A Confession (Series finale spoilers; click at your own risk!)

[Quinton O'Connor]

For over half my life now DS9 has been over. And for over half my life now I've been well-aware that fan reactions to Dukat's destiny, the Prophets/Pagh'Wraith storyline in general and even the pairing of Dukat and Winn have been varied and coloured. While I won't get into the specifics of all this and I know it's been discussed to death, there is something I want to get off of my chest regarding the lattermost thing I mentioned.

I've been following a first-time viewer's trek through the series on another website and he's been saying the same things that a lot of fans have said -- namely, the whole thing is screwed-up, Dukat's character is now destroyed, so on, so forth. The guy is currently at "Strange Bedfellows" and he's absolutely positive now that he loathes the entire story. Well that's fair, believe what you will and all, but I happen to think the Dukat/Winn thing is brilliant.

I love this Shakespearean pairing and I've heard so much ill word about it in the years since the series ended but I'll never back down. It's a poetically satisfying coupling after all the staunchly separate development the two characters have had to see them deviously and selfishly serve one-another for individual interests. And watching Winn's actress spout such laughable lines as 'I shared my bed with you', so self-righteously and self-absorbingly, is terrific.

I think it's one of the most fitting things the series ever did, especially concerning 'The Final Chapter'. Right up there with 'Kira goes to Cardassia' and Damar's astonishing characterization.

Am I alone on this? Or rather, are Jammer and I alone on this?

 

[Rush Limborg]

Not really. I happen to like how the storyline turned out. I just wish it had been extended into another season and expanded, to tie up the loose ends left hanging in the finale.

And of course...more with Ezri.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Ah, yes, a fellow Ezri fan if ever there were one, Rush.

I would have loved an eighth season. Some say it wouldn't have worked but if they had expanded it significantly and spent the time tying up loose ends (an episode around midway through an eighth and final year regarding Bajor joining the Federation, for example) it would have been great.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

Count me in as another fan of the Dukat/Winn storyline. I think it's perfect. I especially like the nuance the storyline created for Winn's character. We got to see how far she would be willing to go for power, but we also got to see the line she wouldn't cross. I like to think that her actions in the end (telling Sisko about the book in the fire caves) caused her redemption, even though she died in the process.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

Count me in as another fan of the Dukat/Winn storyline. I think it's perfect. I especially like the nuance the storyline created for Winn's character. We got to see how far she would be willing to go for power, but we also got to see the line she wouldn't cross. I like to think that her actions in the end (telling Sisko about the book in the fire caves) caused her redemption, even though she died in the process.

Yep, almost word for word with you on this. I feel her actions didn't redeem her of all her corruption but they reduced enough of the smear she had caused to paint her as almost tragic in the end.

I always loved Winn's character and the performance involved in bringing her fiery form to life. It seemed like a great end.

 

[TheLobes]

I disliked that storyline for the same reason I disliked Ezri; there didnt seem to be enough space for either. I dont mind the Dukat/Winn coupling, but I REALLY think it should have been tied in with the Dominion War arc. Ive never felt the urge to watch 'What You Leave Behind' again, because I just think its a bit of a mess. Neither the pah'thetics story or the Dominion story complemented each other, and in the end I think both suffered because of this.

I would have gone for the Dukat/Winn thing if, maybe, Dukat had persuaded her to join/help the Dominion or something. Anything to draw both threads into a single climax, instead of diffusing the final shows energy over such a long period, with such a ridiculous amount of things happening.

Also, I personally liked the change we saw in Winn's character in either 'In the Cards' or 'Call to Arms' (cant remember which), where she took Sisko's advice and gave Weyoun the 'No, we are nothing alike' line. I thought that was great, gave the character a bit more depth. She's the sort of person who knows right and wrong in her core, but struggles to actually make the right decision, and will often validate her wrongs to do what is best for herself. This is a lot like Dukat; they both portray a kind of anti-villain. However, I found it hard to believe how quickly she turned to the Pah'thetics. I can see her doing it, but I felt the transition was too easy, and I never really respected her character as much. Again, I think this is a problem that could have been overcome by devoting more time to the story, and maturing it.