My DS9 Rewatch Odyssey

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by ananta, Jan 5, 2021.

  1. Trekker09

    Trekker09 Captain Captain

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    Another fine review.
    I was surprised to see that “The Muse” story was written by Rene Echevarria AND Majel Barrett Roddenberry. Plus, her idea was to claim the unborn baby was Odo’s. Both plot and sub-plot seem like stereotypes of male fantasies--the pregnant damsel in distress, and the succubus preying on the creative young man.
    The director and the producers were unhappy with the story - Ronald Moore said, “We watched that scene [of Onaya with Jake] in dailies and we thought, are we insane? What are we doing? How did we get here?"
    At least there is genuine tenderness and respect between Odo and Lwaxana, they part on good terms - so not such a bad way for Majel to bow out. I still remember meeting her at a convention - so much warmth and generous spirit. And humor!
     
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  2. ananta

    ananta Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Haha, I can just imagine! I mean, imagine watching those scenes without the music and special effects; just Jake sitting there writing and a woman draped over him writhing in coital bliss. It’s utterly ridiculous. I love the fact they had a “WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!” moment...

    As Zek once said, THEY FAILED! MIS-E-RA-BLY!
     
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  3. DonIago

    DonIago Vice Admiral Admiral

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    It could be worse...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...we could have had to watch Jake have his own Doctor Crusher moment... :barf2:
     
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  4. Swedish Borg

    Swedish Borg Commodore Captain

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    Zek said that? On what occasion?
     
  5. DonIago

    DonIago Vice Admiral Admiral

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    In "The Nagus" after Rom and Zek's son fail to assassinate Quark...and more importantly, fail to grasp that they shouldn't have been trying to in the first place.
     
  6. Swedish Borg

    Swedish Borg Commodore Captain

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    Yes, I remember now. Thank you.
     
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  7. kkt

    kkt Commodore Commodore

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    It might have been better of Jake had mixed feelings about Onaya, appreciating how she brought out his writing even at the same time as he kept her alive. If they'd written the relationship to be just a little more of a symbiotic one, Jake might have been furious with his dad for chasing Onaya away. That could have been a lot more interesting.

    I wonder if writing in cursive is a skill that Onaya taught. I don't see the padds they use recognizing cursive. Writing with a fountain pen takes a little bit of practice too.

    Still, I don't hate the episode. I still watch it whenever I'm rewatching the series.
     
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  8. Swedish Borg

    Swedish Borg Commodore Captain

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    Well, Chakotay writes with a pen once, in Unforgettable, so it appears that it's a skill that is still taught. Then again both Scotty and Janeway learn how to type in about five minutes (ten seconds for Scotty)... So maybe they have superbrains or something...
     
  9. kkt

    kkt Commodore Commodore

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    If you learn to touch-type, it's so much faster than any handwriting, I can't see anyone going back to it for most things.
     
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  10. Trekker09

    Trekker09 Captain Captain

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    When they showed the title page of the novel, Anslem, I wondered if that was what Sisko meant when he said the spelling was terrible-! Was Jake trying to spell the famous old name Anselm, or was he making up a new name.
    Meg Foster almost seemed to be imitating the Borg queen...though I guess First Contact hadn’t been released at the time. What Onaya did reminded me of “Man of the People” TNG.
    Anyway, one thing this episode did very well was give Odo a chance to show a very caring, chivalrous side...quite a development.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2021
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  11. Swedish Borg

    Swedish Borg Commodore Captain

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    From what I gather "Anslem" is the Bajoran word for "Father"...
     
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  12. Farscape One

    Farscape One Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Regarding "SHATTERED MIRROR", it is a rather middle of the road episode but with so many wonderful bits in it, it rates higher. I think a 7 is a fair rank. I will also say this is the last good Mirror Universe outing for DS9.

    The battle sequence with the Defiant around the station... PHENOMENAL! Always a favorite of mine. And that was with the models, if memory serves me. Which makes it even more impressive.

    The Regent and Garak scenes were a hoot. I can see a spinoff comedy with this duo.

    One thing, though... Jake unexpectedly entered the quarters while Jennifer was there. And Jake saw her, so the cat was out of the bag. Ben had to elaborate at that point.

    Great review.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
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  13. Farscape One

    Farscape One Vice Admiral Admiral

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    "THE MUSE"...

    This is honestly the only episode of the season that is mediocre to me, and only the Onaya plot. That could have been much better. Though any scenes with Ben and Jake are a joy to watch.

    The best part of the episode was the Lwaxana/Odo plot. I found it sweet and very nice, and I can believe these scenes easily due to their chemistry. Lovely story.

    I think I will rate this one a 4.5, too.

    The Onaya half of this episode prevents me from calling DS9 season 4 a perfect season. I will still maintain it's the closest to a perfect season the franchise ever got, and likely will ever get.
     
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  14. ananta

    ananta Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    “FOR THE CAUSE”

    [​IMG]
    Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Girl starts working with terrorist organisation. Boy puts girl’s ass in jail.

    “For the Cause” is an episode I actually like more in retrospect, and that’s knowing the shocking twists. It’s a solid hour of drama and the emotional core of the episode, Kasidy’s betrayal of Sisko, packs a fair emotional punch. This is so much more powerful than Trek’s usual vapid “romance of the week” slogs, partly because this relationship has been building for the best part of a year and, perhaps most importantly, Avery Brooks and Penny Johnson have such a wonderful, natural chemistry that I have to say the Sisko/Kasidy relationships is one of my favourite in all of Trek. By this point, Ben, Kasidy and Jake really do feel like a family, which makes the events of this episode all the more painful.

    Avery Brooks is superb throughout and he carries the episode beautifully with a powerful, understated, pained performance. It’s impossible not to feel for Ben as his officers investigate Kasidy’s suspected Maquis ties. The scene in the cargo bay when Ben suggests Kasidy ditches her mission and head off to Risa with him is particularly affecting; with both Brooks and Johnson beautifully conveying the nuance and subtext of the conversation. Her decision to turn him down and continue with her mission is nothing less than a punch in the gut, for Sisko and the viewer. Unfortunately, we never really learn much about why Kasidy is aiding the Maquis and willing to jeopardise her relationship and career to do so. It’s suggested that it’s simply humanitarian aid she’s assisting with, so it could be motivated by conscience rather than any deep political leanings. I don’t suppose it matters that much, and an extended debate on the subject wouldn’t necessarily have added much to the episode. Sometimes less is more. The final scene in the cargo hold is a real killer and, unlike most of Trek “star-crossed lover” stories, the emotion is truly earned. (Disappointingly, this storyline doesn’t get any satisfactory follow-up when Kasidy next appears. It gets brushed aside far too quickly, although I am glad that it isn’t the end for their relationship)

    Of course, it would be bad enough if it was just one betrayal Sisko had to deal with, but the other twist is that the whole operation has been orchestrated by one Michael Eddington (who basically used Kasidy as a decoy and left her to get caught, the rotter). I don’t know whether it was deliberate part of Kenneth Marshall’s somewhat shifty performance, but I got a bad vibe about Eddington from the very moment he was introduced and the more he appeared on the series, the more that intensified—even though his previous few appearances he’d very much been “one of the team”. Apparently, a great many viewers had him pegged as a Changeling infiltrator, and the writers decided to throw a curve ball and reveal him as a Maquis agent.

    We don’t know how long he’s been a Maquis, but he has some, um...strong opinions on the matter. Eddington’s venomous rant at Sisko at the end of the episode is eye-opening to say the least. I don’t think we’ve ever heard such a damning indictment of the Federation, although I found Eddington such an obnoxious, sanctimonious jerk that I couldn’t take much he had to say seriously (“you’re like the Borg...no, wait, you’re worse than the Borg” sounded like a 24th century equivalent of “you’re worse than Hitler” and far too childish to take seriously). In a sense, Eddington has some things in common with Dukat. I feel his real reasons for siding with the Maquis are narcissistic—to make him feel like a dashing hero, something Sisko will pick up on in his next encounter with the wayward security officer. Sisko’s blistering comeback is even better and delivered with utter badass conviction by Brooks. Beware Eddington, you in danger.

    I guess my disdain for Eddington and inability to find much sympathy for him underscores how I feel about the Maquis in general—they come across as petulant, short-sighted and childish. Life is far from ideal, but there’s always a bigger picture and the moment life got tough these guys almost immediately ditched their ideals and values to become nefarious thieves, criminals and killers. Yeah, Cardassians are the assholes of the universe, but no one was forcing them to stay on worlds in a galaxy that, in Star Trek lore, is abundant with inhabitable worlds. But, I digress.

    I almost forgot the Garak and Ziyal sub-plot. It’s not much to write home about; serviceable and reasonably engaging, although I didn’t appreciate the attempt to set up a potential relationship between the two. Firstly, even though they’ve recast Ziyal to look a little older, she’s still basically a child and Garak a middle-aged man (and, frankly, a man who I still think only has eyes for Julian Bashir!). Although, to be fair, it is Ziyal who seems to be making the advances, and it will cause some nice fireworks down the road. I did enjoy the scene in Garak’s shop, with he, Quark and Kira back in badass mode. That’s almost worth the price of admission alone. I have to ask though, who goes into a sauna fully clothed—or clothed at all?

    Anyway, this is an excellent episode: a taut, beautifully written and acted drama that kept me hooked from beginning to end. It also forms the first part of a superb Sisko vs Eddington trilogy that would continue with the fifth season’s “For the Uniform” and “Blaze of Glory”. Rating: 9
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
  15. Bad Thoughts

    Bad Thoughts Vice Admiral Admiral

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    What about Jake? Not to critique every omission, but Jake had some great scenes. Lofton played a perfect counterpoint to Brooks' emotions, and they had a difficult, very poignant conversation in which Sisko tries to tell Jake how essential their relationship is.

    Otherwise, great review. I may rate this episode slightly lower, but here begins what I consider to be the best run of episodes in all star Trek, all the way to You are cordially invited.
     
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  16. Trekker09

    Trekker09 Captain Captain

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    Enjoyed the review, always so articulate - and the episode: a tense, poignant drama, with striking speeches from Sisko, Eddington, and Ziyal. The sweetness of the pillow talk, and the moment with Jake, sharply contrasted with all the suspicion and betrayal….You can see Sisko’s face change as Kasidy tells him she has a commitment to deliver the cargo - instead of running off to Risa with him.
    I love the DS9 exploration of “gray areas” ….though I do wish there had been some earlier hint of Kasidy’s sympathy for the Maquis. That was the one flaw as I saw it-- how unexplained her role was, why she would knowingly take such a huge risk and keep Ben in the dark about it. There should have been more depth to the final confrontation.
    Of the 3 actresses for Ziyal, I thought Tracy Middendorf was the least engaging, and the tentative companionship of the two Cardassians was awkward at best. But overall, a solid, reassuring comeback from the previous 2 episodes.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
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  17. Farscape One

    Farscape One Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Excellent review!

    Great comparison between Eddington and Dukat. I never saw that before, but that actually makes a lot of sense. Eddington might very well be how Dukat started out as a young man.

    I also give this a 9.
     
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  18. Swedish Borg

    Swedish Borg Commodore Captain

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    Great review! Good episode. Aren't Cardassians cold-blooded? I mean literally, we already know that they are so figuratively, They kinda look like snakes, don't they? And that could definitely explain their need for a much higher ambient temperature (I think I heard 35 degrees Celcius once but maybe I am misremembering).
     
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  19. kkt

    kkt Commodore Commodore

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    If I were helping the Maquis, I'd certainly keep quiet about it around Captain Sisko...
     
  20. Bad Thoughts

    Bad Thoughts Vice Admiral Admiral

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    In for a penny, in for a pound. Kassidy was oblivious to the fact she could be drawn in or sacrificed by the Maquis.