Very true. It was still a good growth moment.
My DS9 Rewatch Odyssey
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“THE SOUND OF HER VOICE”
“Get that damn coffin away from me, Worf. It’s making me strangely nervous...”
This is an episode I tend to forget even exists until I come to it in a series rewatch. It’s a fairly unmemorable hour, and one that ultimately fails to live up to its potential—but at least it’s a great deal more enjoyable than the three steaming piles of Tribble poo that precede it. Praise be to the Prophets for small mercies!
The basic premise is fine; the Defiant crew must keep a stranded captain company over the comm line as they charge to her rescue, while she, in turn, helps them deal with some of their psychological “stuff”. Debra Wilson deserves credit for creating a vivid and engaging character even though she’s nothing but a disembodied voice throughout. It’s an episode that would likely have fallen completely flat on its face if Wilson’s performance hadn’t been as compelling. I do think it’s rather funny, however, that Cusak is slowly running out of oxygen yet she spends the entire episode yapping away to the crew ROUND THE CLOCK FOR SIX DAYS—so much so that they even have to take shifts speaking to her. Just how much talk does one woman have in her?! It’s quite funny, but I know people like that—extreme extroverts who, though often the loveliest of people, are nevertheless absolutely exhausting.
The character vignettes with Lisa and the crew are decent, if perfunctory. Indeed, the characterisation is a bit hit and miss on the whole. It reminded me a little of “Starship Down”, which featured a handful character-driven moments for the crew, but none of them were really that interesting or insightful. Most effective here is the scene between Miles and Lisa, where Miles admits that the war has got him feeling insecure and fearful of losing his friends and comrades—although I do take issue with his speech at the funeral, as I’ll explain in a bit. The Sisko/Kasidy scenes are less successful. Although I love the pairing, these scenes are just awkward and contrived. In my view, it would have been more effective if Lisa had helped Sisko see that his uneasiness over Kasidy being on the ship stemmed from the trauma of losing Jennifer aboard the Saratoga. That may have lent the scenes more emotional weight. The scenes with Bashir are similarly underwhelming and contain one of the most cringeworthy act-bridging “cliff-hangers” in the show’s history—specifically, the moment where Lisa pretends someone has appeared and “eaten her” simply to get Julian’s attention. It wouldn’t have been as bad if it had been played as a gag and not a moment of false drama with the customary orchestral swell as the scene fades to black. It’s a cheat, and fairly annoying.
The episode’s closing twist is, frankly, rather pointless. It adds nothing to the episode...other than plot holes. It was fairly clear to me all along that there would be some kind of twist at the end of the episode, and I suspected the Defiant probably wouldn’t reach Lisa in time to save her. But the gratuitous time travel element was a bit of a head-scratcher; a half-baked gimmick laden with technobabble. In my opinion, it would have been much stronger if we’d learned earlier in the episode that Lisa was from the past. First of all, it beggars belief that the crew wouldn’t have looked up Cusak and her ship immediately. I mean, it’s the first thing I’d do, not least just to be able to see what she looks like and put a face to the name. Also, given the sheer amount of interaction between Lisa and the crew, I find it impossible to believe that certain discrepancies arise didn’t arise to indicate the time gulf. Just little hints or references would have been enough to raise questions. I think I’d have enjoyed this episode more if the crew had picked up on the clues and gradually sussed what was going on.
Indeed, if the timey-wimey revelation had been incorporated earlier in the episode it would have been heart-wrenching to see the crew realise that they were actually talking to a dead woman. Perhaps they’d have to weigh up whether or not to tell her the truth; namely, that they can’t rescue her because she’s already dead. I feel that would have made for a more dramatically satisfying and moving story.
As with last week, I actually found the B-plot, slight though it is, more enjoyable than the main plot. It’s fun seeing Jake “apprentice” himself to Quark in the hopes of understanding the criminal mind and improving his writing. Quark’s attempts to get Odo off his tail by exploiting his relationship with Kira recall the time he did the same thing with Kira and Bareil back in the second season’s “Shadowplay”. The twist, where Odo decides to let Quark off the hook and carry out his “extra-legal” transaction is surprisingly cute and shows just how much the relationship between the two has grown over the past six years. That, for me, was more interesting character growth than the laboured scenes on the Defiant.
Onto the ominous final scene. I’m rather mixed on this. While I like the idea of death making people realise how much they ought to value life, and each other, O’Brien’s speech about the crew drifting apart didn’t ring true. It’s been a somber, bleak season, in spite of the frequent comedy (both good and bad), yet I’ve seen no indication at all that the characters are any less close. Indeed, from what I’ve read, shared trauma and stress usually create a much stronger bond between people. O’Brien is still besties with Bashir and his wife and kids are now back on the station. In terms of other relationships—well, rather like Geordi on TNG, whose sole friendship seemed to be with Data, O’Brien never seemed particularly close to any of the rest of the cast in the first place (although he did have the shared history on the Enterprise with Worf). From where I’m sitting, the crew actually seem more cohesive and bonded than ever. Kira and Odo are now in love, Worf and Dax’s marriage has become ever stronger, and even Quark has benefited from softening attitudes toward him. Like some of the rest of the episode, this characterisation felt less natural and more forced and contrived. That goes for the none-too-subtle foreshadowing of a certain character’s death in the following episode.
Although functional and engaging, this is far from Ron Moore’s finest writing effort (although it’s a thousand times better than “Valiant”). I suspect it was a late-season effort written at breakneck speed to meet deadlines and I stand by my assumption that the writers had clearly burned themselves out by this point. That’s certainly a danger of peaking too early in the season. With regard to “The Sound of Her Voice”, just a little rewriting could have created a more cohesive and genuinely affecting episode; one in which the emotional beats felt natural rather than contrived to fit the plot. Rating: 6
Wow, I liked this one more than you. I'd give it a 7 easy, maybe 8. Then again, I love Starship Down.
I love "STARSHIP DOWN", too. But this one is not as good. It's not bad, either. More middle of the road.
“TEARS OF THE PROPHETS”
Those Cardassians, up to no good again.
The sixth season began in superb style with one of the ambition feats of storytelling ever attempted on Star Trek, and it was, by and large, a resounding success. I was pleasantly surprised that the Dominion war was to continue beyond the season’s opening six-episode arc and didn’t end with a prompt reset when Sisko retook the station. One thing that strikes me looking back at the sixth season, however, is how directionless it feels between “You Are Cordially Invited” and “Tears of the Prophets”. Yes, the war looms large in the background throughout the season, yet I’d argue that only one episode, the stunning “In the Pale Moonlight” actually progressed the war arc in any meaningful way. Otherwise, this season has lacked the sense of focus, direction and momentum we saw in the previous three seasons, and even, to an extent, in the second season, which gradually set up the Dominion and Maquis threats. Despite boasting a couple of the finest episodes the series ever crafted, the sixth season has suffered from a wandering focus and some of the weakest writing of its entire run.
On the plus side, “Tears of the Prophets” attempts to pull things together. Finally we get a sense of focus and progression in an episode that combines several running story threads: the Dominion war, of course, plus the Pah-wraith storyline introduced in “The Reckoning”, Dukat’s descent into cray-cray supervillain, the Prophets’ role as guardians of Bajor and Sisko’s role as their Emissary, as well as Damar’s continuing conflict with Weyoun as he struggles to adjust to his new role as leader of a Cardassia under Dominion rule. That’s to say nothing of the character moments woven throughout; including Dax and Worf’s decision to have a baby, the inexplicable rekindling of Julian and Quark’s unrequited love for Dax, Jake’s continuing metamorphosis into pushy-journalist stereotype, plus Odo and Kira’s first argument as a couple. Oh, and throw in a song from Vic and you have an episode in which basically everything is thrown at the wall in order to see what sticks. That, of course, is to say nothing of the first death of a series regular in the show’s history (if you are avoiding spoilers, please stop reading now).
Alas, Jadzia’s death is handled as nothing but an awkward afterthought, and for that, I can never forgive this episode. I don’t think I’ve spoken much about the character, partly because for the past three seasons she has been criminally underused and reduced largely to being “Mrs Worf”. However, in spite of that, Jadzia is one of my favourite characters in the show and the franchise as a whole. While Kira had the stronger arc and material, and therefore may be my favourite character on the series, in many ways I consider Jadzia my favourite female character in Trek as a whole. Once she blossomed in the late second season, she became a true joy to behold: a strong, independent, passionate, adventurous, funny, sassy, sexually empowered and liberated, wise character who managed to be both badass and yet feminine at the same time, and who felt totally comfortable in her own skin. Terry Farrell matured immeasurably as a character and brought a tremendous amount of charisma, joy and presence to even the smallest of scenes. Although a character often neglected by the writers, Jadzia served as a glue that held together the crew together. I remarked in the previous review how O’Brien’s sole relationship in the series was basically with Bashir and he lacked a significant bond or chemistry with really anyone else (except, I guess, Worf at a push). Jadzia, however, had a range of compelling and very distinct relationships with so many other characters: her relationship with Sisko as mentor/mentee—and almost parent/child at times—was richly compelling, and she also had vivid and rich relationships with Worf, obviously, as well as Bashir, Quark, and Kira. Her loss was a phenomenal one, and, in my opinion, the series suffered greatly as a result. While Ezri provided an element of freshness (and immediately became the writers’ new favourite toy, for better or worse), the glue that Jadzia provided at the core of the cast, and that heart and charisma—so essential when the tone of the series had become fairly bleak—would be sorely missed.
The circumstances around Farrell’s departure are sad and depressing, but it’s not something I blame Ira Behr or the writers for. Indeed, Behr has gone on record as stating that if he knew what was going on, he’d have put an end to it. Nevertheless, Jadzia’s death is handled terribly. You’d think that, given how much I loved the character, I’d be a sobbing wreck watching this episode. Think again. I was actually profoundly unmoved by the whole thing. The episode is so strewn with plot holes, contrivances and blatant manipulation, that I could never quite buy into it. Everything just felt so blatantly forced—from the announcement that Jadzia and Worf want to have a baby, cynically designed to make the inevitable death “sadder”, to the forced bonding between Bashir and Quark over their lovelorn woes.
The circumstances leading up to the death are ridiculously contrived. First of all, it’s never explained why Dax is left on the station with Nog piloting the Defiant (he’s barely an Ensign, only actually spent about a year at the Academy and surely can’t be that skilled or experienced a pilot). Similarly, it made no sense at all for Jadzia to go to the shrine to pray to the Prophets, especially given her markedly atheistic bent. It’s a pathetic death scene featuring glowing-red-eye Dukat and some weird energy beam that is never quite explained. Worse, we barely get to see a reaction from the rest of the crew. All we get are some basic reaction shots in the Infirmary, followed by a cursory death scene in the Infirmary which, again, failed to move me. Even Worf’s death howl was lacklustre if you compare it to the one he gave random-dead-Klingon-guy in TNG’s “Heart of Glory”. And no funeral scene! Apparently the writers didn’t want to give Jadzia a funeral scene because they’d had one for Lisa Cusak in the previous episode. That’s an unacceptable excuse. Jadzia deserved far, far more than this shitty, random death treated as a kind of “oh, and by the way...” afterthought. Tasha Yar also had an abrupt and meaningless death in TNG’s “Skin of Evil”, but, man, they made us feel her loss and gave the crew plenty opportunity to react. It wasn’t a great episode, but in some respects it far exceeded this.
The closest we get to a funeral is Sisko’s monologue over her coffin. I also object to this, because despite briefly addressing his grief (and being superbly delivered by Avery Brooks), Sisko promptly turns it around and makes it...well, all about himself. We don’t even get to focus on Jadzia’s death for more than a few seconds before it shifts to Sisko’s woes. At this point, I wondered if the writers have simply run out of time and are trying to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Were that the case, they should have cut out some of the unnecessary elements that cluttered the rest of the episode—and I’d have started with the gratuitous insertion of Vic Fontaine and Quark and Julian wallowing in self pity, which never made much sense to me anyway. I’d also have ditched the pointless Odo/Kira scenes which did nothing but take up precious time in an episode already bursting at the seams.
The problems don’t end there. I had to suspend a tsunami of disbelief that Sisko was chosen to plan the invasion of Cardassia. Are we really to believe Sisko is now Starfleet’s number one military strategist? If that’s the case, why hasn’t he been promoted to Admiral and reassigned to Starfleet Command? People complain about DISCOVERY’s Michael Burnham being the most important character in the universe, but Trek has been doing that with its leads from the very start, and DS9 arguably went further in that regard than anyone else—making Sisko not only the seemingly most competent and celebrated officer in Starfleet, but also a literal god. Although I find any exploration of his role as Emissary fascinating, I was bugged here by the dismissive way Starfleet treats the Prophets, when the Prophets are literally the only thing saving the Federation’s ass. They’re the most valuable potential ally the Federation has, with Q-like powers and the ability to see beyond linear time. Yet it’s a case of “Prophets-schmophets, what the heck do THEY know?! Screw the Prophets and their silly gibberish!” I also find it hard to believe that the same Sisko who was willing to sacrifice his own SON for them a few episodes ago would so readily be pressured into ignoring their warning here.
Credit where credit is due, the build up to the Chintoka battle is well done and the scenes are fantastically executed. The seeming destruction of the wormhole and Sisko’s Ben Kenobi moment make for a powerful sequence. I did wonder why Kira assumed command of the Defiant when it’s been established that while Kira is First Officer of the station, Worf is First Officer of the Defiant. In fact, what Kira is even doing aboard the Defiant is perplexing, and ditto Garak? They must presumably be running low on trained Starfleet officers. Finally, as already noted, Dukat is back and he’s now sold his soul to the pah-wraiths. It’s an important twist in the show’s narrative and while, on one hand, it makes sense that Dukat would seek revenge on the Bajorans by seeking out their mortal foes, it also sees Dukat become a completely basic, one-dimensional character; one who strays perilously close to the territory of “villain from a Saturday morning kid’s show”. At one point he declares that the pah-wraiths will “destroy Captain Benjamin Sisko and the Federation once and for all!”—and all that’s missing is some moustache-twirling, lighting flashing lightning in the background and an accompanying “Mwahahahaha!” DS9 is just...better than this.
Fortunately, the scenes between Damar and Weyoun are delightful and the simmering tension between them makes for excellent viewing. Over the course of the next season, Damar would become one of the show’s most complex, conflicted and compelling characters, which is all the more wondrous given that he basically started out as little more than a speaking extra in the fourth season’s “Return to Grace”. I also like the basic idea of the episode being a significant fall for Sisko; something that hits him even harder than the events of “In the Pale Moonlight”. He messes up big style by ignoring the Prophets, which leads to their seeming destruction. I’m fascinated by the fallout from this and the effect it will have on Bajor. Sisko then decides to take a leave of absence—which I’m surprised was granted given the war situation and the fact he seems to be the only Starfleet captain who contributes anything of worth to the war effort! Alas, this finishes the year on a note of not excitement, intrigue or anticipation, as was the case with previous season finales but one of...depression, I guess.
Yup, “Tears of the Prophets” left me feeling a bit depressed, and angry at the way it mishandled the death of one of the show’s best characters. I used to wonder if the writers were basically punishing Terry Farrell by giving Dax a really lame, perfunctory death and fudging over the crew’s reactions. I’d like to think that wasn’t the case. While “Tears of the Prophets” is undeniably entertaining and does have boast very strong moments, it’s definitely undone by weak writing and a bloated, overstuffed, undigested mass of competing elements. It does the job, yes, but this is paint-by-numbers DS9. Rating: 6
Those Cardassians, up to no good again.
The sixth season began in superb style with one of the ambition feats of storytelling ever attempted on Star Trek, and it was, by and large, a resounding success. I was pleasantly surprised that the Dominion war was to continue beyond the season’s opening six-episode arc and didn’t end with a prompt reset when Sisko retook the station. One thing that strikes me looking back at the sixth season, however, is how directionless it feels between “You Are Cordially Invited” and “Tears of the Prophets”. Yes, the war looms large in the background throughout the season, yet I’d argue that only one episode, the stunning “In the Pale Moonlight” actually progressed the war arc in any meaningful way. Otherwise, this season has lacked the sense of focus, direction and momentum we saw in the previous three seasons, and even, to an extent, in the second season, which gradually set up the Dominion and Maquis threats. Despite boasting a couple of the finest episodes the series ever crafted, the sixth season has suffered from a wandering focus and some of the weakest writing of its entire run.
On the plus side, “Tears of the Prophets” attempts to pull things together. Finally we get a sense of focus and progression in an episode that combines several running story threads: the Dominion war, of course, plus the Pah-wraith storyline introduced in “The Reckoning”, Dukat’s descent into cray-cray supervillain, the Prophets’ role as guardians of Bajor and Sisko’s role as their Emissary, as well as Damar’s continuing conflict with Weyoun as he struggles to adjust to his new role as leader of a Cardassia under Dominion rule. That’s to say nothing of the character moments woven throughout; including Dax and Worf’s decision to have a baby, the inexplicable rekindling of Julian and Quark’s unrequited love for Dax, Jake’s continuing metamorphosis into pushy-journalist stereotype, plus Odo and Kira’s first argument as a couple. Oh, and throw in a song from Vic and you have an episode in which basically everything is thrown at the wall in order to see what sticks. That, of course, is to say nothing of the first death of a series regular in the show’s history (if you are avoiding spoilers, please stop reading now).
Alas, Jadzia’s death is handled as nothing but an awkward afterthought, and for that, I can never forgive this episode. I don’t think I’ve spoken much about the character, partly because for the past three seasons she has been criminally underused and reduced largely to being “Mrs Worf”. However, in spite of that, Jadzia is one of my favourite characters in the show and the franchise as a whole. While Kira had the stronger arc and material, and therefore may be my favourite character on the series, in many ways I consider Jadzia my favourite female character in Trek as a whole. Once she blossomed in the late second season, she became a true joy to behold: a strong, independent, passionate, adventurous, funny, sassy, sexually empowered and liberated, wise character who managed to be both badass and yet feminine at the same time, and who felt totally comfortable in her own skin. Terry Farrell matured immeasurably as a character and brought a tremendous amount of charisma, joy and presence to even the smallest of scenes. Although a character often neglected by the writers, Jadzia served as a glue that held together the crew together. I remarked in the previous review how O’Brien’s sole relationship in the series was basically with Bashir and he lacked a significant bond or chemistry with really anyone else (except, I guess, Worf at a push). Jadzia, however, had a range of compelling and very distinct relationships with so many other characters: her relationship with Sisko as mentor/mentee—and almost parent/child at times—was richly compelling, and she also had vivid and rich relationships with Worf, obviously, as well as Bashir, Quark, and Kira. Her loss was a phenomenal one, and, in my opinion, the series suffered greatly as a result. While Ezri provided an element of freshness (and immediately became the writers’ new favourite toy, for better or worse), the glue that Jadzia provided at the core of the cast, and that heart and charisma—so essential when the tone of the series had become fairly bleak—would be sorely missed.
The circumstances around Farrell’s departure are sad and depressing, but it’s not something I blame Ira Behr or the writers for. Indeed, Behr has gone on record as stating that if he knew what was going on, he’d have put an end to it. Nevertheless, Jadzia’s death is handled terribly. You’d think that, given how much I loved the character, I’d be a sobbing wreck watching this episode. Think again. I was actually profoundly unmoved by the whole thing. The episode is so strewn with plot holes, contrivances and blatant manipulation, that I could never quite buy into it. Everything just felt so blatantly forced—from the announcement that Jadzia and Worf want to have a baby, cynically designed to make the inevitable death “sadder”, to the forced bonding between Bashir and Quark over their lovelorn woes.
The circumstances leading up to the death are ridiculously contrived. First of all, it’s never explained why Dax is left on the station with Nog piloting the Defiant (he’s barely an Ensign, only actually spent about a year at the Academy and surely can’t be that skilled or experienced a pilot). Similarly, it made no sense at all for Jadzia to go to the shrine to pray to the Prophets, especially given her markedly atheistic bent. It’s a pathetic death scene featuring glowing-red-eye Dukat and some weird energy beam that is never quite explained. Worse, we barely get to see a reaction from the rest of the crew. All we get are some basic reaction shots in the Infirmary, followed by a cursory death scene in the Infirmary which, again, failed to move me. Even Worf’s death howl was lacklustre if you compare it to the one he gave random-dead-Klingon-guy in TNG’s “Heart of Glory”. And no funeral scene! Apparently the writers didn’t want to give Jadzia a funeral scene because they’d had one for Lisa Cusak in the previous episode. That’s an unacceptable excuse. Jadzia deserved far, far more than this shitty, random death treated as a kind of “oh, and by the way...” afterthought. Tasha Yar also had an abrupt and meaningless death in TNG’s “Skin of Evil”, but, man, they made us feel her loss and gave the crew plenty opportunity to react. It wasn’t a great episode, but in some respects it far exceeded this.
The closest we get to a funeral is Sisko’s monologue over her coffin. I also object to this, because despite briefly addressing his grief (and being superbly delivered by Avery Brooks), Sisko promptly turns it around and makes it...well, all about himself. We don’t even get to focus on Jadzia’s death for more than a few seconds before it shifts to Sisko’s woes. At this point, I wondered if the writers have simply run out of time and are trying to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Were that the case, they should have cut out some of the unnecessary elements that cluttered the rest of the episode—and I’d have started with the gratuitous insertion of Vic Fontaine and Quark and Julian wallowing in self pity, which never made much sense to me anyway. I’d also have ditched the pointless Odo/Kira scenes which did nothing but take up precious time in an episode already bursting at the seams.
The problems don’t end there. I had to suspend a tsunami of disbelief that Sisko was chosen to plan the invasion of Cardassia. Are we really to believe Sisko is now Starfleet’s number one military strategist? If that’s the case, why hasn’t he been promoted to Admiral and reassigned to Starfleet Command? People complain about DISCOVERY’s Michael Burnham being the most important character in the universe, but Trek has been doing that with its leads from the very start, and DS9 arguably went further in that regard than anyone else—making Sisko not only the seemingly most competent and celebrated officer in Starfleet, but also a literal god. Although I find any exploration of his role as Emissary fascinating, I was bugged here by the dismissive way Starfleet treats the Prophets, when the Prophets are literally the only thing saving the Federation’s ass. They’re the most valuable potential ally the Federation has, with Q-like powers and the ability to see beyond linear time. Yet it’s a case of “Prophets-schmophets, what the heck do THEY know?! Screw the Prophets and their silly gibberish!” I also find it hard to believe that the same Sisko who was willing to sacrifice his own SON for them a few episodes ago would so readily be pressured into ignoring their warning here.
Credit where credit is due, the build up to the Chintoka battle is well done and the scenes are fantastically executed. The seeming destruction of the wormhole and Sisko’s Ben Kenobi moment make for a powerful sequence. I did wonder why Kira assumed command of the Defiant when it’s been established that while Kira is First Officer of the station, Worf is First Officer of the Defiant. In fact, what Kira is even doing aboard the Defiant is perplexing, and ditto Garak? They must presumably be running low on trained Starfleet officers. Finally, as already noted, Dukat is back and he’s now sold his soul to the pah-wraiths. It’s an important twist in the show’s narrative and while, on one hand, it makes sense that Dukat would seek revenge on the Bajorans by seeking out their mortal foes, it also sees Dukat become a completely basic, one-dimensional character; one who strays perilously close to the territory of “villain from a Saturday morning kid’s show”. At one point he declares that the pah-wraiths will “destroy Captain Benjamin Sisko and the Federation once and for all!”—and all that’s missing is some moustache-twirling, lighting flashing lightning in the background and an accompanying “Mwahahahaha!” DS9 is just...better than this.
Fortunately, the scenes between Damar and Weyoun are delightful and the simmering tension between them makes for excellent viewing. Over the course of the next season, Damar would become one of the show’s most complex, conflicted and compelling characters, which is all the more wondrous given that he basically started out as little more than a speaking extra in the fourth season’s “Return to Grace”. I also like the basic idea of the episode being a significant fall for Sisko; something that hits him even harder than the events of “In the Pale Moonlight”. He messes up big style by ignoring the Prophets, which leads to their seeming destruction. I’m fascinated by the fallout from this and the effect it will have on Bajor. Sisko then decides to take a leave of absence—which I’m surprised was granted given the war situation and the fact he seems to be the only Starfleet captain who contributes anything of worth to the war effort! Alas, this finishes the year on a note of not excitement, intrigue or anticipation, as was the case with previous season finales but one of...depression, I guess.
Yup, “Tears of the Prophets” left me feeling a bit depressed, and angry at the way it mishandled the death of one of the show’s best characters. I used to wonder if the writers were basically punishing Terry Farrell by giving Dax a really lame, perfunctory death and fudging over the crew’s reactions. I’d like to think that wasn’t the case. While “Tears of the Prophets” is undeniably entertaining and does have boast very strong moments, it’s definitely undone by weak writing and a bloated, overstuffed, undigested mass of competing elements. It does the job, yes, but this is paint-by-numbers DS9. Rating: 6
Fantastic review of a very moving episode.
To respond to one point - wasn’t Dax left behind on the station because it had been decided earlier that she and Worf shouldn’t be assigned to go on missions together- ?
Such poignant contrast between the opening scene with Sisko at the height of his career, receiving the medal of valor….and the end with him doing kitchen chores outside the restaurant, alone and in the dark - broken and lost. He chose the captain role over the Emissary, temporarily-- what else could he have done.
Yes, the Vic Fontaine song with Quark and Bashir is too much repetition of them still mooning over Jadzia - though it does foreshadow her death.
I agree Jadzia’s death was arbitrary, meaningless - casual brutality…Rick Berman insisted on this while Moore and others wanted her to have a worthy, heroic death. Berman clearly held a personal, sexist grudge against Farrell.
In The Fifty Year Mission, Terry Farrell said, “The problems with my leaving were with Rick Berman. In my opinion, he’s just very misogynistic....Basically he [Berman] was trying to bully me into saying yes [to signing the contract]. He had another producer come up to me and say, ‘If you weren’t here, you know you’d be working at Kmart.’ He’d call me in my trailer-- ‘Have you been thinking about it yet? Are you going to sign?’ right before I had a scene.“
She said that Kmart remark was the last straw. She didn't know at the time, that Ira Behr would have stood up for her...it could have turned out differently.
To respond to one point - wasn’t Dax left behind on the station because it had been decided earlier that she and Worf shouldn’t be assigned to go on missions together- ?
Such poignant contrast between the opening scene with Sisko at the height of his career, receiving the medal of valor….and the end with him doing kitchen chores outside the restaurant, alone and in the dark - broken and lost. He chose the captain role over the Emissary, temporarily-- what else could he have done.
Yes, the Vic Fontaine song with Quark and Bashir is too much repetition of them still mooning over Jadzia - though it does foreshadow her death.
I agree Jadzia’s death was arbitrary, meaningless - casual brutality…Rick Berman insisted on this while Moore and others wanted her to have a worthy, heroic death. Berman clearly held a personal, sexist grudge against Farrell.
In The Fifty Year Mission, Terry Farrell said, “The problems with my leaving were with Rick Berman. In my opinion, he’s just very misogynistic....Basically he [Berman] was trying to bully me into saying yes [to signing the contract]. He had another producer come up to me and say, ‘If you weren’t here, you know you’d be working at Kmart.’ He’d call me in my trailer-- ‘Have you been thinking about it yet? Are you going to sign?’ right before I had a scene.“
She said that Kmart remark was the last straw. She didn't know at the time, that Ira Behr would have stood up for her...it could have turned out differently.
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Excellent review.
I find myself in agreememt with a vast majority of what you said. I do think one of the reasons Dax was left behind was because of Sisko's edict earlier of her and Worf not being on missions together.
Nog... it's very possible he was doing some secondary missions as a pilot at other points in the season that we never got to see. He proved himself a very capable pilot here, and later, too. Situations like this are how people get experience.
Garak... I can absolutely see him being brought in on this mission. It's in a system in Cardassian space, and he has intimate knowledge on how the Cardassian military works and what technology they might have. He proved useful when he discovered the power source of the platforms.
Sisko being given command of this invasion could very likely be the result of his conversation with Ross. He mentions that Starfleet finally relented on his suggestion to go on the offensive. Given his successful plan to retake DS9, and his medal for said plan, I can see Starfleet and Ross going to him for a plan. Or at least, his was the best plan compared to others that Ross knew about but we never see. I do, however, agree that he should have been an admiral at this point. Maybe it didn't happen because he's been a captain only 3 years at this point, which is probably too short a time if you hop from captain to admiral... plus his getting Bajor to not sign the treaty to become a Federation member might have been a black mark on his chances of getting a promotion for a long time. (Admiral Watley even said that had he not been the Emissary, Sisko would likely have been dismissed from the service. Not getting a promotion could very well have been the fallout from that scenario.)
Besides, as Dax pointed out before, admiral bars wouldn't suit Sisko... he was a man who had to be 'in the thick of things', if I remember the quote right. She's spot on... pun intended.
Not a terrible season finale, but not their best. That honor goes to the previous season. (Hell, I might put "CALL TO ARMS" as the best season finale in the franchise. That's a hard bar to approach, let alone surpass.) Your rating of 6... fair, and I'm with you.
I find myself in agreememt with a vast majority of what you said. I do think one of the reasons Dax was left behind was because of Sisko's edict earlier of her and Worf not being on missions together.
Nog... it's very possible he was doing some secondary missions as a pilot at other points in the season that we never got to see. He proved himself a very capable pilot here, and later, too. Situations like this are how people get experience.
Garak... I can absolutely see him being brought in on this mission. It's in a system in Cardassian space, and he has intimate knowledge on how the Cardassian military works and what technology they might have. He proved useful when he discovered the power source of the platforms.
Sisko being given command of this invasion could very likely be the result of his conversation with Ross. He mentions that Starfleet finally relented on his suggestion to go on the offensive. Given his successful plan to retake DS9, and his medal for said plan, I can see Starfleet and Ross going to him for a plan. Or at least, his was the best plan compared to others that Ross knew about but we never see. I do, however, agree that he should have been an admiral at this point. Maybe it didn't happen because he's been a captain only 3 years at this point, which is probably too short a time if you hop from captain to admiral... plus his getting Bajor to not sign the treaty to become a Federation member might have been a black mark on his chances of getting a promotion for a long time. (Admiral Watley even said that had he not been the Emissary, Sisko would likely have been dismissed from the service. Not getting a promotion could very well have been the fallout from that scenario.)
Besides, as Dax pointed out before, admiral bars wouldn't suit Sisko... he was a man who had to be 'in the thick of things', if I remember the quote right. She's spot on... pun intended.
Not a terrible season finale, but not their best. That honor goes to the previous season. (Hell, I might put "CALL TO ARMS" as the best season finale in the franchise. That's a hard bar to approach, let alone surpass.) Your rating of 6... fair, and I'm with you.
Superb review and so thorough! I hope that when this series is over that you're planning on reviewing something else because I've become addicted to these and I need my fix!!! Also, I got the feeling that I am far from being the only one who feels that way.
It's regrettable that they disposed of Jadzia that way. What were they thinking! Plus as you said her visit to the Bajoran shrine couldn't be any more contrived. It's true she's always seemed like an atheist, unlike Sisko and more precisely his father who quotes the Bible on occasion. We've never seen Jadzia do any of the idiosyncratiisms (If that's a word) usually associated with religion. So her "I believe in them today" seems a bit... unbelievable.
But note that that's the thing with StarTrek they usually don't do well with the deaths of celebrities (e.g. Kirk). Spock's (first death) was better but it was almost an accident, I am told he wasn't supposed to die at that point initially.
Who's had the best death (scene) of all of Startrek? That could be an interesting debate.
It's regrettable that they disposed of Jadzia that way. What were they thinking! Plus as you said her visit to the Bajoran shrine couldn't be any more contrived. It's true she's always seemed like an atheist, unlike Sisko and more precisely his father who quotes the Bible on occasion. We've never seen Jadzia do any of the idiosyncratiisms (If that's a word) usually associated with religion. So her "I believe in them today" seems a bit... unbelievable.
But note that that's the thing with StarTrek they usually don't do well with the deaths of celebrities (e.g. Kirk). Spock's (first death) was better but it was almost an accident, I am told he wasn't supposed to die at that point initially.
Who's had the best death (scene) of all of Startrek? That could be an interesting debate.
I don't think this is a great episode, but I think people need to at least give Behr and Beimler some credit.
They didn't set out to write an episode about Dax's death. What they wrote was an episode about Sisko's crisis of faith. When they learned of Farrell's departure, they had to squeeze that story in as best they could.
They didn't set out to hurt Farrell by killing her in a Dax effigy. They gave her the same kind of exit they gave Spock and Tasha Yar.
Despite what we might feel about Farrell's departure, it was not meant to be the A story of Tears of the Prophets. It was hastily composed and crammed into a 45 minute story that had already been developed.
They didn't set out to write an episode about Dax's death. What they wrote was an episode about Sisko's crisis of faith. When they learned of Farrell's departure, they had to squeeze that story in as best they could.
They didn't set out to hurt Farrell by killing her in a Dax effigy. They gave her the same kind of exit they gave Spock and Tasha Yar.
Despite what we might feel about Farrell's departure, it was not meant to be the A story of Tears of the Prophets. It was hastily composed and crammed into a 45 minute story that had already been developed.
As far as I know, Nana Visitor is the only recurring actress whom they worked the pregnancy of into the series however it's not unrelated to including a character's death in the story when the actor/tress is leaving.
Best death scene? Very interesting question.
Permanent death? Death of a lead, guest, or recurring character? There's several factors.
Some of the best...
STAR TREK II - Spock. Still will shed a single man tear every damn time.
TNG - Yar. Or rather, her memorial. Her actual death was very believable and fitting in that she died doing her exact job... and being Chief of Security, you are in the line of fire the most.
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS - Kirk. We may not agree with how he was killed, but he died saving an entire planet's population. Never mind also stopping the entire star system from being vaporized. Heroic death, and fitting for Kirk.
DS9 - old Jake. Still will cry like a baby every damn time.
DS9 - Kor. We didn't actually see it, but we know he died a heroic, warrior's death. And he deserved nothing less. Sto'vo'kor is honored to receive him.
DS9 - Kai Winn. Basically because she got exactly what she deserved.
VOYAGER - Janeway. Specifically, "YEAR OF HELL, PART II". It's a reset in the fullest way possible, but damn that was a good one.
VOYAGER - the copied crew of "COURSE: OBLIVION". It might be the saddest death in the franchise, as no one will remember them.
ENTERPRISE - Forrest, both versions. Admiral Forrest died saving Soval's life, which was a big factor in his changing view of humans. It led to the Vulcans finally saying humans don't need to be looked after. Mirror Universe Captain Forrest died getting as many of his crew out of harm's way as possible. Particularly heroic, given the nature of that universe.
PICARD - Data. He finally got a proper sendoff. Yes, he died saving the Enterprise and Picard in particular in NEMESIS, but that death didn't have the emotion and heart this final scene had.
Those are off the top of my head. Some leads and recurrings there, as well as 'reset' deaths.
Permanent death? Death of a lead, guest, or recurring character? There's several factors.
Some of the best...
STAR TREK II - Spock. Still will shed a single man tear every damn time.
TNG - Yar. Or rather, her memorial. Her actual death was very believable and fitting in that she died doing her exact job... and being Chief of Security, you are in the line of fire the most.
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS - Kirk. We may not agree with how he was killed, but he died saving an entire planet's population. Never mind also stopping the entire star system from being vaporized. Heroic death, and fitting for Kirk.
DS9 - old Jake. Still will cry like a baby every damn time.
DS9 - Kor. We didn't actually see it, but we know he died a heroic, warrior's death. And he deserved nothing less. Sto'vo'kor is honored to receive him.
DS9 - Kai Winn. Basically because she got exactly what she deserved.
VOYAGER - Janeway. Specifically, "YEAR OF HELL, PART II". It's a reset in the fullest way possible, but damn that was a good one.
VOYAGER - the copied crew of "COURSE: OBLIVION". It might be the saddest death in the franchise, as no one will remember them.
ENTERPRISE - Forrest, both versions. Admiral Forrest died saving Soval's life, which was a big factor in his changing view of humans. It led to the Vulcans finally saying humans don't need to be looked after. Mirror Universe Captain Forrest died getting as many of his crew out of harm's way as possible. Particularly heroic, given the nature of that universe.
PICARD - Data. He finally got a proper sendoff. Yes, he died saving the Enterprise and Picard in particular in NEMESIS, but that death didn't have the emotion and heart this final scene had.
Those are off the top of my head. Some leads and recurrings there, as well as 'reset' deaths.
It's almost a shame that Spock's death occurred what would turn out be so early in the history of the fanchise, as, for this fan's money, it set an incredibly high bar for any deaths to follow.
While there are differing views regarding whether or not it constitutes a character, I feel the death of the Enterprise in TSFS merits inclusion on this list.
Kirk: My god Bones, what have I done?
Bones: What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live.
I'll add the death of David Marcus in the same film, not so much for the death itself, which is tragic but for the fact that it involves someone we don't know very well (though he died trying to save Saavik's life), but for Kirk's reaction. I honestly don't know whether his failure to fall into his chair was intentional or not, but I'll use that scene to combat any criticism of Shatner's acting choices.
While there are differing views regarding whether or not it constitutes a character, I feel the death of the Enterprise in TSFS merits inclusion on this list.
Kirk: My god Bones, what have I done?
Bones: What you had to do. What you always do. Turn death into a fighting chance to live.
I'll add the death of David Marcus in the same film, not so much for the death itself, which is tragic but for the fact that it involves someone we don't know very well (though he died trying to save Saavik's life), but for Kirk's reaction. I honestly don't know whether his failure to fall into his chair was intentional or not, but I'll use that scene to combat any criticism of Shatner's acting choices.
YES! Thank you! The death of the Enterprise was a gut punch. So was the Defiant.
Both were wonderful characters.
Both were wonderful characters.
I told my wife about this question, and she adds her own...
DS9 - Bareil. He died for peace.
DS9 - Damar. He died for the freedom of his people.
I'm in agreement with her.
DS9 - Bareil. He died for peace.
DS9 - Damar. He died for the freedom of his people.
I'm in agreement with her.
Why not consider the horrible deaths as well, like Decker or Remmik?
How about Varria then, killed with the most vicious disruptor of the galaxy?
Best death in the franchise will always be Spock for me. It was just handled so beautifully, and they actually gave him a funeral scene too! It ties in thematically with the overall story and themes of life, death and rebirth. It’s slightly undone in retrospect by knowing he’ll be alive again by the end of the next film, but it’s still a beautiful piece of film and genuinely moving.
In my view, the worst, besides Jadzia, is Kirk. I truly dread to think what the original cut was like if what we got was considered an improvement. Admittedly, I find the whole film disappointing, lacklustre and depressing. His death didn’t feel fitting at all for such an icon not only of Star Trek but popular culture and TV/movie history in general. I should have felt moved his death, but I didn’t. It was just a cynical device to service an already weak plot. It also pissed me off that Picard took the liberty of burying him on that random planet when he’s body should have been taken back to Earth for whatever equivalent Starfleet has of a full state funeral. In some ways I felt there was some similarity between the lame deaths of both Kirk and Jadzia—incredibly convoluted setup, weak death scenes, and both were kind of forgotten by the next scene.
in fact, I just remembered Data’s death in “Insurrection”—that was probably even worse than Kirk’s. The entire existence of the PICARD series is worth it alone for giving Data a far better and genuinely emotional send off.
P.S. it may be a few days before I get to the season seven reviews, I’m taking a little break first.
In my view, the worst, besides Jadzia, is Kirk. I truly dread to think what the original cut was like if what we got was considered an improvement. Admittedly, I find the whole film disappointing, lacklustre and depressing. His death didn’t feel fitting at all for such an icon not only of Star Trek but popular culture and TV/movie history in general. I should have felt moved his death, but I didn’t. It was just a cynical device to service an already weak plot. It also pissed me off that Picard took the liberty of burying him on that random planet when he’s body should have been taken back to Earth for whatever equivalent Starfleet has of a full state funeral. In some ways I felt there was some similarity between the lame deaths of both Kirk and Jadzia—incredibly convoluted setup, weak death scenes, and both were kind of forgotten by the next scene.
in fact, I just remembered Data’s death in “Insurrection”—that was probably even worse than Kirk’s. The entire existence of the PICARD series is worth it alone for giving Data a far better and genuinely emotional send off.
P.S. it may be a few days before I get to the season seven reviews, I’m taking a little break first.
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Of course. I'm not sure why "Doing the character justice " is the most important criteria for judging deaths in fiction. Obviously, the redshirt deaths tend to be quick and unremarkable, for the most part, because they are overused. There are times when a frightening death can establish the danger of what is being undertaken. Keeler's death is interesting because it does have the effect of invalidating her idealism--it is bittersweet. (It always bothers me that Spock doesn't come up with a plan other than let her die--what if, despite hindering McCoy, she still didn't die? Would they have started trying to push her out into traffic?)
Season 6 has three deaths that very effectively push the plot along: Remata'Klan, Vedek Yassim, and Keevan.
