DS9 season 2 Discs 5 and 6
Aug. 28th, 2016 04:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe Maquis parts 1 and 2, The Wire, Crossover, The Collaborator.
For me, these episodes got consecutively stronger and stronger.
The Maquis part 1
A whole new strand is introduced to the Star Trek universe in the Maquis, which means a whole new group of terrorists plotting on DS9 for Sisko to worry about and then he’s asked to do something about the wider problem in the ‘demilitarised’ zone. Also in the mix are a former friend of Sisko’s, a fellow widower, who is the Federation liaison with the former Federation colonists and Gul Dukat, who is offering himself as an ally in finding out what’s going on. Until the latter gets kidnapped.
Sisko and Dukat ‘hanging’ is the best thing about this episode. It does a good job of remembering that there would be a variety of views given everyone’s history with the Cardassians. There are some nice character details and a young Ignatio Suarez (or maybe he’s a descendant!) turns up.
The Maquis part 2
My problem with this episode was that I stayed up too late watching it, so I was battling sleep by the end.
Sisko rescues a needling Dukat and even allows him to join the inner circle of the senior crew conflab (!!!), finds a pragmatic way through things, but at the end of it all is (rightly) worried that he’s just delayed the inevitable conflict.
I both enjoyed Quark comparing making profit to logic in an attempt to sway a misguided Vulcan Maquis gun runner (to whom he was sexist in the previous episode) while thinking it demeaned the guest character.
Anyway, this was all quite complex, but not quite complex enough for a triple cross.
The Wire
Amusing though it is that this shares a title with that show (which it must have preceded) it’s not really a wire.
Anyway, we get to learn more about one of my favourite characters as Garak starts behaving oddly, Both Bashir’s professional pride as a doctor and his instincts as a healer are awoken. He’s also aware that he’s the closest thing to a friend that Garak has on the station, but Garak refuses treatment until he has a fit and Bashir learns that a malfunctioning implant Garak has grown dependent on is causing the problem.
Garak lies a lot, but Bashir is in healer mode, leading him to Garak’s old mentor, who helps because he wants Garak to die a long, slow death in exile for whatever it was he did that led to his exile. All we know is that Garak’s frst name is Elim and that he worked in the Obsidian Order (i.e. was a Cardassian spy).
I had quibbles about some of Bashir’s calls e.g. not letting anyone else monitor Garak in his quarters, however great a visual the time lapse scene is visually,not using restraints or calling for help more quickly as Garak failed about. I even found his lack of knowledge about Cardassian physiology dubious – I mean, come on, the Bajorans would have plenty of data - but the stuff about Cardassian literature was spot on.
Crossover
Or DS9 does the mirror universe. Kira and Bashir suffer a ‘plasma leak’ (!?) as they go through the wormhole which leads the to ‘another side’ i.e. the universe Kirk visited that time which is a bit like Terak Nor of days of yore. The Bajorans, Cardassians and Klingons have allied themselves, Terrans are their miserable slaves processing ore. The station is run by Intendant Kira, who likes to think of herself as the reasonable one (think Vamp!Willow more like). Garak is her deputy, continually trying to kill her. The others (bar Dax and Jake) are different people shaped by different circumstances, which the actors obviously enjoy playing, most of all Nana Visitor, playing opposite herself as Kira is horrified and increasingly desperate to get back, before her besotted darker self realises she really should kill them.
They went to town on the set design, it’s an even darker palette than normal and the shots are all asquiff to make the viewer feel off-balances. The two Primes get back, but presumably things have changed again in the Mirror Universe (I don’t remember, but surely they must revisit it.)
The Collaborator
That was good, but this is excellent. It’s Bajoran-centric, which means i also revolves around Kira (<3), the present, the past of Bajor’s occupation and the implications for the future. It did what I wanted and so much more.
Bajor is FINALLY on the verge of choosing a new Kai (did they take the American presidency as their model?). Winn is manoeuvring like mad to be the next Kai, even trying to suck up to Sisko. She thinks she may have found an advantage over Bareil when he’s accused of passing on information that led to an infamous massacre by the Cardassians. Sweetly, poisonously, Winn asks Kira to investigate the accusation against her lover. The circumstantial evidence piles up (what’s clever is that the weird and increasingly nightmarish visions Bareil is getting from the Prophets can be interpreted as damning him even more for the viewing audience that what Kira and Odo glean. And they are nightmarish, in one he’s snogging Winn.) Fierce, smart Kira figures out what really happened but by then it’s too late, Winn is Kai (which the Prophets obviously wanted, the nutjobs.)
I loved that Kai Opaka returned as a player – I always felt they got rid of her too quickly and easily. It’s a clever, complex episode with emotional heft in that things have been good between Bareil and Kira and she’s anguished at being made to suspect him of betraying their people. Best of all, there’s Odo’s reaction to Kira’s declaration of love for Bareil where he gives so much away (for the first time! I squeed, because although I like Kira and her Hot Vedek very much, we haven’t seen them work side by side much, and stoic pining from someone who denies they have feelings? HELLO.)
And the events of the episode ultimately matter: ambitious, hypocritical Winn is nominally in charge of Bajor’s spiritual future and a big player for Sisko to have to deal with now. As Bareil acknowledges, she doesn’t have a clue what’s coming – only the prophets do. And Winn was so multifaceted in this episode, she was mostly reasonable in her treatment of Kira, except where the maks slipped and she was vicious.
MORE LIKE THIS, SHOW.
For me, these episodes got consecutively stronger and stronger.
The Maquis part 1
A whole new strand is introduced to the Star Trek universe in the Maquis, which means a whole new group of terrorists plotting on DS9 for Sisko to worry about and then he’s asked to do something about the wider problem in the ‘demilitarised’ zone. Also in the mix are a former friend of Sisko’s, a fellow widower, who is the Federation liaison with the former Federation colonists and Gul Dukat, who is offering himself as an ally in finding out what’s going on. Until the latter gets kidnapped.
Sisko and Dukat ‘hanging’ is the best thing about this episode. It does a good job of remembering that there would be a variety of views given everyone’s history with the Cardassians. There are some nice character details and a young Ignatio Suarez (or maybe he’s a descendant!) turns up.
The Maquis part 2
My problem with this episode was that I stayed up too late watching it, so I was battling sleep by the end.
Sisko rescues a needling Dukat and even allows him to join the inner circle of the senior crew conflab (!!!), finds a pragmatic way through things, but at the end of it all is (rightly) worried that he’s just delayed the inevitable conflict.
I both enjoyed Quark comparing making profit to logic in an attempt to sway a misguided Vulcan Maquis gun runner (to whom he was sexist in the previous episode) while thinking it demeaned the guest character.
Anyway, this was all quite complex, but not quite complex enough for a triple cross.
The Wire
Amusing though it is that this shares a title with that show (which it must have preceded) it’s not really a wire.
Anyway, we get to learn more about one of my favourite characters as Garak starts behaving oddly, Both Bashir’s professional pride as a doctor and his instincts as a healer are awoken. He’s also aware that he’s the closest thing to a friend that Garak has on the station, but Garak refuses treatment until he has a fit and Bashir learns that a malfunctioning implant Garak has grown dependent on is causing the problem.
Garak lies a lot, but Bashir is in healer mode, leading him to Garak’s old mentor, who helps because he wants Garak to die a long, slow death in exile for whatever it was he did that led to his exile. All we know is that Garak’s frst name is Elim and that he worked in the Obsidian Order (i.e. was a Cardassian spy).
I had quibbles about some of Bashir’s calls e.g. not letting anyone else monitor Garak in his quarters, however great a visual the time lapse scene is visually,not using restraints or calling for help more quickly as Garak failed about. I even found his lack of knowledge about Cardassian physiology dubious – I mean, come on, the Bajorans would have plenty of data - but the stuff about Cardassian literature was spot on.
Crossover
Or DS9 does the mirror universe. Kira and Bashir suffer a ‘plasma leak’ (!?) as they go through the wormhole which leads the to ‘another side’ i.e. the universe Kirk visited that time which is a bit like Terak Nor of days of yore. The Bajorans, Cardassians and Klingons have allied themselves, Terrans are their miserable slaves processing ore. The station is run by Intendant Kira, who likes to think of herself as the reasonable one (think Vamp!Willow more like). Garak is her deputy, continually trying to kill her. The others (bar Dax and Jake) are different people shaped by different circumstances, which the actors obviously enjoy playing, most of all Nana Visitor, playing opposite herself as Kira is horrified and increasingly desperate to get back, before her besotted darker self realises she really should kill them.
They went to town on the set design, it’s an even darker palette than normal and the shots are all asquiff to make the viewer feel off-balances. The two Primes get back, but presumably things have changed again in the Mirror Universe (I don’t remember, but surely they must revisit it.)
The Collaborator
That was good, but this is excellent. It’s Bajoran-centric, which means i also revolves around Kira (<3), the present, the past of Bajor’s occupation and the implications for the future. It did what I wanted and so much more.
Bajor is FINALLY on the verge of choosing a new Kai (did they take the American presidency as their model?). Winn is manoeuvring like mad to be the next Kai, even trying to suck up to Sisko. She thinks she may have found an advantage over Bareil when he’s accused of passing on information that led to an infamous massacre by the Cardassians. Sweetly, poisonously, Winn asks Kira to investigate the accusation against her lover. The circumstantial evidence piles up (what’s clever is that the weird and increasingly nightmarish visions Bareil is getting from the Prophets can be interpreted as damning him even more for the viewing audience that what Kira and Odo glean. And they are nightmarish, in one he’s snogging Winn.) Fierce, smart Kira figures out what really happened but by then it’s too late, Winn is Kai (which the Prophets obviously wanted, the nutjobs.)
I loved that Kai Opaka returned as a player – I always felt they got rid of her too quickly and easily. It’s a clever, complex episode with emotional heft in that things have been good between Bareil and Kira and she’s anguished at being made to suspect him of betraying their people. Best of all, there’s Odo’s reaction to Kira’s declaration of love for Bareil where he gives so much away (for the first time! I squeed, because although I like Kira and her Hot Vedek very much, we haven’t seen them work side by side much, and stoic pining from someone who denies they have feelings? HELLO.)
And the events of the episode ultimately matter: ambitious, hypocritical Winn is nominally in charge of Bajor’s spiritual future and a big player for Sisko to have to deal with now. As Bareil acknowledges, she doesn’t have a clue what’s coming – only the prophets do. And Winn was so multifaceted in this episode, she was mostly reasonable in her treatment of Kira, except where the maks slipped and she was vicious.
MORE LIKE THIS, SHOW.
