Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x01 — The Homecoming

Aired 1993-09-26

SpaceOpera.com rating:6

Average reader rating:4.88

Synopsis

Kira risks her life, and war with the Cardassians, to rescue a mythical Bajoran hero from a distant prison colony.

Filler rating: not filler

This arc sets up a number of long term plot threads, including Bareil's relationship with Kira.

Remarkable scenes

Odo unable to explain Quark helping him crack a case.
Quark visiting Kira's quarters.
Sisko and Jake talking about Jake's first date.
Dax one step ahead of Sisko in their conversation about whether or not to give Kira the runabout.
Kira making up a high ranking Cardassian to fool the border police.
Gul Dukat's mysterious cooperative mood.
Quark being tagged by the terrorists.
Li Nalas telling his story to Sisko.
Sisko trying to convince Nalas to be the symbol Bajor needs, even if he's not a great leader at heart.
Rules of Acquisition; 76. Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.

Review

More Bajoran politics. Kira's successful mission to Cardassia IV to rescue Li Nalas was lots of fun, especially with Dukat's odd cooperation. The characters of Li Nalas and Minister Jarro were quite compelling overall. Li Nalas' desire to stay out of the spotlight and Minister Jarro's desire to use the spotlight to his own political advantage were a nice counterpoint. Likewise Jake's failed attempt to go out with his Bajoran girlfriend was a touching way to put a human face on an abstract political struggle. Jarro's abrupt reassignment of Kira was a nice cliffhanger; demonstrating that there's more to Jarro than meets the eye. I feel like stories like this fleshing out Bajoran politics are what should have filled out the first season, but oh well. At least we're getting it now.

3 reader comments

I like the way they decided to continue on from the end of season one with more Bajoran stuff. One would have thought that after a fairly lacklustre first season that they would begin season two with something quite generic and 'easy' for non-trek fans to get into, I'm glad they did not.
This is by no means a standout offering, but it is steady enough and keeps the interest flowing into the next installment.
by Bernard | 01/20/2010 at 10:47 pm

You don't consider The Best of Both Worlds and Family a three parter?
by Amaterasu | 12/08/2010 at 2:44 am

I thought this was an excellent episode. I think Chief O'Brian being sent on a successful special ops combat mission, and personally dispensing several guards, deserves a mention in "Remarkable Scenes." Quite a change of pace for him from repairing food replicators and the like.
His deceptive pimping of Kira was also amusing. (How the hell does he do such a convincing job of being so unsavory? Are there other sides to old Miles that we haven't seen yet?)
Everything just seemed nicely lined up and well executed. I really liked how there were a few things on the side that fit in the with the major plot lines, like Quark's mentioning Rule of Acquisition #76 in the very beginning, "declaring peace for the sake of confusion," which ties into Gul Dukat's conciliatory reaction at the end. Also, Jake's date's father not letting them see each other because Jake isn't a Bajoran (ties into xenophobic extremism spreading on Bajor).
There were also some great tidbits of continuity, for instance Miles being eager about, and then actually participating in the Cardassia IV mission. This ties in with his having fought Cardassians before on Setlik III under Captain Maxwell, and personally witnessing atrocities there (TNG: The Wounded).
And another tiny bit of continuity when Quark walks in on Major Kira in the middle of a Bajoran ritual… In the previous episode she talked about wishing her faith was stronger.
To cap this all off, I thought the acting was all around very good - even though there weren't any intensely dramatic scenes. I thought it was all very smooth and even, perhaps just half a notch better than most episodes. In almost every other episode (thus far) I find Avery Brooks' performance of Sisko to be kind of mechanical and… jumpy or something… not quite convincing, at least in certain moments. But here Sisko is very consistent and believable. I hope it holds from here on out.
Anyway, good episode. 8 or 9.
by Gul Duviewer | 08/17/2011 at 10:37 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x02 — The Circle

Aired 1993-10-03

SpaceOpera.com rating:4

Average reader rating:4.47

Synopsis

Relieved of her post and sent back to Bajor, Kira helps to reveal the hidden force behind The Circle and a greater secret that could destroy them all.

Filler rating: not filler

This arc sets up a number of long term plot threads, including Bareil's relationship with Kira.

Remarkable scenes

The scene with Kira, Odo, Dax, Bashir, O'Brien, Quark, and finally Vedek Bareil. I love all the fast and confusing dialog.
Kira's orb experience.
Kira: "If you want to change the government, minister Jaro, you vote to change it. You don't sneak up from behind it with a dagger."

Review

The plot thickens with the revelation that the Cardassians are supplying the Circle with weapons. Winn is scheming again and the reason for Kira's reassignment is revealed to be a political maneuver. Sisko's decision to disobey orders and stay aboard the station to fight the political uprising is an interesting twist for his character since the pilot. The focus on the characters preserving their friendships with the Bajorans was a nice acknowledgement of the sadness of being torn apart expressed so eloquently by Jake being prevented from seeing his girlfriend in the last episode. Perhaps the best scene of the episode is when Minister Jarro stands up on the ledge in the hideout like a James Bond villain confessing his evil plot to Kira. Overall though the episode is just dragged out far too long. A faster pace might have improved it somewhat.

2 reader comments

I'm coming to LOVE the character of Vedek Winn. Not because she's likable, rather the opposite. She's superbly acted and written, so much so that every time I see her I literally want to reach into the screen and rip her throat out. Excellent!
Other than that, I'd agree with Kethinov… not a whole lot more to this ep than building up to some hopefully momentous conclusion, which I haven't watched yet.
Also nice to see good character development for Kira, and nice to see how much Kira and Sisko have grown close over the previous year. Also cool to see Odo and Quark (gasp!) working together? Neat orb sequence too.
A solid 5.
by DJB | 12/19/2008 at 9:45 am

This episode is unneccessarily drawn out to the extent that it almost ruins the gathering pace of plot created by the climax of season one and homecoming. Solid 5, but should have been so much better! If only they had dared to concentrate more on the Bajoran politics and less on our heroes doing boring things such as rescue missions.
Which just reminds me, exactly what is our good Doctor ordered to do when he finds Kira? Slap a com badge on her and call for transport. What does he actually do? Starts treating her wounds! Fortunately this kind of gaffe is actually IN character for him.
by Bernard | 02/08/2010 at 1:18 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x03 — The Siege

Aired 1993-10-10

SpaceOpera.com rating:5

Average reader rating:4.62

Synopsis

While Sisko leads a daring last stand against the Bajoran takeover forces, Kira and Dax embark on a desperate mission to reveal the truth about the coup.

Filler rating: not filler

This arc sets up a number of long term plot threads, including Bareil's relationship with Kira.

Remarkable scenes

Dax: "Whoa! What is that, a spider or a dog!?"
Kira's feeling of enthusiasm flying the old broken down ship.
Kira and Dax's dogfight.
Rules of Acquisition; 31. Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother.
Morn appearances; 1. Sitting behind Quark and Nog when they initially talk about the evacuation. 2. Attempting to board a runabout.

Review

The final part of this three parter resolves the plot exactly as expected. Kira proves the Cardassians were behind the contraband and the fight ends. And just like that everything is as it was. Star Trek's first three part episode was certainly entertaining, but I feel like all this plot could have been sprinkled into the first season as a more complex story with more long term consequences. What we got instead certainly wasn't bad though, just not as good as it could have been I think.

4 reader comments

I give this 3-parter a 9 overall.
This is DS9 coming into its own. Vedek Winn is scheming, we get to learn more about Bajoran society, and the bit with Li Nalas' legend having little to do with his reality is smart. Plus, this trilogy is chock full of action (the dog fight, the mission to Cardassia 4, the fire fights on the station) and humor (Quark lugging around his suitcase of latinum, Rom selling his seat, etc). The middle part does lag a bit, but other than that, I don't see what's not to like here.
by JRPoole | 12/03/2008 at 2:59 pm

This final part pays off all of the build up from the previous two and a bit episodes and does it quite well too.
There are particular highlights, such as the bajoran general, Quark, Dax and Kira. A very enjoyable romp.
by Bernard | 02/08/2010 at 7:52 pm

The three-parter was mostly decent, as the above comment said, the first hints of what DS9 was going to be about. However, the ending of the entire story was wrapped all too quickly and conveniently in less than five minutes - Kira and Dax bring the evidence to the Bajoran council, the General on the station is instantly notified and gives DS9 back to Sisko, and Nalas is killed.
There might have been a more elegant way to finish the story off… I mean, the cargo manifest that proved that it was all staged by Cardassians could very well have been faked by the Federation in order to break up the rebellion and keep DS9 in the hands of the Federation.
Also, there were never any consequences for Minister Jaro or anyone else involved in the overthrow of the government, which is a major failure on the screenwriters' part. Too bad we won't get to see Frank Langella again.
by Gul Ranek | 12/11/2012 at 10:39 pm

Jaro literally kidnapped Kira and was revealed to be leading this extremist Circle in the last episode and he gets no consequences thrown at him for this nor does Kira call him out on it in front of the government? Very weird. Otherwise the episode was fine.
by Gemini | 07/01/2020 at 7:49 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x04 — Invasive Procedures

Aired 1993-10-17

SpaceOpera.com rating:6

Average reader rating:4.28

Synopsis

The crew must fight for Jadzia's life when a desperate Trill takes the group hostage and steals the Dax symbiont.

Filler rating: good filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable, but it's a decent episode, even though it could have been better.

Remarkable scenes

Quark regarding Rom: "He couldn't find a cup of water if you dropped him in a lake."
Bashir laying into the Klingon to help him try and save Jadzia's life.
Sisko reminiscing with the new Dax.
Quark faking his injury.
Quark cracking the lock on Odo's box cage.
Sisko shooting the new Dax.

Review

This episode features a most remarkable guest star, a disgruntled Trill never given the chance to join with a symbiote. We learn many interesting things about Trill in this episode. Symbiote joinings are rare on Trill, due to the high standards of compatibility established by the Trill society. It's nice to see a guest bad guy who's so profoundly flawed and ultimately pathetic, especially as a counterpoint to last week's James Bond villain. It's also nice to see an episode like this, which is very violent by the necessity of the plot, end with zero loss of life. The final scene is tragic and you really feel sorry for Verad. Sure, he was an introverted, selfish sociopath, but all he wanted was to better himself. Something of that is sympathetic to me at least. The best part of this episode is how Sisko works so hard at reasoning with the bad guys. He does an excellent job too. I'm most fond of the scene just after Verad becomes Dax when Sisko reminisces with him. The whole episode was very nicely done.

6 reader comments

I enjoyed this episode quite a lot, even though it was in the old "oh-crap-someone's-taken-us-hostage-what-do-we-do" plot vein.
It was cool to learn more about the Trill. What was especially cool was seeing the change in Verad, and how Sisko knew from the start that it would change him, most likely to Sisko's advantage. Verad, of course, was so myopically focused on his goal of getting a symbiont, that he had failed to really appreciate the full ramifications of joining. That, of course, is probably related to the reasons he was denied a symbiont in the first place. Mareel, not being a trill, had no idea, and seeing her gradual acceptance of what Sisko knew all along is great.
It was pretty interesting to see Jadzia, who is normally so confident, in such a vulnerable state-- it added some depth to her character.
One thing that bothered me was Quark seeming to get off so easily. We hear Kira say he's through at the station toward the beginning of the episode, but this talk goes away by the end. Maybe he redeemed himself just a little by helping the doctor sedate the Klingon and by cracking the lock on the box Odo's stuck in… who knows.
by DJB | 01/03/2009 at 1:25 am

Good episode for all the reason listed in the main review.
Timing is not fantastic since this is the second episode in a row where the station is evacuated! But we'll forgive that because I like to assess each episode on its own merits.
Interesting to see how all the characters react to the situation. Can you see the same thing playing out later in the series? The interaction between Sisko and Verad Dax is especially pleasing and well done. Solid episode, 7 for me.
by Bernard | 03/30/2010 at 1:31 pm

Problems none ??? Seriously? How could you overlook the possibility of putting Jadzia in a stasis pod? How could Bashir miss that?
Very big flaw, but at least the time pressure wasn't overemphasized so it didn't ruin this otherwise very entertainig episode for me.
by Zaphod | 04/17/2011 at 11:27 am

I thought this was a really fantastic episode, that belongs more in the 8/9 range.
There are many absolutely exceptional performances here, starting with the actor portraying Verad. The symbiote integration is depicted perfectly. One gets a very clear sense of who Verad is before the joining (and again at the end, when it's reversed), and a very clear sense of the new entity, Verad Dax.
The really astonishing thing is that the viewer can sense that it isn't exactly a "new" entity at all - we're all very familiar with Dax already, as Jadzia Dax, and the portrayal of Verad Dax conveys that uncanny continuity. The effect is really quite an impressive bit of writing, directing, and acting.
Not only does this episode provide more information about Trill society and Symbiote joinings, but we get a direct, emotional sense of what such integrations really mean for the Trills who undergo them.
There are a handful of other fantastic performances - including Sisko's convincing affections for Jadzia, anger towards Verad, and frustration towards the helplessness of the whole situation. His "temper" outbursts have not always been very compelling in previous episodes, but I love the scene when he goes berserk on the Klingon mercenary.
Bashir also has a great dramatic part to play - he is forced to violate the Hippocratic oath and remove the symbiote from Jadzia, who he is obviously in love with. As the reviewer mentioned, his chewing out the Klingon makes for a remarkable scene. Do not get between a doctor and his patient, even if you're a Klingon holding a disruptor pistol.
Finally, I thought Quark's character was portrayed even a bit better than usual. Perhaps feeling personally responsible for the hijacking (which he certainly was), he puts his lobes on the line and hatches a plan that is both daring and devious. It's quite entertaining to see him launch himself at a Klingon 3 times his size, then feint an excruciating ear injury. There's a few brilliant comedic moments around this ear injury, but it's also a clever and successful plot to free Odo ("Do we really have to?"), and ultimately help Sisko take back the ship.
by here@there.us | 08/21/2011 at 2:52 am

A couple of other problems mar this otherwise excellent episode:
The ion storm. In my experience of watching Star Trek ion storms requiring the evacuation of a station are exceedingly rare. Did Verad create this one? If not, his appearance at this particular point in time when the station is almost abandoned is conveniently coincidental and therefore not believable.
We see Verad as a mediocrity, and absolute milk toast. He cannot even manage without support from his woman. Yet he somehow managed to accumulate enough wealth to obtain a spaceship and pay to Klingon mercenaries, as well as mastermind a brilliant crime. I find no capability like this in Verad pre-joining. Where is he getting this? It just does not fit with the rest of his character.
by Jeff Browning | 10/18/2011 at 11:21 pm

Nobody noticed Tim Russ as the Klingon? Seems really strange for the part, too calm, very different than other Klingons on the show. He was good in the role of Tuvok, though. Maybe that's why his acting seems strange to me.
by Gul Ranek | 12/12/2012 at 4:13 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x05 — Cardassians

Aired 1993-10-24

SpaceOpera.com rating:6

Average reader rating:5.06

Synopsis

A young Cardassian, orphaned in the war and raised by Bajorans, causes turmoil on the station when his people attempt to reclaim him.

Filler rating: partial filler

This episode establishes that Dukat and Garak are enemies. It also establishes Garak's remarkable computer skills. Finally, it's also the first episode to mention the station's original Cardassian name: Terok Nor.

Remarkable scenes

Garak to Bashir: "I'm no more a spy than you are--" Bashir: "A doctor?"
Garak's hysterical reaction when Bashir mentions what Dukat said to Sisko.
Bashir addressing Gul Dukat without permission.
Bashir asking Sisko for a runabout. I love Sisko's sarcastic reaction, since he's been down this road before with Kira. "Will one be enough?"
Garak's behavior at the Bajoran orphanage.
Bashir to Garak: "You know how to fix computers?" I love Bashir's tone of astonishment regarding learning about one of "plain and simple" Garak's unusual talents.
Bashir proving that Gul Dukat was manipulating events to his political advantage.

Review

This is the second episode to feature a complex political plot involving Garak, a rare treasure. The episode is hardly exciting, but Garak's scenes certainly make up for any lack of interesting plot development. My favorite scenes are the ones where Bashir and Garak borrow a runabout to go to Bajor and then Garak's hilarious behavior at the orphanage. We learn a bit about Garak's relationship with Dukat in this episode, which is obviously strained. We don't learn why though, just that Garak really hates Dukat and that the feeling is most likely mutual. The thing that annoys me the most about this plot is how confused and ignorant the Cardassian boy was made to seem. It's as if he's too stupid to come to a rational decision. A decent, if a bit flawed an episode.

6 reader comments

Gul Dukat and Garak are fantastic characters, both have a large role in this episode. The best part is where Keiko cooks Cardassian food. SO ackward -- since she does not know the kid hates the Cardassians.
by Orion Pimpdaddy | 11/26/2008 at 4:27 pm

Further to Orions comment, I love the moment when O'Brien and the boy push their respective plates away from each other.
This episode shines a light briefly on O'Briens own prejudice, hats off for that, furthering his own development as such a small part of an episode.
As usual Gul Dukat and Garak are a treat to watch. I would rate this episode slightly higher, 6 I think.
by Bernard | 04/05/2010 at 8:17 pm

This episode was decent but vaguely unsatisfying. Perhaps a custody battle just doesn't make for very good Star Trek… a similar thing was attempted in TNG: Suddenly Human, and I think done much better there… at least in the TNG episode there were weird alien rituals, traumatic flashbacks, and more credible accusations of abuse… oh yeah, and Picard got stabbed in the chest…
There just wasn't enough here to be really interesting… I guess Garak got his hand bitten, but that's not quite the same, is it?
Speaking of Garak, as much as I like his character, and as much as I liked how he explained away his computer expertise as "dabbling… a hobby… like sowing on a button," I think this episode brought him too much into the spotlight. Bashir mentioning him to Dukat, Sisko calling him in to questioning, his attending the custody hearing at the end… I think it's too much limelight and detracts from the mysteriousness of his character.
Garak was more compelling when he worked out of the shadows, spoke in pure riddles, and "sold suits" out of his tailor shop… when his role was to observe and facilitate the "back channels" of communication, as Sisko put it.
So, I agree with the reviewer, decent but a bit flawed and unsatisfying. Probably a 5.
by omg@kthx | 08/22/2011 at 7:39 pm

Obvious glaring problem: in every legal system in the Western world of which I am aware, a child this age has the right to decide which parent he / she wants to live with. This episode completely misses that point where TNG: Suddenly Human gets it perfectly. In that episode, Picard attempts to persuade Jeremiah Rosa to agree to come live with his human grandmother. Picard obviously knows that the child's choice will be decisive.
This is of course absent any other compelling issues like abuse, or mental incompetence in the parent. The abuse issue was explored and disproven. The Bajoran father is obviously capable and loving. There is no compelling reason to violate the wishes of the child in this case.
The end of this episode is terrible: The child is forced to go live with a parent He neither knows nor loves, and the rights of the adoptive parent are trampled upon. (What has he done wrong here, other than provide a loving home for the child?)
In the end it is not the best interest of the child that prevails: It is the Cardassian father. And where has he been for all these years? did he make any effort to investigate, to determine if his child is still alive?
A very cruel, irrational and unrealistic ending to an otherwise great episode.
by Jeff Browning | 10/19/2011 at 7:04 am

I did like this episode very much, much more than the average here. It has a lot of intriguing moral dilemmas in it and does not paint them black and white. But I really hated the ending: Forcing the child to leave his adoptive parents (the only one he knows) against his will is in my mind the absolute wrong moral decision and I guess I am not the only one who shares this view.
by Dave Edsons | 03/20/2012 at 1:22 am

Also, in terms of long term plot development, this is the first episode to refer to the station's original name: Terrok Nor
by penguinphysics | 01/16/2013 at 3:09 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x06 — Melora

Aired 1993-10-31

SpaceOpera.com rating:2

Average reader rating:2.79

Synopsis

After falling in love with a woman whose species is unable to walk in "normal" gravity, Bashir develops a technology that could free her of her wheelchair forever.

Filler rating: bad filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable and while the story has a few charming moments, it's mostly terrible. And we never see Melora again.

Remarkable scenes

Fallit Kot just after walking into Quark's bar: "I've come to kill you, Quark."
The Klingon restaurant scene. I love when the Klingon chef throws the plate behind him. Hilarious!
Melora: "What kind of architect would design a raised limb at the entrance of every door?!" I wondered this myself in the pilot episode. :)
Melora and Dax discussing alien relationships.
Melora kicking some low gravity ass!
The Klingon chef singing.
Rules of Acquisition: 16. A deal is a deal.
Morn Appearances; 1. Seen sitting behind Bashir and Dax in the opening scene while they're talking to O'Brien about the wheelchair. 2. In Quark's bar just before Quark attempts to be really really nice to Fallit Kot so he won't kill him.

Review

This episode is an attempt to prove handicapped people can contribute to society, in a Federation enlightenment sort of way, but instead just comes off as a bit obnoxious. Geordi LaForge was a much better example of how handicapped people can contribute to society, but admittedly in some ways, Geordi is a poor example because they eliminated his problem with technology. Melora is a better example of how handicapped people can contribute to society because her problem is natural to her species. Unfortunately, Melora was the obnoxious thing about this episode. Her behavior was just annoying, whereas Geordi was a very likable guy. The idea of a medical cure for her situation is obnoxious too. The science behind it is a little fuzzy, but far less so than Melora's species' curious bipedal evolution in a low gravity environment. What I didn't like most about it was the episode should have been more about Melora living on the station with a handicap and less about curing it. And even that would have been a little lame. Fortunately, the ending redeems quite a bit of the episode's mistakes. Melora is not going to fix her handicap, as that would be insulting the rest of her species.

4 reader comments

The gravity in the scene in Melora's quarters were inconsistent, too, switching between low gravity and no gravity at least once.
by EKH | 04/29/2007 at 4:15 pm

I have to disagree with your review, dear Kethinov. I loved this episode! It definitely had its flaws, which I'll go into later, but first I'll say why I liked it.
This was obviously an episode that wanted to deal with "disability" issues. Melora is predictably rough around the edges and fiercely independent, and very walled off. Bashir's ability to worm his way in through her defenses was beautifully written and acted, and we see behind Melora's rather off-putting exterior is a vulnerable person who's rather insecure about her qualifications. It's actually great character development for Bashir.
I also liked that they pulled off a low-gravity scene. It's the first I've really seen since Star Trek VI (I may be wrong), and you'd think you'd see more of them, seeing as how most of the gravity we see in Star Trek is artificial. Of course, this is a budget issue. If, every time an away team boarded some disabled ship or derelict, they had to be weightless, as would be most realistic, the budget would go through the roof. Oh well.
Anyway, it's nice to see Bashir turn his attention away from Dax for a little bit! It was also nice and realistic to see a hostile alien follow through on his threat to kill a hostage (even though she didn't die). I also liked how she saved the day, and how an analogy to an ancient earth story got her to reconsider undergoing those treatments.
Now to the faults: As Kethinov pointed out, Melora's appearance is rather unrealistic. A planet with such low gravity would have to be extremely small (smaller than our moon), and would probably hold next to no atmosphere, which would probably make any species living on such a planet A) very tall, and B) able to live on very little air. Melora would probably find the atmospheric pressure on DS9 unbearably high. Maybe her species migrated from some other planet and hadn't evolved past its original humanoid appearance; who knows.
They could have done it some other way; they could have made her born with some genetic muscular defect that required her to live and grow up in a low-gravity environment, but Star Trek, despite its many strengths, has always required a bit of suspension of disbelief. Some more than others.
The other flaw is one not intrinsic to the episode, but another unfortunate theme in Star Trek: we never hear from Melora again. The theme of exploring a romantic interest in an episode only to have it forgotten in the next isn't new (see TNG: Lessons, The Game, etc.), and it's rather irritating! Oh well. I still liked this episode a lot.
by DJB | 01/06/2009 at 1:46 am

Solid episode. Great to see Bashir getting some nice character development, also great to see another strong female character in DS9. DS9 was particularly good at independent women but Melora is fantastically prickly, driven and stubborn. Quite similar to Ensign Ro in her first appearance actually, but I have to agree with djb that it is such a shame that we never see her again.
On the down side slightly obvious plot developments lets the rating of this episode slide. I'd give it a 5 or 6.
Again, suspension of disbelief is an absolute requirement when watching Star Trek. I always feel that, as long as they don't break too many of their own rules, then I'm happy with it. If you get too upset by the science of Star Trek then you'll have to switch off every time they use the transporter surely?
by Bernard | 06/15/2010 at 10:41 pm

While I don't always agree with our host on episode ratings, I completely concur with the 2/10 rating on this one, as well as the reason for such a rating.
The character of Melora is quite irritating, and Bashir, with his constant professions of awe about her gets old pretty quick too.
The high point of the entire episode for me is the Klingon chef -- I wish they had featured him, if not prominently, then more regularly in the later seasons. As it is I don't think they even gave him a name.
by John DC | 03/29/2012 at 3:28 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x07 — Rules of Acquisition

Aired 1993-11-07

SpaceOpera.com rating:8

Average reader rating:4.53

Synopsis

A Ferengi female who has defied the law and disguised herself as a male risks it all when she falls in love with Quark.

Filler rating: not filler

This is the first episode in the Dominion War arc, strangely enough. This is also the episode that establishes the role of women in Ferengi society.

Remarkable scenes

Rom describing how he likes his women: "Naked and submissive."
Zek "negotiating" with Sisko and Kira.
The revelation that Pel is a female Ferengi.
Zek smacking Kira on the ass!
Quark and Pel negotiating with the Dosi on Deep Space Nine.
Zek's gift for Kira. I love Kira's ensuing insults about the Ferengi.
Dax telling Pel about a supposed time when Quark recreated the bedroom she slept in as a child in the holosuite from memory of a conversation he overheard between Dax and Kira.
Dax discovering Pel a female.
Zek slapping Kira on the ass again!
Pel's reaction to being forced to sleep with Quark.
Zyree, the first to mention the Dominion.
Zek's reaction seeing Pel a female.
Rules of Acquisition: 21. Never place friendship above profit. 22. A wise man can hear profit in the wind. 33. It never hurts to suck up to the boss. 48. The bigger the smile the sharper the knife. 59. Free advice is seldom cheap. 67. The riskier the road the greater the profit. 103. Sleep can interfere with--(Pel is interrupted, we don't hear the rest. It might be "profit").
Morn appearances; 1. Odo catches him sleeping on the promenade. When awakened and told to "go home," he goes to see if Quark's is open! 2. In the background behind Quark, Rom, and Pel. 3. Can be seen just after Odo and Rom talk about brothers.

Review

Another episode to feature another smashing performance by Wallace Shawn as Zek. He's so funny. Quark and Rom are excellent Ferengi characters too, but something about Zek just strikes me as great. Everything about his character is just perfect for his role. All the nuances and all the little details add up to a most remarkable character. Additionally, Pel's secret love for Quark makes for most remarkable story. The Dosi are interesting as well; the Gamma Quadrant equivalent of the Ferengi with unfortunately terrible makeup. They make mention of an ominous sounding thing called the Dominion, which is alluded to as a major power in the gamma quadrant. It's nice to see the inhabitants of the gamma quadrant finally fleshed out a bit. They've certainly been sitting at the edge of the wormhole long enough for us to finally map out the place somewhat.

5 reader comments

I'm surprised that eric didn't take off more for their dropping of the Dosi race, never to be seen again.
by Pete Miller | 05/22/2006 at 3:31 pm

Since revisiting Season One episode 'Nagus' and thinking it was one of the strongest episodes of that season I looked forward to revisiting this one. It didn't disappoint.
Simultaneously blending the exploration of more ferengi social structure, teasing out another tidbit about the dominion and creating a plot twist nicely, this episode is excellent.
I love the part where Pel is revealed and Zek cries out! Brilliant stuff.
by Bernard | 10/12/2010 at 12:58 pm

Notice in the scene above the bar where Kira returns the earring to Zek and then Quark and Pel come up, that you can see the tape on the floor marking where Kira was supposed to stand.
by Wes Thompson | 12/01/2012 at 2:08 pm

There were Pakleds at Quark's! I only wish we could have overheard a bit of their conversation.
by Dstyle | 09/09/2013 at 2:36 am

I feel silly now that I got so excited about seeing Pakleds at Quark's: as I continue to watch this season, I've been seeing Pakleds all over the station. Perhaps they were around the station in the first season or earlier in the second season and I just didn't notice them, but I always love seeing them: they're such a fascinating and absurd species. What are they doing at DS9? Looking for things? Things they need? Things that make them go?
by Dstyle | 09/12/2013 at 2:59 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x08 — Necessary Evil

Aired 1993-11-14

SpaceOpera.com rating:8

Average reader rating:6

Synopsis

An attack on Quark's life brings Odo face to face with a five-year-old unsolved murder for which Kira was a prime suspect.

Filler rating: partial filler

This episode is not strictly speaking a must-see, but it establishes a lot of nice texture that will become relevant later, such as the conditions of the station while Dukat was in charge, how Odo came to work there, how Kira met Odo, how Quark met Odo, how Dukat met Odo, and how Quark met Kira. It's also the first episode to mention Odo's "Cardassian neck trick."

Remarkable scenes

Odo: "Commence station security log Stardate 47282.5. At the request of commander Sisko, I will hereafter be recording a daily log of law enforcement affairs. The reason for this exercise is beyond my comprehension. Except perhaps that humans have a compulsion to keep records and lists and files. So many in fact that they have to invent new ways to store them microscopically. Otherwise their records would overrun all known civilization. My own very adequate memory not being good enough for Starfleet I am pleased to put my voice to this official record of this day: Everything's under control. End log."
Rom revealing some of his hidden talents.
Rules of Acquisition: 139. Wives serve. Brothers inherit.
Odo: "You're not as stupid as you look!" Rom: "I am too!"
Odo's first meeting with Dukat.
Odo's first meeting with Kira.
Odo's first meeting with Quark.
Dukat: "You're not afraid of anyone, are you shape shifter? Not even me! I was right about you. You are the man for this job."
Rom saving his brother's life by screaming.
The revelation that Kira was the murderer.
Morn appearances; I've read that Morn appears briefly here, but I couldn't find him in this one.

Review

This episode features a wonderful history lesson; we get to see Terok Nor as it was during the occupation. And it features an old murder investigation which Odo can now solve. The whole plot is wonderfully interesting with multiple turning points and lots of intrigue. The title "Necessary Evil" is symbolic of Kira's deed (or perhaps all of her deeds) as a member of the underground. It may also represent Odo's collaboration with Dukat. Granted, Odo doesn't fit the strict definition of the collaborator. He wasn't gaining anything by working with Dukat, and he wouldn't have lost anything by refusing. Though Odo did walk the line between being for Bajor and being against Bajor, he was essentially in it for justice. All things considered, this is one of the most memorable episodes so far.

13 reader comments

Once again, this episode has very blatant duality between the bajorans and the jews. They are secluded in ghetto-like areas on the stations. Odo refers to bajorans that would sell out their own people to the cardassians, similar to jews that sold out their friends and families to the nazis. I wish they would just come out and admit it.
The ending was abrupt and incomplete. I wanted to see the rest of the flashback
PS- what's up with the obsession with Morn?
by Pete Miller | 05/24/2006 at 2:04 am

Why in the world did some one give this a 1?
This is one of the strongest episodes to this point in DS9. It's a stand-alone, but it does a great deal of work in fleshing out both Kira and Odo's characters and their relationship with each other. It's cool to see the station as it was under the Cardassians, great to see Kira in the underground, and the mystery of the plot works well.
by JRPoole | 12/08/2008 at 4:17 pm

What is with Rom's rogue tooth? It's really distracting.
And, good question: why point out every time Morn appears?
by DJB | 01/12/2009 at 7:34 am

It's like Where's Waldo. Cataloging every Morn appearance is like a weird little game for me.
by Eric Newport | 01/12/2009 at 8:04 pm

Morn (or someone very like him, the focus is unclear) appears at 35:14, passing behind the guy who leter tries to kill quark in the infirmary.
by Jens-Ivar Seland | 08/02/2009 at 8:55 pm

One of the very best episodes of Deep Space Nine. This sort of thing doesn't happen on the other Trek shows and episodes like this helped DS9 establish its own identity. The show got more consistent in later seasons, but it only rarely matched this level of quality. I rate it a 10.
by Chris Baldwin | 03/14/2010 at 7:07 pm

Excellent episode. Wonderful performances by Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois. The further insight into Odo's character is most welcome and the revelation at the end is executed superbly.
by Bernard | 10/13/2010 at 5:24 pm

Pete raises two stupid points.
The first: "this episode has very blatant duality between the bajorans and the jews". I think you mean to say that this episode has very blatant PARALLELS between the Bajorans and the Jews. Duality implies they have opposing, or at least complementary, characteristics. There is a duality between the Cardassians and the Bajorans, for example.
The second: "what's up with the obsession with Morn?" Morn adds a bit a regular levity to the otherwise dark tone of the show. Also, some people just happen to like Morn because he looks like a friendly turtle or something.
by John DC | 09/10/2011 at 2:48 am

I can fault the series for some unfortunate parallels between Jewish stereotypes and Ferengi mannerisms, but the similarities to Bajoran characteristics had not occurred to me.
by Matt Apple | 06/07/2012 at 7:23 am

An excellent episode: love the dark, shadowy noir style, complete with a femme fatale, a complicated mystery, and Odo's voice over. I almost wish they had used some of the angular Cardassian architecture to create a Venetian blind effect in some of the scenes, but that might have been just a little too much.
by Dstyle | 09/09/2013 at 3:07 pm

Great episode for all the reasons you all mentioned so i'll not repeat them but i can't believe the biggest thing you have all missed,
This is a blatant and continuous and excellent homage to Feter Falk as the character Columbo in regards to Odo being an investigator in the modern day parts where he is investigating (he is a master now like Columbo) compared to his first venture investigating, he even drops the famous line (27m53s) "Just one more thing ……." when talking with the widow in modern day and then he begins to question her on seemingly irrelevant details which she points out just like every previous victim of Columbo would whilst slipping a detail he was chasing at the same time dropping her guard taking him for a simpleton, add to this the continuous hand mannerism and the only thing he left out for the perfect Columbo impression was Peter's squint to hide his false eye. This was what made me go 9
by Rob UK | 11/10/2013 at 11:31 pm

I just rewatched this one and really enjoyed it. It was neat to see the station under the Cardassians and get some character backstory, too.
by Abigail Chappell | 06/07/2021 at 6:09 pm

The voice of the female guest star sounds IDENTICAL to that of the Voyager Borg queen, those inflections. However according to IMDB it isn't her. Strange.
by Luke | 08/03/2022 at 8:55 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x09 — Second Sight

Aired 1993-11-21

SpaceOpera.com rating:3

Average reader rating:4.09

Synopsis

Sisko falls in love for the first time since his wife's death, but the object of his affections may not be all that she seems.

Filler rating: bad filler

Unless you consider blatantly defying the continuity of the even worse episode TNG: Force of Nature to be worthwhile, this rather lame episode is thoroughly skippable.

Remarkable scenes

Sisko's odd behavior the next morning in ops.
I love Seyetik's cheerful arrogance.
Sisko's conversation with Odo about his phantom girl.
Sisko: "Seyetik is one of the Federation's greatest minds." Kira: "I know. He told me."
Seyetik's death. His final words: "Let there be light!"

Review

This episode is certainly original, but in many ways annoying. Sisko's profound loss of his wife is exploited in an inappropriate and annoying way, and the much more interesting plot thread of reviving dead stars along with Seyetik's wonderful character are all thoroughly wasted in the process. I give it extra points for Seyetik's heroic end and all the coolness associated with it, but other than that, a disappointment.

5 reader comments

I agree, interesting episode but somewhat 'flat' and pedestrian.
Not sure I liked the way Avery Brooks played it either, if this episode is supposed to 'deal' with his feelings about his wife then it fails badly. (We still await the rejuvenated Sisko that is due to appear complete with shaven head later on). He fawns after Fenna and then when he realises she is married… nothing. It's like setting up some sort of betrayal and then just dropping it.
Perhaps this could have played better using the Defiant later in the series too. There could have been slightly more tension between Sisko/Seyetik/Seyetik's wife and also Sisko might have felt more responsibility for what happens…
I'm clutching at ideas here, it's a pretty poor episode and that's it really.
by Bernard | 10/16/2010 at 9:05 am

This episode represents yet another example of Star Trek's use of the "onesie", the tight, form-fitting, one piece outfit worn by young, attractive females for the purpose of pandering to the male prurient interest.
Not that I am complaining. As an attractive young female, Fenna does not disappoint. It seems obvious to me tha Sisko is not in love with Fenna (at least not yet); he simply has the hots for her. (And who can blame him?)
Other uses of the onesie: Troi after losing the micro-mini outfit she wore in TNG: Adventure at Farpoint, Seven (of course), Kira (although it doesn't really work with Kira, Nana Visitor is not that hot), TNG: Legacy where the main guest character, Ishara Yarr (Tasha's sister) gets an electric blue onesie (with a color coordinated phaser holster!) to show off her smoking' hot bod which is given oodles and gobs of airtime by the camera folks.
The onesie is a reminder that, for all its pretensions, Star Trek is largely for us horny, sexually repressed geeks.
by Jeff Browning | 10/19/2011 at 10:13 am

Wouldn't it be a better idea to just consider the nonsense of "TNG: Force of Nature" to be the problem, and not hold it against all future episodes when they blatantly ignore the stupid "warp drive destroys the universe" premise? I mean, If you're gonna give "Force of Nature" a zero rating, why should you consider it a problem when nearly every subsequent episode ignores it? I rather like future episodes not reminding me of such an arbitrary "rule."
Anyway… I found this episode to be pretty boring. Not because it was a romance episode, but because I just wasn't buying the Fenna character. Her calm demeanor seems way too studied to work with Sisko's boisterous/laid-back dual nature.
by John DC | 12/08/2011 at 5:19 am

It's episodes like this that made my friends describe this show as, "Soap Opera in SPACE," back during its run. Sisko is getting over the death of his wife, and he meets a new woman! But a twist! She's Married! But another twist-she's not really Fenna, she's a psycho-productive illusion of Fenna! Oh, how will our crazy cast sort this out?!
I have no issue with a romance plot, and no issue with Sisko dealing with his grief. Those are good human issues to explore. This kind of cheesy plot manipulation, trying to shove both of those down our throats in order to set up a lame, uninteresting twist, is what this show wasn't meant to be about. I adored Cassidy Yates when she showed up later, because she actually made more sense than Sisko falling for the AOTW.
And yeah, I agree with the sentiment that the B-Plot for the week was much more interesting. This would have made a much better episode without the Fenna character.
by Bronn | 07/02/2013 at 6:38 am

As i understand it, a gigantic, massive thing as a star has only so many ways to "die". None of wich includes becoming something like we see in this episode…looks more like a gigantic dead planet or something, no light emitted of any sort. So i looked it up, turns out there's this theory that tells us that a white dwarf star (what a small-middle sized star becomes after it dies) cools down over the eons and it's supposed to become a "black dwarf star", cristalized, solid and with no light emitted whatsoever. Anyway, besides the fact that we couldn't see this type of dead stars and we clarly see it on the viewing screen of the Prometheus, it's quite impressive to me that the writers took so many detail on this sort of thingies…loved it.
by Martin | 03/19/2014 at 4:31 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x10 — Sanctuary

Aired 1993-11-28

SpaceOpera.com rating:2

Average reader rating:4.27

Synopsis

Kira is torn when a displaced alien race arrives on Deep Space Nine and claims Bajor as its people's legendary homeland.

Filler rating: bad filler

This is the second episode to mention the Dominion. Haneek claims that the race which conquered hers was conquered by the Dominion. This, however, is minor trivia. And the episode is so annoying that it's worth skipping over this material and missing the trivia in the process.

Remarkable scenes

The universal translator failing in the beginning.
Haneek and Kira discussing the horrible dress.
The Bajoran minister and Vedek carefully explaining their reasons for denying the Skreeans' request to immigrate to Bajor.
Jake trying to be nice to the Skreeans.
The Bajorans accidentally killing the Skreean attempting to land on Bajor.
Haneek's final words with Kira.
Morn appearances; 1. Watching the Bajoran play music in Quark's bar. He cries to Varani's playing. 2. Window shopping on the promenade. 3. At the bar when Varani plays for the Skreeans.

Review

I like the beginning of this episode when the universal translator failed. It's nice to see the technology isn't infallible! Their race's language is too different for it! The issue of a group of people wanting to immigrate to Bajor is interesting, but could have been handled better. The Skreeans demanding to immigrate to Bajor despite a major famine on the planet and despite the fact that Draylon II was more than adequate for the Skreean's needs was incredibly obnoxious. I lost all of my sympathy for the Skreeans very quickly when they started getting belligerent and angry that they couldn't live on Bajor. The climax of absurdity is Kira's final scene with Haneek. The way Haneek walks off the station feeling all smug and superior is total madness. The way it's presented, I think the authors of the episode meant to have us feel some moral ambiguity but there is absolutely none. The Skreeans' request was totally unreasonable. The whole episode reminds me of an irrational kindergarten fight over a toy. Skreeans: "We want your planet." Bajorans: "Sorry, we can't give you that." Skreeans: "No, we want your planet." Bajorans: "How about this other planet? It looks like a better match for you guys anyway and you can have the whole thing to yourselves!" Skreeans: "No, we want your planet." Bajorans: "Err... okay yeah we're not doing that." Skreans, indignantly: "Well screw you then!" Astounding.

9 reader comments

So how exactly does the universal translator work? I realize that it's just an easy way for them to all speak english on the show, but is there any science at all behind it? Does it just immediately interpret the person's language, and then rebroadcast it in english to Sisko or whoever, and also make their lips appear to be moving with the english words??? This is a rare instance of me siding with Star Wars over Star Trek. In Star Wars they simply have the language 'galactic basic'. If you're civilized, you speak it. Much easier to explain.
This makes me wonder: So every time the romulans speak to someone in the federation, are they really speaking romulan? And when does the universal translator know when to allow it to stay in their own language, like when the Klingons have certain ceremonies in their native tongue. How does it know not to just translate it for everyone else? This, to me, is a ridiculous device that we have to put up with because of the original Star Trek's limited budget. George Lucas learned from Gene Roddenberry's errors on this one. But Star Trek is still waaaaay better than Star Wars :)
by Pete Miller | 06/01/2006 at 6:24 am

Ditto the comment above. I've always sort of assumed that the UT rebroadcasts speech in real-time, presumably through the comm badges, a step we thankfully don't have to sit through every time. It's sort of clunky when Haneek begins actually speaking English (whoops, of course I mean Standard) words.
A decent, if flawed, episode altogether, though.
by JRPoole | 12/10/2008 at 3:23 pm

I enjoyed an explanation for the universal translator, further explanation will come in episode 'Little Green Men' of course.
This episodes falls down at the point when the Skreeans lose the viewers sympathy as Eric already pointed out. Otherwise I'm sure it could have scored more highly as, like the last episode, it was fairly original.
by Bernard | 10/17/2010 at 10:53 am

The most unrealistic part of this story is that they can find an empty, freely available and hospitable planet nearby. With all the countless races and cultures in this quadrant, with all the sexual fecundity of those races, with all the military, commercial or imperial ambitions of these races: how could a perfectly good planet remain unclaimed and unsettled?
(Which brings us to another perennial problem with Star Trek: the overabundance of habitable worlds.)
by Tallifer | 03/19/2011 at 5:45 am

This comment affects many episodes where Bajor and its situation are discussed, including this one.
In this episode and many others we are told that Bajor is devastated, its citizens are starving, and so forth. I have been privileged to travel the world and have seen many areas where poverty, starvation, and disease prevail.
Whenever we see an image of Bajor, we see none of this: We see prosperous, well fed, well dressed, clean, healthy Bajorans in idyllic, beautiful surroundings. The Bajorans who show up on DS9 are similarly prosperous looking. I am left to wonder: Where is all the devastation folks keep talking about? Where are the naked, starving, filthy, diseased children I have seen in places like India, China, Africa, and Latin America?
It's kind of like the DS9 writers and editors did not have the stomach for it. They did not believe that their viewers could withstand a realistic depiction of a devastated society. Certainly, there is no indication within the frames of DS9 that this is the state of Bajor, at least from what we are allowed to see.
by Jeff Browning | 10/19/2011 at 6:30 pm

The scene directly after the one where the terrible famine on Bajor is mentioned we see Skreeans queuing up to use a replicator. Ridiculous.
This episode also is a good example of why the universal translator is such a flawed idea.
by Selador | 01/20/2013 at 9:51 pm

Some interesting comments on this episode.
In response to Tallifer, I don't think it's unrealistic for a planet like Draylon II to be available. The Kepler spacecraft recently searched a tiny total portion of the sky for planets. If there were 8 Earth-like candidates found out of 1,000 identified planets and 150,000 stars, that extrapolates out to billions of potentially habitable planets orbiting their stars in this galaxy even by a pessimistic estimate. This is also why I've never been that annoyed by Star Trek's "alien of the week" stuff, although it's always nice when they actually develop an alien race over the series.
As for the Bajorans not being shown living in squalor all the time, I guess I disagree here too. There are quite a few people in places like India and Latin America living in material comfort despite poverty and famine there. Or take post-WW2 Germany. Its cities bombed and in ruins, people broke and often starving, and itself under military occupation. It certainly rebounded quickly, at least in West Germany. Bajor has probably had significant help from the Federation and maybe others in rebuilding, too.
All that said, the Skrreans were crappy guests/refugees. Haneek probably felt under the gun to find the Kentanna planet for her people, which is understandable. But I like how in the meeting with the Bajorans, Sisko keeps on throwing out Draylon II. The Skrreans never come up with a good reason to reject it, and their insistence on Bajor makes no sense at all.
A decent episode with some nice moments, but that's about it.
by Axel | 06/24/2015 at 3:22 am

I'm genuinely surprised the reviews for this episode are so poor. Of course it is easy to dislike the Skreeans -- they were not intended to be completely lovable characters, with their flaky skin, their ingratitude, and their inconvenient needs & beliefs -- doesn't reflect badly at all on the writing or acting, both of which I think are excellent.
In truth I found the episode refreshing, and pleased that the writers found the courage to depart from the politically correct.
by Joseph Angeles | 07/18/2015 at 12:58 am

As Peter said, this is an unusual episode. Me as a non trekkie, this is a weird episode. Showing how a relationship between collegues, not even friends, could meant a lot, a huge lot, becouse you are tied with an idealogy (of justice) instead good or bad, its huge in itself for television. And this early in the series. My friend, a trekkie begs me to wait to season 3, but Im already an adept. And this is like that like in a lot of episode from this season. As people told me, Im awaiting for the best to come
by Coihue | 08/29/2018 at 12:36 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x11 — Rivals

Aired 1994-01-02

SpaceOpera.com rating:7

Average reader rating:5.06

Synopsis

Quark feels threatened when a charming swindler arrives on Deep Space Nine and opens a competing bar.

Filler rating: good filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable, but it's a decent episode, even though it could have been better.

Remarkable scenes

Bashir's tennis exercises. Hysterical.
Bashir presenting O'Brien with quite a challenge at the game.
O'Brien: "'I guess you prefer old style rules!' Like I was some kind of fossil! In my day I coulda wiped the court with'em!"
Bashir talking to Dax about O'Brien having severe high blood pressure problems during the game.
Bashir throwing his second game with O'Brien.
I like the scene where Quark is pleading with Sisko to get Mazur off the station. They got on the turbolift. The door closes. The camera pans down. The door opens. You can barely hear Quark rambling on to Sisko behind the closed door. Hilarious detail.
Quark: "You owe me! You begged me to stay here when you first came on board! And I did! Against my better judgement." Sisko: "I didn't beg, I blackmailed you. And don't pretend it hasn't paid off for you either!"
Scene begins with O'Brien on the floor. Bashir: "I am so sorry!" O'Brien: "What happened?" Bashir: "Well, you served, I returned low, you slipped on the ball." O'Brien: "I slipped on the ball!?" Bashir: "Stepped right on it mid-flight, never seen anything like it."
Keiko: "Kick his butt!"
Quark trying to get Bashir to throw the match.
O'Brien being able to pull off impossible shots and Bashir not being able to "hit the broad side of a Plygorian mammoth."
Dax and Sisko phasering the luck devices.
Rules of Acquisition; 47. Don't trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. 109. Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.
Morn appearances; 1. Plays Quark at prosecco and loses. 2. Sleeping at the bar when O'Brien enters Quark's. 3. At Quark's when Quark gives his commercial speech to the crowd advertising a Racketball match he conned Bashir and O'Brien into. 4. Watching the match between Bashir and O'Brien.

Review

This episode features an original plot and a charming concept for a character: an El-Aurian (Guinan's race) who uses his species' talents to make profit. The title is a reference to the rivalry between Martus Mazur and Quark, as well as the rivalry between Bashir and O'Brien playing Racketball. There are a great number of small details in this episode that make it a fun ride and the character-driven nature of the episode is entirely to its advantage. The science fiction regarding the luck changing devices is outright horrendous, but it's easy to overlook. They were quite literally plot devices, pun intended. Bashir and O'Brien have a developing friendship now, which is a step up from O'Brien's expressed irritation with spending any time with Bashir last season. But as the time passes, you can tell they're becoming more and more fond of one another.

7 reader comments

Isn't Malcolm McDowell's character in "Generations" another El-Aurian?
by JRPoole | 12/11/2008 at 1:15 am

Generations came out after this episode
by Paul | 09/18/2010 at 2:23 pm

I do have a soft spot for this episode, but it is fairly predictable and ultimately only serves to continue the Bashir/O'Brien friendship story that runs throughout the series.
My favourite moment is when O'Brien walks into the racketball court to find Bashir squatting on the floor showing him the 'V-sign'. Probably not funny to Americans but Colm Meaney's expression has me in hysterics every time I watch it.
by Bernard | 02/15/2011 at 12:32 pm

Obvious perhaps, but I enjoyed the appearance of Chris Sarandon (possibly best known for his role as Prince Humperdink in the Rob Reiner film "Princess Bride" who played Martus in this episode.
by Jeff Browning | 10/19/2011 at 12:48 pm

The luck devices were preposterous, but not actually impossible so the episode wasn't spoilt. I'm starting to like Bashir, he's irritated by the strangest things. Saw the twist coming a mile away, strange that the conman didn't, but on the whole a solidly fun episode with good dialogue that asks the viewer to suspend just a little too much belief.
by Selador | 01/21/2013 at 11:09 pm

"Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack." I think this might might be my favorite rule.
by AW | 12/01/2015 at 7:31 am

What I've always liked about Star Trek science fiction is that it offers some ideas that are plausible, some that are annoyingly ridiculous, and some that are implausible but entertaining or interesting. This episode falls in that last category. Sure, the devices are nonsense, but the attempt at explaining how they work, as well as the plot of the episode itself, are all just good fun. The Martius/Quark rivalry is enjoyable, as is that between O'Brien and Bashir. This episode strikes me as being more of the DS9 trademark standalone episode. The crew isn't out exploring the galaxy; instead, the galaxy's intrigue comes to them. Usually it's serious, but occasionally it's lighthearted. A well done episode, worth watching a second time.
by Mike L. Jackson | 05/20/2017 at 2:39 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x12 — The Alternate

Aired 1994-01-09

SpaceOpera.com rating:3

Average reader rating:4.79

Synopsis

Odo's mentor arrives on Deep Space Nine intent on resuming his search for Odo's true origin.

Filler rating: not filler

Despite how annoying the episode is at times, the establishment of Dr. Mora's character is highly relevant to the overarching story of DS9. You shouldn't skip this one.

Remarkable scenes

Odo: "Humanoid death rituals are a hobby of mine. Everybody needs a hobby!"
Odo, regarding his "constable" nickname: "It's a nickname I barely tolerate."
Morn appearances; 1. In the first scene.

Review

Introducing Dr. Mora, the scientist who raised Odo. An exploration of Odo's past is certainly an interesting and expected storyline. This episode features another silicon based life form, the one on the planet Dr. Mora wanted to investigate. The first of this type was discovered in TOS: The Devil in the Dark, and again in TNG: Silicon Avatar. It's nice that the show is being largely consistent about this. The episode goes sour though when it ceases to be about Odo's origins and becomes dominated by the recycled mystery monster attacks the ship (or in this case station) plot cliche. Odo being the evil monster of the week was an interesting concept for a plot twist I suppose, but it didn't play well because it exacerbated the already overplayed tension between Odo and Mora. Had the episode been more about Odo researching his origins and less about Odo's angst it would have been more fun.

3 reader comments

Watching this episode, something occurred to me: I can wrap my head around the idea of a shapeshifter, but how can Odo change into objects as small, or more importantly, light as he regularly does? I mean, he could change his density, but he can't change his mass, can he? Like when he's trapped in that box in "Invasive Procedures." He not only becomes smaller, but obviously much lighter, light enough to carry. Either that, or he has hardly any mass, and when he's in a humanoid shape his density goes way down. That doesn't really fly either. What gives?
by DJB | 01/22/2009 at 8:49 am

Starts out good, but it ultimately fails with odo's monster transformation, which is never brought up ever again. That cool/scary obelisk also serves no further purpose. :(
by Miles | 04/06/2009 at 9:11 pm

7 or 8 for the Odo's 'dad' story, 2 or 3 for the monster story.
James Sloyan is a veteran of Star Trek by now and produces a good performance as Dr. Mora. Rene Auberjonois also turns in a good performance and these largely buoy the episode up a bit.
We're well and truly into the 'messy, middle bit' of DS9 season 2. Muddles plots, half thought ideas coming to the surface in the last 4 episodes. Let's hope they get back on track soon!
by Bernard | 02/15/2011 at 1:51 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x13 — Armageddon Game

Aired 1994-01-30

SpaceOpera.com rating:5

Average reader rating:5.31

Synopsis

Bashir and O'Brien work to rid two alien races of deadly weapons, unaware that their hosts intend to sacrifice them as part of the peace process.

Filler rating: good filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable, but it's a decent episode, even though it could have been better.

Remarkable scenes

O'Brien and Bashir discussing women and marriage.
Bashir offending O'Brien by mentioning his marital problems.
Dax describing reading Bashir's journals.
Quark's tribute to Bashir and O'Brien.
Keiko discovering the recording a fake.
Sisko faking out the aliens with the other runabout.
Keiko realizing that her coffee clue was nothing but good luck because O'Brien does indeed drink coffee in the afternoon.
Rules of Acquisition; 57. Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them.

Review

This episode facilitates more bonding between Bashir and O'Brien, due to their being stuck on a desolate planet with O'Brien slowly dying. Unfortunately, the reason for their misfortune was terribly conceived. The plan to kill Bashir and O'Brien just because they possess knowledge of the harvesters was simply ridiculous. As Bashir and Sisko said, what's the damn point? Oh well, despite the annoying premise, the good moments between Bashir and O'Brien do well to brighten up the episode.

6 reader comments

A few comments --
One is just a gripe about a rather consistent habit in Trek to make all people of a certain race have the same hairstyle. The Romulans, for example, always have black hair (except Sela), and always have it in a short bob with bangs (sometimes with a peak in the bangs). Is this realistic? It's not always like this. Probably just a budget issue, and a desire to differentiate different aliens from each other.
The other is that I liked seeing Quark's generous side. Nice touch.
Overall I kind of liked this episode. I liked seeing further development between Bashir and O'Brien, and the twist at the end about the coffee made me laugh out loud.
Also, I liked seeing Keiko's reaction to the news of her husband's death. She was obviously distraught, but she didn't burst into tears uncontrollably. Maybe it's something to do with her Japanese heritage. Also, you could tell (great acting, Rosalind!) that she never quite believed it--call it intuition or whatever--you could see just a hint of doubt on her face when she receives the news. Anyway, another nice touch.
The whole thing of killing everyone involved with the harvesters was kind of dumb. Once the jig was up, and Sisko knew of the plot, the aliens didn't really take seriously that killing two starfleet officers was an act of war that would carry serious repercussions. They're just like, "no everyone involved has to die, blah blah blah," as if there were ever a chance that even if O'Brien and Bashir knew enough about the harvesters, they would misuse that information. Pretty audacious!
by DJB | 01/24/2009 at 10:28 pm

Another episode devoted to the unlikely pairing of Bashir and O'Brien. That is not such a bad thing though, as the pair have an obvious chemistry that works for both conflict and camraderie.
The plot is fairly basic and uninspiring with easy solutions all around. That and the fairly slow pace drag this episode down to below average.
by Bernard | 03/07/2011 at 9:14 pm

Sorry, guys, but this episode makes no sense.
We are told at the beginning that these "harvesters" are terrible, devastating weapons that must be wiped from the face of the galaxy. The current crop of aliens is literally willing to kill to rid the universe of this weapon.
Two issues, one minor and one huge:
First issue: Clearly, since O'Brien is infected with the harvesters, the last batch was not successfully destroyed. Some of it clearly remains. There are ways to deal with this, but it is never explained.
Second issue (and this is the biggie): O'Brien is actually infected with the harvesters. And what happens? Does he die a horrible lingering death? Not at all! Several days later, while seriously sick, he is still strong enough to stand. And then when he makes it back to the station, Bashir fixes him up just fine!
Given the fact that the Federation obviously possesses the technology to counter the harvesters, why destroy them at all? They are obsolete. Instead of destroying them, simply make the cure available!
And any putative grasp at the Prime Directive would be useless: The Federation is already interfering by assisting in the destruction process. Why stop at half measures? Simply make the weapon irrelevant.
This creates a logical,issue big enough to drive a truck through.
by Jeff Browning | 10/19/2011 at 5:04 pm

I was mostly annoyed by how amazingly easy it was to cure O'Brien after he was infected by the harvesters. The whole episode was about how dangerous these things are, how they must be destroyed, how everyone who knows about them must be killed -- and then when O'Brien gets sick, no worries! It's no problem whatsoever to find a cure -- not even really a plot point. We'll fix him right up!
Kind of ruins the premise of the episode.
by Abigail Chappell | 09/15/2019 at 9:51 pm

I had no issue with the idea that the aliens wanted to kill everyone who knew anything about the harvesters, I thought it was a clever surprise. Exploring the idea of aliens who think very differently from humans is classic Star Trek. But the handling of the harvesters is terrible, I agree with previous commenters that it makes little sense for the aliens to launch their plot before the final harvesters are destroyed, and the main point of the episode is nerfed by making the harvesters be so easily cured.
by Christopher Alexander | 07/19/2020 at 4:36 am

I just logged in to review this episode after watching it, only to find that I received it in 2015 and said the same thing, haha. I stand by my previous review. The fact that they could so easily cure O'Brien after being infected by these oh-so-deadly harvesters made the entire episode pointless. Why would you need to make such a big deal about destroying a biological weapon (and everyone know who knows about it) that leads to an easily curable disease??
by Abigail Chappell | 06/11/2021 at 7:02 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x14 — Whispers

Aired 1994-02-06

SpaceOpera.com rating:4

Average reader rating:7.13

Synopsis

O'Brien returns from a security mission to notice that the entire crew has seemingly turned against him.

Filler rating: good filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable, but it's a decent episode, even though it could have been better.

Remarkable scenes

O'Brien and Bashir during the medical exam.
O'Brien: "I haven't had a physical take this long since I was born!"
Jake accidentally inferring that O'Brien is "really, really old."
O'Brien: "They even broke into my personal logs to see what they could find there. I hope they enjoyed the sexy letters I sent to my wife."
O'Brien freaking out at Quark.
O'Brien fleeing the station and stealing a runabout.
The revelation that there are two O'Briens!
Rules of Acquisition; 194 (maybe, Quark's not sure): It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door.

Review

A decent premise is slightly ruined, drowning under the weight of another conspiracy plot. The ending redeems most of the annoying aspects of the story, but I wish the plot twist was revealed a little sooner than the last two minutes of the episode. Though it is sometimes fun to watch O'Brien freak out at everybody and everything, it also gets old fast. A decent ride though.

10 reader comments

This episode has one of the most intriguing "hook" beginnings of all of star trek. I thought the whole episode was just stupendously done, and the director(s) achieved a truly spooky feel throughout it. I was a little disappointed at the quick, cheap ending. When I looked down and saw that there was only 10 minutes left, I could feel the cheap ending coming on.
I think the episode would have been REALLY cool if they had made it into a two-parter and really explored the situation with the rebels and such.
-1 for the cheap ending, but all in all one of my favorite ds9 episodes. The Obrien concentration was fun.
by Pete Miller | 06/08/2006 at 2:56 am

A perfect 10 all the way! You get to watch O'Brien slowly lose everyone he cares about drift away in deception. Every time he finds someone to confide in, they turn against him. First it is Jake, then it is Odo, then a Starfleet commmander. All trust becomes diminished. I would not want this to happen to me.
What is great is that if you are watching the episode for the first time, you will not be able to figure out the mystery, no matter how smart you are. Nor, do you notice that the clone O'Brien is constantly drinking a kind of coffee that the real O'Brien never dirnks. Fantastic!
by Orion Pimpdaddy | 09/30/2006 at 3:41 am

I liked the buildup in this episode. At first, the way people are acting towards the fake O'Brien is subtle, yet noticeable, and it eventually becomes more and more strange and overt.
I also loved the acting; yet another great performance from Rosalind Chao (and others). I especially liked the scene where they're eating, with the closeups on their faces. He knows she's up to something, but won't tell. She knows he's not really her husband. The tension is terrific.
I definitely didn't guess what was going to happen, but I did get an inkling when he was told to go back by the starfleet admiral. I began to think that there was something wrong with him rather than the others, given that if there seems to be something wrong with everyone but you, chances are you're the problem!
A very decent episode, worth watching twice.
by DJB | 01/28/2009 at 8:11 am

Bashir totally misjudges what has happened when, at the end, he says, "I think he was trying to be a hero." Honestly, O'brien just wanted to survive. Heroic just doesn't seem to apply here.
by Orion Pimpdaddy | 03/16/2010 at 1:03 pm

I feel that a lot of Star Trek is inspired by the writings of Isaac Asimov. This episode also I think was inspired by the short story "Let's get together" by the writer.
Well, not the entire episode, just the ending stroke me as being very similar.
by Popescu | 08/10/2010 at 2:18 am

This should have been a two-parter. This episode was so gripping that it kept my attention right up until the very end. If they'd have done a "to be continued" when he arrived on the planet and then further explored the Paradas rebel plot a bit more in part two, this would have been fantastic. Instead, as with several DS9 episodes, they try to rush the ending after giving us a truly intriguing storyline. I share the webmaster's below average rating for that reason alone.
by MJ | 02/04/2011 at 6:15 pm

Whenever the webmaster has given a rating that is near enough 4 points below the mean then that points toward the true score of the episode being somewhere in between. I think that is true here.
We have a good episode that is one of those oddities that you can get equal fascination from both first and second viewings, first from O'Briens point of view and then when rewatched from the other characters point of view.
Overall a quality outing.
by Bernard | 03/08/2011 at 4:05 pm

Great episode, one of the best DS9 episodes this far. 4 points is ridiculous, as is giving no good explanation for such a low rating. It's not just another conspiracy episode, for Christ's sake! None of the conspiracy episodes in other series of the franchise was even close to be this original and well written. Waiting to the very end to solve the mystery was a very clever move too as it saves the suspense until the end. And it's no "cheap ending", quite the opposite. TNG "Conspiracy" had a cheap ending, this one here is amazing and makes you watch the episode a second time just to see it from the other's point of view.
by Zaphod | 04/20/2011 at 9:36 am

This is actually one of my favorite eps of DS9. I understand a lot of viewers don't like "dream" episodes, "tricked into thinking the holosuite is real" or episodes where things are conveniently reversed due to time manipulation.
I get why some people don't really enjoy those type of episodes but I'm the opposite. I really enjoy the twists they exhibit and this episode is a perfect example.
On my first watch, I was completely fixated and didn't see that twist coming at all.
I'd give it a ten and a must watch.
JTQ
by James T Quark | 08/16/2015 at 1:14 am

I did not enjoy watching this episode. It sets up an intriguing mystery at the beginning, but you quickly get the idea that “something weird is going on” and after that, the mystery doesn’t develop, it just sits there until the end, when it is suddenly resolved so quickly that I only have a vague idea what happened. I felt like the middle half of the episode was just padding and the episode needed more story to add more context to what was going on.
by Christopher Alexander | 07/18/2020 at 2:01 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x15 — Paradise

Aired 1994-02-13

SpaceOpera.com rating:3

Average reader rating:3.89

Synopsis

Sisko and O'Brien are stranded on a planet inhabited by a colony of humans who have rejected any form of technology.

Filler rating: bad filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable.

Remarkable scenes

O'Brien talking about how he discovered his talents.
Alixus justifying trying to "buy" Sisko's loyalty with sexual favors.
Dax's "rope trick" with the tractor beam.
Sisko crawling back into the penalty box rather than sacrifice his uniform.
The engineer guy voluntarily letting himself get knocked out by O'Brien.
O'Brien phasering out Sisko.

Review

A colony of luddites dominated by a meglomaniac dicatator with brainwashed followers. Not my favorite topic to address in Star Trek, but certainly an interesting and memorable episode. By the end of the episode all I wanted was to see O'Brien phaser Alixus. Her misguided philosophy of life was just annoying. But Sisko's and O'Brien's resolve against her makes the episode nicely watchable. The biggest problem with the story though is the narrative tries to paint Alixus as vaguely sympathetic at the end and it just doesn't play at all. She beams off the planet acting as though she martyred herself for a great cause and the episode itself seems to imply that in some small way she had. What's worse is none of the colonists are at all outraged by her ten years of deception; in fact they actively defend her actions! I can't help but feel a certain touch of Stockholm Syndrome coming from those poor colonists in the ending, though you'd think at least a few of them would have been outraged enough to want to leave on the spot.

11 reader comments

I will definitely agree that seeing Obrien phase Alixus would have been wondefully satisfying. However, as annoying as this episode was, I rather liked the ending. Having those two children stand there at the end was like a final statement against the lunacy of the 'community'.
Never trust governments that sacrifice the rights of the individual for the good of the whole.
by Pete Miller | 06/08/2006 at 4:21 am

"No EM activity down here." Umm, hello? How do explain the simple fact that you can still see, then, Mr. O'Brien?
by EKH | 04/30/2007 at 2:29 pm

The people on the planet were former starfleet members right?(Atleast I think so) If so i find it odd that they would be quick to result to torture. Even if there leader tells them to.
by curt | 05/12/2010 at 2:12 pm

Problem? Why did the Orinoco have to lasso the Rio Grande out of warp? Hasn't Trek established ages ago that their starships are remote controllable, provided one knows the ship-specific security command code? I was expecting Kira and Dax to simply remote to it and tell it to drop to impulse.
Naturally I'd just assume that each of the runabouts could remote any of the others, cause well, why the hell not, for obvious tactical and safety reasons! My assumption must be wrong, otherwise this is a glaring moment of writer's oversight…
by Ry-Fi | 01/27/2011 at 9:46 am

Hmm…
What to say about this one!
Very ordinary. The part where Sisko goes and locks himself back in the box is played out to be a really important moment of the episode… but all it achieves is to make him look stupid.
The characters on the planet are fairly well fleshed our though, shame the plot never really got the most out of them.
by Bernard | 03/14/2011 at 8:54 pm

Um… So for 10 years she exploited us like laboratory rats for her own little social experiment? Well, I'm okay with it, no hard feelings, let's keep that "community", I like it…
I'm speechless, didn't expect that ending, that was really really really bad, mind-boggling, abysmal, WOW!
by Zaphod | 04/20/2011 at 10:36 am

Zaphod's got the right of this. I have no freaking idea how "Whispers," a beautifully executed episode with an exciting premise, rates a 4, while this episode, with a freaking terrible premise and an ending that defies any rationalization, rates a 5.
This is probably my least favorite episode of DS9 ever. I'm insulted that they attempted to write this character off as sympathetic. For one, Star Trek is a horrible venue for a "Technology is Evil," Aesop, when technology has solved ALL of Earth's problems. Clean, safe, renewable energy, along with groundbreaking medicine and the ability to easily feed every starving person everywhere. Yeah, damned technology.
And Alixus deserved to be tried for murder. Yeah, trap people on a planet without their consent, force them to suffer and die from snakebites and harsh conditions because SHE rejects modern medicine-that sounds like a heinous crime to me. But the ending makes it seem like we should agree with the crap she's peddling. This episode was a ridiculous mess. DS9 can do so much better, and they know it. What bugs me the most is Ira Steven Behr wondering how she failed to be sympathetic. Yeah, shoving Sisko in a box because O'Brien "hurt the community," through his "selfishly wasted time," trying to contact the runabout so that he could get some medical assistance for the dying girl. How snobbishly selfish of him to agree to the rules of a society where he was stranded in two days ago, and for hoping that he might someday see his child again.
It's insulting that the writers and producers wanted her to be likable.
by Bronn | 10/22/2011 at 5:32 pm

I totally agree with the review. I would personally make up whatever to get them off the planet, because 10 y of brainwashing clearly affecting their judgment. They don't even have enough people.
by Nadrac | 02/02/2013 at 1:32 am

I didn't think they could make a more unlikable character than Haneek from Sanctuary but they did it. I wanted to smother Alixus with a pillow until she suffocated.
by Domi | 08/17/2014 at 5:32 am

I share the desire to have seen Alixus on the business end of Miles' phaser. She certainly had a hold on these people Branch Davidian style. And it was also disappointing to see the ending where her unwitting pawns basically accept their role in her little social experiment.
I do agree with Pete Miller that the very ending scene was nice, and I think it redeems the episode a bit. Sure, the writers give Alixus a chance to get on her soapbox and preach her nonsense, but in the end, the community's children are already questioning things. Who knows, maybe down the road they escape that planet while the rest of the community finds themselves suddenly under Dominion occupation :)
by Axel | 06/23/2015 at 5:07 am

The episode was generally interesting but I found Sisko excessively passive. They made very clear that the leader was a charismatic evil cult leader with a mesmerizing hold over the colony, and Sisko just doesn’t do much about it. They desperately needed Kirk or Picard to come give some dramatic speeches telling off the colonists for following that psycho, both in the middle (instead of just passively going into the box) and at the end (instead of just abandoning the brainwashed colonists).
by Christopher Alexander | 07/19/2020 at 9:31 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x16 — Shadowplay

Aired 1994-02-20

SpaceOpera.com rating:5

Average reader rating:5.11

Synopsis

Odo and Dax try to solve the mystery of an alien planet whose inhabitants are disappearing without explanation.

Filler rating: good filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable, but it's a decent episode, even though it could have been better.

Remarkable scenes

Odo denying that there are women chasing him.
Odo beaming himself up to demonstrate his power to leave, but then returning to demonstrate good faith.
Bashir eager to spy on Quark because he wants to try out the surveillance techniques he learned from Garak's lectures.
O'Brien telling Jake to stand up to his Dad.
Another mention of the Dominion. Rurigan mentions the Dominion conquered his race and he fled to the planet of this episode to set up a new holographic life.
Jake standing up to Sisko.
Odo shape shifting in the end.

Review

This episode tackles the building up issue of Sisko trying to control his son's actions too much. In earlier episodes, Sisko makes plans with O'Brien for the internship featured in this episode. Even earlier, Sisko tries to dictate to Jake the "proper" dating procedure. Even earlier, Sisko tries to discourage him from dating at all, and even discourages him from being friends with Nog! In this episode, Sisko must finally confront the fact that Jake wants to shape his own life. There are some annoying things in this episode, such as the residents of Yadera Prime looking exactly like humans, and the fact that this is another episode which opens with the hope of exploring Odo's origins yet yields no answers. Otherwise, this is a largely successful episode; a decent offering.

4 reader comments

Really dull I'm afraid, there is no real chance of discovering Odo's background in this episode and no real chance for his character to develop. As a result nobody really cares what is going on.
The B plot might be well handled but it could have been done during any episode and in a way that actually complimented an A plot.
Thankfully bigger and better things are just around the corner….
by Bernard | 03/17/2011 at 9:13 pm

10 points for Noley Thornton and Odo. The stories were pretty good too. (I found out that Thornton is now a university student studying to become a director.)
by Tallifer | 03/19/2011 at 9:34 am

Why are Dax and Odo so surprised to learn that one of the people in the valley is not a hologram? Doesn't it seem obvious that this must be someone's personal planetary holodeck? Why else would it exist?
by Dstyle | 09/12/2013 at 3:51 pm

A rather emotional episode, which lacks action, but is just very nice. Besides the Yadera holograms with the Odo-Taya friendship and the Sisko-Jake plot, the third story of Quark´s diversion was overlooked in the comment. He managed that Vedek Bareil came to DS9 and met Kira. This encounter is certainly the start of their relationship (already predicted by the orb of prophecy). Since this development is very important for the DS9 story arc, I suggest a reduction of the filler quotient.
by peterwolf | 11/04/2013 at 9:59 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x17 — Playing God

Aired 1994-02-27

SpaceOpera.com rating:1

Average reader rating:4.82

Synopsis

While hosting her first Trill initiate, Dax discovers a tiny, developing universe, which threatens to destroy the station as it expands.

Filler rating: bad filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable and while the story has a few charming moments, it's mostly terrible.

Remarkable scenes

Dax: "It always takes me longer to get ready as a female."
O'Brien and Kira chasing voles.
O'Brien's sonic weapon he developed for the voles causing Quark great pain.
The Klingon chef singing.
O'Brien's chat with the Cardiassian about the voles.
Jake accidentally spilling the beans about his Dabo girl girlfriend to Sisko.
Rules of Acquisition; 112. Never have sex with the boss' sister.
Morn appearances; 1. Behind Arjin during his conversation with Quark. 2. Behind Dax at Quark's when she talks to Arjin.

Review

This episode features some nice Trill trivia, but a bad sci fi plot. The idea that an entire universe could be trapped inside of a lab on DS9 is just ridiculous. Personally, I agree with Kira's solution. Step on the damn ants! The way they stopped this proto universe thing from expanding after they dropped it off back in the Gamma quadrant isn't really explained and the whole Trill plot seems to be wasted as a result. I've seen worse, but this was definitely bad.

4 reader comments

Yeah I still don't understand what they did with the universe. Did they beam it back into space in the gamma quadrant? If so, wouldn't it just destroy the area? And they tried so hard to make the episode really epic, with sisko's comments about the Borg "stepping on" other races.
Just a very crappy episode
by Pete Miller | 06/10/2006 at 1:50 am

According to Jadzia, Runabouts are 14 meters wide, not 17. The tight passage was 17 meters wide.
Arjin: I don't see it! I don't see it! Arjin: I see it! It's less than 17 meters across. Jadzia: This ship is only 14 meters wide. That gives you over 2 meters to work with.
by Remco | 10/06/2008 at 9:27 pm

Another problem. When flying into the wormhole towards the end, the shuttle accelerates to "50 kilometers per hour" and then we're told that it'll take 17 seconds to enter the wormhole. Is the station really just 236 meters from the wormhole?
The universe size "problem" isn't a problem. Read some Iain M. Banks for ways around it. Otherwise, this is a decent episode that adds a lot of back-story.
by Rob Herbert | 07/27/2010 at 9:51 pm

With this episode marks a big change for the series dynamic. The reason for that is the complete turn around in the writing of Jadzia Dax. Gone is the aloof, ageless, purely scientific young woman. In comes the raunchy, loud, aggressive Curzon… Sorry, I meant new Jadzia. This is the first big shift towards a more action orientated series (the later changes are the dominion, the defiant, bad-ass Sisko and finally the introduction of Worf).
I don't complain about the change in the Jadzia character, but you have to ask why not change the host? You have the only species in the Star Trek universe that allows you to completely change actors legitimately and instead they decide that Jadzia will be written completely differently to before.
This episode is okay but it does contain loads of interesting tidbits of Trill info that will be built upon later in episodes like 'Equilibrium' and 'Facets'.
I don't care about bad science in the slightest… when the story is good enough to make you suspend disbelief. Here it isn't, and I found myself scratching my head just as some of you have commented.
So, poor outing, but the first steps toward making DS9 into the best of the Star Trek series' have been taken.
by Bernard | 03/27/2011 at 8:52 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x18 — Profit and Loss

Aired 1994-03-20

SpaceOpera.com rating:6

Average reader rating:5.45

Synopsis

When Quark is reunited with the love of his life, a Cardassian who is now a fugitive, he is ready to sacrifice everything to win her back.

Filler rating: partial filler

Garak's conversation with Toran firmly establishes that Garak was exiled from Cardassia.

Remarkable scenes

Garak continuing to avoid Bashir's inquiries into the truth about Garak's past.
Garak's meeting with Quark.
Sisko accusing Garak of being more than "just a simple tailor."
Natima shooting Quark.
Natima: "Oh Quark. I've always loved you! Even when I hated you!"
Sisko being forced by the Bajorans to turn over their Cardassian guests.
Garak's conversation with Toran.
Quark begging Odo to let Natima and the others go.
Garak confronting Quark, Natima, and the others during their escape.
Garak killing Toran.
Rules of Acquisition; 223. (Quark is interrupted before he can cite it.)
Morn appearances; 1. At the bar in the scene where Odo confronts Quark about the prospect of Quark procuring a cloaking device.

Review

This is a very strange and entertaining episode with regards to Quark. It's difficult to accept Quark actually fell in true love with Natima to the point where profit (almost?) stopped mattering. But that's what fuels the greatness of this rather unusual story because as unbelievable in theory it is, it is portrayed absolutely convincingly. The story portrays two parallel plots; Quark's love for Natima and Garak's love for the state which exiled him. Garak's presence always enhances an episode; the combination of Quark's unusual behavior and Garak's involvement make this rather dry plot quite a bit better than it should have been.

4 reader comments

This episode was supremely well-written and well-acted. Garak is a great character; it's good to learn more about him. Also great to get some more depth to Quark's character. Also, this episode seemed to go on much longer than 42 minutes, in a good way. I love it when I get so interested and involved with a story that I lose proper sense of time!
I give it a 9.
by DJB | 02/28/2009 at 3:31 am

I really disliked this one. It's yet another case of "let's write an episode where x falls in love". Trek handles romance so much better when it does it low-key and over a longer time, such as the mostly unspoken romance between Picard and Crusher, or even Odo's feelings for Kira.
Even episodes that do have characters falling head-over-heels in love with the alien of the week usually aren't as full of painfully overlong embraces and clichéd pulp fiction dialogue as this one. Much as I like Quark as a character and think Armin Shimerman does a great job playing him, I just didn't get a sense of any real spark between him and the Cardassian guest star.
As with a lot of episodes in this season the presence of Garak makes up for the failings of the main story.
by Mark McC | 04/27/2009 at 3:45 am

I really enjoyed this episode and that's no small thanks to the talents of Armin Shimerman and Andrew J. Robinson plus the writing of their respective characters.
In the hosts review the finger is pointed at how acceptable it is for Quark to forget about profit.. well there are many examples of this over the series. That is the beauty of the character, that if you burrow down deep enough beneath the surface there is quite an un-ferengi like person. Take his actions during the occupation for example, not mercenary but almost charitable. He does it again during the dominion occupation of the station in season six. what I'm trying to say is that he is complex and it is no more ridiculous than any 'lover of the week' storyline that Trek gives us.
by Bernard | 03/29/2011 at 12:39 pm

I found it odd that Garak killed someone at the end, and we just all rolled along without worrying about it. It's okay to just kill someone??? Am I supposed to assume that no one knows that happened? Wouldn't an alarm go off with him having fired a phaser on kill? Or, if nothing else, the Cardassians would notice that one of their officers was missing, never to be seen again?
I also felt like Garak had a pretty abrupt change of heart from wanting to do whatever it took to be removed from exile to wanting to do what's best for Cardassia because Cardassia is his "true love". It wasn't the most believable shift.
Besides that, I really liked the episode. Good storyline, great character development for Garak and Quark both.
by Abigail Chappell | 09/25/2019 at 9:34 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x19 — Blood Oath

Aired 1994-03-27

SpaceOpera.com rating:7

Average reader rating:7.56

Synopsis

Dax risks her life and her future with Starfleet to fulfill a blood oath made with three aged Klingons.

Filler rating: not filler

This is the first episode to feature Kor, Koloth, and Kang since the original series. The DS9 incarnation of Kor will also recur later in the series. Kor's relationship with Dax and the events of this episode will be relevant later.

Remarkable scenes

Kor and Koloth's appearances.
Odo lamenting about having a "Klingon afternoon."
Koloth: "A sharp knife is nothing without a sharp eye."
Kor, regarding the albino: "I will cut his heart out and eat it while he watches me with his dying breath!"
Dax dueling Koloth.
Dax describing her alternative tactical strategy.
Kang killing the albino.
The silence when Jadzia returned to her duties.

Review

Introducing Kor, Koloth, and Kang. Oh, do you remember them? Yep, seems Klingons live for an extremely long period of time. These were some Klingons who gave Kirk some headaches in the original series. The three Klingons and Dax's previous host Curzon swore a blood oath to avenge the death of their Klingon sons murdered by a treacherous albino Klingon. In this episode they band together for one last glorious battle together. I very much enjoyed this episode.

7 reader comments

I'm not a fan of most DS9's Klingon episodes from the first four seasons. It got better with "Soldiers of the Empire" and "Once More Unto the Breach", and I do really like what they did later with Martok's character. But this one was pretty good.
The personality differences between the three Klingons reminded me a bit of the Three Musketeers. You have the lover of life, women, and drink, you have the ambitious, arrogant one, and the quiet, secretive leader of the group. They are also old friends seeking one final adventure together. Dax is d'Artagnan, the one who wants to join the group and is seen with affection by them, but not quite one of their own until later.
There are some nice moments in this episode, such as the conversation between Kang and Jadzia about their friendship, about the blood oath, and the Klingon glory days. Overall this was very well written.
I also mark it down somewhat because Jadzia just isn't as convincing as a Klingon warrior as I'd like her to be, and because I would expect a bit more in the way of consequences for her actions. Remember how in TNG: Reunion that Worf was reprimanded formally for his vengeance killing of Duras, despite Picard's sympathies. It would've been nice to see some kind of consquence for Dax, but instead this would seem to reinforce the privileged relationship she enjoys with Sisko simply because of Curzon.
by MJ | 02/10/2011 at 6:46 pm

So, here we go again with the new Jadzia who's decided that she's Curzon.
I love the use of the three TOS Klingons although I find it an interesting 'device' to make all the other races long-lived… Romulans, Vulcans and now Klingons all live well into their hundreds.
The episode itself is good enough and I would give it a solid 7. Just wait for Worfs arrival for plenty more where this episode came from. This episode marks the start of a run of high quality toward the seasons end.
by Bernard | 03/29/2011 at 2:40 pm

This was a great episode. The three Klingons are exceptionally interesting, unique characters. They make for a very believable team of old warrior friends. The final raid on "the Albino" has a bit of a Three Musketeers (+ 1 Dax) quality to it, and also a bit of a Tom Clancy quality to it… the premise and execution of this episode is almost feature film material.
There were some good subtleties around Jadzia's uncertainty, which at times reached almost palpable levels. As Dax with her 7 lifetimes she is an experienced warrior, no stranger to battle, hand-to-hand combat, and death. As Jadzia, she is a fairly delicate, innocent creature who's never personally killed anyone in her life. As Jadzia Dax, about to enact an ancient vendetta, she's, well, visibly uncertain, torn, unsure of herself. It's interesting to watch her resolve these things, put on some armor and pull her own weight in battle, but stop short of personally executing the albino herself. Interesting how the Klingon interprets this too, as saving the deathblow for himself.
This is a fun episode, and also an interesting exploration of what some less compatible elements of Dax, and specifically Curzon Dax, mean now, for Jadzia…
by int | 08/29/2011 at 7:41 pm

Kor is played by John Colicos, who among other roles played Count Baltar, the principle villain in the original Battlestar Galactica series. He also played Kor in DS9: The Sword of Kahless and DS9: Once More Unto the Breach. His first appearance as Kor was in TOS: Errand of Mercy way back in 1967, 27 years before this episode. Colicos was thus one of the longest running guest stars on Star Trek ever. (It would be an interesting study to find out who holds that record.) According to Memory Alpha, it seems that Colicos was also the first major character to appear on screen in a Star Trek episode playing a Klingon. Thus, Colicos defined the initial look of the Klingons.
by Jeff Browning | 10/25/2011 at 12:13 pm

A solid story line with some very unconvincing performances from Dax (Terry Farrell, who conveys nothing of the great Curzon, but chews through her lines in the most stilted, smarmy way) and William Campbell, who is hopelesslu mis-cast as Koloth. He exudes about as much noble Klingon aggression as a retired suburban Jr high school teacher. Kang's character is adequately stolid, but it is Kor (John Colicos) who salvage the episode with more believable & impassioned delivery.
by Joseph Angeles | 01/10/2013 at 9:18 am

I know I'm responding to what is now a very old set of comments, but I think you're being (were being?) unfair to Terry Farrell. I think she possesses an outstanding ability to convey emotion with her expressions, and think she did so here.
Of course Jadzia's not Curzon. She's a 27-28 year old woman. But she feels what he felt and I think Farrell did a good job conveying that dichotomy.
One of my favorite DS9 episodes.
by Scott Nolan | 05/18/2018 at 1:11 am

I thought it was really neat getting all 3 of the Klingon commanders from the original series, with their original actors, into the same episode. And I really liked the “Klingon-ness” of the episode’s resolution, it feels like a look into part of Klingon culture. Instead of Dax acting like a proper Federation officer and finding some clever way to ethically deal with the problem, she just goes along with them killing everyone they see so they can flat out murder the guy to gain vengeance. I guess she really does make a good Klingon!
Issues: It was somewhat jarring having a comedy Klingon from a comedy episode (Koloth) along with the two serious Klingons from serious episodes, I tend to think the character would have been better utilized in a less serious story. Jadzia never suffers any consequences from doing far worse than Worf ever did when he was reprimanded for seeking vengeance. The idea of disabling all high-tech equipment is necessary for the episode to work but hard to take seriously; if this were possible, everyone would be disabling everyone else’s equipment all the time.
by Christopher Alexander | 07/22/2020 at 3:21 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x20 — The Maquis, Part I

Aired 1994-04-24

SpaceOpera.com rating:7

Average reader rating:6.53

Synopsis

Sisko uncovers a Federation terrorist group whose actions could start another war with the Cardassians.

Filler rating: not filler

Numerous major long term plot threads are serviced here.

Remarkable scenes

Jadzia mentioning dating captain Boday, a Gallamite with a transparent skull.
Hudson and Sisko reminiscing.
Sakonna discussing a business proposition with Quark.
Dukat sitting in Sisko's quarters.
Kira's report on what Jake is doing.
The first sight of a Maquis vessel destroying Cardassian ships.
Quark's meal with Sakonna.
Sakonna: "I wish to procure weapons."
Quark's reaction to Sakonna's request for weapons.
Odo defending the security procedures of DS9 when it was Terok Nor.
Rules of Acquisition; 214. Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach.

Review

I like the direct continuity with TNG: Journey's End, the previously aired episode. I'm fond of Sisko's attitude toward the Maquis. Sympathy, but ultimately regarding them as criminals and thinking they should be stopped at all costs. Hudson's involvement with the Maquis was un unsurprising twist, given how much not-so-subtle foreshadowing there was. Overall the political drama is subtle, nuanced, and realistic. This sort of ugliness is a not at all unexpected consequence of the Federation signing such a bad treaty. It's nice to see that the Native Americans from TNG: Journey's End aren't the only colonies that decided to ignore the resettlement provision and adding the element of rebellious militarism certainly enhances the drama.

3 reader comments

This is a terrific beginning for an epic story in two parts. There is not a single false note in this.
Of course, being an historian and a lover of classic literature, I always appreciate the more grandiose episodes of Star Trek.
by Tallifer | 03/20/2011 at 1:18 am

Strong episode. Nicely paced, explains the back story for the Maquis perfectly. This had to be solid of course as it sets up Voyager.
Love the Sisko/Dukat partnership which at the time I thought was to become something akin to O'Brien/Bashir but thankfully the creators made sure that their relationship stayed more like Picard/Q.
The point is the writers are using the 'unlikely pairing' angle again and it works so well.
Shame we hadn't seen Hudson prior to this episode to make it more wrenching and less predictable when his revelation comes to light but that sort of continuity and almost serialisation is to come later in the series.
Overall a good outting, shame about part two.
by Bernard | 04/03/2011 at 11:19 am

Cal Hudson was played by Bernie Casey, a very well known TV and movie actor who has many credits to his name, among them Roots, Murder She Wrote, Babylon Five, and the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Bernie Casey also played football for two NFL teams: The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. So far as I know Bernie Casey is the only actor to appear on any Star Trek episode or feature film who also played football for the NFL. Another interesting study.
by Jeff Browning | 10/25/2011 at 1:05 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x21 — The Maquis, Part II

Aired 1994-05-01

SpaceOpera.com rating:8

Average reader rating:5.72

Synopsis

Sisko and Gul Dukat join forces in an effort to avert a war between the Cardassians and a group of Federation colonists led by Sisko's old friend.

Filler rating: not filler

Numerous major long term plot threads are serviced here.

Remarkable scenes

Sisko's speech to Kira.
Sisko and Odo leaving Quark in jail.
Legate Parn regarding Gul Dukat being held by the Maquis pending execution: "What difference does it make whether we do it or they do it?"
Dukat ridiculing his interrogators.
Odo using his shape shifting abilities in battle.
Dukat describing the Cardassian legal system. Entertainment, not justice.
Kira: "With that kind of firepower, the Bajorans could have lost a full scale assault on Cardassia!" Dukat: "And lost."
Dukat scaring the wits out of the contraband freighter.
Sakonna: "I am a Vulcan. My emotional state is irrelevent." Quark: "Well I'm a Ferengi and my emotional state is very relevant."
Sakonna to Quark: "Do you propose to lecture me on logic?"
Quark's lecture about buying peace at a bargain price to Sakonna.
The space battle. Nice!
Rules of Acquisition; 3. Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.

Review

Nothing unexpected here. One notable detail is how Sisko saves Dukat's life. Must have been difficult for Sisko muster up the will to do that. Sisko working with Dukat was definitely surreal. Sisko's resolve remains strong, he is more willing to defend the Cardassians, the treaty, and the peace; turning on former Federation members, even his former friends, to accomplish this. I liked the way he balanced his loyalties and duties in this episode so perfectly. His actions were the perfect model for a Starfleet officer, in my opinion. Everything from his chats with Cal to his handling of Dukat was great. The climax was a lot of fun to watch, the space battle of unexpectedly high quality. I liked this second part better than the first part.

9 reader comments

This two-parter is perhaps the best DS9 offering to this point. Good stuff.
by JRPoole | 12/26/2008 at 6:05 pm

There is a problem here: the Zeppelite ship canrun at warp 9,8.
by JJ | 08/03/2010 at 6:20 pm

I love Sisko's speech: "The Problem is Earth…" I love what he says, and I love the way he makes Kira shut up. Kira needs to shut up more often in my opinion.
Here we see the emergence of Sisko as a total badass -- fantastic.
by John DC | 01/08/2011 at 6:54 am

Solid episode that finishes off the set up from the first part nicely. Unfortunately it doesn't do much more than that.
I too enjoy Sisko's 'the problem with Earth' speech, I also enjoy Dukat who has been a joy throughout both parts.
"What's that phrase? 'Shoot to kill'?"
The Maquis, are an excellent addition to the Star Trek universe and stories will make very good use of them over the next few seasons.
by Bernard | 04/05/2011 at 2:58 pm

Not too fond of Avery Brooks' acting in this two-parter, and he is totally outplayed by Dukat. Sisko just comes out as a whiny, grumpy tight-ass.
by Hugo von Ahlenius | 11/12/2011 at 10:35 pm

I also like that Dukat comes out as not only a villain, and it nuances the image of the Cardassians. On the space battle - it was ok, but felt a bit like a computer game at times…
by Hugo von Ahlenius | 11/12/2011 at 11:10 pm

Did anyone catch Hudson's Shatner-esque delivery of the heading towards the end of the episode?
by Matt Apple | 06/10/2012 at 8:00 am

This was an excellent two part episode and represents the very best of DS9-there's a very complicated issue here and you can sympathize with all sides, even with what Dukat is trying to accomplish. But the Maquis storyline always bugged me because if you're setting up something complicated, it deserves a good resolution.
Obviously you can't resolve the Maquis storyline here because it's still setting up Voyager. But it fails to reach a real resolution at any point. After taking direct action here to stop the Maquis, blowing up some of their ships, Sisko and the DS9 crew are largely going to ignore the Maquis for the next few years, save for a couple of episodes per season. They're more concerned with the Dominion. In the end the Maquis is going to be gobsmacked completely off screen by the Dominion. It's this loose thread that's dangling for a long time that never was completely pulled into place, so it got lopped off when they ran out of stories to do with it.
I feel that Federation leadership takes a bit of unjust blame here. There's degrees to which I can understand them being out of touch, but they're dealt a rough hand. First they finally managed to sign the peace treaty with the Cardassians and setting up a DMZ. This was apparently a fair enough deal with both sides having to concede colonies. They tried to relocate their citizens, but those people refused to move and said they're rather live under Cardassian rule than give up their land. So they leave them…and then they blame the Federation when the Cardassians treat them like crap in attempt to make them give up their lands. Then the Federation is stuck in a position where they either have to go to war, or attempt to police their citizens who start their own shooting war. The Federation breaking a peace treaty with the Cardassians would open a whole new can of worms for them because of their treaties with the Romulans and whatever tenuous agreements they had with the Tholians.
What I wanted to come out of this, at some point, was Starfleet policy to retain some clarity. Either they would go to war to protect their citizens, or they would disavow responsibility for them completely and tell the Cardassians to use their own discretion in dealing with the Maquis. We never got a real resolution to the Maquis situation on Voyager either, since the fact that there were Maquis crew members there mattered for maybe 4 episodes.
by Bronn | 07/05/2013 at 6:01 pm

@John I thought Kira's speech to Sisko was way more brave, to school her superior officer about Cardassians like that. Siskos speech to her was most cowardly, he should have said that to the admiral not someone who agrees anyway.
by bodner | 02/14/2014 at 5:59 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x22 — The Wire

Aired 1994-05-08

SpaceOpera.com rating:8

Average reader rating:7.97

Synopsis

Bashir fights to save his Cardassian friend Garak, who is slowly being killed by a brain implant to which he is addicted.

Filler rating: not filler

Despite the implication that everything Garak said was a lie, many parts of it were true as later episodes will confirm. This episode also marks the first appearance of Enabran Tain, who will be a significant character in the series later.

Remarkable scenes

Garak and Bashir discussing "The Never Ending Sacrifice", a supposed classic Cardassian novel.
Bashir regarding Jadzia's plant: "In my expert medical opinion, I'd say it's sick."
Bashir: "I'm a doctor, not a botanist!" Count 9 for "I'm a doctor, not a (blah)" style lines, which McCoy was famous for.
Garak's seizure.
Odo: "I routinely monitor all of Quark's subspace communications." Bashir: "Is that legal?" Odo: "It's in the best interest of station security."
Odo regarding the Obsidian Order: "It is said that Cardassian citizens cannot sit down to a meal without each dish being dually noted and recorded by the Order."
Garak telling inflamed stories of his past.
Bashir's meeting with Enabran Tain.
Tain regarding Garak: "That man has a rare gift for obfuscation."
Garak foreshadowing a Cardassian Klingon war.
Bashir: "Out of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?" Garak: "My dear doctor, they're all true." Bashir: "Even the lies?" Garak: "Especially the lies."
Morn appearances; 1. I've read that Morn appears in this episode somewhere around Quark's, but I've not been able to see him.

Review

Finally, a Garak's past episode! Up to this point, we know literally nothing about his past other than that he was most certainly exiled from Cardassia. At the end of this episode, all we know for certain is that his first name is Elim and that he has some connection to the head of the Obsidian Order, Enabran Tain because we don't know which of his stories are lies and which are the truth (if any). This episode features one of the best acting performances of Andrew Robinson's entire career. A splendid showing.

4 reader comments

I gave it a 4. There is just not much here. Garak is a fascinating character, but most of the airtime here is spent on scenes with him physically suffering and acting out of character. There are better "Garak's past" episodes than this.
by Orion Pimpdaddy | 10/21/2006 at 3:00 am

This is a very enjoyable episode, and a good introduction to Garak's past (although what we actually learn is up for questions at this point).
For the record, the Morn appearance is immediately after the scene with Bashir and Jadzia when they are discussing her plant. Immediately before the scene where Quark meets with Garak. I enjoy how Morn is looking sad after he realizes Quark's is closed.
by Mr. Lincoln | 11/29/2007 at 7:45 am

I liked this episode a lot. I'm coming to really like Garak's character.
I think the episode title may be a reference to Larry Niven's "Ringworld" series, wherein the main character, Louis Wu, is an ex-"wirehead," i.e. he used to have some kind of "wire" implanted in his brain that directly stimulated his endorphin receptors. Just a thought.
by DJB | 04/06/2009 at 5:36 am

This is a very difficult one to judge. I think Robinsons performance is fairly good but not all that others have made of it. The performance however does not necessarily make the episode and in this case it does not quite do it.
There just isn't any payoff here. It just sets up Garak for more stories… and that's great! It just makes this episode fall into the 'above average' bracket.
I'd give it a 6 or 7 but at least it's good enough to keep up this late-season surge of good episodes.
by Bernard | 05/06/2011 at 8:40 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x23 — Crossover

Aired 1994-05-15

SpaceOpera.com rating:5

Average reader rating:6.39

Synopsis

A mishap in the wormhole sends Kira and Bashir into the mirror universe where Bajor is a tyrannical power and humans are slaves.

Filler rating: not filler

This is the first of many DS9 mirror universe episodes and serves as a sequel to TOS: Mirror, Mirror. It also establishes the colony of "New Bajor" having been settled in the Gamma Quadrant.

Remarkable scenes

Kira and Bashir crossing over into the mirror universe.
Evil Kira describing the events of TOS: Mirror, Mirror.
Mirror Quark: "Gold pressed what?"
Mirror Quark shot down a hero.
Mirror Sisko calling Mirror O'Brien "smiley."
Bashir killing Mirror Odo.

Review

A sequel to TOS: Mirror, Mirror. It seems the Terran Empire has been destroyed thanks to Kirk convincing Mirror Spock to initiate reform. In its place, the Alliance has formed. Some kind of joint Klingon, Cardassian, and Bajoran Empire. While I like the idea behind these types of episodes, this one serves as little more than as an introduction to the DS9 mirror characters and as a result features not very much else content. The whole setting is delightfully well conceived though and is just begging for more episodes to told there.

7 reader comments

I absolutely despise mirror universe episodes. I couldn't hardly stand to watch this one. It's almost painful to watch.
by Pete Miller | 06/12/2006 at 1:04 am

The mirror universe episode are my own personal favourites, as they always give fascinating insight into the hidden depths of a character, and this one is no exceptions. It is interesting to see how the main cast would have turned out had things been different, and thus episode features some convincing writing and acting for these possible personalities. In particular Sisko is well acted, striking true as being the same character. I also enjoyed seeing how Kira would have ended up had her life been the opposite of what it was. Still a complete mess, but in quite a different way! Also, a big plus for showing Terok Nor orbiting Bajor.
I give it a 10.
by EKH | 05/02/2007 at 8:30 pm

At the end, when Sisko asks Bashir and Kira where they have been, Kira replies: "Through the looking-glass". It's unlikely that a former Bajoran slave-turned-terrorist knows about such an ancient Earth book.
by Remco | 10/23/2008 at 3:00 pm

I must agree with Pete Miller above; I despise mirror episodes. This one is entertaining, though.
by JRPoole | 12/26/2008 at 9:50 pm

The problem with the Mirror universe episodes is that the writers tend to spend more time coming up with clever "opposites" for the characters than writing a decent story. This one is no exception.
It's worth mentioning that Quark's line "I don't stick my neck out for anybody" when asked if he has been helping Terrans escape is a reference to the famous Bogart line in Casablanca, "I don't stick my neck out for nobody" when Rick is asked something similar.
by Rob Herbert | 07/28/2010 at 2:48 pm

Rules for watching the mirror universe episodes:
Suspend your disbelief completely. If you think about it for even a millisecond you realise that in an alternate universe if so much was changed (terrans being all conquering and then becoming benign for example) then none of the characters we know and love would even have been born… and even if they were they would likely not end up in the same place!
Enjoy watching the actors having fun
Check your brains in on the way in, don't expect any thought provoking sci-fi or heart wrenching drama.
I really like this episode for reasons I can't explain it works very well. The actors have a blast, especially Avery Brooks. I love his performance too, you can see his talent is playing off the wall characters.
The problem is that we revisit this universe in the future! I can't hold this episode responsible for that though and would give it a strong 8.
by Bernard | 07/16/2011 at 8:12 am

Loved Bizarro-world rogue Sisko in this episode! I was disappointed that Garak wasnt given an "altered" character aside from rank, as I was watching I was thinking how cool it would be if he behaved more like a Gul Dukat in the alternate reality.
by Spencer Miller | 04/10/2012 at 5:18 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x24 — The Collaborator

Aired 1994-05-22

SpaceOpera.com rating:4

Average reader rating:5.61

Synopsis

Kira must investigate the man she loves when she learns he may be the Cardassian collaborator responsible for the massacre of 43 Bajorans.

Filler rating: not filler

The Kai election is decided in this episode.

Remarkable scenes

Kira insulting Vedek Winn.
Kira and Odo talking to the collaborator.
Vedek Winn's meeting with Sisko.
Kira and Odo waking in on Quark. Kira: "Don't be so defensive!" Quark: "I can't help it, between the two of you I'm developing a persecution complex!"
Rules of Acquisition; 285 (last rule). No good deed ever goes unpunished.

Review

Vedek Winn manipulates Vedek Bareil to get him to withdraw his candidacy for the next Kai. An interesting idea, but drowns under the weight of slow plot development. The consequences are profound though, as it leads directly to Winn becoming Kai, which will surely lead to some interesting drama down the road.

5 reader comments

I'm amazed this only got a 4. Some good drama, and the election of a new Space-Pope is hardly "zero plot development". In hindsight, it may seem obvious that Kai Winn will be elected, but it's an enormous change for those watching the episodes in order.
The episode had me believing that Bareil had been a collaborator, in the sense of sacrificing the few for the benefit of the many. The double turnaround made for some good emotional responses from Kira.
by carsonist | 01/24/2009 at 11:44 pm

10/10
The religious politics combine with the social repercussions and aftermath of an occupation. This story was consistently exciting through every minute.
Plus we get to see some more hotness from Keera Narees.
by Tallifer | 03/20/2011 at 10:06 am

Another strong outing involving Bajoran politics!
This is a well constructed episode with good performances from Kira, Winn and Bareil.
I'd give it an 8.
by Bernard | 10/22/2011 at 6:43 pm

In context of the political development of Bajor the plot develops not zero but close to 100%! Also, the recent history of Bajor is well integrated with a very tough decision: is it justified to let a small number of people die so that much more can live? Indeed, it could be expected that Vedek Winn eventually prevails in the Kai competition. However, it was a surprise that Kai Opaka was the "collaborator" and not Bareil. His relationship with Kira: her doubts and inner conflict are well acted. A really good episode, deserving rating 8.
by peterwolf | 11/09/2011 at 7:28 am

I could see how you might find this slow but I found it full of tension and felt that the plot developed at an adequate pace the whole way through, making it a solid episode. Not the most thrilling, but it raised a good moral question and developed some interesting religious politics on Bajor.
by Christopher Alexander | 07/20/2020 at 11:51 pm

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x25 — Tribunal

Aired 1994-06-05

SpaceOpera.com rating:5

Average reader rating:4.91

Synopsis

O'Brien is arrested by the Cardassians and put on trial for a crime he insists he did not commit.

Filler rating: good filler

There's no essential plot or exposition in this episode that renders it unskippable, but it's a decent episode, even though it could have been better.

Remarkable scenes

O'Brien finding it difficult to leave the station.
Keiko appearance.
O'Brien's reaction to being captured by the Cardassians.
O'Brien's objections to the Cardassian legal system.
O'Brien to Odo regarding his capture: "They did some dental work that wasn't much fun"
Odo pestering Makbar at the trial.
Makbar laying into O'Brien for being a racist against Cardassians.
The abrupt change in the attitude of the Cardassian court when Sisko showed up with the Cardassian spy.

Review

This episode was the much anticipated closer look at the Cardassian justice system. We've gotten tidbits of information about it since TNG: The Wounded and onward. This episode bears the most resemblance to TNG: Chain of Command. When O'Brien is first captured by the Cardassians, his treatment is nearly identical to how Picard was treated in that episode. Unfortunately, this trial is largely a waste of time. Sure, all the Orwellian references were kind of amusing, but it was also pretty heavy handed. After a while I was thinking to myself "yeah, yeah, I get it. Totalitarian dictatorship with show trials."

6 reader comments

I enjoy any O'Brien episode, but this one is spectacular. I especially love the speech O'Brien gives Odo in the cell about his personal convictions and morality, as well as loyalty to the federation despite his own opinions. He is truly a good man, and one of my favorite characters in Star Trek. It's a damn shame he didn't get more screen time in TNG. Him and Picard would have gotten along well
by Pete Miller | 06/12/2006 at 2:45 am

This is very clearly a quintessential "O'Brien must suffer" episode (the producers intentionally put Miles through the meat grinder at at least once per season, src: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine).
This is quite fascinating to watch, although I agree with the reviewer there is a touch of absurdity about the court proceedings.
The judge is too lenient at certain times, too stubborn at other times, depending on what the plot requires. It really doesn't seem to make much sense - since the purpose and proceedings of these show trials is so well established, why wouldn't she just find Odo in contempt and have him removed, rather than put up with his attempts to defend Miles?
I haven't fully thought it through, but it might make more sense in light of the revelation at the end: that this was a highly politicized ploy from the very beginning, rather than some ordinary trial. This particular show trial had an interplanetary audience as well as its usual audience, and Odo had a legal right to serve as Nestor (which was a cool twist, btw).
So, pretty good episode, but whether it makes sense or not, much of the trial proceedings are kind of irritating to watch.
by milesmust | 09/04/2011 at 1:39 am

So let's see, we have TNG: Face of the Enemy (Troi abducted), TNG: The Mind's Eye (La Forge abducted), DS9: In Purgatory's Shadow (Bashir abducted), and also this episode…O'Brien abducted. It seems to me that the Federation has a border control problem, and going anywhere on your own in a shuttlecraft is pretty risky.
I also thought the Cardassian judicial system was a little too absurd. Granted, trials are often for show in dictatorships and military juntas of any kind, but in this episode it seemed to be almost comically ridiculous. It would be more apropos to have a Cardassian regime that simply makes its victims disappear, denying them the opportunity to be martyrs or visibly oppose the state. This insidious reality of totalitarian regimes is something that has been described by those who opposed both the Nazi and Soviet systems.
In any case, I did enjoy a few of the plot twists and I thought it had some terrific acting.
by Axel | 05/17/2015 at 7:09 am

Episodes like this annoy me a bit. It's hard for me to take the plot seriously when it's based off of the fact (shown time and again throughout Star Trek) that any foreign government can abduct a Federation citizen for whatever reason they choose with no consequences. They kidnaped the Chief of Operations for Depp Space 9. How is that not an act of war? The excuse of the week should hardly be relevant.
by Zorak | 05/14/2016 at 4:03 pm

I was amused by the Cardassian “legal system”. It is sort of a cross between two real-world concepts – show trials which look like a modern trial and pretend to determine guilt or innocence but are actually rigged by the state, and the fact that many cultures have simply given authority figures the job of deciding who is guilty and punishing them, with nothing like a modern trial at all. It was somewhat absurd, but interesting. However, not quite interesting enough to fill a whole episode, it did get somewhat repetitious and stretched.
I agree that the idea the Cardassians could just abduct anyone at any time with no repercussions was disturbing and kept weighing on my mind the entire time. Another episode where I felt our heroes were insufficiently outraged by what was going on, as if the Cardassians were justified in entering Federation space, overpowering and capturing a Federation vessel, and kidnapping a Federation officer simply because they unilaterally declared that person to be a criminal (which, in Cardassian terms, means an enemy of the Cardassian state – a category which likely includes an awful lot of Federation citizens).
Now, I can believe that the episode could have gone forward as shown anyway, with the Federation letting it slide. Previous episodes with the Cardassians have made clear that the Federation really wants peace and is willing to make sacrifices to get it. Starfleet Command may well be willing to sacrifice one life to avoid the devastation of a war they do not feel ready to fight. But you would at least expect more displays of outrage, saber-rattling, and heightened tensions over this act of war.
by Christopher Alexander | 07/21/2020 at 6:46 am

This was certainly inspired by Franz Kafka's The Trial.
by Steven Wrieden | 08/26/2023 at 8:14 am

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — 2x26 — The Jem'Hadar

Aired 1994-06-12

SpaceOpera.com rating:9

Average reader rating:6.61

Synopsis

During a trip to the Gamma Quadrant with Jake and Nog, Sisko and Quark are imprisoned by soldiers working for a mysterious power known as the Dominion.

Filler rating: not filler

Numerous major long term plot threads are serviced here.

Remarkable scenes

Quark asking Odo to let him use the station's monitors to run commercials for Quark's bar. Hilarious.
Quark pleading with Sisko about his advertisement plans.
Sisko and Quark captured by the Jem'Hadar.
The Jem'Hadar soldier discussing his extensive knowledge of the Alpha Quadrant. I like his preoccupation with the Klingons, and wanting to meet a Klingon. A warrior race vs. a warrior race.
Jake and Nog on the runabout.
The first sighting of a Jem'Hadar ship.
The Jem'Hadar soldier beaming through the station's shields and walking through the station's forcefields then telling Kira to her face that the Dominion has annihilated the colony of New Bajor.
Sisko: "Quark, maybe you'd better take a look at this." Quark: "Sure! Quark be quiet. Quark stand watch. Quark pick a lock! All you ever do is order me around! You know, commander I think I've figured out why hew-mons don't like Ferengi." Sisko: "Not now Quark." Quark: "The way I see it, hew-mons used to be a lot like Ferengi. Greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We're a constant reminder of a part of your past you'd like to forget." Sisko: "Quark, we don't have time for this." Quark: "But you're overlooking something. Hew-mons used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi. Slavery, concentration camps, inter-stellar wars. We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We're nothing like you. We're better. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lock to pick."
Kira and Odo discussing Quark fondly. Odo: "I'd rather see him in jail than in the hands of the Dominion."
I love seeing another galaxy class starship! The battle with the Jem'Hadar ships was awesome.
The destruction of the Odyssey.
Sisko confronting Eris. Eris: "You have no idea what's begun here."
Rules of Acquisition; 102. Nature decays but latinum lasts forever.
Morn appearances; 1. Quark offers to counsel him, then cuts him off just as he's about to speak, forgetting about his offer.

Review

After a bit of foreshadowing, we now get a closer look at the mysteriously ominous Gamma Quadrant power known as the Dominion. And it looks like they're not terribly happy with all the wormhole traffic. The Dominion destroyed the new Bajoran colony and demonstrated its ability to beam across long distances and through shields! The battle with the Jem'Hadar in this episode was fantastic. The destruction of the USS Odyssey was downright shocking; to see a galaxy class starship taken down so easily! A great finale.

10 reader comments

This is the beginning of the "real" DS9, and it's a good introduction. Thankfully, the writers didn't have Jake and Nog pull some sort of daring rescue of Sisko and Quark. The only (slight) problems I have with this episode are very minor:
--It seems a little unlikely that the Jem'hadar could overlook Jake and Nog, especially when there's a shuttle orbiting the planet, but I guess that stands to reason because Sisko and Quark were meant to escape all along.
-Just where is Eris beaming to at the end? How sophisticated is Dominion transporter technology?
by JRPoole | 01/02/2009 at 10:21 pm

The biggest problem I have with this episode, and in fact most star trek battle scenes, is how puny and frail Federation ships always seem to be during engagements like this. Seriously, watch the battle in this episode. The Jem'Hadar make one pass, firing a couple of shots at the Odyssey, then it cuts to the bridge and it's absolute chaos up there, exploding consoles and everything.
The reverse case hardly ever happens. Which I think sucks. I mean, this is a Galaxy class ship right? And if they could take it out so easily, why not pick off the runabouts first?
by BlueLabel | 06/10/2010 at 7:43 am

I have to gladly agree with JRPoole that this marks the beginning of the rest of DS9. Again, I agree that the rest of DS9 is GREAT! There are those episodes here and there that have their own little, self-contained stories. I like a lot of them for the way the writers examine humanity and morals. However, my favorite part of DS9 is the Dominion story. I greatly enjoy the ongoing story. For me, the ongoing saga of episodes and seasons is what makes DS9 better than TNG. Don't get me wrong; there are many great stand-alone and two-part TNG episodes. But DS9 has a much better overall story and drama. This comes from someone who grew up loving TNG and almost detesting DS9 for trying to copy what TNG had done so well. After watching DS9, I have to say that I look forward to rewatching the episodes often.
by Wes Thompson | 01/14/2011 at 7:56 pm

Why doesn't Eris pause or at least say something about or to Odo? I guess they were already aware that a shapeshifter was on DS9 and it wasn't a big deal…?
by krs321 | 02/01/2011 at 8:19 pm

As others have said, this episode marks the start of bad ass DS9. The transition to bad ass DS9 is completed by the start of season four when all the boxes are ticked. Sisko with bald head and goatee - check DS9 has it's own warship armed to the teeth - check Worf has arrived - check
The episode is very introductory and so I don't think it can be hailed as a masterpiece. It does a great job introducing the Jem'Hader and the idea that the Dominion is going to be a nasty adversary. The plot involving Sisko, Jake, Nog and Quark is a nice little addition that plays out through the episode with Quark needling Sisko but then they need to work together and appreciate each other a bit more by the end giving the episode a much needed character arc. The two play off each other very nicely, as do Nog and Jake but then we know they do from many, many other episodes.
I'd give this a 7 or maybe 8 depending on my mood.
by Bernard | 11/13/2011 at 11:54 am

Nice episode. I love the Quark character but he was just too insufferable on the camping trip/during captivity - I know thats the obvious intention but I found it a little aggravating.
I also wanted to comment on the battle with the Odyssey. In Kethinov's review he comments: "The destruction of the USS Odyssey was downright shocking; to see a galaxy class starship taken down so easily!" But with regards to this, I felt the same way as BlueLabel…the Federation starships always seem sorely underpowered to me. The space battles often seem very one sided…either the Enterprise (in TNG) can easily take out their adversaries, or else its the whole "two hits and sparks are flying everywhere and people are flying all over the place". It gets a little aggravating for me when the protagonist faction's firepower is so impotent.
by Spencer Miller | 04/10/2012 at 9:09 pm

Usually I either get aggravated or make a running gag out of how Federation ships shields are down after taking 2 hits, but in this particular episode it made sense to me. The Odyssey was being attacked by Phased Polaron beams which I doubt the Federation has ever really dealt with, and since Polaron beams are designed to penetrate shields the sparks flying right away is mostly justified. Now it did take quite a few hits and was still able to attempt a retreat with the final blow being a suicide run, so at the very least she was able to handle an incredible pounding before finally kicking it. It was indeed shocking and really showed off how this is Star Trek with consequences. Apart from the technobabble about starships I loved this episode, it indeed is the beginning of the best arc ever in Star Trek history.
by Troy Coutu | 01/27/2013 at 8:55 am

Problems -As the Odyssey and the runabouts are retreating, the Jem'Hadar fighter makes a suicide run at the Odyssey, but when it moves to another shot, the fighter comes in at a different angle and the Odyssey is not moving, plus there is no sign of the runabouts.
Remarkable scenes -- Quark asking Odo to let him use the station's monitors to run commercials for Quark's bar -The whole camping trip scene -The Odyssey vs the jem'hadar [could have been longer] -The suicide run -The Odyssey getting blown to hell.
"…a galaxy class starship taken down easily", no surprise there lol.
by Captain Keogh | 03/24/2013 at 2:05 pm

The captain of the Odyssey seemed like a really cool character. It's too bad he made such a short appearance.
by Zorak | 05/14/2016 at 5:01 pm

@BlueLabel: There were numerous times in TNG when it was obvious that the Enterprise outmatched whoever they were dealing with, but since the Federation is typically not aggressive, they usually don't get in fights with anyone they can beat easily. ("Conundrum" comes to mind.) Thus we often them battle with ships as powerful or more powerful than theirs, who started the confrontation.
@Krs321 I wonder if Eris even knew who Odo was. She may have known that the Founders sent several of their own out into the galaxy, but she wouldn't know what shape they would take. Odo is not immediately obvious as a shapeshifter. When we see Founders later, they've taken on similar features to Odo, seemingly out of convenience, consistency, or affection for him.
by Azalea Jane | 11/21/2021 at 4:21 am