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To me, Deep Space Nine is everything that Star Trek is supposed to be. It depicts a planet, Bajor,
recovering from oppression. It shows the Federation, an example to us all, aiding this newly-released
planet in its recovery. It teaches us responsibility (the station can't just warp off into the sunset,
leaving the Bajorans to deal with what they have left, the same way the Enterprise could). It shows
us the dangers of violence. It constantly battles racism and sexism as well as showing us people whose
lives we are genuinely interested in, so we don't just tune in to see the "alien of the week" but get a
glimpse into the lives of people we care about.
Mostly, though, it's just a darn good show.
"Duet"
This is quite probably the best episode ever. It deals with racism and Kira's own prejudice against the
"Cardies". It shows the efforts of one man trying to expose his government's lies and evil with no
thought
for himself. The episode is also very well written. The plot twists and turns unexpectedly a
number of times,
leaving you uncertain till the very end of the outcome. In this respect, it is
actually much like Wes Craven's
recent movie,"Scream", revealing itself in much the same way
and with the same amount of skill. Also, the last scene is probably
my favorite scene from any
movie or tv show ever.
"In the Hands of the Prophets"
This is a wonderful episode, full of issues of loyalty and politics, with Vedek Winn challenging Keiko to teach Bajoran religion in her school.
My only complaint is that Keiko here shows a strong religious bias - especially for a "superior" 24th Century human - and is apparently supported in this by Commander Sisko.
When Keiko was first given the job of schoolteacher, Sisko warned her that she would come across some touchy subjects as regards religion, due to the many races on the station. In particular, the Bajorans are very strong in their beliefs. Keiko agreed saying that she would "have to improvise" but that she was happy to accept this as a challenge.
By the time this episode rolls around, however, she has given up on this exalted notion and refuses to even acknowledge Bajoran beliefs and insists on teaching Federation "religion", ie science with no spirituality. When Winn complains, Keiko tells the children about Galileo's persecution, comparing herself to him to stir up sentiment for her side of the argument. The worst part is that Sisko supports her (although he doesn't say he agrees with her, just that he will back her up). Granted, Winn turns out to be doing this from selfish motives but still, her point was good. I still get mad at Keiko every time I see this.
It's a great episode though, and my personal feelings don't intrude upon my enjoyment of a well-written episode. Also, I know that we're all only human and I should forgive Keiko for her mistakes (I won't though).
"Cardassians"
This is a great episode mainly because it deals with exactly the same issue as The Next Generation's
"Suddenly Human" and in exactly the same way. While this is usually a bad thing, the repetition here has
a point: with a different resolution to the problem, DS9 shows us that there is no such thing as a magic
solution. Whereas NextGen spent a great deal of time teaching us how to handle certain situations and
the "correct" answer to all the problems they faced, DS9 spends the same amount of time showing us
that there is often no "right" or "wrong" solution to a problem and that we shouldn't expect there to be
one. It's not a pessimistic show - the problem is solved satisfactorily, but we see that even a
good solution isn't perfect. It is sometimes tough getting through certain difficulties, and this show
doesn't try to hide that. Like "The Abandoned" which showed us the situation in NextGen's "I, Borg"
but with an unfortunate twist at the end which revealed so much about the Jem'Hadar, this is a great
exposition, letting us see part-way into the minds of Cardassians, and Garak and Gul Dukat in particular,
and showing us how the mind of our new Commander works. A great episode.
"Past Tense" Pts 1 & 2
Unlike previous Star Trek time-travel stories, this episode did not take the crew into "our
time". Classic Trek did "Tomorrow is Yesterday", "Assignment: Earth" and "The Voyage Home",
NextGen did "Time's Arrow" and now Voyager has done "Future's Past". Most of these spent a good
deal of time and plot showing us the fun sight of our favorite Sci-fi heroes wandering around our
neighborhood, so to speak. While this is cute at first (STIV:TVH did this best, in my opinion) the
novelty wears off pretty quick. "Time's Arrow" is the only one that really avoids this by sending the
crew to the turn of the century (that is, early 1900s) but still spent a great amount of time showing
Data and others trying to fit in in a fairly familiar environment. While "Past Tense" does take our
heroes to a time near us (early 21st century) it's different enough to distance itself from us, and,
most importantly, it's not played at all for the humor of the situation. In fact, the 21st century is
a pretty humorless place. The situation is used as a social commentary (look what could happen if
we don't do something now) as was (partly) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home but also presents us with
hope for the future - something Star Trek is built on.
Also, the plot is very well thought up, the script is excellent, and the acting (even guest stars) is,
as usual, top-notch. Great Stuff.
"The Visitor"
This one also has to rank up there among the top few greatest hours of television ever.
The plot is no better than any other episode but it is the heart that separates this from less exceptional
hours. Tony Todd does a wonderful performance as the grown-up Jake (in a nice break from his Kurn
character) as he tells his story to the visitor of the title. The range of emotions is wide and Todd
handles these all very well bringing this story from the realm of science fiction to one more easily
accessible to everyone.
Avery Brooks must also get mention for his (as always) perfect portrayal of the station's commander.
Here, he is given more to do than just scowl.
"Trials and Tribble-ations"
Okay, this is a silly time-travel episode. But it's great! I personally think time-travel is over-used in Star Trek, but there wouldn't really be any other (good) way of doing this one so I don't mind.
While it's a bit thin in the plot area, the effects (used to blend new camera-work with original Trek footage) are seamless and make for a delightful episode.
Of course, seeing Dax in that uniform didn't hurt the show too much either...
More to come later....
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