Deep Space Nine Rewatch

[tomalak301]

I got to the point of DS9 where I kinda watched a lot of episodes tonight. For that reason, I think I'm going to talk about it all just in general. All four episodes are great episodes, and while I don't do grading systems, all four would get a B or above.

In the Hands of the Prophets & The Circle Trilogy

The reason I put these episodes together is because they kind of feel like a long movie. I mean take ITHOTP for example. We start to see a distrust between Bajorans and the Federation, with Winn coming to the station and disrupting Keiko's school. This leads to political turmoil that gets Vedek Bareil to the station as a way to assassinate him. Through these events we start to really delve into Bajor politically, and we have further entered into a series where instead of being episodic with elements you would see in the other series, we are now going into the introspective approach, learning more about Bajor, the Provisional Government and the corruption that is within said government, either thought the religious orders and Vedek Winn or the Provisional Government since the days of the occupation.

I contend what happens in In the Hands leads into The Homecoming on a much wider and planetary scale. We have another bajoran faction forming, The Circle, which is a lot more organized than the provisonal government. We finally start to see why the Provsional government is so disorganized and how easily the Circle launches it's coup to get any non bajoran out of the sector.

I think the reason I love these episodes so much is because we're finally getting back to DS9's premise, the Federation's relationship with Bajor. We're finally starting to see Bajor as a big player in the Alpha Quadrant and we get to see more backstory about where they were and where they are going. I loved the character of Li Nalas, kind of the unfortunate hero of Bajor being used as a symbol. I've always wondered if they needed to kill him off, but I think it was a good idea because now Bajor sees him as a martyr, even though I wish he was brought up again in future episodes.

I'll end by listing some of my favorite highlights from these four episodes

1) I love Sisko in ITHOTP. He's trying to keep the relationship between the federation and bajor peaceful and he was right to say how much collaboration they've done throughout season 1.

2) Homecoming is a hell of a premiere. The first thing I noticed in this episode was the cast got more personality in the first minute of this episode than they ever showed in Season 1 minus Duet and ITH. I love the scenes on Cardassia 4, or Li's story about shooting the Cardassian in his underwear.

3) Always love the orb experience scenes and the one Kira has was great. Heck, I know people think he's boring, but I do like the early Bareil stuff, as I thought he was funnier in the early episodes than in episodes like Fascination. Wanting Kira to be useless, or commented on how crooked the rocks are. There was a calm funness to his character that I enjoyed.

4) My favorite scene in the entire trilogy is the Kira/Dax flying around Bajor scene. Love the snippy dialog here, like "With your eyes Liutenent, not your pants" or when Kira points out the Luko. Also, the scenes above bajor are gorgeous. The stuff they used for the planets really was eye poppingly awesome in this series. I wish we could enjoy it in HD

Overall, that's 5 great episodes of DS9 in a row if you include Duet. This was some run for the early goings of the series. I also will say Season 2 is my third favorite season of the series (followed behind Season 4 and 5) so I'm really looking forward to revisiting this season. I know there are some not so great episodes in the early going, but there are also episodes where I don't understand why people don't like them, like Rivals. Still, that's later on. Right now though, I'm celebrating Trek's first offical trilogy. It was a hell of a way to start season 2.

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Unfortunately no, but this was probably her best appearance on DS9.

Yeah, I know that now, but not when I originally wrote those reviews about nine years ago. Given what I saw of Mama Troi later, I do agree with you that The Forsaken was her best appearance.

*****

1-18 Dramatis Personae

Well, this was a rather pointless exercise. I'm monumentally uninterested in Alien Possession™ stories, and this telepathic virus thing is no different. Ultimately it doesn't matter since it isn't about the DS9 characters at all. They're just play-acting some ancient drama, and that's not a substitute for real drama. It was cool to see Odo, who conveniently retained his own persona, playing both "sides" to eventually solve the problem, thanks to some technobabbly effort he conned Bashir into doing.

I cannot fault the acting, since the cast did a good job with playing something besides their usual selves. But in the end it didn't matter.

There are a lot of below average grades and this episode gets one too, a 4-.


1-19 Duet

Calling Duet an outstanding episode might be something of an understatement. This is easily one of the best Star Trek episodes I've ever seen. Extremely moving and poignant it is hard to not get emotionally affected by this episode no matter how many times you watch it. It was totally carried by the superb acting of Nana Visitor and guest star Harris Yulin as compassionate and guilt-ridden Cardassian Aamin Marritza.

Duet is also proof that you don't need a lot of action or special effects to create a great story, and this episode was intended to be a money-saving "bottle show". As long as the writing and acting are there you can make a masterpiece and that is what Duet is.

I cannot lavish enough praise for this truly excellent episode. A perfect 10!


1-20 In the Hands of the Prophets

Overall I liked In the Hands of the Prophets. It gave us additional insights to Bajoran politics and religion in what is surely just the beginning. This ride should prove very interesting. While I commend DS9 for taking a nuanced stance regarding religion, especially for the otherwise atheist Star Trek, here it did come off as all too blatantly anti-religious with the portrayal of Vedek Winn (God, I hated her, and Louise Fletcher was perfect for the role) and her zealots. On the other hand it showed religious moderates such as Vedek Bareil, which shows that you don't have to be an extremist just because you have spiritual beliefs.

And say what you want about Winn's hit woman, but Neela wasn't really like those suicide bombers we see in the Moslem world today. She tried to make sure, through some rather elaborate measures, that she had an escape route.

In the Hands of the Prophets gets an above average grade of 7+ and while not containing a cliffhanger per se, it should set up for some interesting storylines in season two about Bajoran politics.


Season One Overview

Overall I'd say that DS9's first season was very uneven, with few really good episodes and a lot of below average ones and even some stinkers (like the "Alamaraine" one). I find that ENT's first season is better, but that DS9's first season is better than VOY's and especially the rather abysmal first season of TNG. Going over the season I noticed that the episodes I enjoyed the most are the ones dealing with the either the background of the characters or the politics of Bajor/Cardassia. The stand-alones have been more disappointing. And I must complain at the appalling amount of technobabble.

I do like Sisko. He's a much better C.O. than Archer or Janeway or even Picard ever was. He's my second favourite after Kirk. DS9 is also much more of an ensemble show and the focus can often be on someone else besides the "big three". I like that. I don't really dislike any regular character even if I am a bit indifferent to Jadzia Dax and Bashir's "new guy" naïveté can get tiresome if he doesn't grow out of it. I enjoy the Odo/Quark sparring. Kira is an interesting and conflicted character and O'Brien is the everyman that you can easily identify with.

Design-wise I like the DS9 station because it is different than the usual "luxury liner" look of most of the 24th century. But then it is a Cardassian station. Still hate the uniforms/costumes, especially the cringe-worthy civilian outfits.

Summing up my episode grades I come to the average season grade of 4.82 on my 10-graded scale.

 

[locutus101]

I see If Wishes Were Horses as an episode that makes fun of technobabble. Technobabble is what caused the situation to become near catastrophic and stopping the technobabble is what solved it.

It's one way of looking at it, however I think it was their imagination that was making these things appear, once they stopped imagining, they disappeared.

 

[DonIago]

I still really want to know how the clock Sisko built in "Dramatis Personae" was supposed to work. And given that it hangs around his office for the rest of the show(?), it could be argued that it's the most memorable aspect of the episode!

 

[locutus101]

I still really want to know how the clock Sisko built in "Dramatis Personae" was supposed to work. And given that it hangs around his office for the rest of the show(?), it could be argued that it's the most memorable aspect of the episode!

Maybe he never finished it.

 

[DonIago]

He seemed to set it in motion at the end of the episode, IIRC.

And even if he never finished it, I still want to know how it works, dammit.

 

[locutus101]

He seemed to set it in motion at the end of the episode, IIRC.

And even if he never finished it, I still want to know how it works, dammit.

Maybe he never got that information. After all, he wasn't himself when he started building it.

 

[tomalak301]

I still really want to know how the clock Sisko built in "Dramatis Personae" was supposed to work. And given that it hangs around his office for

It looked like a clock from the renaissance era, like Galileo or something like that. I would also like to know how it worked.

 

[locutus101]

It looked like a clock from the renaissance era, like Galileo or something like that. I would also like to know how it worked.

It could just have been a fake clock that were never meant to work.

 

[DonIago]

That doesn't make sense in the context of the episode. Why would the alien archive download a fake clock into Sisko's brain from a real person's memories?

If you mean out of universe, then that's obviously possible, but they must have put some thought into its design. Or they didn't. Either way, we're curious.

 

[locutus101]

That doesn't make sense in the context of the episode. Why would the alien archive download a fake clock into Sisko's brain from a real person's memories?

If you mean out of universe, then that's obviously possible, but they must have put some thought into its design. Or they didn't. Either way, we're curious.

Well, in-universe it could be that Sisko only got part of the design of the clock downloaded in his brain or he lost the design the moment he recovered his real personality, and has been incapable of finding out the rest by himself.

Out of universe, it would make a lot of sense as the clock is only made for the show and just as a replicator or a phaser is not a real thing.

 

[tomalak301]

Invasive Procedures

This episode is so tragic It shouldn't be because Verad and his crew were terrorists, but that shot at the end showing him a weak and lost man was kind of heartbreaking. Not only that, but Verad Dax gets lost to the point where he doesn't even count in the line of Dax's. I wonder which member of the crew would have been able to play Verad in Facets, for example. Maybe Primmen, who disappeared without a trace like Lt. Carey did on Voyager.

But I digress, this is a decent episode. We learn a lot about the symbiont here and how life threatening it is if a host goes without the symbiont for a long period of time. I also like Mariel, who was also heartbroken because she lost her man. I probably shouldn't be rooting for these terrorists (Were they even terrorists) but like I said, where they end up feels a lot smaller than how they started.

Cardassians

Cardassians shows what a different approach DS9 took in Season 2. Away from the alien of the week or anamoly of the week, we finally focus on the various cultures and big players of the Alpha Quadrant. Like we got Bajoran politics in The Circle trilogy, we get our first episode this season about Cardassian politics, in what will be a few episodes. I really love Bashir and Garak together and their investigation was the best part of the episode. Garak is such an interesting figure already with his second appearance (Which was far too long since the first by the way) and Bashir is slowly starting to get out of his first season shell and transition into the Doctor we all know and love.

However, I'm not a fan of the Rugal storyline. He was used as a pawn to humiliate his father, but there was one big problem I had with this episode. No one asked Rugal what he wanted to do. Sure, O'Brian brought it up in his quarters, but to tell a kid he has to go back to the race that he hates and he can't go back home to a father who loves him because of political reasons feels wrong to me. Star Trek has always shown us the importance of free will, yet I don't think Rugal had free will in this episode. He was used as a pawn and that feels really troubling. I feel bad for the Bajoran father, who started the episode as this really strong character only to finish this episode with nothing. Heck, what would the mom say?

 

[locutus101]

Invasive Procedures

This episode is so tragic It shouldn't be because Verad and his crew were terrorists, but that shot at the end showing him a weak and lost man was kind of heartbreaking. Not only that, but Verad Dax gets lost to the point where he doesn't even count in the line of Dax's. I wonder which member of the crew would have been able to play Verad in Facets, for example. Maybe Primmen, who disappeared without a trace like Lt. Carey did on Voyager.
...

Unlike the other hosts Verad has been removed from the Symbiont. That's why his memories are no longer there. It's comparable to when Curzon wanted to stay with Odo, he would no longer have been part of the symbiont.

 

[tomalak301]

Unlike the other hosts Verad has been removed from the Symbiont. That's why his memories are no longer there. It's comparable to when Curzon wanted to stay with Odo, he would no longer have been part of the symbiont.

But doesn't Jadzia say at the end of the episode that she remembered everything he did?

 

[locutus101]

But doesn't Jadzia say at the end of the episode that she remembered everything he did?

That doesn't mean that his "spirit"/"avatar"/"ghost" was with her. Besides all the other hosts were dead before they were replaced by a new one. Verad is an exception to that rule. It would be sort of weird to have Verad present in the zhian'tara while being alive and kicking some place else. "I know I am dead, but I still live as part of you dax."
"Well, you're not dead."
"I am not?"
"Nope."
"..."

Awkward!

 

[tomalak301]

That doesn't mean that his "spirit"/"avatar"/"ghost" was with her. Besides all the other hosts were dead before they were replaced by a new one. Verad is an exception to that rule. It would be sort of weird to have Verad present in the zhian'tara while being alive and kicking some place else. "I know I am dead, but I still live as part of you dax."
"Well, you're not dead."
"I am not?"
"Nope."
"..."

Awkward!

That conversation would have been funny.

 

[locutus101]

That conversation would have been funny.

Yes it would.

 

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

2-01 The Homecoming

The Homecoming was a great start to DS9's second season - and with a three-part mini-arc no less. I liked the reluctant hero legend Li Nalas, and that he had this role to fulfil that he didn't want.

I did think it was a bit strange for Sisko to allow for the rescue on Cardassia IV though. Helping the Bajorans out in their own territory is one thing, but authorizing a raid on Cardassian territory all on his own, with the ramifications that could have on Cardassian/Federation relations was irresponsible. He lucked out.

Shallow side note: I must mention the female alien freighter captain that Quark met - man, she looked smoking in that outfit and even her alien makeup looked awesome. Rowr!

The Homecoming gets a grade of 8 on my 10-graded scale. A great and promising opening.


2-02 The Circle

The Circle was a good follow up to the previous episode. I love political intrigue and these episodes focusing on Machiavellian schemes on Bajor are a treat to watch. Frank Langella makes an interesting and somewhat complex bad guy in minister Jaro. He's not evil per se. He honestly believes this is what's best for Bajor. Nice touch to have him conspiring with Vedek Winn.

Kira carried a lot on these episodes, and while it was a foregone conclusion that she would return to her position at DS9, her experiences down at the monastery with Vedek Bareil was revealing. I even liked the somewhat silly going away scene. It was an important revelation to Kira when she eventually said "these are my friends". Nice!

The rescue of Kira from the Circle came a little too easy. And I seriously rolled my eyes when that Starfleet admiral (Chakotay of all names?) told Sisko that they couldn't interfere on Bajor because of the damn prime directive. Say what? Another example of the inane 24th century interpretation of that general order! The Bajorans don't live in the Stone Age! They're Federation allies and that mean that you should stand by them - and in this case their government - when things get rough and hostile neighbours have no qualms about interfering. If this is Federation modus operandi I'm surprised they have allies at all!

A grade of 8- for The Circle.


2-03 The Siege

The final instalment of The Circle arc was the weakest of them. While still quite above average, its execution was dragging, especially the drawn-out phaser fight on DS9 that wasn't really exciting. But I liked the Bajoran general. He was an honourable man and gave Sisko due recognition.

Being much underused in the two previous episodes I was surprised that I did like Dax in this episode when she and Kira went on a ride on that hidden Bajoran shuttle. They did play off each other well.

The resolution was a bit of a whimper. Suddenly everything just collapsed and I wonder what happened to Jaro and if he will return. One who will not return is Li Nalas, which is perhaps unfortunate. On the other hand his character arc did come full circle (pardon the pun) when he died. And since he was pretty out of his depth anyway, he might not have accomplished much had he remained alive.

I liked Sisko's line that even he would respect the hero legend of Li. On a sidenote, that made me wonder if this is also Archer fate on ENT. We kept being told how great and important he was, but maybe that's just the Archer legend? In reality a lot of other people (like, say, his crew) carried a lot of importance but history elevated his importance.

As the weaker part, The Siege gets a grade of 7+.

 

[tomalak301]

Melora

This episode was average or maybe even a little below average. I get what they were trying to go for, how people with disabilities are treated but the thing with Melora was it seemed that she brought it upon herself. She was selfish, didn't let anyone in and wasn't a very sympathetic character. Then when she gets what she wants she doesn't want it because then she won't be Eloshian anymore. I get character development and making her more likable as the episode goes on but this felt like cliche on top of cliche. I think what would have made this episode better was if she embraced her disability, and thus had to work harder to get by. Wouldn't that be a more meaningful for people with disabilities than to have a character that hates who she is until she realizes what she would lose? I did love the Klingon chef scenes though. I wish we would have seen more of the Klingon restaurant other than two episodes though.

There was a B plot that was kind of forgettable. Not one of Quarks best episodes.

 

[DigificWriter]

I'm going to jump on the DS9 Rewatch/Review train in this thread too.

Emissary
I absolutely love Emissary. It's not only a great Star Trek Pilot, it's just a great Pilot in general, and does everything that a Pilot needs to do. It's got action, great character introductions, plot setup, and a philosophical question and works even if you're not a Star Trek fan.

The entire cast does a phenomenal job, even Patrick Stewart, who feels right at home on the show and has some great interactions with Sisko and O'Brien.

Past Prologue
Kira Nerys is a great character, both for Star Trek and Sci-Fi television in general, and it's fitting that DS9 gives her the very first 'individual character' focus episode because it helps establish her relationships with Odo and Sisko and build on her role and characterization as established in Emissary.

Past Prologue is also good because it establishes that, while we're supposed to be rooting for Kira and the Bajorans by proxy, not every member of the species is as altruistic as she and our other 'POV' Bajoran character, Kai Opaka, are. We also get the introduction of Garak and the establishment of his complicated and nuanced 'friendship' with Bashir, and get to see some fun world-building in the form of the inclusion of Lursa and B'Etor, both of whom, like Picard, feel right at home on the show and have some nice interactions with our main characters, particularly Odo.

A Man Alone
Based on the other posters' reviews for this episode, I'm clearly in the minority in believing/feeling that this episode is among the stronger outings of DS9's first season, giving us some great character focus for Odo, furthering the complex and diverse characterization of the Bajorans as a species, giving us some important world-building, showing a slightly different take on the whole concept of genetic engineering, and establishing Bashir's intellectual brilliance in a way that serves as a nice sly bit of 'foreshadowing' given what we later learn about him.

The episode is also nice because it sets up the complicated relationship/rapport that exists between Odo and Quark, which serves as a nice springboard for what happens with the two characters in the next episode.

Babel
As with A Man Alone, I'm in the minority in that I really like this episode, which feels very much like a story that would only have worked on DS9 in spite of it being something that had been talked about as the concept for a TNG episode.

It also gives us some nice character moments for pretty much every character, starting with O'Brien, and furthering the character development we've seen in the previous couple of episodes for Kira, Odo, and Quark.

Captive Pursuit
I love this episode for several reasons, not only because of its focus on Chief O'Brien, but also because it expands on both Sisko and Odo's characterization as well, revealing that Odo won't use phasers and showing that Sisko, in spite of reprimanding O'Brien at the end, isn't afraid to 'look the other way' now and again if he understands the deeper reasoning behind a subordinate's actions.

We also get some real nice subtle foreshadowing in terms of the Founders and the Dominion and their penchant for genetic engineering with the introduction of the Tosk and the Hunters, and in the Tosk's reaction to seeing Odo.

Q-Less
Q-Less is, judging by the other posters' reviews, another episode in DS9's first season where my opinion of it puts me in a distinct minority, because I think it's actually one of the better episodes of the season and one that provides some rather nice character setup in terms of the way Q behaves; his attempts to 'woo' Vash and get her to partner back up with him very much foreshadow the way he interacts with Captain Janeway in his Voyager appearances (particularly his second appearance, The Q and the Grey), and it's also just fun seeing him play off of the DS9 crew, particularly Sisko.

I also like the juxtaposition of Q's presence on the station with the plotline involving the power drain and damage that the station keeps suffering, and the misdirect of Q possibly having something to do with both issues is handled nicely. I also like the episode's ending, which is a nice callback of sorts to Encounter at Farpoint.

***

I'll be back later with more reviews.