Emissary (2)

DVD, DS9 S1 (Emissary) (2)

Every time I watch 'What You Leave Behind,' the series finale, seven years down the timeline (timeline? What is this?), I get a hankering to see how it all began, and this time I needed to write an in-depth review since my last one was only short. The two bookends connect at times so coherently, but also throw a light on how much had developed and changed in those intervening years. I don't think I saw the first BBC transmission of 'Emissary' back in 1995, though I know I saw some of the first season (my first exposure to 'DS9' was with 'Armageddon Game' a Season 2 episode that my History and Geography teacher showed us at the end of Summer Term in '95 that got me wanting to see more), but when I did eventually see it on buying the video in 1998, the characters already meant a lot to me, so to be able to witness how they came together and the impetus for the whole saga made me appreciate it far more than I might have if I'd come to it cold with no foreknowledge - it happened the same way with 'BUGS,' another series I got into well after its genesis, and returned to the beginning after I'd seen the rest of it, meaning the opening episode carried more weight and resonance for me. But even seen today as a story on its own, 'Emissary' not only holds up, but provides the kind of heartrendingly emotional and personal story you used to expect from Trek.

The focus is squarely placed on the solid shoulders of Ben Sisko, it's his story, and not until 'DSC' with everything revolving around Michael Burnham have we seen quite such a main star take the majority of the pilot. It echoes back to Captain Pike in the original, 'The Cage,' which was heavily concentrated on him with the other characters truly in supporting roles only, and even to some extent Kirk's pilot, 'Where No Man Has Gone Before.' 'TNG,' 'Voyager' and even 'Enterprise' were a little more giving for the ensemble casts, but for Sisko this was no bad thing because everything rested on him: his own path, that of his son's, even the entire Alpha Quadrant would one day be influenced by the decisions he makes in this episode. Although 'DS9' was often accused of breaking the Roddenberry rules of no conflict, perfected humans and the like, it actually was a far more human and accessible series than 'TNG,' which was the Great Bird's purest vision of what he saw as the optimistic future for humanity. Sisko embodies the ideals of 'TNG' in that he relishes the challenge of exploration, and even explains it better and more succinctly than ever before when he says they are explorers who explore their own lives day by day, and space. It's like the physical exploration is the less important one, as it is to explore how to be a better person, how to live and what that living means that matters. It's very philosophical and far removed from the space battles, shooting the Phasers and having a bust-up that Trek has largely 'explored' this side of the 20th Century, and is far richer for it.

Sisko is a man you can get behind and the pilot does a superb job of introducing him and showing us the most important event in his life: the death of his wife, Jennifer, at the Battle of Wolf 359. Though the episode isn't about action, it does begin with some, a sight of some of the famous battle, the most affecting and game-changing event in modern Trek history to that day. It was a wise decision to base the second spinoff on such a linchpin of drama and horror as the first Borg attack on Earth as it showed what Trek was capable of. Again, in 'The Best of Both Worlds' the action is part of it, but it's the psychological implications that are the most fascinating to explore. What better draw could there be than the chance to witness some of that fabled battle which the Enterprise-D arrived too late partake in? I love the rolling text at the beginning of 'Emissary,' a historical note that makes things both impersonal and somehow more alluring. We're thrown from cold text into a very real human experience, something that was achieved to the same effect with the opening to the pilot of 'Voyager.' Right away it appeals to someone like me who cares about the reality of this world, as if this is a historical fact and now we're seeing more of it. I love that they recreated a period which, although it was only three years before the episode and thus easy to recreate compared to if they were showing flashbacks to such an era in a modern production (which may not be outside the realms of possibility!), it really has that feel of mid-'TNG' thanks to the uniforms and the ships. It also pre-empted 'First Contact' by bringing back Locutus.

Importantly this is no flashback, we're seeing what happened in the same time frame as Sisko, only after the event do we go forward to the 'present day' of Trek production to see him take up his post at DS9. This puts us right in the heart of the event, witnessing Sisko's heart on his sleeve, his emotions boiling. I've occasionally wondered if his actions in searching for his wife and son were unprofessional, but this doesn't actually happen until the evacuation has begun, the warp containment failure heralded with only five minutes to get everyone out, so he has every right to try to rescue his family once he's done his duties of initiating evacuation. I wonder if 'Star Trek XI' took a cue from this episode because it does have a similarly emotive opening of a family separated, one of the parents dying while the other, and child, escape, and in both cases it makes for strong bonding for the audience to the characters. Sisko is a very physical leader and we get this right away from the manner in which he wades through debris like a bear, punching obstacles out of the way as if nothing can stop him. Until it does: death. He might have been lost along with young Jake if not for the burly Bolian that forcibly restrained him and pulled him out because his mind is completely shot up and not thinking straight. That's the thing, though: Sisko is not a perfect human, he retains strong feelings in both a good and bad sense. His emotions get the better of him on the Saratoga when confronted with his dead wife, but it also means his devotion to duty is equally powerful.

Something I was impressed with was how far Sisko went in attending to his role as Commander of a space station. Although he didn't really want to be there and it wasn't a great place to raise a son, he made the conscious choice to request a Bajoran for his First Officer. He had every right to come in all guns blazing and establish himself as head honcho over these civilians and representatives of a foreign government that don't necessarily have the same ideals and ways of working as the Federation, but it's his job to smooth things over, to make Bajor ready to take its place as part of that Federation, something that Captain Picard insists is Sisko's priority. So it's an amazing choice that we never saw that happen during the run of the series, and indeed it was made patently clear that it would harm Bajor to do so. To make the central mission of the series something which is eventually fought against by the main character was a surprising direction to take, but 'DS9' was a series full of surprises, one of the reasons why it's such good drama. It managed to surprise the audience and take unexpected routes for stories and characters without sacrificing that inherent sense of logic and progression that so much drama (including Trek), ignores today. In that way it satisfies on more than one level. And just as the series turned out to be different than may have been expected, the posting for Sisko followed the same pattern - what he thought he was there for, he wasn't, and instead a greater destiny awaited him.

I still want to concentrate on his Starfleet qualities, however, because in my memory, perhaps from reading the novelisation, he was totally opposed to being on DS9 and wanted to hightail it out of there ASAP. In reality he approaches everything wisely and correctly, not flaring into anger at the insubordinate and hostile tone displayed by Kira and Odo, his two top non-Starfleet people, but dealing fairly and decently with them, even impressing them somewhat with things like throwing Nog into a holding cell alongside the fish-faced alien, after they were caught thieving. This appeals greatly to Odo's sense of justice after an initial friction about Sisko using a weapon on the Promenade. But it's all part of a bigger plan from Sisko, who has clearly given the situation much thought. He may not want to be there, but as he coldly states to Picard, he will do the job to the best of his ability, and he wasn't lying - you see the diplomatic qualities of this man, but also the strength of character that makes him such a good Starfleet officer. It's wonderful that they chose to make him a Commander rather than a Captain because it gives room for growth within the succeeding years which no other main character has had. That also stretches to the rest of the cast, and one reason this episode is so great to see right after the series finale is to realise how far they've come: the Ferengi boy, Nog, is a thief, and not a very adept one either, and when we last see him he's become a man, a Starfleet officer, piloting the Defiant into pitched battle against a terrible foe.

Odo in this first episode is as rough as splintered wood, at odds with his smooth, gooey natural state (what a masterstroke: make a character's temperament completely the opposite of his nature!), nominating himself to join the party heading to the Wormhole because it may be a clue as to his origins. A wonderful way to add mystery to a new series: you want him to find out about himself, he's intriguing, and not just because he has some wacky special power (like sensing the coming of death… wa-waaah), but because of his personality. Right from the start these are three-dimensional beings with a past that they've lived and a future you want to see play out, and even when you've seen it all, it's so well thought out and acted that you look forward to seeing it play out again. And again. That's the strength of the series. They were so fantastic at creating and developing characters that they didn't stop with the main cast and continued fleshing out the minor ones. It's also surprising how many pieces were put into place so early on: we get Nog, Rom is there if only as a background character with about one line, Dukat is right away the honey-tongued villain of the piece, and Morn gets good exposure for being such a fascinatingly designed creation. But who knows, we could have been watching that weird, hump-backed alien you see in the exotic Quark's Bar if things had been different!

Sisko's plan is to create and maintain a community on the station so that it's a place people would want to be. It's a bit of a long shot, this laudable goal, right up until the discovery of the Wormhole, which Picard points out will make DS9 a leading centre of commerce, trade and exploration. Sisko didn't know that was going to happen, he was just trying to do the best he could with the tools at hand, and being a Starfleet man, he's been taught to be resourceful with even basic tools. Like Quark! His knowledge of other cultures leads him to pull a plea-bargain, again impressing Odo and also Quark at his clever manipulative skill. They can both appreciate such things, Quark especially, who's been on the station for four years prior to this as he says Odo hasn't caught him in that time. I love the fact there are so many dating references so you can place where and who and when: O'Brien arrived two days previous to the episode (and has clearly gained the respect of the Bajorans he's worked with - perhaps they sense his attitude toward Cardassians and think if Starfleet is like this they'll get on fine!), Dukat left his office two weeks ago. Wolf 359 occurred three years ago… It all helps to set the scene and create a chronology for events.

Another key part of Sisko's character, beyond the ability to plan and manipulate with knowledge, is his embracing of the adventure: he could have been moping around the whole time and ignored the arrows pointing the way to success, such as when he realises he needs to speak with Kai Opaka as a key component to uniting fractured Bajor, and shown no interest in the anomalies that present themselves. I wonder if the Bajoran monk that accosts Sisko on his first visit to the Promenade knew that this was to be the Emissary? Or was it simply that he knew the leader of their new allies should speak with the Kai? Again, I like the ambiguity and the mystery, not all spelled out neatly, but left to the imagination. I must admit it is strange to see an Orb of the Prophets open and exposed in the Science Lab while Dax inspects, quantifies and investigates as if it were a common artefact. But Opaka wouldn't have handed over this priceless link to her Prophets unless she was certain Sisko was the man they had been awaiting. The deeply personal experiences that characters are thrown into when they gaze upon the Orb are another mysteriously satisfying dramatic device. I understood Sisko's vision as having purpose since they send him right to the umbilical cord holding him to the past, immediately. When you don't know what's going on it appears to be a haphazard vision with no purpose, but in reality it is as precise as a scalpel, the answer, though he can't recognise it, is right in his face, straight to the heart of the matter (Sisko's heart). That's another brilliant thing about the episode: hiding an answer in plain sight.

Jadzia's vision was harder to explain. As nice as it is to see her moment of joining with the Dax symbiont (another character ripe with potential to explore), and to witness the 'old man' Sisko knew, in Curzon, there doesn't appear to be any particular reason for it. Perhaps it is a message from the Prophets to remind this intelligent, intensely scientific woman of a moment when she felt, and not just a moment, but the most important moment of her life, like a gentle reminder that there is more to life than cold, hard facts and calculations. It affects her on an emotional level, telling her that this thing is more than just an object of curiosity, it has real meaning behind it. It's all stuff I'm reading into it, but that's what makes it so fascinating: that there is breathing space left for the imagination to fill in. I imagine the Cardassians that examined the Orbs they stole from Bajor probably felt similarly personal experiences and I suspect the Orbs quickly got a name for spookiness and something to be avoided. It's a shame we never got to meet one of the Cardassian scientists that were involved. But the visions can't compete with a direct face-to-face with the Prophets themselves within their Celestial Temple, as Sisko discovers, and here we come to the crux of the story: his teaching and learning of the most alien aliens you can imagine.

The Prophets were brought to life inventively, through words and dialogue, not through the limited visual language that can only do so much to demonstrate the 'other' or unknown because it all comes from the mind of man. It was a very sensible choice to have people from Sisko's experiences talk to him within those experiences and also it created an even more alien impression since these are ordinary people we've seen behaving as we'd expect, and now they've become something different. Out of all Sisko's accomplishments and skills in this pilot episode I'm most impressed by his willingness and ability to eloquently explain complex matters: time, love, baseball… these are not easy things to define (in some cases), or explain in simple terms (baseball!), yet he succeeds magnificently and never balks at the task. He's contemplative and never stumbles, doesn't get frustrated unless it's with the emotional pain they seem to be subjecting him to, but throughout he navigates the distrust, even the moments of fear when the Cardassian ship travels through the Wormhole, hurting the Prophets, he never gives up, he presses on and confidently explains every question they hurl at him until he creates trust with them. The big question is how to understand these nonlinear, non-corporeal beings in a manner that is possible in an American TV show, and the writing is superb to pull it off.

Even the problem with the fundamental connection Sisko is supposed to have with these beings can be explained away as their being outside time. So they can have planned out his existence, which would suggest they understand linear time, made it so that he came into being, and yet still be confused when he appears, because for them this is their 'first' knowledge of him. I surmise that as a result of Sisko entering the Wormhole and becoming known to the Prophets they made sure he was born and directed his path towards them. It's a difficult and confusing concept to get tangled up in, but it makes a weird sense when you consider they don't see things as we do. Otherwise it would be a huge flaw in the series that they lack all this understanding, yet later we come to know how personal a connection they already had with Ben from before his conception. It's a tricky thing, but it's all pulled off so smoothly. What I love about Sisko's conversations with them in this first episode is how he relishes the challenge of the first contact. He doesn't throw up his hands at their confusion on the big, complicated questions of how we exist, or believe they should understand and must be thick not to. No, he shows patience all the time and rather than become discouraged that they ask what baseball means, like a true enthusiast he seizes on it as a perfect metaphor for describing linear existence, and seeing someone tackle a seemingly impossible challenge with gusto and flourish is about the most uplifting thing to see: this is what makes Trek, Trek!

The episode succeeds to the same degree as Sisko does, which is to say magnificently. Sure, compared to the slick, shiny productions we get now this does look a little constrained, but only in the way it's fullscreen rather than expansive widescreen, and the fact that rather than coming to a smooth new starship or station just out of the plastic wrapping, this is a place with history (something Roddenberry was keen on when he created the original Enterprise and which gives story flow backwards as well as forwards), that has fallen to its knees, hope is brought inside it and that is more powerful than any number of hot off the production line starship designs. New blood pours into this crusty old alien station with people like Jadzia and Bashir, fresh-faced and full of vigour to enervate (and crusty old O'Brien to renovate!), the creaking old bulkheads into regeneration. The series has so much to explore, its setup is perfect and if the first season fell into the trap of course correcting back into too much of an old 'TNG' season, then that's just the vagaries of TV production. This first episode has everything, huge potential in both character, location and even style of storytelling, and over time it would grasp every nettle and provide the greatest Trek, the most satisfyingly complex and deep, and the most incredibly personally suited style to me that I've ever encountered or expect to encounter again!

There are so many things it's easy to take for granted about this episode and this series in general, but particularly the first episode. They could have set the series on another starship, gone the expected route and caused less ripples, but would Trek have lasted those eighteen years that marked the Rick Berman era without the risks 'DS9' took? Just as Sisko recognises in Quark that he's a gambler, and though the prospect looks grim he can take a punt, so the writers and creators of this series approached its creation. By featuring more aliens than humans, and especially aliens that had been previously created on 'TNG,' it gave them ample space to delve into other cultures even if the station wasn't going anywhere. With the mystery of Odo, the mystery of Sisko's role to the Bajorans, the mystery of the Trill and the biggest mystery of an entire new quadrant of the galaxy to interact with, the series was primed with many questions to answer. It wasn't just another starship, another crew, some more aliens of the week, it went far beyond superficiality to a bedrock of story material upon which to build or mine. But they did it without discarding what had gone before, fully and more strongly grasping the richness inherent in a universe that had been in development for years. We get Chief O'Brien transferring from the Enterprise and they allow him his moment of poignancy as he visits the ship one last time, but they don't overindulge in it, it's just enough to show how much he'll miss the place as it goes off to new adventures.

That's another thing, 'TNG' was still going for two more seasons, that journey was continuing, which makes O'Brien leaving it for this new posting give value to DS9. If 'TNG' had ended it wouldn't have had so much meaning, but he's passing up on the chance for further adventures on the Federation flagship for this rundown monstrosity in a dangerous region, the threat coming from a race he's already had good cause to feel aggrieved with, yet still he chooses the station. Having Patrick Stewart as your guest star also does wonders for a series, lifting its profile considerably, and it's a really touching moment when he takes the time to come down to the Transporter Room and see O'Brien off. But it's also an important episode for the Captain as we deal with something that probably hasn't been thought of much, if at all: the fallout from Picard's assimilation by the Borg. We'd seen it from his perspective in the great 'Family,' how much it took from him, but now we see it from the outsider point of view and what those brave Starfleet people lost because of Picard's knowledge. It was a bold risk, could almost be said to be foolhardy to set up your new series by having its main character practically seething with rage at the much-loved Picard, modern Trek's number one character, but again it pays off because we see how deep the hurt went, and we see the resolve on Sisko's face and hear it in his voice when he reiterates that he's ready to take this post permanently, where earlier he had displayed such personal distaste for the job and Picard. It's a mini-arc just for the episode, but it shows in microcosm what the series would go on to do as a whole.

The first scene with Sisko and Picard crackles, suiting the mood we've gotten that everyone connected to DS9 is standoffish (bar the genial O'Brien, and even he loses his rag with the technology). Kira's angry, but not as much as I remembered, she quickly allows for Sisko to take his position as the dominant voice, but throughout the season they'd have their disagreements, so it wasn't over. The same with Odo, who didn't like bending into shape, despite having that ability physically - they do a fine job of showing what he's capable of, and that's the kind of thing that enamoured me of the series in childhood when I first watched it. The danger, the effects, the simple things that appeal to simpler minds, but as I grew older I saw new levels to the stories and characters so that it has actually improved with age. 'DS9' became a hub for all of Trek, featuring crossovers with numerous characters from 'TOS' to 'TNG,' and even 'Voyager,' because those behind it understood Trek culture and loved it and its history. It was all the better for it, but king of all was the desire to tell meaningful stories and use the characters in the right way, something I haven't seen demonstrated in the Kelvin Timeline films, 'Discovery' and even 'Enterprise,' which has a lot to answer for in terms of many of the precedents and failings that the current generation of Trek has eagerly jumped on and sought after when what they should have been paying attention to was 'DS9.' Some say that 'DS9' DNA is more in evidence in 'Enterprise' and 'DSC' than the other Treks, and in a superficial reading I suppose that's true, but neither came close to reproducing the glorious breadth, depth and sense that this series produced even while being part of the 'sausage factory' production line mentality of Eighties and Nineties Trek.

Not to say that 'Emissary' got everything right. Like all pilots it sometimes strikes a discordant chime, and there are myriad examples. Quark's nose (which is actually Rom's since they didn't have his ready, or something like that: read 'The DS9 Companion' and 'The Making Of' books for the details, both terrific repositories of 'DS9' background), and the much more weird portrayal of his bar, are two things that stand out. I don't think he's even got the dark patches around his eyes which made him more alien - here you could almost see a human face amid the gargantuan ears and teeth poking out all over the place! Kira's look, too, is definitely aping Ro Laren, who was the character they really wanted in the position, but would have been far less interesting than Nerys. Odo's makeup is unfinished, just as the character is, which oddly suits him as the mystery man alien. Dax (a revamp of the Trill look entirely that probably would have annoyed except it was only one episode to change and the race came to be this version much more strongly), calls DS9 'the space station,' which lands hollowly, but then they're not attached to this place yet, it is an alien structure that they don't see as home. O'Brien telling Kira to remind him not to play Roladan Wild Draw with her when you're expecting him to say Poker considering the ship he came from… In terms of the look of everything, it's hard to fault it as they had done five and a half years of 'TNG' and had it all down pat what Starfleet of the 24th Century looked like.

I love David Carson's work as Director, this gig getting him 'Generations,' and it's full of great shots and clever visuals: the inside of the Wormhole appearing starkly different to different people was a great idea, as were the holographic fake-outs with the Earth pond where Jake is fishing eventually revealed to be just a program, which really opens up the potential of Trek's tech to new viewers, the way you at first assume it's real. The same with the holographic pool that hides the cavern where Opaka keeps the Orb - it looked to me like there was a forcefield over the top to prevent people falling down the stairway! The upper Promenade barely existed, but yet you still see them walking along it, and everything about the sets is amazing. Such huge locations built so intricately as had never been seen on Trek and never would be again. Even the theme music is more majestic and distant at this time. And that's something else about the series that is fascinating to see. It became something so different, and yet retained its character. Even at the end of this first episode we're expectant of great change coming to this region, and it would come, but it was also at great cost and the story of the Alpha Quadrant relied on this area. It could have succeeded perfectly well as a story about the back of beyond, the politics of a world, and smaller details, but it grew into a larger beast that made Trek's world even more expansive and cohesive and much of what it would be was set in motion in this episode which is still a powerful personal tale in itself, achieving its place as close to being the best pilot in Trek.

*****