Yora reviews Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - All of it!

[Cikomyr]

Wait. There's a last Troi episode.

It's part of "The Muse". Oh man. I think her b plot was the better part of this episode.

[Seppl]

I used to hate the Lawxanna character just like everyone else here appears to. But on rewatching TNG and DS9 many years later I found her to be much more bearable, sometimes even enjoyable. The trick is to distance yourself a little: It's just a show! She is not there to annoy you but to annoy the other characters, and you are here to watch them suffer. Then her episodes get a comedic spin that actually works for the audience. Like watching a master troll at work.

[Mightymosy]

I must say I don't get the hate either.

I watched the first 2 seasons TNG last year, knew not that I was supposed to hate that character to be a Trekkie, and actually found her rather funny.

From Yora's description the episode sounds fun and I am looking forward to it.
Everyone starting to hit on each other? Sounds like a party to me, to be honest.

[Rodin]

I remember enjoying Lwaxana as a kid. Watching again year later I found her intolerable.

I started watching this episode, and noped out as soon as she showed up.

Next episode is a really good one at least.

[Yora]

The worst thing about Troi is that she's played by Majel Barrett - who was a perfectly competent actress. That means that the Troi character was that horrible on purpose.

She is written to be cringe comedy. Which just isn't funny, only painful.

[Mightymosy]

Well, she is a lustful telepath. Which, come to think of it, is the most realistic way to think through the telepathic concept after all, anyway :-P

[Yora]

S3E11: Past Tense, Part 1

Sisko, Dax, and Bashir go to Earth and when they are beamed down they get transported to a different time. Sisko and Bashir get picked up by police and dumped into a ghetto for the poor, while Dax is found by a billionaire and quickly plays along when he asks if she was robbed and had her papers stolen. Sisko knows a bit about Earth history and recognizes the date on the calendars. In a few days the city will go up flames with massive riots. It will be awful, but in the aftermath Earth will finally get its stuff together and start developing into the utopian society they grew up in.

Kira and O'Brien figure out that the transporter had send them to the wrong time and try to find a way to get them back.

Sisko and Bashir are living the hobo life and have those insufferable Star Trek soapbox preaching conversations. Bashir wants to treat the homeless, but Sisko reminds him that they can't alter who lives or dies. Dax goes to fancy parties with her billionaire friend. Sisko and Bashir get in a fight with a gang, a man tries to save them and gets killed, and Sisko recognizes him as the man who ended the riots peacefully.

Kira and O'Brien plan to beam to the same time as the others to help them get back. Sisko and Bashir go to a protest against the ghetto administration, the gang also shows up and starts assaulting the offices. Sisko goes in with Bashir so he can take the place of the activist who died protecting them.

S3E12: Past Tense, Part 2
Kira and O'Brian beam to the past and go looking for the others. Dax sees the riots in the news and tells the billionaire she had to go save her friends. Sisko, the activist leader, and the gang leader are bickering. Sisko and the activist go negotiating with someone from the government. More bickering. One of the hostages is sick. Dax sneaks in. Dax sneaks out. Hostages are released. More bickering. The police storms the place and shots most people. Sisko gets shot protecting a police hostage, but he will live. The ghetto is in ruins. The policeman is grateful and offers to put their IDs on two corpses and let them go. They get back to their own time and now Sisko's mug shot is in the history books.

--

I heard many people like this. I don't. Maybe it's well done, I don't know. Why is this episode in this show? What does this have to do with Star Trek, othern than being forced insufferable preaching? I think it's dreadful.
Transpoter accident and time travel. Two of my three most hated things in Star Trek.

[Kantaki]

I heard many people like this. I don't. Maybe it's well done, I don't know. Why is this episode in this show? What does this have to do with Star Trek, othern than being forced insufferable preaching? I think it's dreadful.
Transpoter accident and time travel. Two of my three most hated things in Star Trek.

A shame. So close to a hattrick.

[Rodin]

I heard many people like this. I don't. Maybe it's well done, I don't know. Why is this episode in this show? What does this have to do with Star Trek, othern than being forced insufferable preaching? I think it's dreadful.

Using time travel or a Planet of Hats to teach a morality lesson about modern society? That's Star Trek as all hell. I'll admit it doesn't feel like a DS9 episode, but it would fit right in to any other series in the franchise.

I only had a vague memory of this two-parter, and at the time it didn't make a huge impression on me. Now though? They hit it out of the park, depressing as it was. Ordinarily, time travel to the future stuff is pretty amusing to go back to and watch because of how wrong they got things. In this case, about the only thing they screwed up was not predicting smart phones. The episode really made me cringe to watch it, because the scenario they set up as an over-the-top morality tale is coming chillingly close to actually happening. And the really depressing thing is that the most unrealistic part of the episode is the public finding out about the circumstances in the ghettos districts and causing an outcry that changed the face of society. Social media tells us that's unlikely. There's a lot more that I would like to say, but it would almost certainly get scrubbed. Suffice to say that this episode made me both angry and sad, and it wasn't with the show.

I think this falls under Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped, if you'll forgive the TVTropes reference. Yes, the episode was a bit preachy, particularly towards the end. It's just...maybe that preaching is still needed.

Final verdict - this has been my favorite episode of the re-watch so far. I liked all the one-shot characters, and I liked seeing Sisko, Bashir and Dax outside their comfort zones. The usual "we time traveled to a critical moment in history and screwed it up" is a tad annoying, but honestly I've watched enough Doctor Who by this point that it doesn't even register.

[Yora]

S3E13: Life Support

Jake is asked out by a girl he was out with some while back. An emergency response team rushes past them racing to the airlock, which is met by Bashir and his assistant. A Bajoran transport had an explosion, and it turns out to be carrying both Kai Winn and Vedek Bareil to secret negotiations with the Cardassians. Winn is unharmed but Bareil severely injured. Bashir gets him into surgery immediately, but soon after pronounces him brain dead. As he and his assistant scan his brain for an autopsy, they discover that there is still brain activity and his brain somehow got shielded by radiation, and they are able to restart his brain. The negotiations have been mostly Bareil's work, and this is the first time Winn was supposed to meet with Cardassian politicians. And she really needs him to at least make the introductions. Bashir really doesn't feel good about letting Bareil do stressful work right after a severe brain injury, but if he tries to not exhaust himself, he won't force him to stay away from the negotiations.

Pretty much immediately things get more complicated because Winn has great doubts about Bareil's strategy how they should negotiate with the Cardassians. Bashir discovers that Bareil is under extreme risk of having strokes and advises him to let himself be put in stasis until he has a proper treatment for the condition ready. Which could take a very long time. Bareil refuses, because he sees great potential in these negotiations bringing lasting peace to Bajor, and he is not going to let this opportunity pass to protect his own health and life. Bashir knows of a drug that is in development that can treat the condition, but still has pretty drastic side effects and often is fatal.

The negotiations between Winn and the Cardassian legate start pretty frustrating because Winn doesn't really understand what the Cardassians are aiming for and how Bareil wanted to make this work. Bareil has the answers to her questions, but is in a terrible physical state as the drug is starting to cause organ failure and requiring transplants. There is now no doubt left that keeping him awake for the next few days will kill him, but he insists to continue. Bashir goes to Winn to ask her to tell Bareil that his help is no longer required. She tells him that she needs Bareil, so Bashir asks her to lie to him then. He then tries to convince her that she would get much more fame if she arranges a treaty by herself, and quickly switches to telling her that she wants to use Bareil as a fall guy if the negotiations fail. But she remains firm that it is Bareil's decision and he already made his choice.

Jake and Nog went out with two girl, but Nog acted like an ass, which really pissed of Jake. Sisko tries to be helpful and tells Jake that Nog simply treated women like a Ferenngi would, which Jake takes as proof that humans and Ferengi can indeed not get along. Sisko says he changed his mind on that, but I don't quite see how that's supposed to help Jake.

Bareil called Winn to come see him and gets a severe seizure, leading to permanent brain damage. In Sisko's office, Winn raises the question if brain implants could help Bareil regain consciousness. Kira brings up the point that the current prognosis is that Bareil won't recover from his current brain damage. And Sisko takes the position that they should do what Bareil would have wanted. Winn's position is that there is more at stake than one person's life, but Bashir is clear that one person's life is the only thing that matters to him. And replacing parts of Bareil's brain with implants would likely turn him into some weird cyborg monster. Unexpectedly, Kira sides with Winn. Better let a dying man complete his life's work than keeping him disabled on life support.

Jake goes to Odo and asks him for a favor. He wants to put Nog and him into a cell on bogus charges. Nog quickly figures out that this is all nonsense. Neither Rom nor Quark came to yell at him, and Sisko would immediately come to get Jake once he gets arrested. Jake apologizes for forgetting the differences for things they both take for granted and Nog accepts that. Question is how they get out of the cell now?

Bashir gets Bareil back to consciousness. He's seems really spaced out but is aware that something is wrong with his sensations and emotions. Winn and the legate are able to seal a peace treaty, but Bashir still feels terrible during the celebrations. Bashir is called to infirmary for an emergency, and Winn and Kira follow him. Bareil had another stroke destroying most of his remaining brain and Bashir refuses to do any more implants to keep him alive in this state. Kira wants him do something, but in the end it's decided to let him die naturally.

--

The proper review for today:

I guess this episode is okay. It definitely has it's strength, but doesn't become something exceptional. I feel that throughout the episode, the story remains to vague and unfocused. The stuff with Jake and Nog is completely irreelvant and pure filler, and at the same time eats up valuable time the main plot would have really needed. The scene in which Winn meets with the legate also didn't need to be there, as it doesn't contribute to the main topic of Bashir's treatment of a patient.
The premise of the episode is a bold one, and I think certainly would have had the potential to be a classic like Duet and The Wire. But it does not really commit to it's premise and instead meanders through various trivialities. What stood out to me is how oddly chill Kira is throughout the whole thing until Bashir announces that it's over. What I think they should have done to use the full potential of the episode is to have a strong focus on a conflict between Bashir and Kira, who stands in for the patient's family. You could have Bashir argue that he doesn't want to take part in helping a patient with a plan that will lead to severe disability and likely death, and at the same time not understanding how the patient's loved ones support his self-destructive decision. And I think both Bashir and Kira are characters who could make this work. Bashir strikes me as a guy who is very entrenched in his principles and who would have a difficult time to accept the views of people who go against them. And Kira has a past where she and her friends were fully committed to giving up their lives for a greater cause. She might first try to stop Bareil from undergoing an extremely dangerous treatment, but once he explains his reasoning, I can totally believe her to fight for his cause, even if it terrifies her. But that doesn't happen. Instead we have people present arguments for and arguments against, and then Bashir takes Bareil into surgery without the issue actually being fought out. We also don't get any real quiet moment of Bashir having private talks with Bareil to discuss things in person.
I think showing scenes of the negotiations distracts much more than it adds. Bashir does not know what happens at the negotiations, and he really doesn't care one bit. I think it would have been much more interesting if you only get people from the conference room coming to the infirmary, pleading with Bashir to let them have a few minutes with Bareil. The end result is that the episode is merely okay. Can't really say you missed anything if you didn't watch it.

In other things, I think we once again get a few hints about what's going on with the Cardassians. They occupied Bajor for decades and have been gone for just over two years, but now are seriously talking about reparations. You only get such concessions if the side paying up is the losers. The Cardassian's have no new masters who are forcing them to pay, it's their own initiative. What I think is actually going on is the Cardassian parliament asserting itself against the military. It was the parliament that forced the military to end the occupation, and the military is still pretty pissed about that. By reaching out to the Bajorans for lasting peace, they make the military look weak. It shows everyone that parliament doesn't care what High Command wants and that they are the people who make the decisions. It also serves to clear parliament of the blame for the occupation by pushing it all on the military, and generating good will for the parliament.
And it does seem to work really well for them so far. I don't really remember how the struggle for supreme power in the Cardassian Empire plays out, but I believe it eventually does blow up. And as things stand now, the Federation and the Bajorans both would very much prefer for the parliament to come out on top of the High Command. The Federation has very clear policies about not interfering in the political matters of other powers, but I would guess there are many who would want to do whatever they could to improve the chances of the politicians.

When I rewatched the show in the past, I often skipped various non-memorable episodes like this, and those I remember as being really bad. But seeing them all now again, whether I want to or not, makes me notice a lot of smaller details that I of course missed as a 12 year old who didn't know where the overall story would go. But the Cardassian story in particular is much more refined than I always remembered.

[Rodin]

And nothing of value was lost. Bareil was a decent guy, but completely boring and his actor's somnolent delivery always stood out as below par compared to the rest of the cast.

What I liked most in this episode is the bit of depth we got to Kai Wynn. She's previously been portrayed as almost entirely evil, an unscrupulous politician cloaking dirty tactics and attempts to outright murder her opposition in religious rhetoric. At the end of The Circle we get the first sign that there may be something more to her when she takes the evidence of Cardassian involvement and immediately turns on her partner in crime.

In this episode we see that for all her evilness she does care about Bajor. She's out of her depth in the negotiations against the Cardassians, due in no small part to her using underhanded tricks to become Kai instead of actual political ability. Rather than hide this, she comes out and admits it and is desperate to have Bareil get the peace treaty with the Cardassians. Sisko calls her out for wanting Bareil as a fall guy, but this seems unjust in the context we see in the episode. She and Bareil have been working closely on the treaty for months, and she's absolutely correct that it is tremendously important.

Seeing Wynn have an agenda that goes beyond "Me, me, me!" was a nice change of pace and makes me appreciate her more as a character. I should note that her involvement after this point is something I'm very sketchy on, so I don't know if they take this and run with it or if she goes back to moustache* twirling after this.

[Xyril]

Sisko calls her out for wanting Bareil as a fall guy, but this seems unjust in the context we see in the episode. She and Bareil have been working closely on the treaty for months, and she's absolutely correct that it is tremendously important.

Not really unjust or untrue. I'd be very surprised if that wasn't something that crossed her mind. Now, it's not the only reason she wants him, or even the main reason, which is an unexpected glimmer of decency for her character.

Seeing Wynn have an agenda that goes beyond "Me, me, me!" was a nice change of pace and makes me appreciate her more as a character. I should note that her involvement after this point is something I'm very sketchy on, so I don't know if they take this and run with it or if she goes back to moustache* twirling after this.

I don't think she was ever "mustache-twirling" evil--she certainly never saw herself as the villain--but she was pretty consistently portrayed as somebody who has arguably altruistic goals, just not the willingness to prioritize those goals over her own self-interest in even the smallest way. Also, a lot of rationalization. Part of becoming Kai (and then later trying to become the political leader of Bajor as well) was because she sincerely believed that her ability and her vision were really Bajor's best chance... but if she's nearly as smart as she seems to think she is, then it probably took a lot of willful blindness to convince herself that none of the other contenders had more to offer. At one point, she's willing to make a very small sacrifice in the form of swallowing her pride and going to Sisko for guidance on a major decision that would have serious consequences to Bajor. However, much later in the series, when one choice would have preserved the status-quo for Bajor, while the other looked like it would yield tremendous power for Winn, she went with the choice that would benefit herself but required a... well, let's just call it a radical reevaluation of her idea of what was good for Bajor.

[Yora]

S3E14: Heart of Stone

Kira and Odo are away with a shuttle and come across a freigter being attacked by the Maquis. The freighter is able to repel the attack before they arrive, but they pursue an escaping fighter to arrest the pilot. They pursue him into the Badlands and on a small moon, where he goes hiding in some caves. As Kira and Odo are looking for him, Kira steps into a strange crystal that grows around her foot. They can't get her out so Odo wants to take her to the station to get it off. But communicators don't work and when he goes back to the ship, the transporter isn't working either. He also can't reach the station, so he sends a communications probe out of the Badlands to deliver the call for assistance, but that will take some days.

On the station, Nog comes to Sisko to tell him that he is now an adult by Ferengi custom, and that he wishes to enroll for an apprenticeship, offering a very considerable bag of latinum for it. Sisko explains to him that all training for Starfleet has to go through the academy, and not being a Federation citizen he will also require a recommendations from a Starfleet officer. Nog wants him to give him a recommendation, but Sisko says he has to think about it. Nog is persistent and comes back to Sisko to ask if he has decided, but Sisko explains that Nog's record so far doesn't really qualify him for a position in Starfleet. But he's at least willing to let Nog do an internship on the station and tells Dax that he want's Nog to make an inventory of a cargo bay that was just checked recently. Dax appreciates the idea of getting Ferengi into Starfleet. "But Nog?" There's some very valuable equipment in that storage, but Sisko deliberately wants to reach out with a gesture of trust and also tempt Nog with an opportunity to resume his thieving. Since they just made an inventory, they will know if his lists aren't matching.

Odo comes back to Kira and mentions that he read a Federation crime report about a break in on a planet whose natives build crystaline houses, and it included the method they thieves used to get through the wall. He wants to try something like that on the crystal before it suffocates Kira. To pass the time, Odo tells a story about him going kayaking in the holosuit with O'Brien, which Kira finds quite amusing, but Odo actually quite enjoys doing it in his leisure time.

Dax brings Nog's inventory list to Sisko and she is really impressed how well he did it. Not only was nothing missing, he also found some items that had previously been listed missing. But they still have no clue why he would want to join Starfleet. So Sisko calls Nog to tell him that he refuses to give him a recommendation and pushes him to give him a good and honest reason why he wants to go to Starfleet. His ambition is to make something better with his life than the rest of his family. His father is a great engineer and could have made a good career out of it, but instead he has always wasted his time trying to work his way up as a businessman and never gotten anywhere with it. That is good enough for Sisko and he gives him his approval.

Kira is close to being crushed by the crystal and earthquakes are threatening to collapse the cave. Kira orders Odo to get to the ship and save himself, but he can't leave her because he loves her. But he doesn't believe her reply that she does to, as he knows she doesn't care for him in that way. He also thinks she lied when she said she shot at the Maquis fighter while Odo was away to the shuttle. Making up things like that doesn't fit the Kira he knows, and he figures out that this is all some kind of deception. With the lie exposed, she turns into the Changeling leader. They faked the attack on the freighter to lure Odo and Kira to the moon and then fake Kira's death to motivate Odo to return to them. He demands to know where Kira is, but she asks what he would do if she doesn't tell him. She's not afraid that he would do anything to her, as no changeling has ever harmed a changeling. But Odo asks her if she is certain that this will also stay true for him. She doesn't want to force this any further and tells him that Kira is in a stasis cell in the next cave. Odo gets Kira and they leave to return to the station. When they are back, Kira wonders whey the changeling impersonated her, and Odo says that she just happened to be on the shuttle with him.

Quark wants to forbid Nog from going to Starfleet, but Rom insists that he's still Nog's father and he fully approves of it.

--

Another okay episode. Somehow this made it on many top episode lists, but I don't see why. The story is okay, but I find the small continuity advances much more interesting. Obviously we have Nog deciding that he wants to go to Starfleet. This is where that starts, not much more to say about that. The other thing is that the Dominion is already active in the Alpha Quadrant. The changeling leader was not only able to get a ship of the type used by the Maquis and stage an attack that looks believable, which already would require a lot of knowledge about the local political and military situation. She also knew when and where Odo and Kira would be alone on a shuttle close to a region where they could be cut off from communication. That probably wasn't her work alone. The Dominion surely must already have a lot of spies collecting information on the other side of the wormhole.
It's okay, though I personally think it might actually a bit weak.

[Xyril]

S3E14: Heart of Stone
Another okay episode. Somehow this made it on many top episode lists, but I don't see why. The story is okay, but I find the small continuity advances much more interesting.

I'm guessing the whole "why" of it is that other folks might give more emphasis on character development than you do. Which isn't to say your tastes are "wrong" in any way. DS9 always struck me as more plot-arc driven--both in terms of its war/political saga nature and in terms of character growth over time--and so I think a lot of the audience were probably new fans who wouldn't necessarily have been die-hard fans of TOS or TNG.

Obviously we have Nog deciding that he wants to go to Starfleet. This is where that starts, not much more to say about that.

This illustrates my point. For you, it's an important continuity point, but as you say "not much more to say about that." For me, it wasn't just an inflection point at which Nog branched off the "civilian" path and turned onto the "Starfleet" path--it was a moment of really meaningful character growth. Plus, it was some really solid acting from Aron Eisenberg, something that I honestly wasn't sure he was capable of--his pre-DS9 resume wasn't exactly full of great roles, and other than some decent chemistry with Jake, he performance as Nog rarely deviated too far from comic relief/greedy Ferengi stereotype/fish-out-of-water. He did a great job portraying a guy trying hard to hide his vulnerabilities and surprisingly less-than-dishonorable intentions behind his usual persona, and in doing so made the audience (or me at least) look at all of his previous schemes and misadventures in a whole new light.

That alone would have put this episode on my noteworthy list, though not necessarily my top list. The fact that this was really the B-plot, and one that mirrored the A-plot so well, certainly elevates the episode even more. Odo's situation was very similar to Nog. From a meta-standpoint, it was perhaps less impressive to me because Rene Auberjonois had a demonstrated track record of being a capable actor, and on DS9 in particular, Odo had already been much more fleshed-out and complex as a character compared to Nog. Still, it was solid acting in this episode as Odo, like Nog, was forced to show the vulnerability that he was hiding underneath the gruff, business-like facade he presents to everyone else. Plus, Kira is arguably the one person who knows the deeper Odo better than anyone else (among cast regulars at least), but this was the one thing he obviously had to keep hidden even from her, and seeing him realize that he just gave away his most closely-guarded secret to someone he considers, at the very least, a dangerous potential adversary was a big moment.

[Rodin]

I'm guessing the whole "why" of it is that other folks might give more emphasis on character development than you do. Which isn't to say your tastes are "wrong" in any way. DS9 always struck me as more plot-arc driven--both in terms of its war/political saga nature and in terms of character growth over time--and so I think a lot of the audience were probably new fans who wouldn't necessarily have been die-hard fans of TOS or TNG.



This illustrates my point. For you, it's an important continuity point, but as you say "not much more to say about that." For me, it wasn't just an inflection point at which Nog branched off the "civilian" path and turned onto the "Starfleet" path--it was a moment of really meaningful character growth. Plus, it was some really solid acting from Aron Eisenberg, something that I honestly wasn't sure he was capable of--his pre-DS9 resume wasn't exactly full of great roles, and other than some decent chemistry with Jake, he performance as Nog rarely deviated too far from comic relief/greedy Ferengi stereotype/fish-out-of-water. He did a great job portraying a guy trying hard to hide his vulnerabilities and surprisingly less-than-dishonorable intentions behind his usual persona, and in doing so made the audience (or me at least) look at all of his previous schemes and misadventures in a whole new light.

That alone would have put this episode on my noteworthy list, though not necessarily my top list. The fact that this was really the B-plot, and one that mirrored the A-plot so well, certainly elevates the episode even more. Odo's situation was very similar to Nog. From a meta-standpoint, it was perhaps less impressive to me because Rene Auberjonois had a demonstrated track record of being a capable actor, and on DS9 in particular, Odo had already been much more fleshed-out and complex as a character compared to Nog. Still, it was solid acting in this episode as Odo, like Nog, was forced to show the vulnerability that he was hiding underneath the gruff, business-like facade he presents to everyone else. Plus, Kira is arguably the one person who knows the deeper Odo better than anyone else (among cast regulars at least), but this was the one thing he obviously had to keep hidden even from her, and seeing him realize that he just gave away his most closely-guarded secret to someone he considers, at the very least, a dangerous potential adversary was a big moment.

I was going to make a post, and found you had done it for me. Very well said.

On this re-watch, the tension of the Kira plot was undercut a fair bit because the episode was so memorable that I remembered the entire thing from when I was a kid. This made Nog's plot a lot more interesting, as while I had remembered he went into Starfleet I didn't remember much more than that. The whole thing was very well done, and the scene where Rom finally stands up to Quark had me cheering. It's also a fantastic demonstration of how to avoid "Wesley" syndrome, with the other real showcase (up until this point) being the last episode of season 2. In TNG we would have had Wesley somehow saving the crew from the Jem'Hadar and being unsufferably smug about it. In DS9, Jake uses the tricorder to locate the Jem'Hadar camp, realizes he's a teenager against professional soldiers, and teleports back to the runabout to try and get help. Also realistically, they can't even do that. Instead of the kids coming to save the day, the rest of the adult cast do.

[Traab]

The speech nog gives is why everyone loves that episode. Its really the only memorable part about it, but its one of the REALLY GOOD parts. In fact, that sort of thing is a reason for a lot of fan enjoyment. Single scenes, speeches, events, etc, not the entire episode, just that part. Sisko decking Q, a speech about worth from nog, the root beer discussion between quark and garek. I couldnt tell you what happened in the rest of those episodes, but I can tell you about those scenes.

[The New Bruceski]

In DS9, Jake uses the tricorder to locate the Jem'Hadar camp, realizes he's a teenager against professional soldiers, and teleports back to the runabout to try and get help. Also realistically, they can't even do that. Instead of the kids coming to save the day, the rest of the adult cast do.

While at the same time not undermining what the kids did. One of the frustrating things about Westley is that unless he was saving the day in an episode he didn't exist. Jake and Nog get enough time in B-plots and such that they're part of the cast. That scene, Jake when the whole station's on security shutdown, various other points, they get chances to interact without being wunderkinds.

[Cikomyr]

There is something utterly heartbreaking about hearing a son cry that he doesn't want to end up a loser like his father.

I loved that episode for that moment alone. The Odo plot is important to continuity for me, but otherwise forgettable.

[Yora]

He did a great job portraying a guy trying hard to hide his vulnerabilities and surprisingly less-than-dishonorable intentions behind his usual persona, and in doing so made the audience (or me at least) look at all of his previous schemes and misadventures in a whole new light.

This adds a new perspective to my notes about culture in Deep Space Nine, that I am putting together for later. I already had an eye on Rom after his first appearances, but had not considered that there's also quite a lot going on with Nog. Good pointer there, thanks.

[Rodin]

While at the same time not undermining what the kids did. One of the frustrating things about Westley is that unless he was saving the day in an episode he didn't exist. Jake and Nog get enough time in B-plots and such that they're part of the cast. That scene, Jake when the whole station's on security shutdown, various other points, they get chances to interact without being wunderkinds.

Yes! Take the station shutdown. He was useful because he was smaller than his father or O'Brien, but is otherwise along for the ride. At the end of the episode where the corridor had collapsed, I was preemptively groaning because the obvious setup is that the conduit is too small for the adults to fit through and Jake saves the day. Nevermind that he wouldn't know how to manually work the controls on the reactor or be able to do something as complicated as re-routing the overload into the shields. There are shows that would have just rolled with that no matter how unbelievable it is. Instead, the realistic thing happens and Jake is told to stay behind. He then gets his time to shine when O'Brien is knocked out and he bravely drags him to safety.

Something else that just occurred to me - was Rom with Quark back when the station was under Cardassian rule? Because that would mean Nog was there too. That has to have been a harrowing childhood.

[Yora]

When Jake went to rescue O'Brien, he didn't even have to go very far. O'Brien seemed to have made it only maybe 10 meters in at the most. It's not like Jake took on a massive risk by crawling into a smoke filled labyrinth, or that he would have to haul a big man like O'Brien for a long distance. The task seemed very well within his capabilities and the danger he exposed himself to looked quite manageable. The challenge to him was to make the decision to not do what he was told and make the personal judgement that the need was much greater than the risk to himself. It didn't come across as him just ignoring what the adults have told him because he doesn't believe they understand the situation and what he can do. Instead he found himself in a situation where it was not possible to ask an adult for permission and he had to judge the situation himself.
I'm usually not a fan of kids in a show that is about adults dealing with adult problems, but Jake and Nog never felt obnoxiously out of place to me in the early seasons.

Nog was looting the station when the Federation arrived, and Quark was already packing up to leave. I got the clear impression that he probably had been there for quite a while.

[Lord Vukodlak]

Something else that just occurred to me - was Rom with Quark back when the station was under Cardassian rule? Because that would mean Nog was there too. That has to have been a harrowing childhood.

Almost certainly, The Cardassian's withdrew from Bajor in 2369

Pretty sure he was because in the first episode Sisko used Nog to blackmail Quark into staying so as to prop up the stations economy. Probably could have gone with. "We won't charge you for rent, utilities or maintenance" which we know in a latter episode is true... when Sisko is again using extortion to get what he wants from Quark. Which goes to show when it comes to The Carrot or the Stick, Sisko prefers the stick but keeps the carrot handy to beat you with.

Now can guess with dialog from later episodes how long they were on the station. Quark left home in 2351, eventually opening his Bar in 2363, The occupation ended in 2369. So at most six years.

[Yora]

In the case of someone like Quark, trying to get his help by offering rewards would only lead to him constantly increasing his demands. He'd just see it as an invitation to exploit it at every opportunity.

[Talakeal]

I now want to see a prequel show about Quark and Odo living under Dukat's command.



Also, its funny how Nog doesn't want to end up like his father considering where Rom ends up.

[Yora]

S3E15: Destiny

Two Cardassian scientists will come to the station to work with the Bajorans and Starfleet to install an experimental communication relay that can transmit messages from the Gamma Quadrant through the wormhole. Sisko gets a visit from a vedek who warns him about a prophecy that allowing the two Cardassians to come to the station he will destroy the wormhole. He already told it to the government, but they don't believe that this is what the prophecy talks about, and so he came to ask Sisko to intervene as the Emissary. Sisko has Odo keep an eye on the vedek and his followers while the Cardassians are on the station.

When the two scientists arrive they turn out to be very friendly ladies that appear to be getting along very well with Sisko and Kira, and the older one thanks Kira personally because she certainly must have had a major say in whether they would have been allowed to come to the station for the project. One of the two accidentally calls the station by it's Cardassian name, and is quite embarased about it. But she does get a bit bristly when the hardware O'Brien already assembled doesn't quite match the precision of her design. As they call it a night, one of the Cardassian tells Sisko that a third scientist will arrive tomorrow, which the vedek said his prophecy predicted. Which does freak Kira out more than a bit.

Odo did some checking on the vedek and found that he been stripped of his title for trying to stop the peace treaty with the Cardassians. Odo also feels that it is necessary to remind Sisko that he never liked acting as the Emissary or including prophecies in his work, and that he should consider this when he makes a judgement about the priest's warning. The priest approaches Kira to ask her to convince Sisko to cancel the project. And he very accurately lays out that Kira is hesitating because she doesn't want Sisko to feel that she sees him as the Emissary to keep him on her good side.

Dax is getting along swimmingly with the Cardassians and impresses them with her knowledge in an old Cardassian writer, because she actually met him when he was still alive. O'Brien is with them at the bar, but doesn't seem to have much of a good time. The third Cardassian joins them, and it immediately becomes obvious that the other two don't like her very much. Quark brings some Cardassian delicacies for them, which makes the first two Cardassians cringe a little because they're are always looking forward to opportunities to avoid Cardassian food. Which amuses everyone, except for the newcomer who finds that somewhat offensive and shameful to say.

O'Brien and the Cardassian engineer are preparing things on the station and Sisko, Kira, Dax, and the other two Cardassians take the Defiant through the wormhole to install the relay. As they arrive on the other side, they detect a comet coming close to the wormhole, which does match another sign from the prophecy. Kira is very much concern and Sisko talks to her in private. Sisko respects her believes, but he does not see the signs of the prophecy being as clear as Kira does, and it's not good enough evidence for him to cancel the project.

The Cardassian engineer keeps annoying O'Brien by complaining that his modifications to the station don't work with her new devices as she planned it. He could have told her what she can and can't install on the station in advance if she had taken the time to explain to him what she was planning to do. But she thinks that would have been a waste of time because men are inherently terrible at advanced engineering. He tells her that on this station he runs the show and if she wants her machines installed, she should step aside and let him do it. Which she does, and she watches him work with much more appreciation.

Dax tries to start up the relay, but they don't get any signal back. So the project leader tells her to make some adjustment but that causes a violent disturbance in the wormhole. There's no damage, but the disturbance altered the comet's path causing it to drift too close to the wormhole which could have catastrophic consequences. The Defiant returns to the station to have everyone come up with a plan to divert the comet. The Cardassians apologize for the mishap and new that the disturbance could have been possible, but indicate that meddling by High Command forced them to rush through any safety simulations. Some things said by the third Cardassian give the impression that her main job is to keep the other two from getting to friendly with the locals or saying things they are not supposed to say. O'Brien brings up the idea to modify the Defiant's phasers for a very wide beam that can slowly melt the comet without shattering it.

O'Brien and the Cardassian engineer go into the Defiant to make the adjustment, and the Cardassian starts getting a bit too close for comfort and flirty with O'Brien. He is a bit weirded out at first until she starts getting way too personal until he has to shot her down. So she wants to know why he has acting so flirty with her the whole time? She's really embarased and tells him to finish up the last adjustments by himself.

Sisko is passing the time reading up on Bajoran prophecies about the Emissary and starts seeing a number of things that could quite well match things that have happened to him. Dax comes to give him some advice, and convinces him to proceed doing things the way he would normally have done,

The Defiant goes back through the wormhole to vaporize the comet, but the phasers malfunction and are completely out of action, with the comet having broken into three fragments with only 20 minutes left to go to stop them. O'Brien checks the damaged phasers and explains what seems to have happened, and the first two Cardassians immediately start looking over to their colleague. The engineer tells everyone that the woman is an agent from the Obsidian Order and probably sabotaged the phasers to damage the peace with the Bajorans, that he Order always tried to block. Sisko has her detained and they come up with a plan to take a shuttle close to the fragments and create an energy field around them that will isolate them from the wormhole as they are passing through. He sends the Defiant back to the other side, but Kira asks to be with him on the shuttle, because she believes she is destined to help him with this. As they pass through, they are leaking some dust that leaves the wormhole undamaged, but amplifies the communications signal to a working level.

The Cardassians return home and the priest apologizes to Sisko that he interpreted the prophecy wrong and didn't trust him to handle the situation in the way the prophets intended him to. Sisko thanks him and starts to be interested in learning more about the prophecies about the Emissary.

--

I think this was pretty good. Not one of the outstanding gems, but I very much enjoyed watching it, which I think should be the baseline for what I give a good rating.

I decided to no longer count episodes dealing with recurring themes. It made a lot of sense for the first two seasons, to see how long it takes for certain things to become integral parts of the show and the way in which these are established. But I think by now the show has pretty much found its path and things are now as we know them to be. There are new devlopments, but right now I can think only of one new additions that comes later. The Bejoran Reconstruction development seems to have played out and concluded. I know there's one more episode with old rebels causing the government headache, but the threat of Bajor disintegrating into anarchy seems to have passed. We know now what Odo's nature is and he has made his decision about his future relationship with his people. He will not take part in their tyrannical rule over the Dominion, but he also does not reject them or means them any harm. We now know the basics of how Cardassian society works and what's going on with their politics, and we now have a very good idea of who Garak is. There doesn't seem to be much of point of counting episodes of this type, and I actually forgot doing it a couple of times now because when these things come up, it's seamlessly integrated with other stories and not confined in isolation.

In this episode, the characters and their performances are all very well done. The Cardassians and the priest all seem quiet believable, and in particularly the two friendly Cardassians come across as if these are fully developed characters that didn't appear out of nothing just for this episode. If you didn't know they've never appeared before, I think it wouldn't be difficult to believe if you were told that they are regulars. They aren't cardboard cutouts like the generic Guls that frequently show up, but have individual personality. Even the agent from the Order appears as if the stiffness is an element of the character and not the actor being at at loss what to do. I actually think that the Cardassians are maybe a bit too friendly and getting along too well with the others. Interactions between Bajorans and Cardassians are supposed to be difficult and strained, with everyone having to make an effort to keep things civil and not lose their temper. Here they are probably getting along too well. There is no sense of cultural differences or old prejudices on any side.
Looking back at Cardassian characters so far, they actually come across as very nice and friendly people as long as they aren't soldiers or agents. Those on the other hand are nothing but pure sadistic bastards. I think this is making things too easy. Military and intelligence services can grow out of hand before more even minded people can do anything to stop it, but they don't exist in isolation. They are still products of their culture and the wider society. But I guess that's once more something for a much larger final recap on Cardassian society to get to at the end of the show.
I did like the small touch that Cardassian's consider engineering women's work, though. It doesn't really have any implications or consequences, but I appreciate the effort to make the Cardassians feel a bit different. To his credit, O'Brien doesn't start an argument about that and simply tells the engineer that in the Federation it is not, and if she wants to get her work done, she has to accept that the local Starfleet engineer is the expert on the station's systems. That Cardassian flirting is confrontational doesn't surprise me much, though, and actually seems quite fitting to what we've seen about their customs. Assertiveness and not being bothered by some bruises are probably qualities they find quite attractive. The engineer starts looking quite happy when O'Brien starts snapping back.

Another thing that I am not truly happy with is how this episode approaches how characters interact with the prophecies. Dealing with some ancient folk tales is one thing, but with Bajoran prophecies we already know that they come from intelligent being that have proven many times that they only have the wellbeing of Bajor in mind and the ability to see future events, while also having trouble delivering their messages at the time when they are meant to be received. It is not a matter of faith in ancient revelations, but specific messages from a very trusted source. The question remains what the metaphors in the prophecies are meant to refer to, but I see that as a logic problem, not a matter of faith as it is made out to be here. I think a situation almost exactly as this one comes up for Sisko again later, and I believe it's handled better there. There is also the little problem that the issue at stake here could have very easily been avoided. If there is any chance that the prophets warned them that the comet could harm the wormhole during the installation of the relay, I really see no reason to just delay for one day. The comet would be at it's closest point to the wormhole only five hours after they start up the relay. Simply let it pass and wait for another 17 hours to let it get away for a good distance and then begin with the tests. This is an interstellar and experimental engineering project, those surely don't work on a fixed timetable that doesn't allow for fluctuations of a few hours.
But in the end, the outcome is that Sisko gets reminded that he is the Emissary and that the prophets have send him some guidance to help him with future problems. He just needs to start looking at it.

One minor detail that I found interesting was Dax taking the captain's chair when Sisko and Kira got on the shuttle. There are many ways to sit on that chair and it often is quite indicative of the characters' personality and the style in which they lead. My impression of Dax here was straight but not stiff, appearing alert but not tense. It fits the way she often walks with her hands behind her back. But then it was only to get the ship through the wormhole and dock it at the station, so there's probably not too much to read into this. But I did notice it.

Also, the shuttle seemed to be of a type I've never seen anywhere else.

[Aeson]

Also, the shuttle seemed to be of a type I've never seen anywhere else.

Looking around online, it does appear to be the case that the particular type of shuttle used (Type 18 Shuttlepod) only appeared in DS9: Destiny.

[Rodin]

Looking around online, it does appear to be the case that the particular type of shuttle used (Type 18 Shuttlepod) only appeared in DS9: Destiny.

Apparently also used in "The Search". It's one of the shuttles the Defiant uses. They tried to use it again in season 6, but found that the model had been stolen.

Can I just say how hilarious it is to me that a shuttle used for only two episodes is notable enough to have a page on the Wiki and full technical specifications? Truly, Star Trek nerd-dom knows no bounds.

[Cikomyr]

The Carsassian spy was the worst spy ever.

She shows up later than the rest of her team, like she was last minute addition.

She antagonize everyone at every opportunity.

She acted like a Party stooge

[The New Bruceski]

The Carsassian spy was the worst spy ever.

She shows up later than the rest of her team, like she was last minute addition.

She antagonize everyone at every opportunity.

She acted like a Party stooge

And in so doing she immediately made the other Cardassians more likable and glossed over any suspicions. Sure they SAID she was there to destabilize relations, but can we really say?

[Cikomyr]

And in so doing she immediately made the other Cardassians more likable and glossed over any suspicions. Sure they SAID she was there to destabilize relations, but can we really say?

....****.