Yeah. The artistic ‘truth’ of Dukat wasn’t that the complexity that he ever really was noble and virtuous underneath all the evil was true, it was that he was desperate to and deluded enough to believe his own false narrative.
Call to Arms - What was it like?
- Thread starter Tallguy
- Start date
Far Beyond the Stars -- Beautifully acted, lovingly shot. The office interactions were certainly interesting and the only part of the story that was new. (We're just ignoring Bashir's race and nationality?) (It did make me want to start smoking a pipe.) Interesting as a character piece. Other shows have done this better. Even in 1998.
Yes, it's way better than Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. OTOH, in 1968 (I just realized that they were 29 years apart, yikes!) they did have to be sneaky about episodes like this. There were lots of things you couldn't talk about on 1998 television. Race was not one of them.
This was The Inner Light with a -- I can't even say it has a message. It has history. And it's a star vehicle just like Inner Light was. Although it gives the other actors something to do. (Am I the only one who could not keep the name "D.C. Fontana" out of their head when Visitor was on screen?)
If I take it at face value, it's a beautiful and heartbreaking story. And it ends with Ben Sisko in command of Deep Space Nine (and Avery Brooks as the lead of a TV series). Maybe that's all the message it needs.
The most interesting thing to me about the episode was not society at large but the indictment of 1950's fanboys as sexist racists. Maybe not such a stretch?
One Little Ship -- Darn it. That was a hoot. And it had an interesting story with the conflict among the Jem'Hadar. Although, the new First was unnecessarily stupid. I know, it's really hard to write brilliant. That's why it's almost never done. You needed First to be smart, Elder to be smarter, and Sisko to be smartest. And then when it all went wrong anyway for the runabout to save the day. Snarky Bashir is the best Bashir.
But it's Fantastic Voyage with a runabout. That worked way better than it should have.
Honor Among Thieves -- So many questions. Why was O'Brien undercover? Why am I supposed to feel any sympathy for the Syndicate fellow? Why does O'Brien? Because he didn't have O'Brien killed? That's a low bar. (It didn't work for Dukat.) The clear indication is that Bilby has plenty of other folks killed. We see one of them.
They could have had some sort or reaction when he finds out he's working for the Dominion. A line he won't cross. "I may not make an honest buck, but I'm 100% Federation. And I don't work for no two-bit Dominion." But nope, business as usual. All of the misgivings about the situation are why it would be a TERRIBLE idea for O'Brien to be there anyway. Also where is this meant to be? I get the indication that this is in Federation territory. Forget DS9: THIS place looks like Casablanca!
How come Jake Sisko can't get a hold of enough money for a baseball card but Miles has walking around money to buy off a hooker?
Yes, it's way better than Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. OTOH, in 1968 (I just realized that they were 29 years apart, yikes!) they did have to be sneaky about episodes like this. There were lots of things you couldn't talk about on 1998 television. Race was not one of them.
This was The Inner Light with a -- I can't even say it has a message. It has history. And it's a star vehicle just like Inner Light was. Although it gives the other actors something to do. (Am I the only one who could not keep the name "D.C. Fontana" out of their head when Visitor was on screen?)
If I take it at face value, it's a beautiful and heartbreaking story. And it ends with Ben Sisko in command of Deep Space Nine (and Avery Brooks as the lead of a TV series). Maybe that's all the message it needs.
The most interesting thing to me about the episode was not society at large but the indictment of 1950's fanboys as sexist racists. Maybe not such a stretch?
One Little Ship -- Darn it. That was a hoot. And it had an interesting story with the conflict among the Jem'Hadar. Although, the new First was unnecessarily stupid. I know, it's really hard to write brilliant. That's why it's almost never done. You needed First to be smart, Elder to be smarter, and Sisko to be smartest. And then when it all went wrong anyway for the runabout to save the day. Snarky Bashir is the best Bashir.
But it's Fantastic Voyage with a runabout. That worked way better than it should have.
Honor Among Thieves -- So many questions. Why was O'Brien undercover? Why am I supposed to feel any sympathy for the Syndicate fellow? Why does O'Brien? Because he didn't have O'Brien killed? That's a low bar. (It didn't work for Dukat.) The clear indication is that Bilby has plenty of other folks killed. We see one of them.
They could have had some sort or reaction when he finds out he's working for the Dominion. A line he won't cross. "I may not make an honest buck, but I'm 100% Federation. And I don't work for no two-bit Dominion." But nope, business as usual. All of the misgivings about the situation are why it would be a TERRIBLE idea for O'Brien to be there anyway. Also where is this meant to be? I get the indication that this is in Federation territory. Forget DS9: THIS place looks like Casablanca!
How come Jake Sisko can't get a hold of enough money for a baseball card but Miles has walking around money to buy off a hooker?
Nope. Visitor reminded me of Fontana too.
I think that is the message, but only in part. I think the ep is a celebration of how far we'd come at that point, a commentary on how far we still have to go, and a powerful message about dreams and hopes. It was done *because* it couldn't have been done in 1968. Even in the 90s, a Black lead for Star Trek was A Big Deal & (sadly) controversial (like Janeway later).
As the "sad puppies" silliness at the Hugos and the bullshit Boyega & Tran dealt with (among other examples) show, there're still sexist racist fanboys. Until those are finally gone, this episode (and even LTBYLB) remain relevant.
Because Miles was going on undercover assignment on a planet that used currency-based economics
You never know when you're going to need a few bucks to stay in character or get out of trouble.
I loved A Call To Arms.
Every Thursday, my friends and I would congregate before class to talk about what happened on DS9 and VOY the previous night. But that THursday, all we could talk about was DS9. And we were so, SO excited to see that massive fleet come back in Season Six and whip some Dominion ass.
So when the season opened on a broken fleet and disheartened crew, it was a huge gut punch. But in the best way.
It was so good. Soooooo good. So many twists and turns that had been building for years by that point. I really wish I could experience that again.
Every Thursday, my friends and I would congregate before class to talk about what happened on DS9 and VOY the previous night. But that THursday, all we could talk about was DS9. And we were so, SO excited to see that massive fleet come back in Season Six and whip some Dominion ass.
So when the season opened on a broken fleet and disheartened crew, it was a huge gut punch. But in the best way.
It was so good. Soooooo good. So many twists and turns that had been building for years by that point. I really wish I could experience that again.
A little more progress on season 6.
Change of Heart - Good. Nice to see Nick and Nora Fury in action. I could see Worf having to go back for her. I could see Worf totally not going back for her. My favorite part of the episode was Sisko's reaction.
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night - A magic wand wave of an episode. The premise was silly, exploring people's feelings and reactions to collaborators was serious. Nerys' reaction was totally believable. I would have liked to have seen an exploration of her and her father. Unfortunately I got a bottle of Kanar for my birthday and I'm not not entirely happy to have it sitting on my table. Lovely bottle, though.
Inquisition - Ahhhh, Section 31. Blaarf. "We're in the Federation charter!" Um... Show me that part? "It's the SECRET part!" I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories.
In the Pale Moon Light - Well. Finally. The 800 lb gorilla. I don't know if it was intended to butt up against Inquisition. Terrific story, AMAAAAAAAAAAZING performances. Poor Stephen McHattie has been reduced to a meme. But he's really quite good! The rest of his performance is understated and even reasonable. This is Mark Lenard level Romulan!
I'm not sure who to praise more. Brooks or Robinson. I'm going to come down on Brooks. But still glad that Robinson was there.
Started watching My Way. Ended at the teaser. Hmmmm.
Change of Heart - Good. Nice to see Nick and Nora Fury in action. I could see Worf having to go back for her. I could see Worf totally not going back for her. My favorite part of the episode was Sisko's reaction.
Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night - A magic wand wave of an episode. The premise was silly, exploring people's feelings and reactions to collaborators was serious. Nerys' reaction was totally believable. I would have liked to have seen an exploration of her and her father. Unfortunately I got a bottle of Kanar for my birthday and I'm not not entirely happy to have it sitting on my table. Lovely bottle, though.
Inquisition - Ahhhh, Section 31. Blaarf. "We're in the Federation charter!" Um... Show me that part? "It's the SECRET part!" I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories.
In the Pale Moon Light - Well. Finally. The 800 lb gorilla. I don't know if it was intended to butt up against Inquisition. Terrific story, AMAAAAAAAAAAZING performances. Poor Stephen McHattie has been reduced to a meme. But he's really quite good! The rest of his performance is understated and even reasonable. This is Mark Lenard level Romulan!
I'm not sure who to praise more. Brooks or Robinson. I'm going to come down on Brooks. But still glad that Robinson was there.
Started watching My Way. Ended at the teaser. Hmmmm.
I really wish they had skipped Section 31 or seriously downscaled it. Hundreds or thousands of people must have known about and and tolerated it, for hundreds of years. That just doesn't fit with the Federation. If there's a story they really wanted to tell, it could be a small number of rogue Starfleet Intelligence officers or something, not an institution known and tolerated for centuries.
Section 31 was great. First it could well have been a Sloan only thing (did we ever see the other guards anwywhere other than the holodeck). After
Inter Armin... then ok, Sloan was influencing more than just Bashir, but it could still have just been him
But then Enterprise went and used it again, and at that point it starts becoming tiresome. The ideas from the David Mack novels were quite interesting given that it existed as a thing, far better than the Discovery season 2, but it does feel far too overused, I guess like the Borg.
But then Enterprise went and used it again, and at that point it starts becoming tiresome. The ideas from the David Mack novels were quite interesting given that it existed as a thing, far better than the Discovery season 2, but it does feel far too overused, I guess like the Borg.
Oh that's clever! I'm jealous I didn't think of it.
Mediocrity borrows, genius steals. And I stole that from Joss Whedon. Xander in a season 6 episode if I rather sadly recall. (I'm sure those brain cells have better things to do.) Back when Nick Fury was probably as obscure as Nick and Nora Charles.
D'oh! I thought it sounded familiar but then decided you were just on a roll.
I wish my brain cells remembered BtVS lines so well. I'd sound more interesting.
It's older than that. Google shows a bunch of sites quote Igor Stravinsky but none with a more specific citation than his name. And a similar but not identical quote by Oscar Wilde.
His Way - Um, didn't we have a whole episode about trying to get a holo-likeness of Kira? And how icky it would be? And Bashir just HAS one?
Has anyone ever remarked that James Darren is like THAT close to being Alan Arkin? (Hey! He was in Guns of Navarone! With Gregory Peck! Who is Ethan Peck's grandfather! Star Trek is everywhere!)
I would think that a lot of the remarkable goings on with holodeck / AI technology would have been hashed out all over the galaxy. "Oh, my AI just gained sentience again." "Yeah, when this that and the other thing happens on any system greater than such and such level Then it does that. Here's the wiki page on how to fix it. Would you say it's a Moriarty problem or more of a Practical Joker?"
My biggest complaint with this sort of episode is in two scenes with Vic. One with Odo, one with Kira. Both of them are having awkward conversations with Vic. Odo gets a com transmission from Vic. In Kira's case a character from another program has just shown up in her meditation holo. And in both cases they POLITELY try to talk their way out of an uncomfortable situation. Neither of these characters seems the types to buy into the fiction of a hologram being anything more than a computer program. It wouldn't be treated as "Hey, how you did YOU get here?" and more like "Oh, crap. The computer that runs the station is malfunctioning."
And Kira took the news that Odo was perfectly willing to go on a date with a simulation of her VERRRRRY well.
But then it all ended with rom com hilarity (seriously, that was adorable) so all's well. I'm not an Odo / Kira shipper as such, but it's nice to see them together.
Has anyone ever remarked that James Darren is like THAT close to being Alan Arkin? (Hey! He was in Guns of Navarone! With Gregory Peck! Who is Ethan Peck's grandfather! Star Trek is everywhere!)
I would think that a lot of the remarkable goings on with holodeck / AI technology would have been hashed out all over the galaxy. "Oh, my AI just gained sentience again." "Yeah, when this that and the other thing happens on any system greater than such and such level Then it does that. Here's the wiki page on how to fix it. Would you say it's a Moriarty problem or more of a Practical Joker?"
My biggest complaint with this sort of episode is in two scenes with Vic. One with Odo, one with Kira. Both of them are having awkward conversations with Vic. Odo gets a com transmission from Vic. In Kira's case a character from another program has just shown up in her meditation holo. And in both cases they POLITELY try to talk their way out of an uncomfortable situation. Neither of these characters seems the types to buy into the fiction of a hologram being anything more than a computer program. It wouldn't be treated as "Hey, how you did YOU get here?" and more like "Oh, crap. The computer that runs the station is malfunctioning."
And Kira took the news that Odo was perfectly willing to go on a date with a simulation of her VERRRRRY well.
But then it all ended with rom com hilarity (seriously, that was adorable) so all's well. I'm not an Odo / Kira shipper as such, but it's nice to see them together.
Regarding Bashir having Kira's likeness in a program, that was a holdover from "OUR MAN BASHIR". The program probably kept it stored as a backup for whatver reason. (Don't files get backed up automatically in real life when certain settings are applied?)
LOL, no! As a kid I saw him in The Time Tunnel and nearly freaked when he first showed up here.
Some more DS9 watchin'!
The Reckoning:
Um... What the hell was that? I'm not saying it's bad. It wasn't. But... Wow. It was the most interesting in that it was almost entirely about the characters and their reactions and decisions. Very little about how the plot points actually come about. Example: There is almost no lead up to Kira's possession. It's almost like they said "Look, you know the trope, we've done it before on DS9, let alone other Star Trek. The important thing is what do the other characters DO? So let's just cut to that."
I don't believe for a moment that Odo would be so deferential to Sisko about Kira.
Muddy gray Kai Winn is the BEST Kai Winn. Go Louise Fletcher, GO!
I'm not certain the episode works as such. But I'm not certain it doesn't work either. It's really weird in that it feels inconsequential (I mean, I'm pretty sure they'll revisit it and I kind of know some of the character arcs) but it stuck with me anyway.
Valiant:
Ehhhhh. My biggest complaint was that for all the "Taps in space" gung ho cadets is that when Jake makes his "My Dad couldn't do this" argument it SHOULD have been "This isn't your JOB. 1) You have to report this precious intel back to the fleet and 2) We have a member of Starfleet here that has a vital mission to Ferenginar that could change the course of the war!" It's the Crazy Admiral trope -- with KIDS.
Nog deserved way better. That was the worst part of the episode. "I've been running around behind enemy lines with real officers and a looney Cardassian spy. You guys aren't going to turn my head with a fake promotion."
I'm assuming that these kids had the ONLY other Defiant class ship we've seen because DS9 had the model and the sets.
OTOH Jake and Collins' discussion about living on the moon is one of my favorite things in Star Trek ever.
Profit and Lace:
Hahahahahahahahaha! I'm sure this episode has always been stupid. But it just opens up a 21st century can of worms and rolls around in it. Clearly Armin Shimerman can't do everything.
I would have finished DS9 years ago if I didn't have to deal with Ferengi episodes. Some are better than others. I'd rather watch a Klingon episode. And I never want to watch a Klingon episode.
The beginning of this episode is actually interesting. The dialog and the performances have a heightened "His Girl Friday" kind of snap. Once the "plot twist" lands this goes away. Too bad. It almost made the episode bearable.
I adore Wallace Shawn. Who doesn't? But I never need to see Grand Nagus Zek ever again. I never needed to see Grand Nagus Zek in the first place. If you ever decide that Wallace Shawn needs to do a "funny voice" you're wrong. I'm going to go watch Young Sheldon so I can remember that I adore Wallace Shawn.
I didn't realize that the cola Ferengi was Henry Gibson. He's haunting my TV and movies these days! (Blues Brothers, The Burbs, Innerspace.)
Jeffery Combs is a super hero. This is, of course, common knowledge.
Time's Orphan:
Overall a good and effective episode. I suppose the problem for me is that in the time since the episode aired Star Trek: New Voyages did it better. I assumed that if they really had gotten rid of Molly that I would have heard about it. Even so I was not 100% certain that they were going to get young Molly back. TNG? Absolutely. Voyager? Sure thing? DS9? Ehhhhh... Probably?
The episode was meant to be heartbreaking. And it did that. Job well done.
It was GREAT to see an O'Briens episode where they didn't all obviously hate each other.
Worf is inexplicably the galaxy's worst dad. So it was great seeing him here. And I know I only have two more episodes with Jadzia. Star Trek FINALLY has a couple that really seem like they should be together and you can't figure out a bloody contract?!?
Maybe I'm judging this episode against similar stories elsewhere, but everyone seems very incurious about Molly's overall health and how she's been surviving for 10 years. What has she been eating? What's been trying to eat her? I mean, I have to admit, I'm expecting Robin Williams in Jumanji.
And only in Star Trek does one have to be careful about time traveling portals on a picnic. And nobody really bats an eye. They literally treat it like she's just fallen down a disused well.
Two more episodes to go in Season Six! I'll get to Take Me Out to the Holosuite yet!
The Reckoning:
Um... What the hell was that? I'm not saying it's bad. It wasn't. But... Wow. It was the most interesting in that it was almost entirely about the characters and their reactions and decisions. Very little about how the plot points actually come about. Example: There is almost no lead up to Kira's possession. It's almost like they said "Look, you know the trope, we've done it before on DS9, let alone other Star Trek. The important thing is what do the other characters DO? So let's just cut to that."
I don't believe for a moment that Odo would be so deferential to Sisko about Kira.
Muddy gray Kai Winn is the BEST Kai Winn. Go Louise Fletcher, GO!
I'm not certain the episode works as such. But I'm not certain it doesn't work either. It's really weird in that it feels inconsequential (I mean, I'm pretty sure they'll revisit it and I kind of know some of the character arcs) but it stuck with me anyway.
Valiant:
Ehhhhh. My biggest complaint was that for all the "Taps in space" gung ho cadets is that when Jake makes his "My Dad couldn't do this" argument it SHOULD have been "This isn't your JOB. 1) You have to report this precious intel back to the fleet and 2) We have a member of Starfleet here that has a vital mission to Ferenginar that could change the course of the war!" It's the Crazy Admiral trope -- with KIDS.
Nog deserved way better. That was the worst part of the episode. "I've been running around behind enemy lines with real officers and a looney Cardassian spy. You guys aren't going to turn my head with a fake promotion."
I'm assuming that these kids had the ONLY other Defiant class ship we've seen because DS9 had the model and the sets.
OTOH Jake and Collins' discussion about living on the moon is one of my favorite things in Star Trek ever.
Profit and Lace:
Hahahahahahahahaha! I'm sure this episode has always been stupid. But it just opens up a 21st century can of worms and rolls around in it. Clearly Armin Shimerman can't do everything.
I would have finished DS9 years ago if I didn't have to deal with Ferengi episodes. Some are better than others. I'd rather watch a Klingon episode. And I never want to watch a Klingon episode.
The beginning of this episode is actually interesting. The dialog and the performances have a heightened "His Girl Friday" kind of snap. Once the "plot twist" lands this goes away. Too bad. It almost made the episode bearable.
I adore Wallace Shawn. Who doesn't? But I never need to see Grand Nagus Zek ever again. I never needed to see Grand Nagus Zek in the first place. If you ever decide that Wallace Shawn needs to do a "funny voice" you're wrong. I'm going to go watch Young Sheldon so I can remember that I adore Wallace Shawn.
I didn't realize that the cola Ferengi was Henry Gibson. He's haunting my TV and movies these days! (Blues Brothers, The Burbs, Innerspace.)
Jeffery Combs is a super hero. This is, of course, common knowledge.
Time's Orphan:
Overall a good and effective episode. I suppose the problem for me is that in the time since the episode aired Star Trek: New Voyages did it better. I assumed that if they really had gotten rid of Molly that I would have heard about it. Even so I was not 100% certain that they were going to get young Molly back. TNG? Absolutely. Voyager? Sure thing? DS9? Ehhhhh... Probably?
The episode was meant to be heartbreaking. And it did that. Job well done.
It was GREAT to see an O'Briens episode where they didn't all obviously hate each other.
Worf is inexplicably the galaxy's worst dad. So it was great seeing him here. And I know I only have two more episodes with Jadzia. Star Trek FINALLY has a couple that really seem like they should be together and you can't figure out a bloody contract?!?
Maybe I'm judging this episode against similar stories elsewhere, but everyone seems very incurious about Molly's overall health and how she's been surviving for 10 years. What has she been eating? What's been trying to eat her? I mean, I have to admit, I'm expecting Robin Williams in Jumanji.
And only in Star Trek does one have to be careful about time traveling portals on a picnic. And nobody really bats an eye. They literally treat it like she's just fallen down a disused well.
Two more episodes to go in Season Six! I'll get to Take Me Out to the Holosuite yet!
I know, right? I saw the cutest picture on Instagram of Michael and Terry together out of makeup. It reminded me how much I loved Jadzia and how heartbroken I was when... well, you know.
Time's Orphan
An interesting story, but it has to rely on coincidences a bit too much in order for the plot to work, for my taste. Especially that time portal.
1. What are the odds of your kid stumbling on an abandoned time portal in the three minutes you lose her out of sight? Ok. this is the Star Trek universe, but still.
2. What kind of civilization would be so stupid to build a time portal that you could accidentally fall into? Perhaps it's no wonder this civilization didn't last till the present day. That is, we do see it erected in later parts of the episode, so I guess that could be how it was originally constructed and it simply fell over as a result of disrepair but we never learn. That, or Starfleet simply recognized that this was needlessly dangerous and put it upright.
3. So this time portal is still active after centuries or perhaps untold millennia (or at least triggered merely by Molly playing there), yet it shuts off the moment Molly falls through, and it costs Starfleet engineers hours or even days to get it working again. Guess Molly gave the thing the time portal equivalent of an upset stomach.
4. I wonder what timeframe it is supposed to be at the other end of the portal. I mean, it transports Molly to 'year x', they then pull her out from the other side with the transporter but it then turns out that that Molly came from around 'year x+10'. Finally, they allow Molly to return 'home', she steps through the time portal where she meets her young self, so apparently it's now 'year x' again on the other side. A fickle device, it seems. Or, if it works the way the Guardian of Forever does, (it depends on the exact moment you step in), then they simply were exceptionally lucky.
An interesting story, but it has to rely on coincidences a bit too much in order for the plot to work, for my taste. Especially that time portal.
1. What are the odds of your kid stumbling on an abandoned time portal in the three minutes you lose her out of sight? Ok. this is the Star Trek universe, but still.
2. What kind of civilization would be so stupid to build a time portal that you could accidentally fall into? Perhaps it's no wonder this civilization didn't last till the present day. That is, we do see it erected in later parts of the episode, so I guess that could be how it was originally constructed and it simply fell over as a result of disrepair but we never learn. That, or Starfleet simply recognized that this was needlessly dangerous and put it upright.
3. So this time portal is still active after centuries or perhaps untold millennia (or at least triggered merely by Molly playing there), yet it shuts off the moment Molly falls through, and it costs Starfleet engineers hours or even days to get it working again. Guess Molly gave the thing the time portal equivalent of an upset stomach.
4. I wonder what timeframe it is supposed to be at the other end of the portal. I mean, it transports Molly to 'year x', they then pull her out from the other side with the transporter but it then turns out that that Molly came from around 'year x+10'. Finally, they allow Molly to return 'home', she steps through the time portal where she meets her young self, so apparently it's now 'year x' again on the other side. A fickle device, it seems. Or, if it works the way the Guardian of Forever does, (it depends on the exact moment you step in), then they simply were exceptionally lucky.
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