Call To Arms

DVD, DS9 S5 (Call To Arms)

Ron Moore thought 'Call To Arms' was the best cliffhanger they'd done, even better than 'The Best of Both Worlds,' and I would agree with that. Not only is it the best cliffhanger moment (the station's abandoned to attacking enemy forces, the baseball is found and recognised as a symbol from the hero that he'll return, and the ship, partnered with an Klingon ally, speeds off to meet a vast Starfleet force, wheels round and joins it as it heads to battle the bad guys!!!), it's also one of the best of 'DS9' (and therefore the entirety of Trek) episodes, and would definitely be there in the top ten of the series, and even of all 'Star Trek.' It is an episode heavy with expectancy, kind of like 'The Way of The Warrior,' but squished into the normal running time instead of being feature-length, and watching it now, just as several of these recent episodes have, it makes me wish it were as long as a film because there's so much going on. Every character gets their moments and there happen to be a lot of characters - the series has reached fever pitch, it's playing with a full deck of cards, it has slotted the pieces of the puzzle together, and it leaves with you wanting desperately to see how the series will follow on from this. And I don't think the series had ever managed to make itself so edible, so fulfilling, before, a testament to the last Behr/Wolfe collaboration which had borne so much fruit over the years.

Like all the best stories that lead to a momentous conclusion, it starts slowly with minor matters, people talking, the station's atmosphere changing as it has been these past few episodes. There's the little matter of a wedding between Rom and Leeta, which Sisko agrees to officiate in the best Captain's tradition - Picard married Keiko and Miles, Kirk married crewmembers in 'Balance of Terror,' and even Janeway married off Paris and B'Elanna (though I think they were the clone versions - watch 'Course: Oblivion,' you'll understand!). Archer's the only one I don't remember fulfilling the privilege, but he didn't get the full seven years, or a film series, so I don't hold it over him as a failing! The teaser intelligently weaves two separate moments together, from the wedding couple trying to choose a dress for Leeta (somehow remembering over a hundred different designs!), getting excited to see Sisko walk by (and it would be an excitement for Leeta, a Bajoran, to have the Emissary marry her and Rom), then after Sisko's agreed, we continue the scene following him and O'Brien gloomily watching another squadron of Jem'Hadar ships speed through the Wormhole.

I don't think the gloom was as apparent this time. They've got to the point where the build-up of enemy ships has reached such regular numbers that they aren't worried so much about if, but when, an invasion is coming. We've had ships go missing and a general air of pessimism had fallen strong on the station, but just as there was a release for people to go 'over the top' in the trenches, facing their fear rather than waiting and brooding on it, things move to a head and plans are afoot. Starfleet does not stand idly by. The trenches analogy isn't the only link to the Second World War - the visit of Weyoun to the station is like Chamberlain's meeting with Hitler. The British Prime Minister returned with a peace of paper, crying 'peace in our time,' and that's very close to what happened between Sisko and the Vorta representative. He even admits afterwards that it was all just so many meaningless words. The difference this time is that Sisko expected what was going to happen, and so did Starfleet. There are trickles of rumour, such as Nog hearing about the Romulans signing a nonaggression pact with the Dominion, meaning the untrustworthy, but dependable Empire, would not be coming to bolster DS9's defences as it did at the end of 'By Inferno's Light' when what we thought was happening, didn't happen. Were the Romulans threatened, or were they sweet-talked by Weyoun into seeing the logic of keeping out of the fighting? Either way it wouldn't be out of character as they prefer remaining isolationist, sitting back and letting things play out, while watching in secret.

Things get a little testy in Ops when Sisko says Starfleet aren't sending reinforcements, either, Kira the one to show defiance. Where Worf has often been her supporter this season when it comes to faith, this time, when the subject is duty, he shows his obedience for the oath he accepted when he joined Starfleet - he knows he and the others don't have all the facts and don't need to see the big picture, they just need to do their job, carry out their role and not take time to question their superiors: a proper, professional Starfleet way. But there are plenty of people who aren't Starfleet and don't have the same affiliation. This can both help and hinder them - they aren't in the same boat as any Starfleet members because they can be counted as connected with Bajor, the station belonging to that planet, and as Bajor signs the nonaggression pact, they are not an official enemy of the Dominion. This means Quark, Kira and Odo are free to become the 'welcoming' committee when Dukat saunters happily onto the Promenade, finally returning to regain what he'd lost. I thought he was going to say 'just like old times,' but he didn't, though he did look at Quark when he was talking about 'you (Odo); me; the Major,' and as Quark was there when he was, it is a bit like the old gang getting back together.

Except this old gang has changed quite a bit since the days of the Occupation: Odo's remained the station's Security Chief through brutal Cardassian repression and strict Federation law; he's survived multiple attacks to the station and top brass' suspicion of him, and he's kept his sense of justice very much intact. Kira wasn't exactly a happy member of the station when Dukat left, but she'd been there before, and Quark had done the same job as proprietor of the bar since Cardassian rule. Is there a hint of the old Dukat again, after the tough, power-seizing villain we've seen recently? He always enjoyed being Mr. Nice Guy, as long as people obeyed his decrees, and now it's the same again - he's looking forward to working with Kira and becoming the Father of Terok Nor again. The only spoke in the machine is Weyoun and the fact that he now has to do the Dominion's bidding, which is why he humbles himself when Weyoun slaps him down for suggesting he had no treaty to honour with Bajor. Damar looks at his friend and superior, confused, giving us a sense that maybe he and Dukat say things about the Dominion they wouldn't say in Weyoun's hearing. Dukat was always better at disguising his true motives and plans than Damar. In many ways, though Damar was simpler, he was also better off because he didn't have deep psychological problems (they'd come later when he was put in Dukat's position). Good to see the personal viewscreen technology of Dominion ships that means only certain people get to see what's happening outside, being used again, adding to the menace of Dukat and the others, an almost Borg-like appendage added to their exoskeletal form.

I wonder if it was true what Weyoun said about children starving on the streets of Cardassia when the Dominion came with aid? You'd think with a new, friendlier government things would have been done to improve the lives of the planet, but then the war with the Klingons came so resources would have been piled into the military again, meaning such a scenario is possible, and possibly a reason Dukat was able to seize power so easily. You can't know if Weyoun speaks the truth or a twisted lie, certainly he never had any real charitable intentions towards a race that tried to wipe out his 'gods' and masters, the Founders. It's a huge irony that both the Romulans and Cardassians, the two who were so strongly paranoid about and opposed to, the Dominion threat that they built a joint fleet and went on the offensive, should also be the two to give the Dominion its biggest foothold on the Alpha Quadrant, the devious longterm planning of the Founders now coming to fruition. But it doesn't all go their way, because while the fleet attacks a shored up DS9 (though somehow the station seems to take heavy explosions to itself, then other times we see a shield protecting it - is the shield limited to the Habitat Ring and Ops?), like a decoy, the real force of Federation and Klingon ships was attacking the Dominion shipyards and destroying them. As Weyoun says, the victory to gain DS9 was a costly one.

It was also a vibrant and exciting one, with the best space battle they'd achieved on the series by then, even topping the big, but brief rumble in the film between Starfleet and the Borg, released the same year. It's astonishing the numbers of vessels onscreen, even 'Enterprise' with its full-CGI magic never attempted something so spectacular, and this was in the days when much space filming was done with physical models! There are some great and defining shots in the battle, but one of them is as simple as the Defiant speeding past camera as the minefield ripples into invisibility putting a permanent barrier between Alpha and Gamma Quadrants, and a thorny problem to keep Dukat's hands busy and preventing him from fully enjoying the fruits of his labours. There's also a striking shot after Sisko's last order has gone into operation, sending forks of lightning dancing on the consoles as everything burns out, smoke flies in with abandon and Kira and Odo stand tall in front of a camera looking up at them, defiant in attitude and strong in resolve (though I couldn't help wondering if there had been a lone Bajoran somewhere, or an innocent alien, just using one of the station's terminals, who suddenly gets a massive electric shock when all the consoles self-destruct!). I also love the pan shot as we track round behind the assembled aliens Sisko addresses outside the Bajoran Temple on the Promenade, his rousing words matched with the fluid movement of the camera.

My eyes were distracted with that scene as I was busy watching the backs of the alien heads we glide past - there's a 'fish-man' again, though I wouldn't trust him to leave the station to, as they've tended to be ruffians. There's also a Yridian, and if he's the one who used to work at Quark's he might be harbouring a vendetta for getting ousted when the Ferengi's business licence (and ability to hire fellow Ferengi), was restored. The funniest head is Morn's, those two pert little ears sticking up on a huge bulky head. Even from behind there's comedy about the guy! Though we don't see them, we hear about a lot of other aliens: many classic 'TOS' with Tholian, Vulcan, Romulan, and Tellarite, then more recent examples such as Risian and Miradorn, and even Orion 'free traders,' whatever they are. It wasn't mentioned whether they were actually green or not, or only aliens connected with the Orions, but it would have been so much fun if we'd actually seen some green Orions at Quark's! It's like they were trying to cram in references to as many alien races as possible. There weren't just references to aliens, but also to a couple of episodes: Kira and Odo discuss how tense things have been since what happened at the end of 'Children of Time,' Kira almost melting like a shapeshifter into her chair when Odo not-invites her to dinner! It also gives her and Dax one of their girly chats where we're reminded what's going on between them. It's good that they got it sorted out before the takeover of the station as they had to work closely together.

The other moment to be specifically recalled is Garak's conversation with Odo about how he could have shot Dukat when they were side by side against the Klingons, except there were too many of them so he needed him alive. It's fun and funny when Garak gets a scene with someone like that, and I feel like there was a similar scene when Odo was waiting on the Promenade in 'The Way of The Warrior' (from where Garak's observation comes), but I could be wrong. Is this the first time Garak's actually left the station on a permanent basis since his banishment, or did he leave during the Bajoran's attempt at a takeover in the Circle trilogy that began Season 2? Other parallels with 'The Way of The Warrior,' aside from an enemy force boarding the station after a pitched space attack, is someone handing out equipment to people. This time it's Jake, whereas before it was Bashir (with an 'i'), but there's the same sense of menace and preparing for battle as there was when the Klingons attacked. It makes sense that Jake gravitates towards Bashir in the crisis, to make himself useful, but also because they've been through a war zone together, back in 'Nor The Battle To The Strong,' so it becomes an unconscious link to that episode.

This isn't the only brave decision Jake makes - he also fends off his Dad's wrath at reporting his words without telling him, now that he's become a fully paid up (not literally, see the previous review, 'In The Cards'!), member of the Federation News Service. Or was it Starfleet News Service, I thought he said that one… Jake's biggest decision is taking his work more seriously than ever before, when he remains behind on the station without telling Sisko. He may be regretting his decision, but he's not about to chicken out of an idea he's had, not after learning what real fear and cowardice are in 'Nor The Battle To The Strong' - this is his moment to prove his words weren't just words and put his stylus and PADD where his mouth is, his own logic that he won't be harmed because he's the son of the Emissary just enough to shelter a weak reasoning to support the action. The reality is that he could have just given the Dominion a very valuable hostage, something to be used against Captain Sisko, but having already achieved a level of understanding between him and Weyoun, Jake didn't have too much to worry about.

With all these interpersonal scenes you'd think there would be more of the traditional friendships onscreen, but there wasn't enough time to cram in all that they did and still have space for Bashir and O'Brien, Jake and Nog, or Sisko and Dax, plus, as with last episode, if Dax is there for Sisko to lean on, he doesn't stand heroically alone and he might have discussed why he wasn't feeling troubled by events - he knew what Starfleet was planning, but we didn't need to know or it would spoil the surprise. Dax does get her tasks to perform, but she takes Worf's role as 'Captain' of the Defiant, working with Martok to get the minefield laid in time. I don't know why they gave her that role, but she carried it out well and could have made a good Captain, I feel. Kira's always shown the strength of command, and for once she finds herself stuck between two cultures, just as Worf used to be. It's a much simpler solution for her though - she makes her official protest as a member of the Bajoran Militia on one side of Sisko (since this is supposed to be a Bajoran station), then walks to his other side and announces herself personally ready for duty. It's another lovely moment in a host of them.

Rom also plays his part, the genius behind the concept of cloaked, self-replicating mines (his switching between agonising over the details of his upcoming wedding and flashes of inspiration are a highlight!), not even having time to notice his brother's uncharacteristic affection. How much of his desire to stay was what he told Quark about sticking with him because he's his brother, and how much was his plan to spy for Starfleet, I don't know, but Quark was clearly touched by the news, and this was about the only meaningful scene he had in the episode, a sad foreshadowing of things to come (though I enjoyed hearing more about traditional Ferengi wedding rituals - the Latinum dance and bridal auction. I'd love to know how they work!) Is Rom really there as an official Starfleet Intelligence plant? They must have known that Rom's career working for Starfleet, even though he was in a Bajoran uniform, would have been old news to the Dominion which often seems to know so much. For that matter, why did Rom need to return to being an employee of Quark's when he could have continued as a Bajoran repair man? And did he take some poor Ferengi's job as Assistant Manager, or did Quark not bother with such titles after Rom left? Rom also adds to the mythos of 'waste extraction' where it sounds more like going to the loo than ever before in the way he says he has to go there. Good comic timing, though, even if we don't need to lower the tone any further!

We again see a sterner side to Weyoun, like the teacher taking students on a college trip, with Dukat the goody-goody, who's actually the one to have fun, and the more brusque Damar who can't conceal his feelings well. Their meeting with Kira, Odo and Quark on the Promenade is a great one, with so much enjoyment squeezed out of it - Damar's smirking aloofness, Dukat's steely joy, and Weyoun's obsequious obeisance to Odo. If anyone thought there would be any question of Odo being accepted in his post, Weyoun's performance, as if Odo chose to stay especially to meet him, quashes all doubts, throwing another fascinating spanner into the tool-bag. And it's a pretty gleaming set of tools we have in this set. It may have been mixed up with people here and there, spread out on different ships and locations, but it pulses with potential, sizzles with suspense and makes us desperate to see more. It may not be a typical cliffhanger in terms of leaving a set of events that need immediate resolution, but it leaves the table set, the food on the table… and then makes us wait for the sumptuous feast of Season 6.

*****