Things keep racing towards the end at this point. Not a lot of episodes left to conclude it all, but I know they will get there. As much as I dislike Kai Winn I do appreciate that she didn't immediately embrace the pah-wraiths, but when she learned that the only way she was going to make things right with the Prophets was to step down as Kai we see her real feelings emerge. She would prefer to have power and be in contact with the Prophets, but she would rather stay in power if forced to choose. Damar starting to take control of his own fate is also good to see. The Cardassians are now the old new allies and therefore less interesting than the Breen. I am going to separate out the storylines again to try and keep things straight.
First the Worf/Ezri storyline which today fairly heavily overlaps with the Damar/Weyoun story. We begin with Worf and Ezri still in prison. Weyoun tells them if they don't help him sort out the information extracted from their minds he will have the Cardassians execute them. Worf kills Weyoun which really amuses Damar. It seems Damar is being pushed aside in favor of the Breen. He is now to report to the head of the Breen instead of Weyoun and is ignored as a half million Cardassian soldiers are slaughtered by the Klingons. Worf and Ezri meanwhile finally work out their difference and agree to be friends just before they are to be executed. But as they are lead out by Jem'Hadar soldiers Damar kills the Jem'Hadar and lets them escape after having a change of heart. Weyoun is furious, but Damar can't stop laughing about the death of his predecessor.
Back on the station Kai Winn and Dukat are all lovey dovey when the Kai finally realizes she doesn't know anything about the so called Bajoran she is sleeping with. She asks him and instead receives another vision but this time the pah-wraiths reveal themselves to her and she rejects them. She throws Dukat out when he says he has been with them the whole time and calls for the orb of prophesy. But even with the orb open in front of her the prophets are silent. She calls for Kira next but although Kira is sympathetic, she insists the only way to make things right is to step down as Kai and Winn isn't doing that. So instead she calls for Dukat again and together they decide to walk the path of the pah-wraiths and destroy the prophets.
Review: Things keep moving but there isn't much of an episode to review. I am not opposed to their idea of telling the story without breaks, but it does make it hard to review individual episodes.
6 out of 10
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
DS9: 'Til Death Do Us Part
Another things happening episode, but at least this time things actually do happen. Telling the story interwoven like they do is kinda silly at this point. It is nothing but a series of endless "cut to" transition so I am going to unwind things a little and tell the unconnected stories separately. The two big villains of the series are now officially together and I don't just mean they are in the same place. I guess this is the one that moves Ezri from her current Worf love into her final hooking up with Julian so that is something. Also Sisko has for the the first time directly defied the prophets so we will see how that goes for him.
Starting with the Worf/Ezri plot, they are still being held by the Breen. She tries to talk about her dreams with him, but Worf only hears one part, the part where Julian is there. Worf gets hauled off to be mind probed, then Ezri and neither of them is holding things together well. Eventually they are beamed over to the Dominion ship with Weyoun and the founder where they are turned over as prizes. Switching to the Dominion plot we begin with Damar sending Dukat on his way. He is falling apart, letting his alcoholism ruin him. Weyoun doesn't even tell him about the Breen until just before the meeting. Back on the station Kai Winn shows up to talk to Sisko about performing his marriage, and while he doesn't tell her exactly what is going on even she can figure out something is bothering him. As she leaves she gets a vision from what she thinks are the Prophets, but I am certain they are actually the pah-wraiths. She is told she needs to stand up to Sisko and that a man with "knowledge of the land" will show up to be her guide. Unfortunately for literally everyone that man is Dukat in disguise and after playing the humble farmer for a while he embraces his new role and starts making out with Kai Winn.
Sisko is having doubts about his wedding and talks first with Jake about it who is clearly in favor of ignoring the Prophets. Kira of course feels the opposite way, and after talking to Kasidy the wedding is called off. But Quark arriving with the ring changes his mind and before Kasidy can leave the station Ben stops her and they rush off to have a wedding performed by Admiral Ross. Just before he puts the ring on her finger Sisko gets a final vision from the prophet who was also kinda his mother and she tries to warn him, but finally accepts he decision, but warns him it will be a difficult path. We end with the conclusion of the wedding and a very upset Kira.
Review: Still not really what feels like a complete episode. The arch overall is working though so I will hold with the slightly above average score. But like many stories like this, it will be hard to judge until it is all wrapped up.
6 out of 10
Starting with the Worf/Ezri plot, they are still being held by the Breen. She tries to talk about her dreams with him, but Worf only hears one part, the part where Julian is there. Worf gets hauled off to be mind probed, then Ezri and neither of them is holding things together well. Eventually they are beamed over to the Dominion ship with Weyoun and the founder where they are turned over as prizes. Switching to the Dominion plot we begin with Damar sending Dukat on his way. He is falling apart, letting his alcoholism ruin him. Weyoun doesn't even tell him about the Breen until just before the meeting. Back on the station Kai Winn shows up to talk to Sisko about performing his marriage, and while he doesn't tell her exactly what is going on even she can figure out something is bothering him. As she leaves she gets a vision from what she thinks are the Prophets, but I am certain they are actually the pah-wraiths. She is told she needs to stand up to Sisko and that a man with "knowledge of the land" will show up to be her guide. Unfortunately for literally everyone that man is Dukat in disguise and after playing the humble farmer for a while he embraces his new role and starts making out with Kai Winn.
Sisko is having doubts about his wedding and talks first with Jake about it who is clearly in favor of ignoring the Prophets. Kira of course feels the opposite way, and after talking to Kasidy the wedding is called off. But Quark arriving with the ring changes his mind and before Kasidy can leave the station Ben stops her and they rush off to have a wedding performed by Admiral Ross. Just before he puts the ring on her finger Sisko gets a final vision from the prophet who was also kinda his mother and she tries to warn him, but finally accepts he decision, but warns him it will be a difficult path. We end with the conclusion of the wedding and a very upset Kira.
Review: Still not really what feels like a complete episode. The arch overall is working though so I will hold with the slightly above average score. But like many stories like this, it will be hard to judge until it is all wrapped up.
6 out of 10
Sunday, May 29, 2016
DS9: Penumbra
We have new arrived at the beginning of the end. And it really feels more like a prologue than an actual story which is kinda too bad for this episode. I also have to say that the Ezri/Worf sudden romance came across as rather forced from a storytelling perspective. Worf has clearly not wanted this and Ezri certainly shouldn't want it, but maybe it is what she wants. Who knows. Also to set Sisko up to get married and have the prophets tell him it is wrong after literally everybody knows about it seems like a real dick move, but that's just the prophets I guess. Lots happens in this episode, but it is pretty much all set up and feels kinda contradictory in tone at times.
We begin with Ben telling Kasidy about the land he purchased on Bajor to build his house there (remember, the prophets told him he would never be at home on Bajor). Then we find out that Worf's ship has been destroyed and they don't know if he made it. Cut to Damar getting plastered first thing in the morning with Weyoun. Damar barely gets the order that he is to have a special secure comm station installed in the founders quarters. Cut to Ezri having flashbacks of being Jadzia after she breaks into Worf's quarters. After learning the Defiant has given up the search for Worf she sets off on her own to find him in a runabout. Sisko doesn't chase her and she makes it to the badlands and drifts where his pod was ejected until she runs into it (not clear how she moved faster than him since her ship has more mass and is just drifting, but whatever). She rescues Worf but of course he isn't exactly pleased to see her.
Lots of cut to's this episode, and another, we see the founder telling Weyoun to have all the Vorta working on a cure killed and replaced with their clones, and while he is obedient, he is also clearly disturbed by this order. I missed a cut to earlier, Sisko asked Kasidy to marry him and she said yes, back to this cut to: he asks Jake to be his best man which he is happy about. Cut back to Worf and Ezri who are bickering about pretty much everything until they get shot down by a Dominion ship and barely make it out with the transporter. But without a comm system. Somewhere in there Damar gets a visit from Dukat and the newly betrothed couple learns everybody on Bajor already knows about their wedding.
Worf and Ezri keep fighting on the planet until they kinda out of nowhere start kissing and sleep together only to get shot and captured by the Breen. Damar gets called away from Weyoun who clearly knows about Dukat, but Damar is too drunk to notice. He visits Dukat who has been surgically altered to look Bajor. Also heavy side of foreshadowing that Dukat will die this way. Cut to Sisko prophet vision being told this marriage is wrong and will end it sadness. He doesn't want to give it up and it isn't clear what will happen.
Review: I guess the rest of the series has enough character stuff to make a strictly actions (not action) episode not feel the worst, and they certainly have been taking their time on some of this. But it does feel like they maybe decided to mess around half the season and are now in a rush to get it all done.
5 out of 10
We begin with Ben telling Kasidy about the land he purchased on Bajor to build his house there (remember, the prophets told him he would never be at home on Bajor). Then we find out that Worf's ship has been destroyed and they don't know if he made it. Cut to Damar getting plastered first thing in the morning with Weyoun. Damar barely gets the order that he is to have a special secure comm station installed in the founders quarters. Cut to Ezri having flashbacks of being Jadzia after she breaks into Worf's quarters. After learning the Defiant has given up the search for Worf she sets off on her own to find him in a runabout. Sisko doesn't chase her and she makes it to the badlands and drifts where his pod was ejected until she runs into it (not clear how she moved faster than him since her ship has more mass and is just drifting, but whatever). She rescues Worf but of course he isn't exactly pleased to see her.
Lots of cut to's this episode, and another, we see the founder telling Weyoun to have all the Vorta working on a cure killed and replaced with their clones, and while he is obedient, he is also clearly disturbed by this order. I missed a cut to earlier, Sisko asked Kasidy to marry him and she said yes, back to this cut to: he asks Jake to be his best man which he is happy about. Cut back to Worf and Ezri who are bickering about pretty much everything until they get shot down by a Dominion ship and barely make it out with the transporter. But without a comm system. Somewhere in there Damar gets a visit from Dukat and the newly betrothed couple learns everybody on Bajor already knows about their wedding.
Worf and Ezri keep fighting on the planet until they kinda out of nowhere start kissing and sleep together only to get shot and captured by the Breen. Damar gets called away from Weyoun who clearly knows about Dukat, but Damar is too drunk to notice. He visits Dukat who has been surgically altered to look Bajor. Also heavy side of foreshadowing that Dukat will die this way. Cut to Sisko prophet vision being told this marriage is wrong and will end it sadness. He doesn't want to give it up and it isn't clear what will happen.
Review: I guess the rest of the series has enough character stuff to make a strictly actions (not action) episode not feel the worst, and they certainly have been taking their time on some of this. But it does feel like they maybe decided to mess around half the season and are now in a rush to get it all done.
5 out of 10
Saturday, May 28, 2016
DS9: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
Yay, intrigue! I think the Section 31 plot would have worked better if it hadn't been set up so late in the series, but as is it is a little hard to take them seriously. Also I am honestly not sure what they wanted us to take from the results of the Romulan mind probe. Did they somehow implant false memories into him deeply enough that he believed them, and if so how could he carry out his mission properly? Also this seems like a long way to go to remove a Senator who was clearly within the grasp of the Tal Shiar.
We begin with a weekly meeting between Starfleet, the Klingons and Romulan Senator Cretak. For some reason the Klingons get represented by Worf who as a starfleet officer also has to take orders from Sisko which seems pretty unfair for them. Cretak manages to get Starfleet to put their ships higher in the repair schedule in exchange for not taking shore leave while the Klingons are in town. That night, after a talk with Garek, Bashir gets a visit from Sloan who tells him he has a mission at the upcoming conference with the Romulans before leaving without a trace. Bashir takes this to Sisko who, just like he did last time but I guess they don't trust us to remember, wants Julian to play along with Section 31.
At the conference Bashir is surprised to see Sloan is also attending. Sloan pulls him aside and tells him there is a PADD with the info in Julians quarters. After he has had time to read it they meet in a holodeck to go over the various members of the Romulan delegation and Bashir quickly figures out he is there to determine if the head of the Tal Shiar has Tuvan syndrome. Julian figures it is a plot to get Koval off the continuing committee to prevent him from negotiating a separate peace with the Dominion. The next day at the conference Bashir is approached by Koval. He is interested in the bio weapon Bashir is there to talk about called the Quickening. He seems more interested in reproducing it rather than curing it though which disturbs Bashir. Afterward Bashir tells Sloan that he things Koval does in fact have Tuvan's syndrome and then realizes Sloan means to use it to kill Koval now.
Bashir rushs to Admiral Ross and tells him what happened, but the next day Ross has suffered an aneurysm. He meets with Sloan again and this time says he isn't sure about the Tuvan's so Sloan gets him to put some adhesive on his hand to get a skin sample from Koval. Bashir doesn't want an assassination though so he goes to Kretak, the only person he trusts even a little and asks for her help. He is sure there is a Section 31 operative in the Romulan government and somehow thinks if she can get him the Tal Shiar records it will help him find the traitor. But this all falls apart the next day when he shakes Koval's hand, and is taken directly to an interrogation chamber. Luckily the thought probes don't work on his enhanced brain, but he also is willing to tell them what they want to know so I guess they didn't need mind probes to start with.
We cut to the hearing on the matter where Cretak is being accused of spying for Starfleet for trying to get the files Bashir wanted. He tells his side of the story which is fine, but then they bring in Sloan. The probes apparently worked on him and they found that Section 31 is a ruse and he is actually just Starfleet intelligence. Rather than be held prisoner though Sloan goes for a gun to shoot Koval and is vaporized by a guard. Cretak is removed from her senate seat for betraying the Empire and Koval, an open sufferer of Tuvan Syndrome is only more powerful afterwards. Back in Starfleet hands Bashir is debriefed by Admiral Ross who he correctly figures is also kinda working for Section 31. Then by Sloan who of course was beamed away rather than vaporized and is happy that Bashir did exactly what they needed him to in order to removed Cretak from power.
Review: I love some good espionage and this episode gets it right. Enough twists that you aren't sure who is the actually terrible side, and even more so it isn't clear what Bashir should do. I still find Section 31 a bit unbelievable, but this is probably their best episode.
7 out of 10
We begin with a weekly meeting between Starfleet, the Klingons and Romulan Senator Cretak. For some reason the Klingons get represented by Worf who as a starfleet officer also has to take orders from Sisko which seems pretty unfair for them. Cretak manages to get Starfleet to put their ships higher in the repair schedule in exchange for not taking shore leave while the Klingons are in town. That night, after a talk with Garek, Bashir gets a visit from Sloan who tells him he has a mission at the upcoming conference with the Romulans before leaving without a trace. Bashir takes this to Sisko who, just like he did last time but I guess they don't trust us to remember, wants Julian to play along with Section 31.
At the conference Bashir is surprised to see Sloan is also attending. Sloan pulls him aside and tells him there is a PADD with the info in Julians quarters. After he has had time to read it they meet in a holodeck to go over the various members of the Romulan delegation and Bashir quickly figures out he is there to determine if the head of the Tal Shiar has Tuvan syndrome. Julian figures it is a plot to get Koval off the continuing committee to prevent him from negotiating a separate peace with the Dominion. The next day at the conference Bashir is approached by Koval. He is interested in the bio weapon Bashir is there to talk about called the Quickening. He seems more interested in reproducing it rather than curing it though which disturbs Bashir. Afterward Bashir tells Sloan that he things Koval does in fact have Tuvan's syndrome and then realizes Sloan means to use it to kill Koval now.
Bashir rushs to Admiral Ross and tells him what happened, but the next day Ross has suffered an aneurysm. He meets with Sloan again and this time says he isn't sure about the Tuvan's so Sloan gets him to put some adhesive on his hand to get a skin sample from Koval. Bashir doesn't want an assassination though so he goes to Kretak, the only person he trusts even a little and asks for her help. He is sure there is a Section 31 operative in the Romulan government and somehow thinks if she can get him the Tal Shiar records it will help him find the traitor. But this all falls apart the next day when he shakes Koval's hand, and is taken directly to an interrogation chamber. Luckily the thought probes don't work on his enhanced brain, but he also is willing to tell them what they want to know so I guess they didn't need mind probes to start with.
We cut to the hearing on the matter where Cretak is being accused of spying for Starfleet for trying to get the files Bashir wanted. He tells his side of the story which is fine, but then they bring in Sloan. The probes apparently worked on him and they found that Section 31 is a ruse and he is actually just Starfleet intelligence. Rather than be held prisoner though Sloan goes for a gun to shoot Koval and is vaporized by a guard. Cretak is removed from her senate seat for betraying the Empire and Koval, an open sufferer of Tuvan Syndrome is only more powerful afterwards. Back in Starfleet hands Bashir is debriefed by Admiral Ross who he correctly figures is also kinda working for Section 31. Then by Sloan who of course was beamed away rather than vaporized and is happy that Bashir did exactly what they needed him to in order to removed Cretak from power.
Review: I love some good espionage and this episode gets it right. Enough twists that you aren't sure who is the actually terrible side, and even more so it isn't clear what Bashir should do. I still find Section 31 a bit unbelievable, but this is probably their best episode.
7 out of 10
Friday, May 27, 2016
DS9: Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
Some people apparently don't like Vic Fontaine, but I gotta say, if you don't like this episode there is something wrong with you. Getting damn near the entire cast involved in an Ocean's Eleven style casino robbery heist is pure genius. I even really enjoyed the closing song which isn't something I ever really say about anything in Trek. The only disappointment about the ending song is that the best isn't actually yet to come for DS9, it has mostly happened already, but I can't let the impeding arrive of VOY put me off too much. Better to enjoy DS9 while it is still happening!
We begin in Vic's lounge where O'Brien and Bashir are trying to talk Vic into joining them at the Alamo. Vic isn't interested though and goes up on stage to sing a song about the Alamo instead. But suddenly things change and he is booed off stage in favor of showgirls. A tough looking guy with a goon in tow shows up and tells Vic to get lost, he owns the casino now. Miles tries to reset the program, but it doesn't work. Miles and Julian leave to try and figure out what happened. It turns out there is an easter egg in the program to keep things interesting. If it goes long enough the mob buys on the casino and the only choice is deal with it or reset the program and erase Vic's memories which none of them like. Kira and Odo agree to help them figure out what is going on. Odo manages to get in with the gangsters and Kira attracts the attention of the casino's new owner and gets more info from him.
Other than Sisko, who objects to a program that takes place before civil rights were a thing, the rest of the senior staff plus Kasidy all get in on it. It seems the owners boss is coming into town in a few days for his cut of the money so they come up with a complicated plan to rob the place and get the new owner taken care of by his mob boss. I am not going to spoil too much of the plan since it is super fun to watch, but of course things don't go down as smoothly as they hoped. At the last minute when they need a high roller Sisko agrees to help as well. To buy some time he starts literally throwing money around which makes enough of a distraction for Nog and Odo to steal the money just in time to save the day and Vic. Vic and Sisko sing us out with a great rendition of "The Best is Yet to Come."
Review: Super fun and enjoyable despite completely ignoring the war they are in the middle of. I am actually glad that they decided to make an episode like this instead of further stretching the pah-wraith stuff out to take up any more of the final season than it does already.
8 out of 10
We begin in Vic's lounge where O'Brien and Bashir are trying to talk Vic into joining them at the Alamo. Vic isn't interested though and goes up on stage to sing a song about the Alamo instead. But suddenly things change and he is booed off stage in favor of showgirls. A tough looking guy with a goon in tow shows up and tells Vic to get lost, he owns the casino now. Miles tries to reset the program, but it doesn't work. Miles and Julian leave to try and figure out what happened. It turns out there is an easter egg in the program to keep things interesting. If it goes long enough the mob buys on the casino and the only choice is deal with it or reset the program and erase Vic's memories which none of them like. Kira and Odo agree to help them figure out what is going on. Odo manages to get in with the gangsters and Kira attracts the attention of the casino's new owner and gets more info from him.
Other than Sisko, who objects to a program that takes place before civil rights were a thing, the rest of the senior staff plus Kasidy all get in on it. It seems the owners boss is coming into town in a few days for his cut of the money so they come up with a complicated plan to rob the place and get the new owner taken care of by his mob boss. I am not going to spoil too much of the plan since it is super fun to watch, but of course things don't go down as smoothly as they hoped. At the last minute when they need a high roller Sisko agrees to help as well. To buy some time he starts literally throwing money around which makes enough of a distraction for Nog and Odo to steal the money just in time to save the day and Vic. Vic and Sisko sing us out with a great rendition of "The Best is Yet to Come."
Review: Super fun and enjoyable despite completely ignoring the war they are in the middle of. I am actually glad that they decided to make an episode like this instead of further stretching the pah-wraith stuff out to take up any more of the final season than it does already.
8 out of 10
Thursday, May 26, 2016
DS9: Chimera
At this point in the series it didn't seem as crazy as it might have a few seasons ago for Odo to decide to maybe leave the station forever and go wander among the stars with his new found changeling friend. It was actually really interesting to see the perspective of a changeling who like Odo grew up among solids rather than being a product of the great link. I also very much enjoyed seeing the diversity of shapes and forms he was capable of becoming. Odo, as much for budgetary reasons as anything else, has largely been limited to his humanoid form almost the entire series. It seems like even if he wasn't going to join Laas on his journey of discovery it might not hurt to pick up a few pointers including that badass warp capable form we met Laas as.
We begin with Odo and O'Brien returning from a conference when they encounter a strange, possibly biological ship. It disappears and after some bumping about an odd looking changeling comes pouring out of a vent and introduces himself. Miles doesn't trust him, but Odo believes that he isn't a founder at least partially because he doesn't have the disease that has spread through the great link. It seems Laas, like Odo, was one of the 100 changeling sent out by the link to explore the galaxy, only have has never encountered another changeling before. They return to the station and after some initial distrust Sisko agrees to release Laas into Odo's custody. They hit it off rather well including Laas first linking, but it is also clear Laas distrusts solids much more than Odo.
Laas is also very disdainful of Odo's lack of shapeshifting and tries to convince him to do so publicly. He is also disdainful of Odo's love for Kira. Laas takes the form of a fog on the promenade which O'Brien and some Klingons find disturbing. Laas confronts the Klingons and kills one of them when he goes for a disruptor. Sisko insists he be held for trial by the Klingons, but Odo, rightly in my view, doesn't believe he will get a fair trial. Laas has been trying to convince Odo to leave the station with him to go out across the galaxy to look for others like them, but Odo wants to stay with Kira. But he is also having problems with his relationship since Kira can tell he is sad the two of them can't link. Kira helps Laas escape and tells him where to meet Odo. Odo goes to him, but tells Laas he is going to stay on DS9. Laas is disappointed, but they both wish each other luck and Odo returns to Kira,
Review: The most interesting changeling storyline in the show so far. It makes me with the effects weren't so expensive so we could see stuff like this more often. Sure Laas comes across as a bit of a jerk, but he also has some damn good points about the way we humanoids see the world.
7 out of 10
We begin with Odo and O'Brien returning from a conference when they encounter a strange, possibly biological ship. It disappears and after some bumping about an odd looking changeling comes pouring out of a vent and introduces himself. Miles doesn't trust him, but Odo believes that he isn't a founder at least partially because he doesn't have the disease that has spread through the great link. It seems Laas, like Odo, was one of the 100 changeling sent out by the link to explore the galaxy, only have has never encountered another changeling before. They return to the station and after some initial distrust Sisko agrees to release Laas into Odo's custody. They hit it off rather well including Laas first linking, but it is also clear Laas distrusts solids much more than Odo.
Laas is also very disdainful of Odo's lack of shapeshifting and tries to convince him to do so publicly. He is also disdainful of Odo's love for Kira. Laas takes the form of a fog on the promenade which O'Brien and some Klingons find disturbing. Laas confronts the Klingons and kills one of them when he goes for a disruptor. Sisko insists he be held for trial by the Klingons, but Odo, rightly in my view, doesn't believe he will get a fair trial. Laas has been trying to convince Odo to leave the station with him to go out across the galaxy to look for others like them, but Odo wants to stay with Kira. But he is also having problems with his relationship since Kira can tell he is sad the two of them can't link. Kira helps Laas escape and tells him where to meet Odo. Odo goes to him, but tells Laas he is going to stay on DS9. Laas is disappointed, but they both wish each other luck and Odo returns to Kira,
Review: The most interesting changeling storyline in the show so far. It makes me with the effects weren't so expensive so we could see stuff like this more often. Sure Laas comes across as a bit of a jerk, but he also has some damn good points about the way we humanoids see the world.
7 out of 10
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
DS9: Field of Fire
I felt kinda meh about this episode. I love a good murder mystery, but the "clues" in this one are pretty sparse and we only meet the killer after Ezri has figured out who it pretty much has to be. And speaking of figuring it out, why does the fact that the victims have pictures of them laughing mean that the killer must be a vulcan? Surely in a war torn Starfleet there are a bunch of emotionally devastated people and maybe the killer just resents the seemingly happy lives they live. Also, it is never explained how the killer go the magic transporting murder weapon. Surely the replication of such a device is highly regulated, in fact we know it is since they drag a guy in for questioning just because he did exactly that.
We begin with the senior staff celebrating with a new ensign (the wiki says lieutenant, but I am certain Ezri refers to him as an ensign) who managed to pilot the Defiant to safety through a dangerous situation. Ezri walks him home afterwards. The next morning there is a commotion in the hallway, he was found dead the next morning. What makes it really strange is he was killed by a projectile which confuses everybody (not sure why, they have replicators and projectiles are clearly still dangerous, but whatever). That night Ezri has a dream about Joran, the host who was also a killer, and he seems to think he can help. After another member of the crew turns up dead in their quarters Ezri does a ritual to bring Joran to the surface to help her find the killer. O'Brien figures out that the killer modified a prototype starfleet rifle to use a transporter to beam the bullet right in front of its victim.
A bolian turns up dead with the same MO so the race is on to stop the killer. Ezri spends the second half of the episode walking around talking to phantom Joran who seems determined to make her a killer, which honestly seems kinda strange. Sure, he was a murderer, but the first time we met him it seemed more like his crimes were those of desperation, not those of a crazed madman, but whatever, he is crazy now. She eventually figures out that the only thing linking the victims is pictures in their quarters of them laughing so it must be a vulcan (racist). She runs into the murderer in a turbolift but doesn't do anything or tell anyone. Well, she does go to her quarters and use her copy of the rifle to shoot him before he can shoot her, but she doesn't kill him and summons the authorities before Joran can talk her into finishing him off.
Review: Not a very good mystery and not much tension since none of the main crew are ever threatened. Lots of Ezri time, but honestly this seems like it should have been more of an Odo episode.
3 out of 10
We begin with the senior staff celebrating with a new ensign (the wiki says lieutenant, but I am certain Ezri refers to him as an ensign) who managed to pilot the Defiant to safety through a dangerous situation. Ezri walks him home afterwards. The next morning there is a commotion in the hallway, he was found dead the next morning. What makes it really strange is he was killed by a projectile which confuses everybody (not sure why, they have replicators and projectiles are clearly still dangerous, but whatever). That night Ezri has a dream about Joran, the host who was also a killer, and he seems to think he can help. After another member of the crew turns up dead in their quarters Ezri does a ritual to bring Joran to the surface to help her find the killer. O'Brien figures out that the killer modified a prototype starfleet rifle to use a transporter to beam the bullet right in front of its victim.
A bolian turns up dead with the same MO so the race is on to stop the killer. Ezri spends the second half of the episode walking around talking to phantom Joran who seems determined to make her a killer, which honestly seems kinda strange. Sure, he was a murderer, but the first time we met him it seemed more like his crimes were those of desperation, not those of a crazed madman, but whatever, he is crazy now. She eventually figures out that the only thing linking the victims is pictures in their quarters of them laughing so it must be a vulcan (racist). She runs into the murderer in a turbolift but doesn't do anything or tell anyone. Well, she does go to her quarters and use her copy of the rifle to shoot him before he can shoot her, but she doesn't kill him and summons the authorities before Joran can talk her into finishing him off.
Review: Not a very good mystery and not much tension since none of the main crew are ever threatened. Lots of Ezri time, but honestly this seems like it should have been more of an Odo episode.
3 out of 10
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
DS9: The Emperor's New Cloak
We are definitely getting to the point in DS9 where they are trying to wrap things up as much as possible. I am not certain that this is the final DS9 mirror universe episode, but it certainly feels like it is. I really enjoyed Rom trying to figure out which things are truly the opposite of their universe, it seems like a reasonable thing to do. It is also cool that they resolved the main conflict between the Terran Rebels and the Alliance. Less hardcore Garek was a fun bit of the episode as was real life Vic Fontaine. I am kinda getting sick of Quark moping over Ezri all the time, but at least it had some fun twists this time.
We begin with the above mentioned moping as Quark expresses to Odo how offensive he finds Ezri and Bashir being tegether. Rom shows up to tell him that Zek has disappeared, but Quark doesn't believe it/is too distracted by Dax. That night while praying to the god of commerce for an in with Ezri who should arrive but Ezri, only this time it is punk Ezri. It was obvious to me that she was from the mirror universe but the love struck Quark takes a while to figure it out. She is there for a cloaking device and has a message from the kidnapped Grand Nagus demanding that Quark help. Quark and Nog don't seem to have any trouble stealing one from the docked Klingon ship and along with Ezri they flee to the mirror universe when Martok shows up to demand its return.
Things don't improve when they arrive on alt DS9 as they watch Vic Fotaine get shot by Bashir and are then captured by O'Brien. Luckily Brunt shows up and rescues them, it seems this Brunt is a nice guy or something. They make it to a transport with the cloaking device and make it to the Alliance flagship. Worf is pleased with their capture but refuses to release the Nagus and throws them into jail again. Luckily Rom is the only one who knows how to make the cloak work so he gets the job of installing it. Thing seem to be going great for the Alliance as they get their cloaked flagship in behind the Defiant, but as soon as they drop the cloak their ship shuts down, more Rom in action. They manage to escape with Ezri and presumably make it back to the actual DS9.
Review: I did skip over some character stuff in there which makes this episode a bit better than my summary might imply. We learn Ezri and Intendant Kira are lovers, but is there anyone who isn't the Intendants lover? The triumphant victory of the Terran Rebels makes for a nice conclusion to this fairly convoluted plotline.
6 out of 10
We begin with the above mentioned moping as Quark expresses to Odo how offensive he finds Ezri and Bashir being tegether. Rom shows up to tell him that Zek has disappeared, but Quark doesn't believe it/is too distracted by Dax. That night while praying to the god of commerce for an in with Ezri who should arrive but Ezri, only this time it is punk Ezri. It was obvious to me that she was from the mirror universe but the love struck Quark takes a while to figure it out. She is there for a cloaking device and has a message from the kidnapped Grand Nagus demanding that Quark help. Quark and Nog don't seem to have any trouble stealing one from the docked Klingon ship and along with Ezri they flee to the mirror universe when Martok shows up to demand its return.
Things don't improve when they arrive on alt DS9 as they watch Vic Fotaine get shot by Bashir and are then captured by O'Brien. Luckily Brunt shows up and rescues them, it seems this Brunt is a nice guy or something. They make it to a transport with the cloaking device and make it to the Alliance flagship. Worf is pleased with their capture but refuses to release the Nagus and throws them into jail again. Luckily Rom is the only one who knows how to make the cloak work so he gets the job of installing it. Thing seem to be going great for the Alliance as they get their cloaked flagship in behind the Defiant, but as soon as they drop the cloak their ship shuts down, more Rom in action. They manage to escape with Ezri and presumably make it back to the actual DS9.
Review: I did skip over some character stuff in there which makes this episode a bit better than my summary might imply. We learn Ezri and Intendant Kira are lovers, but is there anyone who isn't the Intendants lover? The triumphant victory of the Terran Rebels makes for a nice conclusion to this fairly convoluted plotline.
6 out of 10
Monday, May 23, 2016
DS9: Prodigal Daughter
I had completely forgotten this episode, but I am really glad it exists. Up to this point Ezri has been little more than the girl who got Jadzia's memories but doesn't really have much going on other than that. Now we see that she is the daughter of an overbearing mother and that joining starfleet must have been a big leap for her. It also ties up the events that happened when O'Brien was sent undercover to try and deal with part of the Orion Syndicate. It left me wondering what would happen to her family afterwards though as the local police were clearly in the pocket of the syndicate.
We begin with Kira, Odo, Dax and Julian hanging out in Quarks only Julian isn't really with them. He explains he is waiting for Miles which they dismiss as being about their holosuite adventures, but in reality it is something much darker. He goes to the airlock to see if Miles is on the days transport, but he isn't. Julian goes to Sisko's office and tells him that Miles went to New Sydney to find out what happened to the wife of the syndicate operative he got killed last season. Sisko is upset but also wants Miles back so he goes to Ezri who's family has mining interests in the system. Ezri calls her mother who agrees to help, but only if Ezri comes to visit. Clearly not wanting to Ezri agrees. As soon as she arrives she is greeted by her brother Norvo whose paintings are hung up around the families luxurious home. Their older brother Janel arrives still in his uniform from the mine. Their mother arrives and she is both happy and annoyed with Ezri.
It seems Norvo has been working on the books for their mother and when they are alone we learn that Norvo and Janel have been having secret dealings with the Orion Syndicate. That night Ezri tries to convince Norvo to leave home and either come to DS9 or go out and work on his art, but instead he gets drunk and destroys most of his work. That day O'Brien is brought in handcuffed by local authorities, it seems they interrupted a brawl between him and some Nausicaans. He tells them that he found the woman he was looking for, but she was dead in a river. Ezri's mother sends O'Brien and Janel into the mine to work on a broken drill and O'Brien quickly diagnosis it as a mislabeled part. They are confronted by a shady character named Bokar who after Miles leaves tells Janel that O'Brien is Starfleet intelligence and that he should leave soon.
While the rest of the family gets back to work O'Brien and Ezri start digging through the family financial records and O'Brien finds that his contacts wife was on the payroll, and that she stopped being paid the day she died. They confront Janel and Norvo who admit they were paying her as a favor to the syndicate but that she kept demanding more money. Ezri asks Janel if he killed her but quickly realizes it wasn't him, it was Norvo. Norvo gets convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Review: I slightly above average episode that works to add some depth to a late add on to the series. Pretty decent for an episode almost entirely lacking the main cast, but kinda weak for the series.
5 out of 10
We begin with Kira, Odo, Dax and Julian hanging out in Quarks only Julian isn't really with them. He explains he is waiting for Miles which they dismiss as being about their holosuite adventures, but in reality it is something much darker. He goes to the airlock to see if Miles is on the days transport, but he isn't. Julian goes to Sisko's office and tells him that Miles went to New Sydney to find out what happened to the wife of the syndicate operative he got killed last season. Sisko is upset but also wants Miles back so he goes to Ezri who's family has mining interests in the system. Ezri calls her mother who agrees to help, but only if Ezri comes to visit. Clearly not wanting to Ezri agrees. As soon as she arrives she is greeted by her brother Norvo whose paintings are hung up around the families luxurious home. Their older brother Janel arrives still in his uniform from the mine. Their mother arrives and she is both happy and annoyed with Ezri.
It seems Norvo has been working on the books for their mother and when they are alone we learn that Norvo and Janel have been having secret dealings with the Orion Syndicate. That night Ezri tries to convince Norvo to leave home and either come to DS9 or go out and work on his art, but instead he gets drunk and destroys most of his work. That day O'Brien is brought in handcuffed by local authorities, it seems they interrupted a brawl between him and some Nausicaans. He tells them that he found the woman he was looking for, but she was dead in a river. Ezri's mother sends O'Brien and Janel into the mine to work on a broken drill and O'Brien quickly diagnosis it as a mislabeled part. They are confronted by a shady character named Bokar who after Miles leaves tells Janel that O'Brien is Starfleet intelligence and that he should leave soon.
While the rest of the family gets back to work O'Brien and Ezri start digging through the family financial records and O'Brien finds that his contacts wife was on the payroll, and that she stopped being paid the day she died. They confront Janel and Norvo who admit they were paying her as a favor to the syndicate but that she kept demanding more money. Ezri asks Janel if he killed her but quickly realizes it wasn't him, it was Norvo. Norvo gets convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Review: I slightly above average episode that works to add some depth to a late add on to the series. Pretty decent for an episode almost entirely lacking the main cast, but kinda weak for the series.
5 out of 10
Friday, May 20, 2016
DS9: It's Only a Paper Moon
This is probably the episode that, along with Little Green Men, stuck in my head the most the first time I watched DS9. I am not saying it is the greatest episode in the series, but a story about an amputee war veteran returning to his old life feels a lot more real than many of the stories in the rest of Trek. The fact that he recuperates in a holosuite doesn't make it seem any less real either. The holosuite is just his way of hiding from his real life and I know that feeling.
We open with the crew eagerly awaiting Nog's return from the starbase where he got his replacement leg and some counseling, but when he arrives he is clearly depressed and doesn't want to talk to any of them. He heads straight to his quarters and proceeds to sleep 18 plus hours a day and the only thing he does while awake is listen to a recording of Vic Fontaine performing "I'll Be Seeing You" to the point that he drives Jake nuts. He walks out of his quarters and boots up the holosuite. He gets Vic to perform every version of "I'll Be Seeing You" that he knows having flashbacks to his initial surgery when Julian had the song on. After he asks Vic if he can stay with him and Vic agrees. At first Nog just wants to sit around and watch old movies but Vic talks him into coming to his performance. Ezri told Vic that Nog doesn't need the cane he walks with so Vic convinces him to use a flimsy cane.
Nog seems to be doing a little better but when Jake brings his girlfriend for a visit Nog is rude to both of them and tries to start a fight with Jake. Vic throws him out of the casino. That night Vic convinces Nog to take a look at his books and Nog realizes Vic has more money that he thought he had. Nog throws himself into running the casino and even starts working on plans for an expansion. Vic enjoys having his program run continuously but eventually gets a talk from Ezri about how it is time to end this. Vic confronts Nog who seems to not be ready, but Vic insists it is time to go and ends the program. Nog tries to break into the holosuite to turn him back on but O'Brien points out that it won't work. Vic appears and convinces Nog to try life on the outside again. He walks out and hugs his family and a week or so later returns to Vic's in uniform, he is back at work. As a thank you to Vic Nog convinces Quark to leave the program on continuously from now on.
Review: As someone who struggles at times with anxiety and depression I really felt for Nog in this episode. I know how hard it can seem to face reality, but it is nice to have a reminder like this that it is also the only way to really live your life.
8 out of 10
We open with the crew eagerly awaiting Nog's return from the starbase where he got his replacement leg and some counseling, but when he arrives he is clearly depressed and doesn't want to talk to any of them. He heads straight to his quarters and proceeds to sleep 18 plus hours a day and the only thing he does while awake is listen to a recording of Vic Fontaine performing "I'll Be Seeing You" to the point that he drives Jake nuts. He walks out of his quarters and boots up the holosuite. He gets Vic to perform every version of "I'll Be Seeing You" that he knows having flashbacks to his initial surgery when Julian had the song on. After he asks Vic if he can stay with him and Vic agrees. At first Nog just wants to sit around and watch old movies but Vic talks him into coming to his performance. Ezri told Vic that Nog doesn't need the cane he walks with so Vic convinces him to use a flimsy cane.
Nog seems to be doing a little better but when Jake brings his girlfriend for a visit Nog is rude to both of them and tries to start a fight with Jake. Vic throws him out of the casino. That night Vic convinces Nog to take a look at his books and Nog realizes Vic has more money that he thought he had. Nog throws himself into running the casino and even starts working on plans for an expansion. Vic enjoys having his program run continuously but eventually gets a talk from Ezri about how it is time to end this. Vic confronts Nog who seems to not be ready, but Vic insists it is time to go and ends the program. Nog tries to break into the holosuite to turn him back on but O'Brien points out that it won't work. Vic appears and convinces Nog to try life on the outside again. He walks out and hugs his family and a week or so later returns to Vic's in uniform, he is back at work. As a thank you to Vic Nog convinces Quark to leave the program on continuously from now on.
Review: As someone who struggles at times with anxiety and depression I really felt for Nog in this episode. I know how hard it can seem to face reality, but it is nice to have a reminder like this that it is also the only way to really live your life.
8 out of 10
Thursday, May 19, 2016
DS9: Covenant
Maybe it is because of when it was made, but DS9 seems to have a lot more of an obsession with cults than other Trek series. Specifically on the dangers of blindly following an individual and trusting them with your life. This is somewhat counter to the message that they also seem to love that faith is the most important thing. I guess only have faith in a distant god? This is a show all about gods that are real and as long as they aren't hands on gods like the founders or pah-wraiths they seem to be good.
The episode opens at Quark's where Odo is expressing regret that he doesn't attend Kira's religious ceremonies but they all agree that without faith he wouldn't get much out of it. That night Kira gets a ring on her bell and a visit from Vedek Fala, the man who taught her faith in the camp she grew up in. But it turns out to be a trap, he hands her a small bundle and she is transported all the way to way to Empok Nor and greeted by members of the pah-wraith cult. It turns out their leader asked them to bring her to him. Of course their leader is Dukat. Back on the station they begin investigating her disappearance but she could be anywhere within three light years so it will be quite a search. Kira is horrified to see how the people on the station worship Dukat. So much so that they go to him to get permission to have children.
And speaking of children one of the women and pregnant and when the child is born it is half Cardassian. Dukat declares it a miracle by the pah-wraiths and the people accept this, well, they do other than Kira. She talks to the father but he refuses to believe it is anything but a miracle. That night Dukat tries to kill the mother by opening an airlock on her, but she survives when Kira arrives, but misses Dukat. Before the mother can recover though Dukat declares he had a vision from the pah-wraiths and they want the people to join them so they should all commit suicide. Kira manages to escape and drops from the second level of the promenade onto Dukat making him drop his pill. His trick is revealed when he freaks out not sure which pill was his because of course he wasn't going to kill himself. The people turn on him and he flees.
Review: Not sure where they were going with the message that faith is important, but sometimes those you have faith in are actually evil monsters. Not a boring or terrible episode, but a bit ambiguous, but I guess so is life.
5 out of 10
The episode opens at Quark's where Odo is expressing regret that he doesn't attend Kira's religious ceremonies but they all agree that without faith he wouldn't get much out of it. That night Kira gets a ring on her bell and a visit from Vedek Fala, the man who taught her faith in the camp she grew up in. But it turns out to be a trap, he hands her a small bundle and she is transported all the way to way to Empok Nor and greeted by members of the pah-wraith cult. It turns out their leader asked them to bring her to him. Of course their leader is Dukat. Back on the station they begin investigating her disappearance but she could be anywhere within three light years so it will be quite a search. Kira is horrified to see how the people on the station worship Dukat. So much so that they go to him to get permission to have children.
And speaking of children one of the women and pregnant and when the child is born it is half Cardassian. Dukat declares it a miracle by the pah-wraiths and the people accept this, well, they do other than Kira. She talks to the father but he refuses to believe it is anything but a miracle. That night Dukat tries to kill the mother by opening an airlock on her, but she survives when Kira arrives, but misses Dukat. Before the mother can recover though Dukat declares he had a vision from the pah-wraiths and they want the people to join them so they should all commit suicide. Kira manages to escape and drops from the second level of the promenade onto Dukat making him drop his pill. His trick is revealed when he freaks out not sure which pill was his because of course he wasn't going to kill himself. The people turn on him and he flees.
Review: Not sure where they were going with the message that faith is important, but sometimes those you have faith in are actually evil monsters. Not a boring or terrible episode, but a bit ambiguous, but I guess so is life.
5 out of 10
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
DS9: The Siege of AR-558
While I had forgotten the details of this episode I will never forget Nog losing his leg and the recovering he goes through over the course of the next few episodes. The war has always been a dark area for DS9 and things are going to keep getting darker for at least a good part of the rest of this season. I am also at the point where I really wish there had been an 8th season, not just because I am not really looking forward to Voyager, but also because the stories they have set up at this point in DS9 are among my favorites in all of Trek. Also maybe Ezri would turn into a real character. She does a little better in this episode, but only by comparison with previous episodes.
We begin with Rom auditioning to be Vic's opening act, but it turns out a singing Ferengi wasn't what he had in mind. Bashir drops by as well to pick up some recordings of his music to take to the front lines. And it doesn't take long for them to head that way, the Defiant is to drop off supplies to AR-558, a barren planet only occupied for its strategic location and for some reason Quark has been sent along as well to be an observer for the Grand Nagus. They arrive and beam down but are immediately fired upon, but their own troops. Luckily things get sorted out before anyone his hurt but they find the soldiers at this outpost are in bad shape. Their former third in command has taken over since both of her superiors where killed. They are also having a problem with invisible mines hidden all around their base that wait for a long time before going off seemingly at random.
Things get worse when Jem'Hadar ships arrive and the Defiant calls down to beam out Sisko and company, but he decides to stay behind and help with the fight instead. Ezri gets the job of working with an engineer to locate the mines and Nog gets the job of using his impressive hearing to scout for the enemy. After a bluff attack they locate the mines and move them to a spot that will cut down on the Jem'Hadar on their way on. While on a scouting mission Nog gets shot in the leg and there is nothing Julian can do to save his limb. The attack comes and despite some casualties the Federation carries the day, but the war is far from over.
Review: I skipped over a lot of the interesting/fun/depressing character interactions throughout this episode above as they don't seriously impact the plot, but they are what makes this episode so good. I am honestly not sure why Quark is with them, but he does bravely save Nog from the Jem'Hadar in the end so there is at least that.
7 out of 10
We begin with Rom auditioning to be Vic's opening act, but it turns out a singing Ferengi wasn't what he had in mind. Bashir drops by as well to pick up some recordings of his music to take to the front lines. And it doesn't take long for them to head that way, the Defiant is to drop off supplies to AR-558, a barren planet only occupied for its strategic location and for some reason Quark has been sent along as well to be an observer for the Grand Nagus. They arrive and beam down but are immediately fired upon, but their own troops. Luckily things get sorted out before anyone his hurt but they find the soldiers at this outpost are in bad shape. Their former third in command has taken over since both of her superiors where killed. They are also having a problem with invisible mines hidden all around their base that wait for a long time before going off seemingly at random.
Things get worse when Jem'Hadar ships arrive and the Defiant calls down to beam out Sisko and company, but he decides to stay behind and help with the fight instead. Ezri gets the job of working with an engineer to locate the mines and Nog gets the job of using his impressive hearing to scout for the enemy. After a bluff attack they locate the mines and move them to a spot that will cut down on the Jem'Hadar on their way on. While on a scouting mission Nog gets shot in the leg and there is nothing Julian can do to save his limb. The attack comes and despite some casualties the Federation carries the day, but the war is far from over.
Review: I skipped over a lot of the interesting/fun/depressing character interactions throughout this episode above as they don't seriously impact the plot, but they are what makes this episode so good. I am honestly not sure why Quark is with them, but he does bravely save Nog from the Jem'Hadar in the end so there is at least that.
7 out of 10
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
DS9: Once More Unto the Breach
DS9 is getting to the point where I think they knew this was their last season so they have already started wrapping up loose threads they left behind along the way. I wouldn't have thought of Kor needing a conclusion episode, but it turns out he did and it works pretty well. Kor has been around since TOS so I suppose it is nice that he got to have a nice end on screen. I also appreciate that while he clearly deserves an honorable death, he also isn't the warrior he once was getting confused easily and forgetting which he is in at the moment. The idea of Klingon class conflict has been building slowly as well and this to my knowledge is the most directly it is ever dealt with.
The episode opens with Miles and Julian debating in Quark's over whether Davy Crockett had the legendary death he is classically credited with. Worf though knows the truth, if he is a legend to you it happened like the legend says, otherwise it doesn't matter. This pays off immediately as Worf gets a visit in his quarters from Kor. Kor is now an outsider in the Klingon power structure despite his legendary status and seeks only to have an honorable death in combat. Worf takes the request to Martok to refuses to help. It seems Kor turned down his application to be an officer decades earlier due to his lack of noble birth. Martok is however planning a dangerous raid behind enemy lines and is taking only 9 small ships with him. Worf pulls some strings and gets Kor assigned to one of those ships without getting Martok's approval, but of course the ship he will be on is Martok's.
Kor reports for duty as they prepare to leave and is greeted coldly by Martok, especially in light of everyone else on the ship being totally enamored with him. That night in the mess hall Martok tells the crew his bold plan to use one ship as a decoy to draw out the damage control teams and to then strike with the rest of the ships while their defenses are down. Kor likes the idea but turns it into a story about a time he did something similar to the Federation years earlier again enamoring the crew but further upsetting Martok. During the attack itself things seem to be going great but Kor for some reason takes command after Martok is knocked down and thinks he is in the old battle again and refuses to withdraw even though that is pretty much the entire plan. Worf hits him in the face and takes over the withdrawal.
Things have gone well but it seems the Dominion has figured out a way to pursue them despite being cloaked. They are going to be caught and destroyed before they can reach the Defiant and safety so Worf comes up with a bold plan, one ship will turn around and knock out the warp fields on the Dominion ships which will buy some time. But to get enough time that ship will have to hold all the Dominion ships attention for several more minutes. Worf agrees to command the ship that is going back but he gets knocked out by Kor using a hypospray and Kor goes instead. At first Martok is upset, but when Kor save the day and gets his honorable death even Martok is willing to raise a toast in his honor.
Review: I have been enjoying Klingon episodes less on this watchthrough than I did the first time through, but I really liked this episode. I kinda skipped the Ezri stuff because it doesn't really go anywhere and didn't really have much impact on the episode. I expect a lot more character conclusion episodes in the next few weeks.
7 out of 10
The episode opens with Miles and Julian debating in Quark's over whether Davy Crockett had the legendary death he is classically credited with. Worf though knows the truth, if he is a legend to you it happened like the legend says, otherwise it doesn't matter. This pays off immediately as Worf gets a visit in his quarters from Kor. Kor is now an outsider in the Klingon power structure despite his legendary status and seeks only to have an honorable death in combat. Worf takes the request to Martok to refuses to help. It seems Kor turned down his application to be an officer decades earlier due to his lack of noble birth. Martok is however planning a dangerous raid behind enemy lines and is taking only 9 small ships with him. Worf pulls some strings and gets Kor assigned to one of those ships without getting Martok's approval, but of course the ship he will be on is Martok's.
Kor reports for duty as they prepare to leave and is greeted coldly by Martok, especially in light of everyone else on the ship being totally enamored with him. That night in the mess hall Martok tells the crew his bold plan to use one ship as a decoy to draw out the damage control teams and to then strike with the rest of the ships while their defenses are down. Kor likes the idea but turns it into a story about a time he did something similar to the Federation years earlier again enamoring the crew but further upsetting Martok. During the attack itself things seem to be going great but Kor for some reason takes command after Martok is knocked down and thinks he is in the old battle again and refuses to withdraw even though that is pretty much the entire plan. Worf hits him in the face and takes over the withdrawal.
Things have gone well but it seems the Dominion has figured out a way to pursue them despite being cloaked. They are going to be caught and destroyed before they can reach the Defiant and safety so Worf comes up with a bold plan, one ship will turn around and knock out the warp fields on the Dominion ships which will buy some time. But to get enough time that ship will have to hold all the Dominion ships attention for several more minutes. Worf agrees to command the ship that is going back but he gets knocked out by Kor using a hypospray and Kor goes instead. At first Martok is upset, but when Kor save the day and gets his honorable death even Martok is willing to raise a toast in his honor.
Review: I have been enjoying Klingon episodes less on this watchthrough than I did the first time through, but I really liked this episode. I kinda skipped the Ezri stuff because it doesn't really go anywhere and didn't really have much impact on the episode. I expect a lot more character conclusion episodes in the next few weeks.
7 out of 10
Monday, May 16, 2016
DS9: Treachery, Faith and the Great River
This episode is really firing on all cylinders. The A and B stories are both very well told and while they are rather different in tone are both about having a faith that others find hard to understand. I really like that they include the story about a Vorta having to decide what it means to worship gods who walk among them. Up until now they have always been referred to as gods but it wasn't clear how deep their faith went. It is interesting that Weyoun 7 was totally willing to kill Odo though, but I guess the message may also be in theory that clones aren't actually the same person. That may also be my favorite Nog episode so far.
We begin with Odo and Kira discussing a contact Odo got from his most reliable contact in the Cardassian government. Kira tells him it may be a trap, but Odo knows that, he also feels he owes it to his contact to try. They are to meet on a deserted moon. Odo arrives and is greeted by Weyoun, it seems he wants to defect. Back on the station O'Brien is having a hard time keeping things running and it gets worse. Sisko is leaving for three days and expects the Defiant to have a functional gravity system when he gets back, a problem because the parts are going to take weeks to arrive. But Nog sees an opportunity and offers to help. Miles hesitantly agrees and gives him access to his authorization codes.
Back on the moon Odo his hesitant to trust Weyoun, but he doesn't think he can pass up an opportunity like this to shorten the war. He beams up to the runabout with Weyoun but almost as soon as they leave they get a call from Damar, and Weyoun. It seems the Weyoun with Odo is number 6 and the one with Damar is 7. Weyoun 7 orders 6 to kill himself but he refuses. They cut off the transmission and Damar says they have to destroy the runabout but Weyoun 7 doesn't want to kill a founder, but also sees that they have to stop Weyoun 6. He orders and attack without making contact. Back on the station Sisko's desk is gone, it seems Nog has found a way to get a part he needs for its lone for a few days. Also Martok's bloodwine he got from his wife is gone, it too has been traded it seems.
On the runabout they are attacked but Weyoun 6 give information about a weakness in their shields to Odo who manages to defeat the ship. Weyoun 6 tells Odo that the founders are sick, all of them, and it is bad. He explains how one of his ancestors helped a founder centuries ago and their reward was to be transformed into the beings they are now and he is truly thankful. He believes that all the founders other than Odo are going to die and that Odo will take control of the Dominion since his people and the Jem'Hadar consider him a god. More ships arrive and Odo's attempt to hide in a comet fragment fails so at the last minute Weyoun 6 contacts Damar and 7 to show that he has activated his implant committing suicide to save Odo. Back on the station Sisko's desk is back just in time as is the part O'Brien needed. And Nog managed to get even better blood wine for Martok. Odo and Kira have an interesting conversation about faith and what it means to be a god.
Review: My write up fails to capture the spirit of this episode. The Nog bits are really fun and the Weyoun story is really thought provoking. The founders are the creators of the Vorta so why is it wrong for them to be considered gods by the Vorta?
8 out of 10
We begin with Odo and Kira discussing a contact Odo got from his most reliable contact in the Cardassian government. Kira tells him it may be a trap, but Odo knows that, he also feels he owes it to his contact to try. They are to meet on a deserted moon. Odo arrives and is greeted by Weyoun, it seems he wants to defect. Back on the station O'Brien is having a hard time keeping things running and it gets worse. Sisko is leaving for three days and expects the Defiant to have a functional gravity system when he gets back, a problem because the parts are going to take weeks to arrive. But Nog sees an opportunity and offers to help. Miles hesitantly agrees and gives him access to his authorization codes.
Back on the moon Odo his hesitant to trust Weyoun, but he doesn't think he can pass up an opportunity like this to shorten the war. He beams up to the runabout with Weyoun but almost as soon as they leave they get a call from Damar, and Weyoun. It seems the Weyoun with Odo is number 6 and the one with Damar is 7. Weyoun 7 orders 6 to kill himself but he refuses. They cut off the transmission and Damar says they have to destroy the runabout but Weyoun 7 doesn't want to kill a founder, but also sees that they have to stop Weyoun 6. He orders and attack without making contact. Back on the station Sisko's desk is gone, it seems Nog has found a way to get a part he needs for its lone for a few days. Also Martok's bloodwine he got from his wife is gone, it too has been traded it seems.
On the runabout they are attacked but Weyoun 6 give information about a weakness in their shields to Odo who manages to defeat the ship. Weyoun 6 tells Odo that the founders are sick, all of them, and it is bad. He explains how one of his ancestors helped a founder centuries ago and their reward was to be transformed into the beings they are now and he is truly thankful. He believes that all the founders other than Odo are going to die and that Odo will take control of the Dominion since his people and the Jem'Hadar consider him a god. More ships arrive and Odo's attempt to hide in a comet fragment fails so at the last minute Weyoun 6 contacts Damar and 7 to show that he has activated his implant committing suicide to save Odo. Back on the station Sisko's desk is back just in time as is the part O'Brien needed. And Nog managed to get even better blood wine for Martok. Odo and Kira have an interesting conversation about faith and what it means to be a god.
Review: My write up fails to capture the spirit of this episode. The Nog bits are really fun and the Weyoun story is really thought provoking. The founders are the creators of the Vorta so why is it wrong for them to be considered gods by the Vorta?
8 out of 10
Sunday, May 15, 2016
DS9: Chrysalis
I am pretty sure this is the end of the enhanced arc in the DS9 storyline and honestly it is a pretty good conclusion. I am actually entirely sure they never planned on returning to the cataleptic Sarina, but it is nice to see them dig into her character and also in Bashir. We see how little he has actually been involved in relationship and how immature he is despite his vast intellect. Also, after they tried to surrender to the Dominion in their last appearance you would think Starfleet would keep a closer eye on the enhanced trio, but no, they can wander around dressed like officers without getting caught.
We open with Bashir getting left alone when neither Miles nor Kira and Odo want to spend the evening with him and it points out that unlike many of the characters he is very alone. He returns to his quarters and prepares to sleep when he is called to the infirmary by Nog, it seems there is an admiral there who has sent away the other doctor for some reason. He reports as ordered but finds instead of an admiral the three enhanced people dressed like officers. It seems Bashir has been working on a way to help the cataleptic Sarina. He manages to talk Sisko into letting him try his experimental procedure, but when he goes to O'Brien to try and get his instruments modified Miles tells him it isn't physically possible. But the enhanced people have no problem fixing it and he goes ahead with the procedure.
It looks like the procedure was a failure until Sarina shows up on the promenade five days later. She even speaks for the first time in many years. In the infirmary she thanks Bashir for helping her and he is already taken with her. They go to the cargo bay with the other enhanced people and have a super annoying singing scene. She goes to Bashir's quarters that night and falls asleep in his arms. She seems to be doing extremely well, she even goes to Quarks to meet Bashir's friends and has a great time. That night they kiss and it is clearly more than she is ready for. Bashir tells the other enhanced people that she won't be going back to the institute with the rest of them which upsets them a lot.
That night she is back at Quark's and wins all the money at Dabo, but the crowd is too much for her. Bashir offers to have a quiet dinner with her the next night, but she doesn't show up. He goes to her quarters angrily but finds her cataleptic again. He asks the other enhanced people for help and they quickly realize she is choosing to be this way now. He eventually gets her to talk and she admits she isn't ready to be in love yet. He arranges a position for her at a research outpost and she leaves him with a kiss.
Review: While this is a story about two genetically enhanced people it is also a story that happens all the time in high schools across the world. Not a very scifi story other than some technobabble, but a very personal story that works.
7 out of 10
We open with Bashir getting left alone when neither Miles nor Kira and Odo want to spend the evening with him and it points out that unlike many of the characters he is very alone. He returns to his quarters and prepares to sleep when he is called to the infirmary by Nog, it seems there is an admiral there who has sent away the other doctor for some reason. He reports as ordered but finds instead of an admiral the three enhanced people dressed like officers. It seems Bashir has been working on a way to help the cataleptic Sarina. He manages to talk Sisko into letting him try his experimental procedure, but when he goes to O'Brien to try and get his instruments modified Miles tells him it isn't physically possible. But the enhanced people have no problem fixing it and he goes ahead with the procedure.
It looks like the procedure was a failure until Sarina shows up on the promenade five days later. She even speaks for the first time in many years. In the infirmary she thanks Bashir for helping her and he is already taken with her. They go to the cargo bay with the other enhanced people and have a super annoying singing scene. She goes to Bashir's quarters that night and falls asleep in his arms. She seems to be doing extremely well, she even goes to Quarks to meet Bashir's friends and has a great time. That night they kiss and it is clearly more than she is ready for. Bashir tells the other enhanced people that she won't be going back to the institute with the rest of them which upsets them a lot.
That night she is back at Quark's and wins all the money at Dabo, but the crowd is too much for her. Bashir offers to have a quiet dinner with her the next night, but she doesn't show up. He goes to her quarters angrily but finds her cataleptic again. He asks the other enhanced people for help and they quickly realize she is choosing to be this way now. He eventually gets her to talk and she admits she isn't ready to be in love yet. He arranges a position for her at a research outpost and she leaves him with a kiss.
Review: While this is a story about two genetically enhanced people it is also a story that happens all the time in high schools across the world. Not a very scifi story other than some technobabble, but a very personal story that works.
7 out of 10
Saturday, May 14, 2016
DS9: Take Me Out to the Holosuite
One of these days I will actually get enough sleep, but that day is not today. Never the less I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. It has some great humor and very touching character moments. Also nice to see that Sisko isn't above holding a grudge against a stuck up vulcan. This episode pays off a bunch of the relationships that have been building throughout the show including Sisko's lifelong love of baseball. Odo as the umpire is totally perfect too.
The episode begins with a Federation ship crewed by vulcans docking at DS9 and the captain coming to SIsko's office. It is clear there is tension between the two, the vulcan is unhappy that the repairs will take longer than he would like and he seems intent on belittling Sisko for working on a station, not on the front lines with him. It ends with him challenging Sisko and his senior staff to a competition, but we aren't told what kind. Sisko calls a meeting of his senior staff to lay down the challenge, the field of battle will be a baseball diamond. Everybody is in board, but they aren't sure about their skills. Cut to montage of everybody trying to learn the rules before tryouts.
Tryouts go pretty decently overall, other than Rom. He is pretty much entirely terrible. After the first practice almost half the team is in the infirmary. And at least two of them are injuries caused by Rom. Sisko recruits Odo to umpire and he isn't sure, but agrees to do it. We also learn that Sisko and the vulcan captain got in a drunken wrestling match in the academy and that he vulcan has used it as an example in a nearly endless series of papers about why vulcans are better than humans. Everybody seems ready, but just before the game Ben is forced to pull Rom off the team, he is just too terrible and honestly dangerous to those around him.
The game starts and it isn't off to much of a start with the vulcans scoring 4 in the first inning, but the Niners as they dub themselves start to slow them down as the game goes on with the score 7 to 0 at the end of the fourth inning. Kira manages to get on base in the fifth with two outs, but Worf strikes out and gets angry with Odo for what he feels was a bad call. Sisko manages to get in his way and gets himself thrown out instead. Things start looking up a bit then and the team is clearly fired up. In the 9th inning down 10 to 0 the Niners get Nog to third base with no outs and Sisko convinces O'Brien to call in a substitution, Rom! Rom gets to the plate and figures out the signal to bunt and manages to bunt his son home scoring on the vulcans. They carry him off the field over the objections of the vulcan captain. After in Quark's Sisko is in an ever better mood and gets to taunt his old rival a bit more.
Review: A really fun episode, and doubly so since I am in fact a baseball fan. It is interesting how much more I have noticed on this watchthrough how much Trek actually criticizes the vulcan way. Sure they are good at some stuff, but they really lack heart.
8 out of 10
The episode begins with a Federation ship crewed by vulcans docking at DS9 and the captain coming to SIsko's office. It is clear there is tension between the two, the vulcan is unhappy that the repairs will take longer than he would like and he seems intent on belittling Sisko for working on a station, not on the front lines with him. It ends with him challenging Sisko and his senior staff to a competition, but we aren't told what kind. Sisko calls a meeting of his senior staff to lay down the challenge, the field of battle will be a baseball diamond. Everybody is in board, but they aren't sure about their skills. Cut to montage of everybody trying to learn the rules before tryouts.
Tryouts go pretty decently overall, other than Rom. He is pretty much entirely terrible. After the first practice almost half the team is in the infirmary. And at least two of them are injuries caused by Rom. Sisko recruits Odo to umpire and he isn't sure, but agrees to do it. We also learn that Sisko and the vulcan captain got in a drunken wrestling match in the academy and that he vulcan has used it as an example in a nearly endless series of papers about why vulcans are better than humans. Everybody seems ready, but just before the game Ben is forced to pull Rom off the team, he is just too terrible and honestly dangerous to those around him.
The game starts and it isn't off to much of a start with the vulcans scoring 4 in the first inning, but the Niners as they dub themselves start to slow them down as the game goes on with the score 7 to 0 at the end of the fourth inning. Kira manages to get on base in the fifth with two outs, but Worf strikes out and gets angry with Odo for what he feels was a bad call. Sisko manages to get in his way and gets himself thrown out instead. Things start looking up a bit then and the team is clearly fired up. In the 9th inning down 10 to 0 the Niners get Nog to third base with no outs and Sisko convinces O'Brien to call in a substitution, Rom! Rom gets to the plate and figures out the signal to bunt and manages to bunt his son home scoring on the vulcans. They carry him off the field over the objections of the vulcan captain. After in Quark's Sisko is in an ever better mood and gets to taunt his old rival a bit more.
Review: A really fun episode, and doubly so since I am in fact a baseball fan. It is interesting how much more I have noticed on this watchthrough how much Trek actually criticizes the vulcan way. Sure they are good at some stuff, but they really lack heart.
8 out of 10
Friday, May 13, 2016
DS9: Afterimage
I am going to keep this fairly short as I got stuck late at work due to an incident outside the park and I have to be back tomorrow morning to lead a trip to Pinnacles so yeah, need to sleep soon. But I did actually end up enjoying Afterimage. Mostly I enjoyed Garak as I usually do and it was nice to see Worf decide to stop being quite so stubborn about at least one thing. Ezri is settling in a bit and I am finding I like her character more than I was expecting. They do need to do more to establish who she is as Ezri though rather than just as Dax.
Ezri is having a hard time dealing with having memories about a place she has never been before and starts by talking about it with Morn and then Quark, but Quark mostly just wants to hit on her. She tells Sisko she plans to return to her duties on the Destiny, which clearly disappoints him. In Quark's Miles and Julian are planning their next holosuite adventure and Odo is in on it as well. Garak is there to provide the costumes, but he is agitated and trying to work on his projects for Starfleet Intelligence. He leaves and returns to his shop, which is closed, to work decrypting Cardassian transmissions. Odo stops by and he collapses, unable to breath due to claustrophobia.
Ezri gets the job of trying to get him calm enough to work again since she is a ship's counselor, well, assistance counselor. She talks to Garak and he admits he was locked in a tiny space as a child when his father wanted to punish him and maybe just maybe that is what is causing him to be so claustrophobic now. She admits she has space sickness and leaves with him feeling more claustrophobic and her feeling space sick, but the next day he is back to work on the decryption. She is having a worse problem with Worf though, he refuses to talk to her and when she tries talking to him he says he doesn't know her or want to know her and leaves. Garak has another freak out and tries to claw his way out of an airlock.
The problems with Worf and Garak lead Ezri to decide she needs to drop out of Starfleet entirely and she submits her resignation. O'Brien though talks to Worf and gets him to admit that he needs to talk to Ezri to honor his wife, not to disgrace her. He talks to her and tells her he doesn't think she should leave Starfleet. She also learns that while talking to Garak as he tried to space himself that she gave him the perspective he needs, he realizes he feels bad for what he feels is his betrayal of his own people. The two events convince her to stay in Starfleet, but not just that, to stay on DS9.
Review: Not the best episode in the series, but again it lacks significant flaws that would doom it to early TNG level.
5 out of 10
Ezri is having a hard time dealing with having memories about a place she has never been before and starts by talking about it with Morn and then Quark, but Quark mostly just wants to hit on her. She tells Sisko she plans to return to her duties on the Destiny, which clearly disappoints him. In Quark's Miles and Julian are planning their next holosuite adventure and Odo is in on it as well. Garak is there to provide the costumes, but he is agitated and trying to work on his projects for Starfleet Intelligence. He leaves and returns to his shop, which is closed, to work decrypting Cardassian transmissions. Odo stops by and he collapses, unable to breath due to claustrophobia.
Ezri gets the job of trying to get him calm enough to work again since she is a ship's counselor, well, assistance counselor. She talks to Garak and he admits he was locked in a tiny space as a child when his father wanted to punish him and maybe just maybe that is what is causing him to be so claustrophobic now. She admits she has space sickness and leaves with him feeling more claustrophobic and her feeling space sick, but the next day he is back to work on the decryption. She is having a worse problem with Worf though, he refuses to talk to her and when she tries talking to him he says he doesn't know her or want to know her and leaves. Garak has another freak out and tries to claw his way out of an airlock.
The problems with Worf and Garak lead Ezri to decide she needs to drop out of Starfleet entirely and she submits her resignation. O'Brien though talks to Worf and gets him to admit that he needs to talk to Ezri to honor his wife, not to disgrace her. He talks to her and tells her he doesn't think she should leave Starfleet. She also learns that while talking to Garak as he tried to space himself that she gave him the perspective he needs, he realizes he feels bad for what he feels is his betrayal of his own people. The two events convince her to stay in Starfleet, but not just that, to stay on DS9.
Review: Not the best episode in the series, but again it lacks significant flaws that would doom it to early TNG level.
5 out of 10
Thursday, May 12, 2016
DS9: Shadows and Symbols
This episode manages to move a bunch of the story elements in the show forward at once without feeling too forced. Some of it may have been a stretch, but overall it works well. I have to say I felt bad for everybody being upset with Worf that he was annoyed about three other men who were in love with his wife wanting to get in on honoring her after death. It is good to see Sisko has gotten his act together, I remember him being a hermit a little longer, but then I had to wait an actual three months over the summer before the show started up again instead of only a single night.
We begin with Ezri Dax introducing herself to the Sisko's and insists on going along on the trip to Tyree. Worf gets ready to leave the station with Julian and Miles but at the last minute Quark shows up and insists on going along as well. The Romulans aren't backing down on the weapons on the moon of Bajor and Kira sets up a blockade to stop them from bringing in the detonators. Sisko arrives at Tyree but starts hearing voices before he beams down. Worf is upset about the three, well, really two, Miles really was just her friend, guys who thought they loved Jadzia but Martok reminds him that they were his friends so he apologizes. The Romulans haven't given up on the weapons and send some warbirds to deliver "supplies" to the hospital, but Kira refuses to back down.
Sisko manages to find the orb but when he goes to open it he is suddenly the writer trapped in an asylum now writing the story on the walls. He is interrupted by a doctor who insists he stop writing. The Romulans show up even earlier than they said they would and the Starfleet admiral in charge tries to talk her down, but she refuses. The plan to blow up the shipyards from the klingon ship doesn't work the first time, but they fly even closer to the star being pursued by Jem'Hadar and this time it works. Kira gets Starfleet to make the Romulans back down at the very last second. Past Sisko refuses to stop writing and real Sisko opens the orb releasing a prophet who reopens the wormhole. He has a vision of his mother and learns that a prophet possessed her body and made sure he was conceived. Sisko returns to the station to warm greetings and everybody is pleased to meet Ezri except Worf.
Review: Lots happened in this episode and it wasn't boring, but it also just didn't grab me like some of them do. Not quite sure what was wrong, maybe just a little too much going on. Not a bad episode, but not the greatest either.
5 out of 10
We begin with Ezri Dax introducing herself to the Sisko's and insists on going along on the trip to Tyree. Worf gets ready to leave the station with Julian and Miles but at the last minute Quark shows up and insists on going along as well. The Romulans aren't backing down on the weapons on the moon of Bajor and Kira sets up a blockade to stop them from bringing in the detonators. Sisko arrives at Tyree but starts hearing voices before he beams down. Worf is upset about the three, well, really two, Miles really was just her friend, guys who thought they loved Jadzia but Martok reminds him that they were his friends so he apologizes. The Romulans haven't given up on the weapons and send some warbirds to deliver "supplies" to the hospital, but Kira refuses to back down.
Sisko manages to find the orb but when he goes to open it he is suddenly the writer trapped in an asylum now writing the story on the walls. He is interrupted by a doctor who insists he stop writing. The Romulans show up even earlier than they said they would and the Starfleet admiral in charge tries to talk her down, but she refuses. The plan to blow up the shipyards from the klingon ship doesn't work the first time, but they fly even closer to the star being pursued by Jem'Hadar and this time it works. Kira gets Starfleet to make the Romulans back down at the very last second. Past Sisko refuses to stop writing and real Sisko opens the orb releasing a prophet who reopens the wormhole. He has a vision of his mother and learns that a prophet possessed her body and made sure he was conceived. Sisko returns to the station to warm greetings and everybody is pleased to meet Ezri except Worf.
Review: Lots happened in this episode and it wasn't boring, but it also just didn't grab me like some of them do. Not quite sure what was wrong, maybe just a little too much going on. Not a bad episode, but not the greatest either.
5 out of 10
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
DS9: Image in the Sand
There are times where it feels like they had the story of Sisko and the prophets planned out a bit from the beginning of the show. And then there are times when an actress decides to leave the show and they have to improvise. I don't recall how Sisko fixes the wormhole, but I am sure he will do it somehow. I had forgotten about the twist that the woman who he thought was his mother turning out to be his step mother and that his real mother had a necklace with an ancient Bajoran inscription about the orb of the emissary.
We start three months after the end of the last season and Kira is settling in to running the station. She still has faith in the prophets, but Odo is worried about all the cult of pah-wraith worshipers who have started showing up on the station. Worf is getting bored with escort duty on the Defiant and also clearly really missing Jadzia. Sisko meanwhile is moping about his dad's restaurant until he has a vision from the prophets of himself digging in the desert on the planet Tyree and finding a woman's face hidden in the sand. He wakes up and tells Jake that he realizes now the reason he is on earth is to find the woman from his vision. He starts creating the womans face using a program on his PADD and Jake walks by and recognizes the face. He says he found a photo of her in the store room and returns with the picture. It is her with Ben's father. When Ben asks about her Joseph refuses to talk aobut her.
Back on the station Kira is told that the Romulans will be setting up offices on the station. She isn't pumped about it, but agrees. She meets the Romulan representative who seems friendly and asks permission to set up a hospital on an unoccupied moon of Bajor and Kira gets the council to agree to it. Worf stops by the holosuite to hear Vic sing Jadzia's favorite song and destroys the virtual bar. Quark talks to Bashir and Quark about it and they agree someone needs to talk to Worf. Sisko talks Joseph into talking about the woman in the picture, her name was Sarah and she was his first wife and Ben's mother. She left unexpectedly when he was one year old and had died before he could track her down. O'Brien gets the job of talking to Worf about Dax and while it takes three bottles of bloodwine, he finally gets Worf to tell him that he is worried Jadzia won't be let into Sto-vo-kor because she didn't die in battle. General Martok recruits Worf for a dangerous mission that should qualify Jadzia for the proper afterlife after some prodding from Miles and Julian who come along as well.
Joseph gives Ben a necklace that belonged to Sarah and when he looks at it closely he finds that it is inscribed in ancient Bajoran. Even more interestingly the words say, "Orb of the Emissary," a object never mentioned in the Bajoran religious texts. Sisko decides he has to go to Tyree to find the orb, but before he can get on his way he is confronted by a member of the pah-wraith cult who stabs him after saying he will never find the orb of the emissary. On DS9 Odo figures out that the Romulan "hospital" is actually an arms depot and tells Kira. She confronts the Romulan representative and insists that it be removed. Sisko is finally ready to go and is surprised that both Jake and Joseph have their bags packed as well. He is even more surprised by a young ensign who knocks on the door asking for him. He asks if he knows her, she replies that she is Dax.
Review: More of a middle set up episode than a pay off episode it none the less manages to juggle at least four stories including the bits with Weyoun and Damar that I cut from the summary for not being very well connected. Looking forward to seeing my episode tomorrow night!
6 out of 10
We start three months after the end of the last season and Kira is settling in to running the station. She still has faith in the prophets, but Odo is worried about all the cult of pah-wraith worshipers who have started showing up on the station. Worf is getting bored with escort duty on the Defiant and also clearly really missing Jadzia. Sisko meanwhile is moping about his dad's restaurant until he has a vision from the prophets of himself digging in the desert on the planet Tyree and finding a woman's face hidden in the sand. He wakes up and tells Jake that he realizes now the reason he is on earth is to find the woman from his vision. He starts creating the womans face using a program on his PADD and Jake walks by and recognizes the face. He says he found a photo of her in the store room and returns with the picture. It is her with Ben's father. When Ben asks about her Joseph refuses to talk aobut her.
Back on the station Kira is told that the Romulans will be setting up offices on the station. She isn't pumped about it, but agrees. She meets the Romulan representative who seems friendly and asks permission to set up a hospital on an unoccupied moon of Bajor and Kira gets the council to agree to it. Worf stops by the holosuite to hear Vic sing Jadzia's favorite song and destroys the virtual bar. Quark talks to Bashir and Quark about it and they agree someone needs to talk to Worf. Sisko talks Joseph into talking about the woman in the picture, her name was Sarah and she was his first wife and Ben's mother. She left unexpectedly when he was one year old and had died before he could track her down. O'Brien gets the job of talking to Worf about Dax and while it takes three bottles of bloodwine, he finally gets Worf to tell him that he is worried Jadzia won't be let into Sto-vo-kor because she didn't die in battle. General Martok recruits Worf for a dangerous mission that should qualify Jadzia for the proper afterlife after some prodding from Miles and Julian who come along as well.
Joseph gives Ben a necklace that belonged to Sarah and when he looks at it closely he finds that it is inscribed in ancient Bajoran. Even more interestingly the words say, "Orb of the Emissary," a object never mentioned in the Bajoran religious texts. Sisko decides he has to go to Tyree to find the orb, but before he can get on his way he is confronted by a member of the pah-wraith cult who stabs him after saying he will never find the orb of the emissary. On DS9 Odo figures out that the Romulan "hospital" is actually an arms depot and tells Kira. She confronts the Romulan representative and insists that it be removed. Sisko is finally ready to go and is surprised that both Jake and Joseph have their bags packed as well. He is even more surprised by a young ensign who knocks on the door asking for him. He asks if he knows her, she replies that she is Dax.
Review: More of a middle set up episode than a pay off episode it none the less manages to juggle at least four stories including the bits with Weyoun and Damar that I cut from the summary for not being very well connected. Looking forward to seeing my episode tomorrow night!
6 out of 10
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
DS9: Tears of the Prophets
I couldn't remember if Jadzia got killed at the end of season 6 or at the beginning of 7, but when they started talking about how she was going to have a baby with Worf I knew the time had come. And even after her being such a significant character on the show it felt a lot like Skin of Evil. Maybe that is just the offhand way she was killed by Dukat without accomplishing anything. The greats in Trek always die to save their ship or a planet or something. She just got blasted and failed to stop the wormhole from being sealed. And speaking of, this is the introduction to the not nearly as interesting as the Dominion war arc about the pah-wraiths trying to take over the wormhole or whatever. Sure, the Dominion war still has some fight in it, but I recall it getting pushed into the background a bit. One more season until Voyager...
We begin with things seeming to be going well on the station, which means bad things ahead apparently. Sisko gets an award and word has gotten out that Worf and Jadzia are trying for a baby so all the men in love with Jadzia are despairing in Quark's. Sisko also gets briefed on the new plan, the Federation feels ready to attack Cardassia to try and end the war. They bring the head of the Romulan war effort onto the station. It isn't clear if they have convinced the senator, but word comes through of the new Dominion orbital weapons platforms which will be coming online very soon so the invasion is on. Sisko though gets a vision from the prophets warning him not the leave Bajor at this time, but he is ordered to lead the invasion and goes anyway.
Back on Cardassia Dukat returns and is greeted as a failure, but convinces Weyoun and Damar to let him have access to Bajoran artifacts. He breaks a statue and released a pah-wraith into himself. On the station everybody is getting ready to go and Worf says goodbye to Jadzia who is staying behind to command the station. After he leaves she gets the news that it looks like she will be able to have a his child. The attack seems to be going well but the weapon platforms activate and they can't get through the shields. Fortunately they manage to figure out that they are all being powered from one moon and they go in for the kill. But of course its shields are too tough as well, but O'Brien figures out a way to get the weapons platforms to attack the moon and they carry the day.
Back on the station Jadzia is thanking the prophets for letting her have a child when Dukat appears in full pah-wraith mode. She goes for a phaser but he blasts her with evil red energy and she collapses. He then releases his pah-wraith into the orb kept in the temple and it turns black and the wormhole opens and then shuts in a strange way. Sisko collapses on the Defiant, the prophets are no longer with him. Jadzia is still alive when they get back, but only long enough to say goodbye to Worf. Julian managed to save her symbiote though so it is on its way back to the Trill homeworld. Sisko goes back to Earth to try and figure stuff out and ends up working at his fathers restaurant along with Jake.
Review: I know I have complained about Jadzia a bit, but her death still got me a fair bit. It is clear how much the other characters cared for her. I don't remember what happens with the wormhole and Sisko, but I think things may stay a bit dark for a while.
7 out of 10
We begin with things seeming to be going well on the station, which means bad things ahead apparently. Sisko gets an award and word has gotten out that Worf and Jadzia are trying for a baby so all the men in love with Jadzia are despairing in Quark's. Sisko also gets briefed on the new plan, the Federation feels ready to attack Cardassia to try and end the war. They bring the head of the Romulan war effort onto the station. It isn't clear if they have convinced the senator, but word comes through of the new Dominion orbital weapons platforms which will be coming online very soon so the invasion is on. Sisko though gets a vision from the prophets warning him not the leave Bajor at this time, but he is ordered to lead the invasion and goes anyway.
Back on Cardassia Dukat returns and is greeted as a failure, but convinces Weyoun and Damar to let him have access to Bajoran artifacts. He breaks a statue and released a pah-wraith into himself. On the station everybody is getting ready to go and Worf says goodbye to Jadzia who is staying behind to command the station. After he leaves she gets the news that it looks like she will be able to have a his child. The attack seems to be going well but the weapon platforms activate and they can't get through the shields. Fortunately they manage to figure out that they are all being powered from one moon and they go in for the kill. But of course its shields are too tough as well, but O'Brien figures out a way to get the weapons platforms to attack the moon and they carry the day.
Back on the station Jadzia is thanking the prophets for letting her have a child when Dukat appears in full pah-wraith mode. She goes for a phaser but he blasts her with evil red energy and she collapses. He then releases his pah-wraith into the orb kept in the temple and it turns black and the wormhole opens and then shuts in a strange way. Sisko collapses on the Defiant, the prophets are no longer with him. Jadzia is still alive when they get back, but only long enough to say goodbye to Worf. Julian managed to save her symbiote though so it is on its way back to the Trill homeworld. Sisko goes back to Earth to try and figure stuff out and ends up working at his fathers restaurant along with Jake.
Review: I know I have complained about Jadzia a bit, but her death still got me a fair bit. It is clear how much the other characters cared for her. I don't remember what happens with the wormhole and Sisko, but I think things may stay a bit dark for a while.
7 out of 10
Monday, May 9, 2016
DS9: The Sound of Her Voice
An episode entirely about relationships, only on DS9. Well, I guess the B story about Quark is only half about relationships, the rest of it is about profit. I didn't remember the details of my last watching, but the entire time they were talking to Captain Cusak I kept thinking that it wasn't going to turn out well. Side note: I am pretty sure this is the first appearance of the shuttlepods on the Defiant. I may be wrong but they seemed new. (I cheated and looked it up, this is the first appearance of this type of shuttlepod, someone literally stole the previous version.)
The episode opens with the B story. Odo is in Quark's telling Quark that he needs to replace his barstools with ones that have backs. Quark manages to plant the idea in his head that he needs to do something to celebrate his one month anniversary with Kira. Meanwhile on the Defiant they have detected a distant distress call, and since this is TV they are of course the only ship within range. At first they can only hear the voice of the injured woman trapped on a barely survivable planet so they head that way at high warp. Eventually they manage to get through to her and learn she is Captain Cusak, last survivor of the USS Olympia. Her ship had been on a long distance survey mission and on their way back encountered a planet with a strange energy field. They scanned the field which destroyed their ship. She was the only survivor making it away in an escape pod, but getting trapped on the planet below.
The main story is all about the various crew members talking to her in shifts since she has nothing else to do. She manages to get them all to open up about the stress they are under because of the war. Back on the station Quark, with Jake observing to learn about real crime for a story, gets Odo to agree to take Kira on a date for their anniversary in a holosuite. And while they are busy he arranges a few covert business deals. Back on the Defiant things aren't going well for Captain Cusak. She ran out of the drug she needs to survive the thin atmosphere (the same drug McCoy allegedly gave Kirk to help him fight on Vulcan in Amok Time.) They drain their phaser reserves of energy to get there faster.
On the station Quark has all his deals perfectly timed to happen while Odo is in the holosuite so of course Odo changes the day he is going on his date. Quark is distraught since it is too late to reschedule. But Odo overhears this and realizes Quark has actually done him a bunch of favors that helped him get with Kira so he changes his date back to the old time without telling Quark why. The Defiant arrives and sends a shuttlepod down to rescue Cusak, but when they search the cave they find her body, her three years dead body. They hold a wake for her back on the ship and it is real bonding moment for the crew. It even gets Sisko to open up with Kasidy about their relationship problems.
Review: A good character episode, but also kinda bland. I am going to put this right in the middle of the quality scale. Most other Trek shows wouldn't have episodes this character driven and if they did they wouldn't work.
5 out of 10
The episode opens with the B story. Odo is in Quark's telling Quark that he needs to replace his barstools with ones that have backs. Quark manages to plant the idea in his head that he needs to do something to celebrate his one month anniversary with Kira. Meanwhile on the Defiant they have detected a distant distress call, and since this is TV they are of course the only ship within range. At first they can only hear the voice of the injured woman trapped on a barely survivable planet so they head that way at high warp. Eventually they manage to get through to her and learn she is Captain Cusak, last survivor of the USS Olympia. Her ship had been on a long distance survey mission and on their way back encountered a planet with a strange energy field. They scanned the field which destroyed their ship. She was the only survivor making it away in an escape pod, but getting trapped on the planet below.
The main story is all about the various crew members talking to her in shifts since she has nothing else to do. She manages to get them all to open up about the stress they are under because of the war. Back on the station Quark, with Jake observing to learn about real crime for a story, gets Odo to agree to take Kira on a date for their anniversary in a holosuite. And while they are busy he arranges a few covert business deals. Back on the Defiant things aren't going well for Captain Cusak. She ran out of the drug she needs to survive the thin atmosphere (the same drug McCoy allegedly gave Kirk to help him fight on Vulcan in Amok Time.) They drain their phaser reserves of energy to get there faster.
On the station Quark has all his deals perfectly timed to happen while Odo is in the holosuite so of course Odo changes the day he is going on his date. Quark is distraught since it is too late to reschedule. But Odo overhears this and realizes Quark has actually done him a bunch of favors that helped him get with Kira so he changes his date back to the old time without telling Quark why. The Defiant arrives and sends a shuttlepod down to rescue Cusak, but when they search the cave they find her body, her three years dead body. They hold a wake for her back on the ship and it is real bonding moment for the crew. It even gets Sisko to open up with Kasidy about their relationship problems.
Review: A good character episode, but also kinda bland. I am going to put this right in the middle of the quality scale. Most other Trek shows wouldn't have episodes this character driven and if they did they wouldn't work.
5 out of 10
Sunday, May 8, 2016
DS9: Time's Orphan
I recall really disliking this episode the first time I saw it, but I didn't feel that way this time. Now I do have a few very serious objections, but overall I think it works really well. First the stuff that I liked better this time: I am not a parent, but I am now at the age where it is something I consider, plus I lead a Jr. Ranger group and I know how I would feel if one of them fell through a time portal. This made me really feel a lot more for Miles and Keiko than I probably did the first time. The issue I have is with how first the Federation deals with the situation and then the O'Brien's. Clearly feral Molly needed more help than the O'Brien's could provide, but the idea of just locking her up as was implied seems way too inhumane for the Trek future. And then O'Brien's plan to send her back to live the rest of her life isolated on a planet as the only person there seems just insane.
The episode opens with the O'Brien's being woken up by Molly, she is excited to go on a picnic. They get packed up and head to Golana. It is a pristine place with trees and grass and an ominous looking pile of boulders. While distracted with Kirayoshi Molly wanders into the rocks and finds a cave. Miles comes running when he hears her screaming and finds her dangling from a cliff. He tries to grab her but she falls into some kind of energy field and disappears and then the energy disappears as well. A few hours later Dax is there with a team of engineers trying to figure out how to reopen the time portal. After a lot of technobabble they manage to get it open and beam Molly back, but they get a Molly who has been in the past for ten years. She is much older and wild to the point that Bashir has to sedate her.
Back on the Defiant they determine through DNA that it is her and now the question is what they can do. They set up a tree and some bushes in a cargo bay and start trying to get her to talk again. While doing this Worf and Dax take care of Yoshi who is fascinated by Worf who meanwhile is determined to prove to Dax that he is a suitable father. Things seem to be going well with Molly, she eventually starts saying words and wants to go home, but when she gets there she is upset that it isn't her home on Golana. They take her to a holosuite but when it is time to leave she freaks out, runs away and stabs a guy in the chest with a broken bottle when he won't get out of her way fast enough. She gets stunned by a deputy and taken to a holding cell.
The Federation insists that she be taken to a special facility to be taken care of but that isn't acceptable to the O'Brien's. (I know sending their daughter away sounds bad, but have they looked that the facility? This is Star Trek, I suspect it is actually super nice and just what Molly needs, but whatever, it is a facility and it is bad.) Instead they take a sedated Molly with them to a runabout which they steal and take back to Golana. They turn the time portal back on and send her back to live in peace or something. Luckily for everybody their dumb plan turns out great as the portal sends old Molly back to the young version of herself who she convinces to go back home through the portal. In the end Worf proves to be a good potential father and Sisko agrees to represent the O'Brien's at the hearing.
Review: If they hadn't gotten super lucky and gotten the young Molly back this seems like something that the O'Brien's really should have been charged with some serious crimes over. But since it worked out in the most fortuitous possible way I guess it is fine. Still a good episode despite a few serious issues.
6 out of 10
The episode opens with the O'Brien's being woken up by Molly, she is excited to go on a picnic. They get packed up and head to Golana. It is a pristine place with trees and grass and an ominous looking pile of boulders. While distracted with Kirayoshi Molly wanders into the rocks and finds a cave. Miles comes running when he hears her screaming and finds her dangling from a cliff. He tries to grab her but she falls into some kind of energy field and disappears and then the energy disappears as well. A few hours later Dax is there with a team of engineers trying to figure out how to reopen the time portal. After a lot of technobabble they manage to get it open and beam Molly back, but they get a Molly who has been in the past for ten years. She is much older and wild to the point that Bashir has to sedate her.
Back on the Defiant they determine through DNA that it is her and now the question is what they can do. They set up a tree and some bushes in a cargo bay and start trying to get her to talk again. While doing this Worf and Dax take care of Yoshi who is fascinated by Worf who meanwhile is determined to prove to Dax that he is a suitable father. Things seem to be going well with Molly, she eventually starts saying words and wants to go home, but when she gets there she is upset that it isn't her home on Golana. They take her to a holosuite but when it is time to leave she freaks out, runs away and stabs a guy in the chest with a broken bottle when he won't get out of her way fast enough. She gets stunned by a deputy and taken to a holding cell.
The Federation insists that she be taken to a special facility to be taken care of but that isn't acceptable to the O'Brien's. (I know sending their daughter away sounds bad, but have they looked that the facility? This is Star Trek, I suspect it is actually super nice and just what Molly needs, but whatever, it is a facility and it is bad.) Instead they take a sedated Molly with them to a runabout which they steal and take back to Golana. They turn the time portal back on and send her back to live in peace or something. Luckily for everybody their dumb plan turns out great as the portal sends old Molly back to the young version of herself who she convinces to go back home through the portal. In the end Worf proves to be a good potential father and Sisko agrees to represent the O'Brien's at the hearing.
Review: If they hadn't gotten super lucky and gotten the young Molly back this seems like something that the O'Brien's really should have been charged with some serious crimes over. But since it worked out in the most fortuitous possible way I guess it is fine. Still a good episode despite a few serious issues.
6 out of 10
Saturday, May 7, 2016
DS9: Profit and Lace
This is an episode that doesn't seem to know what it wants to do with itself. At one level it is all about Quark and his family causing a revolution of Ferenginar liberating women to go out in public and earn profit which is clearly a good thing. But to get there we have to go through a super sexist sex change farce to get there. I did a little background reading before this write up and it seems Armin Shimerman actually significantly toned down the sexism in the episode through his performance which really makes me dread what they had it mind.
The episode begins with Quark coercing sex out of one of his dabo girls but is interrupted by Rom, there is a problem on Ferenginar. Rom tried calling their moogie and couldn't get through so he tried everyone else that he knows there and got no answer. They rush to ops and tell Sisko that the Dominion has invaded but cooler heads prevail, especially when Zek arrives. With his is Ishka who arrives fully clothed. Zek tells Quark that he legalized women dressed outdoors and even earning profit. But he was deposed by Brunt who is now acting Grand Nagus. They have a plan though, they are going to try and convince the commissioners that it is profitable to allow females to earn profit but only one will talk to them. Ishka and Quark are fighting as usual when she collapses, which is especially bad since she is the one who was supposed to do the convincing. The only alternative they can come up with is to have Quark get a sex change and convince him in her place.
Things get pretty crazy sexist for a while as everyone tries to get Quark to be more female and all he can do is stare at his breasts. And of course Zek starts hitting on him immediately. Things get worse when the commissioner arrives early and insists on meeting instantly. Quark convinces him successfully but he is determined to get some sex out of the deal. Brunt shows up but Quark is female enough to keep the commissioner happy. In the end Quark goes back to being male but still is extra emotional. He even apologizes to the dabo girl from the opening before going back for some oo-mox.
Review: Not really successful as either a comedy or a drama. I can kinda see where they were going but it just doesn't work in this episode.
3 out of 10
The episode begins with Quark coercing sex out of one of his dabo girls but is interrupted by Rom, there is a problem on Ferenginar. Rom tried calling their moogie and couldn't get through so he tried everyone else that he knows there and got no answer. They rush to ops and tell Sisko that the Dominion has invaded but cooler heads prevail, especially when Zek arrives. With his is Ishka who arrives fully clothed. Zek tells Quark that he legalized women dressed outdoors and even earning profit. But he was deposed by Brunt who is now acting Grand Nagus. They have a plan though, they are going to try and convince the commissioners that it is profitable to allow females to earn profit but only one will talk to them. Ishka and Quark are fighting as usual when she collapses, which is especially bad since she is the one who was supposed to do the convincing. The only alternative they can come up with is to have Quark get a sex change and convince him in her place.
Things get pretty crazy sexist for a while as everyone tries to get Quark to be more female and all he can do is stare at his breasts. And of course Zek starts hitting on him immediately. Things get worse when the commissioner arrives early and insists on meeting instantly. Quark convinces him successfully but he is determined to get some sex out of the deal. Brunt shows up but Quark is female enough to keep the commissioner happy. In the end Quark goes back to being male but still is extra emotional. He even apologizes to the dabo girl from the opening before going back for some oo-mox.
Review: Not really successful as either a comedy or a drama. I can kinda see where they were going but it just doesn't work in this episode.
3 out of 10
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