“ROCKS AND SHOALS”
Sisko: the ONLY Captain who could square up to a Jem’Hadar and come across as intimidating. Kirk would probably have pretended it was a girl and flirted. Picard would have delivered a philosophical speech. Janeway would have croaked about coffee and come up with a silly one-liner. Archer would have...well, just been inept and petulant. Burnham would have given an emotional speech and cried. Sisko is THE boss.
Although I never quite understood the title until I looked it up, “Rocks and Shoals” is an instant hit and stands as one of the show’s finest episodes; a definite top ten for me. Ron Moore pens one of his finest and most assured scripts; the cast, regulars and guests alike, put in tremendous work; and the directing, cinematography and music all combine to produce an outstanding hour of television.
From the opening shot to the final fade out, this episode held me captivated. The teaser is one of the show’s best and wastes little time in setting up the crew’s dire predicament. Once again, we get some great location work in the same quarry previously featured in “Indiscretion” and “The Ship”—and, once again, the oppressive heat and shooting conditions were apparently hellish for the cast and crew. It certainly looks scorching hot, and you can’t help but feel for the actors and extras playing the Jem’Hadar, buried as they are under layers of latex and leather. Incidentally, this is one of the only times you’ll ever hear me complain about the show’s makeup, but the first scene between Remata’klan and his subordinate (as the opening credits roll) feature an unfortunate mistake. As they talk, you can clearly see that the Jem’Hadar officer, who has a bare chest, is wearing a rubber suit, because his scaly ‘chest’ keeps moving every time he turns to Remata’klan. Ah well, given the horrendous shoot, you can’t blame them for not going back to reshoot.
That’s all I can criticise about this episode. The basic premise is simple but highly effective and, astonishingly, even though our heroes are at war with these guys, it’s also the most sympathetic portrayal we’ve ever seen of the Jem’Hadar; to the extent that these brutally efficient “killing machines” almost seem like the victims. Whereas TNG’s “humanising” of the Borg via Hugh in “I, Borg” pretty much neutered the Borg as a threat for the duration of the series, DS9 has managed to show the Jem’Hadar in a more sympathetic light three times now (also in “Hippocratic Oath” and “To the Death”) and yet they lost none of their sense of danger and power.
While DS9 got considerable criticism from the Trek gatekeepers around this time (including Majel Barrett Roddenberry herself, who penned a letter criticising the war arc), and certainly the tone is darker than we’d ever seen on Trek before, there’s actually a tremendously Star Trekky message here. Sisko goes out of his way to try to get through to the Jem’Hadar and to save them from the fate conspired by their duplicitous Vorta, Keevan. He offers them another way out of the impending carnage—although, sadly, the Jem’Hadar are products of the Dominion’s engineering. As the Jem’Hadar state repeatedly, above all else, they observe “the order of things”. As Sisko later challenges Remata’klan: “Are you really willing to give up your life for the ‘order of things’?” Remata’klan’s somber, defeated response bears all the hallmarks of tragedy: “It is not my life to give up, Captain, and it never was.”
The resultant shoot-up is heart-wrenching to watch, and full credit to the writers and producers. DS9 is going out of its way to show that there are no actual winners in war. Whereas a lesser series may have wanted us to cheer in excitement as our crew gun down the enemy, DS9 makes it painful by showing that in war, as in most things in life, there is no black and white. Phil Morris is superb as the Jem’Hadar leader, delivering probably the finest Jem’Hadar performance of the show’s run, crafting a sympathetic, proud and unexpectedly noble character. Christopher Shea is also memorable as the profoundly unlikable Keevan; as blatant a scumbag as we’ve ever seen n the show. Special mention must also go to Avery Brooks, who is back on top form, holding the episode together with his powerful commanding presence. He perfectly captures every nuance of Sisko’s predicament as he seeks a peaceful way out of an impossible situation, while also very much aware that, in war, his choices are practically non-existent (“if it comes down to a choice between them and us, there IS no choice”).
Meanwhile, the station side of things are equally compelling. Nana Visitor matches the intensity of Brooks’ performance as is absolutely superb as Kira comes to realise she’s gotten too comfortable with this Occupation and has inadvertently become the thing she despised most: a collaborator. Vedek Yassim’s suicide on the Promenade is one of the show’s all-time most shocking moments; brilliantly performed and shot. As it happens, Yassim’s suicide is a suitably powerful motivator for Kira to begin taking action against the Dominion, although it nevertheless sows a dangerous seed of conflict between herself and Odo.
Aside from a first rate script dealing with powerful, thought-provoking themes, what makes “Rocks and Shoals” the powerhouse it is has to be Michael Vejar’s outstanding directing. This is an episode that has all the quality and craftsmanship of a mini-movie, and a great one at that. Every single shot is beautifully composed, the action is compelling and deftly executed and the emotional beats are struck with devastating effectiveness. The past season or two have really seen DS9 step up with regards to directing. Whereas TNG, and earlier seasons of DS9, were mostly characterised by proficient but somewhat pedestrian, pallid directing (often just a static camera moving between reaction shots), the producers seemed to have made a conscious attempt to get the show into line with the more kinetic and ambitious standard of directing evolving in mid-to-late 90’s television. This is one of the best examples I can think of. Indeed, it’s just a shame the show didn’t manage to maintain this level of quality on a more consistent basis (the very next episode would see a huge drop in quality on every level). The photography is also breathtaking, featuring some of the best location work the show ever did. Special mention must also go to David Bell, whose ominous, weighty score significantly adds to the episode’s tension and emotion.
I can’t recommend this episode highly enough. It not only works as a brilliant continuation of the war arc, but also as one of the best standalone episodes the show ever produced. A stunning, harrowing and thought-provoking work of art.
Rating: 10
One of the funniest moments of the documentary!
