The Search, Part I

DVD, DS9 S3 (The Search, Part I)

Sisko is a complete bear! My over-riding impression after seeing this episode again is of the Commander wading through Jem'Hadar like there's no tomorrow. And perhaps there is no tomorrow, after all most of them have been captured or killed, and all have been separated. O'Brien and Dax at the relay station, Odo and Kira escaping in a tiny shuttle - maybe the only time we got to see the vehicles USS Defiant carried - and of course, the main crew, whose fate is uncertain. It's such a shame their shiny new warship got its nose dirty and its insides shot up, but it did get to make an entrance, and showed what kind of destructive power it was capable of in the vicious skirmish with the Jem'Hadar ships!

It's been described as the sportscar of starships, and it lives up to that evocation of sleek style, speediness and, yes, being over powered, that would sit equally well under the Ferrari name. You could say it put the Borg in Lamborghini, for its purpose was to combat the Borg threat, but it seems that's considered much less of a danger in these days of Gamma Quadrant incursion, though in a few short years that attitude would bite them in the back, as seen in 'Star Trek: First Contact'. The Defiant looks the part, its internal, compact nature is the closest, prior to 'Enterprise' that a starship comes to a submarine, even dimming the lights when the cloak is used and running silently.

That's the big surprise - the Romulans, clearly in a fit of curiosity and a show of goodwill are happy to loan Starfleet one of the ship-invisibilating devices, though on a tight leash with Sub-Commander T'Rul (a pre-Seska Martha Hackett, as the first of the species to appear in this series) coming along to oversee its proper treatment (and prevent anyone from taking too close a look at their proprietary technology). They never thought they'd live to see the day a Romulan would serve on the bridge of a Federation vessel. She's not the only new face, as ersatz security officer Commander Eddington arrives, ostensibly to 'make friends' in his one short introductory scene. Expect more from him (a lot more as it happens...).

This provokes Odo's ire to such an extent that we can almost believe his intention to depart his role, even more when we come to his realisation of his life's ambition: to meet more of his kind. It was a momentous occasion, but it resolves the strange mood he's in for the duration of the episode, at first taking Starfleet's lack of belief in him out on his fellow crewmates. Quark's timing as 'bunkmate' wasn't the best, but it's Odo's discovery of a location called the Omarion Nebula that sparks a homing urge that forces him to abandon all reason and his friends. The attack on the Defiant, with all its camera-erupting maelstrom is the highlight, with the aforementioned Sisko taking the brunt of the assault, while fighting breaks out throughout the ship.

Was it a trap, and if so how far back was this surprise laid. We know from the previous experience with the Dominion that they work deviously, and we could speculate that the Karemma were part of it, or it may have been contact with them was the catalyst. It could have been when the Defiant first ran into the two Jem'Hadar ships, and they actually were detected, and the ships had been instructed not to engage, but to report back immediately. Though it's unconfirmed in the episode it appears Dax (sporting her new 'do) and O'Brien were captured by the Dominion, and as soon as you see that camera view start to take on a life of its own you can see trouble.

The episode doesn't burden itself too much with explaining every facet of every character or even the identity of every faction involved, but enough is given away (or reminded from the recap of the season ender) that it's easy to follow. And all the cast play a part without obvious reintroductions. Things move fairly swiftly, and this is much more a direct continuation of events than other seasons attempted. The impression I was left with was that it was too short! This is thanks to so much happening so quickly, and I think the two-parter would have benefited from being shown as one feature-length episode as the fourth season later did. It succeeds in peaking our interest and there's so much revelation that more questions are uncovered. Those expecting an inevitable invasion attack as seemed to be indicated by the ending of 'The Jem'Hadar' were surprised by things panning out quite differently, but the observant ones would have understood that out and out attack wasn't quite in the Dominion's style. Much like the Romulans they played the long game.

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