Best of Star Trek: Deep Space 9---The Siege of AR-558

This is the 8th episode of the 7th season and was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler.

This was a dark episode and reminded me of 5th season's "Nor the Battle to the Strong." In fact, in one point in the episode, Quark (who is with the crew on a fact-finding mission from Grand Nagus) and Captain Sisko have a heated argument about Nog going on the front lines to be a look out (and listen for) the Jem'Hadar. Quark tells Sisko he wouldn't send Jake into such a dangerous position and Sisko replies that Jake is not a Starfleet officer. Jake was the one under fire in "Battle" while on a trip with Dr. Bashir to offer aide at the frontlines.

Here, a Starfleet team had been sent to a planet where the Dominion keeps a communications relay. They have seized it and held it while fighting off teams of Jem'Hadar. There are only a few dozen left of the over 100 original crew members that had been sent. They are battle fatigued from being on the same duty for five months, going against Starfleet's protocol of replacing crews every 90 days. Some crew members are suffering from post-traumatic stress and Bashir wants to get them off the duty and replaced.

Unfortunately this isn't possible at the moment because of the area of space, which is fortified with Jem'Hadar. All the Defiant crew can do is leave them supplies but, after another surprise attack, find themselves fortifying the base with reconfigured weapons and hoping to avoid "Houdini" mines---mines that appear out of subspace at any given location.

Nog loses a leg during a watch after Jem'Hadar sneak up and kill the crew's senior commander. In another chilling moment, an injured crewman refuses to allow Dr. Bashir to replace a bandage that a former crewman had placed. The soldier tells Bashir that the guy who bandaged him was a talker and never shut up. He couldn't stand him. The only time he shut up was when he was struck in the back by a phaser blast and lay there dead---and quiet.

The episode highlighted the realities of war and how those that fight on the front lines are often neglected and forgotten and the psychological effects that this neglect causes.

When the casualty list is posted at the end, Kira tells him it's over 1,700 "names." They're more than just names and we need to remember that" he tells Kira.

Quark notices the effects of battle on war fatigued "hew-mons" and has an interesting exchange with his nephew about it.

What does Nog take away from this? "I almost feel sorry for the Jem'Hadar."

What's the Difference Between Your God and Weyouns?

In "Tears of the Prophets," Weyoun finds the idea of Gul Dukat being possessed by gods from the wormhole ridiculous.

Worst of Star Trek DS9---Profit and Lace

"Profit and Lace" is the 23rd episode of the 6th season and was directed by Alexander Siddig.

It begins with Quark threatening a Dabu Girl with firing if she doesn't provide him oomox. His piggish behavior is interrupted by Rom who is panicked that he can't reach anyone on their homeworld. Fortunately about this time, the Grand Nagus shows up on a shuttle with their Mookie.

Nagus reveals his new plans which involves allowing their females to wear clothes and contribute to the economy. Nagus explains when he revealed this on Ferenginar, the whole commerce authority had a meltdown, leading to the disrupted communications. To make matters worse, Brunt is made acting Nagus.

What begins as a comedy sketch soon erupts into a long-winded silly amateurish play complete with Quark dressing in drag, acting as another close confidant of Nagus after he and Mookie get into a heated argument, which caused her to collapse from a heart attack.

After Dr. Bashir saves Mookie's life and orders her to bed rest, he helps Quark with gender change. A commissioner who comes to the station to discuss the situation with the idea of Nagus's new partner convincing him why females can be an asset to the Ferenginar economy. What happens is something that's been seen in thousands of previous comedy shows---the commissioner has ideas of his own about the female Quark, chasing him/her around the dinner table.

The sex change was a success. The commissioner agrees to Nagus's new terms.

This ridiculous episode highlights female stereotypes about raging hormones and emotional instability in the form of Lumba (Quark). Lumba learns how to sit and walk like a female. The episode makes light of the serious topic of stalking and chasing females who say NO. Even the Dabu girl at the end agrees to give in to Quark's sexual demands. The only saving grace the episode has is Quark getting insight to his despicable behavior during the transformation of returning to his old male self and telling her to forget about it.

Jake Warns Nog About the Soon to Be Dead Squad

In "Valiant," Jake can see the forest beyond the trees. The young captain of The Valiant is ambitious, egotistical, and thinks himself and the "Red Squad" as invisible. Of course it helps when you take pills to heighten the delusion. Jake tries to warn his cadet friend Nog that the plan their captain is about to embark upon is akin to a suicide mission,  but it falls on huge Ferengi deaf ears.

Worst of Star Trek DS9---His Way

Did the writers and producers temporarily run out of good ideas?

So we the audience are treated to endless elevator music in a holosuite program in which Odo accesses without Dr. Bashir's knowledge (it was Julian's program to start).

Major Kira is visiting Bajor for a few days to meet up with her old flame Shakar. Odo's going out of his mind with disappointment. Quark sneaks the program to Odo in hopes the charming lounge singer Vic Fontaine will give some advice to Odo on how to win over the love of his life.

Wouldn't a better premise have been a disaster involving the Dominion war, a severe malfunction of the station's life supports, or another trauma involving Odo's bio-functions to bring them together? Maybe the threat of loss to bring them closer instead of a night club fantasy featuring a 20th century lounge singer?

But I suppose the passionate kiss at the end made up for the previous 45 minutes that could have been better spent.

Best of Star Trek: Deep Space 9---In the Pale Moonlight

"In the Pale Moonlight" is the 19th episode of season 6 and was written by Michael Taylor.

One of Captain Sisko's weekly routines is posting the casualty list from the Federation/Dominion war. Dax  is upset that a friend of hers was killed in Romulan space by a convoy of Jem'Hadar. They know that to get the Romulans on their side they would need evidence that the Dominion is plotting an attack on them---evidence that probably doesn't exist. If it did, it would be in the central command station on Cardassia Prime.

Sisko enlists the help of former Obsidian Order spy Garak to find such evidence. Garak makes contact with operatives who owe him favors. Unfortunately, they are all killed by Jem'Hadar when their communications are intercepted.

So, on to Plan B. Garak knows someone being held in a Klingon prison who can fake realistic hologram scenarios in data rods. Why not just invent the evidence?

Starfleet approves the plan, especially after word gets out that Betazed has been invaded, but the ways and means Sisko goes about faking the evidence is left undocumented because of its devious nature.

While the released prisoner works on creating the fake evidence, Sisko and Garak plan for the arrival of a Romulan Senator. As Sisko and the Romulan are in discussions, Garak is quietly executing Plan C---planting a bomb on the dignitary's ship and planting evidence to suggest sabotage by the Dominion, all without Sisko's consent or knowledge.

Things come to a head when Sisko learns of the Senator's death and confronts Garak with a sock to the jaw. There's little he can do however, seeing the operation was covert and it did get the Romulans involved in the war against the Dominion.

This episode expands Sisko's character into a multidimensional and complex man, one who is willing to bend the rules and do whatever it takes to keep the Alpha Quadrant from falling to an enemy that seems unstoppable. Making up shit to win would have seemed unthinkable to him at one time. But with mounting casualties and the possibility of  being ruled by an authoritarian regime, he decides it's worth the risk.

As he explains in his personal log:
 I lied. I cheated. I bribed a man to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all, I think I can live with it.

Worst of Star Trek DS9---Change of Heart

Or a more appropriate title would be "Change in Characterization."

Worf and Dax are assigned to take a runabout on a mission to meet up with a Cardassian operative who has information about the Dominion's tactical strategy and the whereabouts of hundreds of Changling spies. He informs Worf and Dax via subspace transmission that Vorta commanders are becoming suspicious and they agree to meet a rendezvous point on a nearby planet.

Once they land, several hundred meters from the meeting place to avoid detection, they head out on foot. But they are spotted by Jem'Hadar soldiers. One of them critically injures Dax with an anti-coagulant. After a while, Worf is forced to leave Dax behind because she's too weak to continue and their journey only furthers her bleeding.

He arrives at the meetup spot to await the arrival of the operative, only to go back and get Dax to the space station for treatment. He saves her life. But at great cost to the operative who is killed by the Dominion, taking with him all the vital information that could have helped the Federation.

The episodes redeeming feature is the side story involving O'Brien's new found obsession with defeating Quark at the Tongo wheel. He enlists the help of the genius doctor Bashir. However, both men underestimated Quark's talent for distraction.

The banter between Worf and Dax is amusing as well, but doesn't really save the episode from the dramatic left turn Worf takes in his duty to Star Fleet. In the past (TNG) Worf wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a major player to preserve the survival of the Federation, let alone the Enterprise. Failure of a mission, particularly one of such magnate, would have brought about disgrace to the proud Klingon. Would saving one individual, even a mate and putting ones personal feelings above the call of duty, be an acceptable alternative to a Klingon--a species who prides itself in knowing that the highest achievement is to die in battle?

I'm calling BS on this one.