Was Eddington wasted?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' started by parsonsm, Jan 26, 2023.

  1. Qonundrum

    Qonundrum Vice Admiral Admiral

    I think the Wadi put rest to that, unfortunately. It's not the best episode and I doubt the original budget would have helped it beyond a certain point, but it's definitely very much underrated no matter which way one can look at it.

    It also led to some reasoned reviews, like this one:

     
  2. trekshark

    trekshark Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2014
    Location:
    USA
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2023
  3. hbquikcomjamesl

    hbquikcomjamesl Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2006
    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Manages to combine two things that are of precisely zero interest to me.
     
  4. STEPhon IT

    STEPhon IT Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2010
    Location:
    Sunny California
    I couldn't believe Sisko wasted his time on Eddington; it seemed he was elusive because of the bad writing done on our heroes. I never bought he was the leader of the Maquis, I'd rather one of the Admirals I've seen throughout that time to be a logical person for the role than a lame, nobody security officer who was abysmal to my interests every time he was onscreen.
     
  5. Oddish

    Oddish Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Location:
    Kanto, Poké-World
    I see the Maquis as imitating the Bajoran model for their terrorist (actually, guerilla is a more appropriate term) organization... they're divided into cells, who operate largely independently. Capture one Maquis, and even if the Cardies break him under drugs or torture, he can only identify his cell. The greater organization survives.
     
    Farscape One, Lynx and DonIago like this.
  6. Lynx

    Lynx Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2001
    Location:
    Lynx Empire
    I would also liked to have seen more exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. Maybe the Dominion War should have been limited to seasons 6 and 7 and included more action inthe Gamma Quadrant.

    I agree on that. I suppose that you're thinking of Tom Riker here.
    I would also have liked to see Picard's Enterprise show up in some episodes. It would have been great to see some action from them in the Dominion War.

    I actually like Move Along Home. A bit spooky but a bit funny too.
    Not to mention that a neighbor I had in my area back then was a dead ringer of Falow. We used to joke about it. :)

    I don't think that Eddington was the Maquis leader, only one of them.

    I think "guerilla" is more appropriate for both the Bajoran Resistance and the Maquis even if it sometimes can be a thin line between "guerilla" and "resistance movement" on one hand and "terrorists" on the other.
     
    STEPhon IT likes this.
  7. Oddish

    Oddish Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Location:
    Kanto, Poké-World
    Generally, the distinction is who they principally target. Terrorists kill civilians as a way of terrorizing the enemy, hence the name. Guerillas use a similar organizational structure, but generally attack military targets. Since the majority of the Cardassian occupying force was military, well...

    And to reconsider the original question...
    Q: Was Eddington wasted?
    A: No, he seemed to be sober most of the time. :lol:
     
    Roundabout and kkt like this.
  8. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    Indeed, the concept of a singular "Maquis leader" is a contradiction in terms. Groups like this don't have leaders of any kind. Just all those little cells. That's the only kind of authority they believe in.

    Which is one of the things that flummoxed me about the claim that the Maquis wanted to form their own independent state. STATE? They don't believe in a state! :lol:

    As for Eddington: He may not have specifically intended to target civilians in any of his operations, but at the same time I doubt he ever shed a tear if any such deaths actually occurred.

    To put it another way: Chakotay would have agonized over civilian deaths; Eddington wouldn't give a damn.
     
    Farscape One and kkt like this.
  9. STEPhon IT

    STEPhon IT Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2010
    Location:
    Sunny California
    Which was why the producers should've never made the distinction Eddington was the leader. I mean Sloan, at least, gave the impression Section 31 had a faction of cells and within those cells someone was in charge. Eddington was such a waste of time when Sisko had better fishes to fry.
     
  10. Oddish

    Oddish Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Location:
    Kanto, Poké-World
    Not sure about that. If Eddington envisioned himself as the equivalent of a "Jean Valjean" character, he undoubtedly had strict moral principles, and was willing to sacrifice himself for them.

    Kira, when forming resistance cells on Cardassia, reveals that she operated the same way. Terrorists and guerillas might have different targets and goals, but they're both fighting asymmetric warfare. If the enemy ever finds out where they all are, they lose.
     
  11. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    Eddington's only strict principle was himself. His ego. It's all about HIM. He cares little for others. And if a few civilians have to die for his "glorious revolution", then he'd be like, the hell with them.
     
    Farscape One and XCV330 like this.
  12. Jedman67

    Jedman67 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2015
    Location:
    Jedman67
    He surrendered to Sisko because Sisko was going to bomb Maquis civilians.

    Didn't the Jem Hadar wipe them all out anyway?
     
  13. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    There are no Maquis civilians.

    I'm sure there were colonists in the DMZ who refused to join the fighting, although I doubt the Maquis thought very highly of them. Groups like this rarely take kindly to those who won't join The Struggle :rolleyes: .

    I actually wish they'd run with that angle. What DID the Maquis do with the colonists who wouldn't join? Did they make them join? Was there conscription? That'd be right up the Maquis' alley.

    Yep.
     
  14. Oddish

    Oddish Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Location:
    Kanto, Poké-World
    Will have to agree to disagree with you on that one.
     
  15. Dee1891

    Dee1891 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2022
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I've always found it odd by how the Maquis was portrayed in the Trek franchise - revolutionary, but always wrong. For me, it was a very conservative stance for the Trek showrunners to make. As if the message for this arc was simply about maintaining the status quo of the Federation, regardless of whether they were right or wrong.
     
    Tallguy likes this.
  16. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    I actually found it rather refreshing.

    Sometimes "the Man" isn't the bad guy after all! :lol:
     
    Tallguy likes this.
  17. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2014
    Location:
    Journeying onwards
    I do as well. To me, it's a reflection of the idea that Star Trek espouses-humanity growing together in service to and benefit of the great whole. "The needs of the many..." as evidenced by the fact that preventing a war benefits more people on both sides, than the displacement of colonists.
     
    DonIago and Mr. Laser Beam like this.
  18. Tallguy

    Tallguy Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    Location:
    Beyond the Farthest Star
    That's the dream of Star Trek. The Federation is never wrong. Someone asked Roddenberry during season 3 "How do people leave the Federation?" His reply was "Nobody WANTS to leave the Federation. So there doesn't have to be a way." (Paraphrasing from a 30 year old memory.) I THINK it was Melinda Snodgrass and The High Ground.

    In this case it didn't prevent the war and the colonists were all killed (right?). Six seasons into DS9 and a lot of it is a blur.

    It's meant to be one of those unanswerable Star Trek questions. How many is The Needs of the Many? And all deference to Spock, but isn't a minority necessarily not "the many"?
     
  19. fireproof78

    fireproof78 Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2014
    Location:
    Journeying onwards
    I mean, the war with Cardassia didn't happen until the Dominion got involved, which is what the Maquis were fighting against.

    It is a great and interesting philosophical question in a franchise that espouses both IDIC as well as "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." The larger challenge is in how does the decision impact the group of people and what does that mean for the few.
     
  20. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    Gotta love that 20/20 hindsight, huh? :lol:

    It can be argued that it was the Maquis threat that, at least partly, drove Cardassia to join the Dominion in the first place.