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

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

THE PLOT

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

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

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


CHARACTERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


"NOT THE CARDASSIA I KNEW": CHANGES AND FAREWELLS

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


CONCLUSION

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

Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: The Dogs of War

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7-23. Extreme Measures.

Sloan lays one last trap for Dr. Bashir - inside his own mind!

THE PLOT

Odo is dying.

The Changeling virus created by Section 31 has advanced to a terminal stage, and he now has just 1 - 2 weeks to live. Dr. Bashir can make him comfortable, but cannot save him. He does have one idea, however - To lure a Section 31 operative to the station by sending a fake message to Starfleet Medical indicating that he's discovered a cure.

The bait is taken, and the trap sprung on - who else? - Sloan (William Sadler). Bashir traps the agent in a force field... But before he can interrogate Sloan, the man activates a suicide capsule. The doctor is able to temporarily stabilize him, but Sloan is already too far gone to reawaken.

Which leaves just one option to find the information he needs. He and O'Brien use Techno (Medo?)-babble devices to travel into Sloan's subconscious mind, entering the dying man's dreamscape to learn how to cure their friend before it's too late!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: When Bashir and O'Brien inform him of their plan, he indicates it's a "pretty long shot," but does not shut it down. Even when he discovers Bashir and O'Brien invading Sloan's mind, he does not stop them; and when they finally come to, just as Sloan dies, he doesn't spare a second for the late, unlamented agent. He just asks if they located the cure... Another example of how much more ruthless and goal-oriented the Sisko of recent episodes has become.

Bashir/O'Brien: The interactions between Bashir and O'Brien help to keep us invested in their disappointingly pedestrian trip down the rabbit hole. The first thing they encounter upon entering Sloan's subconscious is... the DS9 turbolift. They cling to the rails as if for dear life, each goading the other to let go first before finally agreeing to do so together. A later scene has them talking about their friendship vs. their respective romantic relationships. Bashir confesses that he is passionately in love with Ezri, but that he likes O'Brien "a bit more." O'Brien amusingly (unconvincingly) denies the same with regard to Keiko vs. Bashir. It's a funny, genuine moment.

Odo: Gets a standout scene at the start, when he pushes Kira to go back to Damar. He insists that she has to go, and tells her flatly that he wants her to leave. "You watched Bareil die in this very room, and I know how that's haunted you. I don't want your last memory of me to be witnessing my death." Rene Auberjonois and Nana Visitor are terrific, providing an emotional resonance lacking in the rest of the piece.

Sloan: There is one scene that indicates Sloan might have been used to provide that resonance. When Bashir and O'Brien enter his mind, they are almost immediately greeted by the dying man - But a much more open and affable version of him, who desperately wants them to witness his apology to his friends and loved ones. The scene underscores that people like Sloan usually go into their line of work with patriotism and good intentions. That this more human version ends up being assassinated by Section 31 Sloan is a rather obvious bit of symbolism, but it's not ineffective. If only the episode had devoted a little more time to the idea of a good man corrupted by his own work, rather than dodging into a weak Third Act fakeout that wouldn't fool a small child.


THOUGHTS

Just to get this out of the way up front: Extreme Measures is fine, as far as it goes. It does its job in advancing the overall story, while at the same time working as an episode in its own right. And, of course, any Bashir/O'Brien episode benefits from the wonderful screen cameraderie between Alexander Siddig and Colm Meaney.

So it should be understood that I'm not really bashing this episode. I'd probably be fairly positive about it had it popped up in the midst of the mid-season filler. But amongst the strong run of shows wrapping up the series, it feels decidedly lacking by comparison.

A fair comparison can be made to Season Three's Distant Voices, another episode that trapped Bashir inside a station-bound dreamscape. Though that was far from my favorite episode, lacking narrative momentum, it did a much better job of creating a dreamlike atmosphere on the standing sets than this one, not to mention offering some memorable set pieces. This episode achieves neither of those. Steve Posey's direction is competent but bland, and writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle spend half the running time setting up the journey into Sloan's mind, thus leaving only about twenty minutes for Bashir and O'Brien to explore that setting.

There's a Third Act fakeout in which we're meant to think O'Brien and Bashir are back in the real world, only for them to discover they are still in Sloan's mind. The problem is, it's so clearly telegraphed that I can't imagine anyone being fooled. It just provides a complication, something to delay our heroes from the final confrontation with Sloan.

Overall, the episode is serviceable and does what it needs to do, and I wasn't bored by it. But I also wasn't particularly hooked. Given the quality of most of this final run, I can't help but label this a disappointment.


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Tacking into the Wind
Next Episode: The Dogs of War

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7-14. Chimera.

Odo meets another changeling exile.

THE PLOT

Odo and O'Brien are returning to the station from a conference when a changeling appears on their ship. This changeling, Laas (Garman Hertzler), is not a Founder - He is instead one of the 100 sent by the Founders to learn about the galaxy.

That does not make him a friend. Laas has lived for centuries among "mono-forms," a label he sneeringly applies to all the species on Deep Space 9. Experience has taught him that humanoids cannot trust a changeling, and that their mistrust can turn quickly to anger and violence.

When a public display of shapeshifting inspires violence from a pair of Klingons, Laas feels the incident proves his point. And when he uses lethal force to fend off that attack, the Klingon homeworld demands Laas be given over to their custody - a request Odo is horrified to see Sisko seriously considering!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: If the viewer steps back and looks at the situation objectively, Sisko isn't nearly as unsympathetic as Odo views him. He's right that Laas was never in any danger from the Klingon, and that his use of deadly force was almost certainly unnecessary. He also isn't advocating turning Laas over to the Klingons - He simply believes that this should be up to the magistrate. Given the full situation, it's hard to argue that he should have behaved differently.

Col. Kira: Is uncomfortable when Odo reveals he linked with Laas. Given what happened the last time Odo linked with another changeling, I don't particularly blame her - But this episode doesn't reference that, not even by inference. Instead, Kira just says something about wishing she was able to link with him. For the most part, this episode reduces her to being the "supportive love interest," though she is at least proactive in jump-starting the final Act.

Odo: Overlooks Laas' role in the Klingon's death a little too easily. If he acknowledged that Laas had escalated the situation while still insisting that he acted in self-defense, it would feel truer to the Odo who has always valued justice above all. That aside, his delight in finding a fellow changeling who isn't a Founder is entirely convincing, as is his rage at seeing Laas treated more harshly than any solid would be in the same situation.

Quark: Acts as the bearer of harsh truths, reminding Odo that the changelings are very different than the humanoid species on the station and that this, in conjunction with the war against the Founders, guides reactions: "Don't you get it, Odo? We humanoids are a product of millions of years of evolution. Our ancestors learned the hard way that what you don't know might kill you. They wouldn't have survived if they hadn't have jumped back when they encountered a snake coiled in the muck. And now millions of years later, that instinct is still there... Watch your step, Odo. We're at war with your people." Quark's view is one that looks entirely at the worst aspects of human nature while ignoring the best (exemplified by Kira's final speech to Odo) - But that doesn't make it wrong, merely incomplete.

Laas: One suspects he'd actually get along well with the Founders, as he shares the view that shapeshifters are inherently superior to solids. His encounter with the Klingons is certainly started by them, but he does everything in his power to make sure the exchange ends in violence - And his reaction to killing the Klingon is so apathetic that it seems that in his mind, he's just swatted a particularly bothersome fly. It's to the episode's credit that while Laas isn't written as a villain, and his motives in trying to tempt Odo from the station are genuine, he is never made to be likable. The victim of bigotry has responded by himself becoming a bigot - and his attitude is every bit as ugly as the ill-fated Klingon's.


THOUGHTS

Chimera is a well-regarded episode. Rene Echevarria's script is intelligent, with a handful of outstanding scenes and exchanges. The character of Laas is entirely convincing, and all the performances are excellent. Despite some quibbles with Kira being reduced to the role of simple love interest for this episode, by any reasonable objective measure, it has to be regarded as a worthy piece.

Unfortunately, I found it to be a bit dull and distancing. If pushed, I would have to admit that I did not enjoy watching it.

That's one reason why this review took a while to appear. I've mentioned in the past how much easier it is to write about a very good or very bad episode. It's easy to rave about something that excites you, intrigues you, or makes you think; it's even easier to make fun of or rant about something you hate. Trying to express thoughts about something that doesn't evoke much response in you? Very difficult.

Chimera is objectively good, but it just didn't much hold my interest. The reactions of Sisko and Laas and, for the most part, Odo are convincingly scripted, and I hugely applaud Rene Echevarria's decision to make Laas unsympathetic. It's a well-turned script, and the few objective faults I can find aren't enough to explain my apathy toward it. This just is not an episode I enjoyed.

With such a sharp divide between objective quality and my own enjoyment (or lack thereof), a final rating is difficult. But these are my reviews, and I'm scoring according to my reactions... So I think I'll parse this one straight down the middle:


Overall Rating: 5/10.

Previous Episode: Field of Fire
Next Episode: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang

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7-13. Field of Fire.

Ezri is tempted by her past host, Joran (Leigh J. McCloskey).

THE PLOT

The crew is shocked when Lt. Hector Ilario (Art Chudabala) is murdered immediately after a late night celebration of his combat conduct. Ezri is hit particularly hard; after walking the inebriated young lieutenant to his quarters, she was apparently the last person to see him alive. There is no significant physical evidence, despite the murder having been committed at close range with a projectile weapon. It's a sad, random act of violence, one Odo is not optimistic about solving.

Then another victim turns up: a woman with no apparent ties to Ilario, but who was killed in the exact same way - potentially the work of someone killing at random. Sisko assigns Ezri to assist Odo, hoping that her psychology training will help narrow the suspect pool. But to catch this type of killer, innocent young Ezri will have to somehow be able to think like him. Impossible... If not for the fact that one of Dax's past hosts was Joran (Leigh J. McCloskey), himself a cold-blooded murderer.

Faced with the prospect of more murders, Ezri takes desperate action. She performs the right of Emergence, separating Joran's personality from her other predecessors. Now she can interact with him, letting him guide her to see through a killer's eyes. But Joran's perspective is more than a little seductive, and the further Ezri goes with this line of investigation, the more she finds herself drawn into Joran's darkness...


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Is quick to assign Ezri to assist Odo, on logical grounds: Her background makes her more suited to anticipating a psychologically-motivated killer than anyone else among the command crew. But when it becomes clear that Ezri is being affected by the investigation, he offers (threatens?) to take her off the case, and she has to argue to keep the assignment.

Ezri: When she first thinks about Joran, her impulse is to do what her predecessors did: Bury him as deep in her consciousness as possible and do all she can to forget he even exists. But her sense of duty is too strong to allow these murders continue without doing all she can. When a second victim turns up, she calls on Joran to try to understand the kind of killer who is incomprehensible to most of us. Ezri's interactions with him are like those of a pupil with a teacher, and she finds herself easily tempted by the darkness he represents. A key scene comes as he urges her to look through a duplicate of the murder weapon. As she uses the sight on the rifle to peer through the station corridors, then into private quarters, she grows excited. She drops the gun like a biting snake when Joran urges her to pull the trigger - But it's indicated that his urging excites her almost as much as it appalls her. Nicole de Boer is very good here, and Ezri feels more fully realized in this episode than she has since Afterimage.

O'Brien: He and Bashir both feel guilty for not allowing Ilario to join them in their holosuite program, perhaps feeling that if they'd only said yes the young lieutenant might not have died. O'Brien puts his guilt to particularly good use. When the bullet is matched to a TR-116 rifle, O'Brien replicates the weapon, then modifies it so that after firing, the bullet is transported directly in front of its victim - Thus explaining both the close range and the lack of powder burns or other physical evidence. It proves a major breakthrough for Ezri in learning to see through the killer's eyes, while also putting established Trek technology cleverly in service to the mystery plot.

Worf: Startles Ezri when, late at night, she senses someone is following her. That someone turns out to be Worf. He admits he was trying to protect her, though he insists this isn't any special worry over her - "You are a fellow officer. I would have the same concern for Chief O'Brien or Dr. Bashir." Ezri isn't any more fooled than we are, and is genuinely touched at his concern. He also unintentionally pushes her into utilizing Joran when he states his confidence that she will do whatever is necessary to catch the killer: "You are Dax. It is your way."

Joran: I think the great success of this episode's Joran is that he isn't just a killer. He's genuinely wounded at being suppressed by the various Dax hosts, and basks in Ezri's acknowledgement of him. He's effectively Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty combined, interpreting the clues while tempting Ezri with darkness. In the end, she only identifies the killer thanks to his guidance, but he's no benign influence: When she intercepts a fleeing suspect midway through the episode, he urges her to kill the man - and she almost does it! Guest star Leigh J. McCloskey doesn't hesitate to push the line between "spirited performance" and "ham," but it works well for this kind of part, and his charisma makes it believable that Ezri would find his darkness so enticing.


THOUGHTS

Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was one of DS9's stalwarts during the series' first five years, writing or co-writing episodes such as The Wire, The Collaborator, and Call to Arms. His return is a welcome one, and it is no surprise at all that Field of Fire is a good episode, boasting strong character work and some excellent dialogue.

Story structure and pacing are strengths. The teaser introduces us to Ilario, giving us just enough of the young lieutenant to make him likable to both Ezri and us, then cutting to the next morning to reveal his death. Enough is done before the murder to make it convincing that Ezri is emotionally invested, but it's so economically achieved that there is no chance to become bored. Then, as Ezri wrestled with the possibility of using Joran, the murder plot is kept on track with O'Brien's unveiling of the murderer's weapon and method - Which puts all the pieces on the board by the time Ezri summons Joran to assist her.

The Ezri/Joran interactions are extremely well-done, and their dark mentor/innocent pupil relationship is what fuels the episode. Nicole De Boer is particularly good here, and it's to the credit of both script and actress that she never feels like a stand-in for Terry Farrell (which hasn't been true in certain other episodes). It's also to the episode's credit that even though this is the second Ezri-centric murder mystery in three episodes, I was never bothered by that. If I thought about it at all, it was only to reflect on how much better this was than Prodigal Daughter.

Uncovering the killer's identity does come a little too quickly and easily, which is one thing that keeps this from being a truly first class episode. But it's still a good one, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Emperor's New Cloak
Next Episode: Chimera

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7-9. Covenant.

Gul Dukat, Master of the Cult of the Pah-Wraiths!

THE PLOT

Kira received a visit from Vedek Fala (Norman Parker), whose calls for faith in the Prophets helped keep spirits high during the Occupation. But that same Occupation shattered Fala's faith, and he now serves a new religion - The Cult of the Pah-Wraiths!

Fala slips Kira a homing transponder, and she is beamed directly to Empok Nor.  The abandoned station has become a headquarters and refuge for the Cult. In addition to a new home, the Cult has taken on a new Master: Gul Dukat!

Dukat believes he and Kira are "bound together by destiny." He hopes to convince her that he has changed, that he is now the benevolent presence he has always pretended to be. He basks in the love of his followers - and Kira becomes determined to expose his lies and corruption to those followers. Dukat is left with one last resort: To convince the Cult to join him in mass suicide!

"We will shed the flesh that ties us to this world and deliver ourselves into the waiting arms of the Pah-Wraiths!"


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Briefly present, to justify Avery Brooks' name in the credits as Sisko hears about Kira's disappearance. But this is strictly a "contractual obligation" appearance, and if that scene were removed it would make no difference to the overall episode.

Col. Kira: Horrified that her old teacher has turned to the Cult that attacked Sisko. "It was your faith in the Prophets that got us through! How could you of all people would turn your back on them?" She remains moderately sympathetic to the Cult members, whom she sees as dupes of Dukat, but she is scornful of the Cardassian. She does not believe he's changed in any way, and the familiar excuses he makes for his past crimes are the best evidence for her position. When she finally decides that Dukat does believe, she is even more unsettled; the faith of a zealot is the last thing that needs married to all of Dukat's other faults.

Odo: We see him only briefly, but it's clear how devoted he is to Kira. He orders her favorite drink, not for himself but for her to enjoy once she joins him after morning prayers. He talks about wishing that he was able to share her faith so that he could spend that time with her - But he won't fake that faith just for that end. We again see Odo acting as a sounding board for Kira at the episode's end, listening to (and arguing with) her conclusions about Dukat. They both view Dukat's actions through the lens of their own experiences with religion. Devout Kira thinks Dukat is a true believer; skeptical Odo believes he is simply using the Cultists' faith to prop himself up.

Gul Dukat: Me, I agree with Odo. Dukat may pretend to regret his past actions, but he still denies any culpability. Killing Jadzia was unfortunate but necessary; Kira's mother loved him, or at least convinced herself she did; the Occupation would have been so much worse without him tempering his people's brutality. He's articulate and charismatic, perfectly fitting the role of cult leader, and he is finally able to bask in the love and devotion of his followers. But in the end, this is just a new role - like benevolent dictator, freedom fighter, or leader of the Cardassian Empire - that is important to him mainly in how it props up his self-delusions.


THOUGHTS

With just a little more script work, Covenant might have been a great episode.

Certainly, much of it is good. Re-using Empok Nor as a base for the Cult of the Pah-Wraiths is a smart idea, a budget-saver that fits perfectly with established continuity. The portrayal of the Cult members not as villains, but simply as people who have lost their faith and are looking for purpose and meaning, is believable, and Dukat works perfectly as a cult leader.

The Kira/Dukat interactions remain compelling, and Marc Alaimo continues to make Dukat the most multi-faceted villain of the Star Trek franchise. I agree with Sisko's assertion that he's evil - but he's not simple, Snidely Whiplash evil. This is a villain who wants to be a savior, and much of the time convinces himself that he is one. By now, Kira believes she knows exactly who Dukat is - But her attempts to expose his duplicity attain a rising desperation by the end, when she's left trying to avert a Jonestown-style mass suicide.

I would actually have rated the episode higher had Kira failed in that attempt. The ending, in which she finally proves Dukat's treachery and all of his followers turn against him, is too simple, pat, and easy for this episode. Had Kira been left to watch helpless as this tragedy unfolded not for any great purpose, but simply so that Dukat could evade responsibility for his actions - That would have been vastly more effective and convincing. Too dark for a Star Trek show? Maybe, maybe not - But I think it would have been the right ending.

But a weak finish doesn't undo all that's good in Covenant. Propelled by the fine performances of Nana Visitor and Marc Alaimo, the episode works until the end. It's just a shame that it stumbles to such a limp and disappointing close.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Episode: The Siege of AR-558
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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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7-4. Take Me Out to the Holosuite.

A friendly game of baseball...

THE PLOT

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

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


CHARACTERS

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

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

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

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


THOUGHTS

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

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

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

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

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


Overall Rating: 7/10.

\Previous Episode: Afterimage
Next Episode: Chrysalis

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Thoughts on Season Six.

Starfleet prepares for what might be its final battle.

Deep Space 9's fifth season ended with the start of the Dominion War. Deep Space 9 fell under Dominion control, with Gul Dukat once again in command - though facing a promise from Sisko to return. This season ends with the station back in Starfleet control, but with the war still raging and victory far from assured. Along the way, two major characters die, another is changed forever, and the series generally continues to raise its already very high stakes.


"IT IS THE ORDER OF THINGS": WAGING WAR

I complained in Season Five that Apocalypse Rising too easily resolved the Starfleet/Klingon conflict within the space of just one episode. This season does not repeat that mistake. Sisko retakes the station... but only after a run of six episodes, in which all the characters face trials. The Founders offer Odo everything he ever wanted, and he briefly falls to that temptation. Kira finds herself in another Occupation, this time as the very type of collaborator she has always despised. Sisko leads an assault knowing full well that most of those following him will not survive, and even that isn't enough - He's ultimately forced to be not a Starfleet officer, but the Emissary, confronting the Prophets and pushing them to intervene.

That intervention wins Sisko back his station, but it doesn't end the war. Just a few episodes later, Dr. Bashir and a group of emotionally damaged geniuses deliver the devastating news that it is mathematically impossible for Starfleet to win this war. Throughout the season, we see people reading casualty counts, and watch the regulars grow quieter and more isolated as they learn of the losses of people they knew. Planets fall to the Dominion, and only a desperate deception by Sisko is enough to put the enemy on the defensive.

The season ends with Sisko choosing to be a Starfleet officer instead of the Emissary - the exact opposite of the choice that won him back the station. The personal cost to him is devastating, and he fails as a Starfleet officer at the same time. Even though the season finale portrays what should be a major Starfleet victory, it feels like a defeat - and ends with the sense that the hardest part is still to come...

In the Pale Moonlight: Sisko is haunted by difficult
choices in the season (and maybe the series)'s best episode.

"THE MOST DAMNING THING OF ALL? I THINK I CAN LIVE WITH IT": THE CHARACTERS

Deep Space 9 has never shied from putting its characters through the wringer, but Season Six is even more unforgiving to the regulars than previous years. Feeling depressed and powerless, Sisko experiences a vision of life as an African-American writer in the 1950's, getting a taste of true powerlessness. A few episodes later, he resolves to bring the Romulans into the war on Starfleet's side - but to do so means compromising everything he believes in... And at the end of the episode, he decides that the price was worth it.

Meanwhile, Kira learns that everything she learned about her mother as a stalwart member of the Resistance was a lie.  The Orb of Time reveals her mother to have been a woman who willingly became Gul Dukat's mistress in exchange for comfort for herself and food for her family. Kira probably only survived her childhood because of her mother's actions - but by her own strict code, Kira can only view her as a collaborator. This is only about half a season after she wrestles with fears that she has herself become a collaborator for urging Bajor not to resist the Dominion.

Odo is not only tempted by the female changeling (Salome Jens) - He gives into that temptation, betraying his friends. He snaps out of it when the female changeling overplays her hand by threatening to execute Kira. But that doesn't change his actions at the time, without which Sisko's appeal to the Prophets would have been unnecessary.

The characters are tested repeatedly through the season, and they don't always pass their tests. Or - as with Sisko's gambit to bring the Romulans into the war at a steep moral cost - it's left open to debate as to whether the choices made were right or wrong... Or wrong but sadly necessary.

Profite & Lace: Quark gets in touch with his
feminine side in the series's most notorious episode.

"HOPE AND DESPAIR WALK ARM IN ARM": QUALITY CONTROL

Season Six opens with a stunning run of episodes. The weakest installment of the first seven is Sons and Daughters, which suffers from a weak plot, but remains watchable thanks to good character material. So of the first seven episodes - more than a quarter of the season - the weakest episode is "okay," and the remainder vary between very good and outstanding.

It was a given that the entire season wasn't going to keep up that level. Once the Dominion Occupation is resolved, the season returns to the series' normal hit rate - which is still pretty darn good and refreshingly varied even around the central Dominion War thread. The Magnificent Ferengi delivers one of the series' better comedy outings, followed by Waltz's redefinition of the character of Gul Dukat, followed by the enjoyable caper Who Mourns for Morn?, followed by the truly remarkable Far Beyond the Stars. All of these are good episodes, and despite their stark differences in tone and style, they all fit perfectly within the series' framework.

It's become sadly standard for the last third or so of the season to see a sharp increase in filler episodes or episodes that feel like filler, and that trend does continue in Season Six.  Change of Heart and The Reckoning should be big episodes, the first doing some important character work for Worf and Dax, the second directly laying groundwork for the season finale... but neither episode fully hits the mark, with Change of Heart feeling small and stagy, and The Reckoning deteriorating into silliness.  Time's Orphan is pure filler that feels like something left over from Season Two or Three.  And it's made all the worse by coming immediately after Profit and Lace, which may not quite have lived down to its disastrous reputation but was still a pretty bad episode.

Still, if that last bit of the season feels a bit stretched, those weaker installments become easy enough to forgive when you reach a gem like In the Pale Moonlight or Tears of the Prophets.  And a quick survey of the scores I awarded this season show that it isn't hard to find gems in Season Six.

Dax and Worf struggle to balance their
relationship with mission priorities.

"I HAVE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT AGAIN": SEASON SEVEN WISHLIST

I'll admit: I'm worried about introducing a new Dax in Season Seven. That's not a knock on Nicole de Boer, who is both a perfectly fine actress and a likable screen presence. I just can't help but feel that it's a bit late in the day to introduce a new character - particularly when the series has so many plot and character threads to tie up. I'll keep an open mind, and I'm actively curious to see how Ezri integrates into the crew (I have never seen a single Season Seven episode)... But my instinct is that it's too late in the day to properly develop a new character and that when they killed Jadzia, they should probably have killed Dax at the same time.

Beyond that, it would seem presumptuous to have a wish list for a show that so consistently impresses me. For the most part, Season Six has felt like a series at its absolute apex. I tend to suspect Season Seven won't quite match its heights (though I'm eager to be proved wrong!). Regardless, it is breathtaking to see just how good a Star Trek show can be when it's willing to take risks and follow up on plot and character turns, rather than simply resetting everything on a weekly basis.

A wake for the fallen.

Deep Space 9 is more than just a great Star Trek series. This is one of the finest science fiction television sagas I have ever witnessed. I look forward to watching the unfolding of its final chapter.


Previous Season: Season Five
Next Season: Season Seven (not yet reviewed)

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6-25. The Sound of Her Voice.

A wake for a lost friend.

THE PLOT:

The Defiant is on its way home from a convoy escort mission when it intercepts a Starfleet distress call. Lisa Cusack (Debra Wilson), captain of the USS Olympia, is stranded on a planet whose atmosphere will not sustain her for long. When they make contact, they learn that she has barely enough supplies to keep her alive until they reach her. To monitor her condition, and to keep her from being alone as she waits, they agree to take turns talking with her over the intercom, in a series of conversations that become increasingly personal across the six-day journey.

Back on the station, Quark has a rare business opportunity, one that can only be completed if a wanted criminal can make his way onto the station undetected. Odo's vigilance would normally make this impossible. But, as Quark observes to an attentive Jake, Odo has been distracted since the start of his relationship with Kira. A nudge from Quark to celebrate their one-month anniversary is all that it takes to keep Odo clear long enough for the criminal exchange to take place.

Until Odo informs him that he plans to celebrate the anniversary of their first kiss - Which happened exactly one day after their first date. A delay of exactly one day... And with no way to reach his contact, that one day may leave Quark with a lengthy prison sentence!


CHARACTERS:

Capt. Sisko: Kasidy Yates is aboard the Defiant, having served as convoy liaison officer during the escort mission... Something which makes Sisko uncomfortable. Not because she did a bad job - He acknowledges to Lisa when it's his "turn" to speak with her that Kasidy did a fine job of it. He's just not comfortable with the intersection of his personal life and his duty. At the end, when Sisko talks to her, it's clear that she fears he's about to end their relationship, and is visibly relieved when he tells her that his behavior was all about his issues, something he promises to discuss with her privately later.

Dr. Bashir: Has changed a lot. The war, likely combined with some feelings of isolation now that it's known that he's genetically engineered, has transformed the gregarious young idealist into a taciturn, even dour, man focused solely on his work. He isn't even particularly interested in speaking with Lisa, focusing more on his reports than on what she is saying - Something she calls him on, reminding him that it isn't enough to care - Others have to see that he cares.

O'Brien: Has also become more isolated due to the war, something that in his case is entirely self-imposed. As a veteran of the war with the Cardassians, he knows only too well the emotional danger of getting close to people who might not be alive tomorrow. He admits to Lisa that he won't talk to his friends or family about his feelings, and he doesn't like the idea of talking to a ship's counselor... Which leaves him to stew, even as he pretends to still be the cheerful engineer he used to be.

Quark/Jake: The "B" plot revives the rivalry between Odo and Quark, something that's been little-seen since the Dominion War started. I love the joy Quark feels at "beating" Odo, which gives him more pleasure than the prospect of the actual payoff. That makes his devastation all the greater when Odo throws a wrench into his timing. Jake makes a great straight man to Quark, performing what are effectively the henchman duties that traditionally have belonged to Rom, resulting in some fun exchanges between two characters who have rarely interacted. Yet again, even this late in its run, Deep Space 9 combines characters in a new way and creates an enjoyable new dynamic.


THOUGHTS:

The Sound of Her Voice is basically a bottle show. It features the regulars, Kasidy, and one guest star who is present only as a voice over a communicator. Save for a brief sojourn to the venerable Star Trek cave set, it alternates between shipbound scenes and station-bound scenes, and features only standing sets. I strongly suspect it was made in part as a budget saver, squeezing a few pennies before the doubtless more expensive season finale.

In the hands of writer Ronald D. Moore and this most excellent of Trek ensembles, it is highly effective, if suffering from an entirely unnecessary indulgence in Technobabble near the end.

I'll deal with the Technobabble issue first, as it's the episode's biggest weakness. The basic ending is easy enough to see coming, and doesn't require a labored Technobabble explanation. This bit only works if we assume Sisko never checked records about the person he was diverting to rescue, and didn't exchange any messages with Starfleet about the situation during the almost week-long period it takes to arrive. It's a bizarre choice, one that undermines an otherwise very fine episode.

Fortunately, it is an otherwise very fine episode. The script is an ensemble character piece, with excellent scenes for Sisko, Bashir, and O'Brien (and some pretty darn good ones for Quark and Odo in the subplot). All the characters ring true, the actors are excellent as usual, and the material works. Alexander Siddig and Colm Meaney are particularly good in their scenes, and it's fitting that they get the best moments of the tag. Bashir's insistence on telling his friends how much he cares is a fine moment...

One which is immediately upstaged by O'Brien, saying the simple truth of the situation of the war and what he's decided it means to him (and handily foreshadowing the following episode at the same time):

"We've grown apart, the lot of us. We didn't mean for it to happen, but it did. The war changed us, pulled us apart... I want my friends in my life, because someday we're going to wake up and we're going to find that someone is missing from this circle. And on that day we're going to mourn, and we shouldn't have to mourn alone."


Overall Rating: 7/10. Would be an "8" without the Technobabble at the end.

Previous Episode: Time's Orphan
Next Episode: Tears of the Prophets

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