Before I say anything, let me warn the people who have not seen the Final Chapter to stop reading right now and go elsewhere. Contained in this page are the events which took place in the series finale. I've always personally hated being told ahead of time what is going to happen, so be forewarned about possible spoilers.
I'm heart-broken and grieving at the state of things on Cardassia Prime. With a death toll of 800 million and mounting, a planet lying in ruins, and Damar, leader of the resistance, dead, Garak is rightly distraught over the loss of the proud Cardassian civilization he knew. "Cardassia will survive. But it won't be the Cardassia I knew," he observed with a profound sense of loss.
I mourn with him. I mourn the lives lost in the war. I mourn the unimaginable casualties on Cardassia. Most of all, I mourn the loss of Legate Damar, the martyr who paid the ultimate price to end the war and free his people. His courage moved the people to rise up and rebel against the Dominion. His actions played a heavy role in ending the bloody war. Yet, though I know that he wanted nothing more than the freedom of Cardassia, I can't help but wonder whether he could have done more if he survived. Cardassia would have had a hero and a leader tempered by war and loss to helm its recovery. The Legate would have integrated Cardassia into the Alpha Quadrant without compromising Cardassian interests. The land devastated by death and destruction could have had a beacon of light to lead its future. All the could-haves and should-haves doesn't dispel the cold truth that he is dead. Dead because he rushed full into a barrage of Jem'Hadar disruptors.
And no one made the slightest mention of either him or Garak, or the possibly billions of Cardassian casualties in the final hour. The Final Chapter was so rushed, so painful, so bittersweet in conclusion that I wish I could close my eyes and block out the unnecessary waste of lives, the loss of so many compelling characters, the separation of the crew I had come to love. I am glad the resolution of Odo and Kira's romance as well as Julian/Ezri turned out the way they did. Kira needed to move on, despite her deep love for Odo. Julian and Ezri share the happiest aspect of the end. I ache for Gul Dukat's demise. For all his faults, I would never have thrown him into the role of Demon and cast him off in the fire caves. I grieve the wretched handling of the various civilizations. What of Garak? Will he be a part of the rebuilding of Cardassia? Who will lead the broken Union? How fare the Romulans? How has Kai Winn's betrayal affected Bajor? These questions may never be answered, though they should be.
I had stated before that I took great pleasure in seeing the richness of the various cultures developed in Deep Space Nine. From the lush gardens of Bajor to the militaristic rooms on Cardassia Prime to the bloody festivals on Qo'noS, Deep Space Nine has done a great deal to fill in details about the cultures outside of the Federation itself. Instead of being bound to a ship and her crew, the star of Deep Space Nine was the whole spectrum of characters and interactions between them. So I grieve the deplorable way the Final Chapter left off with concern to some major civilizations. Why punish Cardassia so severely? Why did Dukat and Damar have to share such irreversible sentences of death? Dukat probably is in eternal hell, which can only be interpreted as his penance for having begun the Dominion war in the first place.
Every character had his or her moment in the show, which made it much more hectic than I liked. Here's a list of my reaction to the characters:
Julian and Ezri Having Julian and Ezri start the show in bed and remarking on the extent of Trill patterns didn't go well with me. I am very fond of Julian, but I never understood exactly what he saw in Ezri.
Julian and O'Brien Julian and the Chief are great pals and their separation saddens me. Taking a job as a professor at the Academy just didn't sound like the hands-on O'Brien, though I guess Keiko, Molly, and the boy were important considerations in his final decision. The montage after O'Brien picked up a lone Alamo model soldier from the carpet made me smile. Every moment that the wordless images depicted came from classic Bashir/O'Brien episodes. I'll dearly miss their comfortable and comforting friendship. One just felt so right watching them down a drink or two at Quark's.
Julian and Garak Julian's face when he learned of the catastrophic loss of life on Cardassia Prime showed plainly his sadness. "I'm sorry..." he began. But Garak, without a tear in his eyes or a tremor in his voice, spoke about how happy he was to finally be in exile no longer. Only, he returned to a ruined world overcast with the pall of too many deaths. His deep and emotionless grief was exposed only for a moment before he resumes chatting with the doctor, and the two agreed they hope to meet each other again.
Damar and Kira The relationship between Kira and Damar began back when Damar accompanied Dukat in the takeover of Deep Space Nine. Damar hated Kira for the Bajoran terrorist she was, but perhaps also because he knew of Dukat's unhealthy lust for her. When Kira nearly killed Damar once in retaliation for his rough treatment of Ziyal, that incident certainly didn't help mend fences. Then, a year and a half later, she was called to help teach Damar and his resistance cell terrorist tactics to utilize against the Dominion. Protesting strongly at first, she nonetheless steeled herself and offered her experience to the Cardassians as an advisor. When Damar, Kira, and Garak were stranded in the cellar of Mila and their lives in peril every second, Kira and Damar understood and looked past the antagonism they harbored to work for the greater good. In the end, the two became more than just associates. Damar credited the success of the resistance to Kira. "Without you, the resistance would have died in its infancy." Imagine any Cardassian, much less Legate Damar, saying that to a Bajoran woman known to have fought the Occupation firecely. Damar represented a new Cardassia, a Cardassia with far less prejudice against Bajorans or Federationers and more cooperative in matters within the Quadrant. I wish Kira had said something of equal meaning to Damar before his death, but she never did. Perhaps she did not know how to take it.
Worf and Martok General Martok, no, Chancellor Martok is still my favorite Klingon. His demeanor, the glint in his good eye, the ever ready 2309 bloodwine, and his upright sense of honor and duty all work in his favor. The General's good sense and military skills as well as his experience working closely with Federation and Romulan forces would make him a fine leader of the Klingon Empire. In contrast, Worf had very little to do or say in this episode except to congratulate Ezri on making it with Julian and to accept his new commission as Federation ambassador to Qo'noS. I feel for Worf. He truly has been underused in DS9. Not because the character is in any way inferior, but because there never arose a situation that none of the others had to depend on his skills. Worf's tactical uses became much less of an asset than when he was on the Enterprise. Sisko and Ross controlled the war campaigns, relegating Worf to sitting at a tactical station ... a job Nog could fill in any day. Worf's best moment might have been in the episode where he changed the fate of the Klingon Empire by killing Gowron and play kingmaker to Martok. In the Final Chapter, he wasn't much of a presence at all.
Weyoun and Female Founder Ok, I hate the Vorta jackal. I despise his ready smiles and false words of friendship. I find his cruelty despicable. But his devotion to the Founders is genuine, and that counts as something. His final moments protecting his Founder and the Dominion's interests gave his death meaning. It was also the last Weyoun clone, meaning future Weyouns are unlikely if not impossible. At the armistice signing on Deep Space Nine, the female Founder was accompanied by some Vortas I've never seen before. Weyoun won't be missed, but he was a successful character.
Sisko and the Sarah prophet When it was revealed Sisko is actually of Prophet origin, I began wondering about Jake and the unborn child ... are they made of Prophet material too? Will they ever see Sisko, now rejoined with Sarah, his Prophet mother, in the the Celestial Temple, again? Sarah could have done more than sound ethereal, though. She might have provided us with some idea of why they want Sisko with them if he "still has many tasks ahead of him"... And I just don't see Sisko letting go of his wife and kids without a mighty struggle, morally and emotionally. Sarah the Prophet seemed to have silenced his protests rather quickly.
Odo and Kira The two have been lovers since the end of the fifth season. I never believed in their romance, which seemed rather forced for a long time. But somehow, the sweet parting scene where Odo steps into the Link and vanishes as a ring of liquid substance moved me into believing in their love for that moment. Odo will share his unique knowledge of the solids to his kind and correct the view among his people that all solids are enemies who will conquer them if they are not conquered first. I'm glad Kira assumed Sisko's position, at least until another commanding officer is assigned to the station, though I think the Colonel is more than able to call the shots now.
Though the Final Chapter left a lot to be desired. It did address all the main issues of the Dominion war, Sisko and the Prophets, Damar and the Rebellion, and Dukat and Kai Winn. The deaths of so many long-term characters and nearly every single one of the adversaries seal off too many avenues, though. What will DS9 possibly be left now that the Dominion will not attack again for the forseeable future? How can future stories be told with a weak Cardassian Union, Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, and a spent Federation? It bodes ill for fans like me. But I still hope for the best. That is all I can do.
