Tribunal

DVD, DS9 S2 (Tribunal)

Not as brutal as it seemed back in the day, O'Brien's kidnap and rough treatment by the Cardassians is still stark and unpleasant. In a season which has seen a variety of Cardassian persons, we get to visit the homeworld and get more insights into the alien mindset. This time the negative aspects of their society are more to the fore, with the show trial apparently the norm. Kovat, who acts as O'Brien's lawyer, but is actually more of an apologist for his client who does everything he can to encourage him to confess, is actually quite a comic persona. The tragedy that accompanies this comedy is that the man actually believes what he's saying about how uplifting it will be for the populace to see a guilty criminal punished yet again, and it's only his final line where he says 'they' will kill him that shows his fear and slavery to the state-controlled system, and actually inspires some sympathy. Are 'they' the Obsidian Order?

There isn't a lot of humour, although the antics of O'Brien and his concerns about leaving the station for a week, and preoccupation with technical manuals when he's supposed to be relaxing, recall Scotty in the Original Series, who shared such sentiments! The comic timing in the teaser as O'Brien pops his head up in the Ops lift to say one more thing was perfect and Avery Brooks makes a good job of his first directorial assignment - usually when you see an actor's name with the Director credit it means their character won't feature much, but this time Sisko was as much a part of things as normal. Brooks doesn't do anything flashy or stylish, except in the courtroom with it's different levels and lighting, and seems more concerned with telling the story, which is a sensible attitude to take. He proved himself a strong director in later episodes and the first one is always about doing it right, and not letting flamboyant or over-imaginative gimmicks overtake the house style.

As well as mention of the Enterprise, which has been ordered to patrol the DMZ, we also hear a bit about O'Brien's past, including the Rutledge and Setlik III. A precedent for Seska, a year later on 'Voyager' is created here, as Raymond Boone turns out to be a surgically altered sleeper agent of Cardassia. The Maquis also feature, albeit facelessly, and Gul Evek's run of being in any story related to them is continued here. Kovat and his old man's cardigan and white hair is quite different to the harsh, bat-like Makbar, whose hairstyle pushes her sharp face to the fore, helping the court scenes evoke a nightmarish, Tim Burton-esque gothic look. It was interesting that Kira had an open mind about O'Brien's guilt, especially where the Cardassians are concerned, as she'd usually be the first to pour scorn on their side of things. Perhaps because she's committed criminal acts herself in the past, she realises that anyone could be capable.

But the Chief's got the most open, honest face, probably in the history of Starfleet, and only his well-known anti-Cardassian views could convict him. Even then he's made it clear he doesn't hate the race, even if he distrusts them, and has got over his experiences in the border wars. And so the tradition of torturing O'Brien gets consolidated, as it would even more in subsequent seasons. He does 'wronged everyman' so well!

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