KTR's reflections from another DS9 newbie

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

The same cannot be said for the completely ridiculous and cringe-worthy O'Brien/Kira thing. That was just plain awful and embarrassing to watch. Just make it stop, please! To make matters worse, poor Keiko was made to look like a complete idiot for being so clueless.

See? What'd I tell you? It's bad. I suspect illegal substances may have been in use in the writers' room. I wonder what the actors thought when they got that script.

Yeah, I know you did warn me! I just refused to believe it...

Sometimes I pity the poor actors (of any show) when TPTB tries to pull of stupid stunts like these. Being professionals I'm sure they just suck it up, but still...

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Boy I'm so giddy with joy right now, after just having watched Trials and Tribble-ations. So on with the next two reviews:


5-05 The Assignment

The Assignment was a rather underwhelming episode. By now I'm pretty bored with Alien Possession™ stories and this one wasn't clever enough to raise my interest level. Possessed Keiko was more annoying than scary, and the episode took far too long to get to the point. It wasn't until two-thirds or so into it that we got away from the by then tedious alien-forces-O'Brien-to-do-things, and at that point it was too late to salvage the story.

My main gripe is with the O'Brien character. Yeah, I know he was put in a horrible situation, but I'd like to think that he would try and, you know, not betray his duty and the trust he has from his fellow crewmembers on the station. Frankly, he should be court-martialled for what he did.

Generally I can sympathize with Rom, but all too often he's portrayed in a contradictory and inconsistent manner, even in the same episode. On the one hand he's really dumb and played for laughs - as he was here. On the other hand he is smart, a really good engineer and a fast worker - as he was here. He even figured out what all the modifications they did on the pah-wraith's behalf were good for. I wish they'd play down his dumbness. It's often not funny.

The concept of "evil prophets" or pah-wraiths is interesting though, so I'm sorry that they were introduced in such a mediocre episode.

I'll give The Assignment a grade of 4- on my 10-graded scale.



*****

5-06 Trials and Tribble-ations

Man, I freaking loved this episode. Being a huge original series fan it was a hoot to see the DS9 characters intercutted in the old classic episode The Trouble with Tribbles. You could really tell that it was made with pure love and a great sense of nostalgia. Trials and Tribble-ations was a true "Valentine" to the fans at Star Trek's thirtieth anniversary (in 1996). I must admit to both squealing with joy, laughing and getting a bit misty-eyed as I watched this.

The recreation of the sets and uniforms where spectacular - and Jadzia looking smoking hot in the miniskirt. Mmm… those legs! It's a pity that Kira was pregnant so we couldn't see her in that outfit too. The new models of the Enterprise, the K-7 space station and the Klingon battle cruiser looked fabulous. I got so excited when I first saw the old ship and Alexander Courage's classic Trek fanfare sounded. Truly great stuff!

The scenes when they added the DS9 characters to the old footage were generally excellent, with one or two minor odd parts. It was hilarious to see O'Brien, Bashir, Odo and Worf take part in the bar brawl and then get chewed out by Kirk. And I loved how the rest looked at Worf when they saw the TOS era Klingons, and Worf's response "we don't talk about it with outsiders". Now it all make sense after ENT's Klingon forehead episodes, and Bashir's guess about a virus turned out to be right.

Plot, what plot? Who cares about the (admittedly rather contrived) plot when you can have this much fun? The framing with two temporal investigators was also a nice touch. Given how much Trek has messed with time it stands to reason that the Federation should have guys like that. I laughed out loud at their dislike of Kirk for his many temporal infractions.

Using Jadzia as a proxy for the writers' and producers' (and probably the whole cast and crew) love and excitement was great. As a viewer you could share her enthusiasm and wish you were there with her. That's what I dreamt of as kid anyway. And I would so do what Sisko did at the end when he spoke to Kirk about it being an honour to serve under his command..

Trials and Tribble-ations deserve no less than a full excellent grade of 10. This is one episode I know I'll watch many, many times if for no other reason to satisfy my nostalgia for the original series and just having pure unadulterated fun.

[Linda]

Ten fannies from you! I agree, this episode is worth it. Great episodes are so few it is pure joy when you come across them in the sea of just passable episodes.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

And from the highest high we get to the lowest low (almost):


5-07 Let He Who is Without Sin

Watching this show sometimes makes me wonder if the writers are bipolar or something. After the truly great Trials and Tribble-ations we get absolute drivel like Let He Who is Without Sin. I'm flabbergasted that this episode got so far in preparation that it was too late to stop it. What were they thinking? Or what were they smoking is probably a more apt question.

I really hate the concept of Risa, the über-hedonistic planet of the Trekverse, and all those Risan episodes have been unsatisfying. Skimpy outfits cannot make up for bad plots (even if I have to admit that Jadzia looked stunning here, especially in the bathing suit).

The Worf/Jadzia relationship was utterly destroyed here. I'm not sure this dysfunctional couple can survive after this. While I don't 'ship for them, I have seen the potential and Jadzia has become a more interesting character ever since Worf was added to the cast. But after this episode, I'm surprised that Jadzia didn't just walk away from him in disgust, despite his confession in the end about a childhood incident that made him who he is.

And while we're on the subject of Worf, his ass should've been hauled away to a penal colony for willingly sabotaging a Federation planet. You may disagree with the Risans but that act was unforgivable.

The essentialists were both right and dead wrong. I have to agree with the general sentiment about the Federation being too soft and complacent to effectively counter outside threats. But focusing on a paradisic vacation planet? Risa and what goes on there isn't the problem. Most civilisations have some sort of resorts (the Jem'Hadar and Borg probably rare exceptions) so attacking such a place is pointless.

Let He Who is Without Sin is one of the worst DS9 - and Trek - episodes ever made. The revealing outfits on Jadzia and Leeta (so sue me, I'm shallow sometimes) saves it from the ignoble company of The Muse, that had a zero grade. I'll give this one a grade of 1.



*****

5-08 Things Past

Things Past was a pretty good episode, even if it became fairly obvious from the start that this was some dream from a guilt-ridden Odo, and that the Cardassian head of station security was just a stand in for Odo himself and what he had done back then. A more subtle approach would've had a greater impact. Now the story comes off as not trusting the viewers' intelligence enough.

We get to revisit the Terek Nor station from the time of the Cardassian occupation, and while the previous outing - Necessary Evil - dealt with Kira and her guilt over what she did back then, Things Past is a great bookend since it deals with Odo at that time.

Frankly, it has always bothered me that we are lead to believe that Odo did retain his integrity and did nothing wrong even though he served as police chief during Cardassian rule. Of course he must have been compromised a couple of times. But this episode still doesn't manage to deal with why the Bajorans decided to trust in him when the occupation ended and allowed him to keep his job. Even if Odo himself might be in denial, there ought to be a lot of Bajorans who remembered him, what he did and whom he served.

It's a pity they made this episode when they did, when Nana Visitor wasn't available much. It would've been so much stronger had Kira been taking part in Odo's guilty dream. Now we had to settle for a short scene at the end when Kira talked to Odo about what had happened.

But I'll be generous and give Things Past a grade of 7-.

[Reanok]

I like Trials & Triibleations it's favorite of Mine I also like The Assignment and things past a look at bajor's paat and the Cardassian occupation. I'm really interested in te terok Nor book series that will tell the story of this period in Bajor's history. Let he who is without sin is a real stinker of an episode.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Another two reviews:


5-09 The Ascent

Normally I like it when Odo and Quark trade insults at each other, but making it the a-plot for an entire episode? That's just too much. There simply isn't enough material there to make a decent story. Still, The Ascent was somewhat amusing to watch even if it got tedious at times. Those two sure love to hate each other, and even if they'd never admit it, they would miss each other if one of them would die.

The b-plot with Jake moving out to share digs with Nog was better. I can actually relate to that since there was a time when I shared an apartment with a good friend and had to learn to tolerate his sloppy-ness if our friendship was to remain intact. But I have to wonder why Nog, only a second year cadet, is already returning for a field assignment. That seems much too soon. And Sisko and Rom talking as one father to another was nice.

I liked the references to the Orion Syndicate, which has apparently survived well into the 24th century, and "Vulcan Love Slave". I wonder where the Ferengi got the idea for that from? Heh!

The Ascent gets a mediocre grade of 4- from me.



*****

5-10 Rapture

It's been long overdue, but with Rapture the show finally returns to tell a Bajoran story, and I for one appreciated that. It is a gripping tale of how Sisko at last not just comes to terms with his role in Bajoran mythology, but also embraces it wholeheartedly, even to the point of death. Keep the visions and lose your life or lose your visions but keep your life and your relationships with the people around you. There where times though, when I thought Avery Brooks overplayed his obsession.

I like that the writers are treating faith with a for Trek unusual amount of respect, voiced here by Worf and Kira. You're still left wondering what caused Sisko's visions and exactly how prophetic they might be.

I found it odd that Kasidy Yates was released from prison so soon, after only six months. She did aid and abet a group that the Federation considers to be terrorists. And I'm surprised with the ease in which Sisko accepted her back. Perhaps he wasn't thinking clearly due to the influence from his visions?

Another thing that struck me as strange was that the ceremony by which Bajor would be accepted into the Federation had a lot of Starfleet brass present. It came off as a bit militaristic when this mostly should be a matter for the civilian government. And on behalf of the Bajorans I think they got lucky with Sisko's last vision that made them but the admission process on ice. When things get rough I'm not sure I'd trust the Feds. Look at how they sold out their own citizens to the Cardassians, which led to the Maquis. Oh, and if this was so important, where was First Minister Shakaar?

This is also the episode where they changed uniforms so it must have taken place soon after the movie First Contact (where Worf and the Defiant conveniently came to Earth to fight the Borg). I like these uniforms much better than the previous ugly jumpsuits.

I'll give Rapture a grade of 7 on my 10-graded scale.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Moving on...


5-11 The Darkness and the Light

Ever since Worf got his assignment on DS9 Kira has all too often been relegated to the background, which is a pity. Add to that that her character has lost much of the edge I liked about her, and has become softer, and I wonder if it would ever change. Her (and Nana Visitor's) pregnancy hasn't helped either. You just can't have a pregnant woman running around doing action stuff.

Well, they could here, which is also my main gripe about The Darkness and the Light. While I applaud the return of an active Kira, they picked the worst kind of circumstances for it. There is no excuse for her to go off and try and hunt that killer down in her condition, especially so late in her pregnancy. It's not even her child; she's the surrogate for the O'Briens. No matter the rationale, had I been the O'Briens I'd be thoroughly pissed off at her irresponsibility.

I understand the cleverness about using her pregnancy to illustrate the innocent argument from the crazy Cardassian, but it sure painted Kira in a bad light. And it was never made quite clear if she did kill the other suspects before she reached the right one or not.

The killer's method was fairly novel and interesting to try and figure out, and I liked the insights into Kira's background in the resistance and also the view from the other side - this Cardassian servant. Notably missing again is First Minister Shakaar, who should've been a prime target for the killer since he had been the head of the resistance cell.

All in all, had Kira not been pregnant I'd have appreciated this episode much more than I did. I'll give The Darkness and the Light a grade of 6-.



*****

5-12 The Begotten

It's hard for me to place The Begotten. On the one hand it had a great story about Odo, his time growing up and his relationship with Dr. Mora, from whom he learned to use his shape-shifting abilities. And on the other we have a boring, cliché-ridden (and probably unavoidable) Kira gives birth plot.

Having Odo talk to and interact with a slob of goo sounds like a recipe for disaster but it worked surprisingly well here. Having a baby changeling show up on the station reminded me of the episode The Abandoned that had a baby Jem'Hadar, so I wasn't really expecting this one to survive.

My only real problem with the Odo story was the deus ex machina ending, when he regained his shape-shifting abilities from the dying changeling baby. It makes no sense from a biological or scientific standpoint. And you have to wonder why they made Odo a humanoid in the first place. So he could break his leg and bond with Quark while climbing a mountain? I wasn't to keen on that transformation to begin with, since I feared it would be made null and void in the end. And my fears where justified. The story about Odo, Mora and the baby would've worked regardless.

The less said about Kira giving birth the better. Ugh! It bored me senseless.

The Begotten gets a grade of 6+. Without the Kira plot and shape shifting end, the grade would've been higher.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I have only one review today since the ones after this is a two-parter and I'm not sure if I'll have the time to see them as well.


5-13 For the Uniform

For the Uniform was a very good episode even if it had its share of problems. I really liked that it depicted the issue in shades of grey (mostly). Eddington wasn't entirely right, but neither was Sisko. I'm still rooting for the Maquis and I think that it was they who were betrayed by the Federation and not the other way around.

The episode tried to paint this as Sisko having a personal vendetta against Eddington, and while I can understand the rationale for him to be pissed off since Eddington defected under his watch, I somehow get the feeling that there is more to it than this. After all, Kasidy Yates betrayed Sisko too, and she's back in his good graces. No, deep down I think that Sisko knows that what the Feds did to the Maquis, selling them out to the Cardassians, was wrong. That's the only way I can make sense of Sisko's obsession here.

The cat-and-mouse game between the Defiant and Eddington's Maquis ships had you constantly on your toes and there was never a dull moment. And I loved how they barked orders and relayed them from the bridge just like on a real naval vessel. That was beyond cool and added a much needed dose of realism that I wished was used more on Trek.

The ending, while good, was a bit strange. First we have Sisko and Dax trying to psycho-analyze Eddington and talking themselves into that he must have a martyr complex. Then they decide that they must play the villains they believe Eddington views them as. That didn't sound right to me. From Eddington's speech in For the Cause his motivations are quite clear. He became a Maquis since he thought it was the right thing.

And why should "playing" a villain be an excuse? No matter his motivations, Sisko really became a villain when he poisoned that Maquis planet. The big fault with the episode is that it does side with Sisko here, and for no other reason than that he's Sisko, the main character and hero of DS9, and that doesn't ring true. His actions here - both disobeying orders and poisoning the Maquis planet - should've brought him before a court-martial just as much as Eddington.

Still, I have to give For the Uniform a grade of 8 on my 10-graded scale.

[JadziaKathryn]

No matter his motivations, Sisko really became a villain when he poisoned that Maquis planet. The big fault with the episode is that it does side with Sisko here, and for no other reason than that he's Sisko, the main character and hero of DS9, and that doesn't ring true. His actions here - both disobeying orders and poisoning the Maquis planet - should've brought him before a court-martial just as much as Eddington.

Okay, I haven't seen this one. But still, with tongue in cheek, I say:

What? A Star Trek captain the villain? That betrays everything I've ever believed!

Actually, it kind of reminds me of an old and unwritten story idea... but anyway, I digress.

[Linda]

Okay, KTR. Now you have done it! I REALLY did not want to rewatch DS9 at this point in my life, but I will be dragging out the DVDs tonight, just to see Eddington and Sisko face off. Damn! AND, I am still trying to repress watching those fannies. That is YOUR FAULT too, you know.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Aaaaaand my work here is now done!

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Feeling rather uninspired lately, I haven't watched any new DS9 until now, and here are some new reviews.

Also, can a mod/admin please move this thread to the "Other Trek" sub-forum, thanks!


5-14 In Purgatory's Shadow

Wow, this was an absolute stellar episode. I can hardly find any fault with In Purgatory's Shadow. Finally we get to see some major Dominion action. Considering that the story follows up on events from back in season three (Improbable Cause/The Die is Cast) it's about damned time.

It turns out that Enabran Tain, the head of the Obsidian order, is still alive and in Dominion captivity, but manages to get a message across to DS9. At first I thought that it was trick used to lure some of our characters to the Gamma Quadrant, but Tain was in fact alive. Of course Garak has to go back for him. It didn't really surprise me that Tain turned out to be Garak's father. That was something I have always suspected. Great performance by Andrew Robinson at Tain's deathbed.

There are other surprises in the Dominion prison though. I was really astounded to find that Bashir was there and that the Bashir we have seen probably since after The Ascent (he is wearing the old uniform) is a changeling. Now that is real creepy. What has the fake Bashir done, and more importantly, what will he do?

The real Klingon general Martok is also there - the previous "Martok" has already been revealed as being a changeling (Apocalypse Rising). This is a good thing since J.G. Hertzler is a good actor and I find his character to be one of the more interesting and competent 24th century Klingons out there.

Dukat is also back and it was perfectly in character for him to be upset about Ziyal's friendship with Garak, and that Kira has allowed it. I can't help but think that this further solidified his conviction about what he is about to do.

The episode had a great ending, with all those Dominion and Jem'Hadar ships coming out of the wormhole. Kick ass!

I'll give In Purgatory's Shadow a full grade of 10. This is the DS9 I've been waiting for.



*****

5-15 By Inferno's Light

To follow up In Purgatory's Shadow must have been hard, but overall By Inferno's Light succeeds. As most Trek sequels it's not as good as part one, but still it's a great episode. I might be a little disappointed that we didn't see any fleet battles considering the staggering amount of ships we saw, but given the twists and revelations in the episode I can live with it happening on another day (that's hopefully not too far away).

The major plot twist is of course that Dukat and the Cardassians have joined the Dominion. Given that the Cardassians just two years ago were trying to destroy the Dominion that's a huge reversal. But it also makes sense from the Cardassians point of view, and from Dukat's. I remember thinking that there was something ominous brewing when Dukat got ostracized and decide to fight the Cardassian government with his captured Bird-of-Prey (Return to Grace).

Co-incidentally, this also proves the Maquis, who were foes in just the episode before this two-parter, right (again). Dukat has every intention of getting rid of them and this makes the Federation's betrayal of their citizens even more glaring. I'd call Eddington back into active service as soon as possible.

Anyway, this will really turn things upside down at this end of the wormhole. Now the Klingons are back onboard and even the Romulans have come to their aid in an alliance to fight the Dominion. I really liked that Martok was made the Klingon commander at the station. He seems to get on well with Worf too.

Which brings me back to the Dominion prison. While I liked that everyone was working together to escape, the Worf-fights-Jem'Hadar-warriors got tedious after a while. And it was awfully convenient that the Runabout was still there circling the prison asteroid. Now why would the Dominion have left it there? It makes no sense unless it was part of a bigger plan, although I find that hard to believe considering that their escape is what revealed the true identity of the "Bashir" that was on DS9, and thus foiled the attempt at having Bajor's sun go nova.

The ending came a bit too quickly. Suddenly the danger was all over. Given the show's track record I fully expect this to lead into another lull of episodes where the Dominion is if not completely forgotten but hardly referenced.

Still, in the end I give By Inferno's Light a grade of 9+ on my 10-graded scale.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Only one episode review today:


5-16 Doctor Bashir, I Presume

Coming at the heels of the previous two-parter, one might expect that an episode titled Doctor Bashir, I Presume would deal with the fact that the real Bashir had been absent for many episodes while being in Dominion custody and replaced by a changeling. That in itself would have made an interesting story. But this is an altogether different tale. I have no real complaints about the storyline here, but it should perhaps have come at a later moment.

I did like the revelation that Bashir is a wunderkind by having been genetically enhanced (illegally) by his parents, who noticed that he was rather "slow" growing up. It goes back to the moral dilemma that all Trek has had with genetic engineering ever since the original Space Seed. This is something that they could've delved deeper on in this episode, but unfortunately missed. While compelling and moving, this episode was more about Julian Bashir's relationship with his parents, particularly with his father, than that with the broader context of why the Federation has this view on genetic engineering. It could also have been the perfect place to explain one of the glaring inconsistencies on Star Trek, namely that how can all these inter-species offsprings exist when genetic tampering is expressly forbidden.

The way the Bashir family secret was revealed was also too contrived. It defies belief that Bashir's parents would talk to their son (who in fact happened to be a hologram) in such detail about it, and at the same time that O'Brien and Zimmerman happened to be listening. And the ending was far too convenient. Given the Federation's strong stand on the issue, I don't see how they could allow Dr. Bashir to remain at his post and settle for two years behind bars for his father.

I did like the appearance of Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo). Voyager isn't one of my Trek favourites but I've always liked the Holodoc, even if he became overused towards the end of that show's run.

But I really didn't like the return of Deep Space 90210 for the episode's b-plot. Dear God, the moronic Rom-Leeta-Zimmerman "triangle" made my teeth hurt in its awfulness. Rom is an idiot and I cringed every time he got cold feet around Leeta. And while she's rather pretty, I don't get the appeal of Leeta. She's the quintessential airhead bimbo and to me that's not attractive at all. I suppose we should all celebrate that a nerdy guy like Rom gets the hot girl, but given how both characters are portrayed I cannot even begin to care.

So despite an interesting main story and a great twist for Bashir's character, I cannot give Doctor Bashir, I Presume more than a 6+. Toss the b-plot and sharpen the main plot and it could've earned a grade of 7 or maybe even an 8.

[JadziaKathryn]

Well, since the Federation is at war, maybe they feel that this is a bad time to lose a valuable doctor? Especially one who might have insights as he was in a POW camp?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

^ Then I think that should've been explained.