DS9 Returning Adversaries PT 5: Gul Dukat, Kai Winn, and the Pah-Wraiths

One of the most awesome villains in all of Trek is the former overseer of the ore mines on Terok Nor from Cardassia Prime called Gul Dukat.

Dukat saw himself as the long suffering do-gooder who went out of his way to make the Bajoran slave laborers more appreciative of him. But what thanks did he get?

Always striving to be liked by one of his nemesis on the former Terok Nor (now Deep Space 9) named Kira Nerys, he more often than not missed his mark and just ended up pissing her off.

In a classic moment, Dukat boards DS9 with the good intentions of helping the crew stop an auto destruct sequence--but only in exchange for a permanent presence back on the station. Kira is having none of it. In "Civil Defense," he attempts to leave and return in time to shut off the lasers that are tearing through the station in order to give Kira enough time to change her mind.

There's just one hitch---his attempt to leave activates another part of the auto destruct. He's prevented from leaving and told by the automated voice recording that he's bound to stay on the station and die like a man rather than take off in an act of cowardliness.

After having regained a powerful position in the newly formed Cardassian government, he brokers a peace treaty with the Dominion in exchange for their protection and influence in the Alpha Quadrant.

He eventually goes insane after the death of his daughter and ends up on a spiritual quest to find a way to absolve himself of his resentment and self-pity by teaming up with a wormhole entity---the arch enemies of the prophets called the Pah-Wraiths. His primary goal is to destroy those ungrateful Bajorans once and for all!

Later, Dukat goes to a plastic surgeon to be made into a Bajoran. He then visits the egotistical and power hungry spiritual leader of Bajor, Kai Winn.

Winn, like Dukat, craves admiration and respect and will even sabotage her own people's best interest to get it. We learn early on that one way she does this is to use her influence on a devotee to get her to assassinate a rival for the position of Kai. This attempt fails but she is later nonetheless made Kai with the help of another power hungry politician named Jaro who himself is hellbent on taking over the government. Winn betrays him when the truth about their alliance is about to become public knowledge.

Winn and Dukat end up joining forces through the influence of the Pah-Wraiths. At first, Winn assumes Dukat, disguised as a Bajoran farmer, is sent by the prophets to usher in a new era for Bajor.

That's true, but not in the way she thinks. She freaks out when her aid reveals Dukat's true identity but Dukat uses his gift of persuasion to convince her the prophets have done nothing for her or for Bajor. The Pah-Wraiths will giver her the power she desires in exchange for her allegiance.

She takes the bait but meets her fate when the two ill-fated megalomaniacs conjure up the evil spirits in the fire caves. Winn's greatest adversary, Bajor's Emissary Ben Sisko, shows up to stop the fiery ghosts from burning Bajor to a crisp. Winn is eaten by the fire and Dukat, possessed by the Pahs, is consumed by fire after he and Sisko exchange fisticuffs and go sailing off the edge of a cliff.

The Pah-Wraiths are contained in their fiery prison in the caves.

DS9 Returning Adversaries PT 4: The Founders and the Jem'Hadar

We are first introduced to the Jem'Hadar in the episode of the same title in season #2.  We learn they are the puppet warriors for the Founders, the tyrannical race of beings who dominate the Gamma Quadrant.

The Founders, who we later learn in season #3, are Changelings and Constable Odo's long lost relatives. They use and breed this specialized army for the purposes of intimidation, killing, and expanding the Founders stranglehold on the hapless inhabitants of the quadrant.

The Jem'Hadar are not only bred with the characteristics of loyalty to the Founders, but are kept in line with a special drug called Ketracel White. It contains addictive properties and also acts as food.

The warriors are taught that victory is life, even if it means their death. They remind me a lot of the Klingons, with a warrior mentality and a sacred call to battle in the name of honor. The Federation was at their mercy only as far as the Founders were willing to take the war.

One in a while a band of Jem'Hadar would go rogue, as they did in "Hippocratic Oath." Their  leader demanded of a captured Dr Bashir to help them discover a way to rid them of their dependence on the White. That was not successful.

The Jem'Hadar are the creation of The Founders, Changelings who exist primarily in "the great link," as one liquefied unit. They can become individual units ("solids") and did so many times during their occupation of the Gamma Quadrant.

We meet them in "The Search," and their matriarch, when solid, explained to Odo that they became conquerors after thousands of years of being tormented and hunted by solids who feared them. They decided to strike back and become the biggest threat to the solids in the Gamma Quadrant.

Their leader eventually surrenders to the Federation after they are outmaneuvered and the great link is suffering from a deadly contagion invented by Section 31. The virus made it impossible for the Changelings to change shape once they were infected. Those that remained in the great link were unable to participate in the war and their leader could not join the link due to being stuck in solid form. Upon surrender, she was cured by Odo who had within him the vaccine. He then carried it to the great link.

DS9 Returning Adversaries PT 3: Kira the Mirror and the Alternate Universe

Anyone who has read my blog knows I don't like the mirror universe episodes, primarily because they are overacted and the players are more like caricatures of the DS9 crew rather than just their evil twin(s). 

The primary annoyance is evil Kira, known in the other universe as "The Intendant" of the space station. She is a narcissist who uses violence and threats of violence against "the resistance,"  (members include O'Brien, Bashir, and Dax) commoners forced to mine Cardassian ore in labor facilities on the station. 

She also uses sex as a means to gain favor and parade her feminine wiles.  She's the ultimate manipulator with no conscience. What she lacks in remorse she makes up for in charm, laid on thick and heavy in silver body-tight threads.

DS9 Returning Adversaries PT 2: Sloan, Eddington, and Gowron

These guys aren't villains in the classic sense, but they are men driven by their own ambitions and agendas. One sees himself as the savior of the Federation, one the savior of colonists wronged by the Federation, and one striving for his own glory above that of the Empire.

Luther Sloan is a member of a secretive organization, one so secret that even the Federation can't, or won't, acknowledge. It's Section 31 and it's soldier pays DS9 a visit, seeking out traitors. In "Inquisition," he grills Dr. Bashir about his time spent in captivity by the Founders and whether or not his loyalties have turned.

But his ulterior motive was to get Bashir working for Section 31 as a spy. One of the reasons, we learn in "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges," was to develop a bio weapon to use against a Romulan candidate for the Senate. He seals his own fate in "Extreme Measures" by committing suicide when Bashir turns the tables and entraps him to reveal a cure for a plague Section 31 created to destroy the Changelings.

Michael Eddington was a security officer stationed on DS9 after it was revealed the Founders were like Odo---changelings. Eddington and Odo learned to trust each other in the beginning, but later we find Eddington was secretly working for the Maquis. In "For the Cause," intercepted replicators enroute to the Dominion are then stolen by him and Maquis sympathizers.

Sisko hunts down Eddington after a long game of cat and mouse. In "For the Uniform," Eddington, after having attacked several Cardassian colonies in an act of war, finally surrenders to Sisko and the Federation after Sisko tells him he's about to launch bio weapons torpedoes on Maquis colonists.

In "A Blaze of Glory," Eddington meets his fate when he and Sisko are forced to stop cloaked missiles enroute to Cardassia being launched by the Maquis. They end up at an outpost where Eddington dies heroically, battling an attacking troop of Jem'Hadar.

In "The Way of the Warrior," Gowron is head of the Klingon High Council and he orders crews to invade Cardassian colonies and take them over in an act of war. Before Cardassia became allies with the Dominion under the dictatorship of Gul Dukat, Gowron is suspicious that members of Starfleet headquarters and the Cardassian civilian leadership have been infiltrated and taken over by Changelings.

He gets pissed when Worf refuses to join him on his quest to invade Cardassia and strips Worf of his title and a place in the Empire. He tells Worf he will have nothing to show for turning his back on him (Gowron, not the Empire) and Worf tells him "except my honor."

Later, the Empire reluctantly rejoins the Federation when Cardassia becomes a friend to, and under the protection of, the Dominion. But that doesn't stop this Klingon egomaniac from trying to gain complete control, not just for self indulgence, but out of spite and jealousy of his rival Martok. His fate is sealed when Worf calls him on his unwise and reckless decisions that had cost Kronos several thousand men and ships in unwinnable invasions. In "Tacking to the Wind," they engage in a duel with Worf coming out the victor and Martok taking the mantle of Leader of the High Council.

DS9 Returning Adversaries PT. 1 Jeffrey Combs

Actor Jeffrey Combs had a reoccurring role, or make that two reoccurring roles, on DS9.

As Brunt, he played a greedy and malicious Ferengi who hounded and sometimes tormented Quark with physical violence and threats of bankruptcy and closure of his beloved bar.

Known as "liquidator Brunt," he had Quark beat up by Nausicaans in "Bar Association" when he learned Rom was forming a union for the bar help. In "Profit and Lace," he became acting Nagus when Ferengenar was thrown into financial chaos because of Quark's mother's influence over Zek.

In a hilarious moment, he grovels at Quark's feet when it is rumored that Quark will become the next Nagus in "Dogs of War."

As Weyoun, Combs really shown as the creepy yet charming Vorta and servant of the Founders.

In "Ties of Blood and Water," Weyound knowingly drinks poisoned Kenar brought aboard the station by Gul Dukat that was intended for a Cardassian under Federation protection. He jokes after downing it, to the looks of horror on Dukat's and Sisko's faces, that Vorta's are immune to such poisons because "it comes in handy when you're a diplomat."

Weyoun was also like a cat with nine lives, well, actually 8. Vorta's are clones and Weyoun's come in handy when he at one point is vaporized by Jem'Hadar for doubting their loyalty, and another time getting his neck snapped by an angry and jealous Worf in "Strange Bedfellows."

Despite his penchant for being delightfully charming and witty, Weyoun also had a very cold streak and talked sympathetically to Cardassian citizens, who were in revolt against Dominion occupied forces, as he informed them about the deaths of millions in an industrial city. With a wry smile, he warned them that another attack against them would cost Cardassia another city's population. "Let us return to the spirit of friendship and cooperation between our peoples so that together we can destroy our common enemies...thank you."

His eighth and final clone is killed off by a vengeful Garak in the last episode "What You Leave Behind."

The Seven Lives of Weyoun

In "Strange Bedfellows," Worf has had enough of Weyoun's shit. He snaps his neck, thus ending the life of clone #7. Damar is delighted and suggests Weyoun #8 pay Worf another visit.

Star Trek DS9---Tacking Into the Wind scene Worf vs. Gowron

This is a great scene from "Tacking Into the Wind" in which Worf calls out Gowron's corrupt use of power that is depleting their warships and killing warriors for political spite. "You are without wisdom or honor" he tells Gowron. Them's fighting words and they duel until one man remains. Worf becomes the new Chancellor but hands the reins over to his good friend and honorable warrior Martok.

Worst of the Worst---Meridian

The mirror universe episodes are a very close second, but to narrow it down to one episode, it was this one.

http://voyzovrezon.blogspot.com/2014/01/worst-of-star-trek-ds9-meridian.html

"Meridian" is the 8th episode of the 3rd season and was directed by Jonathan Frakes (who did a marvelous job with directing the TNG films and many previous episodes). But everyone is entitled to a mistake. As a director, this is his.

This episode, like many previous, has two story lines. The one involving Quark attempting to get a hologram image of Kira for a creepy client was amusing but not enough to keep this otherwise stinker off the worst list.

As you can see from my previous blog post, the plot involving Dax and Deral was more full of holes than swiss cheese. As painful as the overplayed performances were in the mirror universe episodes, at least they made some sense regarding plot.

Not this one. Therefore, Meridian wins the prize, AKA virtual turkey award, for worst episode.

Best of the Best----In the Hands of the Prophets

I've picked my favorite episode of Deep Space 9. "In the Hands of the Prophets" was the last episode of the 1st season and was written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe.

This episode highlights a theme of where the series should have gone, sticking to the science of artificially constructed wormholes by aliens to create a stable passageway between quadrants. Instead, the series veered off into religious myths with the wormhole aliens becoming god-like figures who gave birth to a savior in the form of Benjamin Sisko, AKA "The Sisko."

Here's my original review and summation of the episode:

http://voyzovrezon.blogspot.com/2013/12/best-of-star-trek-deep-space-9-in-hands.html

For me, the episode speaks to today's battle against ignorance and religious superstition in our culture that has permeated into our public education system. The figure of Vedek Winn, played by Louise Fletcher, represents the religious leaders who have gained influence with our politicians and helped draft policies that allow public schools to teach "intelligent design" over or along side scientific theories such as "the big bang" and evolution.

In this episode, a teacher, Keiko O'Brien, played by Rosalind Chao, fights against religious dogma and for instruction that opens student's minds to new theories and possibilities using science and time-tested theories through scientific methods.

I've recorded a couple of scenes to illustrated those points. Visual quality is poor, with my fingers holding the camera appearing in background shadow, but the dialogue is what's most important.