The 1000th Blog Post

The 1000th Blog Post

Things have changed in the last five years, though not in the way I expected: Back then I was beginning to believe I'd be getting rid of my DVDs, moving on to Blu-Ray, but that never happened, and in fact, complete series have become available as all-in-one box-sets. Rather than get rid of my slices of shelf, I need more shelves for the increasingly hefty slices (maybe I should rename the blog 'A Chunk of Shelf'!), all as they've become cheaper and with more choice of TV series' abounding. Where will we be in another five years? Will I still be writing away, distilling my thoughts into these reviews in 2019? Will there be a new 'Star Trek' TV series (and, more to the point, one I actually like and appreciate, with so many hours of greatness to follow?), and will DVDs finally become obsolete? Unknown.

Having written countless reviews (not all that countless: around one thousand, give or take a few of the early posts, which contained multiple mini-reviews!), over a five-year-plus period, what began as one of many tasks to keep me busy and my mind active during my unemployment, became a way to record my thoughts on those things that I enjoyed watching most (or could be bothered to delve into).

I've written my thoughts on many of the 'Star Trek' TV series' (much of 'TOS,' all of 'TNG,' almost all of 'DS9,' much of 'Voyager' and most of 'Enterprise'), and continue to churn them out as I watch, with the aim to one day have a review for every episode I've seen (though whether that will include the re-releases, I'm not so sure!), so they seemed a natural subject for my landmark one-thousandth post. I thought hard and long and came up with my definitive lists of my favourite episodes from each series - maybe not so definitive as thoughts have changed over the years, but close enough for now. Also thrown in are my top films and episodes of 'BUGS,' though for most of these lists and episodes, particularly the films, it may be more apt to call them the most influential as I may not have the same level of enjoyment from them now as I once did, though they stick in my mind as what impressed me most, originally.


My Top 20 Films:
The top five was fairly easy, the ten not too difficult, but the last ten were almost thrown on as it's hard to know with such close quality between them, and there are plenty of others bubbling under that might be just as worthwhile. 'Return of The Jedi' always was my favourite from way back seeing it as a child on TV at Christmas, but it doesn't necessarily fill me with joy to watch it now, more of a memory of enjoyment and awe. 'M:I2' is the same, the first action film I saw at the cinema, it still has the edge on anything else. My two preferred of 'The Lord of The Rings,' my favourite book, are about as good as we were going to get, and majestically showed what could be done, despite the complexity and detail of a great book, and there had to be a Trek film in the top five, with Kirk's final mission the choice cut of Trek magic. The other films on the list have made an impact, too.

1. Return of The Jedi
2. Mission: Impossible II
3. The Fellowship of The Ring
4. The Return of The King
5. Star Trek: Generations

6. The River Wild
7. The Empire Strikes Back
8. Star Trek: First Contact
9. Toy Story 2
10. The Matrix

11. Star Wars Episode I
12. Air Force One
13. Spider-Man
14. Mission: Impossible
15. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
16. The Bourne Ultimatum
17. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
18. El Dorado
19. Zulu
20. Mrs. Doubtfire


My Top 20 DS9 Episodes
The hardest category to call, in some ways, as there are so many great episodes, but easier in others as I've seen them so often I know better than most things where they rank in my head. 'Distant Voices' may not be regarded as a Top 5 classic to most people, but it made an impact on me when I first saw it, appealing on both character and creep factors, and consequently was the first video I bought of the series, which turned into the complete collection over several years. 'The Magnificent Ferengi' as No. 1? Well, it's hilarious, one of the few Trek episodes to make me laugh out loud, yet also uses so many great pieces of 'DS9' lore in such a good way. And I could similarly go on about each and every entrant on the list, with a large enough number of episodes I could probably make a top fifty for this series. The best characters, acting, stories, ideas, complexity, action - it had it all and remains my favourite TV series ever, never to be superceded.

1. The Magnificent Ferengi
2. Call To Arms
3. Dr. Bashir, I Presume?
4. The Sacrifice of Angels
5. Distant Voices
6. The Ascent
7. Emissary
8. Far Beyond the Stars
9. What You Leave Behind
10. Visitor, The
11. You Are Cordially Invited...
12. In the Cards
13. Inquisition
14. Way of the Warrior
15. Trials and Tribble-ations
16. In the Pale Moonlight
17. The Begotten
18. Empok Nor
19. Blaze of Glory
20. Rocks and Shoals


My Top 20 Voyager Episodes
A tricky category as I haven't seen the episodes as regularly or as recently as other series' so some of these rankings may be out of date. It was more a case of flinging on those that I'd rated strongly in the past, even if I would probably have to rearrange things a bit as time goes on. 'Caretaker,' for me, has always been the high point as I saw it at just the right age. 'Basics' is a funny one as I used to prefer part one, and now part two seems better, but whether it's the Borg, time travel, or character studies, this series has much to prove its detractors wrong, and, like 'DS9' has so many other great episodes it's almost unfair not to have a top fifty.

1. Caretaker
2. Basics, part II
3. Lifeline
4. The Killing Game, part I
5. Basics, part I
6. Dark Frontier
7. Deadlock
8. Macrocosm
9. Relativity
10. Someone To Watch Over Me
11. Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
12. Scorpion, part I
13. Shattered
14. Meld
15. Persistence of Vision
16. Raven, The
17. Repression
18. Timeless
19. Tsunkatse
20. Message in a Bottle


My Top 20 Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes:
Tough, as many of these top episodes are very close to each other in my estimation. In truth I've almost randomly thrown them on the board, and those after the top ten could be in any order. The series didn't often reach the heights of 'DS9' or even make as much impact on me as 'Voyager' since I saw most of them after those series', but many episodes still warrant their place in Trek history, and those at the very top remain among the best Trek ever. The Borg rate highly, as do episodes which feature characters from other series', but just as important are those pure 'TNG' character episodes, whether it be about Data (Spiner's amazing ability to play three characters!), Picard (melding with Sarek, or reviewing his life), or Riker's insanity - even Wesley's most important moments rank up there!

1. The Best of Both Worlds, part I
2. All Good Things...
3. Tapestry
4. Sarek
5. Q Who?
6. Conspiracy
7. Birthright, part I
8. Family
9. Brothers
10. The Inner Light
11. Lower Decks
12. Frame of Mind
13. Relics
14. The First Duty
15. The Measure of a Man
16. Disaster
17. The Survivors
18. Coming of Age
19. Cause and Effect
20. The Big Goodbye


My Top 10 Star Trek Episodes:
Not as well-versed in this series as the more modern ones, it nevertheless was my first exposure to Trek and I've watched them all in the last few years, but it's difficult to compare them with the superior visuals, acting and ideas of later series' - heresy, perhaps, but although I'm fond of this, there are fewer episodes I consider highly (being fewer episodes in total). Some might be surprised by the number one spot, but for some reason this stayed with me, though the second is easier to understand. Some of the top picks are familiar to most, others might be surprising, but they've all made an impact on me in my relatively recent viewing, rather than being nostalgic memories.

1. What Are Little Girls Made Of?
2. The City on the Edge of Forever
3. Menagerie, part I, The
4. Operation-Annihilate!
5. Trouble With Tribbles, The
6. Is There in Truth No Beauty?
7. Plato's Stepchildren
8. The Conscience of the King
9. Space Seed
10. Amok Time


My Top 20 Enterprise Episodes:
Enterprise is my least favourite Trek series, which made it easy to work out which were the best, being so few I really love, plus I haven't seen Season 4 since original transmission (the DVD is sitting on the shelf awaiting 'the right time'), so I suspect there would be more from that season I've not been able to take into account. For me, that season is best, followed by Season 1, then 3 (which has its moments), and 2, which has so many dull episodes. Like 'Voyager,' this series' pilot was so good that it remained the high point, and never again reached that soaring quality, though it came close with the Borg episode, the first Landing Party episode, the first of the Orions/Brent Spiner three-part story, and the introduction of the Andorians. But there are others that deserve recognition, too, such as the beginnings of the alliances that would become the Federation, the final episode (often vilified, yet beautifully ending eighteen years of Trek on TV), as well as other, smaller stories that concentrated on clever ideas or character development. Unfortunately there were too few of these to make this list difficult, one reason why the series finished before her time. (I'd still be up for a Season 5, though!).

1. Broken Bow
2. Regeneration
3. Strange New World
4. Borderland
5. The Andorian Incident
6. Babel One
7. These Are The Voyages...
8. Future Tense
9. Horizon
10. Acquisition
11. Xindi, The
12. Marauders
13. Canamar
14. Anomaly
15. Catwalk, The
16. Impulse
17. Unexpected
18. Fight or Flight
19. Similitude
20. Shockwave, part I


My Top 10 BUGS Episodes:
My favourite British TV series, and for years my favourite TV series full stop, until the richness and volume of 'DS9' took over, which is why I'm including a list here. Only forty episodes were ever made (which seems a lot now, when modern British TV tends to be ten or less), but I still wish there were more. Exciting, action-packed, full of great ideas about technology and gadgets, with brilliant characters and a fun atmosphere, this has more depth to it the more you watch it.

1. The Bureau of Weapons
2. Out of The Hive
3. Renegades
4. Fugitive
5. Schrodinger's Bomb

6. Assassins Inc.
7. A Cage For Satan
8. What Goes Up...
9. Identity Crisis
10. Pulse


My Star Trek Films Rankings:
These were relatively easy to put in order as, having watched them all in recent years, I'd compared them and ranked them at the same time. The 'TNG' films have generally been better for me, perhaps because they were contemporary, as I was too young to know about the 'TOS' films on original release. 'Insurrection' became my favourite when I first saw it, but over the years 'Generations' suited my taste and the reminder of the start of the golden years much better, while the third 'TNG' film went down a little in my estimation. The same for 'Star Trek V' - I didn't used to think that much of it, though it may have been the first I saw, but now I see it as the truest to the series. With the realisation that 'Star Trek II' was raved about, and my own over-familiarity with it, I found myself liking it incrementally less than V, VI, and III (which has impressed me more in recent years). The same with IV, which feels less Trek-like, though still features a warm glow of enjoyment, as opposed to the cold, dispassionate, but fascinating beginning of the film series. 'Nemesis' was always my least favourite 'TNG' film, but at least it continues the proper timeline, unlike number XI - it's more satisfying for the action, but far less on the characters, and so little continuation of the true timeline. 'Into Darkness' is more Trek, but more isn't enough - it was a mistake, despite the positive steps it took.

1. Star Trek: Generations
2. Star Trek: First Contact
3. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
4. Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
5. Star Trek: Insurrection
6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
8. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
10. Star Trek Nemesis
11. Star Trek XI
12. Star Trek Into Darkness

Resurrection

DVD, DS9 S6 (Resurrection)

Rather like a subverted trip down memory lane, is the best way to describe this most atypical of Mirror Universe stories. I can't fault them for thinking an MU episode would be a fittingly big story to follow the seven-fist whammy of the six-part Dominion control of DS9, and the light relief of the Worf/Dax wedding, and likewise to the concept of shaking up the format of the ongoing MU saga a bit by having characters cross over to our universe for more than just a kidnapping (that seems to be how the majority of the stories get going, when you think about it!), as that's the kind of thing they liked to do on this series. And I'm certainly not averse to bringing back a much-loved character, I just feel like the story wasn't given enough consideration and turned out to be more of a lost opportunity than a satisfying continuation of that troubled series within a series. It had been a couple of seasons since we last visited the MU, and while I like the idea of their people invading our side, it may not have been the right choice after the opening salvo of stories this season. We'd just had a station-bound, romantic problems, kind of story, so another, inferior one wasn't going to work. On the other hand, it was about time we returned to the MU pool.

Or was it? We didn't get an MU episode in Season 5, but that certainly didn't hurt it - I consider it the best season of the series (6 comes very close), and the first three entries in the arc, from Seasons 2-4 felt very much like a trilogy that had been completed. In the first we found out all about what had happened to that terrible parallel existence after Captain Kirk left, back in 'Mirror, Mirror' on 'TOS,' and that was a fun throwback to the sixties original, updating the world for 'DS9.' Then, in what I consider the best MU tale of the eight, Sisko has to go undercover to deal with his Mirror wife, Jennifer, which had both the twist of an existing character having to act like his evil counterpart, and the difficulties of Sisko dealing with his own wife's death again, or precisely, the life of a similar woman, almost identical. The third entry of 'DS9' was more of a consolidation, an excuse to go and have fun again. It felt like the story was essentially played out unless major developments were to be revealed - unfortunately, 'Resurrection' was not the one to do so.

The trouble with it is that it's an intimate little story excluding pretty much everyone on the station, and this was always going to be the case because that was the kind of stories 'DS9' did. It was how you got to know the characters: by focusing an episode on one or two of them. But we'd done the heavy lifting back in the early seasons, and the majority of character episodes since then deepened, and built upon them for more satisfying stories. Also, if it was a one-hander you'd be relying on the quality of the guest star, or stars, to make it work. While it must be said that Phillip Anglim was one of the better recurring actors on the series, he had more to work with in those early days. The character he plays here is the Mirror Bareil, a much simpler, almost dull character (in the same manner that Garak's duplicate lacked so much of the subtlety and interest of the resident tailor because MU denizens tend to lack self control, their passions unhindered). The story attempts to be about this man's redemption, but he's a lot less interesting than the real Bareil, and we're constantly reminded of the original man (as much to the chagrin of his Mirror self). There were really only a couple of scenes on a par with the concept, and they were when he shows himself to be cleverer than he seems (producing Worf's Mek'leth in a humorous moment at Dax and Worf's dinner party), and the glimpse of real redemption at the end - shooting the Intendant, then admitting to Kira that his orb vision showed him with her and their children leading a happy life on Bajor.

Too much of the episode is slow and unfruitful. It doesn't set up the ending, which is, in greatest of irony for a so-titled episode, dead. It ends abruptly, like the ones most guilty of the crime of reset-buttoning, something we've become unused to on this ever more complex and rich series. It ends without a serious resolution, it ends with no consequences that we know of, without even letting us see the reaction of Kira to a betrayal and different kind of loss. Unlike Sisko's similar experience of meeting someone so like the woman he used to love, finding a new connection, yet also recognising she's not his Jennifer and has a different path to travel, there's no understanding of what it must have been like for the Major to meet a man she was so close to, and who died a tragic, early death, sacrificing himself for what he thought would be the good of Bajor. It's a theme missing from the episode. Not that she doesn't mention Vedek Bareil, she does, and it's wonderful to have these past memories of a time when the series was in its infancy, allowed to resurface. But because the necessary themes and reactions weren't played out, it feels unfinished, not fully moulded. If Bareil had played some future part in MU activity, or if we learnt more about his universe, if the Intendant hadn't just waltzed over with no trouble and hidden on the station… The resolution of some of these 'ifs' would have improved the story no end.

If you're going to do another entry into the MU cannon, it seems a waste to make it such a claustrophobic story. It's not just that it takes place entirely on the station, but so much of it happens in quiet rooms, yet without the affecting quality of a stage play. It feels, and this shouldn't be a negative, like we really have stepped back into Season 2. Revisiting pieces of the history of the series should be a joyful experience - it is fun to notice how it's more than simply Bareil's appearance that makes it feel like a lost episode: Quark, for instance, is back to his old ways of smelling out a scam opportunity, which he suggests to Bareil; Bashir acts something akin to his old breathless excitement when he wants to know the gossip details of Kira's match with the Mirror escapee (or as close as we could get to it, post reveal of him being a genius); there are more Bajorans and their culture in evidence, too. But it comes across as one of the lesser examples of that season, when the connections between characters was still changing and had room to grow - Odo is the biggest absence I felt in the episode. He's not there to challenge Quark after the conversation with Bareil, standing over him with folded arms, reminding the Ferengi he's watching him. We've moved on from those days (as evidenced by Quark reporting his belief that Bareil is going to rob the Temple - back then, he wouldn't have helped out willingly, and the Major probably wouldn't have even listened to him, let alone acted on his advice!). In those days Odo would have kept tabs on such an unknown factor as a refugee of another universe, but maybe he chose not to for Kira's sake, not wanting to interfere in her affairs and get back into her bad books?

Lack of Odo may be a symptom of this being a Kira episode, with things still not completely comfortable between the pair. They talked out his treacherous behaviour recently, but that doesn't mean they've become firm friends again. It's like when each let the other down (Kira in 'Necessary Evil,' Odo in 'Things Past'), and things seemed to go on pretty much as normal in subsequent episodes. Here, things definitely haven't. Which is good, as we want to see consequences to actions, but it's a shame the Constable had to be largely left out of this episode when he's far more concerned with Kira and her life these days. Things are bigger for him than they used to be, knowing his people are making war against those he's chosen to live with, so things like Quark's petty dealings and small-time security matters must seem so insignificant in comparison. Yet he remains the station's security officer, and in an episode that was firing on more cylinders he might have had a scene with Bareil when the man was in the cells, perhaps to gain the measure of him, or to warn him against doing anything that might harm Kira when he's let out. I was also missing Kai Winn, who would have been ideal to bring back for this episode, seeing as she was partly responsible for Bareil's quick decline and death, exhorting him to continue his work in peace negotiations with Cardassia.

What would Vedek Bareil have thought of the current state of affairs, and how his sacrifice was in vain since war with Cardassia remains? Technically, it's not Bajor's war, but still, peace was what he wanted and yet the galaxy's a more dangerous place than ever. Mirror Bareil has none of these concerns - like most of those in the MU, what he wants most is his own gratification (the Intendant's jealous rage after asking him if he's fond of Kira, driving her to try and strike him, is the greatest example of their unalloyed lack of restraint). It's also true that he's unsure of what he really wants, anyway, feeling himself lost, unwilling to try and turn over a new leaf. Being on this side of the curtain, among spiritual people, with Kira to woo, starts to change his mind about his real mission to steal an orb for the Intendant. But what did she want it for, what use would it have been? What would have happened when she inevitably gazed inside? Would it have changed her as the Prophets changed Grand Nagus Zek? It would have been far more interesting if the story became about her redemption, against all the selfish odds, realising she could be better, and wanted to help her people. I suppose even 'DS9' wouldn't have gone so far to change such an enjoyably evil character, but it could have shaken up the MU once again. It's funny that even in other universes the standard double-fisted hammer blow is the fighting woman's choice! And in another 'Dad's Army' crossover (see recent reviews), the way the guard responded to her wish to enter the Cargo Bay was almost like 'there's a war on, you know!'

Except, none of that happened, we don't find out anything new about the life and times of the MU, Bareil doesn't chooses not a new life, but to return with the Intendant to their rightful place, hoping he can talk her out of killing him. It's clear he was lying about wanting to escape the MU, his original story for making the crossover, but it means that nothing has been gained by the telling of the story. Kira's lost Bareil again, but only because he felt he'd mess up any happiness that lasted. He takes the easy way out of going back to what he knows, presumably remaining the Intendant's lapdog until she executes him. We can only assume that she did, since he doesn't show up in the fifth and final MU instalment of this series. Which makes his appearance here even more meaningless. Not to say that it wasn't good to have him back, but it was a messed up version, just as everything MU is messed up, and didn't experience the change that would have made everything worthwhile, beyond refusing the original plan. The real questions are what you pose yourself, after watching: what are the protocols regarding parallel universes, and the MU in particular? Even if Kira had taken him and the Intendant into custody would that be acceptable? Can you prosecute escapees from another universe with crimes they're responsible for in that universe? Can you force them to go back to where they belong? The issue never even gets mentioned, though if Kira had pressed charges Bareil would obviously have been sentenced for kidnapping her here. Is there a Department of Parallel Investigations, like the Temporal one?

Something that colours all the episodes since it started, is the war between the Alpha Quadrant powers and the Dominion, and the lack of war material is something else that adds an old season feel to proceedings. The war is mentioned, but it's only in passing, such as when Worf reports there's no Dominion activity along the border. A scene which would have better tied the current situation with Kira's past and made the episode at least have a reason for happening, is how it would have started, with Kira and Dax in Kira's quarters, surrounded by Ziyal's paintings and talking of death. That's exactly the kind of scene-setting that was needed and I can only assume it was cut for time (maybe one day, when the re-releases happen?), but it's a strong example of the missing pieces of this episode that make it feel aimless. If no one really learns anything then all it is is a vehicle to bring a fondly remembered character back in alternate guise, and that's not enough to use up a precious slot in a season. But that's life, and a series isn't going to be great all the time (it shows the makers were human!). The teaser is actually one of the best parts of the episode, with some fun little banter between Kira and Dax, transparent-skulled Captain Boday getting another, tantalising mention, as does a new entry to the series' list of bizarre, never-seen aliens, in the three-eyed Dr. Trag'tok! Even this conversation feels like a throwback to old episodes, but is much more fun.

The way Bareil is introduced, hunched up, face hidden, makes for a dramatic opening (nothing good ever seems to beam into Ops - I was reminded of the insane Klingon from 'Dramatis Personae,' or Dukat in 'Civil Defence'), as does his kidnap of Kira after the credits. It points to the style of the whole episode in that scene, because it's a long slow amble to the Runabout (at last! a Runabout is almost part of the story, if only seen briefly docked - actually that's another throwback to the early seasons as villains would often steal a Runabout, something that was effectively ended when the Defiant was introduced since Runabouts were going to be no match for the force and speed of the starship!), and it turned out it wasn't necessary after all, since Kira knew the phaser was empty and could have taken Bareil out at any time. I'm not saying the episode is a slog to watch (funny that the MU Bareil is puffing away - apparently sloth is another failing where he comes from, while Kira isn't out of breath in the slightest), because it has it's draws, mainly from the fact that Bajoran culture is back in a big way. It's always good to see more of the station, and, as well as seeing those unique Cardassian access ladders (which I can't remember seeing before), just as 'TOS' and 'TNG' had their unique versions, we get to see much more of the Bajoran Temple on the Promenade, and even part of a religious service there, all fascinating stuff.

The story doesn't live up to its potential of Bareil's return and the reverse crossover, however, and it's catalogue of faults overburdens the story, though not eclipsing the good points. Like 'A Simple Investigation' last season, in which it was Odo's turn to romance and rehabilitate a mystery woman who has a secret agenda, also concentrating on one character on the station, this was a rare low point in a terrific season, standing out more because of the general high quality. You get Bareil, but you don't; Kira doesn't reveal anything new about the Vedek or herself, with no payoff to the original's death, or ramifications (though interestingly she calls him Antos, the 'first' name we'd never heard before, whereas you might think she'd speak of this new Bareil in that way and the old as Vedek Bareil); and, perhaps with hindsight, I never felt myself believing or trusting this 'new' man, whatever he said or did it appeared devious and manipulative, one of the few truthful moments coming when he leaves the bar, telling Quark he doesn't much like either of them (Quark and he), at the moment. It shows he had been affected in some way by the orb vision (which, unusually, goes unseen). There was some good dialogue, but the story lacked impetus, with a waste of MU characters (and only two of them), yet not an in-depth look at them despite the more focused nature of the story. Levar Burton was getting a raw deal so far this season, what with the weakest of the opening six-parter, and now this, but it wasn't his fault, it was what he had to work with, though that sign flashing irritatingly on the Promenade when Kira and Bareil meet didn't need to be in shot! I will say this, though: the station glows like never before, so he certainly gets credit for the lighting!

I suppose the crumbs of comfort were in seeing the familiar elements at all, since it's not been long that DS9 was reclaimed by Starfleet and our heroes. And it was uplifting when the realisation how much Quark had changed, came to mind. He shouts at his Ferengi employers after giving Kira the free advice about Bareil, in order to cover up his helpfulness, but we know he means well. It should be no surprise that they have a different respect for each other now, one they may not have been so quick to demonstrate before this season thanks to their recent shared experiences, having to band together in the new resistance. But it makes you wonder at what point Quark changed to become a relatively trusted force on the station? Was it back in Season 4 when he admits to Garak that if you drink enough root beer you start to like it? It's these questions that give the stories depth, something missing from the majority of the story. You're left wondering where they could go with the MU now as this made the case for it being a spent story fountain that had dribbled away. Fortunately they found a new, Ferengi-er angle for the next, and last, visit, and fed the wish of seeing lots of Mirror characters again. But, although this one remains a watchable episode, fairly enjoyable, reasonably good, it just scrapes over the line and doesn't do itself any favours, relying on the goodwill of the novelty of Bareil rather than what 'DS9' is known for: strong story and characterisation. Revisiting Season 2 is fun, but the series has undeniably improved and moved on since then.

***

You Are Cordially Invited

DVD, DS9 S6 (You Are Cordially Invited)

After the storm must come the sunshine, breaking out to welcome a new day. In this case it feels like the start of a new season, as if the first six, weighty episodes had been their own mini-season, and this is the real beginning of life after the recapture of DS9. What better way to follow serious moments of death and glory than for the relatively small matter of a wedding. Oh, but this is a Klingon wedding, and like Americans, they don't do things small. Usually comedic episodes come under the Ferengi soap banner (plenty of banners in this one, but no Ferengi ones), but occasionally they throw out a fun story that has nothing to do with the big-eared race. This one is similar in tone to Season 3's 'Fascination' (both episodes that would seem to be ideal for Valentine's Day!), with tears and laughter, shame and pride, fun and torture. But this one is much more momentous, for it joins two of the best characters together in holy matrimony. Well, maybe not holy since the Klingons killed off their gods (I'm not sure if this makes the Klingons, or their gods, rather foolish!), but it was that close to being a more traditional Starfleet ceremony with the Captain leading the couple in their vows - instead it became the Captain leading his men in rituals designed to get even the toughest Klingon to have a 'fun' time.

There is much amusement to be had in Bashir and O'Brien's halfhearted attempt to join in with Worf's equivalent of a bachelor party, but I'd have thought Bashir, being a doctor, would have counselled against O'Brien eating a hearty meal after starving themselves for however long it was until the wedding was cancelled - instead he leads the way with a giant meal! The whole thing of seeing the pair back to their old friendship after having only minor roles in the majority of the first six episodes, is a joy, especially as they're at their most schoolboyish, with even Sisko going along with the trick to help Bashir volunteer when they all step back and he doesn't notice! It's similarly pleasurable to see the other friendships come back to the fore, be they Odo and Kira talking out their problems for so long they miss the start of their shifts, Sisko having a reassuring talk with Dax (after verbally knocking some sense into her), Jake using his journalistic instinct to uncover Quark's secret love for Dax, or the wise Martok sorting out Worf after 'The Walking Frown' (as Quark calls him - Worf won't even say Quark's name, calling him 'The Ferengi Barkeep'), sulks in his quarters on the Defiant.

I recently had a flashback to Private Frazer of 'Dad's Army' when Weyoun suggested he'd never doubted Dukat for a moment, and here I had another reminder of that series in the way Martok, the leader (now bumped up to Supreme Commander of the Ninth Fleet at Sisko's recommendation!), and a formidable warrior, is cowed by his 'magnificent' wife, Sirella - Captain Mainwaring behaved the same way to his wife. Into Sirella (I always want to add De Ville on the end!), Ron Moore, rather like the Dark Lord Sauron, poured all his regrets and problems with the role of Klingon women. She's the A-type Klingon, and as almost all Klingons are A-type personalities (the others probably don't venture off world), this is saying something. So when she clashes with Dax, another one not take an insult lying down, and with a wilful streak in her that makes her especially stubborn against those that offend her pride, the sparks doth fly! It's interesting to see Dax not measure up to the calm, live and let live, good Starfleet officer that we've seen so often in the past. This is a big moment for her, no matter that she carries seven lifetimes within her over a period of three hundred and fifty-six years, and has the memories of getting married several times before - this is Jadzia's first time, so it's no surprise that she's a bit jittery. The old Dax we saw in the early seasons, so in control and serene was probably more to do with the symbiont being so new to her and having overwhelmed her with calmness, that it took a while for her other traits to surface, no doubt encouraged by wild party animal Curzon.

The strong friendship between Curzon, the 'old man' and Sisko, the young recruit, was carried over into his and Jadzia's time together, but over recent seasons we've seen a lot less of the advice-giving of either party, just as Janeway and Tuvok were seen to discuss things less as 'Voyager' went on. Dax had grown up and had Worf to lean on, Sisko too having less need of that part of their friendship. But in their anger the other one has been there for them as a punchbag (literally, in Jadzia's case in 'For The Uniform' when Sisko let out all his frustrations about Eddington), in this case Sisko shouting sense into an angry, stuck-up mindset. There's also something of a similarity between this scene and the one in 'Dax,' that first season episode that began to delve into her character, and in which Sisko went to her quarters, as he does here, to try and talk her into telling the story she's holding back. In that episode too, I think she was fiddling about with the stuff on her shelves (which have now moved to a wall rather than forming a partition), but in that example it was Sisko getting upset. It wasn't necessary to show the actual 'boot kissing' Dax had to do to get back into Sirella's good books, it was sufficient to know she'd bent her stiff neck. Any time in fiction when people overcome their differences is a strong moment, no less here where Sirella fondly welcomes her into her House as a daughter.

You could be forgiven for calling this a bit of a soapy episode, what with Odo and Kira avoiding each other, the harsh words between Worf and Dax, Sirella and Dax, and, well, Dax and anyone, especially with the immoral attitude displayed by certain characters (Dax and Leeta clearly thinking unfaithful thoughts), and the increase in raised voices - I lost track of the number of times people shouted for someone to enter a room! For one episode only you get to see all the innermost thoughts coming out, ugly or beautiful as they may be, seasoned with dramatic mood swings. But it's done so well, amid hilarity and seriousness, that it all just works. Everyone's involved and everyone's enjoying it, and that rubs off on the viewer. It helps that it's excellently written and shot, and that we get to see many of the characters enjoying themselves in one room, which is a rarity (and only emphasises the contrast between Dax and Worf as he and the others travel the path to Kal'Hyah). And where else would you get to see Morn dancing - he moves more in the party scene than we've ever seen the shambling grey lump move before! He must have drunk half the drinks brought in for the party to be slumped behind Dax' sofa at 10:30 in the morning, which is no surprise as he'd probably stay every night at Quark's Bar if it didn't shut.

There are other deft touches to enjoy beyond the spectacle of a full Klingon wedding, such as Sisko's sensitivity about his baseball - when Martok, intrigued by this odd trinket on Sisko's desk, goes to pick it up, the Captain snatches it away before he can, something to do with Dukat keeping it for so long, I expect. Martok as a wise man is also something unexpected as we've seen him make his own mistakes before, but here you can see both he and Sisko helping the younger generation to get past their problems (even though he refuses to get involved with his wife's decision-making - another sign of his good sense). There are even little details dropped in, such as Jake's 'sale' of his first book, a series of writings about his time under the Dominion's occupation of the station, another step forward for the young man. There's some novelty simply seeing the characters back in their rightful place on DS9, well demonstrated by Sisko loving getting up in the morning and going to his office. We hear the Captain of the Sutherland (where the fire dancers came from), is Shelby, though this is up in the air whether it is 'the' Shelby of 'The Best of Both Worlds.' I like to think it is, but it would have been nice to have seen her again. The same goes for the non-appearance of the 'TNG' crew, which I'd never really thought about before - they wanted all or nothing, so it didn't happen, but I'd have been happy with anyone they could get!

The big thing was the actual wedding, as it should be, a mine of new Klingon traditions and customs, very strong costume design that fitted both the magnificence of such an important event, and yet was wholly Klingon, and still gave us something different that we hadn't seen before. Alexander was the excuse for the wedding to occur before the end of the war, before he shipped off on his new berth, so it's fitting that this was his final appearance in the entirety of Trek. Who knows, maybe if Michael Dorn's Worf series ever comes into being, Alexander may be seen again, but for now, it was a good use of his character - he retains the clumsiness and lack of knowledge, but is filled with an endearing wish to try hard at being a warrior. It must be difficult serving on a Klingon ship if he can't even say his own name in the original Klingon (Al'kXund'hR?), mustn't it? I assumed races always spoke in their native tongue, and only the Universal Translator made it sound English (or 'Federation Standard' to be precise), but it makes sense for Alexander not to speak the lingo since he was brought up on Earth (probably the last reference to Worf's Mother, Helena, here as Alexander asks 'Grandmother?' when Bashir wakens him from his faint).

I wondered where the meeting about Worf's 'party' took place as it certainly wasn't the Ward Room, with a more 'TOS' style table, and a big screen. And Shannon Cochran deserves mention as she went from a nondescript Maquis member (most of them were!), Kalita, in both 'TNG' ('Preemptive Strike'), and 'DS9' ('Defiant'), to the proud matriarch of a Klingon House. Much more than a laugh-out-loud comedy of manners, this is as much about the clashing of cultures (a bit like the Ferengi/Bajoran clash that occurred when Rom and Leeta wanted to get married - they cancelled their wedding, too, is this a running theme?), the perfect example of how to use the varied pieces of the Trek universe for the crafting of a fun, but affecting tale. It was the happiness before the great sorrow the end of the season would bring, a chance for everyone to have some light relief from the war that nevertheless continues, and fun experienced during a hard time is all the sweeter.

*****

Sacrifice of Angels

DVD, DS9 S6 (Sacrifice of Angels)

What stays with me most are not the epic space battles, nor many of the developments such as the retaking of DS9, the Prophets' intervention, the revelation that Sisko is of Bajor but will find no rest there, or any of the other myriad turns. What stays with me most is The Execution of Tora Ziyal by The Coward Gul Damar. His mass had been growing through the course of his appearances ever since Season 4 when he was introduced, but the rate reached critical by the end of this six-parter, and indeed, had been approaching this at an exponential rate in these last few episodes. That wasn't to be an end to it, his rise would continue, this time in the service of those he hated, the Dominion, but now he would no longer have his revered leader to guide him and provide an outlet for his thoughts. He would appear to be subjugated, but would secretly rise even higher by the end of the series… But that's all to come, at this stage we're looking at the Damar of the war arc, the Damar who could never imagine becoming the new leader of the Cardassians, the man who was just enjoying the riches of success, having been made a Gul for his plan to remove the minefield, the single greatest stumbling block to the Dominion's takeover of the Alpha Quadrant. And yet, despite all this, he and Dukat continue to speak candidly to each other about how they plan to stab the Dominion in the back as soon as the war is over! How do they think they can do this, one race against an entire occupying force?

It would have been as bad for the Cardassians had the 2800-strong fleet been able to enter the Alpha Quadrant, as for anyone else in the long run, but that great pride in their own success and belief in their race's future of conquest is only one of many deluded ideals propagated by Dukat. Without Dukat by his side, Damar is a much less forthright person, less sure of which way to go. He would still have to find himself in the coming months, so it's a strange irony that he begun his journey by murdering an innocent. Ziyal, of course, was not innocent in Damar's eyes, admitting to joining the prison break of the resistance cell (in which Quark proved his worth, much to his own surprise!), joining with the enemy to bring about the downfall of occupying forces - if she hadn't helped in the escape Rom would never have been able to take out the station's weapons systems, and if that had happened, it would have destroyed the Defiant, and then the Prophets wouldn't have evaporated the 2800, which would likely have led to a victory. So, probably, did Damar's thoughts run. He must have been standing just down the intersection behind Dukat when Ziyal admits her collaboration, allowing him to walk out into the centre of the corridor and shoot past Dukat. It was a turning point for the series, as so many events of this episode were.

For Dukat, it spells the end of the rational (comparatively), and the complete descent into insanity, initially expressed as great sorrow, grief and forgiveness - he even forgives Sisko at the end, handing back the baseball that was a symbol of power on DS9, (it had a starring role in this episode as if Dukat held it to prove to himself he'd won, though it was a false triumph only in his mind), before being led away. We'd only see the old Dukat one last time, and that only because it was a Dukat in another time ('Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night'), so it's a sad change for those who've always enjoyed his mix of deluded charm and incredible ego, yet with the occasional twist of kindness or good nature that allows him to believe (as he expresses here), that he was Bajor's protector during the Occupation, practically its saviour! You can't buy that kind of self-delusion, it has to be seen to be believed. So we'll miss that many-headed hydra as it became a single-headed monster, intent only on darkness, a pawn of evil, far from the rich, complex character we came to know over the first five years. Not that we wouldn't see great drama from this changed man, particularly in his very next appearance ('Waltz').

At this stage we see a broken man, who, on losing all the goodies he'd heaped up for himself, and had allowed himself to win in his own mind, realises that the only thing left, all that matters, is his own daughter. And then the reveal that she helped his enemies to take all from him, but still that doesn't matter to him - or does it? We didn't really get time to see how he was reacting to the news, beyond shock and surprise, before Ziyal's phasered to death, but I think the shock would have turned into disappointment that would have eventually changed to forgiveness, the death a catalyst for these thoughts. He's angry at Damar's interference, snarling him away when he tries to get his master to leave. By taking out Ziyal he did the old Damar a disservice because Dukat would probably have left with him, had Ziyal been allowed to go on her way. But once she was dead, all was meaningless to her Father - I was always confused about why he doesn't ever seem angry at Damar for the execution, but he probably knows the man was just doing his duty, and none of that matters to Dukat, his daughter fills his mind, and even the great villain elicits sympathy as he cradles her form in a dark corridor of the station, whimpering over her, unable to let her go.

This also did a great service to the new Damar, leaving him alone to become the lackey of the Dominion and though it took his realisation about what's important, almost two years, rather than the two seconds for Dukat, he does eventually arrive at the realisation that his people's freedom is more important than their power. But these are all events in the future. The immediate concern is the loss of Ziyal, played out so tragically because more than just Dukat mourn her: Kira, her best friend, and the one who convinced Dukat to spare her life originally, couldn't save her and must blame herself, and Garak too, while off on his missions, wasn't there to help her. You'd think both of these people would blame Damar more highly than anyone for being the man to pull the trigger, but I don't remember having the sense that he was the target of their wrath - Garak doesn't go all-out on a revenge mission to take out the man, and nor does Kira. Was Kira the one really to blame? If she hadn't been such a friend to Ziyal, the girl wouldn't have gotten mixed up in the resistance, and if Kira hadn't riled up Damar with the beating, he might not have been so quick to carry out summary justice, taking into consideration his leader.

The reason he didn't trust Ziyal, admitting to distrust in this very episode, is because of the company she kept. Ultimately, regardless of who provoked him or not, Damar took his own actions, and it comes as more of a surprise because of the high regard he has for Dukat. It's his loyalty to him that made him go after the man when he should have been evacuating - he wanted to make sure Dukat escaped, and if that meant severing all ties by killing Ziyal, even with good reason, then so be it. As usual, his soldier brain never understood how important Ziyal was to Dukat and he ends up fleeing without the great leader. I would have liked to have seen more with Garak, whose brief scene with the dead Ziyal is very restrained. Such a dangerous man would be interesting to watch at a time such as that, but he's also a pragmatic man, and seemingly can turn his emotions off when it serves him, like a Vulcan. He's experienced enough in life to know and expect terrible things, and his connection to Ziyal was always a difficult thing for him to fathom, as he wonders here why she ever loved him, and says that he'll never know.

At least Ziyal's death had a reasoning behind it - the death that grew out of it thanks to Dukat's dabbling in the dark side would be unreasonable. He would almost take out Sisko himself in his next appearance, except 'the game' must go on, in the words of the Prophets. It had been a while since that side of the series had been explored, all the way back to 'Rapture,' really, where Sisko's visions had made it possible for Bajor to have a harmonious relationship with the Dominion, (and, as usual in the Prophets' use, it's enjoyable to see familiar characters in unfamiliar settings, such as Dukat sitting in the Defiant's command chair, Damar at the helm and Weyoun on the bridge). There was talk that the 2800 ships the Prophets vanish away, could have turned up in 'Voyager,' flung into the distant Delta Quadrant, and had the writing staffs of the two series' been closer and less competitive, it might have happened, and how I wish it had. We could have finally had that Jem'Hadar versus Borg battle that we all wanted to see, but now never will. Still, you can't have everything, and Sisko couldn't have his brave, but futile death. I'm not sure if his plan was to invoke the Prophets assistance when he flew into the Wormhole, but I tend to think he had no plan and was simply reacting to events in the only way he could. There are a couple of points about this time in the episode I need to mention: the simplest way to stop the invading fleet would have been to self-destruct the Defiant when it was inside the Wormhole, thus collapsing it and taking the fleet with them, but instead he chooses to be ready to engage with maximum, but useless, firepower! I suppose it was still unthinkable to collapse the Wormhole and possibly wipe out the Celestial Temple.

The other thing, and this is all Rom's fault, is that he should have been able to take out the station's weapons in time. The only reason he's a second too late is because he stops to tell Major Kira that he's not going to make it. If he hadn't done that he would have finished just in time! It just goes to show that you should never give up, and every second is precious in a life and death struggle - isn't there some kind of Rule of Acquisition for that? It rings true for Rom's character, that he'd show lack of confidence at a key moment, but if he hadn't still managed to take down the weapons of DS9, the Defiant might not have made it to the Wormhole, which meant no intervention from the Prophets, so even though he wasn't on time, and didn't do the job perfectly, he still finished the job, and good came from it - another life lesson there: never give up, because you don't know the good that will come out of doing what you can, even if it seems to make no difference. I never saw the intervention of the Prophets as a cop-out, it was a clever series of events that led to the precise moment in which they could help the Emissary, though with a penance as a clause. What was the penance? The death of his closest friend? Not being able to stay with his family at the end? Or some future denial of his choice to settle on beautiful Bajor? 'The Sisko is of Bajor' (how that could be would be revealed in Season 7), a statement that could mean various things - he's Bajoran, or has Bajoran roots; his destiny is tied up with the planet; even just his desire to be there. It was left suitably vague so they could fill in the details later.

That's what I like about this series: they never painted themselves into corners, they strapped brushes to their feet and skated across the middle of the floor, to take a metaphor above and beyond! They would leave so many threads dangling, waiting for the new threads to join, and altogether weaving a great tapestry into the future. The shifting of allegiances is something else felt in the threads of this episode, such as the Klingons, and the belated task force permitted by Gowron. It would have been good to see Martok and Worf convince him of the need, but then it would have been good to have seen anything from Martok and Worf's perspective as the Klingons were largely left out, except for their Gandalf-like charge into battle at the critical moment, just as the old wizard leapt down the mountainside, so too did the Klingons come screaming down from above to turn the tide. We want more of that battle, the amazing sight of Galaxy-class wings down to tiny fighters (wonder how many crew them?), huge ships torn apart in the first major CGI battle of Trek. But the Defiant eventually punches through with the momentum of the Klingons behind them - for the first time I felt it had been left up in the air whether Worf had survived as you see Klingon vessels being broken so the Defiant can get through, then nothing is heard of them again, and Dax doesn't look happy - all she can do is set course for the station and not look back. It's not in my nature to really criticise the great episodes, but again, it feels like a scene was necessary for her to express concern for the Klingons, Sisko reassuring her. But there was so much happening that these things didn't necessarily have the space to exist.

Another shifting allegiance is from the shifty 'shifter himself, Odo finally coming to his senses, that Kira and the solids (sounds like a band), were right. There's no real moment of understanding where you see he's come back to us, but this isn't a flaw in writing, it's a more realistic portrayal of a mind working through - the Female Changeling knows, possibly before Odo, that he's not going to be coming onside, when he refuses the Link and opts to stay in his quarters rather than retreat to the safety of Ops with her. It's something that began after he'd had time for the guilt about not helping Kira to build up, and the Founder reminded him of the true nature of his people, threatening the solids, and specifically sentencing Kira to death, Odo unready to embrace such a life even for the ecstasy of The Great Link. His heart (if he had one - let's say his inner gloop), belongs with what he knows, for the moment, but just as there were prophetic words about Sisko's final destination, or lack of it (they are Prophets after all, so it was about time they started prophesying!), so too does the Female Changeling say he'll join them eventually. She knows the homing instinct is too strong to resist, but what she doesn't know is that, like many of the characters on this series who represent a race, he'd be one to make changes to that race at the end of the series. She could envision Odo's return, but not the manner of it. Funny that both Sisko and Odo's fates were spoken of in this episode, and that previously paradise has been spoken of by Sisko (talking of Earth), and in this one Odo says he's not quite ready for paradise yet. A little further connection there.

If Kira and Odo were way beyond sorry, what was the best way for Odo to redeem himself, if not to save her life? Again, in an episode which I consider among the best of the best, I have another surprising little criticism, which is that the chase of Kira and Rom by Jem'Hadar and Cardassians might have been more dramatic. But that's only an aside, because what I really do like about it is how they reintroduce the Odo we knew, striding through the smoke of weapons fire, and over the bodies of the fallen: he's back, and his Bajoran security force, put in place thanks to his position on the ruling council, served him well in the end. I assume it was their loyalty to the Constable that ensured they helped fight against an enemy which, technically, isn't their enemy, since Bajor is at peace with the Dominion, not that that peace was ever truly genuine, and only a way to keep Bajor out of the fighting, something they'd learned to be good at, so I expect once they had the opportunity to do their bit, they grasped it gratefully rather than having second thoughts, despite Odo's recent strange behaviour. Odo's welcoming of Sisko back to the station in the triumphal return on the Promenade almost felt like he was getting in first, like meeting your Father from work so you can tell him your side of the story, before Kira could relate what a naughty 'shifter he'd been!

The whole episode is a countdown, and that feeling of a building tension to the climax is well handled. Yet Dukat continues to be oblivious to his coming judgement, and my overriding picture of the pre-insane Cardassian is of the man toasting himself with two glasses of Kanar, Weyoun having refused to join in with the victory custom. It's one of the best scenes between the odd couple out of their whole time together. It's a picture of all Dukat's faults, flaws and problems rolled into one. Not alcoholism, as he's a good soldier that spares himself the bottle most of the time, unlike Damar, but it's his own utter misreading of those and everything around him, and the personal greatness he feels that will always ensure he wins. It's self-satisfaction, delusion, and ugly smugness of the highest order. He's a little tipsy in the scene, which is why his inner thoughts about being Bajor's greatest hero flow, as well as his summary of true victory: making your enemy realise they were wrong to oppose you in the first place. It's a well-remembered line, but I hadn't realised it came from this episode, and is actually in response to Weyoun's suggestion that Earth and its entire population must be eradicated. It's a revealing conversation for both them and us, because it's the first real threat to Earth, named as the most likely centre of resistance, something that would be consummated the following season when the Dominion really started playing dirty.

Why did Weyoun refuse the offer of the drink with Dukat? It wasn't because he feared poisoning, for as we learned in 'Ties of Blood and Water' last season, the Vorta are immune to most poisons. It's because he has no kinship with Dukat, and the impression of events moving is on the edge of his highly tuned senses, I feel. He's disgusted with Dukat, yet enjoys the former's lack of self-knowledge, laughing outright at Dukat's levels of conceitedness, observing him, just as the Female Changeling did when they first met. Dukat, the wronged benevolent dictator, who has no statue or memorial for all the 'good' he did on Bajor. And yet, he does respect Sisko, as we've seen before, and even looks back before exiting the station, whether in concern for Odo, or in a kind of wistfulness for the freedoms he had while there, the time to experience art and meet a new culture, to spend time with those who are close to Sisko, we're not told. It's a shame that he and Jake didn't have more interaction, as the simple Federation point of view coming from Jake reacted wonderfully with the hard, but apparently fair, view of the things from Weyoun. But there are always going to be things that you wish had been explored in more detail, even when six episodes are given over to one story. And we can't complain when the majority of the six were so great. One question I could throw in is how many ships, and of what kind, were at the station for the Dominion forces (and Cardassian), to withdraw in, and why couldn't they have been used to stop the Defiant?

It's sad to see the end of Ziyal when we'd gotten the best, by far, of the three actresses to play her, but, like Worf's son Alexander, her story was, effectively, done. Could she have gone on to have a happy life with Garak? It's difficult to see, but the real tragedy of her loss is that she was willing and able to be a bridge between her two cultures, and that could have made for some fascinating stories. In the end she was sacrificed for other storylines, Dukat's madness really coming from her death more than anything else. The thing with the series is that they often didn't do that which was expected, preferring to surprise or delight, shock or confuse, but still managing to pull off a satisfying, organic legend. Just like Judi Dench's reading in 'Skyfall,' poetry is used here to set the tone by Bashir and O'Brien, in a timeless way that speaks on another level. A timeless way that speaks on another level? That about sums up the series as a whole. After such huge events it does feel like the end of a season, as short a season as it would have been, but fortunately there were many more fantastic, best-ever episodes still to be told, and as Trek often does following a weighty, toll-heavy story, a much lighter one would follow, though no less important to the characters.

[To be said in the manner of Dukat as you toast yourself with two glasses of Kanar!]
Here's to the six, those fine, fine six,
that broke the mould, and to us told,
of a new way for Trek to go,
a revitalisation, for storytelling new and old.

*****

Favour The Bold

DVD, DS9 S6 (Favour The Bold)

The Ferengi come into their own in this episode. Or at least some of them do, and the groundwork is set for Quark to show that he really is, and can be, a hero when he chooses to be (in other words, when it's in his interest!). But all three of the main Ferengi of DS9 have important developments. In a small way for Nog as it's as simple as getting a new uniform for him, though it's more than just Nog's new togs, he's also given the commission of Ensign and becomes a fully fledged member of Starfleet like the rest of the gang. It isn't an important moment in the plot or anything more than a drop in the Alpha Quadrant news ocean, but for the young Ferengi it marks the next stage of his development and the mark of being accepted as part of the team after coming so far from the little scamp in the pilot (nice to see a rare walk and talk in the corridors of the Defiant as it's such a cramped ship they don't tend to do that Trek staple there).

His Father, too, has come a long way from the doltish brother of Quark whose only goal in life was to gain control of the bar. He's elevated himself far beyond such petty concerns and, having proved himself a mechanical genius, now proves a true hero too, showing more concern for the Alpha Quadrant's billions than his own life. "Boy, are they going to be disappointed," retorts Quark, remaining his curmudgeonly, selfish self, when Rom tells him that rather than plan to save him from execution, he must finish what Rom started. In the midst of this Quark and Leeta (is she whom inspired Keenser's one line whine in 'Star Trek XI'?), have a personal auction for how many years she'll be prepared to spin the Dabo wheel for nothing! But like the Biblical parable of the two sons, it's not the initial answer that matters, but what Quark will eventually do after first refusing to risk his life. A Ferengi makes calculated risks for the greatest reward, and what could be greater profit than saving the Alpha Quadrant (including, as it does, Quark's lowly life)? But at the moment it's his brother's life that's in immediate danger, so he pays for a band of Nausicaans to storm in and break Rom out (we were denied a feast of battle between them and the Jem'Hadar, but at least the imagination can fill in the blanks!), though Kira was right, it wouldn't have worked, and he's not likely to get his money back, either, probably as devastating a thing as if the plan had failed, to a Ferengi mind!

Everyone else does their best to save Rom from the guillotine (or the rope, or the airlock, or… what would have been the Dominion's execution method of choice, I wonder? A Jem'Hadar firing squad? Sat on by the Female Changeling?), Kira petitioning Weyoun and talking to Bajor's ministers to lodge a complaint; Ziyal falling out with her Father over it - even Grand Nagus Zek himself offers to buy Rom's freedom (though he'd probably have been paying the debt back for the rest of his and his descendants lives!), which shows how popular Rom is, if nothing else. It's surreal to hear the minor Ferengi's name spoken by the leader of Cardassia or the main Vorta, just as it was to see Morn's ribbon in the hands of Admiral Ross. Let's not forget who's really responsible for the accolade of saving the Alpha Quadrant: the courier Sisko speaks up for in front of Ross, having known him for five years, and the man able to smuggle a vital message to them is none other than Morn! If we want to be pedantic we could suggest that Morn's Mother saved the Quadrant since it's her birthday that Morn leaves for. If you think about it, it could be seen as a bit strange for the Dominion to allow a civilian to leave Terok Nor for something as irrelevant to them as a birthday, or that they didn't thoroughly check all aspects of Morn's gifts. Knowing the Lurian, they probably got fed up with him droning on and let him pass rather than listen to any more dull monologuing from the long-faced alien. But still, it doesn't take away from the great fact that a small, but visible piece of the series was used in such a good way.

It was nice to see Sisko and Ross talking more on the level of a developing friendship. Sisko speaks of the Bajoran prophecies a little flippantly, not surprising since his superior is the one he's talking to, and even with all he's been through, as well as the draining and deadening effects of war, he still doesn't quite feel as close to being the Emissary as he has done, perhaps. This, all before the grand Prophet assistance of the following episode, which would probably do more to influence The Sisko than anything else and what set him on the path to the end of the season. That pull between Starfleet duty and rational understanding of the way things work, and the mystical, unexplainable happenings surrounding the Prophets and Sisko's connection to them, had lain somewhat dormant throughout much of the series, only coming out occasionally to cause trouble, such as 'Accession' in Season 4, or 'Rapture' in Season 5. Yet even though he doesn't talk about the prophecies in awe or reverence, he's still looking through them for any guidance he can get. It turns into a conversation about the future, with Sisko eulogising the beauty of Bajor and how he plans to build a house there. Even if Starfleet sends him away, when he goes home, it will be to Bajor, which is something of a revelation. Just as Odo's final destination was being hinted at in these episode, so is Sisko's. Ross seems to have become a much better boss, especially when it comes to his support for Sisko's plan for the retaking of DS9.

It makes you wonder why (apart from the fact they wanted to have an arc spread over six episodes), DS9 wasn't a more immediate mission, holding as it did, the key to the Alpha Quadrant in the form of the minefield. It could be argued that other fronts opened up and needed Starfleet's and the Klingon's attention, and there were enough Dominion and Cardassian forces already in the way and needing to be dealt with, to worry about the potential of more streaming through the Wormhole. The minefield bought them time, an obstacle they didn't know would be possible to remove so quickly. But now, with morale low (in spite of a clever ruse in the opening which sees two Jem'Hadar ships destroyed by the Defiant and the Rotarran), and the news that the minefield's days are truly numbered, the big push to reclaim the station makes more sense. Earth's security comes up as a possible point of opposition, but Sisko knows the Dominion won't strike there (though much later, once the Breen got in on the act, it would become a target) - it's one thing to send a shapeshifter to make a terror attack in bombing a meeting as happened in 'Homefront,' when the Wormhole was open and war was cold, but now they have finite resources and must best use their forces for defending their assets and destroying the enemy fleets. One thing we didn't get to see was Martok and Worf's proposal to Gowron on Qo'Nos, which would have made this an even better episode. In typical Klingon style they look at it as an enemy (Worf), and an ally (Martok) telling him the same thing being impossible to ignore!

I was fooled by the ruse in the teaser, just as if I'd never seen the episode before, and it reminded me of a similar opening to one of the last episodes of the series in which we see a vessel (Jem'Hadar, I think), rise into shot, then explode. You could do these things any time in an episode, but they work even more effectively as an opening when you're not settled and you take what's on screen as truth, leading to a bigger surprise when you realise things aren't what they seemed. The banter between Dax and Worf on the allied ships about who saves who, and the fact that the Defiant can cloak and pull off the trick in reverse if it wanted to, is all good fun, but what I like best about the sequence is finally getting to see Dax as Captain, something we weren't permitted in 'Behind The Lines.' The episode as a whole is much better than that previous part, not just because it gives us things like this that were spoken of, but not shown, but is also better written and directed, both in still shots (the two Changelings framed in the oval window; the back of Dukat's head as he sits at an empty table, symmetrically arranged), and moving (such as when Odo runs through the crowd to get to Kira). But more than how it looks is what we get beneath the surface.

The key to its success is exactly that which seemed to prove a problem for 'Behind The Lines': time. That episode sometimes felt like it was treading water, with less moments of greatness, the running time sometimes like an obstacle to be surmounted, whereas this one's more like 'A Time To Stand' where every second was used to the full and you felt satisfaction in every scene. It's episodes like these that make you realise the potential for long-running arcs because we have time for delightful little scenes like Weyoun absorbing himself in one of Ziyal's paintings (she's already won an award on Cardassia, which was quick, though in a society like theirs, with your Father the ultimate power, the judging may not have been impartial!). And he does absorb himself, almost lying on top of it, then viewing from a distance, but whatever he does he can't understand it. It makes him look even more like a tool when we learn that the Vorta were designed with no aesthetic sympathy, though, even more intriguingly, Weyoun wishes he had some, with the impression of a slight indulgence in his wish, like a slave wondering what running in long grass must feel like.

It comes in an episode where he's on the verge of the border of questioning the Founders, since he mentions to Dukat that his people have poor eyesight (strange, considering their striking eyes), musing that the Jem'Hadar have much better, but then they need it more. It's the closest to questioning Vorta get (perhaps the defecting clone of 'Treachery, Faith and The Great River' didn't create his anti-Dominion sensibilities from nowhere?). But Weyoun's a delightful character to watch, whatever he's doing, because he can flip between a tough hardness that comes with all the strength of the Dominion at his back, and a belief in their undeniable rightness, to a thoughtful, whimsical ponderer for whom the mysteries of life he rarely has time to ponder. In the scene where Kira goes to plead for Rom's life he alternates between these personas, more chilling because he's more interested in understanding the painting than Rom. But he can also show great goodwill towards Sisko when he seems incredibly pleased with the news he's been made an adjutant.

The blessing of a six-episode canvas doesn't just give us the opportunity to get to know characters better, seeing homely gatherings like the Defiant crew and Garak discussing Sisko's plan, or for intimate trifles about the Vorta, but also allows them to set up things, such as the later amusement of Weyoun's line, "Weak eyes, good ears," after he overhears Dukat and Damar from the other side of the office, much to their surprise! We also have impressions from previous episodes underlined. One being that the Vorta don't really understand culture and the arts, which made Dukat and Weyoun a very odd couple in microcosm of their peoples, since Cardassians are quite the opposite. It's also been hinted or telegraphed in some small way how important Odo is to his people, and this time we actually hear the Female Changeling say that his return home is worth more than the Alpha Quadrant itself, a true revelation to Weyoun and something else he didn't understand, seeing Odo as a potential threat, assuming the Founder's keeping him occupied, isolating him from his friends and brainwashing him, but though that's a side effect of their time together, she wants to understand Odo and to make him one with his people again.

Only now Odo begins to be troubled. Kira's outburst of fury at the end of 'Behind The Lines' didn't upset him, but talk of 'breaking' the solids does. It was an unfortunate choice of words for the Female Changeling, but other matters had begun to take on greater importance as news filtered through: the isolation worked both ways, she as much out of the loop as Odo in losing three days. And she still shows a lack of complete trust in him, sending him away when Weyoun brings news of the war, not wanting his mind to return to the trivial matters of the solids (when they talked I thought I saw a Benzite walking past in the background). Events are like a reverse of the situation in 'Crossfire' when Odo was the one on the outside looking on, and Kira the one enthralled by another, losing track of time and spending it all with Shakaar. But Odo's happy time has ended (though you could say he's had minor successes such as when we see a Bajoran security officer standing side by side with a Jem'Hadar, though it's an empty victory, really, like Odo's been humoured rather than had a great effect on the station), and his serenity has taken quite a knock, both from losing the regimented concept of time he sticks so rigidly to, and that he can't seem to explain to Kira why the Link is so important. He can't quite grasp Kira's reaction when she storms that they're "way past sorry." It's like someone that's been on drugs, coming down from a high to try and explain what's so great about it to their worried friends and family, or as if they've been asleep for a long time and things have changed in the meantime.

All the rage Kira's wisely kept bottled up (if bottling rage is wise - maybe she should have gone to the Holosuite for some combat stress release?), comes out in force against the one man and the one situation, in which it could: Damar. She flicks Odo's advances away with one hand, but she makes the choice to let it out when Damar presents it to her, and beats him with gusto! It's another of the greatly satisfying moments of this episode, and I'm saying that as someone who likes Damar! But it was time for him to learn a lesson or two (just as Dukat tells him that one day he'll be able to teach Weyoun a lesson in respect - a reminder of the treacherous nature of the Cardassian leadership!). Damar's discomfort at Dukat involving him in his personal family problems is superb - he's more like Weyoun than he'd find comfortable, as you could say he's obsequious in his own brusque way, because he thinks so highly of his superior. It's just like Dukat to be so concerned with trivial matters that affect him personally when victory against his enemies is hanging in the balance. To most people, making peace with their daughter would be an endearing, positive trait, but it's all because she's his and should be standing at his side to make victory sweeter! Even his claims to her that he's sorry for the Occupation should be taken as untrustworthy - as we'd find out later, he wasn't sorry at all, but maybe, to give him the benefit of the doubt in this case and at this moment, he really wanted Ziyal to know that he was sorry about it for her sake, rather than honestly being regretful. Dukat never does anything honestly.

As soon as Damar was sent to bring Ziyal before her Father, Kira's satisfaction was guaranteed, as was ours. It's hilarious that Dukat would send this man on a 'delicate, tactful' mission, with Damar such a soldier. Just because he respects his leader and they've been through a lot together, doesn't give him the people skills Dukat requires! But he does try, taking his own point of view and appealing to Ziyal about her Father's greatness and how all Cardassians must stand together because if they appear weak the Dominion will turn on them. When persuasiveness doesn't work he resorts to insult and force, telling her she should have been left in that Breen prison camp to die. Ironic then, that the woman who rescued her, is standing right in front of him and doesn't take kindly to him trying to drag her friend off. Kira was able to get away with her assault for three reasons: one, it was in a private place with nobody watching, so no witnesses; two, it would look bad for Damar if he admitted publicly to being so badly beaten by not just a female, but a Bajoran female - he'd be the laughing stock of the station; and three, Dukat didn't respond as he expected. This was the icing on the cake, when Damar goes whimpering to his master like a whipped cur, and gets no sympathy at all, Dukat recognising that he had to have done something to Ziyal to earn such an attack by Kira! Had the situation occurred in public, Damar would have had no choice but to arrest the Major and make a big deal of it, but it happened in the Cargo Bay (look out for 'The Gamesters of Triskelion' sign on the barrels), so can be hushed up.

Unlike some episodes in this arc, which have ended suddenly, I kept expecting the picture to fade and the lights to come up, as it has several big shifts of moment. It's awe-inspiring to see two huge battle fleets gearing up for engagement, (as well as the nice touch of mentioning a USS Sarek - his death would have been only six years before and already they've got a ship named after him!), with a couple of Galaxy-class starships thrown in here, and some Dominion battlecruisers there, and I couldn't recall whether there was a big battle on the way to DS9 which could occur in this episode, or not. Turns out it's happy to leave you hanging, itching to get to the next, and final part in this six-parter, with, for the first time in the arc, a 'To Be Continued…' at the end, something they'd avoided before, presumably because the story wasn't necessarily following on, whereas these last two are a definite two-parter to cap the six. 'Favour The Bold' (to give it its English name), is a fine, fine fifth part in a bold experiment that paid off. It makes its set up without missing a trick for anything that can be enjoyed here and now, gets us all wowed and excited with both visuals and character development, and sets the stage for one of the best episodes of the entire series. The bold would indeed be favoured…

****

Behind The Lines

DVD, DS9 S6 (Behind The Lines)

Odo's descent to the dark side was complete, or thereabouts. His natural predilection towards order, and desire for peace on 'his station' had always been the driving force of the character, along with justice, but that side of him was smothered by linking with the Female Changeling who made him think that all the petty problems of solids around him were insignificant compared to the power of the dark side! Sorry, wrong series - compared with the bliss of The Great Link. You'd think Odo wouldn't be so easily fooled by the Link considering the last time he was in it, not only was he forced to become a solid, but he was allowed to believe lies about Gowron being a Changeling, when it was actually Martok. Odo's felt more estranged from his people than ever before, yet that's only increased his interest about his own kind, perhaps because with the judgement on him, he thought he'd always be an exile. The Female Changeling, on the other tentacle, is more concerned with Odo coming back to his people, than the fate of the entire Alpha Quadrant. He was, after all, the first of the one hundred infant Changelings sent out into the galaxy to explore and one day return with fresh knowledge and understanding. Ironic, considering he fell into the Wormhole, as you'd think others would have returned sooner, since they were still in the Gamma Quadrant, most likely. Perhaps Odo was the only one to be safe after leaving his home Quadrant, as it could be a tougher place to survive outside of the strict enforcement of the Dominion (though we'd learn of one of his brethren next season).

Odo had previously only gone along with the idea of a resistance because Kira wanted it - as he admits to the Female Changeling, the person whom he was first able to tell his secret fondness for the Major, though again, that was through trickery on her part, he can't say 'no' to her wishes. Not that he went straight out and told on all his solid friends the moment the Female Changeling walked in the door. It was a strange happening that left her trapped in this Quadrant - you wonder what she was doing there, especially as we hadn't seen her at all in Season 5, and before that it was back at the homeworld for Odo's 'trial.' Did she carry out her own mission of destabilisation? It's not like we haven't seen her active as an 'agent' of her people, but it seems to be either in defence of them, or to try and understand Odo in order to coax him back, as in 'Heart of Stone.' Maybe her mission ever since meeting Odo has been to bring him back to the fold, and her presence on this side of the Wormhole was the latest avenue in that pursuit. She's quite happy to fool Odo, so when she said she had been devoid of Changeling company she might have been exaggerating because it seems likely that there are a number of her people doing their thing in the Alpha Quadrant. But it's convenient that Odo hangs around at the edge of the gateway between their two 'ponds,' it's where she would want to be for a quick return home, and if she can influence Odo to go with her, her goal might be fulfilled.

I almost get the impression she'd happily abandon the war effort to the Jem'Hadar and Vorta if she could, and just swan back home to the Link with Odo in tow. She merely tolerates the solids under her command, finding common ground with Odo about their irritating ways - when Dukat, not knowing her level of contempt for solids, tries to use his charm, and she merely observes him, not even deigning to answer as if she's watching an animal performing its natural behaviour (the same way she treats Kira when first visiting Odo, summarily dismissing her). I think her people, even those that don't seem on side with the Dominion's goals, namely Odo, are all that matters to her, and bringing them together is what matters above the fate of quadrants. After all, the shapeshifters only created the Dominion to protect themselves from the hatred of solids, creating their own lifeless, joyless, but nonetheless dedicated, solids - both the Jem'Hadar and Vorta were modified to the Founders' wishes. Until now, Odo's always been a staunch opponent of his people, but he's lived with the knowledge of their despotism for long enough that even that can't dissolve his innate drive to return home. Hence his many questions, which the Female Changeling is only too happy to answer, to a point. She'll talk about abstract things like being a tree, but sidesteps when he starts to pry into things that could be a tactical advantage, such as how many Changelings there are. Not that Odo's giving any thought to secret information, he's genuinely enraptured by the chance to have answers he's had long enough to ponder.

It is his curiosity that proves his downfall, though, as he takes those little steps towards accepting the Female Changeling and what she stands for. Even before she arrived, and in the opposite of Dukat's near miss with Kira in bringing Ziyal to DS9, which came just too late after she'd opened her eyes and smelled Mavek's coffee, Odo was already finding the chaos and destruction caused by the first strike of the resistance distasteful, and the Female Changeling came at the perfect moment to take advantage of his confusion. He wants to please Kira, but it's against his nature to allow disorder and damage to occur. Up till now he'd always managed to walk the line between his personal quest for justice and order, and the demands of whatever ruling administration happened to be in control. He butted heads with the Cardassians, and again with the Federation, but everyone respected his stance and the fact that he kept the station a safe place. But more power in joining the ruling council had, if not corrupted him, allowed his own biases to become stronger - I wouldn't be surprised if his invitation to the council had been an edict straight from the Female Changeling.

Though the resistance's first strike is a big success (as is the delightful way we're informed through Kira narrating, in the teaser), the episode ends in defeat. It's difficult for this episode, because, as in so many ways a middle part of a story is the hardest to keep interesting, you sense the problems that the writers have talked about, were finally coming to the screen from where they had so much to keep track of and set up, that this does feel like the weakest of the six. Saying that, the others are so strong that that's hardly a criticism, and it's not a bad episode by a long shot, it just isn't as fulfilling or tight as the others. It's a bit like an anti-'A Time To Stand,' both episodes mirroring each other in some ways, except 'Stand' had the advantage of reintroducing the plots and characters so ably cliffhangered at the end of Season 5, and was fresh and witty, with not a moment wasted. I'm not saying this one was wasted, but it's not as urgent, it's a slower, sleepier episode, perhaps reflecting Odo's drug-like disinterest at the end. The meetings of the resistance aren't tense or portentous, and things generally roll along, neatly, but not tightly. Again, there are many things going on, so it's no surprise that this feels less focused, and it still retains some strong moments (Kira's fury at Odo stays in the mind!).

One plot thread that it took until this unprecedented fourth episode to reach, was Rom's presence on the station. He'd expressly stayed behind in order to be a rebel and somehow work against the Dominion. It helped that he was the mastermind behind the minefield (though if the enemy knew he'd have been tortured in no time), so when the reality of Damar's solution was revealed through Quark's selfless assistance (he was only going to help the resistance when he was drunk, though!), it was useful for Rom to be there to come up with a countermeasure. He's been laying low before, working at the bar, though this is the first time we see him. Unsurprising, considering how many characters and stories are on the go - even some of the regulars are reduced to cameos, with Worf only appearing via viewscreen! Other stories that don't get shown are the Defiant under Dax - she's sent off on a mission to take out a sensor array by traversing a dangerous region called the Argolis Cluster, but we're not privy to the actual adventure, instead concentrating on Sisko's feelings at being 'promoted' to Admiral Ross' adjutant, and having to stay on Starbase 375 and write reports. Nor do we have any details about the tantalisingly mentioned Bolian operation, and these missing pieces add to the underlying dissatisfaction of the episode. We're in the same boat as Sisko, in a way, but at least he's got a station, and one station is pretty much the same as another, right?

It's still fun to see Sisko as the one looking up to authority, helped by Admiral Ross seeming a pretty good commander, not quite worthy of the audience's respect and admiration just yet (it would come), as he still seems a bit of an 'Admiral' Admiral - taking the Captain away from his ship, requiring this and that by this time, very much a manager, which is what Admirals are, really. But he's happy to drink Saurian brandy (and doesn't make a thing out of where Nog laid his hands on it), with Sisko during the ritual of the phaser power cell, and allows Sisko to stand up to him when he refuses to go to sleep with the Defiant off on a mission, even though common sense says that it will potentially be going off without him many times to come. That's one of the things about Sisko Ross probably appreciates: the Captain will stand his ground and not be a yes-man. That moment was quite amusing as it sounded a bit like Dad Ross sending son Ben to bed, and Sisko pouting that you can send me to bed, but I'll not go to sleep! But he also has to do what he's told in the context of his job, Ross having the bigger picture to contend with. A bit like Odo and the Female Changeling, who shows him the bigger picture is actually a smaller, more insular one: no need to get involved, it doesn't concern you. The use of the power cell ceremony was a good way to emphasise Sisko's distance from his ship and captaincy as the first time we see it, it's he who has the speech and puts the empty cell with the others in the mess (I wondered if they all fall over when the ship's in battle!), but it's Dax who does it later, Sisko looking on.

Levar Burton's direction, back for another helping after his stints in Season 5, is fine, but not very noteworthy, though the bar fight is well staged and shot, as are many of Kira's scenes, such as when she's standing in the Security Office waiting for Odo to perform his function in the attack (warning Rom not to go through with it via her Bajoran combadge, which sounded oddly like the sound the Starfleet badges make when there's a dampening field to prevent communication!), the whole of which is well done, and in her violent anger, slamming Odo's door chime! At the same time, nothing stands out as it did in 'Things Past' or 'Soldiers of The Empire,' Burton's episodes of last year, but that may have been because the episode was less inspiring. One man that is inspired in this one is Damar, promoted to Gul for his idea on how to disable the mines, allowing him to be both disgraced and smug in the same episode! It's fascinating to see his character traits start to emerge and expand, as previously he's just been a loyal soldier to Dukat, but here we get his intense distrust of the Dominion and, specifically, the Jem'Hadar, about whom he writes an essay on the potential threat they pose if the white runs out, even though the war continues to go the Dominion's way. We also see that he's a regular drinker, though in this case it's a celebratory one when he's promoted. His baiting of Kira continues delightfully, as does her repartee, so that he's truly becoming a character in his own right, beyond the lackey of Dukat.

It's thanks to Quark that the resistance, this tiny cell of four people (Kira, Odo, Jake and Rom), hears about Damar's news in time to do something about it. Quark's changed his mind about life under the occupation, but it boils down to it being no 'fun' any more. I can't help wondering if by fun he means profits, as there can't be that many opportunities to make a packet when life stays the same, with no traffic through the Wormhole, and only warships visiting! It's another throwback to the first episode in which Quark noted that life wasn't bad, even under Dominion rule, and tried to talk to the Jem'Hadar in his bar - now he sees them as creepy statues, no good for business at all. Unfortunately, despite Quark's intel, thanks to Odo the minefield will still be coming down, and what's more, they have Rom captive and are sure to torture him - and if there's one thing you don't want to experience, it's Cardassian torture, as O'Brien and Captain Picard would both attest. It's interesting that people keep referring to the war as being over once DS9 is retaken, as it would not be nearly as simple as that, not by a long way (two seasons, to be precise!), but that's the visible goal, the tangible object to pin their hopes on, and it makes sense since it is the series' home. Maybe at that time the writers still thought the war would be over more quickly, or perhaps it was a typical case of optimism, just as those in the First World War, one hundred years ago, thought it was sure to be over by Christmas.

The seeds of the future had been sown, not only for the Federation's survival, but Odo's eventual homecoming. Something that seemed impossible only a year before now becomes a distinct possibility, and something Odo's beginning to understand must be an inevitability if he's to live a full life. Unlike Sisko and Ross, Odo shares the same level of authority and position as the Female Changeling, like a lost prince, more highly prized than many lesser men. It seems in her eyes he's been reborn by the return to Changeling form, the old Odo allowed to die, and this new one in his place eager to welcome him back - they never wanted to harm Odo, but had to for his crime of killing one of his own. However his situation has been reverted, it doesn't matter, the way is open for him to return to his rightful place. It's not like she's even the leader speaking for her people with the power to forgive (although she sounds as if she can), as we learn from her she has no need for a name, being a drop in the ocean, and the ocean in a drop - it sounds a bit like the Borg when you put it that way, as all merge together and individuality is like a garment they put on when necessary. I was expecting the Female Changeling to come out of hiding the first time Kira paid Odo a visit, but that would have been all up for the resistance. It leaves room for doubt in the second rage-filled scene of Kira in Odo's quarters, whether the Female Changeling was standing behind a wall and overheard all, or whether she was in an adjoining room, and didn't. Even if she does know about the resistance you sense she'd leave it for the solids to work out.

When she asks if Kira upset Odo after the Major's stormed out, and we're left to wonder what this spells, he responds so serenely, 'no… not really,' that it becomes quite a good cliffhanger in its own right. The horror of Odo's conflicted loyalties are that he hasn't become the enemy, he's become above the question of enemy and ally, a neutral that doesn't care. That's somehow worse than if he was in league with the Female Changeling. Beginning with victory and ending in defeat is one more reason that this episode feels odd and difficult to love, you could also say it's the least eventful (despite having an all-out Cardassian/Jem'Hadar brawl in Quark's, and the exciting denouement of the sabotage attempt which was like something out of the Bourne or 'Mission: Impossible' films), with plots not interconnected and a workmanlike impression of the writing. Many of the characters are in the wrong place by its end - obviously Odo, led astray, but also Sisko, realising how important his position on the Defiant is to him, Quark, who helps the resistance, and Kira, raging against Odo. Dukat and Weyoun are also upstaged by the Female Changeling, and Rom's in prison. Not forgetting Worf, stuck on a Klingon ship away from Jadzia... But an episode like this is necessary, where we catch up with all the pieces, add in a few twists and lay groundwork for the last two instalments in this most epic of tales.

***