KTR's reflections from another DS9 newbie

[CX]

I always thought that the point of sanctuary was that those aliens could've helped Bajor recover, that these aliens could grow food in the desert essentially.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

I always thought that the point of sanctuary was that those aliens could've helped Bajor recover, that these aliens could grow food in the desert essentially.

Maybe, maybe not! There is just no way of knowing and the prudent thing for Bajoran officials would be to not riks having another starving three million people to take care of. Better to send them to a colony where it is sure that they could prosper.

Two more episodes, and a marked improvement:


2-12 The Alternate

This was much better. I tend to prefer stories that are parts of the wider arc or that delve into the characters' background, and we got both in The Alternate. Here we get to meet Odo's "father", i.e. the scientist that observed and "raised" him after he had been found, and naturally there is some major tension between the two. Excellent and very believable interactions between them.

The monster roaming the station plot was reminiscent of all those horror movies but I didn't mind. I thought it was a nice twist that it turned out to be "sleepwalking" Odo - my bet had been on that big stone pillar. This monster of the subconscious reminded me of Forbidden Planet. I liked that Odo was affected by that gas, albeit in a different way than the others. All too often they have at least one, preferably the most alien, character being immune.

I do hope Odo takes up Dr. Mora on his offer, since I'd like to see more of him and them together again.

The Alternate gets a grade of 7 from me.



*****

2-13 Armageddon Game

Thus far the season two episodes have been either above or below average. This was the first I'd rate as just average. Not particularly good but not bad either. The plot was very predictable. I know long before it was stated that those aliens were going to try and kill everyone - Bashir and O'Brien included - who knew anything about those weapons of mass destruction. And I knew that Sisko fooled them with the Runabouts by the end of the episode. The Insta-Cure™ of O'Brien in the end was also annoyingly predictable (knowing how to neutralize some toxic agents isn't the same as curing an infected person).

What I mostly liked about Armageddon Game was not surprisingly the interaction between Bashir and O'Brien. Their predicament here reminded me of ENT's Shuttlepod One, but I do realize that this one came first. It was nice to hear Bashir talking about his backstory and O'Brien singing the virtues of family life.

It was nice to see the reactions of the others to the news of their crewmates supposed death, especially Quark's, which surprised me. But I do think that Keiko's reaction was a bit flat considering that her husband had "died". The twist at the very end was cool though, with Keiko having misremembered Miles's coffee drinking habits.

So I'll give Armageddon Game the average grade of 5.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Another two:


2-14 Whispers

This is one of those stories that all hinges on the resolution. If it's disappointing then the entire story come apart, and this was the case with Whispers. The paranoid atmosphere "O'Brien" finds himself in, with everyone else acting just a little bit off, and a mounting conspiracy set to cut him out of the loop, is really intriguing. It did drag on for a bit too long though, especially the scenes with Keiko and when "O'Brien" running around trying to escape. I suppose that's because they had to show everything thing from "O'Brien's" perspective.

In the end though, none of it mattered since we find out that it wasn't really O'Brien but some cloned impostor. This is where everything just falls apart. A novel twist to be sure, but if it wasn't the real O'Brien, why should we care? It's not like this will have much impact on the real O'Brien.

And those aliens must have been pretty advanced if they could clone/replicate a human being like that, down to memories and personalities. They're at least as advanced than Data's creator Noonien Soong, or Roger Korby for that matter, which makes those creations less "special".

Oh, I noticed an ensign not only calling Chief O'Brien "sir" but also apparently taking orders from him and being under his command, which bugged me.

I'm afraid that Whispers only gets a grade of 4 from me.



*****

2-15 Paradise

While an interesting look into political/sociological philosophy Paradise left a sour taste in my mouth. I did like the revelation that what this cult leader woman did is probably what would be necessary to maintain her population in this low-tech "paradise". This is something I think many of the more loud-mouthed environmentalists aren't too ready to admit, but this type of "back to nature" and simple rural life would actually mean something of a totalitarian society to work, like "Khmer Verts", since it is in human nature to invent and perfect technologies to make life easier. While one can criticize the "evolved" humans of the 24th century for being too much like bland automatons, that is also true of these "devolved" cultists.

I wasn't at all surprised that it turned out that the cult leader woman had orchestrated the situation, and even put up that dampening field (sometimes technology does come in handy even for green extremists). I guess it shows how much she'd managed to indoctrinate her people that none took the opportunity to leave with Sisko and O'Brien, but it was a tad implausible. For one thing Starfleet should send personnel down there to help those people out since Sisko took cult leader woman away to face charges.

Sisko was good in Paradise though, and his behaviour with the "hot box" reminded me of Colonel Nicholson's in a Japanese POW camp in Bridge on the River Kwai.

I'll give Paradise an average grade of 5.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

A whooping four episodes today:


2-16 Shadowplay

Total Oasis flashback here. Now I know what people meant when they say that that particular ENT episode was a rip-off from DS9. At any rate I didn't find this plot all that engaging, and it might have something to do with the fact that I've seen it before. I do realize DS9 was first, but as it happens I did watch the ENT version first (which also featured René Auberjonois). So it all came of as very predictable and the resolution a foregone conclusion - with some talk about what is life. I suppose Odo and the little holo-girl was kind of cute.

I didn't care that much for the B-plot either. I don't see much chemistry (romantic anyway) between Kira and Vedek Bareil. They should've done more with the Kira despising Quark story instead.

Then there is even a C-plot, involving Jake struggling to admit to his father that he doesn't want to join Starfleet. That part I actually liked, and props to Sisko for accepting what his son wants to do - or in this case doesn't want to do. The father-and-son relationship between them is something I really like about this show.

I also noticed another reference to the Dominion.

But overall, I'll give Shadowplay a below average grade of 4-.



*****

2-17 Playing God

I didn't care much for either of the plots in Playing God. First there's the proto-universe story, which doesn't makes much sense and is loaded with heinous amounts of technobabble. Since that story took a backseat to the Dax one you could never really get invested in it, or frankly to understand why they didn't go along with Kira's suggestion right from the start and wipe it out. Those lofty high Trek morals sound good on paper, but what are they worth if you and perhaps your entire universe are obliterated in the process. The resolution was as simple as inexplicable. Exactly why would it work to get it back to the Gamma quadrant? Presumably it could expand and grow from there too, and eventually consume the rest of our universe anyway.

Then there is the Dax plot that I also didn't like that much. While it is interesting to get glimpses into Trill society, I couldn't sympathize with either Jadzia Dax, who was much too rude, or the initiate Arjin, who obviously never should've gotten into the symbiont program in the first place. Why Dax didn't flunk him then and there is a mystery. It's not like he wouldn't have any career left. He was a good pilot for starters. But I did enjoy the view of Jadzia in a towel and with her hair hanging loosely. She'll get her ice cream tonight!

The only part I can say I liked were the Cardassian voles. I hope we get to see more of those critters.

Playing God receives a grade of 3+ from me.



*****

2-18 Profit and Loss

Profit and Loss was a somewhat interesting episode, but I found it hard to believe in Quark trying to fill Humphrey Bogart's shoes (yes, this episode is clearly influenced by Casablanca). It did rob him of a of his usual Ferengi traits to have him be this much in love with Natima, a dissident Cardassian woman. Her makeup looked great, by the way, and you just had to wonder how far down those scales went. And for a Cardie, she looked very good. But I had a hard time believing in the love affair, there was little chemistry and call me a bigot, but it felt a bit disgusting conjuring up images of the two of them doing the… well, you know!

Garak is what saves this episode. Once you think you may know him, he surprises you. You really can't tell what side he is on. But I found it implausible that he'd just vaporize that Gul with no repercussions, either from station security of the Cardassian homeworld.

Speaking of implausibilities, I also found it odd that Odo could take it upon himself to just release the Cardassian dissidents (or whatever they were, it was never made clear). He - and Sisko - serves at the behest of the Bajoran government, and one would think they'd be very pissed off at this blatant refusal to follow orders and in the process probably stop the release of Bajoran nationals.

Still, in the end I give Profit and Loss an average grade of 5+.



*****

2-19 Blood Oath

I generally prefer the TOS-era Klingons to the bumpy forehead later incarnations, even if I have enjoyed a lot of the later era Trek episodes focusing on Klingon politics. In a lot of ways they're two different species. The TOS ones were smarter and therefore a more deadly adversary, whereas the bumpy ones (including the ENT ones) all too often came off as much dumber, spouting honour while charging senselessly to their deaths.

So while it was nice to see the TOS Klingons Kor, Koloth and Kang again - this time with bumpy foreheads that aren't explained - it too often seemed like they could just be three other random Klingon characters. With the possible exception of Kang I didn't feel they were that much in character from what I remember from TOS. That goes especially for Kor, who here is a drunkard and in TOS was a formidable enemy. And with the new Klingon makeup I also had a hard time recognizing them. I guess the stupidity displayed by the Klingons really does come from the foreheads. They must have benefited from that Augment virus the contracted on ENT. Given the new look on these old Klingons they probably reversed the process sometime after TOS. But it makes you wonder if Kor, Koloth and Kang were born as smooth-heads?

Surprisingly I did enjoy Jadzia Dax here, and her struggles with both Curzon's old Klingon friends and with the notion that she would be called upon and kill their Albino enemy. Too bad that they took the easy way out and didn't let her kill anyone. She did look good in the Klingon-inspired outfit though.

I'll give Blood Oath a generous grade of 6.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

One review for two:


2-20-21 The Maquis, Part 1-2

This The Maquis two-parter is a solid outing of DS9. I enjoyed both episodes immensely. It gave us some fascinating insights to interstellar politics, and it bridged nicely with both TNG and VOY. As the title says, it is about opposition within the Federation to the recent treaty with Cardassia. While I can understand the predicament of Sisko and Starfleet I cannot help but to sympathize with the Maquis. These Federation colonists are reduced to mere pawns in the Federation's ill-conceived wish to placate the Cardassians. This is one of those instances when the lofty goals of the "evolved" Feds are confronted with the harsh realities of actual humans (and aliens).

I think the Feds have only themselves to blame for this mess. They should have stood up for their own people instead of trying to cut a deal with the Cardassians, who cannot be trusted anyway. Why this incessant need to appease those that are your enemies? As these episodes really showed, a treaty with the Cardies isn't worth the paper it's printed on. There's infighting among the Cardassian Central Command and just by chance Gul Dukat is here out of the loop and able to help Sisko. After this incident, can you really trust the Cardassians to honour any new deal?

But I cheered when Sisko went on his very passionate rant about "it's easy being a saint when you live in paradise" to Kira. That sums up all my gripes I've ever had with the all too perfect 24th century. The Feds have lost touch with how it really is out there, and how their ridiculous and, in my not so humble opinion, immoral non-interference policies allows them to stand above the petty squabbles of the galaxy while others are being oppressed and even slaughtered (including their own people). It's easy to see how the Cardassians interprets this as the weakness that it is, and exploit it. That is what Hitler did, especially after Munich.

I wasn't at all surprised when Sisko's old friend Cal Hudson turned out to be a Maquis himself. I could see that from the very beginning. But I thought that the performance by actor Bernie Casey was really sub-par, wooden and dispassionate.

The same can definitely not be said for Marc Alaimo's Gul Dukat, which was a true delight to watch, especially in his interactions with Sisko. Now here a villain I really like - he's boastful, arrogant and intense but also a very multifaceted character. If he keeps this up he might become my all-time favourite Trek villain.

I also liked the Vulcan gunrunning babe Sakonna, who looked great in that tight-fitting dress. Her dealings with Quark were also good, and I especially liked it when Quark tried to one-up her with logic. But it strains believability that they'd let Quark go after this. He's already jeopardized the station more than once before and this ought to have been the last straw. Letting him off the hook now would make them stupid, no matter the fact that he helped out with Sakonna.

Another thing I found hard to believe is that Sisko wouldn't be punished for withholding information about Hudson's defection - he even did it to Admiral Nechayev's face. Instead he's commended by the end. While a part of me sympathized with his actions here, that one should've been unforgivable in the eyes of Starfleet Command.

Summing up, I'll give these episodes a combined grade of 9.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Two more eps:


2-22 The Wire

I really liked The Wire, but then again I always seem to like episodes which feature our resident plan, simple Garak prominently. It had some awesome interactions between Bashir and Garak and the episode proves, like Duet did in the first season, that you don't need a lot of special effects and action to make a good story. Just have a lot of great talking and let the characters go and you can have some great drama.

While some viewers might be disappointed to learn that they in fact didn't learn a lot more truths about Garak, I loved that element. Garak's line about that all he said was true, especially the lies, had me cracking up. Who is he and what was he? Part of Garak's appeal is the ambiguousness to him. He's likable enough, but for all we know he might be a terrible person. And if he is indeed exiled on DS9, why is he still supplying Cardassia with intelligence and acting on their behalf?

I also found Enabran Tain an interesting fellow. Even if we saw little of him here, he also came off as a character with many layers. And that Obsidian Order must be something really scary, since even the Romulan Tal Shiar pales in comparison.

The Wire gets a grade of 8+ from me.



*****

2-23 Crossover

I realize that these mirror universe episodes are just meant for fun and not to be taken too seriously, but somehow I've never been able to get into that gushing mode most Trek fans have - and yes, that includes TOS's Mirror, Mirror as well. It's not like they have any bearing on the "real" Trekverse. At least in Mirror, Mirror and this Crossover we have some of our characters experiencing and remembering the events, even if the methods of crossing over are really nonsensical and far too convenient (a transporter and wormhole malfunction respectively).

I don't quite get the appeal of seeing mirror counterparts acting pure evil for evil's sake. I understand that sometimes people are just assholes, but you do need at least some sympathetic characters. Fortunately, in Crossover, we have that in O'Brien and, surprisingly, Quark (like we had T'Pol, Trip and Soval in ENT's mirror episodes). So in order for a mirror story to work for me, it cannot show everyone being evil.

These mirror episodes doesn't seem to want to answer the question about what it is that makes people do evil things, personality or circumstances. It's not like "our" Kira would become Intendant Kira had she been raised in this mirror universe. On the other hand, O'Brien is basically the same man in both universes.

Mirror Sisko was a real bastard but it was interesting to see him switch sides after O'Brien's impassionate, yet low-key, speech. But I suspect that pirate Sisko would identify more with mirror Archer had his accomplishments than with real Sisko.

I'm not sure I like the reasoning behind how this alliance of Klingons and Cardassians came about. Somehow it robs Mirror, Mirror from a lot of punch and paints Mirror Spock in a very unfavourable light. Frankly, it's not logical to have transformed the Terran Empire into a pacifist state just so that aggressive neighbours can conquer it. Mirror Spock came of as a smart cookie. He realized that mindless oppression wouldn't be good for the empire, that's one thing, but all out pacifism? In the mirror universe? On the other hand I kind of liked the irony of it all - the understated message to pacifists even in our universe that the best way of achieving peace is being prepared for war.

Unnecessary shallow observation: Intendant Kira looked absolutely stunning in that tight latex outfit she had. Her character was hard for me to get a grip on though. And were where the mirror counterparts of Jadzia Dax, Bashir and Jake?

The grade for Crossover will be a 7- from me. I should perhaps have settled for just a 6, but the nods to TOS and realizing that this is mostly mindless fun makes me generous.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Not a lot of comments...?

OK, two more and then I'm almost done with season two:


2-24 The Collaborator

As with most episodes dealing with political intrigue I very much enjoyed The Collaborator. I think I might develop a love/hate relationship to the now Kai Winn. I thoroughly despise her but she's so delightful to watch that I wouldn't want it any other way. Contrast that with the noble, boring Bareil and I can very much understand that the producers wanted to make Winn the new Kai. The scenes where she confronts Sisko and Kira made me shiver with joy. Excellent, especially Sisko's not so veiled contempt.

I would've liked it even better if Bareil indeed had a dark past, and had not just covered up for Kai Opaka. That would've given his character some depth. Now he remains a walking stiff. And once again I'm reminded of the lack of romantic chemistry between him and Kira.

They did go a bit overboard with Bareil and his Orb quests. There was no need for so many to tell the story, but I suppose it was an efficient way of filling out the hour.

At any rate, this new development in Bajoran politics/religion should prove to be very interesting. How much of a foil to DS9 and the Federation will she be?

I give The Collaborator a grade of 8 on my 10-graded scale.



*****

2-25 Tribunal

In many ways Tribunal bothered me. While we got to see a chilling story about how Orwellian Cardassia really is, it was nevertheless blunted by being so over the top. Show trials like these usually only "work" to an already subjugated audience, but here they invited the entire Federation to watch. It just strained believability. If they wanted to orchestrate a situation that would allow them to take care of the "border problem" then I'm sure a more effective means could've been thought up.

This brings me to my main gripe with the episode. It sure painted the Federation in a less favourable light. Here the Cardassians not only brings a Federation citizen - and Starfleet NCO - to trail, but they abduct him on Federation territory. This would be construed as an act of war and yet the Feds do nothing! If this is how they behave, then perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised that the Cardassians thought this ploy would work. Recalling the events of The Maquis, this would be another example of how the Cardassians cannot be trusted and that this treaty the Feds have with them isn't worth squat.

And I sure didn't like the ending, which was awfully convenient. Besides the revelation of the surgically altered Cardassian, why was Sisko and him allowed into the courtroom in the first place? Instead I wish we'd seen some balls from Starfleet, sending a special ops team down to free O'Brien (and drop a bomb or two on Central Command while they were there).

I'll give it a 4.

[JadziaKathryn]

Sometimes, you and Rigil think so alike that it's scary.

[Rigil Kent]

Great minds and all that...

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Heh!

And now for the last episode of season two and a season overview:


2-26 The Jem'Hadar

I quite liked most of the second season finale, The Jem'Hadar. But it did take much to long to get into the real action. First we had to deal with a lot the Siskos, Nog and Quark prepare and then go on a hiking trip in the Gamma quadrant, and that dragged.

But then we got our first encounter with the Jem'Hadar, the ferocious foot-soldiers of the Dominion and they both looked and acted very nifty. They're going to be a formidable foe for Starfleet. They can penetrate shields and had no qualms about ramming and destroying a Galaxy-class cruiser (I almost cheered when the Odyssey blew up, 'cause I'm evil and don't like that ugly design…). We also got a first mention of the Founders, who seems to run this mysterious Dominion. And since I'm a little bit spoiled I know that Eris was our first encounter with a Vorta, another part of this Dominion. Given how she beamed herself out into "nowhere" (perhaps through the wormhole?) it also says a lot about the level of technology the Dominion have. One might argue that it wasn't that smart of them to reveal themselves like this, but they obviously wanted the Federation to know just how powerful and dangerous they are.

The battle sequence was really good. I liked the Sisko and son interactions and I even thought the Jake and Nog trying to pilot a Runabout was a bit amusing. I also found Quark discussing the relative merits of the Ferengi compared to the humans enlightening. Interestingly enough, Sisko didn't seem to contest it.

This should prove an interesting set-up for future stories since the Dominion now has practically forbidden travels through the wormhole. But will the Federation accept that? And will the Dominion stay on their side?

The Jem'Hadar gets a grade of 7+ on my 10-graded scale. It gets a deduction for the slow first part.



*****

Season Two Overview

Overall I liked the second season better than the first. It had more strong episodes that featured either political developments or insights to the characters and their backstory. But like the first it also had a fair share of clunkers, and it was very uneven, going like a roller coaster from high to low and back. Roughly it started out well and ended well, with a slump in the middle that was occasionally interrupted by some stand out episodes. Watching the show from episode to episode you can never tell if it's going to be good or bad or plain average. There is no real discernable pattern, which unfortunately works against it, if it doesn't shape up.

Sisko has really grown on me as a character and Trek "captain" and he's come very close to be on Kirk's level. Bashir has thankfully grown out of a lot of his initial "new kid on the block" attitude, and I like his… whatever it is he has with Garak. He's also a nice sparring partner with O'Brien. Kira is still by far my favourite female character and Jadzia remains rather uninteresting. Odo and his grumpiness appeal a lot to me and he is one of the most fascinating characters.

Summing up my episode grades I come to the average season grade of 5.64 (translated to a 6- on my 10-graded scale). Compared with ENT's second season that got 5.01, it is the better one. It is also better than both the second seasons of TNG and VOY.

[JadziaKathryn]

It was forever ago that I saw this, but I liked Quark's musings. He's an interesting character because he's so different.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

And so season three begins:


3-01 The Search, Part 1

This season opener really kicked some serious behinds. It's got action, emotion and a great furthering of DS9's overall story arc. And it introduces us to the Defiant, a really cool little ship that packs a lot of ammo and, frankly, is a kind of vessel that Starfleet should have a lot more of. It feels much more realistic than the usual 24th century luxury liners with families they normally cruise around with. The exterior is a bit odd - I'm not sure I like that thing that sticks out in the front - but I really appreciate that they've deviated from the usual saucer-and-nacelles design that I with few exceptions often find ugly. I really like the bridge and the cramped quarters.

But back to the story. It makes sense for the Federation to go and find these Founders and the Defiant is just the type of ship to do it. It even has a Romulan cloaking device - and a Romulan to operate it (since when did the Federation have this kind of co-operation with the Romulans?) It is also a great Odo story. He feels cast out when Starfleet has decided to restrict his responsibilities, and upon entering the Gamma quadrant he feels strangely drawn to a nebula. We can really empathize with Odo here and the ending, when he encounters his fellow changelings packs a lot of emotional punch.

It could've done without the scientific implausibility of a rouge planet that somehow can sustain life, an atmosphere and even light (from where?). And Trek would even repeat this mistake on ENT.

The Search, Part 1 gets a grade of 9 from me.



*****

3-02 The Search, Part 2

Unfortunately they really botched it with The Search, Part 2. I don't think I've seen an episode sequel on Trek before that has disappointed me so much, especially when compared to the first part. All the emotion and excitement from part one just fizzled out.

It became all too clear very early on that what Sisko et al. were experiencing wasn't real. So much were just off - that they all got out of the pounding and boarding of the Defiant so easily (and off camera), the rapid treaty negotiations and their weird result. After this realisation all that remained was to sit and wait this fantasy out, whether it was a holodeck creation, virtual reality or whatever (turns out it was the latter), and I couldn't care less what happened. It didn't mean anything. It was in essence a variation of the hated Reset Button™.

Even the Odo and the changelings segment left a lot to be desired. From the very emotional build-up from both part one and the previous two seasons it suddenly came to a grinding halt. His interactions with them lacked any real sense of connection, and we never got to experience how he really felt about meeting his lost cousins. The scenes were just there, feeling unfinished, or should I say unfulfilled.

The revelation that the shapeshifters were in fact the Founders, controlling the Dominion, also didn't come as a surprise. But this is one of the things I was spoiled about before I started viewing the show, so I'm not sure if it worked the first time. Personally I think it would've been more effective to have hidden this fact, allow Odo to come somewhat close to his fellow shapeshifters, and then reveal that they are the Founders.

In the end, I cannot give The Search, Part 2 more than a grade of 4. Very disappointing.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

For various reasons I didn't watch much DS9 this weekend. But here are three more episodes:


3-03 The House of Quark

Well, as a general rule I don't like Ferengi episodes, and while I enjoy their political shenanigans, as another general rule I don't like the mindless honour-or-death Klingons. Combine the two and it should prove to be a disaster. What ultimately saves The House of Quark is Quark. It was mildly amusing to see him try and cope with this odd situation he found himself in, and even display some courage in the end. So while it was a Klingon episode (and unfortunately not about politics) it wasn't really a Ferengi, but a Quark, episode. As such it was acceptable. And I did like that Klingon woman, Grilka, who was briefly married to Quark.

The subplot of Keiko's and Miles's troubles was watchable, but not terribly engaging. It just felt as a set-up for getting her of the station for most of the coming season - and that is what it really was.

The House of Quark gets an average grade of 5-.



*****

3-04 Equilibrium

Equilibrium was… kind of weird. I thought the masks and hallucinations were a bit off and felt somewhat artificially inserted. While an interesting look at Trill society and the character(s) of Dax, I nevertheless felt underwhelmed with this episode. It could've been more powerful than it was. Frankly it was boring at times and it dragged too much, at least until they got to the Trill homeworld. That too was rather disappointing. Given how alien the concept of symbionts are, one could reasonably expect Trill to also look much more alien. Instead, it looked just like Bajor, or Cardassia Prime, or… well, you get my drift. The most alien look was the symbiont caves, but that looked too much like the stage set it was.

I did find the revelation that a lot more Trills are capable of joining to be interesting, although I suspect it will turn out to have no consequences. At least one can hope that the thus far bland Jadzia Dax will come to exhibit more of an interesting personality now that this "darker" host's memory has been allowed to integrate with Dax.

I'll give Equilibrium a grade of 4+ on my 10-graded scale.



*****

3-05 Second Skin

The premise of Second Skin felt too much like an implausible gimmick. There's just no way that Kira could conceivably be a Cardassian, and yet they spent all too long trying to convince us (and her) that she was. Had she been, she'd been exposed long ago, at the latest by Dr. Bashir's medical equipment. But I admit it was cool seeing her in Cardassian make-up.

It also felt obvious from the start that she wasn't really the target for the Obsidian Order, but her supposed Cardassian father, the Legate Ghemor, who is part of a dissident movement.

I did like Garak (as I usually do) and the question marks keep adding up regarding him. He did help out this time, as he's done before, but he still cannot be trusted. He's exiled, yet he still must work for somebody. At the very least he has an agenda. I'm not entirely convinced that the producers have thought it all up, though, which could prove to be disappointing in the end.

I also liked the interactions between Kira and Ghemor, especially in the latter half of the episode. Once again she is forced to confront the fact that there are good and honourable Cardassians. Their goodbye scene was quite moving.

Second Skin gets a slightly above average grade of 6- on my 10-graded scale.

[Jedikatie]

Garak does work for someone--himself. And with anyone else whose goals happen to coincide with his at the moment...

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Garak does work for someone--himself. And with anyone else whose goals happen to coincide with his at the moment...

But he is a spy, so he must spy for someone, at least some of the time?

Anyway, two more episodes today:


3-06 The Abandoned

The Abandoned was rather good, if a bit predictable regarding who the infant alien really was. It reminded me a bit about the TNG episodes with a young Borg, although here the writers sensibly decided that it would not have a happy Trek ending, with the Jem'Hadar boy learning to live a civilized life. Instead we see how futile such an attempt can be. Which brings up a small gripe I had with the story? If the Jem'Hadar boy is non-redeemable and pretty much pre-disposed to become a fierce warrior for the Dominion, why let him go in the first place? They have taken down Jem'Hadar before, albeit with some difficulty. He was cornered off at a place where he couldn't do any harm to innocent bystanders. Oh, well…

The b-story was rather funny and I really liked Jake's Dabo girlfriend. Damn, I wish I had had such a girlfriend at sixteen. Hell, I wish I had one like that now! But I might have preferred Quark's purple-haired squeeze, who made a brief return here.

I found the additional insights to the Jem'Hadar interesting. Being bio-engineered fighters with a pre-programmed desire to kill and serve the changelings makes them a formidable enemy. And it only makes sense, from a Dominion standpoint, for them to be designed to be addicted to a certain enzyme drug.

I'll give The Abandoned a grade of 7+.



*****

3-07 Civil Defense

I feel like I have seen Civil Defense before, and I probably have. The station/ship in jeopardy has been done all too many times before, as has the counting clock to destruction. Thus one never got any real sense of suspense. All the new hurdles that kept popping up became more annoying than exciting. The various solutions, including the final one when Sisko saves the day, are also filled with too much technobabble (even if I must admit that DS9 generally has decreased the amount of technobabble lately).

I thought Dukat was acting rather weird, speaking in an unnaturally stilted manner, especially since they were all in jeopardy. But I did enjoy the fact that he too became a victim of his own over-cleverness. The mutual hatred between him and Garak was also a nice touch. One thing I didn't like was the sudden, out of left field, revelation that he is attracted to Kira. That's just icky, considering who he is and who he was.

Since Dukat conveniently just happened to be in the area, I first thought that this had been a deliberate ploy by him to get a new presence on the station. Alas, it was not so. That would've been more interesting. I also found it unbelievable that Starfleet personnel wouldn't have purged the old computer systems before installing their own.

A just below average grade of 4+ goes to Civil Defense.