The Rest of DS9 Season Six
I covered in my last post the first six episodes of season six. So this post season really spans from Kira and Odo's reconciliation being disappointing to Jadzia's death being disappointing. But overall, I'd say this is a stronger season that even season five.
I mentioned in my first post about DS9, I watched In the Pale Moonlight and Far Beyond the Stars (as well as What You Leave Behind) last year (they are part of the Captain's Log set which I rented) So for those two, it's the second time I've watched them.
I would have been nice if You are Cordially Invited had managed to get the Enterprise crew. At least their not being present can be hand-waved as due to the war. The Kira/Odo closet conversation was a terrible, terrible cop out and truly disappointing after the brilliance of their falling out. I will have to try and get my hands on that novel which covers it when I'm done watching the series.
My reaction to Resurrection, why writer's, dear god why did you bring him back? Bareil has to be the most boring character in Trek. Statistical Probabilities I enjoyed. The Magnificent Ferengi was just brilliant.
I love episodes like Waltz when they're done right, as this one was, giving us that exploration into Dukat. His rant where he concludes he should have killed the Bajorans was utterly chilling. I've thought for some time that Dukat is a great villain, but this was the first time that Dukat is truly frightening.
I was impressed with Far Beyond the Stars the first time I saw it last year, but now I know its context, in that its part of the big arc of Sisko being the Emissary and also because I know the characters and actors better and can appreciate seeing them more without make-up. So I loved it a lot more this time around. It is such a wonderful concept: the man who is dreaming of a something better, but little does he realise he is the dream.
One Little Ship was a far better episode than it had any right to be given the premise.
I really loved how in Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night we saw the two Dukats, pre-breakdown and post, and we get more insight into why he is so obsessed with Kira. Having the villain call up a character an announce he had her mother kidnapped and then (is 'raped' the word? There's certainly enough coercion to make consent in that situation dubious) for several years is a plot route I cannot imagine any other Trek and few other shows ever deciding to go down. Having Kira decide to kill her mother as a collaborator also was also very dark. I do love these explorations into what the occupation was actually like though, Necessary Evil being another favourite episode of mine.
Watching In the Pale Moonlight this time around, it struck me how it's actually the third act of In the Loop, minus the funny. If only Sisko knew of the magical properties of a blue folder there would have been no need for the murders.
Anyway, that got me thinking about the whole morality of doctoring intelligence. The In the Loop thought made me connect it to Iraq, in which case because the war was unnecessary, doctoring intelligence to bring it about is morally wrong and its in that context that I've always viewed the issue. But then the Dominion is more similar to the Axis powers in WWII. But what if Pearl Harbour had never happened, and the British government had instead been forced to doctor intelligence to drag the US into the war? I that case it's not as clear cut. Anyway, point is, yay for DS9 making me have an internal debate about something.
Another interesting thing about Sisko I noticed watching this episode: he does all this morally reprehensible stuff for the greater good, but he doesn't suffer for it. There's no arc about him seeking redemption for his actions or plotlines about it eating away at his soul or what have you, he just does it and moves on.
His Way I don't know what to make of this episode. On the one hand, Odo coming out of his shell was cute, and finally he convinced Kira to see him as more than a friend and its about time they got together. But I've never understood the appeal of 60s Vegas (or Sinatra and the Rat Pack for that matter) so I was unimpressed with Vic Fontane and the holosuite premise (although Nana Visitor singing 'Fever' and the nods to Our Man Bashir were fantastic). So stuff happened that I liked and it's about time, but I think it could have been done better.
The Reckoning See, now I'd heard this episode sucked, but I really liked it (but then, I love all the Sisko as the Emissary episodes). Kira/Odo in this episode were fantastic. This is the kind of relationship that I love to see on screen, one in which he loves her and respects her enough to let her risk her life for her faith even if it means he may lose her forever, and has enough faith in her himself not to be to particularly worried. It just shows a level of respect you don't see in many relationships in fiction.
I love how this episode wasn't just about faith in the prophets, it was also about having faith in people. Two test the Kai failed. She did not have faith in the prophets, and she did not have faith in Sisko.
Kai Winn meanwhile has taken a turn from villain to tragic figure: a spiritual leader who finds her faith is not strong enough. She's not that tragic though, since not having a strong faith points to her having become a Vedek for the power.
I've said it before, but she is so my high school chaplain, similar voice, age and oh the passive aggressive nature (she incidentally, preached Pascal's Wager as the reason why we should believe in god. Pascal's Wager encourages people to do lip service to faith if they don't believe, which misses the whole point and which in retrospect, makes me wonder about her faith. Okay, I should stop dredging up old high school grudges that got me threatened with suspension back in the day).
Valiant. Time travel must have been involved in the creation of this episode, or at least a crystal ball. Eleven years before Star Trek XI, we get a plot in which a bunch of cadets lose their Captain, the new guy is overconfident, charges into battle when he shouldn't and even kind of looks like Chris Pine. Except instead of victory, the more realistic thing of them getting their asses kicked and everyone dying horribly happens. Darkly funny and gut wrenching in an almost Children of Earth manner at the same time. I'm guessing JJ Abrams hasn't watched this episode (but then apparently JJ Abrams hasn't watched any Star Trek besides TOS).
I was not expecting the twist at the end of the The Sound of Her Voice. I was half-expecting she would die, but knowing they would never have been able to save her, somehow that makes it all the sadder.
Finally, Tears of the Prophets. I was going to moan about the command structure (because why put all that work into pointing out that Worf was XO of the Defiant, and then completely ignore it), but then the mistake let Kira be awesome (and I am of course for any moment in which Kira gets to be awesome) and also because shortly after watching this episode I watched XI again and the DS9's command structure problems are nothing compared to the problems that movie has.
Most of the stuff about this episode was great: the wormhole closing, Sisko choosing Starfleet over being the Emissary and suffering for it, the little bits of Kira/Odo and Dax/Worf cuteness (could have done without the lovesick Quark and Bashir, or at least the point of their feelings could have been made through the wonders of reaction shots and didn't need scenes). The awesome space battle and the Federation finally making a strike against the Dominion. And Sisko taking The Baseball of Deep Significance.
But yes, Jadzia died, and it was lame. I should be used to this. Trek has a history of being really bad at killing off regular characters. I remember when I was a kid being in complete denial about Tasha Yar's death because I thought that no way was a death that lame a proper death. Kirk's death in Generations: similarly bad (but given that I despise Kirk, I love that his death is crap). And don't get me started on Janeway's death in the novels. So really, I should have expected that Dax would get killed not doing something awesomely heroic, but instead just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that there would be a tremendous amount of baby anvils in an attempt to make it more upsetting. Still, I'm very disappointed. Somebody needs to explain the concept of 'blaze of glory' to Trek writers.
So when the person who current has the DVDs out returns them, I shall be move onto the seventh and final season. I'm really looking forward the the epic ten-part series finale arc.
I mentioned in my first post about DS9, I watched In the Pale Moonlight and Far Beyond the Stars (as well as What You Leave Behind) last year (they are part of the Captain's Log set which I rented) So for those two, it's the second time I've watched them.
I would have been nice if You are Cordially Invited had managed to get the Enterprise crew. At least their not being present can be hand-waved as due to the war. The Kira/Odo closet conversation was a terrible, terrible cop out and truly disappointing after the brilliance of their falling out. I will have to try and get my hands on that novel which covers it when I'm done watching the series.
My reaction to Resurrection, why writer's, dear god why did you bring him back? Bareil has to be the most boring character in Trek. Statistical Probabilities I enjoyed. The Magnificent Ferengi was just brilliant.
I love episodes like Waltz when they're done right, as this one was, giving us that exploration into Dukat. His rant where he concludes he should have killed the Bajorans was utterly chilling. I've thought for some time that Dukat is a great villain, but this was the first time that Dukat is truly frightening.
I was impressed with Far Beyond the Stars the first time I saw it last year, but now I know its context, in that its part of the big arc of Sisko being the Emissary and also because I know the characters and actors better and can appreciate seeing them more without make-up. So I loved it a lot more this time around. It is such a wonderful concept: the man who is dreaming of a something better, but little does he realise he is the dream.
One Little Ship was a far better episode than it had any right to be given the premise.
I really loved how in Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night we saw the two Dukats, pre-breakdown and post, and we get more insight into why he is so obsessed with Kira. Having the villain call up a character an announce he had her mother kidnapped and then (is 'raped' the word? There's certainly enough coercion to make consent in that situation dubious) for several years is a plot route I cannot imagine any other Trek and few other shows ever deciding to go down. Having Kira decide to kill her mother as a collaborator also was also very dark. I do love these explorations into what the occupation was actually like though, Necessary Evil being another favourite episode of mine.
Watching In the Pale Moonlight this time around, it struck me how it's actually the third act of In the Loop, minus the funny. If only Sisko knew of the magical properties of a blue folder there would have been no need for the murders.
Anyway, that got me thinking about the whole morality of doctoring intelligence. The In the Loop thought made me connect it to Iraq, in which case because the war was unnecessary, doctoring intelligence to bring it about is morally wrong and its in that context that I've always viewed the issue. But then the Dominion is more similar to the Axis powers in WWII. But what if Pearl Harbour had never happened, and the British government had instead been forced to doctor intelligence to drag the US into the war? I that case it's not as clear cut. Anyway, point is, yay for DS9 making me have an internal debate about something.
Another interesting thing about Sisko I noticed watching this episode: he does all this morally reprehensible stuff for the greater good, but he doesn't suffer for it. There's no arc about him seeking redemption for his actions or plotlines about it eating away at his soul or what have you, he just does it and moves on.
His Way I don't know what to make of this episode. On the one hand, Odo coming out of his shell was cute, and finally he convinced Kira to see him as more than a friend and its about time they got together. But I've never understood the appeal of 60s Vegas (or Sinatra and the Rat Pack for that matter) so I was unimpressed with Vic Fontane and the holosuite premise (although Nana Visitor singing 'Fever' and the nods to Our Man Bashir were fantastic). So stuff happened that I liked and it's about time, but I think it could have been done better.
The Reckoning See, now I'd heard this episode sucked, but I really liked it (but then, I love all the Sisko as the Emissary episodes). Kira/Odo in this episode were fantastic. This is the kind of relationship that I love to see on screen, one in which he loves her and respects her enough to let her risk her life for her faith even if it means he may lose her forever, and has enough faith in her himself not to be to particularly worried. It just shows a level of respect you don't see in many relationships in fiction.
I love how this episode wasn't just about faith in the prophets, it was also about having faith in people. Two test the Kai failed. She did not have faith in the prophets, and she did not have faith in Sisko.
Kai Winn meanwhile has taken a turn from villain to tragic figure: a spiritual leader who finds her faith is not strong enough. She's not that tragic though, since not having a strong faith points to her having become a Vedek for the power.
I've said it before, but she is so my high school chaplain, similar voice, age and oh the passive aggressive nature (she incidentally, preached Pascal's Wager as the reason why we should believe in god. Pascal's Wager encourages people to do lip service to faith if they don't believe, which misses the whole point and which in retrospect, makes me wonder about her faith. Okay, I should stop dredging up old high school grudges that got me threatened with suspension back in the day).
Valiant. Time travel must have been involved in the creation of this episode, or at least a crystal ball. Eleven years before Star Trek XI, we get a plot in which a bunch of cadets lose their Captain, the new guy is overconfident, charges into battle when he shouldn't and even kind of looks like Chris Pine. Except instead of victory, the more realistic thing of them getting their asses kicked and everyone dying horribly happens. Darkly funny and gut wrenching in an almost Children of Earth manner at the same time. I'm guessing JJ Abrams hasn't watched this episode (but then apparently JJ Abrams hasn't watched any Star Trek besides TOS).
I was not expecting the twist at the end of the The Sound of Her Voice. I was half-expecting she would die, but knowing they would never have been able to save her, somehow that makes it all the sadder.
Finally, Tears of the Prophets. I was going to moan about the command structure (because why put all that work into pointing out that Worf was XO of the Defiant, and then completely ignore it), but then the mistake let Kira be awesome (and I am of course for any moment in which Kira gets to be awesome) and also because shortly after watching this episode I watched XI again and the DS9's command structure problems are nothing compared to the problems that movie has.
Most of the stuff about this episode was great: the wormhole closing, Sisko choosing Starfleet over being the Emissary and suffering for it, the little bits of Kira/Odo and Dax/Worf cuteness (could have done without the lovesick Quark and Bashir, or at least the point of their feelings could have been made through the wonders of reaction shots and didn't need scenes). The awesome space battle and the Federation finally making a strike against the Dominion. And Sisko taking The Baseball of Deep Significance.
But yes, Jadzia died, and it was lame. I should be used to this. Trek has a history of being really bad at killing off regular characters. I remember when I was a kid being in complete denial about Tasha Yar's death because I thought that no way was a death that lame a proper death. Kirk's death in Generations: similarly bad (but given that I despise Kirk, I love that his death is crap). And don't get me started on Janeway's death in the novels. So really, I should have expected that Dax would get killed not doing something awesomely heroic, but instead just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that there would be a tremendous amount of baby anvils in an attempt to make it more upsetting. Still, I'm very disappointed. Somebody needs to explain the concept of 'blaze of glory' to Trek writers.
So when the person who current has the DVDs out returns them, I shall be move onto the seventh and final season. I'm really looking forward the the epic ten-part series finale arc.