Thoughts on Season Five.

Deep Space 9 prepares for war.

At this point, it's become almost monotonous for me to observe that each season of Deep Space 9 has been better than the last. Season Four raised the bar quite high.  Season Five clears that bar by a considerable distance, delivering a consistently exciting series of episodes that exploits the series' strengths as it builds steadily toward a riveting conclusion.

PRELUDE TO WAR

One of the season's few disappointments is how quickly and easily the Klingon conflict is wrapped up. The Klingon hostilities dominated Season Four, but now are all but brushed away in the season premiere. Only the events of Nor the Battle to the Strong keep it from feeling like a reset - And that "reset" feeling comes right back again when encounters with Klingons through the rest of the season are just the way they were during the show's first three years.

Still, if the resolution of the Klingon thread is a disappointment, it's more than made up for by the consistent excellence of the Dominion arc. The Dominion were introduced slowly, first as a name attached to ominous whispers before being revealed as a tangible threat. Seasons Three and Four were built around that threat, with the Dominion gradually making itself a presence in the Alpha Quadrant. This enemy worked subtly, sparking conflict with the Klingons and destabilizing the Cardassian government, often as effective because of others' paranoia about their abilities as through overt action.

By Season Five, they have gained enough strength in the Alpha Quadrant to become more brazen. The Ship, only the second episode of the season, sees open conflict between Sisko's landing party and a group of Jem'Hadar. A changeling replaces Dr. Bashir, patiently spending months playing that role to perfection until the time is right to act. With the fall of the weakened Cardassia, the Dominion establishes an official foothold - and from that moment, the war that's been threatened for more than two seasons becomes an inevitability.

The season ends with the start of that war - and thanks to the Dominion's machinations, Starfleet is almost without allies. Only the Klingons, who were enemies one short year ago, fight alongside, and that's only because Sisko was able to reveal the changeling hands pulling the strings of the conflict. Had Sisko failed, or been manipulated into killing Chancellor Gowron, Starfleet would stand alone, and would be left to a choice between the indignity of surrender or the impossibility of fighting two wars simultaneously.  It took less than three years for the Dominion to evaluate the weakest threads in the Federation's tapestry of alliances, and to sever nearly every one of them to leave Starfleet in as weak a position as possible.

Odo reveals his feelings to Kira.

LEADERS, SOLDIERS, DIPLOMATS, AND TRAITORS: THE CHARACTERS

As strong as Deep Space 9 is on story, the series' greatest strength lies in its characters. Not only does this series have a large regular cast, it also has the largest retinue of recurring characters of any Trek series. Every year, I find myself more and more impressed by the show's ability to not only make use of this rich and varied ensemble, but to develop and reveal new things about each member of it.

Kira, somewhat underused in Season Four, is back to the foreground this year. The Darkness and the Light reminds us of the things she did during the Occupation, and that she remains unwavering in her belief that all of those actions were justified. The Occupation remains a button that's all too easy for someone to push to get a reaction from her, something Gul Dukat exploits ruthlessly in Ties of Blood and Water. Her friendship/non-relationship with Odo is also effective: The final scene in Things Past, the mirror image of an equally outstanding moment in Season Two's Necessary Evil, completes the circle of each seeing the worst of the other; her shock upon learning of his true feelings in Children of Time is convincing, and it being not that but the alternate Odo's actions that push her away feels exactly right.

Every character gets some terrific material: Quark's brief foray into arms dealing reveals the conscience we already knew he had; Jake experiences the horrors not only of war, but of his own fear, but is able to use the experience to push himself into writing with more honesty and courage than he had before; Bashir and Odo have dark secrets from their pasts revealed; Worf and Dax grow closer as a couple, with Soldiers of the Empire reminding us that Dax may well understand true Klingon culture (as opposed to the ideal of it) better than Worf does; and dependable, decent O'Brien is pushed into becoming a soldier once more.

That's not even mentioning the recurring characters. Dukat begins the season as an uneasy ally, a powerless exile from his own home world. He ends the season as a bitter enemy, having regained his home world by selling it out to the Alpha Quadrant's worst enemy. Kai Winn's convictions are thrown into disarray when Sisko's visions make her reevaluate her dismissal of his role as Emissary. This ruthless manipulator ends the season looking into the eyes of Weyoun, chilled at encountering someone so much colder, more calculating, and more ruthless than she is - Maybe as terrified at the glimpse of herself that she catches as of Weyoun himself. Speaking of whom, Weyoun is resurrected from the dead, in a way that manages not to feel like a cheat - And which quickly pays dividends as it takes only a few episodes for him to become one of the most entertainingly frightening adversaries the Trek universe has seen.

...Given the rich resource of these wonderful characters, exactly why didn't they try at least one Deep Space 9 movie when the TNG ones started to founder?

Odo finds, and attempts to raise, an infant Changeling.

QUALITY CONTROL

Overall episode quality in Season Five is staggeringly high. I've awarded almost as many "10" scores as in the previous four seasons put together. All of the following earned full marks: Nor the Battle to the Strong, Things Past, In Purgatory's Shadow, By Inferno's Light, Children of Time, In the Cards, Call to Arms.  That's seven episodes - More than a quarter of the season. Other notable installments include: Trials and Tribble-ations, Rapture, The Darkness and the Light, For the Uniform, Business as Usual, and Ties of Blood and Water. Not to mention the many other solidly engaging stories that build up character and plot strands to allow the "big" episodes to be all that they are.

Sure, there are a few duds. Let He Who is Without Sin... is an appalling hour of television; Ferengi Love Songs is, in my opinion, even worse. There are also disappointments, episodes that have good material and ideas but which don't quite properly gel, such as Doctor Bashir, I Presume and Empok Nor.  But the bulk of the season is solid at worst, and often excellent.

Sisko struggles to balance his spiritual role
on Bajor with being a Starfleet captain.

SEASON SIX WISHLIST

It's hard to develop much of a wish list when the series is this consistently good. All I really want to see is for the events of the finale to be properly followed through. I already know that Season Six will not repeat Apocalypse Rising's mistake of wrapping up a long-running arc in a single episode. I look forward to seeing how the Dominion War develops, and to watching how the scattered characters fare in their new environments.

I strongly hope the series takes some time before reuniting them. Odo, Kira, and Quark on the re-christened Terok Nor, once again under the rule of Gul Dukat, is a situation worth milking for a few episodes. Jake's situation should be worth at least an episode. Worf serving on a Klingon ship again, this time without Dax as a buffer, should be interesting. Sisko's promise to Dukat should be fulfilled - but that payoff should be delayed, with us made to wait for it. And when it comes, it needs to be worth that wait.

Beyond that, I just want the series to continue to do what it's been doing: Develop its character strands and story strands with a steady patience that allows each new development to spring naturally from the ones before, and to lead to new developments down the road. At this point, my confidence in the series is such that what I want is largely just to watch the narrative unfold.

Sisko meets Capt. Kirk.

I'll close this review by repeating my opening: Each season of Deep Space 9 has been better than the one before. At this point, I don't know how much better the show could possibly get - but I certainly hope to find out!


Previous Season: Season Four
Next Season: Season Six

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5-26. Call to Arms.

Deep Space 9 under attack!

THE PLOT

The Dominion is preparing for war.

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

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

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


CHARACTERS

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

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

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

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

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

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


THOUGHTS

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

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

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

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

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

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


Overall Rating: 10/10.

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

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5-25. In the Cards.

Jake plans to buy the perfect gift for his father...

THE PLOT

As Starfleet ships begin "disappearing" near the Cardassian (read: Dominion) border, the mood on the station grows grim. The clouds of war are closing in, and Sisko sees no way out. His mood is not helped by a visit from Kai Winn, visiting the station to meet with Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) to discuss a non-aggression pact between the Dominon and Bajor - a move that would effectively isolate Bajor from the Federation.

Meanwhile, Jake decides he needs to cheer his father up. When he learns that Quark is hosting an auction that includes a rare Willie Mays baseball card, he enlists Nog to help him buy the card. But Dr. Elias Giger (Brian Markinson) outbids them for the lot that includes the card. Giger does agree to let them have their prize... but only if they assist him with his experiments, involving the use of a "Cellular Regeneration and Entertainment Chamber," designed to keep the body's cells from becoming bored, thus granting immortality!

It is blatantly obvious that Giger is a lunatic, but he appears to be a harmless one. So Jake and Nog agree, and their efforts to secure a list of needed supplies for Giger leave them performing errands for practically every member of the command crew. Once they've gathered all the supplies, they return to Giger's quarters... only to discover that the man has vanished!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: In a foul mood, and with good reason. The background situation is bad enough, even before Kai Winn announces her visit. He has to acknowledge to Winn that in the event of a Dominion attack, he could not guarantee Bajor's defense - not if core Federation worlds were targeted at the same time. The best advice he can give Winn is to stall for time, in hopes that a solution will present itself before the moment of crisis arrives. It's not much of a solution, and both he and Winn know it.

Jake: Between this episode and Nor the Battle to the Strong, Cirroc Lofton has gotten some very strong material this season, despite being absent for a lot of it. The earlier episode focused on Jake's shame over his own, very human fear in the face of brutal combat. That episode ended with his father comforting him and expressing pride in him. This one sees Jake determined to do something to help his father, who has been there for him every time he's needed him. The ending to the earlier episode and the entirety of The Visitor give credibility to Jake's actions, even as they become ever more obsessive. Lofton overplays some of the comedy moments, but remains a likable performer throughout.

Nog: In the broadest scenes, though, it is very obvious that Aron Eisenberg's comedy instincts are much sharper than Cirroc Lofton's. Eisenberg never goes over-the-top, even when reacting to a mad scientist's plans to entertain his cells into immortality. Nog comes across very well, too. He argues with Jake every step of the way, particularly when his friend's obsession starts to look ever so slightly like its own form of lunacy. But at every critical juncture, he supports Jake, even when his support leads to three uncomfortable encounters with three people you don't want to have mad at you: Winn, Sisko, and Weyoun.

Weyoun: This is only Weyoun's third appearance, and he's already made his mark as yet another of the wonderfully rich recurring characters this show has created. His affable, even gregarious, interactions with others are fun in themselves, but the way actor Jeffrey Combs manages to never let Weyoun's smile reach his eyes really sells the character. He is amusing, but also menacing. When Sisko meets him at the airlock, he gives Weyoun the full force of his blunt disapproval: "I don't like the Dominion; I don't like what it stands for; and I don't like you!" Most would wilt under the force of Sisko's glare. Weyoun simply feigns hurt and says that he's sorry to hear that, since he expects they will be seeing much more of each other. Weyoun comes off the clear winner in the exchange, making him all the more formidable going into negotiations with Winn.

Kai Winn: You know things are bad when Kai Winn is one of the more sympathetic characters! She is out of her depth with Weyoun and the Dominion, and she knows it. For once, she is completely honest with Sisko. She doesn't know what to do about Weyoun's offer, and she doesn't know whether war or peaceful subjugation to the Dominion would be worse for Bajor. She actually turns to him for advice, and accepts what little advice he can give. When Weyoun compliments her on how much they have in common, Winn touches his ear to measure his pagh, and is chilled by what she sees in him. Her voice is calm, but she is clearly shaken as she replies: "No. We are nothing alike."


THOUGHTS

In the Cards has every reason to not work. It has an "A" plot and a "B" plot that are radically different in tone: Jake and Nog's comic antics trying to get their hands on a baseball card, and Sisko's attempts to advise Kai Winn regarding negotiations with the Dominion as the clouds of war close in on them. Though it's the best of the Star Trek shows, Deep Space 9 has often struggled with "A" and "B" plots that differ in tone, and this episode offers two story strands that could not be more different.

With Ronald D. Moore scripting at the top of his game and Michael Dorn showing startling confidence as director, the episode is another gem in a season that has been a veritable treasure trove. The plots are balanced in such a way that not only do they not intrude on each other, each story is able to enhance the other. The material with Sisko, Winn, and Weyoun feels all the more doom-laden contrasted with Jake and Nog's bumbling. The comedy is all the funnier unfolding against a potentially apocalyptic backdrop.

A lot of what makes this work so well is how perfectly judged the cuts from one story to the other are. Both stories begin in the opening scene. We see the station command staff at their most depressed, with Sisko struggling to find anything to talk about other than the Dominion, and Odo revealing that the station's population is the most panicked it has been since the end of the Cardassian Occupation. Jake and Nog observe this behavior, and Jake determines to do something to cheer his father up. Two plots spring from the same seed.

For the first half, the two stories have no plot connection, supporting each other mainly through contrast. The insane Dr. Giger babbles about "soulless minions of Orthodoxy," then we cut to the arrival of Weyoun and the Dominion. Jake and Nog are reduced to stealing back Dr. Bashir's teddy bear from his ex-girlfriend, at the same time that Sisko and Kai Winn discuss the very bad options Bajor has been left with. The silliest moments move right into the darkest moments.

If the whole episode had gone like that, it would have worked just fine. But then the script ups the ante by actually connecting the two stories. At first, it's minor: Weyoun becomes suspicous of Dr. Giger's experiments, fearing some unspecified threat; after Giger disappears, Jake and Nog suspect Winn of having a hand in it. Then the stories truly intersect, in a way that's ridiculous yet entirely satisfying. It's all tied together by a charming epilogue that leaves me ready to move immediately to the season finale - Exactly as its makers intended, no doubt.

In the end, I would sum up my thoughts about In the Cards with two statements: First, that when the final fade-out came, I actually applauded the episode; and second, that it has been too long since a Star Trek episode gave me the level of pleasure I received watching this.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Empok Nor
Next Episode: Call to Arms

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5-23. Blaze of Glory.

Sisko and Eddington: Keep your friends close...

THE PLOT

Gen. Martok informs Sisko that he has intercepted a Maquis message, clearly directed to captured Maquis leader Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall), stating that a missile launch is imminent. Martok reveals that the Klingons provided the Maquis with cloaking technology during the conflict with Cardassia. If the missiles are cloaked, they will be impossible to detect; and if they strike Cardassia, then it will be the start of the very war that they have all been trying so hard to avoid.

There is one hope. If they can locate the launch site, then someone who knows the abort codes will be able to deactivate the missiles remotely. Sisko offers Eddington a full pardon for his cooperation. The Maquis leader is bitter about the destruction of his people by the Dominion. He blames Starfleet in general, and Sisko in particular, for allowing it to happen. He does eventually agree to help - but he warns that once this mission is over, he intends to kill Sisko!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: He may be willing to deal with Eddington, but it's clear that he has not forgiven the man his betrayal. Though Sisko talks about how Eddington broke his oath to Starfleet, and how Cal Hudson did so before him, Eddington is right when he says that isn't the captain's real problem. Hudson was a personal friend, Eddington a trusted officer. In Sisko's mind, both men did something worse than betray Starfleet - They betrayed him. Sisko sums it up himself, when he realizes exactly what this entire mission has really been about. "I don't like being lied to!" he snarls, punctuating the statement with a punch.

Eddington: When Sisko says that the Maquis should have been pushing for a negotiated peace with the Cardassians, rather than continuing to wage war, Eddington snaps back: "The Maquis won its greatest victories under my leadership... We had the Cardassians on the run!" As Sisko observes, the Cardassians ran to the Dominion, with predictable results for the Maquis. Those words appear to finally resonate when Eddington stands in the midst of corpses of Maquis who were massacred by the Jem'Hadar. Eddington spends the first part of the episode pretending to have a death wish, a ruse Sisko sees through immediately. After he sees the end result of his private war, what had been an act becomes a reality. Kenneth Marshall's performance here is easily his best of the series, and the many sharp exchanges between Eddington and Sisko form this episode's very strong center.

Nog: Gets the episode's "B" plot. His rotation as cadet now having put him with Security, Nog is finding difficulty dealing with Martok and his Klingons. He complains that they don't even acknowledge his presence, just looking over his head when he tries to talk to them about violations of station regulations. After Sisko tells him to stand up to them, to earn their respect by refusing to be intimidated, Nog spends most of the rest of his subplot spoiling for a fight - though when his chance finally comes, his voice quavers with fear even as he forces the confrontation.


THOUGHTS

Blaze of Glory brings the Eddington arc to a close, and to all appearances closes out the DS9 Maquis arc as well. Following up on Gul Dukat's vow to cleanse Cardassian space of the Maquis, this episode reveals that the Jem'Hadar have destroyed them. Which makes sense: The Jem'Hadar were established in their very first appearance as ruthless.  There's no reason they would have wasted any time in removing an enemy from space settled by treaty as Cardassian space... which is now Dominion space.

For Eddington, this means that the cause he fought for, and the people for whom he sacrificed his freedom, have been all but eradicated. And it happened while he was in prison, helpless to do anything except hear about it through news reports. Again, it makes perfect sense that this has engendered massive resentment against Sisko, who made his capture into a personal crusade. Had Sisko simply left him alone, he would have been able to at least try to save his people from the Jem'Hadar, even if all that would have resulted in was him dying alongside them.

Both men have valid points, but both exaggerate their claims. The Maquis may have become more aggressive under Eddington, but the real damage to Cardassia was wrought by the Dominion's eradication of the Obsidian Order and by the Klingon conflict. Sisko, in turn, did make his pursuit of Eddington personal - but Eddington was launching biogenic attacks against entire planets, clearly raising the stakes past what Starfleet was willing to accept. Our knowledge of the backstory lets us see that neither man is entirely wrong, but neither is entirely right.

The plot ticks along at a swift pace, buoyed by some of the most beautiful effects the series has yet offered in the Badlands scenes. The sequence in which Eddington and Sisko desperately evade two Jem'Hadar warships is particularly well-done, outstanding effects edited tautly with the live action to create a truly nail-biting moment. The planet-bound action of the last third is also effective, the stock Trek set given atmosphere by the dim lighting, by the smoke hanging in the air, and by the Maquis corpses that surround both men even as they battle through Jem'Hadar to reach their goal.

All of this makes Blaze of Glory a good episode, but there is a slightly mechanical quality to it that keeps me from rating it as a great one. Part of this is that the Maquis strand, while far better-handled by DS9 than by Voyager, never felt completely a part of the series. Once or twice a season, DS9 would remember the Maquis were there and do an episode involving them. Folding Eddington into the arc upped the stakes a bit (and did something interesting with a previously bland character)... but in the full season that separated Eddington's betrayal from this resolution, there was only one other Maquis episode and a handful of isolated mentions.

All of which leaves the sense that this episode was mainly designed to cut out an inconvenient thread so that it wouldn't distract from the building Dominion conflict. Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe are among the show's best writers, and they do a fine job of making the Maquis resolution fit with what's come before. But with only scattered build-up of that arc prior to this point, the ending just doesn't have the power that it should have had.

It's still good, though, and significant within the fabric of the series. It's just a pity that the Maquis were never truly exploited to their full potential.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Children of Time
Next Episode: Empok Nor

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5-15. By Inferno's Light.

Gul Dukat gives Cardassia to the Dominion.

THE PLOT

Worf, Garak, Dr. Bashir, and the Klingon general Martok (J. G. Hertzler) are all prisoners of the Jem'Hadar. They have a plan for escape - but it hinges on Garak being able to modify Enabran Tain's transmitter to beam them to Worf's runabout. Garak is the only one among them with the technical knowledge to make this work... something that's badly complicated by Garak's extreme claustrophobia.

Back on Deep Space 9, what appears to be a massing Dominion attack is turned on its head when the Dominion fleet flies right past the station on its way to Cardassia Prime. Gul Dukat's ship flies after them - but not to try to attack or pass the fleet to warn Cardassia. Dukat has been in secret negotiations to join the Dominion, and is being installed as the new Cardassian ruler.

Dukat's first order of business is a promise to his people. He will restore the empire to full strength: "There will not be a single Klingon alive inside Cardassian territory or a single Maquis colony left within our borders. Cardassia will be made whole. All that we have lost will be ours again, and anyone who stands in our way will be destroyed!" As he explains to Sisko, Cardassian territory includes Deep Space 9. And with the Changeling impersonating Dr. Bashir preparing mass sabotage of the station, its destruction may be imminent!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Even though Sisko is left to mostly react to events, he still doesn't project the slightest weakness in his conversations with Dukat.  He actively encourages the Cardassian to try to take the station from him, in a tone and manner that should give pause to even the most power-mad of egotists.  He is able to convince Klingon Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) to re-commit to the Khitomer Accords, so that the Federation and the Klingon Empire can stand united against the Dominion. Finally, when he realizes that the Bashir he has been trusting is a Changeling infiltrator, he doesn't hesitate to order "Bashir's" shuttle destroyed.

Worf: Earns Martok's respect by accepting one Jem'Hadar challenge after another, and defeating every one of them. Even as Worf becomes steadily more injured, he refuses to decline a challenge. His sense of honor will not allow him to yield. His final fight is against Ikat'ika (James Horan), the Jem'Hadar First of the camp. By this point, Worf is too badly injured to put up much of a fight, but he still refuses to yield even when both Martok and Ikat'ika insist that "honor has been satisfied." His stubbornness leads Ikat'ika to yield, the Jem'Hadar stating: "I cannot defeat this Klingon. All I can do is kill him - and that no longer holds my interest."

Dr. Bashir: Part One revealed that for the last several episodes, the Bashir on Deep Space 9 was actually a Changeling while the real Bashir languished in a Jem'Hadar prison. This episode cuts between both Bashirs, showing an effective contrast. Changeling Bashir is very smooth and unflappable. The real Bashir's compassion shows itself as he tries to talk Worf out of continuing his fights with the Jem'Hadar and as he insists on Garak taking regular breaks in his work. It really makes me want to go back and watch the last several episodes again, to see if I can spot differences in Bashir's behavior after the fact. I do think it's a missed opportunity that they didn't pick his separation from his allies during Nor the Battle to the Strong the moment at which he was taken, though - It would have turned that episode's one weak point (his miraculous, off-screen return to base) into a retroactive strength.

Garak: The Garak we see here is largely robbed of his silver tongue. He is forced to face his greatest internal fear, and that strips away his acerbic armor. It does seem that Tain truly was his father (something I doubted at the end of Part One). It also seems clear that he genuinely does care about Ziyal, trying to push himself to overcome his claustrophobia by invoking his promise to her to return. I wouldn't want to see Garak this vulnerable very often, but it is worthwhile to see it occasionally. Knowing that there is a real core underneath the act makes him more complex, not less - And I'm sure another episode will come along in due course to remind us that he is a formidable figure in his own right.

Gul Dukat: "One man's villain is another man's hero." Dukat really does see himself as the hero, striking the devil's bargain with the Dominion in order to make his people strong again. It's completely consistent with what we've seen in previous episodes. In Return to Grace, he was outraged when his government overlooked Klingon aggression in Cardassian space, denouncing the new government as "paralyzed... beaten and defeated." He proclaimed himself "the only Cardassian left!" In his mind, selling his people out to the Dominion is an act of patriotism, to restore his empire to its former glory. Given the shared (pointless) resentment among some fans of the two shows, I hate to throw a Babylon 5 reference in - but Dukat's bargain with the Dominion strongly recalls Londo's dealings with Mr. Morden. I suspect they will lead in a similar direction, but likely without the redemption Londo found.


THOUGHTS

By Inferno's Light makes good use of the many strands left by In Purgatory's Shadow. This is a true Part Two, carrying on both the tone and narrative of Part One. It also functions as a piece of a larger arc. The immediate threat is resolved by the end of the episode, but the series has shifted in a fundamental way by the end.

The 2-parter continues to balance momentum against strong character moments. As the station braces for a Dominion attack, O'Brien sends his family to Bajor for refuge. He comments to "Bashir" that Molly is getting old enough to know when something's wrong, and that he doesn't like seeing her worried or afraid. Dukat says farewell to Kira, observing that it never felt right for the two of them to be on the same side. Quark looks at a potential Dominion takeover in terms of its effect on business: Neither the Founder nor the Jem'Hadar eat, drink, or have sex, which are Quark's three main profit lines. Little moments like these only take a minute or so, and therefore don't interfere with the pace - but they do a lot to personalize the plot developments for the characters, and they make the characters feel that much more real for taking that spare minute here and there.

I was fearful of a weak finish, but that doesn't end up happening. The Bashir Changeling is exposed and his immediate plot is foiled. Beyond that, the Federation and the Klingon Empire are firmly allies again, the end of their conflict fused to the Dominion arc just as the beginning of it was. But as we fade to black, the overall situation is far more grim and far less stable than it has been.

The Dominion now has a presence in the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion/Cardassian alliance has driven the Klingons out of Cardassian space. The Maquis will likely be similarly driven out, as the Dominion's scorched Earth tactics will make a guerilla war untenable. Finally, Dukat's ending conversation with Sisko makes it clear that he sees Deep Space 9 as Cardassian property - and that he fully intends to take it back or destroy it. This leaves a threat of war hanging over Deep Space 9's head, a threat which I suspect will materialize right around the season's end.

In short, it's hard to imagine that things can just go back to "business as usual" for the last part of the season. The status quo has changed - and not in a way that can remain stable for long. I look forward to the point at which it will shift again.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: In Purgatory's Shadow
Next Episode: Dr. Bashir, I Presume

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5-14. In Purgatory's Shadow.

Garak and Worf, prisoners of the Dominion!

THE PLOT

When an encoded Cardassian transmission is picked up in the Gamma Quadrant, Sisko orders Garak to decode it. Garak tells him it's innocuous, just a years-old planetary survey. But when he states that he's given up on the idea of survivors from the Cardassian attack on the Dominion, Dr. Bashir knows that he's lying. Bashir pushes Garak to reveal the truth: The transmission is a message from his old mentor, Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley), consisting of just one word repeated over and over: "Alive."

Garak insists on going after Tain, and points out to Sisko that if Tain is alive then there may be other survivors as well. He is sent with Worf in a runabout to trace the signal back... but they don't get far before they are intercepted by a Dominion fleet. Worf is able to get out a warning that Dominion forces are building up near the wormhole, but that is all he is able to accomplish before he and Garak are captured.

They are taken to a prison camp on an asteroid. The only atmosphere is provided by a dome, making escape an apparent impossibility. Meanwhile, at the station, Worf's message is received, leaving Sisko with only one option to stop a Dominion invasion: Collapse the wormhole!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Though he doesn't trust that Tain's message is real, he can't ignore the possibility of survivors. He sends Worf with Garak, knowing that the rigid Worf is unlikely to be swayed by the Cardassian's manipulations. When Worf's message gets through, Sisko gives him and Garak as much time as possible before collapsing the wormhole. Ultimately, however, he knows that cutting them off is an acceptable tradeoff to stopping a Dominion attack, and orders it done when the moment comes.

Worf: I love this show's willingness to combine different characters to create new dynamics. We've usually seen Garak paired with Bashir (and do for a bit of this episode), but we've also seen him teamed up with Odo to very different but equally enjoyable effect. Now Worf is assigned to accompany the Cardassian, and we get something different again. Worf's too inflexible to spar with Garak the way Bashir or Odo did. Instead, he calls out Garak's lies as soon as he recognizes them. His inflexible mind-set doesn't stop him from being manipulated, though. When he is about to turn back, as Sisko ordered, Garak prevails on his honor to get him to continue. Worf snaps that Garak doesn't understand the meaning of the word... but as Garak points out, that isn't the point. Worf does, and that's all that's needed for Garak to get the Klingon to do as he wants.

Dr. Bashir: Instantly recognizes Garak's claim of an inconsequential message as a lie. He waits in a runabout for the Cardassian to attempt to steal it, then takes him to Sisko to reveal the full truth. When Garak compliments him on how untrusting he's become over the past five years, Bashir says only that he had a good teacher. Much later in the episode, when Garak is stung by Tain rejecting him yet again, Bashir does provide some comfort. Garak snaps about how the best lesson he can teach Bashir is that sentiment is a weakness... Prompting the doctor to reply that this is one lesson he hopes never to learn.

Garak: Though there are big moments for several characters, this episode belongs to him and is all the better for it. Garak remains an unpredictable delight. He pushes Worf into considering sponsoring his application to Starfleet, only to reveal that he did so only to keep his lying skills sharp. He greets both Gul Dukat and his captors with a disarming grin, and doesn't seem too bothered when both encounters result in hands around his throat. For all of his rampant deception, and for all the wrongs Tain has done to him over the years, he retains a strong loyalty to his mentor. His final scene with Tain seems to reveal more about both men's backgrounds... though honestly, given Garak's nature, I don't trust that the information we seem to learn is truly genuine.

Gul Dukat: Enters the episode in a fury - literally, as he throttles Garak for his association with his daughter. This sets the tone for Dukat's entire role. When Kira confirms that she knew about Ziyal (Melanie Smith)'s association with Garak, he accuses her of willful betrayal. Gone is the smiling flirtation of the past two seasons - Dukat makes it clear in one scene that he now fully regards Kira as an enemy, and he intends to get his revenge. His last scene sees him denouncing his daughter for refusing to leave the station on his orders, lumping her in with all his other self-created enemies. For all of this, you can see that in his mind, he is the injured party in every case. Much like the man who claimed to want to protect the Bajorans as his "children," he has made himself into a victim. It will be very interesting to see where he goes from here.


THOUGHTS

Gul Dukat, Garak, and Enebran Tain all in the same episode, along with a massive Dominion build-up and a few big surprises... If I didn't know this was still the mid-season, I would think this was the first part of a season cliffhanger! It's certainly momentous enough. If the next episode sustains the momentum, this will likely rank alongside The Jem'Hadar, The Die Is Cast, and The Way of the Warrior for episodes that cause a seismic shift in the series.

I'll wait until my next review to discuss the episode's biggest revelation - I want to mull it over a while before seriously discussing it in any event. Besides, while I can't imagine many people are reading these reviews without having first seen the episodes, I want to allow at least one review's space before spoiling one of the best surprises the series has yet sprung.

Writers Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Ira Steven Behr provide the big moments and the sense of a series turning point, but they don't forget to make room for plenty of good character material. In addition to moments I've mentioned in the "Characters" section, we also see Odo adjusting to being a shapeshifter again, and finding that there are many aspects to being a solid that he's going to miss. The Kira/Dukat scenes are charged with energy, with Kira all but laughing at Dukat's attempts to intimidate her (something that I suspect she's taking far too lightly). worf and Dax get a scene together that shows the spark, humor, and chemistry that was so sorely lacking in Let He Who Is Without Sin...

All in all, an excellent first part that leaves me eagerly awaiting Part Two.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: For the Uniform
Next Episode: By Inferno's Light

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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.


Previous Season: Season Three
Next Season: Season Five

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4-26. Broken Link.

Odo returns to The Great Link.

THE PLOT

Odo is ill. He is having problems maintaining his form, resulting in debilitating attacks that see him literally reduced to goo. Dr. Bashir doesn't have the knowledge needed to reverse the effect. As Odo's condition worsens, it becomes clear that he has only one hope: A return to the Great Link!

Sisko makes the Defiant ready for a mercy mission to Dominion space. Without its cloaking device, and broadcasting a message to the Dominion about Odo's condition, the ship makes a rendezvous with the enemy - and thankfully, the Dominion responds with equal diplomacy.

The Founder (Salome Jens) comes aboard promising no aggression, and she even allows the "Solids" to accompany Odo to the shapeshifters' new homeworld. In private, however, she discloses to Odo that his illness is no natural occurrence. He broke the Founders' most sacred rule when he killed a changeling to save his friends. For that, he must face judgment - and punishment!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: When Odo announces that his only hope is to return to his people, Sisko doesn't hesitate. He orders the Defiant prepped and takes the Constable to the Gamma Quadrant with the intention of attracting the Founders' attention. He accedes to every demand made by the Founder, but he stands firm in remaining with Odo, refusing to simply turn him over and withdraw.  This firmness tempered by his diplomatic accommodations seems to earn a level of respect from the Founder - who likely also has heard of his conduct a few episodes earlier, when he teamed with a Jem'Hadar group.

Odo: It's no surprise to see that Odo is a very bad patient, pushing to get out of Medlab as quickly as he's taken there. When Kira brings him a crime report to keep his mind occupied, he finds something that incriminates a smuggler. The sensible thing to do would be to contact his security people to take care of the matter. Instead, he slips out to arrest the criminal himself, making himself far sicker in the process. He refuses to show weakness even at his worst, drawing himself up as he walks through the Promenade to the Defiant, battling his illness for these few minutes with his own indomitable will.

Dr. Bashir: Shows no fear or deference to the Founder when she visits Odo. When she demands he clear the room, he declares that Odo is his patient and only leaves when Odo gives his permission. He argues against Odo's faith in the Founders' "justice," his recent experience with the synthetic plague doubtless at the front of his mind when the topic of Dominion justice comes up.

Klingons: Emboldened by his success against the Cardassians, Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) is now provoking the Federation. He is demanding that Starfleet give up all rights to the Archanis Sector, territory the Klingons had voluntarily relinquished 100 years earlier. Federation colonies near the Klingon border are starting to panic, and calls are being made for preemptive action. War has become a likelihood - A war that would leave both Federation and Klingons weakened, easy prey for the Dominion.

Garak: Joins the mission in order to ask about survivors from the Cardassian attack on the Founders' homeworld. He gets his answer, in the episode's most chilling scene, as the Founder reponds to him with absolute coldness:

"There were no Cardassian survivors... They're dead. You're dead. Cardassia is dead. Your people were doomed the moment they attacked us. I believe that answers your question."

Garak then reminds us of how dangerous he is when he processes this within two seconds, then responds with a courteous smile and a bow. Had the Founder a stronger sense of self-preservation, she would have killed him right then, as the action he is pushed to take would have likely proved effective (and probably not wrong) had Worf not intervened.


THOUGHTS

An excellent season ends with a fine finale, one which is very effective in tying together many of this season's threads. For much of the season, the Klingon aggression has seemed like a digression. For the first time since The Way of the Warrior, that arc is tied into the larger Dominion story, in a way that promises much for the future.

It does this with great economy. The Klingons are only the focus of two scenes, totalling all of about five minutes' screen time. Gowron's declaration at the start of the episode reminds us of that thread, which has lain completely dormant since Rules of Engagement. Then the ending ties the Klingon thread into the Dominon story like a loop closing around a bag, sealing it shut in a single tug.

The rest of the episode is about Odo and his return to the Great Link. This story is a direct consequence of his actions in The Adversary At the end of a season in which it was intoned as Divine Law that "No changeling has ever harmed another," Odo killed one of his own people. That was already enough to leave him haunted. Now his people have decided to judge him for his crime. Odo reacts as might be expected of a man who clings to the law, any law that applies, with Javert-like devotion: He not only agrees to be judged by the Founders' standards, he actually wants to be.

This isn't just an Odo episode, however. The script is just as much about those who take him to the Link as it is about the Constable himself. In The Search, the changelings urged Odo to consider his friendships with Solids as false. Here, his friends prove their loyalty at every turn.

It's easy to talk about moments of high drama, so let me close out this review by noting how well-done and genuine the smaller moments are. There are several semi-comic character bits here: Sisko, Worf, and Dax betting on how many times Kira will sneeze, and Sisko taking a moment to enjoy having made the right guess; O'Brien, feeling outnumbered in a home full of women; Julian, having to stop himself from skipping a stone through the Changeling goo of the Great Link. All of these bits feel rooted in who these characters are, and all of them ring true.

Which I think is why Deep Space 9 continues to be my favorite Trek series: When the show is at its best, the universe feels textured and lived-in, something that often isn't true of other shows in the franchise. When the characters are properly written, they feel real. And if they feel real in the little moments, then that makes the big dramatic moments that much more powerful.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Body Parts
Next Episode: Apocalypse Rising

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