Thoughts on Season Two

Season Two of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 opens as it closes: with a run of extremely strong episodes. The sustained run of quality shows from Season One's Duet through to Cardassians is one of the greatest in all Star Trek, matched only by the run of episodes from Blood Oath to The Jem'Hadar at the season's end. A full half of the season is accounted for within these two sequences, in which every single episode ranges from very good to excellent.

And those sustained runs of quality in Season Two? They don't even account for midseason gems such as Necessary Evil or Whispers, both of which rank among the very best episodes of the series.

So having opened this review by lavishly praising 15 episodes of a 26-episode season, I've probably already tipped my hand that most of my feelings about Season Two are positive.


Midseason Filler

Let me now turn to one of my few major criticisms of this season: The midseason has an awful lot of filler. This is hardly endemic to Season Two of Deep Space 9, and goes back to a point I've raised in my reviews of TNG and Enterprise: 26 episodes per season is simply too much. Shave about ten episodes off that - heck, even six episodes - and you would have far fewer instances of filler centered around guest characters with minimal impact on our regulars; or stories that consist entirely of "B" plots, with one strand centering on a racquetball game between Bashir and O'Brien and another on Quark encountering a business rival. These sorts of episodes fairly cry that there just weren't enough story ideas to fill 26 slots.

This isn't really disastrous, given the wonderful episodes that start and finish the season. But with so much filler in between, the show seems to lose its way during the midseason. Around the time of Rivals, I could feel my interest waning. That interest came back in full force after Blood Oath and The Maquis, of course - but with lapses of weeks in between new episodes on original airing, having so many of the new episodes in the middle be inconsequential fluff likely contributed to declining ratings.


Characters in Full Focus

I praised TNG's second season for finally getting the characters right, even in the midst of continuing uneven quality. That isn't so much an issue for Deep Space 9. Most of the characters worked pretty well by the end of Season One, and the show could probably have continued to be strong just by maintaining what was already established.

Which makes it all the more impressive how much deeper Season Two goes into the characters. Sisko emerges even more as something of an outsider within the Federation hierarchy. He does his duty, he obeys his orders. But it's clear that he often disagrees with those orders, even memorably complaining about the naivete of Earth when stuck in the position of enforcing a frankly rotten treaty. It would be very interesting to see Sisko's frustrations with Earth cause a deeper rift - maybe even putting him in the position of truly disobeying orders? I'd love to see that, though that sort of thing might be too ambitious for a Star Trek show.

Kira, Odo, and Quark all receive additional depth and shading this season. Duet hinted that Kira had done things as a freedom fighter that she probably would rather not think about. Necessary Evil brings some of that into focus, as we learn of at least one murder she committed while on a mission. Her hotblooded pursuit of Cardassian collaborators also comes back to haunt her, when Winn uses it against her in The Collaborator. Odo gets even better character material. Necessary Evil is a bravura character piece, filling in a lot of the blanks of his backstory and demonstrating how he came to be trusted by Kira even while working - honestly and genuinely working - for Gul Dukat. The Odo/Kira relationship is developed, with their friendship both tested and deepened. We also see Odo's authoritarian side, casting him a genuinely unpleasant light when he advocates police state measures in The Maquis, stating that the station was "safer" under Cardassian rule. "Unless you happened to be Bajoran," Kira is quick to add, with evident bitterness.

Quark's backstory receives some attention, as well. We learn that he risked his life to help Bajoran refugees during The Occupation. Presumably for profit, but it does show evidence of a form of personal integrity. He may sell out people for profit  - but he will only go so far in doing so. At any time Quark starts to seem like a joke, the show suddenly gives us scenes of real character depth. With no way to escape an assassin in Necessary Evil, he responds with surprising courage to seemingly certain death. Reunited with a woman he loves, he rises to the status of... well, maybe not hero, but antihero at least. And he gets that showstopping monologue in The Jem'Hadar, standing up to Sisko while proudly declaring that the Ferengi "are nothing like humans. We're better."

Recurring characters are also well-treated. Gul Dukat goes from a one-note villain in Season One to a full, and very interesting, character by the end of this season. The similarities between Dukat and Sisko are nicely explored by The Maquis, which also makes use of the difference between them - Sisko will go further than the average Starfleet officer, but he still won't go as far into amoral territory as Dukat. Andrew Robinson's Garak returns multiple times this season, and is a delight in every appearance. Cardassians and The Wire develop the friendship between Garak and Bashir.  Garak's character is also developed, without ever actually disclosing his true backstory. We don't know much about him... but by the end of the season, we start to feel that we know him. An amusing Season One guest character has become a complex, fascinating figure, someone who we know must have done terrible things in the past. Then again, so did Kira. As the show continually reminds us, it was war.


Actions and Consequences

It was war. That's the really fascinating thing about Deep Space 9's setting, when properly utilized. This is a show set in the aftermath of war, the aftermath of a brutal occupation. The Cardassians aren't melodramatic villains, the Bajorans aren't noble victims. Both are complex creations, represented in the show by multilayered characters. We are encouraged to like Kira and Garak - even though we know both have killed, and almost certainly have killed innocents. We are encouraged to dislike Winn and Dukat - even though both characters stand for order, albeit with themselves at the head of that order. The villains are as complex as the heroes.

Actions have consequences. TNG, Voyager, and most of the first two seasons of Enterprise would largely like to forget that. The characters have the adventure of the week, the problem is solved through technobabble, moral speeches, and handwaving, and then everything is reset for the following week. Deep Space 9 occasionally indulges in this, too... but an advantage of its stationary setting is that it can't do it regularly. It has to deal with consequences.

In the first season, Kai Opaka was removed from Bajor. This creates a steady drumbeat of consequences, with Vedek Winn using every tool she can find to manipulate her way to succeeding her. Despite Winn's manipulations, Opaka's choice - the progressive Vedek Bareil - seems certain to be the next Kai. But Opaka's own past actions have consequences, and Bareil's respect for her memory causes him to withdraw rather than see Opaka's name tarnished. Doing so is a tacit admission of guilt by Bareil to a crime he never committed... something that seems itself likely to have consequences next season.

Starfleet made a treaty with the Cardassians, one which left Federation colonies under Cardassian rule. This action has consequences. Cardassians will not allow Federation settlers to truly govern themselves. They will rule like Cardassians, because that is what they know and even what they consider right. When the settlers rebel against Cardassian abuse, and the Federation refuses to back them, then this also has consequences. The settlers, and some Starfleet officers who see the situation and sympathize, create a rebel movement, one with the potential to spark a new war.

Sisko and Dax discovered the wormhole, and Deep Space 9 and Starfleet have encouraged exploration and settlements within the Gamma Quadrant. But the Gamma Quadrant has forces of its own, forces who don't necessarily appreciate the Federation encroaching on its territory. The Dominion's response is violent, but not unpredictable. From the perspective of the Dominion, it may even have some justification.

In all cases, we see the same thing, rarely seen in Star Trek shows. The actions of the past - even of the first season of the series - have consequences, ones which continue to build as the series moves from its second to its third season.


Season Three Wishlist

It's tough to have much of a wishlist for the next season when this season was so good. I would like to see fewer filler episodes. I don't mind if they run through a stock Trek plot here and there to pad out the episode order - but give those plots a bit of a twist to make them fresh again. This season's Shadowplay stands as an excellent example of how to take a stock plot and turn it into something that feels fresh. That's the kind of filler I don't object to.

Past that, I hope to see real fallout from some of the events of this season. Bajor is in the worst possible hands, with Winn having become Kai. That cries out for consequences, particularly given the weakness of the provisional government (something still not adequately explored, save for the opening 3-parter). The Dominion has announced itself as a formidable enemy, and has issued an edict making the wormhole off limits. I would hate to see everything be "business as usual" next season. Let's see Starfleet test the Dominion, and perhaps find a way to fight back against them or negotiate from a position of strength. Maybe the Maquis could complicate things by obliviously using the wormhole, and inciting a violent reaction from the Dominion in doing so? Just an offhand thought.

Mostly, I just would like to see the show keep up the good work. This is the darkest and most interesting Star Trek show by far. At its best, this is the only Star Trek show that is often better than the original. I hope to see it at its best even more often in the future.


Previous Season: Season One
Next Season: Season Three

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2-24. The Collaborator.

Kira makes a deal with the devil.

THE PLOT

It is now mere days before the selection of the new Kai. The election is a foregone conclusion, with it well-known that Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim) was Kai Opaka (Camille Saviola)'s personal choice to succeed her. But Bareil appears to have doubts, as he spends an increasing amount of time looking into the Orb of Prophecy, seeing visions that clearly trouble him.

Meanwhile, the station receives a new and most unexpected visitor: Kubus Oak (Bert Remsen), a member of the Bajoran government during the Occupation. For his collaboration with the Cardassians, Kubus is under a permanent sentence of exile. But the old man desperately wants to return home, and has made a deal with Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) for sanctuary on Bajor. In exchange for Winn's help, he will release the name of the Bajoran who ordered the massacre that killed Kai Opaka's son. The name? Vedek Bareil!


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Refuses to involve himself directly in Bajoran internal affairs. To that end, he has made no public gesture of support toward Bareil, even though it's clear that he favors him. He also resists a fairly blatant attempt by Winn to make a public appearance with her before the choosing. He does leave himself open to making such an appearance with Winn after the selection, though he does little to conceal his dislike and distrust of her.

Major Kira: In the wake of the attempted assassination of Bareil, she no longer trusts nor likes Winn. But Winn knows exactly which buttons to push to get Kira to run the investigation. The authority of the Bajoran Kai is too important for her to stomach even the vaguest possibility of a collaborator being selected for the office. Kubus may well be lying, but it's essential that the truth be known. A few well-placed words sets Kira in dogged pursuit of the scant crumbs of evidence Kubus has presented. She confesses to Odo that she is in love with Bareil - but though she protests that he must be innocent, it's clear that the question tugs at the back of her mind: What if he's guilty?

Odo: Is sympathetic to Kira, but realistic enough to know that it is possible that Kubus' accusation is true. He does his best to prepare Kira for that possibility, even as he works to help her in her inquiry.

Vedek Bareil: Even before the ending, it seems clear that Bareil doesn't really want to be Kai. One of his visions has Opaka present him with a serpent, telling him that "its venom will make (him) stronger." Honestly, Bareil could use a bit of strength. He is clearly a good man, but he prefers to be a sympathetic ear, and is happier at the prospect of spending time with Kira than at the prospect of inheriting the crown (so to speak). Philip Anglim's performance has steadily improved throughout the season, and at this point he is doing some very good acting. I'm not sure where Bareil's story is going, but I do think he probably isn't ready to be a true leader at this point in the series' run. Perhaps some tribulations during Winn's stewardship will grant him some strength for him to take office at the series' end - assuming he survives.

Vedek Winn: Continues to be a strong adversary. She tries to manipulate everyone around her. She has no success with Sisko, but the transparency of her attempted manipulation is such that I doubt that was even a serious effort. She plays Kira effortlessly, weaving Kira's loyalty toward Bajor together with Kira's hatred of collaborators until Kira is acting as her tool. She doesn't seem inclined to use Kira's information against Bareil once Bareil withdraws - it may be that she knows there is more to the story than that, it may simply be that she has no need to destroy him once he is no longer in her way.


THOUGHTS

"The one thing I've learned about humanoids is that in extreme situations, even the best of you are capable of doing terrible things."

In light of Necessary Evil, Odo's words to Kira carry extra resonance - not only for the viewer, but for both of the characters. A nice, unobtrusive nod at continuity, as well as an important thematic statement for the episode itself.

Though a late plot twist does offer a surprise, one that works very well both in terms of the plot and the episode's themes, this really isn't a mystery. The episode's opening lays out for us that Bareil feels deep guilt, and he behaves with the consciousness of someone with something to hide at every turn. We - and Kira - know that he is the best man to succeed Opaka as Kai, and that Winn is the worst possible choice. We also know that he does have guilt, and that his guilt will keep him from attaining the position. The result of Kira's investigation is a foregone conclusion, because this episode is not a mystery; it's a tragedy.

This episode also sees the ever-increasing consequences of Opaka's one-way trip through the wormhole. I said at the time that I hoped the removal of Bajor's spiritual leader would have consequences. Though it took a while for it to be followed up with In the Hands of the Prophets, the fallout of Opaka's removal from the show has resulted in some of the richest and most interesting episodes of the past season. Now it has had a result Opaka could not have foreseen, and I look forward to seeing where the Bajoran stories take this series next season.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Crossover

Next Episode: Tribunal

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2-3. The Siege

Winn and Jaro, scheming.

THE PLOT

Sisko finds himself faced with an edict from The Circle to leave Deep Space 9 within 7 hours. The Federation response is that the instability on Bajor is an internal matter, and that any direct interference is forbidden by the Prime Directive. This leaves Sisko with only one option: To delay the takeover of the station for as long as possible, and hope that Major Kira can bring The Circle's unwitting ties to the Cardassians to light.


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: After making sure that all the non-Bajoran civilians are evacuated, along with many Bajorans, Sisko spearheads a guerrilla campaign against The Circle's forces. He proves very effective in this role, and he and the Bajoran general are evenly-matched tactical adversaries.

Major Kira: She seems to almost enjoy returning to a combat role. She is perfectly comfortable at the controls of an outdated, only half-functional Bajoran ship, and uses techniques that are probably very similar to those she used against the Cardassians to evade the more modern ships of The Circle.

Quark: "It's all that I am!" Quark cries when Dr. Bashir urges him to leave his heavy case behind. Quark goes on to embroider that by crediting the case as holding family heirlooms, before Bashir cuts him off by noting that it's filled with gold-pressed latinum. But in a way, Quark is right. He's spent his entire life in pursuit of profit, and to abandon his profit would be like abandoning an irreplaceable heirloom. It will be interesting to see if any attempt is made to have Quark search for something more.

Vedek Winn: Remains an absolute opportunist. When Kira bursts into the Chamber of Ministers, her first impulse is to back up Minister Jaro in dismissing her as an enemy. But when she produces evidence of Cardassian ties to The Circle, Winn does not hesitate for one moment to abandon Jaro, even taking the lead in pursuing an investigation. The Circle may be broken, but Winn still comes out a winner here.  There is little doubt that she will use the investigation of this incident to further promote herself.


THOUGHTS

When Sisko speaks to his staff, and offers any of them the usual chance to "leave now, while you still can," I really wish at least one or two people would take that opportunity. It would enhance the feeling of realism, and it would still be a vote of confidence in Sisko if most of his crew stays.

The Siege ends the three-episode "Circle" arc. After the tightly-packed look at Bajor's background and religious and political strife of the previous two episodes, this installment basically functions as the arc's "action climax."  It isn't as compelling as The Circle, in particular, proved to be. But it's still very good, a highly serviceable climax to these three episodes.

The episode is particularly strong in showing Sisko's tactical campaign against the Bajoran general. Every move made by both Sisko and the general is conveyed in a way that makes us understand why each action is taken, and how the other man can respond. It's good to see two adversaries who are both portrayed as highly intelligent, and I appreciated that the Bajoran general is not painted as a villain.

I am slightly disappointed that The Siege reduces the focus on Minister Jaro, who was so prominent in the previous two episodes. Jaro is only glimpsed in a couple of scenes here, and doesn't really get a chance to display the cunning of his previous appearances. I do, at least, hold out hopes for return appearances by some of the players in this arc. At this point, it's clear enough that Winn and Bareil are going to be recurring characters for a while. I would also hope for future appearances by Jaro or the general from this arc, and hopefully future mentions of Li Nalas.

Most of all, I hope that there will be some consequences seen as a result of the attempted coup. This should not be an incident that's easily forgotten, and the provisional government should be even less stable than it was before. It would be interesting to actually have that government fall, though I'm still not certain the show is willing to really push itself out that far.


Rating for The Siege: 7/10

Overall Rating for The Circle Arc: 9/10

Previous Episode: The Circle

Next Episode: Invasive Procedures

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2-2. The Circle

The duplicitous Minister Jaro (Frank Langella)

THE PLOT

Kira has been removed from her position as Bajoran liaison to Deep Space 9, replaced by Li Nalas (Richard Beymer) in a bid to increase Minister Jaro's political influence. Given some leave time, Kira accepts an invitation from Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim), joining him at the monastery on Bajor. When Bareil gives her access to the Orb of Prophecy, to help show her future path to her, she is disturbed by what she sees.

More disturbing still are the developments in Bajor's capital city. The provisional government is losing more and more support, and The Circle is growing in strength. Sisko meets with one of the military leaders.  He comes away convinced that The Circle is planning a coup, and that the military cannot be counted on to support the government when that happens. When the station gets information that The Circle is receiving arms smuggled through Deep Space 9, Sisko decides it is time to act - if it's not already too late!


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: It's hard to believe that this time last season, Brooks was often wooden and Sisko was flat and ill-defined. By now, at a point still fairly early in the series, Brooks' performance has become regularly outstanding, and Sisko has become my favorite Trek lead.

Sisko has a wonderful scene in the teaser opposite Jaro, in which he very pleasantly tells the Minister exactly what he thinks of him without once actually coming out and directly insulting the man. He shows his appreciation to Kira by emphatically stating that "no one can" replace her, and by promising to her that he will get her back.

Major Kira: Taken out of the command structure, she feels useless and doesn't really know how to cope with that. She is clearly drawn to Vedek Bareil, but resists that, even after an encounter with the Orb of Prophecy. Kira is known for having disagreements with Starfleet, but she has no sympathy for The Circle. "If you want to change the government, vote to change it," she tells a representative of The Circle, comparing their planned coup with knifing somebody in the back.

Odo: When Quark comes to him to tell him that the Circle is heavily armed, Odo doesn't dismiss him. He recognizes that Quark is genuinely scared, and trusts that Quark can get information from people who would never talk to him. Odo has his own ways of getting information, of course, and his shapeshifting abilities help him to gain some critical intelligence about the true source of The Circle's weaponry.

Vedek Winn: Continues to be the gently pleasant, open face of evil. She's all smiles, but her acid is unmistakable as she reprimands Vedek Bareil for allowing Kira to come into contact with an Orb, calling his failure to clear it with the Council "discourteous." The ending scene makes plain that she is still angling to become the next Kai. While she is being very careful about drawing certain alliances, she knows that her order is small, and that she will have to take some chances in order to achieve her ambitions.

Minister Jaro: Frank Langella is even better here than in The Homecoming, and we learn a lot more about Jaro in this episode. He seems to be the definition of unflappable. He remains calm when Sisko so very diplomatically belittles him in the teaser, having no trouble switching gears to discussing the problems posed by The Circle. He is equally calm opposite an intransigent Major Kira.  He presents himself as reasonable, even when he's behaving unreasonably.  In that way he's really quite a good match with Vedek Winn, and it's good to see these two fine actors and interesting characters share some screen time in this episode.

THOUGHTS

The Homecoming was a very good season premiere. The Circle is even better. All the background strands about Bajor are coming to the foreground here, with all the different agendas and factions seeming ready to tear the planet apart.

The Circle is itself a disturbingly plausible organization. We've all seen groups run by very sincere-seeming people, determined to return to "the old ways" while seeing anything from the past century as a turn away from true "values." It's not hard to find historical examples of such groups gaining power, particularly in difficult times. With a weak provisional government and civil and religious unrest, The Circle's coup is far from implausible.

The episode is tightly-paced, making good use of elements from The Homecoming and from the previous season. The ending raises the stakes nicely, with Sisko's hands effectively tied as everything begins falling apart.

I'm just hoping the next episode doesn't see it all conveniently fixed. Obviously, Sisko won't be abandoning the station, so obviously The Circle won't outright drive Starfleet away from Bajor. But even if Sisko wins a victory, I hope it isn't a complete one. Events such as the ones portrayed should have long-term repercussions. I will be very annoyed if the next episode ends with everything exactly as it was before.


Overall Rating: 10/10

Previous Episode: The Homecoming

Next Episode: The Siege

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1-20. In the Hands of the Prophets

Introducing Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher),
the pleasant and smiling face of evil.

THE PLOT

Keiko is teaching her students about the wormhole when her classroom receives an unexpected visitor: Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher), an orthodox Bajoran religious leader. Winn calls upon Keiko to teach not the science of the wormhole, but the Bajoran beliefs about the Prophets. When Keiko refuses to either teach Bajoran religion or avoid science completely, Winn stages an escalating protest, putting Sisko in a difficult position.

Meanwhile, O'Brien discovers that one of his tools has vanished, along with one of his men. The ensign is found reduced to an organic mass, the apparent victim of an accident. Odo investigates further, uncovering evidence that the man was actually killed by phaser fire before the "accident" was staged.

Before the murder investigation can progress, the Bajoran unrest snowballs, resulting in an act of terrorism on Deep Space 9!


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Sisko's thoughtful side is shown in a scene with his son. When Jake complains about the protests against the school, calling the orthodox Bajorans "stupid," Sisko refuses to allow his son to dismiss it so easily. He understands that the Bajorans' faith is strong in large part because it had to be under the Cardassians, in order to see them through the hell of the Occupation. That understanding is a double-edged sword, though, as it keeps Sisko from dealing firmly with Winn at the outset. Once the situation erupts into violence, Sisko makes it clear that he has had enough and publicly denounces Winn - possibly an example of Sisko's temper getting the better of him, since Winn immediately uses that to denounce him as "the enemy."

Kira: Initially swayed by Winn's rhetoric, which echoes some of her own fears with regard to Bajor being subsumed by the Federation. She agrees with Winn about the need to teach Bajoran children in line with their faith, and she challenges Sisko's attempts to block Winn's influence by parroting his own words back to him: "Aren't all philosophies welcome here?" Once the situation becomes violent, however, Kira firmly supports Sisko in attempting to get things back under control.

O'Brien: His innate stubbornness proves an asset. It's his persistence in searching for the missing seal that turns up the dead ensign's body. When everyone else, even Odo, is willing to accept that the death was an accident, O'Brien voices doubts: "He borrowed my tools without asking... You never borrow a chief's tools without asking." It is that which leads to Odo uncovering the murder. O'Brien remains dogged, ferreting out hidden files in the system, which gives Sisko the clue to exactly what Winn is doing on his station.

Villain of the Week: Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) is the single most frightening villain I've ever seen on a Star Trek show. Forget planet killers, superbeings, and genocidal robots. They're science fiction creations, with very little basis in reality. Genocidal war criminals and fanatical terrorists hew closer to reality - but even then, these are villains we're more likely to read about than to actually have any direct contact with.

Vedek Winn is a religious fanatic who masks her intolerance behind a pleasant face and a quiet, lilting voice. Her every move and gesture is finely calculated, and she is always, always on stage. Look at the way she meets with Keiko to discuss the school issue. She doesn't allow Sisko to arrange a conference room. She confronts Keiko in the hallway, surrounded by followers. It's not an attempt at compromise. It's pure theatre. A gesture of self-promotion, a way of announcing herself to the Bajorans as a serious candidate for Kai.

Fletcher is magnificent. You don't get many Academy Award Winners playing Star Trek villains.  Then again, you don't get very many Star Trek villains like Vedek Winn. Her performance shows the value of getting a very fine actress in a role like this. She's absolutely believable, which makes her absolutely terrifying.


THOUGHTS

Given how often Deep Space 9 and Babylon 5 are compared, it is perhaps fitting that Deep Space 9's first season ends with an episode that shares a big structural similarity with B5's Chrysalis: It starts out looking like a routine episode, maybe even a bit of a boring one. But from that beginning, the situation rapidly snowballs into a situation that's completely out of control, to the point that you can actually feel the fabric of the larger series shifting underneath its weight.

This is yet another episode expanding what we know about the Bajoran culture. In this case, the focus is on the religious culture. Emissary introduced us to the likable and wise Kai Opaka, who represented the best side of religion. Genuinely spiritual without being judgmental, Opaka was the sort of leader who could focus her people's spiritual side in order to make them stronger, wiser, and better. Then the series took Opaka away, leaving a void in the religious power structure.

This episode presents the two people vying to take her place. Vedek Winn is the fundamentalist voice, absolutely unyielding, seeing any dissenting opinion as "blasphemy." And any reader of The Old Testament knows what to do with blasphemers, right? Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim) is the moderate voice, seen as the favorite to succeed Opaka. He's more reasonable than Winn, but lacks her fiery conviction.  When Sisko goes to him for help, he plays politics, guarding his position and refusing to allow Sisko to address the Vedeks. Winn's plan relies on his lack of conviction. Had Bareil granted Sisko's earlier request, his visit to the station would have been unnecessary. But he does nothing until matters become extreme. When moderates say nothing, the only voices heard are those of the extremists.

It's an excellent episode, but it doesn't quite match the intensity of Duet. Part of that is because it's a plot-driven episode, and as such simply can't match the intimacy of the Kira/Maritza interplay.  But I do feel the climax is resolved a bit "safely" when something far more interesting might have been done instead.  In short, Sisko wins, if not cleanly - but imagine how much more interesting things might have been if he had simply been too late.

Still, it isn't a clean win, and we are left with a sense of unease regarding Bajor's shifting religious politics and Sisko's relationship with Bajor.  I have no doubt there will be repercussions.  Overall, an excellent finale to a very good first season.


Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Duet
Next Episode: The Homecoming


Season One Overview


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