My journey in Deep Space

[Nerys Ghemor]

"Let He Who Is Without Sin..."

"Worf, Dax, Bashir, and Leeta travel to Risa together, where a depressed Worf falls under the sway of a group determined to destroy the pleasure planet and where Leeta dumps Bashir for Rom."

Yay, vacation episode and on Risa nonetheless. The idea of the fundamentalist Essentialists made a lot of sense. However, Worf's actions did not make sense. He was quick to join them and even quicker to leave them.

I couldn't stand that episode. As usual, anyone who finds a flaw in Federation philosophy is painted out to be a straw man. Very, very disappointing--had there been honest debate with non-caricatures, a much stronger point could've been made. Very weak writing.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I didn't much care for that one either. I was expecting it to be much better than it was since on TNG Risa episodes tended to be fun and I generally love anything focusing on Dax and Worf. The two of them did have some nice moments, and I liked Worf yelling at Leeta and Bashir because he didn't realize they're splitting, but the episode was REALLY dragged down by the plot about the fundamentalist group. Worf's relentless grumpiness, refusal to have fun, and siding with those blah characters was a drag too. Here he is on a pleasure planet with his woman and he'd rather get brainwashed by a cult. I wanted Dax to smack him out of it. I agree, horribly written and bogged down by cliche villains.

 

[trentman359]

"Things Past"

"Sisko, Odo, and Garak find themselves on Terok Nor, mysteriously placed in the roles of a group of Bajorans condemned by Odo to execution years earlier. When he tells Kira of the truth about the events, she's not sure she can forgive him, any more than he could forgive her for the circumstances in which she committed a murder under his jurisdiction."

Very intriguing episode. You could never tell what was happening to the crew but you knew it was connected to Odo. Imagine having to live something in your past like that. How would you act?

 

[trentman359]

"The Ascent"

"Odo and Quark are stranded together on a cold, desolate planet, and find that they must work together to reach the device which is their only hope of rescue."

Predictable at best.

 

[TigerBait]

I really cant get upset with the Risa episode anymore, now that (spoiler edited out by PKTrekGirl)

PKTrekGirl's note: Let's be more careful about this.

 

[Lindley]

Hey now, some of us are a few books behind still.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

"Things Past"

"Sisko, Odo, and Garak find themselves on Terok Nor, mysteriously placed in the roles of a group of Bajorans condemned by Odo to execution years earlier. When he tells Kira of the truth about the events, she's not sure she can forgive him, any more than he could forgive her for the circumstances in which she committed a murder under his jurisdiction."

Very intriguing episode. You could never tell what was happening to the crew but you knew it was connected to Odo. Imagine having to live something in your past like that. How would you act?

That was an EXTRAORDINARY episode...except for one thing.

You would've THOUGHT, though, that Garak would've learned a lesson about his bigoted attitude towards Bajorans, after the position he was put in. But NOOOOO...

 

[trentman359]

"Rapture"

"Sisko sees visions of a Bajoran archaeological mystery which may hold the key to Bajor's future as well as its past, but when the visions threaten to kill him, Bashir - with the support of Jake and Kasidy - puts a stop to them."

Brooks really got a chance to chew the scenery in this episode. Trek demands performances like that. I like the new uniforms but no one really said anything about them. I noticed Sisko's was clearly 2 pieces, are all of them 2 pieces? Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't they all hand me downs from the movies?

 

[Too Much Fun]

Sisko's uniform in that episode was unique. It's exactly like what Picard wears aboard the enterprise in "Star Trek: First Contact" when he's gearing up to hunt some borg with the big guns. I think that was supposed to be a special captain's vest/waistcoat. I didn't like the switch to gray uniforms on DS9.

It worked in "First Contact" because it was different at the time, but on the show and in subsequent movies I thought it just made everyone look bland. They stand out more with their own distinctive colour around the neck and shoulders. There actually is a subtle acknowledgment of the change in that episode. Bashir asks Sisko, "Does my uniform look brighter?", which is a bit of an inside joke about the switch, as well as something that has significance plot-wise a little later in the season.

 

[Lindley]

The one thing I did like about the gray uniforms was that when they removed the black & grey jacket, they undershirt resembled the old TOS uniforms. I found it pretty neat that two such different uniforms styles could be tied together that way.

 

[trentman359]

I think my favorite uniforms will always be the TOS movie era.

 

[trentman359]

"The Darkness and the Light"

"An anonymous assassin is killing off the members of Kira's resistance cell. When Odo investigates, he realizes that it's Kira's own voice on the strange recording left by the murderer. Despite her pregnancy, Kira, pursues the killer, a Cardassian injured by her during the Occupation."

Very moody with a great morality tale.

 

[TheGodBen]

Since I'm a Ron Moorephile I'll add the trivia that Darkness and the Light was his favourite episode of DS9 which he worked on (according to the Companion). It was a good episode, but I wouldn't rank it as one of my favourites.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

"The Darkness and the Light"

"An anonymous assassin is killing off the members of Kira's resistance cell. When Odo investigates, he realizes that it's Kira's own voice on the strange recording left by the murderer. Despite her pregnancy, Kira, pursues the killer, a Cardassian injured by her during the Occupation."

Very moody with a great morality tale.

Here's my question on that one.

Of those viewing this thread--who here agrees, and who disagrees, with the response Kira gave? And--I shall address this separately--the motives for the response she gave?

 

[trentman359]

Thats a tough question. She basically says that every Cardassian on Bajor was a target because they were at war. But they really weren't at war. I think that Silaran was right, she showed no remorse or guilt for what she had done. The answer is so muddled, something TNG never did.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Thats a tough question. She basically says that every Cardassian on Bajor was a target because they were at war. But they really weren't at war. I think that Silaran was right, she showed no remorse or guilt for what she had done. The answer is so muddled, something TNG never did.

They were at war even though it was undeclared--they were occupied by a hostile force against their will. But the situation was complicated by the fact that the Cardassians brought their civilians into the situation as well as the military. I have absolutely no problem with going after any military targets that present themselves, nor with using guerrilla tactics for said aim.

BUT--I DO have a problem with an unrepentant attitude towards civilian casualties. I have a BIG problem with that. Kira's main target was a military target, yes. Gul Pirak was a legitimate target. Silaran Prin, however, was not. I can see where there could've been battlefield situations where avoiding all civilian casualties might've been impossible, depending on what kind of technologies and techniques were available. Even in conventional military strikes, where all caution is taken to avoid civilian casualties, they happen.

But the PROPER attitude is to mourn them. NOT to take pride in having inflicted pain on noncombatants. NOT to just shrug and say "Oops, oh well." And ESPECIALLY not to blame a victim who was not engaged in any sort of material aid to the enemy war effort (unless Kira's definition of MATERIAL aid is anti-wrinkle patrol?)--especially when you're dealing with an enemy known to oppress its own citizens, and Prin probably didn't have any control over his being in that situation in the first place! And MAYBE was even being used by Pirak as a living shield!

That lack of remorse was incredibly disturbing. It puts her just one tiny step away from those who deliberately target civilians.

She was right to target Pirak. But she should NEVER have tried to justify the harm she did to Prin.

Thank God for what happens later this season. I won't spoil it in case you've seen it already, but she's going to get a cold, hard slap in the face about her attitudes that will almost cost her BIG time.

 

[trentman359]

Well said.

 

[Marie1]

"The Darkness and the Light"

"An anonymous assassin is killing off the members of Kira's resistance cell. When Odo investigates, he realizes that it's Kira's own voice on the strange recording left by the murderer. Despite her pregnancy, Kira, pursues the killer, a Cardassian injured by her during the Occupation."

Very moody with a great morality tale.

Here's my question on that one.

Of those viewing this thread--who here agrees, and who disagrees, with the response Kira gave? And--I shall address this separately--the motives for the response she gave?

I disagree, on the basis that her response was stupid. Silarin proved it was possible to selectively target your enemy, sparing innocent victims.

Civilian casualties *do* matter, and even more importantly, so do children.

If she had just been trying to keep him off balance or delay him, anger him to cause him to make a mistake, fine. But given what she said after his death, she showed she thought it was true- she has a looong way to go.

Said in NG's post... but her attitude still bugs me, so I must bring it up from time to time...

 

[trentman359]

"The Begotten"

"Odo raises an infant changeling and quarrels with his own mentor about proper parenting techniques. Though the young shapeshifter dies, it returns to Odo the ability to transform. Meanwhile, Kira gives birth, hindered by fretful Shakaar and O'Brien."

A nice story about birth and children. Odo has quite an interesting relationship with his father, Dr. Mora. I was surprised that he got his shape shifting ability back so soon and so easily.

 

[trentman359]

"For The Uniform"

"Sisko pursues a vendetta against Eddington, who fancies himself Jean Valjean to Sisko's Javert and ultimately ecapes to the Maquis once again."

Great episode with a thrilling finally. Sisko really surprised me with his actions, I thought the torpedoes were going to be inactive or something. He actually poisoned the planet. He was pissed, great acting from Brooks. The holo image communicator was really lame. Did they not want to build sets for Eddington to be on?