Azati Prime

DVD, Enterprise S3 (Azati Prime)

One of the more interesting episodes of the season, but not so much for the story as for it's all-so-rare and oh-so-brief depiction of a future 400 years beyond Archer's time. I remember being so excited to see that, even though it was just him and Daniels in a corridor: it's… it's… the Enterprise-J! How mind-blowingly exciting is that? A view of an important battle in the 26th Century, which mentions the Federation, the Sphere Builders and various species that are part of the Federation (including the Klingons, and more pertinently, the Xindi themselves!). Whether this is a future that would still come to pass after Archer's involvement is unsure, but I like to think that the Enterprise-J (I love writing that!), would still be built and this is more of a persuasion of Archer by Daniels about what the future holds for both species if Archer can be diplomatic with the Xindi, rather than a threat of what's to come if he fails. But Archer's not in diplomatic mood - this whole mission has forced him to become the kind of man that gets things done and he's stepped back from diplomacy, the degree to which he was diplomatic, which was not especially, but he was always willing to listen and learn. Now, with his head in the fire, so to speak, now is the time Daniels springs this on him! Wouldn't it have been better to bring this up before this whole trouble started, but then there is no 'before' when you have beings from the future meddling in the past. This seems to indicate that certain people who believe 'Enterprise' to be set in a different timeline to all the other Trek series', are correct.

They aren't, in fact. It's been stated from various high-up sources that 'Enterprise' was part of the same timeline as the others, even if certain things don't make perfect sense, but this is TV, when does any series make perfect sense and logic? Then again, the way T'Pol's acting this could be some weird alternate universe, she's so emotional. Either it's the cumulative effect of her journey through the expanse, or there's the little problem of drug addiction which is yet to come out. It's still one of the things that irritates me in an episode which is otherwise quite good, although not so good that I didn't feel detached from it and cool about it at times. I don't quite know why, but I can remember moments when I felt pride in the characters and in the production values which did make me care again: when Travis volunteers for the suicide mission to pilot the Insectoid shuttle they picked up, into the oceans of Azati Prime to blow up the full-sized weapon being completed there, and then Trip argues that he should be the one to go, until the Captain makes the final decision: he'll go, leaving T'Pol in command. I'd have preferred some kind of formal handing over ceremony to his First Officer, rather than a speech in which he says he's not going to make a speech, but I did like the line about being prouder than any captain that's likely to sit in this chair.

I took that as a reference to all the other Enterprise's to follow, too, since the J is on his mind. I have to say a little more about that scene. It was annoying to only be allowed to see the one corridor, even if they did have the image of the ship on a wall, but it's like giving us chocolate, but only letting us see inside the wrapper and not get to eat any. It's always been one of those scenes that makes me wish for a series set at that time in the Federation's history, and it would be so satisfying to come full circle and revisit this extension of the Enterprise line. Maybe if the series had continued and if the Temporal Cold War arc hadn't been so summarily concluded, we might, just might, have had more visits into the 26th Century, so far in advance of even the 24th Century-set series'! The J, just from the schematic (and images from Doug Drexler, or whoever created them, that I've seen of it), is a beautiful creation, keeping the Starfleet aesthetic, but appearing even more futuristic with those slight and sharp nacelles. I'd love to see more of the 26th Century, or even the 25th, but for this series that would have to do.

The story is much more of an ensemble piece with everyone's skills being called into action, the crew seen to be doing their best in the midst of destructive battle - the scars and explosions over the hull couldn't have been done quite like that in the days of model work, so CGI starships did give us new visual treats in that sense. As a whole, the budget for CGI must have been large for this episode as we get ships plummeting into water (not unprecedented, as Tom Paris took a shuttle into an ocean planet in 'Thirty Days', and it looks like this will be something in the new film, 'Star Trek Into Darkness,' too), but it did look good, and we get to see the huge weapon underwater with myriad vessels all around. It was more like 'Sea Quest' than 'Star Trek'!

I think one of the pieces that worked better than perhaps he ever has so far, is Degra's role. He shows guilt at his race's plans and he's willing to listen when Archer's captured and demands to see him (despite not realising they've met before as those memories were wiped), as well as outrage at the way he's treated by Dolim and the other Reptilians. Archer's scenes in the prison dungeon are some of the better moments as he tries to get the Reptilian angry, or convince Degra and the other Xindi-Humanoid of his intentions. There's a shocking moment early on that doesn't help his cause: when he wipes out a small communications outpost. He doesn't even consider sending a team of MACOs down to secure the place, just orders a torpedo or two to be dropped and regrets it, but still goes through with it. It's the same decision made by Degra, but on a larger scale when he and the Xindi-Primate discuss the ramifications of their actions in using the super-weapon, and it is quite chilling. It makes his decision to pilot the suicide mission a choice borne of guilt rather than heroism or duty, and that makes things more complicated, not necessarily in a good way.

Watching this I had mixed feelings about it, disagreeing with certain character choices, but also being impressed with the stint in the future, tying the arc more tightly into the Temporal Cold War. But it remains pretty good thanks to plenty of spectacle and a better feel for the crew as a whole. The stakes never quite feel as high as they're portrayed, but compare this with a pedestrian Season 2 episode without any direction and you soon realise this type of storytelling was an improvement, at least for this series. It's directed most dramatically by stalwart Allan Kroeker, who was responsible for some of the best episodes of 'DS9' and 'Voyager,' with some stylish shots during Archer's interrogation, or T'Pol's stomp to the shuttlepod, and features stunts, engine room destruction, Archer put through some real damage, and a group of people working away on their starship as they should be. I'd have liked 'To Be Continued…' at the end to signify a 'proper' two-parter, but you can't have everything, and while this falsely professes to have everything, but the kitchen sink, it does keep up the bargain with the viewer to the extent that you want to see what happens next, which equals success.

***

By Inferno's Light

DVD, DS9 S5 (By Inferno's Light)

Heroes and villains, the stuff of mythology, and it was always done best on 'DS9,' this episode adding to the proof, providing a shining example of Starfleet mettle, age-old races coming to the fore again as they should, and the newer boys of the Dominion and Cardassians tearing the quadrant in two. That may be a bit premature, war is averted again, mainly because the Founders always act to get maximum damage from minimum effort. Tell that to the unfortunate changeling masquerading as Dr. Bashir, though. I assume he must have been willing to die for his people, as rushing into the Bajoran sun (Bajor-B'hava'el, for your information!), was an act of suicide, especially with a bomb inside your Runabout - a suicide bomber… The Dominion begins to look like the very worst extremists in our world today. I would have liked the chance to get to know more about this changeling, why he chose to take on this mission, and if he was completely willing to die for his people? He's seen to be pretty coldhearted (if they had hearts), killing the Runabout Yukon's crew and attempting to take out an entire solar system (good job warp engines have improved since 'The Motion Picture' or the Defiant might have gone all slow-motion and spangly as it headed into a wooooorrrrmmhooooollllle…), along with the combined fleet of Starfleet, Klingon and Romulan ships, not to mention Bajor.

What about the Wormhole? Did the Founders wish for it to be collapsed? They've only just made the station alter it to make sure it can't be collapsed, so it probably would have been safe from the system's shockwave. We don't see a sun going supernova often in Trek ('Star Trek: Generations' for one), but in this case I'm glad Bajor and the series itself weren't wiped out, and I think the new head of the Cardassian government, Gul Dukat (why doesn't he upgrade himself to Legate, or is it like Kirk lecturing Picard in 'Generations' about leaving his ship and becoming an Admiral, and a previous Gul told him 'don't let them promote you, don't let them transfer you, don't let them do anything to take you away from [being a Gul], because while you're there you can make a difference!'), would have been very disappointed if Deep Space Nine had been wiped out - only a little earlier he was warning Sisko to give it up, so even in that short time we learn the Dominion isn't going to include Cardassia in all its plans: a foreboding, though minor, hint of things to come.

We've discussed the changeling Bashir (apart from his willingness to organise blood screenings - did they take some of the real Bashir's for him to 'bleed' on demand?), we've discussed the potential wipeout of the Bajoran system, but we haven't mentioned the most important piece of wanton carnage of the episode. No, step aside Mr. Worf, I'm talking about the explosion of Runabout Yukon. I'll admit it is a tradition that at least one of these workhorses has to be prematurely put down every season, but it has the sting of the writers finally having given recognition to the little ships by using their names which have been practically ignored throughout the season! They've been used plenty of times, but as I've ranted in previous reviews, they don't bother telling us which one is which! We're treated to a naming of all four (four?) Runabouts in this one (Yukon, Rio Grande, Volga, and… was there another, I'm getting confused?), which is very nice, but then they go and wipe out poor Yukon, itself having been assigned to the station to replace the Orinoco, destroyed in Season 4. The Volga had come close, surviving untold damage in 'Body Parts,' (and giving Shakaar reason to upbraid O'Brien on getting his girlfriend involved when he had a baby), and of course the Rio Grande, being the safest of them all, was the only one still operational from the pilot episode, but why did the Yukon go up anyway? Was the bomb set to a timer? It surely didn't need to be as it was heading into a massive detonator, and all the Defiant does is pull it away from the sun!

There's an inconsistency when it sounds like there are six Runabout pads, as I always thought there were only three! I'm not sure where I got six from, dialogue perhaps, but they certainly speak of pad E, which is a new one on me, especially when as recently as 'Things Past' the pads had seemingly been altered from lettered to numbered! Maybe it's a misinformation strategy to keep the Rio Grande and its record, safe? Talking of the Rio Grande, is it really the safest bet? The odds dictate that every Runabout that's ever served the station has either been destroyed or severely damaged (sorry, had my 'Generations' hat on again there, I meant just destroyed), so the probabilities were mounting that Rio Grande was likely to be next. On the other hand would you take a risk on another one which could be higher in destructive probability simply because it wasn't the Rio Grande? I'm probably thinking too much into it, but then again I'm sure the Bashir changeling didn't bother its little brain (if it had had one), about which Runabout to hi-jack, and ended up as space splatter, so that should be a lesson, I suppose. Whatever the odds, I love seeing the little Runabouts take off with the Defiant at the start, bravely charging into the path of the Dominion battle fleet and certain destruction. It's hard to believe that they were all that stood between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant back in Season 2; even with the hefty Defiant as mother hen the situation looked hopeless.

Until Gul Dukat saved their bacon by being the reason the Jem'Hadar came through at last: it wasn't a war fleet, it was the locust swarm predicted by Sisko, passing over Bajor and on to Cardassia (unless you count the later event of the non-aggression pact). Shame he didn't also prophecy the attempt to blow up Bajor's sun, but there's only so much imagery you can take in one go. At least the next time a Klingon Bird of Prey left DS9 it would be an honourable ship, because Martok and his vessel were to be stationed at the, er, station, from this time forth. And what a glorious idea that was! Martok seems much more relaxed and casual in this episode, he hasn't got that growling, grousing rumble from the depths quite yet, probably because he's too busy enjoying personal combat with the Jem'Hadar (not in this episode, but lately), or being impressed by Worf's heroically obstinate struggle in the circled circle (as opposed to the squared circle of wrestling or boxing), and thinking up glorious songs to sing gloriously about the glorious and honourable display of Klingonness that is Worf's multi-victory hand to hand battle, still a mighty moment for our favourite Klingon.

The song wouldn't have been complete without a verse about the little Cardassian who could - I use 'little' in the comparative sense, because looking at that crawlspace, it's hard to imagine Enabran Tain squeezing his bulk in there. He'd be wedged like a bowl of jelly down the back of a radiator. Garak only feels like a bowl of jelly, and actually it's his bravery and fortitude, his self-control in finishing a task that brings out his phobia, that is the most heroic act of the episode, even Worf (who in the previous episode planned to kill him at the first sign of deceit, perhaps having read Odo's report of their mission together back in Season 3), acknowledges him for the deed. While Dukat had returned to his traditional role as a straight up villain, Garak is more a good guy than ever! It becomes something like a 'Mission: Impossible' sequence where you have the tech guy in the wall working away to make magic, the action hero battling away to keep all eyes on him, a tense standoff between goons and goodies, split second escape and a swift, surprise turnaround when the Breen proves that old saying so right. Actually I hadn't heard 'never turn your back on a Breen' before, and probably no one else in the room who wasn't Romulan had either, since it was a saying of that race, and them being the most mysterious people (behind the Breen - that sounds like a saying in itself: always stay behind a Breen), we hardly ever get to hear about what they think, say, or do.

This time we get to see a good deal of what the Romulans will do. While you wouldn't turn your back on a Breen, you wouldn't turn anything (except perhaps a phaser), on the duplicitous Romulans, but even though they're not to be trusted, you can at least count on them to pull their weight in a fight if the time comes: when the Romulans decloak around DS9, it's like a school bully suddenly appearing to back you up in a fight, and it makes you want to cheer. Turned out to be a ploy of the Founders to get rid of as many enemy ships as possible in one foul, star system-annihilating swoop, but just the thought of Federation, Klingon and Romulan forces fighting together is enchanting. And a positive move to have some sympathetic members of their race part of the prison gang - I'd have been perfectly happy to see more episodes set in that cell with the Cardassian, Romulans, human, Klingons and Breen all sitting round on bunks telling stories. That could have made for a stunning anthology episode, and what's more, I'd have lobbied hard for that Breen to survive and end up as a recurring character - hey, if Morn can get away with not speaking on camera for years, why not a Breen?

The death of the Breen was one of the few things I wasn't wholeheartedly impressed with, and not for the reason above, but because I felt the dissolution of the bodies, of Breen, Romulan and Jem'Hadar, were not weighty enough. I wanted a proper disintegration, like we see of the green and blue guy in 'Suspicions' on 'TNG,' or the deaths in 'Star Trek II.' The effects of this vaporisation were too light and fluffy, although I appreciated the detail of the weapon burst hitting the wall behind Worf as he gets beamed away in the nick of time. If James Horan's death in this wasn't up to his 'hole in the chest' demise in 'Suspicions,' the character did get to be a bit more complex than most Jem'Hadar soldiers, with the exception of Goran'Agar, the honourable, who only wanted freedom for his people, or perhaps Omet'iklan, who gained respect for Sisko during their joint venture. Ikat'ika's execution was a reverse of Weyoun's in 'To The Death,' since he was killed for expressing honour, to the Vorta's distaste, while Weyoun was killed for his dishonourable conduct, by a Jem'Hadar. Deyos wasn't a bad Vorta, and successfully carries across that incredible aloofness, as if he sees everyone around him as low animals, but they hadn't found one to match Jeffrey Combs' version, so it was only a matter of time before they brought him back.

The extended cast becomes ever larger with these two episodes. Martok's assigned to DS9 under Gowron's disapproving eye - even at this early stage he looks extremely unimpressed with the General, probably for two reasons: despite there being enemies still to fight, I think Gowron would have preferred Martok to have died, and the other biggie is the issue of trust. If a man had been impersonated by an enemy and hoodwinked you into war against your former allies, you'd find it hard to get along with the real man with all that egg on your face, after the fact. Gowron does a good job of retaining all dignity because Sisko knows how to talk to him. I'd have liked a more formal scene in the wardroom, something like 'Rapture,' with Admirals and delegates, to announce the resumption of friendliness between the Federation and Klingon Empire, and a return to alliance. But it has the advantage of making Sisko more important in our eyes: already the avowed Emissary of the Bajorans, he now has the power to reinstate the Khitomer Accords and mend the Klingon fence, and it shows respect from Gowron that he could be persuaded by this man. It puts him more on a par with Picard, who was the Klingon Arbiter of Succession.

Other recurring cast are furthered as well - Garak gets to be a hero and gets the girl (he doesn't quite know what to say or do when Ziyal affectionately kisses and hugs him in Quarks!), and is appreciated even more for being the only friendly Cardassian at such a time; Dukat gets to be a villain, and his old life back. It shows how much of a backward step he took from being a good man, because he abandons the new life he fell into when he rescued Ziyal, by disowning her, and his position of power over Cardassia means his family would have welcomed him back after treating him as an outcast. What would have made for an insightful arc would have been to actually see some of his home life and how his wife and children adjust to this Father that had been previously rejected. He even mentions his son, like a reminder that he had an old life on his homeworld which he's taken up again, becoming Sisko's enemy once more and seizing power with both hands, as you'd have expected him to do in the first three seasons, until he began to delude himself that because he liked the denizens of DS9, they liked him too! His statement of intent, to wipe every Klingon and Maquis from Cardassian space is scarily similar to the Nazi regime, strengthening historical parallels that had always existed.

Odo doesn't get to be in this one, most likely for the reason that he was the number one hole in the Founders' plan, since we know he can detect others of his species if he comes into close proximity with them, demonstrated against Admiral Leyton in Season 4. But there were plenty of odd alien faces (sorry Odo!), to enjoy anyway - I don't think I'd ever noticed a 'fish-man' (actual race unknown), before, as one of the prisoners in the asteroid, as well as a thick-necked green-tinted guy with a bony head ridge, and the merest glimpse of another fish-like creature with tentacles sprouting out of the side of its face! It makes me want to go back and freeze-frame these bizarre and never-explored races. Even the sight of a female Bajoran security officer (walking past Kira and Ziyal on the Promenade), isn't a familiar sight, though Ensign/Lieutenant Jones is (he hurries past camera down a corridor carrying a phaser rifle). And the old running joke of stem bolts comes up again. What's the joke? Nothing really, just that they don't mean anything and no one ever explains what they are, however many times they come up in general conversation.

It's not really the content of this story that has the greatest impact, as exciting and inspiring as the heroic and daring adventures are. What matters is where this left, and would lead, the series. Like two fighters circling in the ring, we taste the danger that now threatens the Alpha Quadrant like never before, and though unsatisfied, making us wait for the inevitable conflict is artful. The confrontation in numbers with the Dominion and now Cardassian forces remained on the horizon, masterfully building to a suspense, but keeping something held back, ready to use as an end of season cliffhanger. Many of the best episodes were yet to come, but the puzzle pieces were being laid ever more expertly, the extended cast coming together, and a future of immense proportions was being dammed up ready for the break out of the flood.

****

In Purgatory's Shadow

DVD, DS9 S5 (In Purgatory's Shadow)

Where to begin when there is so much to dwell on? Dukat's as good a place as any, and he actually represents the turning point that this episode heralds. We haven't quite got war in the Alpha Quadrant, we haven't quite got a new Cardassia, but in Dukat's manner and demeanour you can see the future: he's different to when we last saw him at the beginning of the season when he was still able to have a laugh about Sisko and the others made up as Klingons, and there was something laid-back about his attitude then, that is absent now. It could be the months battling Klingon forces in his private little war (an unintentional reference to a 'TOS' episode, I expect), as people might think if they don't know what's about to happen, or, and this is my view, he has already made the transition into the new man of Cardassia. There isn't a closure of his previous role of space pirate that he's had for about one and a half seasons, but then the Klingons hadn't been kicked off the colonies they snatched from his people so the job isn't finished (although we've not really heard about the Klingon problem in a while, so the ceasefire between them and Starfleet must have held).

He's put aside the oozing charm of personality and become much more of a driven soldier in the way he attacks Garak in front of his daughter, partly because of his temper, and partly to show off in front of his her - he probably thinks, in his misguided way, that she'll be impressed by her Father's violence and will see Garak for the snivelling coward that Dukat sees him as, but he doesn't realise how long the seeds of friendship have had to grow between them. There's also evidence of this new Dukat in the way he never once shows any pleasantry to Kira, as if he's got bigger things on his mind, his career about to change again - instead he angrily berates her for allowing Ziyal to make friends with Garak, and in that same self-deluded way, intimates that she has betrayed him, as if she ever wanted to do anything for him in the first place! Still, the mask hasn't slipped yet, he's just being 'soldier Dukat,' rather than 'friend of the station Dukat,' and even at this juncture he doesn't forget to keep up appearances by presenting his ship and crew as an ally for Sisko against the coming Dominion fleet. He is still to be trusted, but can you ever really trust a Cardassian?

Tora Ziyal is in the midst of the personal drama on DS9, even though it's been a while since we last saw her partaking of station life. Again, and this is something I've kept pointing out about various characters this season, it would have been nice if she'd been worked into the background of other episodes a little bit, as you'd be forgiven for forgetting her, it's been so long. But I have to remind myself that the series was not a serial, nor would I have wanted it to be, so of course there are going to be aspects of station life that aren't referred to for periods at a time. We should just be grateful that so many recurring characters have returned over the course of this season, Ziyal another to add to the growing list. Amazingly for Trek, this was the third actress to play Ziyal, and while there wasn't anything particularly wrong with the previous two, I would say Melanie Smith nailed the part and proved a warmer variation. Her portrayal in Season 4, coming so soon after an entire life as a Breen prisoner, showed her as a more uncertain, distant young girl, and with the gap between appearances it has allowed her time to 'warm up,' grow up, and settle into a new life on DS9, so it makes sense that she should be played that way from here on.

I don't think it could have been purposeful, but it is a strange coincidence that the first time we saw the Breen was in 'Indiscretion,' also the first time we met Ziyal, and now she's back and we see a Breen for the second time! It was probably more to do with the fact that they'd been mentioned in the last episode, 'For The Uniform,' and so the race was on the writers' minds, and they were looking for a diverse group of aliens to be held in the Dominion prison asteroid, so why not make one a Breen? Although, for all the movement we see from this particular example of his/her/its race, it could just as easily have been dead, since it remains lying on a bunk the whole time - they don't even wake it to do the trusty blood-screening test, since we're told the Breen don't have blood! Yes, that's right, the blood-screening test which was proved to be so reliable that a shapeshifter could pose as Dr. Bashir in the Season 3 finale 'The Adversary'! And what do you know, this episode shows Bashir to have been replaced again, though this time for a much longer period, all for a specific purpose, the moment of invasion.

That's the thing with the Founders, they always plan longterm, so it really shouldn't have been a surprise that Bashir had been replaced. It was a threat that had been solidified (if you pardon the word), ever since Season 4's paranoid two-parter, 'Home Front' and 'Paradise Lost,' where we saw a changeling in action. Here though, their plans have come to fruition and the fake Bashir is just part of a diabolical plan: a fleet of Jem'Hadar ships prepares to enter the Alpha Quadrant - the locusts are finally upon us! They'd sent ripples of disquiet throughout Season 3, culminating in their destruction of a joint Cardassian/Romulan secret police force, on its mission to find and obliterate the Founders' homeworld. This had then provided a respite in a small way, for Cardassia, as a civilian government came into power, but at the cost of war with the savage Klingons, egged on by the false zeal of General Martok, leading to Klingon and Federation enmity and destabilisation of the quadrant as a whole! We can see the huge and disparate pieces of grand plan locking together after years of patient work, and it is impressive, both for the Dominion and the writing of the TV series: now is the time for force to come into play, so now is the time for the fleet to arrive.

The Founders are such a cautious people, even with such a dedicated-unto-death army of cloned soldiers they don't resort to enveloping their enemies' space and risking the races uniting against them. They go to great lengths to plant seeds of doubt and fear and let that do the work for them. You could suggest that it's a rather big coincidence that the main pieces of a large and far-flung puzzle would all meet at one prison, but while watching you're too busy enjoying everything to worry about that: it's General Martok! The real one! And Tain! The real, live man! And Bashir! The real one! Okay, so he was wearing the old style uniform (unless he wears that one as pyjamas - he did say he was sleeping when captured!), so that means it was before 'Rapture' that he was replaced, meaning the changeling did surgery on Sisko to save his life, and looked after Kira through the end of her pregnancy, but if it could impersonate a doctor it would have had to train for the role and know what Bashir knew. It helps, looking back, that Bashir hadn't been at the forefront of any episodes for a while, just a supporting role, making it so believable that he could have been replaced. And with O'Brien tied up with his family and newborn baby there wasn't the chance for false Bashir to be suspected. Even Jadzia spends her time with Worf, and you get the impression that, apart from his work, Bashir's become a bit of a loner on the station.

We haven't heard much of Dax and Worf, but there's palpable concern on her part about Worf going into the Gamma Quadrant with only Garak for company. It did strike me as odd that the Defiant wasn't taken, but then I saw that a Runabout would be more inconspicuous (why, it doesn't even seem to have a name these days, so how much more discreet can you get!). It was the way Dax was taking Worf's Klingon operas from the Defiant that made me think they were going to go in that. On a side note, why couldn't the files just be copied over to the station computer or duplicated onto another optronic data rod? I guess Worf's recordings are so personal to him that he keeps them 'offline,' and you need the actual stick of data to use them. Worf and Garak are a good pairing, especially when you think that the last time we saw them together was having a fight aboard the Defiant when Garak tried to torpedo the Founder planet. It's great fun when you realise that all Garak's flow of talk is actually exercise, just as Worf's into physical exercise, Garak builds up his lying power, skilfully practicing on a new mark! When Worf says they can go no further, I thought it was because he'd had enough of Garak's constant chatter, until he adds that he's been ordered to avoid risks.

When Garak was told by the Female Changeling there were no survivors of the Obsidian Order/Tal Shiar fleet, she was actually lying, and it isn't often you can get one past Garak like that - he was impressed when fake Bashir shows up at the Runabout to prevent him heading off alone, and I can imagine the real Bashir also knew Garak well enough to guess his thinking, though in actuality this Bashir knew about the fleet to come, so he probably just wanted to prevent chance of an early warning (a reason why he was against Garak going when they discuss it in Sisko's office - it would have been unfortunate if Bashir had been ordered to go as he needed to stay and 'take care' of the station). I assume fake Bashir broke into the doctor's personal logs and was fully informed on all his opinions - as they've said, to become a thing is to know a thing, so it's more than just getting the surface details right, they would know everything. Sounds just like the Obsidian Order, who also seemed to know personal details about everyone, and who was the Order, but Enabran Tain. I thought they were wrong to give away Tain's appearance in the credits, but it was immediately followed by Garak admitting it a second later, so it didn't matter (and was very good timing!).

How the mighty have fallen. When we last saw Tain he was a babbling madman, unable to accept that the Dominion had been cleverer than him, unable to accept defeat, but incarceration, or weakness of the body has calmed him. He still has one secret to reveal, though he almost doesn't give Garak the acknowledgement he wanted: Garak is his son. That explains a lot about the way Garak is, that he had such a twisted upbringing and was so deeply in the confidence of Tain, then so utterly cast out from what he loved that he would be a liar who doesn't believe in truth and honesty. A harsh life has moulded him to be who he is, and even though he can be a 'despicable tailor' (in the words of Dukat), and Tain is a monstrous old man, both full of guile and evil ways, the death scene still resonates, still upsets, and we still feel sorry for Garak. Once he's got that over with, his duty fulfilled, a small token of pride restored, he stands up and says he's ready to leave, as if that was the only thing keeping him in the prison, and not the Jem'Hadar guards or the lack of anywhere to escape to outside of the dome, and Worf and Martok agree!

Worf and Martok. One of the great friendships of the series was to come between these two, but for now this appears to be the first they've known of each other. This makes it likely that the first time we saw Martok, in Season 4's 'The Way of The Warrior,' he was a changeling, as this Martok doesn't appear to know Worf's dishonouring of his son. The first we see of Martok he's taking a beating by a Jem'Hadar, and is shown with that unique missing eye socket that was to be his most defining feature. You can't really get to know someone in the space of one episode, so his reappearance is more of an Easter egg than a far-reaching plot point, unless you know how important he becomes to the series. As well as Klingons, Cardassians and Breen, we also see Romulan survivors, so it's a real multicultural prison these Jem'Hadar preside over. James Horan provides his recognisable vocal cords to the lead Jem'Hadar - you can't say he provides his face as it's so covered by prosthetics, but he was a good choice for the role, another of the Trek repertory of recurring actors, having been in all the modern Trek series', including 'TNG,' and going on to be Future Guy in 'Enterprise.' The only thing I didn't like so much, and which I may not have noticed before (this being the first time I'd seen the episode in the clarity of DVD), was that the Jem'Hadar arm skin looked like the glove that it was, so that when Worf grabs it to stop him choking Garak it looks too loose.

It's a minor complaint (I could also add that we get another 'Star Trek II' nebula!), in an episode which features notably strong cinematography, with the cold, sparse prison contrasting with the bright, busy visuals of the station, and for doing a lot of good setting up, working in so many of the little moments, references and joys that you expect in a quality episode: the evil Bashir's self-satisfied smirk in the Turbolift (a bit like Cypher in 'The Matrix'); Kira and Dax talking about Kirayoshi, the first time baby O'Brien's name has been spoken; the conversation between Kira and Odo as he moves some things back into his quarters, and other 'solid' furniture out, while she still doesn't know what he thinks about her; Martok's return, as the real one; Ziyal's return, but as a different actress; Dukat's return, preparing the way for his future; Garak's return, closing an old chapter of his life; and Bashir's return, though we didn't know he'd been away; one of the best ever cliffhangers, almost on a par with 'The Best of Both Worlds'… Most of all, for being the turning point where we finally come to what we'd been waiting for ever since the end of Season 2, and the words 'you don't know what's begun here,' echoed in our minds. The season, indeed the series itself, begins its end here. This far. But a little further yet…

****

Hatchery

DVD, Enterprise S3 (Hatchery)

What's going on here? No, I'm not talking about Archer's bizarre behaviour (that was obvious to a regular Trek viewer as soon as he got sprayed by the apparently innocuous alien growth), it's Travis getting more than two lines to say and an action scene where he gets to take on Major Hayes during a daring mutiny on the bridge! To balance out this rift in the space-time continuum, Hoshi has practically nothing, but even so, it's a shock to the system. Even Phlox is used reasonably well, autopsy on a Xindi-Insectoid; trying to use the powers vested in him to relieve the Captain (though Phlox never had the force of personality of the other doctors, giving up fairly easily). Add these facts to the good quality alien sets, the really good CGI, and a sleek new ship to be impressed by and you find yourself wondering why this doesn't come together to be one of the best of the season, instead feeling like a bit of a nothing. That is, it begins that way and takes a long old time to get its momentum going, and for a series with such a short running time per episode, I wish it got to the fun part sooner.

The fun part being Archer beginning to lose it, relieving T'Pol of command, sending her to be confined to quarters by MACOs, and becoming increasingly concerned for the enemy's damaged nesting chamber. From then on the story is as fun as that sounds, but I don't know why such a slow reveal was needed before Archer is seen to be off his rocker. Maybe I'm coming to it from the perspective of having seen so many episodes when a crewmember or captain is infected by alien something-or-other, and the crew slowly come to the realisation of what's happened. But think what they could have done with this if they'd subverted expectations and cut almost immediately to the Captain locking down the ship and using MACOs as his private police force? I'm thinking the fast-paced style of the first two episodes of the season, with that energetic storytelling, to make it different to what had gone before.

There are some familiar MACO faces again, including the Major, who gets to have some proper conversations with Reed. There's still an impression of friction between the two, but there isn't the sense that it will boil over into violence again. They got the macho side of it out of their system, it just remained for them to find some common ground, and for the most part this episode gave them the opportunity for that. Not entirely - it's a shame Hayes had to be on the wrong side at just the point in the season where he and Reed were speaking civilly to each other, and it tests them again (and gives Travis a chance to get back at Mr. MACO for any previous harsh treatment in training!), but in the end it gives Hayes more to think about when he realises things aren't always as simple as following orders. It's a good setup to have the MACOs against Starfleet, but I didn't think it was used to full potential. Again, if the mutiny had arrived sooner we could have had more drama between the two camps. If this was another series I'd suggest this incident would likely give reason for Starfleet to regress a little in terms of trusting the MACOs, but I expect this will be the end of that 'tentative allies' stuff that has been in the background occasionally, as they head towards their big goal of Azati Prime.

The MACOs were originally included as muscle to send in to the front line, so I give them credit for at least partially filling them out, but as ever, it could have been furthered. It's also a bit sad that this is a proper Trek episode in that it's all about helping your enemy, but only because of Archer being spat in the face by alien juice. That should really have been as much a part of the story as the mutiny. But as I said, the computer effects were very good, especially the planetscapes, ship views and the baby Xindi-Insectoids (which reminded me of the villains' true form at the end of 'Catspaw'), scuttling over Archer or into dark corners on the floor. It struck me hearing the explanation about them not having a gender and being asexual in reproduction that they're very much like Tribbles. Except there was no talk of being born pregnant! But you never know, maybe the Xindi-Avian weren't the only unknown Xindi race…

Good to hear a little about the Eugenics Wars, when Archer talks about his ancestor (I thought he said his Grandfather, but the dates don't seem right as that would have been about 160 years before), as it's a rare occasion indeed when we get to hear of that 1990s war in which Khan featured so prominently. Another item rarely heard of again are those NX-01 baseball caps the crew used to wear in Season 1. Well, for all those hat-lovers out there, T'Pol wears one in order to infiltrate Engineering and nerve pinch a MACO. Again, she's fine in uniform so why they never let her just wear that instead of the colourful wardrobe she got, well, I do know why, but they should have. It's the same old thing again, but I still get annoyed whenever T'Pol gets annoyed, and she had plenty of pushing the emotional barriers this time. And when Trip has a line like "I know you're upset…" it's wrong on various levels - can you imagine someone saying that to Spock? Trouble is, you can tell she is upset! A smaller irritation is more easily smoothed over: when Archer grabs her by the arm it's because he's been infected, but I never like it when Vulcans touch or are touched because one of the things about them is that they don't like it (to do with easy telepathic connection from contact).

As a whole it's not bad, I like creeping through abandoned alien craft in the dark, even though there was really no horror aspect to the story which could easily have been incorporated with a little more effort. I like seeing the crew work together, and for Hayes and Reed to see eye to eye by the end made for a more satisfying watch than if it had been straight action. I think I'm talking myself round - I liked it, but maybe not as much as I could have with a few tweaks here and there.

***

For The Uniform

DVD, DS9 S5 (For The Uniform)

The middle part of a trilogy is often the weakest, 'The Empire Strikes Back' notwithstanding (though structurally that was the first part of a two-parter and doesn't count), and that rule holds true for this, the middle of the Eddington saga. I suppose you could call it the Sisko Revenge saga, because it's more about him than it is about the Maquis leader - there had already been a number of stories dealing with the Maquis, an organisation supposedly set up to fight the Cardassians over the border treaty they made with the Federation, but in reality a vehicle to provide 'Voyager' with backstory. That series hadn't used the backstory as much as expected, and while the Maquis would feature occasionally in standalones ('Extreme Risk,' 'Repression'), later in that series, this was really the last arc for the organisation before it was wiped out by the unstoppable Dominion. One piece of news that I don't think had been revealed before was Michael Eddington's status as a leader of the band. Before, he was just a traitor who'd abandoned Starfleet, but it's clear this infiltration of the ranks was always the plan until maximum use could be made of him. That the Maquis were willing to send their equivalent of 'top brass' into the field shouldn't be a surprise for a guerilla unit made up of the disaffected, but it puts the man in perspective.

Eddington is shown quite differently than he had been before - loosed from his confining Starfleet uniform he looks like a swashbuckler in boots, leather jacket and sporting a chunky Klingon disruptor. Is this the real Michael Eddington, so far from the buttoned up regulations man of security? He is the most interesting part of this episode, though in reality he's only there to test Sisko and goad him, and only in a way that would bother the Captain - he can't be caught, he's one step ahead, but as Sisko works out, he does see himself as the hero of the story, presenting a way, a rather unorthodox way, to be sure, of dealing with him: become the villain. This is probably the first time Sisko's done something really inappropriate on a large scale, laying the ground for his complicity in Garak's scheme of 'In The Pale Moonlight' in Season 6. He's not responsible for killing a planet of people, but he does make it uninhabitable, and that's something you wouldn't normally expect from a Starfleet officer.

There are parallels with Picard and his dealings with the Borg. Both Captains have a personal vendetta against their opponent, and both are wisely thrown off the course of revenge by a Starfleet authority that understands how a Captain can go bad when faced with personal enmity. But usually Captains defeat their foe without resorting to underhand tactics, or at least are proved right in their decisions. I think, even though Sisko was apparently going beyond his duty in capturing Eddington, he wouldn't have allowed personal feelings to take precedence over his crew's safety, perhaps unlike Janeway in some of her trials when she's been up against the Borg, or Kirk's battle with Khan. Then again, Kirk usually got away with a bluff and didn't have to follow through with the action, whereas Sisko is more bullish and belligerent as we see when he's taking out his stresses on a holographic punchbag.

I noticed that Sisko is out of uniform a lot more than most episodes. First, when he's trying to meet the Maquis informant who has news of Eddington's whereabouts, he's dressed very much like the pirate captain of his Mirror Universe self: boots, jacket, casual, dark clothes. Then we see him going around in his boxing gear. But when it matters, he is wearing the Starfleet uniform of the title, he stands for what he always has, but he does push the boundary further than is comfortable in his obsession in getting the man who beat him. You'd think that Odo would be feeling the same way about Eddington, since they worked together for so long, but the difference is that Odo never really liked him, he being a manifestation of Starfleet's distrust of the changeling. The most we see from the calm changeling (back to his shapeshifting status now, of course), is to ask Sisko to remind Starfleet they chose Eddington because they didn't trust him!

One of things that makes this episode feel like a lesser one compared to the very high standards of this season, is that there isn't a satisfying ending. They bring Eddington in, Dax makes a joke about sometimes liking it when the bad guy wins, and that's it. I think there was a conversation or at the least, a look in the eyes of Sisko, that was missing, to show that he wasn't happy with how far he'd been pushed, that maybe he regrets what he did to some degree. It was too lighthearted for a serious story. There could even have been a dressing down scene where Starfleet basically says that the only reason they're not taking any action against him is because he was successful (a bit like 'Trials and Tribble-ations') - if you get the results, that will supersede the means you used, and Sisko succeeded. I don't think that's a good message to be giving, even if it was a more realistic one than Kirk always getting away with a bluff, for example.

The other thing that hurts the episode is the directing. I don't usually focus on the technical side of things unless to praise, and it's not like this was a terrible episode, it was just very functional and didn't ramp up the tension that should have been there. There are some brilliant and unique moments in the story, such as the manual operation of the Defiant with the crew all speaking their actions as they do them, the bridge and engineering kept in contact by Nog's turn on the comm, and everyone working like a well-oiled machine. That was the only way the Defiant could go up against the Maquis and there be any suggestion that it wouldn't be faster, stronger and more manoeuvrable (after the initial cascade program disables the ship - a scary thought not carried through thoroughly enough was Eddington's programs left inside the ship and DS9 from his time in a position of power). But, even when the odds are evened out, so that going up against the Maquis becomes a challenge, there still isn't the wholly satisfying impression of two minds battling it out. A lot of it is in the writing, but if it had been directed either more fluidly or more jarringly, it could have left the audience on edge.

The situation would have been assisted if this had been the result of plot threads in other episodes of the season. We hear for the first time that Sisko's been on the hunt for his nemesis for eight months, and presumably Odo's had ongoing investigations, but it was never mentioned before. I'm glad that they addressed the Maquis, they hadn't been forgotten, but if there had been a buildup to this moment (maybe an undercover episode like O'Brien's 'Honour Among Thieves'), the stakes could have been impressed upon us more. We needed to see more of the Maquis, and budgets don't always allow - if we'd seen a village of people rushing to their transports as a cloud fills the sky… But then Sisko would have looked a lot worse, so maybe it was better to leave it vague. He was definitely angry, though, and he needed Dax' wisdom more than ever. Fortunately she was there to provide it, and their conversations are among the highlights, along with Eddington's speeches, of course. The man thinks he knows him, never suspecting that when pushed, Sisko can go to extremes to get a job done. He plays Eddington's game, and that isn't what he was expecting. There's a bit of a Joker or Green Goblin feel to the choices they give: Eddington disables a Cardassian transport and sends it spiralling into a planet, so Sisko has to decide whether to save them or get his quarry. Then when Sisko threatens to blow up every Maquis settlement in the DMZ - so they're both being villainous, though both on the side of right as they see it.

For those that are drawn more to the technology than anything else, this episode is a joy, a proper starship showcase. We get good shots of the Defiant, Maquis raiders, and even the USS Malinche, which I didn't expect to see. If it had been a 'TNG' episode we might not have been shown an extraneous starship like that as they were more fond of telling than showing on that series, and actually this does feel more like a standard 'TNG' episode on the whole, maybe because it was ship-based, and we don't see a lot of that on 'DS9.' Captain Sanders of the Malinche was well played by Eric Pierpoint, one of those regular names to crop up in Trek guest roles (having previously played an ambassador in the final season of 'TNG,' in the episode 'Liaisons'), and the character was perfectly likeable despite never having been seen before - he had an easy attitude that also betrayed the strong will a commander of a starship should possess, and though I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a shame they didn't bring him back as a recurring character, I could have seen him popping up to give Sisko support now and again.

Another thing that appears in this episode and pretty much died out, was the holo-communicator. It was a good extrapolation of technology, but it worked too well, making the user appear to actually be there. There needed to be a ripple of static now and again as the signal encountered subspace interference, or whatever, and when Eddington throws out his arms, it would have been nice to see the hands disappear as if beyond the borders of the holo-emitter, though that would have been a distraction from what he was saying, so I can see why they decided to stick with the simpler viewscreen technology after this. It shows that now and again they were trying to be different and introduce fresh-blooded ideas to a familiar universe, even this far into the golden years of the 90s! Something that wouldn't have been possible in that decade, but is now very real, is the way Eddington transmits a book to Sisko's padd. It's what people can do easily now, downloading books from the internet, sharing them with friends and reading them on the equivalent of a padd - the Kindle even looks a bit like that handheld variant of the Starfleet technology!

I have to mention the first ever audio of a Breen speaking, or I should say, singing. When the Breen first appeared in Season 4's 'Indiscretion,' they remained silent, so it was great fun to hear a Breen nursery rhyme, and it actually sounds more pleasant than the harsh speaking voices they use later in the series, showing even the Breen have a loveable side, it seems! Speaking of music, there was some good work done, particularly the 'all pulling together' type of theme as the Defiant leaves the station, as well as some moodier, slightly scary stuff during Sisko's ultimatum. I'm relieved Eddington did get a proper sendoff later in the season, as this would have been a bit of a limp way to end his arc, and who knows, maybe they left the story feeling unresolved on purpose because they planned to revisit Sisko's feelings towards his former security chief?

***

The Begotten

DVD, DS9 S5 (The Begotten)

I feel sorry for Shakaar. Maybe it was Kira's fault, but whenever she had a Bajoran boyfriend he ended up gutted, his personality torn out, not the man he was before he met Kira. Okay, it was only Bareil (who ended up as a robot vegetable and then died), and Shakaar, but there are parallels in how both were treated. I think the writers' reasoning for getting rid of Bareil was because they didn't want a force for good in the ruling areas of Bajor (the Vedek Assembly and the Chamber of Ministers) as it would make things too smooth (this was before the Dominion had blossomed into quadrant-dominating war mode). But the same season they knocked off Vedek Bareil they brought in a new potential positive influence to counter Kai Winn: Shakaar. He'd been heard of before, since he was the leader of Kira's resistance cell in the days of the Occupation of Bajor, and he came across as a strong, powerful leader with great presence, gravelly-voiced farmer that he was. When they brought him back in Season 4 ('Crossfire'), he had become a much different person, adjusting to the discomfort of smart clothes, formal duties and the adoration of the people - he'd become First Minister. The differences in that story weren't as evident because it was all about Odo and his perspective of being shut out of Kira and Shakaar's private lives, while simultaneously having to be part of it so he could protect the man. This time Shakaar's back, but he's a shadow of the man he was.

It's not that Duncan Regehr forgot how to play the character, at least, I don't think that's it. It's more the way he was written as a comic foil, or a double-act with Chief O'Brien of all people! He isn't shown the same respect as a person as he had before, his arrival not trumpeted or shown to be prepared for, and he only seems to get about one guard who stays surreptitiously out of the way most of the time, all diminishing his veneer of importance. I think the character fell by the wayside (in terms of actual appearances - he was often being mentioned by Kira), because of the way Bajor's portrayal had changed. No longer was it always about political upheaval and disagreements, and things seemed to have settled down. Even Kai Winn had come to realise Sisko was the Emissary this season, so what did they need with an adversary to her in the government? So Shakaar had become a sort of lame duck, a figurehead, not important except to Kira, and even then she was finding more in common with Odo at this time. It's not that I don't enjoy all the scolding of a leader of his planet by the nurse, and it's all supposed to be a bit funny, him being apologetic for being late, then getting in a bit of jealous rivalry between him and O'Brien (perhaps going back to O'Brien's embarrassing episode earlier in the season with Kira, or maybe just the fact that she'd become part of his family during the pregnancy). But it didn't do to bring Shakaar down so much and that's probably a big reason why this was his last visit to the series.

Another character who made his last visit was another one that made a huge impact in his first. Fortunately, James Sloyan came back just as cantankerously joyous as in his previous appearance, way back in Season 2's 'The Alternate.' I always liked Shakaar, he was a really good guy, but I loved Dr. Mora Pol for his attitude, for the way he made Odo feel like a child, and in the way he could get reactions out of Odo that we'd never normally see. It's very sad that this marked Sloyan's last role, not just as Mora, but in general on Trek, since he was one of the best guest stars they ever had, right up there with Jeffrey Combs and Tony Todd (among others that immediately spring to mind), for actors I would have loved to see as main cast members in a Trek series, they were that good. Mora's passionate interest in Odo and science make him a fascinating person to listen to, and Sloyan's inimitably rasping, enunciated voice is as powerful as ever, just as it was when he portrayed Neelix' nightmare, another scientist, Mabor Jetrel, or the Romulan defector in 'TNG.' I wish he'd been on 'Enterprise,' but by then they'd largely dropped standards of familiar Trek guest stars.

The fascination lies in many facets of the interactions between him and Odo, but at its most basic level we're learning about the Changeling's past and childhood. It's a good development that Mora, being an acknowledged authority on Changeling physiology, would have been signed him up by Starfleet to help them against the threat. Convenient that he happened to be back on Bajor from Earth, visiting his parents (how old must they be!?), so he could assist Odo, but this is the first we've heard of him being away from Bajor, and it certainly makes sense as a reason for not showing him on the station since Season 2. One of my regrets for the series is that they didn't bring him back more, especially after this story ends with an understanding between Odo and his surrogate Father, Odo having gone through the same experiences so they have something in common. Before, it had all been about Odo's feelings and how he was 'mistreated,' but here we get a more balanced view showing how Odo needed to be poked and prodded, slapped down in order to learn the skills necessary to grow. This is an issue nowadays, and even Mora's biblical quotation of 'spare the rod, spoil the child,' is something that society could learn from today.

Both sides of nurturing are shown, and together they produce the best results in this case. Just talking to the baby Changeling didn't force it to become more than it was and find its potential, but it made an attachment to Odo because of that, and once Mora's more scientific, less naturalistic methods come into play it gives them better progress. The scene where they have a heated argument over the best way to motivate the goo baby, ended so perfectly with Sisko appearing at just the wrong moment to witness their outbursts and give them the motivation to work together or Starfleet would take over the project! So begins a wonderful collaboration of kindness and discipline that melds together to get results quicker than expected and brings Odo out of his shell, opening his eyes to see what Mora saw in him.

We understand how dear Odo's people are to him when even a hint of having the chance to speak with one and teach it what he knows makes Odo almost oblivious to all else, whether it be Quark contracting him to payment, or Bashir informing him of Kira going into labour, his two closest friends become like shadows in the light of such a discovery. The one hundred infants sent out to explore for The Founders and one day return, bringing the knowledge of the galaxy with them, was always a poetic and wonderful legend, introduced when Odo first meets his people at the beginning of Season 3 ('The Search'), but rarely touched upon. Apart from one other, later in the series, I believe this was the only infant Changeling we ever saw or heard of, but that's not surprising as it would take decades and decades, perhaps centuries for them to have travelled into the Alpha Quadrant - the only reason Odo ended up here was thanks to the Wormhole. Most likely many of them died from falling into stars or impacting other spatial bodies, or being found and killed by other species. The odds were against them surviving, which is why Odo is so special as the first to return home, a fact in the Alpha Quadrant's favour in the eyes of the Founders, you'd think!

Even though he's been judged, sentenced and ostracised by his people you can still sense the strong and natural attachment he has for his own kind. Whereas the Jem'Hadar child in 'The Abandoned' was an opportunity for him to undo some of the wrongs of his people by trying to train the boy in a moral way, this encounter with a child version of himself seems to be more about personal connection with one of his own. I don't think he would have even considered trying to work to improve his people's ways at this stage of the series. But the truly wonderful thing is that the baby Changeling leaves a parting gift, mysteriously absorbing itself into Odo and miraculously restoring his former shapeshifting nature, allowing him to soar like a Tarkalean Hawk looking for Tarkalean Tea - how many times have we seen Odo launch into flight, or even talk about it? And here we see him fly to the Promenade's upper level, with even the detail of his uniform being discarded like a butterfly's cocoon, expressing new life, because of course, once he became a solid he had to wear real, itchy material, and as a shapeshifter his clothing was part of him. There could have been a suspicion that the whole thing was a setup by the Founders, but it didn't turn out that way and the music heralds the tone of the episode, not even getting sinister when Quark's walking alone through his bar and hears a noise!

Looking back on the arc of Odo's time as a solid I find myself wondering if the writers could have accomplished more from it. Usually they were so good at squeezing out every nutritious drop from their characters, but it felt like there was less introspection or consequences with this strand than usual. Take the other arc, Kira's surrogacy for the O'Briens, as example: both story lines started within the last two episodes of Season 4, and both are fulfilled (beautifully), in this one, but Kira's experience culminated in a story where her 'disability' of having a pregnancy and needing to be mindful of the little life form (lifeforms… you tiny little lifeforms… where are you…) inside her, forcing her to struggle in a time of hardship when her friends and colleagues are being killed off until she can no longer hold back from hunting down the culprit. It could be said that 'The Ascent' was the closest equivalent for Odo, but that was more of a convenience for the story that he couldn't fly to the mountain and save them easily. I would say that I think Odo learned a lot from his experiences as a solid - to be a thing is to know a thing, as the Female Changeling once told him, and in this case it was true.

He learned what it was to be hungry or tired, to enjoy the pleasures of a body as well as its pitfalls, but it rarely made a huge impact to the story, unlike Data or the EMH learning similar human traits. Which is why it could be seen as a little too soon to return him to his origins, although, as I say, he's become a slightly different person because of it. He still prefers solitariness, and his disposition, as discussed between him and Mora, hasn't vastly improved, but he can be more empathetic to the trials of the humanoid life, and maybe let go a little more. Even so, it's a poignant ending as he and Kira find common ground in both losing a child. The difference is Kira lost one bringing it out of herself into new life, and Odo lost it inside himself, dying. Both have felt the deep loss of a child that wasn't theirs and both have the opportunity to be rewarded by it: Odo already, with the gift of his abilities returned, and Kira with a closeness to the O'Brien family that didn't exist before, so she can still see the baby and watch it grow up.

Keiko's another character that we don't see enough of, and it's hard to comprehend that she'd only come back for two more episodes in the entire run! I would have liked a return to the O'Brien family life so prevalent in the first couple of seasons, but the realities of filming with babies and infants made it a less likely proposition, especially as Rosalind Chao was committed to another TV series at the time. There's very little wrong with Season 5, and I can hardly say this was a mistake, but it would have been superb to get the family feeling back. Not to say there wasn't that feeling anyway. It was back in 'Nor The Battle To The Strong' that Odo expressed doubts at the joys of parenthood, and Sisko responded that he didn't know what he was missing. At least now he does know.

Among the larger developments that came out in the episode, there are some smaller details worth remembering. For instance, it was fun to hear that Worf has started up his exercise classes again that he used to teach on the Enterprise. His only scene was also amusing, the way he looks down at his own drink in slight suspicion that it could be a Changeling. Actually that's quite a chilling thought: if the Founders can be anything and squeeze into any gap or crevice imagine the nightmarish possibilities of the damage they could do inside you! Such horrors would be beyond Trek's family purview, but I wouldn't be surprised if one day, should Trek survive and bring back a shapeshifting race that such a terrible tactic would be likely. Odo really shouldn't have put the little blob in a glass with a handle, as anyone could have come along and drunk it! Another point to question is the Yridian trader who sold the Changeling to Quark - I didn't catch if they mentioned where he found it, but it's reasonable to assume it was in the Gamma Quadrant, and if trade ships are going there at the moment then it shows how the Dominion have lulled our side into a false sense of security. The quiet before the storm later in the season.

If the Yridian had known what he had I'm not sure he would have been so quick to get rid of it, so perhaps it was just Quark that realised it was one of Odo's kind. Or it could have been an act of kindness to Odo after he'd been through so much that Quark paid whatever price was asked then took it straight to the Constable. It's surprising that Quark's not been shown to be neck-deep in illegal transactions and plots while Odo was a solid, but I suppose they went away somewhat from his tricks in this half of the series. But he's shown to be even less well informed about station business than usual when he doesn't know how Odo's been doing with the Changeling. Maybe Quark thought it wasn't profitable information, or maybe he really was neck-deep in scams and didn't have time for seemingly innocuous science experiments, but now that Odo's back to full strength he'll be kicking himself. At the same time, he's fond of Odo, and probably feels gratified that he was the one responsible for being the catalyst that restored Odo's powers.

A TV episode about a man in a rubber mask talking to a blob of jelly could have been a disastrous, laughable, ridiculous and easily mocked indictment against science fiction, an argument for why it doesn't work. Instead, with deep themes of childhood and parenthood, the loss of a child, the understanding achieved in later life, this is one of the best episodes of the series. It's mainly thanks to Rene Auberjonois who makes us believe in this blob of goo so much that it affects the viewer and creates an unmissable story, even more interesting for its place in the wider context of the series and what this means for the denizens of Deep Space Nine. Many of the details about Odo's childhood went on to become a part of the Terok Nor book series, one of the better Trek novel ideas to be released. For highs and lows it doesn't get much better than this episode.

*****

Retrogaming Review of The Year 2012

Retrogaming Review of The Year 2012

This year I've had less time for gaming than ever before, so it's no surprise that I haven't dabbled much. I didn't get near following my own suggestions for what to play in last year's Retrogaming Review, but I certainly haven't lost interest - it's just a question of time, more than effort. The few games I did play were a mixed bag and while I dipped back into the classics for odd days here and there, it was a year for doing other things… This time round the ratings do reflect the games as a whole, not just the enjoyment level I got out of them.


January - October: Age of Empires II (2001, MacBook Pro/Powerbook) - On my gaming agenda at the end of last year, two 'Age of Empires' games were front and centre, this being one of them. Having got it to work on my MacBook Pro I was looking forward to going through some of the old campaigns on the hardest difficulty level. Well, I never did play a single campaign, but that's not to say I didn't get some enjoyment out of it. I probably had more multiplayer sessions than single, so for odd days in January, April, August and October I had some middling fun with it, though a problem cropped up with the quality of the AI: either it was too easy to beat computer players (on Standard difficulty), or it was almost impossible (on Moderate), meaning one or both of the human players would be wiped out, or the computer would pretty much give in, reducing it to a battle between humans. This could lead to one of the humans becoming bored and giving up in either eventuality, so the hour or two of setup was somewhat wasted. Even so, little can beat one of these multiplayer games when things are going well, so I'd still rate it highly. *****

January - April: BoXiKoN (2003, Macbook Pro) - The puzzle game was back on the list again, sporadically played in the early months of the year, but never seriously, as I'm unlikely to ever beat my high score (1301, reaching Level 7), at least not on this trial version which I never got around to upgrading. I'd still like to play the full version, but as I said, this was a year of declining games-playing time. Still good fun, though. ***

January - February: Dakar 2 (2003, GameCube) - My first 'proper' game of the year (read: newly bought), and one which I reviewed on this very blog. I like to begin the year with a new racing game, and this filled the spot, provided a challenge and made for a suitable accompaniment to podcast listening. Hardly one I'd recommend, but seeing as few racers made it onto the system, you soon come to the end of your options. **

January - December: UFO: Enemy Unknown (1993, Amiga 1200) - My previous retrogaming review had me wondering if my monitor would fail, and while it's still going, it needs adjustment every time you put a disk in the drive, as that wiggles the pins at the back slightly and messes up the colours. As long as I'm careful I still have some life left in the old screen and I'll keep plugging away at this old faithful. 2012 saw the release of a new version of the title, but you can't beat the tight, pleasing, visual style and basic sound effects/music of the original. I think it was 2005 I began this particular mission, so it's been seven years in the playing. I could have reached Cydonia years back, but I wanted to see how far I could push game time and money - in 2011 I discovered it could only take so much, and getting funds over 2 billion, 100 thousand dollars turned it into a minus number. So now I just play to see how far in time I can get (the end of 2006 so far, so I'm now in realtime for when I started playing the mission!). The latest glitch is that some of my best Psionic soldiers have suddenly lost their powers and reverted to incredibly low Psionic Skill/Strength, an asset I depend on most of the time, so I need to be careful in future to have enough Psionically competent trainees or I'll be in trouble… ***

January - March: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993, Game Boy) - It had been a while since I last bought an original Game Boy game (or even games for any other iteration of the machine), but for some reason, being on the lookout for Trek games I discovered this one on eBay and made the purchase. The first copy I received didn't work on my SP, Game Boy Advance or even the original, but I won another copy the following month and finally got down to playing it. Another game I reviewed on this blog, so I won't go on about it, but it was functional, while not being anything special in today's world, and still had the power to surprise: when a Borg ship showed up and I had to battle it, it was the equivalent of having the Death Star suddenly appear in a 'Star Wars' game, and was quite a shock. A rank structure informed you of your progression, but after reaching Captain, missions just seemed to come unceasingly, without any idea whether Admiral was possible to achieve. So I considered it complete once I'd beaten the Borg, as playing on without a clear idea if there was a definite end became tiresome after a while. **

March - September: Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties (2008, MacBook Pro) - While I'd have to award this the least enjoyable 'Age of Empires' crown, I resolved to finish it, after beginning it back in 2011 and never going back, and as most games do (that aren't broken or mind-numbingly boring), it grew on me, so I can say I did get some enjoyment out of it, but I won't be reminiscing in ten years time about the evenings I spent beating the three 'Asian Dynasties' campaigns, it was just a relief to have reached completion. **

May - December: Burnout 2 (2003, GameCube) - This old 'Cube game is one of the most exhilarating racers ever, and certainly the best serious car game on the system. As a one-player experience it's a reasonable challenge, but get a two-player game going and it's one to come back to many times, as it was again in 2012, on days here and there - I remember one Bank Holiday afternoon in June especially fondly... ****

September - December: X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005, GameCube) - The only other 'new' game I started, this was one of a bundle a friend of mine gave me back in 2009, most of which I've worked through to some degree, but I'd had a few still to play. Having completed and enjoyed the first 'X-Men Legends,' back in 2010, I'd long planned to dig into the sequel, but never got around to it, waiting for the 'right moment.' Of course that moment never came, so I made the time, and found it another acceptably diverting role-playing game where you control a team of four mutants, the action consisting mainly of smashing through your enemies and the scenery until you got to the end of a level. There was more to it than that, a proper story with voice actors and everything (including Patrick Stewart reprising his film role of Professor Charles Xavier!), but it was also annoyingly glitchy - not in a visual way you could dismiss, but in a game-crashing at certain points, way. Eventually, and after getting all the way to the Ancient Labyrinth (Normal difficulty), practically smelling the end, my save file crashed and refused to reload, so 24 and a half hours of play was wasted. I at first decided to abandon all attempts to finish the game, but over Christmas I restarted, aiming to rush through, quick as possible. For that reason I take off a star for what was otherwise a qualified entertainment. **


As you can tell, I really didn't spend a great deal of time on gaming in 2012, with few 'new' games started and finished, but there were a few other old favourites I went back to for a day here or there, such as 'Smugglers Run,' 'Conflict: Desert Storm II' and 'MarioKart: Double Dash'; 'Mario Tennis,' 'WWF Wrestlemania,' 'Diddy Kong Racing,' 'Snowboard Kids' and 'Goldeneye' in May, but only for multiplayer pleasure, not to get back into the main game. I even played 'Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike' and 'Spiderman 2' briefly in June just for the sake of playing something which I didn't have to start or continue. It was telling though, that in May, for the first time in thirteen years, when I first got my Nintendo 64, I packed it away permanently! It wasn't all that permanent after all, when I got it out for the Christmas period and had the pleasure of multiplayer gaming in the classics, 'MarioKart:DD,' 'Snowboard Kids,' 'WCW Vs. NWO' and 'MarioKart 64' once again. You can't keep a good classic down!


Next Year - Looking back at my agenda at the end of last year's retrogaming review I had mixed success: I did indeed finish 'Asian Dynasties,' but I didn't get into 'Age of Empires II.' I never slid the 'Advance Wars' cartridge into my Game Boy Advance SP, or loaded up 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' or 'Sonic Mega Collection,' but I did get far into 'X-Men Legends II.' I bought 'Dakar 2' and finished that, and I generally enjoyed the moments I did spare for gaming. With all this in mind I have more moderate goals for 2013:

- Clearly 'X-Men Legends II' must be completed.

- Obviously a new racing game must be found.

- Definitely have to find out if the new X-COM game of 'UFO: Enemy Unknown' will work on my MacBook.

- Other than that, I'd like to think I could spare some time for 'Age of Empires II' campaigns as I planned to last year, but I won't hold my breath.

- Buy the full version of 'BoXiKoN'?

Happy (belated) New Year!