“APOCALYPSE RISING”
That “bad day at the office” feeling...
So begins the fifth season! If anyone asks my favourite season of DS9, I automatically tend to answer “season five”. The show had already become my favourite Star Trek series (tied with TOS) and had boasted a superb fourth season, but it was here that the storytelling really stepped up a notch and the Dominion war arc kicked into high gear, becoming one of the greatest story arcs in the entire franchise—and, I’d say, the entire genre.
Despite a fantastic title, “Apocalypse Rising” is, however, a modest opening chapter and perhaps the weakest of DS9’s season premieres. It’s actually a wholly decent episode in itself, it simply lacks the explosive excitement and freshness of the previous season openers. It certainly doesn’t open the season with a bang, although it’s not quite a whimper either; I’d say it’s more of an understated click. I wasn’t enormously excited by the fourth season cliffhanger because, to me, it ought to have seemed obvious to anyone in their right mind that the Klingon leadership had been compromised by Changelings, particularly given the Founders’ admission a year previously that they were “everywhere”.
Yet “Apocalypse Rising” serves a fairly important purpose: specifically, winding down the Klingon war arc which even the producers weren’t terribly excited by. Ira Behr admitted that he didn’t want the Klingons as adversaries; he wanted to get right back to the Dominion. With Paramount’s attention now largely focused upon Voyager, DS9 had greater leeway to be embrace its role as the rebellious, under-loved middle child and the writers subtly shifted back to the story they wanted to tell. So, this episode serves as a kind of mop-up; moving the focus of villainy back to the Dominion and setting the course for a return to peace with the Klingons.
Part of me finds the whole exercise a little perfunctory, and there are certainly some flaws, but it’s generally entertaining and well executed, even if Klingon fatigue has really gotten to me by this point. Watching this episode I found myself pining for the Klingons of TOS and the original movies, who at least displayed a modicum of intelligence, cunning and even the ability to quote Shakespeare! The Klingons we see here exhibit the very worst excesses of Berman-era Klingondom. How these complete MORONS established and maintain an interstellar empire is completely and utterly beyond me. We’re really in parody territory by now.
One of my complaints about the episode is a complaint I had with TNG’s “Chain of Command” and basically any other episode where our heroes are sent on important undercover missions. I simply don’t buy it because they’re not trained for this, and presumably Starfleet has no shortage of highly trained undercover operatives whose speciality is subterfuge and working undercover. The fact Odo and O’Brien are so inept as Klingons (with Odo actually amid a psychological breakdown) simply highlights how risky it is assigning them to such a delicate, vital mission. As for sending Worf without any surgical alteration whatsoever, when he ought to be recognisable to just about any Klingon (given his reputation), I have no idea what they were thinking. It seems Terry Farrell couldn’t wear the prosthetics because, being familiar with Klingon culture, Jadzia would have been a sensible choice as opposed to O’Brien and Odo, the latter of whom really ought to be in counselling rather than undercover missions. Interestingly, the makeup doesn’t look that great on either of them. Odo looks unrecognisable beneath the prosthetics, while O’Brien unfortunately looks like the village idiot.
Sisko, however, was born to be a Klingon! Avery Brooks more than looks the part and he plays it with relish as well. Who can forget the classic “Brag all you want, but DON’T GET BETWEEN ME AND THE BLOOD WIIIINE!!” Perhaps my favourite scene involves Worf’s attempts to “Klingon-ise” his colleagues (“I called you a DUNG BEETLE! What is your response?” “That you should have your eyes examined.”). The return of Dukat enlivened the episode some more, and while the scenes of Ty’Gokor involved a fair bit of eye rolling for me, I liked the way the mission was set up and James Conway’s directing was typically impressive, and really created a nice sense of tension and atmosphere.
The twist that Martok is actually the Changeling kept things from being too straightforward and predictable, although he surely has to be the dumbest Changeling we have ever encountered. After Odo accuses him of being a Changeling in front of the entire hall, the Martok-Changeling ought to have denied the claim and shifted the blame to Odo or someone else, but instead he immediately breaks his cover by shape-shifting in full view of everyone. Not a smart move, pal—he really brought the subsequent carnage on himself. Seeing pretty much every Klingon in the hall open fire simultaneously was a darkly awesome moment.
This episode does out what it sets to do, even if I had some issues with the underlying logic. It’s certainly no classic but it is entertaining and serves the important function of winding down the Klingon storyline and getting the show’s narrative back to its previous trajectory. While a modest start to the season, great things are coming. Rating: 7
That “bad day at the office” feeling...
So begins the fifth season! If anyone asks my favourite season of DS9, I automatically tend to answer “season five”. The show had already become my favourite Star Trek series (tied with TOS) and had boasted a superb fourth season, but it was here that the storytelling really stepped up a notch and the Dominion war arc kicked into high gear, becoming one of the greatest story arcs in the entire franchise—and, I’d say, the entire genre.
Despite a fantastic title, “Apocalypse Rising” is, however, a modest opening chapter and perhaps the weakest of DS9’s season premieres. It’s actually a wholly decent episode in itself, it simply lacks the explosive excitement and freshness of the previous season openers. It certainly doesn’t open the season with a bang, although it’s not quite a whimper either; I’d say it’s more of an understated click. I wasn’t enormously excited by the fourth season cliffhanger because, to me, it ought to have seemed obvious to anyone in their right mind that the Klingon leadership had been compromised by Changelings, particularly given the Founders’ admission a year previously that they were “everywhere”.
Yet “Apocalypse Rising” serves a fairly important purpose: specifically, winding down the Klingon war arc which even the producers weren’t terribly excited by. Ira Behr admitted that he didn’t want the Klingons as adversaries; he wanted to get right back to the Dominion. With Paramount’s attention now largely focused upon Voyager, DS9 had greater leeway to be embrace its role as the rebellious, under-loved middle child and the writers subtly shifted back to the story they wanted to tell. So, this episode serves as a kind of mop-up; moving the focus of villainy back to the Dominion and setting the course for a return to peace with the Klingons.
Part of me finds the whole exercise a little perfunctory, and there are certainly some flaws, but it’s generally entertaining and well executed, even if Klingon fatigue has really gotten to me by this point. Watching this episode I found myself pining for the Klingons of TOS and the original movies, who at least displayed a modicum of intelligence, cunning and even the ability to quote Shakespeare! The Klingons we see here exhibit the very worst excesses of Berman-era Klingondom. How these complete MORONS established and maintain an interstellar empire is completely and utterly beyond me. We’re really in parody territory by now.
One of my complaints about the episode is a complaint I had with TNG’s “Chain of Command” and basically any other episode where our heroes are sent on important undercover missions. I simply don’t buy it because they’re not trained for this, and presumably Starfleet has no shortage of highly trained undercover operatives whose speciality is subterfuge and working undercover. The fact Odo and O’Brien are so inept as Klingons (with Odo actually amid a psychological breakdown) simply highlights how risky it is assigning them to such a delicate, vital mission. As for sending Worf without any surgical alteration whatsoever, when he ought to be recognisable to just about any Klingon (given his reputation), I have no idea what they were thinking. It seems Terry Farrell couldn’t wear the prosthetics because, being familiar with Klingon culture, Jadzia would have been a sensible choice as opposed to O’Brien and Odo, the latter of whom really ought to be in counselling rather than undercover missions. Interestingly, the makeup doesn’t look that great on either of them. Odo looks unrecognisable beneath the prosthetics, while O’Brien unfortunately looks like the village idiot.
Sisko, however, was born to be a Klingon! Avery Brooks more than looks the part and he plays it with relish as well. Who can forget the classic “Brag all you want, but DON’T GET BETWEEN ME AND THE BLOOD WIIIINE!!” Perhaps my favourite scene involves Worf’s attempts to “Klingon-ise” his colleagues (“I called you a DUNG BEETLE! What is your response?” “That you should have your eyes examined.”). The return of Dukat enlivened the episode some more, and while the scenes of Ty’Gokor involved a fair bit of eye rolling for me, I liked the way the mission was set up and James Conway’s directing was typically impressive, and really created a nice sense of tension and atmosphere.
The twist that Martok is actually the Changeling kept things from being too straightforward and predictable, although he surely has to be the dumbest Changeling we have ever encountered. After Odo accuses him of being a Changeling in front of the entire hall, the Martok-Changeling ought to have denied the claim and shifted the blame to Odo or someone else, but instead he immediately breaks his cover by shape-shifting in full view of everyone. Not a smart move, pal—he really brought the subsequent carnage on himself. Seeing pretty much every Klingon in the hall open fire simultaneously was a darkly awesome moment.
This episode does out what it sets to do, even if I had some issues with the underlying logic. It’s certainly no classic but it is entertaining and serves the important function of winding down the Klingon storyline and getting the show’s narrative back to its previous trajectory. While a modest start to the season, great things are coming. Rating: 7
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