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…

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