed plot twist at the end, one which makes a lot of sense out of what had seemed like rather senseless and even contradictory actions on Gowron's part.

But compared to previous premieres, it just lacks that extra "something." Maybe it's because it's a one-parter instead of a two-parter, which limits the extent to which the story can be complicated. The setbacks Sisko's party encounters are predictable ones which are resolved very quickly in all cases. A two-parter would have allowed more complications in reaching Ty'Gokor and more varied interactions among the Klingons once there.

As it stands, I would rate this as a good episode, one with a particularly strong end twist. It just feels a bit "smaller" than I'd have liked.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Broken Link
Next Episode: The Ship

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Thoughts on Season Four.

Worf has difficulty adjusting to life on Deep Space 9.

Season Four of Deep Space 9 is the best so far. That's enough of a surprise, given how very good Season Three was. It's even more of one when you consider that this is a season which undergoes changes made for purely commercial reasons. Shifting emphasis and adding a new character, both on the record as having been done strictly to boost ratings, are the sorts of actions that usually lead to disaster for series television. Instead, the new elements are used in a way that builds on and ties into what went before.


WHEN A RELAUNCH ISN'T A RELAUNCH: THE CHANGES

Season Four of Deep Space 9 begins with a feature-length episode that, in many respects, seems to act as a second pilot for the show. The Way of the Warrior is designed as a jumping-on point for new viewers, re-establishing the world of Deep Space 9 and resetting its rules. Worf is added as a regular, the Klingons are redefined as adversaries instead of allies, and there is suddenly much more emphasis on action.

Though this shake-up may have been motivated by ratings concerns, real thought has gone into using it to enrich the show. The season premiere may appear to be a "second pilot," but The Way of the Warrior takes care to weave its plot around existing threads. Time is devoted to Worf finding his place on the station, and time is spent on the renewed animosity with the Klingons. By the middle of the season, it becomes clear that the series has not redefined itself around these new elements. The Dominion remains the foremost threat, with an ambitious mid-season two-parter showing how the Dominion presence sparks paranoia even in the heart of the Federation.

In short, what starts out looking like a second start is made part and parcel of the series as it already existed. The action builds as much from events in Seasons Two and Three as from anything created this year. The relaunch isn't actually a relaunch, and both new and old elements come together in a way that makes both more interesting than they would be individually.

Jake Sisko (Tony Todd) nears the end of his life in
The Visitor, the season (maybe series)'s standout episode.

WARRIOR, TAILOR, DOCTOR, SPY: THE CHARACTERS

Deep Space 9 continues to excel in using its ensemble. Sisko, the Star Trek captain who probably least idealizes the Federation self-image ("It's easy to be a saint in Paradise!"), nevertheless proves a strong protector of its ideals when his old mentor prepares to launch a paranoid coup.

He continues to be protective of his son's welfare, emotional as well as physical, whether the situation involves the Mirror Universe's counterpart of his dead wife or an alien muse, feeding off Jake's creative energies. His bond with his son is most evident in the season's standout episode, The Visitor, which may be the most successfully emotional episode of Star Trek ever made.

In the supporting cast, Garak continues to steal every scene he's in and almost every episode that features him. Likely in response to the character's popularity and to Andrew Robinson's wonderful performance, he is featured more and more often. Amazingly, the writers manage this without undermining the qualities that made him so much fun to start with. We still don't know much about him, and what we do know hardly inspires trust - yet he remains impossible to truly dislike. He might slip a knife in your back, but he'll be enormously entertaining company right up until the second before that happens.

Strong material is spread among all the regulars, with Odo having to deal with consequences from killing a changeling; O'Brien, facing the prospect of becoming a father a second time; and Bashir facing tests of not only medical skills, but also of his principles and his character.

On the downside, this is the weakest season yet for Kira, and the only season to date in which she does not end up being a standout character. She still gets good material, particularly when put opposite Marc Alaimo's Gul Dukat (also underused this year), but she has noticeably less to do than in previous seasons.

Season Four is probably best remembered as the season that brought Worf onto the show. His introduction in The Way of the Warrior is exceptionally well-handled, giving him a dynamic first DS9 appearance that makes use of his background from the Klingon episodes of TNG without allowing him to overshadow Sisko and the other regulars. It's an excellent episode, one of the series' best, and an outstanding introduction to Worf.

After The Way of the Warrior, however, comes a run of episodes in which the writers don't seem sure what to do with the new addition. I suspect many of these scripts had already been completed, or at least outlined, before the decision to add him was made, and there are more than a few cases of "a Worf scene" being tacked onto an episode that otherwise has no use for him.

Thankfully, this improves as the season goes along, with Worf gradually receiving strong episodes and subplots. His friendship/budding relationship with Dax has potential to develop both characters, as does his respectful but sometimes strained working relationship with Odo. Even at the season's end, I don't think the show has fully found a place for Worf - but I do think this is likely to be rectified in Season Five.

Akorem Laan (Richard Libertini) takes the title of Emissary
in Accession, one of too few episodes to deal with Bajor.

BAJOR WANING

When I wrote my Season Three overview, I observed how far into the background the Bajor arc had been pushed by the rise of the Dominion threat. Seasons One and Two were heavily centered around Bajor and its political entanglements in the wake of the Cardassian Occupation. Season Three saw that focus reduced, with only a handful of episodes continuing to follow up on Bajor and the machinations of Kai Winn.

Season Three at least continued to develop this thread, though, with the Bajoran/Cardassian peace treaty and the rise of Shakaar, Kira's old resistance cell leader, to First Minister. In Season Four, what few Bajor-centric episodes exist are just placeholders, installments which may entertain, but which don't alter the status quo.

Really, as the show becomes less about Bajor and more about the Dominion, it stands out just how well the series has done at weaving the Klingon, Dominion, and Cardassian stories together with that of the station. All of those threads feel like parts of  single, dynamic whole. Bajor, which was the focus of the series when it began, does not feel like part of that same whole, and in Season Four its situation has ceased to be as dynamic as the rest of the series' elements. Continuing to namecheck Bajor has become an obligation of a series that has moved on to other things.

Odo visits the changeling homeworld. It's not a happy homecoming.

SEASON FIVE WISHLIST

Don't get me wrong when I observe that Bajor has waned in importance at this point. I not only don't foresee a return to a Bajor-centered series, I also don't want that. The central arcs of the series now are genuinely compelling, and the show feels like a richer place than it did in its early days. What I would like is for the Bajoran threads to be woven into the larger story. If this could be done with the Klingon arc - which initially seemed like a colorful digression - then it could certainly be done with Bajor.

Beyond that, the series has gotten so good at this point, it's almost impossible to wish for major changes. I not only would like, but I genuinely do expect, to see better use made of Worf in seasons to come. I also hope to see Kira return to her former prominence.

Past that, I just hope the series continues to do as well as it has in balancing its many characters and stories, and in keeping them feeling like part of the same whole.

Even in Season One, I was impressed by how good this series often was. In Season Four, Deep Space 9 has become genuinely excellent television. My biggest wish is for it to remain such, so that I can continue to enjoy the ride.


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Next Season: Season Five

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