Avenger 2.0

DVD, Stargate SG-1 (Avenger 2.0)

A return of one half of one of the best double-acts we'd seen on the series, Dr. Jay Felger, though sadly missing Simon Coombs, the other half, played by John Billingsley (though he is mentioned). This came out in 2003 when he was still part of 'Star Trek: Enterprise,' so it may have been he was busy, although that didn't stop him last season when he appeared in 'The Other Guys.' After the disappointment of no Billingsley, the first thing you begin to feel is irritation at Felger, the most childish, hyperactive, inappropriate scientist to ever grace Stargate Command. This time he has a different sidekick, his unnoticed, diminutive sidekick, Chloe, always there to encourage and support. But Felger only has eyes for the 'perfect' Major Carter, so the comedy potential is there when, having been threatened with dismissal after an experimental plasma weapon (O'Neill asks if it's a phaser, Chloe says it's more like a photon torpedo!), shuts down the base's generator (looked like the General was working on an important computer document at the time, accounting for his displeasure), he recklessly admits to another experimental project in development, and is allowed twenty-four hours before he must present it. Carter, remembering how he saved the team's life in the previous episode, tries to help him, surprising him by joining the project. It struck me that painting soldiers for a diorama of a Stargate and surrounding environs, might not be the best use of his time, but he's already submitted the proposal at that point, just awaiting the go ahead, so it does make sense.

The trouble with Felger is he's so annoying in speech and manner, and so slapdash at his work, that even though he has a brilliant mind (the stereotypical mad genius scientist), it's very hard to sympathise with him. And yet, you do find yourself, at least on the level of Carter, finding some common ground and understanding. She's able to use her diplomatic ability to persuade him to return to the SGC after the project goes as wrong as it could possibly go: Avenger is the name of the virus they use to scramble a 'gate's dialling codes, effectively rendering it unusable, as a defence against the enemy, but it appears to spread outward from the test 'gate throughout the galaxy. So Felger is apparently responsible for destroying the entire network of Stargates! As he says himself, it took the Ancients a thousand years to build the 'gate system, and it only took him one day to destroy it. That's the kind of wacky personality we're dealing with. Except, in a warm conclusion, we learn that the virus was actually modified and sent out from the first 'gate, meaning Baal must have been aware of the attempt to disable it, and used the same tactic himself, allowing his forces, with the advantage of greater numbers of ships, to alter the balance of power even further against the other System Lords.

It's a nice vindication of Felger's work, and stops him from being the complete 'screw-up' as he calls himself, and that he thinks he is. He's just so enthusiastic about SG-1 and the whole ongoing mission they're on, knowing how important it is, so it was actually quite good to get to know him a little better. Not that he stops being irritating, grating in his lack of judgement, but at least you understand him a little better. It even ends, in tribute to the first episode, with him having a daydream in which his assistant and Major Carter fight over him, as he and O'Neill watch, which wasn't a bad way to leave the episode. The experience gives me the wish to see the character again, as his crush on Carter is amusing, even if it wasn't played up so much, the comedy more attuned to Felger's ineptness, such as getting lost on the base, or standing around unhelpfully next to Hammond. I would hope to see his partner, Coombs again, next time, if they did do another episode, and I wouldn't be averse to his Chloe being part of the ensemble too, as it's quite fun to see the 'lower decks' behind the scenes of Stargate Command, when we so often see the frontline troops.

In some ways Felger's right about Carter being perfect, at least in how she seems: as he noted, she's modest and even her mistakes are useful mistakes, and there has been a tendency for her to be seen as the everyday technical solution to any problem, but as she admits herself, of course she makes mistakes, too. It's an insight into the view of professional people in some ways: they work hard, do a good job, and the SG-1 team are also heroes, but they're heroes that don't put on lycra or have special powers, they're just ordinary people with skill and dedication, and that's what makes the series uplifting in episodes like these, especially when the story is a commentary on the characters, and we're reminded that even people that feel useless can be productive in society if they have a little understanding and guidance. Plus, it's always fun to see Carter have to deal with people, as although she's a perfectly capable diplomat, she's more comfortable operating computers, and she's even more endearing because she does help Felger in this one, standing up for him, supporting him, getting through any doubts she has about him. I especially liked the moment she bravely fends off a whole troop of Goa'uld as Felger tries to do his work on the DHD, as although the odds are stacked against her, she keeps going, eventually saved by O'Neill and Teal'c swooping in on a stolen ship. We even see Siler at one point in a corridor, pointing to his eye as if telling the guy he's talking to of another injury he'd sustained! A pleasant viewing, even if the comedy is a little teeth-grinding at times, and not the episode about a new Earth-built starship that I thought it was.

***

Banjo-Tooie

N64, Banjo-Tooie (2000) game

I first played this in 2008, eight years after it had been originally released. I'm not sure exactly why I waited so long, since 'Banjo-Kazooie' was, and still is, one of my Top 10 games of all time. It probably had something to do with the relatively negative review given to it in 'N64 Magazine' as they were usually right about these things, and I'd likely tired of playing platform games. There's also the cost factor - as I remember, it was a game that stayed at its £40 release price and couldn't be found secondhand, at least not easily. In those days I still relied on games shops to find old titles, I hadn't progressed to the stage of buying online. So price, coupled with worse than expected reviews, and boredom with the genre all contributed to me staying away for so long. When I eventually got hold of it I remember the feeling of disappointment that permeated the experience, though until I played it again recently I couldn't quite recall why. After playing 'BK' last year and really enjoying it, I was primed to get into the sequel. Something that had been a disappointment back in the time of release was that the long-awaited connectivity with the original Banjo game had been abandoned, as if Rare didn't really care any more. I suspect it was more to do with cost and technical feasibility, but it was just one more thing about 'Banjo-Kazooie' that had excited and made it seem ahead of its time: you could collect certain secret items in the game that would be used in 'Banjo-Tooie,' but this was revised to them being found in 'BT,' making them largely redundant, and they turned out not to be that special after all, but more on that later.

Starting the game I was quickly reminded of one of the things wrong with it, or to be precise, slowly reminded. Very, very slowly. In fact it took around an hour to actually get to the first level! Now fair enough, if you'd waited two years for this title, with building anticipation, you'd have wanted the story to pay off events at the end of 'BK,' but it was such a long opening, and mostly slow cutscenes that took up the time. What was once a technical achievement was now an irritation as I just wanted to get on with playing the game, not watching it, but even if you could skip it, you wouldn't want to for fear of missing something important. It wasn't just the ponderous opening that got me down, but the depressing, dark landscape that prevailed, the story being that Grunty's sisters had rescued her and gone off in a mole machine having destroyed Banjo's house and killed Bottles (his guide and helper in 'BK'). There's no mention of what happened to Tooty, Banjo's sister, she remains absent from the game for some reason (though amusingly, there's a missing persons advert on a carton of milk in the rubbish bin on 'Cloud Cuckooland'!). If you wanted to recall the first game's moves, or you'd never played 'BK,' you could take up the training around 'Spiral Mountain,' but it was dark, rainy and dismal, far from the bright, upbeat opening of 'BK,' with its ripe corn, green, green grass and clear blue water, smiled down upon by eternal sunshine.

It may be a bit unfair to keep comparing the two games, but it's inevitable, especially as 'BT' was supposed to be bigger and better. It may also be churlish to complain about the mood of the opening, as it's all part of the story, but one of the things that made 'BK' great was being such an enjoyable place to visit. It's not just a plodding story and depressing start that are the problems, there was also the first glimpse of technical issues: even on 'Spiral Mountain,' a reuse of a level in 'BK,' the framerate is noticeably jerky, and for a company like Rare to release a game without their expected level of technical perfection had at one time been unheard of. The counter argument would be that they'd reached the limits of the N64's capabilities (I'm not sure if the Expansion Pak was utilised, but it certainly wasn't required, unlike some of their last N64 games, such as 'Donkey Kong 64' and 'Perfect Dark'), but it doesn't explain why a level from a 1998 game had developed flaws in 2000! Jerky framerates weren't a major problem in the game, just an occasional annoyance in large areas, but when you're used to polish that rivalled Nintendo's own brand games, it's a worry. And we were right to be worried: the once unstoppable Rare, like Pixar, became a shadow of their former selves, so that when they were snapped up by Microsoft in the early days of the N64's successor, the GameCube, it wasn't really a loss, which was hard to believe considering they crafted many of the best games on the N64. But I'm not here to judge Rare's business relationships or company history, except where it relates to 'Banjo-Tooie.'

While I'm being mostly negative, I will say it was impressive to see the excellent config selection, with a widescreen option and the ability to adjust even the position of the output on your screen - more options for adjustment are always appreciated for the best sound and vision experience. It was also brilliant that the game was geared to the level of someone who'd completed 'Banjo-Kazooie,' so you didn't have to go through relearning well-rehearsed moves, and the difficulty was immediately up there as a tougher experience, so you didn't feel like the training wheels had been reattached. At the same time, everything was clear for those that needed a refresher, so it catered for all. But what it's all about is getting to the collecting and puzzle-solving, something which on 'BK' you were quickly thrust into, learning some moves on 'Spiral Mountain,' then making you're way up to the first level. This time you find yourself wading through dull, muddy landscapes, and I lost track of how many cutscenes there are to advance the daft plot, which is silly rather than funny, before you get to 'Mayahem Temple,' meaning you're itching to get started properly. My disappointment in the style also stretched to Bottles' brother, Jamjars, whose metal hatches signal a change to a more artificial, industrial look, rather than the more suitable natural theme of the first game. The same can be said of Jamjars' Silos, replacing the much more characterful Warp Cauldrons. Such things are subjective, but they added to the unattractiveness of a game that was somewhat ugly when compared to the freshness of 'BK.'

That game still had machines and metal (look at Clanker in 'Clanker's Cavern'), but the environments tended to be more appealing. Not to say there weren't beautiful levels: 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon' was very much in the previous style; 'Terrydactyland' brought a nice orangey-pink colour palette to proceedings (though it was a little bare), 'Hailfire Peaks' carried on the platformer tradition of slippy-slidey ice worlds and boiling hot fiery worlds, with 'Cloud Cuckooland' the most colourful (rivalled a little by the patchy 'Witchyworld'). So there was no shortage of colourful landscapes to get lost in, it's just that the palette often seemed more muted than before, 'Mayahem Temple' an example with its dull green main colour. Such things may not be that important, and certainly don't affect gameplay, but they do affect the mood and, to me at least, made the game less welcoming. As contrary as it might seem to laud a game for bringing us familiarity in world styles and in the same paragraph mark it down for doing the same kind of thing again, I must - 'Glitter Gulch Mine' was a remake of 'Crystal Caverns' on 'Donkey Kong 64,' with the underwater majority that made up 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon' having very similar music to that of 'Gloomy Galleon' and 'Grunty Industries' easy to link with 'Frantic Factory.' I appreciate there may be only a certain number of workable themes for this kind of game, but 'BK' did some things with traditional themes, like the giant snowman for example, which made 'Freezeezy Peak' so much more than an ice world.

The fact that the only levels I recollected before playing were Mayan, ice, lava, circus and dinosaur themed show that it was a far less memorable experience, as you'd think I'd have remembered the game more clearly having first played it only a few years ago, whereas I never forgot the structure of 'BK,' from twice as long ago. I have to wonder why games insist on putting one of the final levels set in the sky, or with deep drops and no barriers! It can only be to raise the difficulty or impression of raising it, but I never liked such open, empty spaces - even 'Super Mario 64' did it, though that was far trickier as there was much more actual platforming to do. So although 'Cloud Cuckooland' was a breath of fresh air, literally allowing you rise above the dark, depressing influence of the witch, it was a bit frustrating trying to work out how to get to each floating island. I will grant that the view down to the worlds below was a beautiful one, and it was most certainly the most colourful in the game. And there were areas of the lair that stood out as beautiful: the Beehive, the temple of Master Jiggywiggy (with its innovative jigsaw puzzles done while the image is in motion - a great idea, but I think it was nicked from a secret extra in Banjo's house in the first game), and the sandy cliff top all had their appeal.

One of the big flaws of the levels was simply that they were so big. At one time, size seemed the most important thing, you wanted to be wowed by the scale of the next game (even going back to the 2D days, how many screens a game had, and how long it would take to complete were important buying decisions for cash-strapped young gamesplayers!), but eventually you realise that most games are full of empty space, and the extent of the horizon has less to do with how enjoyable a game is than how much interaction you have with your environment. 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' was not as involving an experience as 'Ocarina of Time,' despite its scale, and the same is true between the two Banjo games, 'Tooie' too big for its own good. This is because the scope of the levels makes them far less focused, and leaving aside the occasional technical flaws, you soon see that though they are huge, they're made up of multiple, smaller areas that you have to scurry between, interconnected locations that can become a bit maze-like when you're trying to remember where to go, or how. This, in turn, adds drudgery as you often find yourself traversing the expanse back and forth, which feels like a cynical attempt to extend the playing time. It works, the game does take a long time, but it's not due to the inventiveness of the puzzles or the joy of exploring. Also, the compartmentalised nature of the levels takes away the awe that you sometimes feel on seeing a vast land stretching out before you (such as 'Treasure Trove Cove,' or 'Clanker's Cavern').

Some are worse than others, with 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon' and 'Witchyworld' being among the worst contenders, and factory level, 'Grunty Industries,' being one entire internal experience of rooms and corridors. That was one of my least favourite, being another dark, grimy, brown puddle of industrial revolution, but I can see why they might want to make a completely different experience to the outdoor, open spaces of others. It's just less appealing, once again proving to me that naturalistic, organic environments are more fun. At least that level didn't have any swimming, which was the bane of 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon.' It was nice to find, on returning to 'Spiral Mountain' that you could rescue Banjo's goldfish from under a boulder, who then gives you more air, and faster swimming ability, which I didn't discover until well into the game! Once Mumbo's magically filtered the lagoon water with air, you can stay under indefinitely, and thing are easier, but it doesn't stop the experience of underwater exploration being a real drag. Some might love gliding around in the depths, and at least in this game, unlike the previous one, you can switch to first-person view, making it easier to see things, but it doesn't stop the camera from being particularly annoying in third-person view, and so much of the sights look similar that it can be difficult to orient yourself, which is essential to keep track of where you've been and where you're going. Underwater swimming irritation isn't unique to this game, it's just that there was less of it in 'BK' and you were usually on a tight time limit which added tension and meant you didn't have long to do it.

What really irks about the levels, in the same vein as cynically expanding game time, is how much pointlessness there is. In 'BK' things were done with intent and purpose, there for a reason. And you could chart your progress by it, gain satisfaction from it. Take the musical notes: in 'BK' they were an essential part of progressing through the game as you needed a certain note score to pass doors in Grunty's lair. They were also a reason to replay levels as you had to collect them all in one go as they were replaced once you exited a level. This gave the game an added dimension, rather like a time trial in a racing game, or headshot count in a shooting game, not to mention they were one of those immediate, continuing rewards that increased your feeling of wellbeing - even if you weren't playing to collect the notes they made a pleasing sound when picked up! No such feeling of reward in 'BT,' the notes are there almost as an afterthought, and I can't even remember why they needed to be collected, which is telling. They were no longer individual items, but bunched into 'nests' of five, making them slightly harder to spot and much less frequent, and could no longer be used to guide you around a level as they often were in 'BK.' They were there because the first game had notes, but weren't really needed. I can understand why this game didn't have the same replayable level totals as before, because they were so big it would get quite irritating if you had to spend hours tracking down all the notes in one go, I just wish they'd played a worthwhile role.

I think they were something to do with Jamjars teaching you the next move, but it was obviously vague enough that I never needed to keep track. Another pointless collectable was the Glowbo. Like the Mumbo Tokens in 'BK,' these were required before Mumbo or Humba Wumba could do anything for you. Thing is, they were always near the wigwam or skull, so why even bother with them? Again, at least with the Tokens you felt an achievement at finding them, this was just insulting, especially in a game that was more geared to an experienced platformer who'd played 'BK.' One improvement in 'Tooie' was that you got to change into something in every level this time, so there was a greater variety of changes, one of the things to look forward to. They could be quite big, too, as was the case with the full-sized T-Rex you could stomp around as in 'Terrydactyland.' Naturally, not every creature was a good one, 'Glitter Gulch Mine' had you as a detonator which could blow up kegs of TNT, but each time you detonated, a honey piece was lost from your health so you had to keep returning to Humba to change back so you could replenish health. The back and forth mechanics were possibly the worst thing about the game: on 'Terrydactyland' you could become either an adult T-Rex, or a juvenile, but to do this you first had to change into Mumbo, walk him to his pad in front of Humba's wigwam so he could make it bigger or smaller, return to the Skull, back into Banjo, back to the wigwam to change into the T-Rex… and then you realise it was the wrong size for what you'd planned to do, and have to do it all over again! Arrggh!

I had forgotten you could play as Mumbo, which was a nice surprise, though it usually consisted of him travelling to a pad with his face on so he could perform his magic and activate something, and for a supposedly powerful shaman that was the limit of his ability. He could jump, he could zap with his stick, and that was it. So it was hardly a pleasure to be a different character when it meant actually reducing your capabilities, when you should have had more freedom. There was a bit more fun to be had with the creatures Humba Wumba transformed you into, especially that frustrating T-Rex. I'd once played a trick on a family member back in the day when I used a cheat in 'Banjo-Kazooie' to become a washing machine and pretended I'd got 'Banjo-Tooie' before it was supposed to come out! This time you get to be the washing machine for real, freshly laundered pants, your projectile attack! The submarine made the lagoon's underwater section a little more palatable, and although the bee in 'Cloud Cuckooland' was another repeat, it made life easier. Except, when you realise how many times you have to go here and change into this, it got to be too much: change into Wumba's creature, play as Mumbo Jumbo, one move even had you splitting up into Banjo or Kazooie. At first that seems like a great idea, and the logical next step for the series, but it was usually just an excuse to make a puzzle where you had to use one character to pull this switch or stand on that pad, then the other one to do the same, so rather than being used in an inventive way, it was too often a chore.

Other unnecessary changes, just for the sake of it, included Minjos, evil versions of the Jinjos you had to collect (I grant that the more detailed exploration of Jinjo culture in the story was interesting, to an extent), which would stand innocently around as bait to lure you in, then attack. You could usually tell them apart by their location: if a Jinjo was in an easy to reach area it was probably a Minjo. They also added different honeycombs to the usual life replenishment variety, sometimes making them Skill Honeycombs where you had to press the button to stop it on your health bar and it would fill up to there, or Mystery ones which would stop randomly, so you may have just as well not picked these variations up at all! The scarce Cheato pages of the first game became another collectable, giving you some useful cheats, though I'm not sure they can be called cheats if they're openly available to collect (though I did turn them all off for the final battle, so as to feel a greater sense of achievement). The repetition of time and effort in the game also stretched to the empty Honeycomb pieces. As before, if you collected enough you'd get another piece permanently added to your health bar, but this time you had to actually visit a shop to exchange the collected pieces for what you were given automatically in 'BK'! These unnecessary additions for the sake of extension made the experience galling, and gave the impression of an elaborate plot to disguise the lack of innovation and good game design that had oozed naturally from the earlier game.

To counter the negativity in the game's design I should point to the interesting development of various 'rabbit holes' to connect levels. On one hand, they do create more back and forth options, a symptom of the game's flaws, but on the other, it was quite useful to have shortcuts between levels, and to be able to bring certain things through to solve the odd puzzle, making the greater world seem more cohesive. The biggest connection (between levels which you'd normally see as completely enclosed in games of the time), was the train, which allowed travel between stations in each level, once they'd been opened. The train was an important part of solving certain problems and was an impressive sight at the time. It was also at the heart of my biggest failure in the game: when I originally played it I thought, and always had done until recently, that it wasn't possible to get every Jiggy in the game due to the Gobi the Camel glitch. Put simply, I could never get Gobi to spit out his water into the train's funnel to cool it, despite bouncing on top of him, spitting eggs, and slamming as hard as I could on his hump. This was the only time I had to look up a solution on the internet, because first time round I'd just accepted it must be a glitch as there was no other way. Except there was: I hadn't realised that you could still do the same moves from 'BK,' and that they hadn't been superceded by your new moves. All you had to do was perform a simple Beak Bash (jumping up, then tapping Z once), instead of the Bill Drill (jumping up, then holding Z), which I'd assumed had replaced it!

It was inconsistencies like this that put another dent in my appreciation of the game. Some crates would blow up, others wouldn't; some rocks could be smashed, others couldn't. I can understand that it was technically impossible to make the environment fully interactive, and that inconsistencies like these were par for the course (and may still be?), but I like games to have internal logic, and to be tied to that, so you can work things out in a way that makes sense. Sometimes you get completely stuck in a game, and you want that to be because of a fiendish puzzle, not inconsistency. That said, the value of taking a break from a game and coming back with fresh eyes should not be underrated as I found with the last few items I needed in the game. I had three levels left in which I hadn't collected everything, and after a break of a few days with plenty of thinking time expended upon it, I was able to conquer them all in an hour's play. The Jinjo behind the boiling waterfall on 'Hailfire Peaks' was all I needed there, and I'd thought up a convoluted plan of changing into a statue in 'Mayahem Temple,' before returning and jumping through, but it didn't work! It suddenly clicked: it was as simple as using the golden invincibility feathers. Sometimes the simplest solution…

On 'Grunty Industries,' finding the rear exit to reach the last worker to clean his overalls was a matter of noticing the back room through the glass which had an unused button within, on Floor 1, so I just had to go up a floor, find the clearly marked exit to Floor 1 on Floor 2, and voila, went down as the washing machine and exited nicely! Finally, how to get the beans to grow in 'Cloud Cuckooland'? I wondered if I could get to them as Mumbo, in order to zap them, but in searching for a route I came across his old pad from where he was able to work his magic anyway, even though I'd already emptied the water from the pool, making it rain, watering the beans and providing the beanstalks to success. Phew, what a relief! Even the last Notes Nest which I was missing from my tally in Grunty's lair, was accidentally discovered over by one of the pillars holding up the Beehive, so it was a relief not to have to spend hours fruitlessly searching for those last nagging collectables.

It was these kinds of experiences that brought me back around to the game's side, as the satisfaction of completion could be almost as strong as 'BK.' This acceptance of the flaws and enjoyment regardless made me realise that, yes, it was a good game after all, just not a great one. So many ideas hadn't made a good impression, and so much of the early part of the game gave me a feeling of filling out a form: go here, do this, tick this box. But eventually the goodness was released, it just needed some squeezing. Moody, muted colours, bloated levels and so much padding had hidden the fun core of the game, and no amount of light effects or good music could fully rescue it, but to be able to return to that world of funny-voiced characters with the solid feel to the lands (unlike the plasticky or rubbery textures I have in my memories of 'DK64'), with a number of creatures populating it from 'Banjo-Kazooie' was attractive. So much so, in fact, that I even bought what I believe is the only other Banjo game in existence: the Game Boy Advance's 'Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge,' and it's been a long, long time indeed since I bought a GBA game!

With the danger of ending my review on a high, I'd better say one last thing about the secrets and special items out there, because this was a botch after the promises from 'BK.' The great ice key was used to open a giant safe, which contains the giant Glowbo, which can then be taken to Humba. She then transforms Kazooie into a green, fire-breathing dragon, which although novel, has apparently no effect on the game whatsoever. The eggs, which were the other 'BK' artefacts, found in little N64 cartridges hidden in the lair (in areas devoid of the grand, portentous music from the first game, showing of how little import they really are), which you can eventually hatch, give you mostly minor cheats, such as homing eggs (useful, but not the essential item you might have expected), the Breegull Bash Beak Bomb (I think, but I can't actually remember, that's how exciting the secrets were), and the option to play as a Jinjo in the multiplayer game. I necessarily haven't touched on the multiplayer option because we never played them - experiencing some of the minigames with human opponents might have been a draw, just as 'Super Monkey Ball' on the GameCube was enormous fun in small doses, but the possibility of first-person shooter levels based on the empty and dull FPS sections where Banjo uses Kazooie as an egg-firing gun, never appealed. If you were going to play an FPS on N64 it would be 'Goldeneye' or 'Perfect Dark' - the 'Mayahem Temple' inauguration of this new mode heavily reminiscent of the Temple in 'Goldeneye,' down to the music. It's not what you play a platformer for, and was a bit dark, bland, and tiresome after a while, a maze of mostly emptiness.

One cheat (the final one from Cheato, I think), usefully fixed the Jukebox in 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon.' It was annoying that this was how you did it, as you assume there's a way to fix it yourself, so you exhaust all possibilities before moving on, only to find it was impossible until Cheato fixed it for you! But it was great to be able to play most of the tunes from the game on tap (I say most, as the Beehive isn't included, for example), even if it serves as a reminder that few of them carry a candle to those jaunty tunes of 'Banjo-Kazooie.' Ultimately, that's how I feel about the game as a whole, even the ending rather underwhelming. There's little incentive to get all notes and Jiggies as all that you're rewarded by is a character parade on the cinema options screen. It's a nice touch to be able to replay the cutscenes, or minigames and bosses, one area this game improved on its predecessor, with truly huge opponents to fight, though they rather overshadowed the final battle with Gruntilda as she stays inside her grey mole machine on top of her grey fortress. The party takes place in the revived Bottles' house, underground, and it would have been nice to see the sun shine down upon Banjo's world once more, and revisit the characters now free from the witch's power across the land. But you can't have everything, and you tend to find there's less playability and enjoyment in later parts of games, partly perhaps because less people are going to see them, and also production staff must be getting tired and fed up by the time they approach the finishing line, with deadlines looming after long hours of toil. Sadly, this game can sometimes feel like long hours of toil, too, but if you played the first one, you'll want to play this one as well, as long as you keep your expectations lowered.

***

Demons

DVD, Enterprise S4 (Demons)

I have to say my expectations for this episode were low. I remembered this final two-parter as one of the weaker stories, especially in comparison to the generally strong Season 4, and although some controversially consider this the feature-length finale for the series (wanting to wipe out the true finale, 'These Are The Voyages…'), I think it would have been a poor final curtain on a troubled series, if it were. That said, I did enjoy it a bit more on this viewing, simply because there's so much to take in. For a start, it's terribly exciting to see a conference for a proposed coalition of planets, attended by delegations of multiple species, some known, some not, a real thrill, especially when you notice the wonderful attention to detail in the logo on the floor of the building: United Earth Space Probe Agency. This neatly clears up one or two questions about the fluctuating name of the organisation Captain Kirk and his crew worked for, as it had different names depending on the episode in those early days. Now we know there really were multiple organisations and a mistake is retconned into a fascinating complication of history. That's what this episode is all about: history. Whether it be John Frederick Paxton's interest in the past (still our future), with his following of the infamous mass murderer, genocidal Colonel Green (shown in his post-WWIII, pre-beard days, actually giving a speech out of history on a monitor!), to recent incidents such as the Xindi attack on Earth, to the gathering alliance of various species, we feel we are at an important time in Earth's existence.

One reason I enjoyed the episode more this time was because it felt like such a relief to get back to our universe, and the characters we know, after the unsettling Mirror Universe, and shouty Captain Archer (I now expect that vessel in the opening credits just before the Enterprise appears to fire on the colony below!). Strangely, Archer isn't centre stage this time, the ensemble given its dues (though, frustratingly, probably due to time, Hoshi remains underused again), but I'm not going to complain when a genuine group dynamic comes through for the team as they each go about their various contributions to what is, essentially, a mystery tale. We begin with a teasing teaser that reveals a hybrid baby with Vulcan ears (good work on getting it to turn its little head on cue, to reveal them!), which we later find out is from Trip and T'Pol's DNA. Here's where things take a turn for the worse, and I start to see why I wasn't thrilled about the story on first viewing as it gets a bit soapy, T'Pol actually saying "I've never been pregnant, Trip." It sounds like the tag line for one of those daytime chat shows where people argue about relationships. It was also a bit much to see Travis fling himself at this woman, Gannet, that suddenly appears back on his radar (or allow her to fling herself at him). I don't know whether Anthony Montgomery was out of practice, given that he was hardly ever allowed to act in the last couple of seasons, or whether it was fatigue at coming to the end, knowing the series was cancelled, or just that I'm not used to Travis do anything other than stare, brow furrowed, at the viewscreen, like an extra from 'The Motion Picture,' but he seemed a bit rusty. I know he can act, he did some good stuff in the first couple of seasons, but this just came across as unreal.

I feel bad calling him out when it's one of those few times he got something to do, but it was so out of the blue, and his reaction was so different to the optimistic, upbeat Travis we used to know - and we haven't seen the development for him to get there, as we have with others: Trip went through a lot after his sister died in the Xindi attack; Reed's feud with the MACOs gave him some personal conflict. It didn't help that his costar was so natural that I felt like she was someone we'd seen before, though she hadn't previously appeared, even saying that they'd last met four years ago, when she'd tried to dissuade Travis from joining the Enterprise mission. She was also instantly interesting, as how often have we seen a news reporter on Trek? I can remember the flurry of coverage Kirk's appearance at the Enterprise-B's maiden voyage garnered, and I loved the parallel of the same head-mounted recording device, making the conference seem more important. Another device that excited my historical senses was the newest incarnation of the Universal Translator, now developed into a palm-sized device that sits comfortably on the chest. To the left. Like where a combadge would later be found… It's all so exciting to witness the development of these technologies that would become so integral to Trek, and it's been long enough by now that we should be seeing things happen. Unlike 'Smallville,' where they tended to deal with almost all the Superman powers in the first couple of seasons, Enterprise hasn't shown a lot of intentions to advance the tech, perhaps wisely as they could only go so far.

Something we learn from Travis is that the Shuttlepods are being used less and less as the Transporter becomes vehicle of choice. I'd have liked to have seen a bit more going wrong with it in the early days (like 'Vanishing Point'), and limitations, like they could only transport one person at a time, which would have meant difficult tactical decisions had to be made. Instead, they routinely transport multiple bodies on the pad at once, all getting swirled out together, which strikes me as something less feasible for this generation of the technology - we should have seen how this use of the device led to a terrible outcome (perhaps fusing several people together, permanently), which influenced later designs towards separate pads for individuals' safety. I couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic as Travis gave his tour of the NX-01 to Gannet, as it felt like a farewell tour: here are the sets, enjoy them, use them, they won't be around for much longer. Considering this is such a planet-based story we do see a fair bit of the ship, with various quarters, Bridge and Shuttlebay, to name but a few. Even though the cast are being used, I still had slight problems with some of the logic or presentation: I mentioned Travis not quite seeming himself, Hoshi's moment comes with the new Universal Translator and pretty much nothing else, and Phlox has a few moments. But it was Reed and his contribution that caused the most reaction.

After all that Archer said to him about letting the side down with his loyalties to the shadowy spy organisation that remained unnamed (Section 31), in the Klingon two-parter, and not working for them any more, he decides it's time for Reed to get back in with them as they need some intel. This worked fine in 'DS9' because Sloan was such a determined recruiter, and Sisko wanting Bashir to stay open to him made sense, as it was for the fate of the Alpha Quadrant, or for taking down the organisation from within. Reed was loyal to 31, embarrassed when the truth of his complicity was revealed, and it would seem dangerous to reopen that wound again, especially so soon after he'd announced his resignation to Harris. It would seem to go against Archer's ethics, merely to get some information on a child that has apparently been created from Trip and T'Pol's DNA, it's not an Earth-shattering mission (despite the wellbeing and safety of the child being important). When Reed does meet up with Harris the guy just tells him to find the child, then all will be revealed. How helpful can you be? It just smacks of the writers thinking Section 31 is a cool idea so let's get it in there again (the same level of intelligent use of the organisation employed in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'). If they wanted to use them, fine, but at least come up with a better way to bring them in, give us some buildup, don't just say out of the blue that Reed needs to get back in contact, and then fail to give us any information of real value!

It could be that the idea of Reed being "back in the game," as Harris puts it, would have been expanded upon in future seasons as Reed was asked to do things he didn't agree with, once again finding himself in the moral quandary that is the whole point of Section 31, but they must have known during the writing there were to be no more seasons forthcoming. It also makes Section 31 look weak and a little powerless when Reed can opt in and out so easily, Harris never having an ounce of the personality that Sloan displayed, just a straight up spy handler dressed in black. I feel it was a fundamental misreading of how compelling the concept could be, and like a lot of concepts 'Enterprise' tried to use, it was used in a simple, surface kind of way that made the 'DS9' writers look like Shakespeare. Not to point to the actor, Eric Pierpoint, for the fault, he was just giving us what was written, and it was good to have a character return from an earlier episode since it wasn't as common in this series as others. It's also nice to have familiar faces in the guest cast as we come to the conclusion of, not only the series, but Trek's eighteen year unbroken run on TV. Harry Groener, the Tin Man himself from the 'TNG' episode of the same name (technically he wasn't Tin Man, that was the organic spacecraft in the episode, but he did a Commander Decker and practically became one with it by the end of the story, so I think it's fair!), one of those recognisable figures from the franchise's history (he also appeared as The Magistrate in 'Sacred Ground' on 'Voyager'). Colonel Green was played by Steve Rankin, which could be the same guy who played roles in 'TNG' and 'DS9' under the name Steven Rankin, or not. And Tom Bergeron, previously in 'Enterprise' Season 1 ('Oasis'), as the Coridanite Ambassador.

That was one of the great things about this episode: seeing all these weird and wonderful aliens, some of which we can place, others which are less well known. The Coridanites had never been seen on screen, despite being part of the galactic-political scene dating back to 'TOS,' with the occasional mention on other series', so it was a wonderful easter egg to finally see what one looked like. It's just one more of those things in this final season that makes you wish we'd had time to explore it more, as this is a race with a fascinating design: like the Orions it appears to have facial implants, but in this case it was so much more drastic, covering the entire face. What are the purpose of such things, medical reasons, a breathing apparatus for Earth's air, or merely decoration? We want to know more about Coridan's history, and it's so sad that we never get these details coloured in. It's like Michael Westmore and his team realised their long association with Trek was up and decided to try and have some fun, and give us some last great designs in these episodes, but it does make it frustrating, too, as I want to know what species these varied attendees are, and details about them.

The episode isn't really about the aliens, as upsetting as that might be, it's about the anti-aliens, those humans that have allowed their fear of outsiders to grow into violent action. The xenophobic strain of thought had been growing ever since the Xindi's vicious and apparently unprovoked attack at the end of Season 2, with Phlox notably getting attacked. We have to remember that humans of the 22nd Century were still a mixed bunch, not having come to terms with space and the interplanetary scene upon which they found themselves having a say. It seems hard to believe that there would be people there who were opposed to the NX-01's mission in the first place, although not so much that there are those resentful at aliens - even Jonathan Archer himself displayed such tendencies toward the Vulcans, who were unsupportive of his Father's efforts to get humanity out into the stars in warp ships. I wish that parallel had been highlighted when he spoke to Samuels, who himself admitted to xenophobia in his younger days, blaming his Father's death on a Denobulan pilot. This is where the episode's title comes from, as he admits that he exorcized those feelings eventually, it's about the people that haven't been able to get past such personal demons. It seems racism is a thing of the past - I wonder if the multicultural representation in Paxton's group was intentional, to emphasise the hypocrisy of different races of humans having learnt to come together, but not seeing the parallel with aliens, still needing an outlet for pent-up resentment.

The trouble is, although I could believe in such a terrorist group as Terra Prime, its leader, John Frederick Paxton, was less believable. He very much appeared to be a two-dimensional Bond villain, complete with secret lair and massive gun to threaten the world with (or, in this instance, the Solar System - where was this weapon during the Xindi attack, I have to ask?). I'm still a bit sore over Peter Weller returning to Trek in 'Into Darkness,' but not reprising this same character as I so hoped he would, as that would have tied 'Enterprise' into the canon even more strongly than seeing a model of the NX-01 on Admiral Marcus' desk. He could have been a clone, or have used time travel, any number of devices instead of just being there to be cast as someone else. Weller is known for being a very intelligent actor, which makes it so strange that the two characters he's played have both been so simplistic as bad guys, nothing to recommend them as complex characters in a franchise known for its intelligence and complexity - it's a cruel twist that he should only be in the two weakest-written arms of the franchise (plus he would have made an excellent Cardassian in 'DS9,' I might add!).

They were walking a fine line by having a half-human, half-Vulcan hybrid baby, as Spock was so unique, and although I'm not sure if he was ever stated to be the only example of the joining of the two races, that's the way it always seemed to me. Technically, this child wasn't the same, as it was a test tube baby, but still, they were treading on toes here to get a shock, and this may have been another reason I wasn't keen on the episode, coupled with the clunky, soapy aspects and one-note villain. Somehow, I was able to get past all these things this time, and enjoy seeing the characters doing their thing, and there were a lot of little references to the series and its history, used by Paxton as reasoning for his actions: Vulcans bombed an embassy, killing so many humans; the Xindi attack; Enterprise going out to other planets and letting potentially hostile species know where we are; not even being able to walk down the street without aliens scaring your children; and no reparations for the families of those who died in the Xindi attack. I like it when real, in-world events can be used as justification for a point of view, even though the actual sentiments were warped (no pun intended). It was also of interest that the story was all happening so close to home, and this may have been meant metaphorically as well as physically, racism still prevalent today, with many of the same fears and concerns that Paxton's group expressed.

So close to home was it that we actually visit the Moon, something you almost see on Trek (and here they're still calling it The Moon - we find out in 'Valiant' on 'DS9' its name is generally known as Luna, except to those that actually live there), and Mars, too. The CG effects were generally very good, especially the headquarters of UESPA by the Golden Gate Bridge, and Paxton's mining ship that blasts off the face of the Moon. The landing on Mars wasn't so good, the impression of weight really lacking, but the CG environments were starting to be fully believable, after so many years to get them to that state. I had a couple of minor quibbles with the story, but these were soon ironed out within it: I was thinking T'Pol would stand out like a sore ear on a mining colony that had so many Terra Prime members, but then I saw that there were other aliens here and there, so they obviously weren't as uncommon as I thought. But still, she's T'Pol - she and Tucker should be well known as heroes to Earth people, right? And yet no one spots them, and Trip is able to gain the trust of a guy he's just met with one conversation in which he gives the impression of being anti-alien. Except that it's revealed that Josiah did indeed recognise him and it was all a trick to get him where they wanted him, so it did make sense. In all, I did rather enjoy it and look forward to part two, which I remember nothing about.

***

Profit and Lace

DVD, DS9 S6 (Profit and Lace) (2)

One episode that tends to get a bad rap, but actually isn't so bad. It is funny in places, not as laugh out loud comedy, but provoking the occasional titter thanks to the antics of Quark and his extended family, the way they're written, as always, the best thing about them (something you'd never have thought, back in 1987 watching 'The Last Outpost'!), with the intricate makeup the second best thing about them. What prevents the story reaching the heights of the majority of the Ferengi soap episodes is that the comedy is the main part of it, real issues about the development of Ferengi society shifted into the background. But there is a learning curve, at least for Quark, and it's him that the series cares more about, his views and attitudes rather than the faceless majority of the Ferengi race, he and his family having been used as a crucible to explore social issues. It's just that the social issues were overshadowed by the laughs. There are real grassroots changes taking place - even if it's coming from the top, Zek has been deposed, so his new Ferenginar will have to be accepted by the masses on the street, making Nilva, chairman of Slug-o-Cola ("the slimiest cola in the galaxy"), the drink of the people, the man needed to sway in Zek's bid for reinstatement. Everyone drinks Slug-o-Cola, so the populace would be more likely to follow a candidate endorsed by the famous brand. This could have become an interesting examination of consumer driven politics or the influence of branding on a population, but it's another side avenue that isn't explored.

What I do like about the episode is that it continues the ongoing story of Zek's failing memory (in small part), Ishka's strong and increasing influence on him (in greater part), and the setup for a new Grand Nagus, one that would be at home with the equality of the female portion of the population, that has an understanding of its sensitivities, and that would usher in an avant-garde period for The New Ferengi. So it's funny that even now, Rom is the one to show he has understanding of women, he can give advice on their behaviour and what being a woman is about. Is this because he's a genius, and simply has natural insight, or because he's spent so much time in their company, or because he'd puzzled over female behaviour so much since his wife left him? Probably a mix of all of them, but it's good to see his sweetness and openness used as a resource, even if he wasn't a good enough Ferengi (in the 'old' sense of the word, anyway), to fill the high-heeled shoes, and charm Nilva. For all the reasons Quark's Moogie dislikes him, it's ironic that these are the things which make him a good Ferengi (in the old sense of the word), to which she and those she represents must rely on to serve their cause. And it's also ironic that Quark, the staunchest defender of the traditional values, must be the one who tries to persuade Nilva to disregard them, or perhaps bend them slightly.

It's not all the old values that are on the way out, however, greed still shines brightly above the species, like a star to follow towards wealth (if not happiness - there was a brief exchange between two characters, I can't recall whom, about not being happy, but at least being rich, something that explains the Ferengi culture perfectly). This is why Quark's business acumen and greed-inspired cunning can win Nilva over. It does seem surprising, when you think about it, that the male Ferengi had never thought to exploit the females other than as mates or possessions, and that they should finally realise, all of a sudden, that giving them the same rights to wearing clothes = getting jobs = spending money = doubling the workforce and consumer base in one swoop! It seems like something the calculating Ferengi would have long ago worked out, but perhaps they couldn't see the forest for the trees - they've always been a very traditional race, and while they could think outside the box when it came to profit, opportunities staring them in the face that were contrary to their ways, simply didn't register.

The episode begins with concern from Quark and Rom that they can't contact anyone on Ferenginar, leading to suggestions of defeat and occupation by the Dominion (Worf happy with that possibility - okay, maybe not happy, I'm sure he wouldn't seriously want any species to suffer, but he certainly wasn't concerned about the implications). I like that the Ferengi are at the centre of the story again, following the previous episode in which Nog was tasked with delivering an important, but confidential message to the Nagus, though whether he eventually got it or not, and whether it was the proposition of an alliance with the Federation or not, we never found out (Nog should have waited, Zek came to him, and then he wouldn't have fixed the Valiant's Warp Drive and it might still survive out there…). It may be telling that he makes his way to DS9 when he's been kicked out of office, or it could be that Ishka suggested Quark would be the one to go to for assistance. The whole sequence of events does give the lie to the great power of the Nagus - previously he'd always seemed practically untouchable (barring the period when he might be revealed as unfit for duty as in 'Ferengi Love Songs'), but it may be that his Latinum road had run out: his dependence on a female seemingly common knowledge, and the changing of Ferengi law and custom too much for his supporters to take. So Ferengi government does sound more like a democracy than we ever thought before, something else that could be for the good of the race's development, away from its childishness, in galactic terms.

One Ferengi who always knew when to take advantage of the situation, was Brunt (back to bad guy after helping rescue Moogie in 'The Magnificent Ferengi,' co-rescuers Gaila and Leck also mentioned), and here we witness a hellish possible future with him as Grand Nagus. Hellish for Quark and family, but I don't know whether Brunt's inauguration would herald a positive or negative outcome for his society, though obviously it would mean a backward step for the new legislation. Mind you, profit is what matters to them, so even Brunt could have been persuaded that it was in his best financial interests to break with tradition and allow the females their chance. But probably not coming from Quark, as Brunt would rather take revenge than more profit, and preferably both, even if it was a rather antithetical attitude for a Ferengi to take (DaiMon Bok notwithstanding). This may well mean he wasn't the best traditional Ferengi, either. Whatever Brunt's turn as Nagus might have meant, we were never going to find out as he was always the foiled enemy, plotting revenge. Jeffrey Combs just does it so well! This time he has a Hupyrian servant, Uri'lash, mirroring Zek's choice of Maihar'du, the only other Hupyrian we ever saw, I believe (I thought we'd seen two Hupyrians square up, but I was thinking of Brunt's Nausicaan heavies in 'Bar Association').

It's fun to watch these background characters who never speak (except for that one time when Maihar'du's image was used by the Prophets in 'Prophet Motive'), as, far from zoning out, as they had every right to do, they're clearly following every line of conversation and reacting to it with bouts of pained facial convulsions, but that was always Maihar'du's stock in trade. This attention to detail is another of the many things that makes Trek so special, and I couldn't help noticing the same care taken to create the impression of a living world: when they're in the bar having a discussion the camera pans round so you see the open doorway very briefly, and some extra walks past. Now either they planned this one extra to walk past at the very moment the camera caught the doorway in its shot, or they had background walking up and down the Promenade the whole time the scene was being shot, in case the doorway was seen. Either way, they could have simply closed the door (we've seen Quark shut up shop when he wants a private meeting in the past), and all the shutters were down, so it wasn't like we were seeing a busy Promenade behind - it shows how much dedication went into making DS9 seem alive with people, going above and beyond what was strictly necessary for a scene. I don't know whether episode Director Alexander Siddig should be given the credit for this, but I'd have thought it would be up to him to decide on everything that was seen on camera, and he did a good job on the episode, it wasn't his fault that the story didn't delve deeply enough into the issues or the comedy.

Some pretty major surgery takes place, barely even registering as an issue. The first is Moogie's new heart (something we'd already known was possible in the 24th Century since Captain Picard had a new heart after being stabbed by Nausicaans in his youth), after Quark's argument with her causes a heart attack. That's how they've always been towards each other, and always manipulated things to get the best for themselves out of each other - probably a traditional Ferengi example of family interaction. It's only because Rom is so gentle and inoffensive that he gets special treatment, but it often seems like Moogie treats him that way because she knows he's not a traditional Ferengi and doesn't have the lobes, almost like a disability. She probably also sees the New Ferengi in his eyes, and any ally towards that goal deserves more coddling and encouragement. The other example of futuristic medical science (another one for Bashir's House of Horrors - I can just imagine a similar scene to the end of 'Apocalypse Rising' when he told Odo he could give him any face he wanted: "You know Quark, I can make you any sex you want"), and the one that's up front and personal, is the ease with which Quark is transformed into the opposite sex. It's made clear this is a full body transformation, inside and out, hormone treatment affecting him more than the physical changes. What isn't so clear is how easy it was to switch back and forth, as by the end of the episode he's practically back to normal (bar some side effects that lead him to ask Odo for a hug, the Changeling complying reluctantly, but showing their true friendship, so often hidden in sniping, supporting Quark at his low ebb).

What I did respect about the story was the logical progression to reach a point where Quark needs to become a woman in order for things to be straightened out. It wasn't some silly prank that had to be played, or a stunt that the episode was all about, it was a necessary development for the story (okay, maybe that's pushing it - it was farfetched and bonkers, but well plotted). It's just that the episode is better before Quark's change, and it does tend to reinforce stereotypes, even if it is in a comedic way: at the end, Quark's oversensitive as he still has the hormones swirling around in him, and the whole point of the episode is to say female Ferengi are equal to males, but there are no other female Ferengi that could do what Ishka does, which is why they need Quark! It also doesn't seem to take long to travel between DS9 and Ferenginar, so any argument for not being able to transport someone from there would be weakened. But as I said before, it's supposed to be a learning experience for Quark, to appeal to his compassionate side, bookended by his dealings with Aluura the Dabo girl (Symba Smith, previously an uncredited alien dancer in 'Voyager' episode 'Alliances'), who must accept his unwanted advances or face dismissal, something we've seen happen before - I distinctly remember a Dabo girl taking her appeal to Sisko.

This is Quark at his most despicable, something we've seen less and less over the years, so that it almost seems out of character, and yet he strives to continue to be the Ferengi's Ferengi, struggling to quash the Moogie genes within that make him more open to the better parts of the Federation ethics he's constantly exposed to. At the end of the episode he shows more concern for Aluura's wellbeing, displaying generosity and self-denial (to a point), the message somewhat stomped on by Aluura having a change of heart and Quark realising he still stands by his earlier wishes after all. But that was typical of the series: when you thought you knew what they were doing, they'd pull the rug out or switch direction at the last! The great thing about 'DS9' lasting so many years is that it had got to the point where it could reference itself (having already done so many times with 'TOS,' even recently with 'Who Mourns For Morn?' for 'Who Mourns For Adonais?'), 'Profit and Loss' the Season 2 Quark episode title that this one emulates. When it comes to detail, the 'DS9' writers were king, and even a planet that was mentioned in the first big Ferengi soap episode, 'The Nagus,' is part of the conversation again.

But references are only as good as the story around them, and this, and previous episode, 'Valiant,' have more in common than a lack of Chief O'Brien (again!): they both start with the promise of a classic Ferengi episode, and neither delivers on it. 'Valiant,' because they gave us something equally as good, but different, and this because it didn't really know what it was trying to achieve beyond the high concept of Quark as a woman. It does have plenty to laugh at, the absentminded way they all quote the Slug-o-Cola slogan by rote (possibly a jibe at how subliminally pernicious advertising can be), the amusing brass themes for the Ferengi (sadly lacking on the 'DS9' CD set), the montage of Quark, Rom and Nog calling up the FCA commissioners, or Zek meeting Leeta for the first time (surprising, but she'd only been married into the Ferengi family for just under a year at this point), but it's not one I particularly look forward to, which may make it a better viewing experience, as it's more enjoyable than I expect. But it leaves me with the wish to see what Ferengi society developed into post-'DS9,' and how the new ways were assimilated into the traditional culture, something I'd love to see explored in a new series. Sadly, any new series is likely to go back to basics, not build upon the groundwork established in all that went before.

***

Going through my store of pictures from the series I noticed some which hadn't been in the episode: they show Quark in what looks like a surgical gown in the Infirmary, with Zek holding up a dress for Quark's approval as Maihar'du and Rom look on, though we only ever see Quark in one dress, suggesting that this is a deleted scene set just after Quark's come out of surgery, though there are no extra scenes on the DVD, and Memory Alpha has no information, either…

In A Mirror, Darkly, Part II

DVD, Enterprise S4 (In A Mirror, Darkly, Part II)

Sometimes you could believe you were watching a fan-made production of Trek while watching these episodes, particularly Part II which takes place mainly on the old sixties sets they recreated for the USS Defiant. Not a bad fan-made production, to qualify that statement. Essentially, it's not done in the thoughtful, slower style we associate with 'TOS,' the energy of 'Enterprise's last two seasons, coupled with the quick cuts, moving cameras and multitude of closeups, making the experience somewhat jarring when observed in such a setting. It's so fast and frantic that we aren't allowed time to revel in the beauty of these classic sets, we aren't given the classic shots, such as looking down on the bridge at work (though T'Pol looking through the science station viewer was one that recalled 'TOS'), or seeing long shots of the cast sat around the briefing room table complete with tri-screen, so although we have these wonderful recreations, we don't necessarily see them used as we'd like to. And when you consider that this is in the Mirror Universe, not just a difference of time, and these are alternate versions of the characters, who aren't used to sitting around discussing things, and that they don't have a lot of time to do so as they're either under attack, attacking, escaping, or dealing with internal threats, then you see that the style of direction and how the sets were used was purely to serve the story. It just doesn't make it as satisfying an experience as it might have been.

I often felt as if the constant action was designed to disguise the fact that the story, like Part I, is very slight, just continuing the shifting power play of before. It's not so much a story as a series of vignettes of pleasing stuff to see, or a list of references to keep track of. Again, as I said in my review of Part I, it seems churlish to point out flaws since they were doing such a wonderful thing as recreating those old and beloved sets, but it's not enough to just recreate history, you have to tell a good story within, and this isn't a good story. I felt much the same way as I did watching the 'TNG' two-parter, 'Unification,' with all the promise of bringing Leonard Nimoy back as Spock - Part I held all the anticipation, and then what a great way to finish, with a glimpse of the man (just as 'In A Mirror, Darkly' fleetingly served up the Defiant at the end), but then Part II failed to deliver on the potential, as joyous an experience as it was to have him back in Trek. The analogy works for this episode - it's great to have a Constitution-class vessel, both the inside and outside, but it required a story that could equal that greatness. It had been pulled off before, in 'Trials and Tribble-ations,' and 'Flashback,' even 'Relics,' so this is the main reason why this two-parter remains merely good rather than great, and isn't on my list of the Top 20 episodes of 'Enterprise,' no matter how groundbreaking they were in terms of attention to detail.

Now that that's out the way, what was fun about the episode? Just about everything, really: they have the 'Enterprise' cast dressed in the 'TOS' uniforms, which was fantastic, they have everything from food cubes to a Gorn, and we're even treated to parts of a Constitution-class that we'd never seen before. Admittedly, they were only Jefferies Tubes, which led out into larger, corridor versions, but even that complimented the design of the later Enterprise-D, which was shown to have a similar internal structure. I think this would make 'Enterprise' the series where most parts of different Enterprises are seen (if you count the Defiant as one in spirit), as we had the NX-01, this one, the D in the series finale, and a corridor of the J! It was a sight to see an NX-class vessel flying side by side with a Constitution of the 23rd Century, and it is these visual treats that the episode hangs on. Because of the time difference, Mirror Archer is able to look up what happened to him and people he knows (specifically, Hoshi), teasing us, and her, with the threat of exposing who she married and when she died. Even though they're different people, it makes them uncomfortable, and of course, it's of great interest to us as they're talking about the characters from the 'real' universe that we're invested in. It's a treat to have Majel Barrett once again providing the computer voice, you realise how much you miss her contribution, as easy as it was to sometimes take her for granted in the other series', making you wish she could have been more a part of 'Enterprise.' Technically, she should have been more monotone, but perhaps the Defiant's computer was slightly different to that of the Enterprise.

Another small thing I appreciated was seeing the tri-ladder being used during the Gorn hunt (we're going on a Gorn hunt, Gorn hunt, Gorn hunt, we're going on a Gorn hunt, we're not scared - you should be!). It's something seen since 'TOS,' but I don't think we ever had three people all climbing its sides at the same time, which was a great visual. The actual Gorn on the other hand… One of the best things about Part I was the unveiling of the Tholian look, and one of the worst things in Part II was the unveiling of the new Gorn. It's like this is the Mirror episode of Part I, with what was good before, now bad! Even at the time I remember disappointment with what they did after the buildup in Part I that there was a reptilian creature aboard, then the reveal from the captured slave that it's a Gorn, and to finally see it as a CG character… Even at that stage, when CG had moved on, they still couldn't achieve a fully believable humanoid. While the Gorn of 'TOS' is, in some ways, quite laughable, it's mainly from his snarling voice and lumbering movement, the look was incredible for the resources they had at the time. What they should have done was what they did with the Orions - get a bodybuilder, paint him green, stick a quality prosthetic head on top, and show him sparingly in dark corners - that would have been the way to make it work. I can see what they were trying to do, update an old design, but it just looked too different to what was expected, and didn't work. He didn't talk like the other Gorn, either, for which we can be thankful, growling into his communication device when we see him speaking at his end, so it was probably being translated.

I was unsure what the relationship the Gorn and the purple/blue aliens had to the Defiant - it would make sense that they were slaves working for the Tholians, but equally the Gorn could have been an ally, or, and this was my confusion, were they aboard the Defiant when it was brought through to the MU? If that were the case then I'd have liked to have seen them take the opportunity to make the unnamed alien slave be one of the many 'TOS' races that we were never likely to see again, instead of the contemporary design which they used, though it was a good one (even if it had red blood, when you'd expect blue or purple from a race with that colour skin). It made sense to bring in a character we knew to bite the dust (or get bitten to death), Kelby seeming like a nicer fellow in this universe. Not that we really knew him that well anyway, but it was better than a no-name MACO being the victim, I just wish he'd been wearing a red shirt - shame they didn't have a Ferengi to kill off! I wonder if it was another tribute to 'First Contact' mirroring the way an engineer pokes her head up a Jefferies Tube and gets killed in that film, though Kelby lasted a bit longer. When the Gorn tricks Reed and his men into an explosion activated by Communicator, I wanted it to say "I'm not a slave any more, I'm an engineer," in tribute to Chief O'Brien ('Empok Nor')!

We see another step towards the multicultural mix that would become the norm in our universe's Federation when an Andorian and an Orion are part of the ISS Avenger's crew (so Star Trek XI wasn't the first time we saw an Orion in Starfleet!). Soval is more of a cowed individual than the proud, often haughty version we know (and we finally get a Vulcan with a goatee), but the Vulcans in this universe seem even less logical and calm than the usual ones we see in the 22nd Century, which were already unVulcan-like enough. T'Pol shows fear, apprehension (such as when Archer threatens her in the Briefing Room, when she should have been solid as a rock), anger, distrust - she practically shouts at Soval to get her point across, writhing around him as she tries to convince him of the necessity to mutiny against Archer and his grand plans of becoming Emperor, no sign of the calm, still presence a Vulcan (even in the MU), is supposed to portray. It makes me think she's only partly Vulcan. A very small part, and the rest Romulan, or something! But then we see Soval's the same unrestrained, emotional being as her. His fiery death as the Avenger ruptures around him looked cool, but it would have been so much cooler if he'd maintained Vulcan composure to the last, and died with his eyes shut, allowing it to wash over him. That inability to give in to fear, anger, etc, was what made Vulcans so great as a species, and it's a huge reminder of one of the biggest mistakes with the series as a whole (and something I'm always harping on about).

At least T'Pol was shown to make short work of Hoshi in a knife fight in the corridor, but that was somewhere we could have seen a Vulcan lose it somewhat, perhaps pushing her up the wall in a rage, then returning to her placid demeanour to remind us that these Mirror Vulcans are more ruthless. I also would have liked that to have been a more dramatically shot sequence instead of confined to a corridor, T'Pol seen to take out several MACOs, for example, so we're impressed with her physical capabilities (much like our T'Pol in 'Marauders'). But if you thought the Vulcans were overacted, Archer takes the biscuit. It's only when we see an imagined version of our Archer who taunts the Mirror Archer (an excellent idea, well implemented, and the only person we see from our universe, even if it was a figment), that we remember that Scott Bakula is actually an accomplished actor and his character is likeable, because this Archer is so over the top with everything he says, harshly snapping out his dialogue, that it makes him a weak, uninteresting character. The performance may have been in keeping with other MU characters we'd seen before, but I'd have preferred a darkly subtle evilness to him. Like Mirror Garak, he was a one-note villain that had nothing about him for us to sympathise with or wish well in any way, and if you don't care what happens to the characters that doesn't help make the story memorable.

Not every character was like that, however, Phlox shown to have some kind of loyalty, even if it was motivated by greed, as well as being a much more competent fighter than our version when he has a rumble with Trip. It was good to finally see the much mentioned Admiral Gardner (if only the MU version), and Admiral Black was played by regular face, Gregory Itzin ('DS9,' 'Voyager,' and Season 1 of 'Enterprise'). Reed's nastiness was pretty much forgotten this time as he didn't have much to do before being wounded (perhaps mortally), by the Gorn explosion. Trip and Mayweather were the lesser used characters, and seemed better for it, especially the brutal Travis, who's happy to beat up the alien as he sits tied to a chair, the fact that he hardly ever speaks making him more menacing, very different to the affable, interested helmsman we know. Trip's scar, although an excellent tribute to Captain Pike, could have done with some work, as this episode, perhaps due to the flatter lighting on the Defiant, made it look fake thanks to the shininess of the prosthetic. Perhaps that's what it would have looked like in real life, but I'd have thought a matte look would have been more appropriate. Not that it was that important, just whenever his face appeared there was a glare from the lights shining on the scar, which put me off.

The fact that the flaws of the episode were more evident stopped it achieving its potential: the characters are wear the garb of 'TOS' and walk the corridors of 'TOS,' but you don't get the sense of 'TOS' or the idea that this is anything more than showing off visually, not duplicating the camera work of 'TOS' as they had the sets and lighting. T'Pol sees the logic in the Federation, though logic is too strong a word for it as these Vulcans just aren't very logical, which does at least plant the seed of rebellion down the line as a possibility, which Spock eventually took on after our Kirk's visit, but because they couldn't do any more than that there was little to stop the story from simply ending, and abruptly at that, just the beginning of a new reign, as Empress Hoshi takes control in revenge for so many episodes where she'd taken a back seat. She and Mayweather have the last laugh, and they were the two least used characters on the series, so there's nice contrast there, although whether it was planned I don't know. If it was they'd have had to admit they hadn't used them enough in the series, so it may just have been an unconscious reward for them. Trouble is, the story doesn't really matter, and when you have these forty-odd minutes to tell one, you should be taking the opportunity, not expecting to have a few more years. This was the episode in which they were told of cancellation, and it is sad, because even though these weren't the best two episodes, they could have developed it in another visit to the Mirror Universe had the series been allowed to continue. A visit to the MU was a good idea, and the implementation worked well, but only because of the gimmicks.

***

Valiant

DVD, DS9 S6 (Valiant) (2)

Arrogance, leadership and the consequences of blind loyalty are all themes of this surprisingly atypical Jake and Nog story. It could very easily have been a more common comedic runaround for the pair in the vein of last season's 'In The Cards,' even getting a setup for it with Nog's mission to deliver an important diplomatic message to the Grand Nagus, Jake tagging along in the hopes of a story for the Federation News Service. I can just imagine the hi-jinks as Nog tries to carry out his important task while also trying to keep Jake from embarrassing himself with Ferengi customs, keeping him away from Zek, and finding time to show him the sights of Ferenginar (mud, rain and muck, as Jake suggests). Who's to say this wouldn't have been as good an episode as the one they actually turned out? I, for one, would have loved to see Jake and Nog running around on the Ferengi homeworld, and it could have been a classic Ferengi comedy episode with room for all the usual recurring characters, with quite a different spin on the norm as they tended to feature Quark and Rom at the centre of such tales (and it couldn't have been worse than the very next episode, 'Profit and Lace,' which was one of the season's Ferengi episodes). While I do regret not getting a chance to see what this episode might have entailed, I like what they did come up with, putting the friends in a dangerous, war situation behind enemy lines and emphasising once again how much they'd changed over the years we'd known them.

Even in the teaser scene where we think we're being primed for a Ferengi comedy, the time isn't wasted - the impression the Federation's getting desperate enough to try and form an alliance with the Ferengi, who've traditionally been either enemies, or a barely tolerated race, despite their complete differences to the Federation's ethics and practices, shows what state the war is going for them. The other part of the teaser, Quark upset that Dax is forced to repair his drinks Replicator, could be seen as frivolous, but it's important to have these character moments, they always have some unrelated scene for the other members of the cast to show their faces if they don't have a large role in an episode. Odo's newfound romance with Kira means that he's seeing love all over the place, or that's how I read it, not that he wasn't also being perceptive about Quark's care for Dax, considering such repair work beneath her. It's just somehow sad to see Dax given only these tiny parts of an episode when we know her time is coming to an end, but I suppose if they suddenly made her integral to every episode it would have signalled big things were afoot for the character (and ironically, perhaps Terry Farrell wouldn't have wanted to leave!). Quark must have been absentminded, as I don't think I've ever seen him pour a drink away, even if he got it wrong (he pours it out behind the bar, so there must be some kind of sewage system, a grille or tube in the floor, though I've never seen it - not that we tend to see the floor). And O'Brien was absent for a second episode in a row, which leads me to believe Colm Meaney was making another film, as was his wont. Quark should at least be upbeat about the busyness of his establishment, quite the opposite to the emptiness of 'The Reckoning' (the title must have referred to the reckoning of Quark's bank balance!).

One thing I love about this episode is a Runabout having a starring role, something that had become increasingly uncommon (though they were also used in the preceding episode as part of the evacuation - the rise of the Runabouts?). Well, it would, wouldn't it, during a time of war? It's no good sending out tiny ships that aren't going to offer much protection, when there are squadrons and even fleets out there that would make mincemeat of such a small vessel. Plus there wasn't much time for exploration and relatively minor tasks, the usual domain of the Runabout. If Nog's message was so important, why did it need to be delivered in person, and why send a Runabout to do a starship's job? If it needed to be delivered in person to prevent it being intercepted by enemy forces, shouldn't it have been sent with more experienced members of Starfleet, not just one young Ensign and a civilian? Even if they wanted it to be a low profile mission so as not to direct attention, perhaps a good idea in which case to send a Runabout, couldn't they have sent some officers along? I can only imagine that things were busy and nobody could be spared, whereas Nog, firstly being a Ferengi, would be accepted on his homeworld, and secondly, it was an opportunity for him. Shame he got the Runabout destroyed, so no more missions on his own, I expect! In his defence it was not expected that Dominion ships would be in that area of Federation space, but in time of war perhaps it should have been, especially with so many Federation worlds fallen to the Jem'Hadar.

It remained unclear whether the USS Shenandoah was destroyed, or not - when they come under attack from a Jem'Hadar vessel after the surprise attack on the nearby Starbase (and an impressive sight it was to see an attack wing of Jem'Hadar ships swoop in on the base), once Valiant had come in guns blazing and dug them out of the situation, Jake and Nog are beamed over to the starship and I don't recall hearing anything of the fate of what would certainly be christened the 'Short-lived Shenandoah,' considering we only had it since 'Change of Heart,' a few episodes ago! There's no evidence that Valiant brought it with them as I don't think the cargo bay would be big enough to contain it, and we don't see it being towed by tractor beam. It's possible it was simply left behind in hopes of future salvage, but knowing Captain Watters I suspect he'd be quick to blast it himself on the logic that it would be better than leaving it for the Dominion to pick up. In the end even the Valiant is obliterated, one escape pod all that survived, so even if the Runabout had been brought along with them it wouldn't have made it out of the episode. They should have taken the Rio Grande: hundred percent survival rate, but maybe that little ship had more intelligence and developed faults whenever a mission came along that would be sure to prove disastrous for its life expectancy - artificial AI might have been cleverer than we thought, not even letting on that it knew what was what!

The episode had some spectacular sequences for what was essentially a bottle show on (mainly), standing sets, the Valiant obviously a reuse of the Defiant. Except it was slightly more than that because we'd never seen a Ready Room on the Defiant, yet Watters has one, and it's not tiny, either. We'd seen the Mess, Sickbay, Engine Room, Transporter and Brig before (actually we hadn't, I was thinking of Dukat's transfer in 'Waltz,' but that was aboard the USS Honshu), so it was satisfying to see what a Ready Room would have looked like in the Defiant's style. But Red Squad only got the best, whether they deserved it or not, and Watters needed somewhere private he could swallow his pills. It's from this, if not addiction, then certainly high level of dependence on stimulants that first gives us warning signs about this Captain. He's young, yes, but we've seen plenty of young members of Starfleet that have been more than competent and succeeded thanks to their training. Being part of the elite cadet group, Red Squad, you'd expect the training to be even better, but I can't help thinking that the group was a folly, created in arrogance, but with the best intentions, to provide a fast track to success for the most promising candidates. Did they not learn from things like 'The First Duty' that a cult of personality could lead to trouble, and even more when it's a cult of excellence, teaching them to elevate themselves above the common cadet and forgetting that humility and the ability to learn from mistakes is important, too.

In story terms it's great to see Red Squad again, not a forgotten piece of Starfleet's recent history, but something that's been kept alive, no doubt with the best intentions. Just because Admiral Leighton used them to mount a military coup at the heart of Starfleet and impose martial law, doesn't mean the idea of gathering together the best and brightest was a bad one, and they couldn't be held entirely responsible for the manipulation by a paranoid Admiral. Still, the organisation should have been shamed and put to work reclaiming their honour, carefully adding checks and balances to ensure cadets were rounded and not kept in an ivory tower. It could actually have benefited the standard classes to have these highly skilled cadets merged in, as it would have given targets to keep up with and inspiration. I suppose that was what the organisation itself was about, aspiring to be like Red Squad an impetus for success at the Academy. The trouble comes, I think, from bad leadership, and letting these cadets believe they were so much better than they were. Captain Ramirez is to blame for much of what happened on the Valiant: either he promoted Watters to Captain with the understanding he'd do everything he could to get the ship and crew home, or, more likely, as Watters would have obeyed the chain of command, he allowed him carte blanche and thought him ready to lead. This would chime with the misguided idea of Red Squad's elite status, their own ability so drilled into them that they couldn't help but believe they were capable of anything. Those at the top were so blinded by the prestige of creating this group they failed the cadets in the most important of ways.

Ramirez can't take all the blame - for all we know he did want Watters to return home, and Watters would never have told anyone, it's just that the attitude of Red Squad and the culture of it all makes it seem like those in authority shared and even ingrained that view into them. As Nog says at the end, in the most telling exchange with the last surviving member of the Valiant's crew, Watters may have been a good man, he may even have been a great man, but he was a bad Captain. It made me think of the words of Zefram Cochrane: "Don't try to be a great man, just be a man." Watters should have remembered these words of wisdom, then perhaps being a good Captain would have followed, because you felt he was pushing himself to live up to the creed of Red Squad, rather than reaching a balance that experience would have given him. Even his First Officer is slightly concerned (a single moment of humanity for her), that he keeps pulling extra shifts, but she doesn't have the character to stand up to him, nor does she ever see any reason to, she just thinks she's being a good Exec, when she should have been voicing concerns. Her coldness and sarcasm don't engender an environment in which the crew could talk to her or go through her to the Captain, so the whole chain of command was not that in which any alternative points of view were encouraged. At first, Jake is tolerated, Red Squad's enthusiasm drowning out his public protest, it's when he talks to Dorian and gets to the heart of a scared cadet that just wants to go home, that he becomes a problem. And when he tries to get Nog to open his eyes he's seen as a threat by Watters.

With an experienced Ensign aboard, Watters' perception of himself and the importance of his crew goes up another notch: now he has a 'real' member of Starfleet to order around, and one that is eager and willing to help, and has learnt a few tricks in his short career thanks to the experience of those he served with. The confusion over rank when Nog first comes aboard was an interesting issue, something that wouldn't normally be brought up. You'd think Nog would outrank them all, but he's also unsure of such a situation and is so used to following orders that he takes to Watters quickly, especially as the Captain knows how to play him. Except I don't think he was playing him, he genuinely seemed appreciative of Nog's talent and knowledge. First Officer Farris seemed a little sceptical at first, but I didn't sense jealousy, just uncertainty over whether it was the best idea to trust an outsider to Red Squad, not to mention he brought the baggage of a civilian friend with him, whom she did not approve of at all! But Nog fits in so well it's not an issue, and he's soon an asset that encourages Watters on his quest to complete the mission.

The Captain is seen to be both harsh and demanding (when dealing with Dorian, he has no sympathy, and rather than stoop to 'babysitting,' he prefers to engender hardness, where a real Captain would have listened, at least, even if they eventually told her to pull herself together). But Watters isn't deliberately being a bad Captain, everything he does is because he thinks it's best for the mission, the burden of responsibility on him, without experience to temper it. Despite coming across as slightly remote, he seems strong and keeps the trust of the cadets (and having rescued Jake and Nog from a Jem'Hadar ship gives them all a morale boost). It's his inspirational speeches and strong rhetoric that captures the imaginations of the crew, and one reason Nog abandons his doubts, drawn into a dream come true for him - rising up the ranks and being made Chief Engineer is what brings him totally onboard. His angry conversation with Jake when the latter tries to convince him that Watters is crazy, the power gone to his head so that he can't make sensible decisions, shows that he may have a slight realisation inside that his friend is right, but doesn't want to give up on his dream, as well as the easy attitude to fall into that Jake isn't one them, has never been like him, forgetting that it was their differences that first made them friends. Once again, it's fascinating to see how they've swapped roles, Nog the servant of Starfleet, doing what's right for the good of all, Jake openly more selfish, not sure what the good of all is. It's a clash that has been so well grown from the seeds of the early seasons.

You'd think after his experiences with Red Squad in the Season 4 two-parter, 'Homefront' and 'Paradise Lost' that Nog would have been more cautious, but they appeal to his Ferengi single-mindedness. Jake's immune because he doesn't want the same thing and sees that they shouldn't be trying to do what even the most experienced Starfleet officers would be loath to. That only exacerbates the problem, telling Red Squad they can't do something other Starfleet officers couldn't or wouldn't attempt prods their arrogance that they can be the best, even though they're still learning. The reason they were caught behind enemy lines was because the Valiant was circumnavigating the entire Federation! How long would that even take? They must have been doing it pretty fast, not stopping off too often. Not that we know how big Federation space is, it's just the idea sounds so vast, fitting neatly into Red Squad's inflated opinion of themselves. One thing I did think very special was the story of their first battle - the episode very well written, the people's attitudes of commitment to duty (or nostalgia for home in Dorian's case), and it's especially clear in the zeal with which Watters proudly recounts it. But it's not only the manner in which he tells it, but the story itself: rather than being about prowess in destruction, firepower and dogfighting à la 'Star Wars,' in the best Starfleet tradition it's about technical skill and teamwork as Valiant raced against the Cardassian ship to get main power back online, and succeeded, rewarded with the decisive tactical advantage. It's this spirit of cooperation of individuals' technical ability that won the day, and that's a great message and example of the Starfleet ethic.

Time is also given to building up these characters, so while we know the pill-popping, inspirational leader of Captain Watters quite well, and his abrasive First Officer, we also have time to get to know the sensitive Dorian Collins, who's taken the role of Chief Medical Officer. She does come across as a little weak for a member of Red Squad, but after eight months there are probably more like her that feel homesick. Her description of home, living on the Moon, or Luna as they apparently call it in the 24th Century, is almost poetic, and what's rare for a Starfleet officer she mentions that seeing the sun come up each morning was like seeing God. I wonder if she was portrayed as weak so they were showing that only weak humans still have any ties to such ideas, or whether it was just a subversive moment of slipping in the concept that some still follow God, since modern Trek tended to be humanist, even though, and especially on 'DS9,' aliens were allowed to show faith quite openly. The conversation also points up other little nuggets of 24th Century life, such as Jake admitting he'd never been to the Moon, even though he'd lived on Earth, just as you often hear about people who live in some famous city like London, say, but haven't been to see Buckingham Palace because there's no hurry - it's nice to see this aspect of human nature still exists, albeit on a larger scale! It was also fun to hear Joseph Sisko still calls it the Moon, because he tended to be more old-fashioned, and even though the society had moved on, space travel and many moons, Joseph's very much a homebody of Earth and would still look at it as The Moon.

It's worrying when Jake is summoned to almost a tribunal for having a simple conversation, the thought police out in force. It shows Watters and his regime enforce the company line with no deviation. Farris had a good point that it could affect how the cadets did their duty, but it just shows how his crew aren't ready for long months of combat, something he and Farris would never accept. Especially when they were resolved to carry out the mission laid out for them, and not only that, but take it a stage further than even Starfleet would have allowed: instead of just sending a probe to collect data on the biggest, baddest ship in the area, they decide that's not enough and they have to try and take it out, too! I have to say this is where things take a turn towards the unbelievable. How could they even get close to this Dominion battlecruiser so that it was on sensors, and yet remain undetected from it? I can buy a tiny probe might not be detected, but they had to get near the enemy before launching it. And what was this huge ship doing, just swanning through space? Was it still under construction internally? There are so many questions about how it was even a remotely achievable goal, especially considering the Valiant doesn't have the advantage of a cloaking device. The ship itself was bristling with weaponry, massive and bulky, so I could believe that a targeted surprise attack at impulse speed (just as Nog talks about when trying tactics to deal with the pursuing Jem'Hadar ship on the Runabout), might have a chance, adding to that fact the attack being so foolish it wouldn't have been expected so deep in Dominion-held space, but even so…

Then it becomes 'Star Wars' where the bold little ship has to hit a specific point on the enemy 'Death Star' to set off a chain reaction, but sadly there was no Obi-Wan around to remind them to use the force, or in this case, common sense. While Watters could inspire, when it came down to the wire, he had no backup plan and bit off more than he could chew. Responsible for his crew, all he did was become responsible for their deaths. So good at persuasion, he'd even convinced himself he could do it. Cruelly, it seems like they've succeeded as explosions envelop the vast structure, but then we realise it's just surface damage as it swings down into attack posture. The design of the ship worked really well, an outgrowth of established Dominion technology, and it could have shown Shinzon's Scimitar from 'Star Trek Nemesis' a thing or two about exuding menace and having realistic weight and heft to it, as it banks slowly, bringing itself to bear on the enemy rather than whipping around like a child's toy. The creation of the battle scenes worked well, the Valiant's fiery demise as even the ship's escape pods get picked off or lost in the mothership's own destruction an excellent final denouncement of Watters' leadership.

Although we see Starfleet represented at its worst, we also see its best side, too, with inspirational speeches, the story of banding together and defeating the Cardassian ship with wits and technical skill, and montages of busy cadets preparing for battle (nice to hear some nautical themes in there, too - sadly no music from this episode is on the CD collection), and though the attack was futile, it was an exciting moment as the bridge explodes around them, even the Captain's Chair being ripped from its mounting, which shows you're in trouble. Conversely, Dorian was pretty safe to jump on the helm - after a console's exploded once it doesn't usually erupt again, though how it would still be working is another thing! Attention to detail continues to be strong, and I liked that they brought back one of the cadets we saw in Red Squad previously, the same actor playing Riley Shepard (a shame he was only ever a background character, and never developed). They went to the trouble of updating the Red Squad uniform with the same texture as we see in the new Starfleet uniforms, while keeping them the same style and colour as before, and one reference that might have slipped past the general viewer: Dorian grew up in Tycho City, which had been mentioned in 'First Contact.' I also like that Nog is shown to be a pragmatic member of Starfleet, unafraid to retreat when he knows nothing constructive can be done, both in the Runabout during the Starbase attack, and aboard the Valiant, he knows when it's time to leave, not in a cowardly way, but fully in command of himself under fire, never flustered.

One epiphany I had was that Red Squad is what the Abramsverse 'TOS' characters are: a bunch of youngsters doing brave, but foolhardy things which even the Vulcan crewmembers don't point out are illogical (there were at least two aboard Valiant, which would make sense, as Vulcans tend to be top of the class). Arrogant, annoying, and doing things that Starfleet wouldn't agree with, that sums up both crews! I wasn't sure if Sisko was out searching for his son and Nog, as he seemed so calm as if it was merely a patrol, and I'm not sure how much time had passed since they went missing, and the Ferengi would know they hadn't arrived. The Starbase attack would probably have alerted Starfleet, and knowing the Runabout was in the area might have tipped them off. It's actually a real relief to go from the madness of overconfidence and mess of destruction on the Valiant, to the clam, reasoned adult officers on the Defiant. You suddenly feel safe after everything had gone to pot. Red Squad were asked a question and found wanting, without an answer, and while it was a tragic loss, it should serve as a warning to those at the Academy that want to engender the correct Starfleet values in cadets. This may not have been a happy episode, it may not even have been an educational episode, but it was a great episode, and that's all you need!

****