Once More Unto The Breach

DVD, DS9 S7 (Once More Unto The Breach)

A fitting tribute to the Dahar Master Kor, the first Klingon ever, and by extension, the original series. I love a good Klingon episode, and that was the very definition of a good Klingon episode! Victorious singing, spinetingling ship battles, but also more than that, the quest of the old for purpose, recognition and glory. It is the Klingon way. At first I wondered why I had thought so highly of this episode in the past. It makes you smile when Kor appears on Worf's doorstep, even if it is unexpected, and to have General Martok angry against the man, in an analogy of class warfare, added spice to the Bloodwine.

But the B-story about Quark mishearing Ezri was meagre, resolved too quickly. He should have gone around telling everyone on the station so the gossip snowballs into something crazy, to get the humour out of it. It was a fun little thing, especially the resolution, but I could see them getting more from it. And now Quark's convinced himself that Ezri loves him! I also felt there were a lot of scenes with Klingons talking and planning, before we really got anywhere. But when we did! Oh, there was so much going on. The CGI raids were superb, getting that 3D and 360 degree feel of space so well. When the Birds of Prey drop to the planet you almost feel your stomach drop with them, it's so effective. And to give Kor his chance only for him to blow it, his age getting the better of him, made him a tragic pitiable character that you feel for when Martok and his crew make fun of him.

But Martok is a great man too, as his old aide Darok notes, so he realises his bitterness is worthless. He eventually sees Kor for the mythic figure of old, once he has gone back with the single ship to take on ten Jem'Hadar vessels in one last gesture of honour. Is Kor the oldest character to be played by the same actor from first to last episodes? No, that currently goes to Spock, who was in Trek a year before Kor, and his last appearance to date was ten years after. But Kor is still one of the oldest recurring characters, one of the links to the classic series, and one who brought great fun and dignity too. So his passing is one of happy sadness, and like the character he played, John Colicos went out not long after this episode, this being his last performance. A fitting parallel.

****