#DS91sttime: Season 4, Episode 23, “To the Death”

February 19, 2016 in #DS91sttime, General Topics

DS9, Season 4, Ep. 23, "To The Death"

Very bad things. DS9, Season 4, Ep. 23, “To The Death”

Here’s an episode that’s very consequential, not just in Deep Space Nine‘s canon, but also for the career of one of its lead actors.

It’s easy to see why. “To the Death” gives us a solid (if somewhat unbelievable) hook and then drops into it a mixed bag of characters completely uncomfortable together. That’s a setup common to many of Trek’s finer episodes. Ultimately this is less about a throwaway gimic (rogue Jem’Hadar have access to an interstellar gateway) and more about the Dominion’s many barely-subdued power struggles. A happy polygamous marriage between multiple species, this is not. Read the rest of this entry →

#DS91sttime: Season 4, Episode 21, “The Muse”

February 16, 2015 in #DS91sttime, General Topics

DS9: "The Muse"

That look, whatever it is–I like it. DS9, Season 4, ep 21, “The Muse”

Writers–the ones that believe in their bones that they were made to write–are very driven people, given to not only burning the midnight oil, but the morning and afternoon oil as well. Like all artists, there’s the potential for obsession, sometimes foisted upon us by outside influences. George Orwell, one of my favorite authors, was basically killed by the demands of his publisher; as a consequence Nineteen Eighty Four became his last work.

“The Muse” asks a question: is an artist’s legacy worth the cost of losing everything else? Of risking their very life? One of the characters present in this episode seems to think so, but their nefarious deeds wind up having less impact on us than the other half of this tale.

We’re presented with two plots in “The Muse”, as is the wont of Trek since the earliest days of the Berman-helmed shows, at least by my recollection. The first finds Jake Sisko abandoning a vacation with his father in the name of working on a story. What’s really happened is that Jake has been captivated by the offer of a female alien to help him with his novel. There’s clear sexual interest on Jake’s part toward the woman, named Onaya, and the episode dances carefully around the subdued eroticism of Onaya’s candlelit quarters. This is a coming of age tale, of sorts, both for Jake as a writer and as a young man, and like any good coming of age story, Jake finds himself in over his head. It’s a little uncomfortable for us, as it is for him. Read the rest of this entry →

#DS91sttime: Season 4, Episode 18, “Rules of Engagement”

July 21, 2014 in #DS91sttime, General Topics

Rules of Engagement, Deep Space NIne

So bored. DS9, Series Four, Ep. 18, “Rules of Engagement”

What’s big, brooding, and looks confused all over? If you said Michael Dorn during his tenure (as of this episode) on Deep Space Nine, you wouldn’t be half wrong. And he doesn’t seem to be the only one that’s a little lost. After an electric presence in the season’s opener, and somewhat slipping importance since then, Dorn’s Worf is now subjected to “Rules of Engagement”. The plot is, essentially, that Worf is accused of being too Klingon to belong in the Federation and on DS9. One wonders if this is a kind of Freudian slip; a reflection of the showrunners pondering if Dorn’s character belongs in the series at all.

I know, I know. Meta discussion is bad. But if there’s one character on Deep Space Nine that just keeps inviting it, it’s our favorite Klingon. I just can’t help but draw comparisons to the way O’Brien has managed to gel with the show from day one, whereas everytime Worf is on screen, he just screams “I was brought in because the show was on the rocks!”. Read the rest of this entry →

#DS91sttime: Season 4, Episode 15, “Sons of Mogh”

April 7, 2014 in #DS91sttime, General Topics

Kurn from Deep Space Nine: "Sons of Mogh"

Family problems. Kurn from DS9, Season Four, Ep 15: “Sons of Mogh”

By the very nature of all the writing that I do, and how busy I stay, I usually only get the chance to post one of these episode reviews weeks after I’ve seen the subject. That’s usually a good thing, because I have time for any initial emotional reaction to settle and can be more objective about what I did or did not like about the latest installment.

This time, when I came back to write another review, I realized that I’d forgotten I’d watched “Sons of Mogh”. If you think that means I wasn’t engaged with this entry in the series; that I might have seen significant problems with it–well, you’re right. Read the rest of this entry →

#DS91sttime: Season 4, Episode 13, “Crossfire”

February 13, 2014 in #DS91sttime, General Topics

Odo spends a lot of time having that look. Season Four, Ep 13, "Crossfire".

Odo spends a lot of time having that look. Season Four, Ep 13, “Crossfire”.

Everyone’s been there before: a time when the demands of career and personal life collide in a way that leads to a sense of unraveling. Odo experiences just such a period in “Crossfire”, when First Minister Shakaar visits the station and Kira falls head-over-heels for him.

There’s a background plot that sets this all up. Shakaar’s arrival is marked by suspicions that a terrorist faction might be out to get him. Not everyone is wild about the idea of Cardassian\Bajoran reconciliation, and they might just send a message about it by killing the First Minister. Read the rest of this entry →