Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season Six Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Complete Sixth Season:

I am going to do something a little different with this review. I WAS going to start off by saying that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's sixth season is probably it's best with the best hit ratio of any season for standalones and arc episodes. Then I was going to go through the arc and pick out the high points and low points. I'll still do that at the end but something happened watching the DVDs that I think made me realize that this review was going to be completely different from all of my other DS9 reviews.

I watched the special features.

Now normally special features for Star Trek are featurettes dealing with various episodes and crew member profiles with cool interviews with the cast out of make-up (who knew Aron Eisenberg was as bald as Nog?). But in every release the seventh disc where the special features are located contains about 10 Easter Eggs. These Easter Eggs don't usually have much to do with the individual episodes but are more than likely to deal with how the cast viewed their roles in specific storylines and oftentimes deal with controversy. One of these Section 31 Hidden Files dealt with a controversy so shocking and appalling that my estimation of executive producer Ira Steven Behr was lowered substantially and my esteem for Nana Visitor (Kira) was raised to the Nth degree.

In season six Major Kira and Gul Dukat were originally supposed to have an affair.

If this had actually happened my opinion that DS9 was the best of the Star Trek shows would have probably put it back in the same category as Voyager or Enterprise. This would have been a shark-jump of Biblical proportions. Think Buffy and Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Six and multiply that by ten because DS9 was NEVER a difficult show to watch and Buffy LOVED thumbing it's nose at the censors.

Why would this have been so bad? Kira Nerys was probably the strongest female character in Star Trek up to that point and it could be argued EVER. Gul Dukat is Star Trek's version of Hitler. Considering how hated Bajorans who collaborated with the Cardassians were, turning Kira into Eva Braun is something that would have been unforgivable and basically ruined the character for all time.

At the time DS9 was on the air, I kind of found Marc Alaimo, who plays Dukat kind of personally offensive going by interviews with the guy. He was always justifying Dukat's behavior and how he thought he was a good guy. That's wonderful to make the character multi-faceted as an actor but kind of a scummy outlook as a human being who has to play a guy who as Amin Marritza might put it thought genocide was "a day's work". He also expressed regret that he and Kira never got to have a romantic relationship and I thought he was borderline delusional.

I think I gave him a raw deal, somewhat. It turns out that he WASN'T reading things into Kira and Dukat's relationship that weren't there but basically expressing regret that he never got to do an undoubtably juicy scene as an actor.

The reason the affair didn't happen is because Nana Visitor put her foot down and refused to play the scene. I've always thought Star Trek actors were oftentimes WAAAYYY too full of themselves and what their characters would or wouldn't do. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were famous for refusing to do scenes unless their parts were beefed up or their characters made the paragons of virtue. I have serious doubts that a powerful scene like Odo's betrayal in Behind the Lines would have EVER happened if Shatner or Nimoy had been playing him. So usually I think most Star Trek actors just need to get over themselves.

But Visitor was completely right and got into a shouting match with Behr until he relented. This resulted in the compromise of Dukat having had an affair with Kira's mother in the past (Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night). I had thought that was a cool episode because I was under the mistaken assumption that it had been planned all along but now I realize that we dodged a bullet with it and it doesn't seem as cool now.

Well, enough about the special features. How was the season? Pretty dang good. As I noted before it's probably DS9's best season and since DS9 IS the best Star Trek series it's probably the franchise's best season overall too (altthough The Next Generation Season Three might give it a run for it's money). The Six Part Dominion War Arc at the beginning of the season gave us Star Trek's first foray into serialized storytelling (which remained somewhat rare even by the end of Enterprise's run) and was awesome. The best episodes of the season outside of the War arc were the one were Sisko learns that war can make you compromise ALL of your principles (In the Pale Moonlight), the Quark tour de force (The Magnificent Ferengi), Odo FINALLY getting the girl thanks to Vic Fontaine (His Way), Gul Dukat's descent into madness (Waltz), Worf and Jadzia Dax's wedding (You Are Cordially Invited) and of course the phenominal exploration of twentieth century racism in Avery Brook's powerful acting AND directing (Far Beyond the Stars).

The worst episodes of the season were the Mirror Universe episode in which we didn't even GET to visit the Mirror Universe (Resurrection), Quark's sex change (Profit and Lace), and the yawnfest about the Orion Syndicate (Honor Among Thieves). You'll notice that with the exception of Resurrection none of the episodes ARE actually really that bad. That's how good the season was overall. Season Overall: *****.

Now to review the episodes:

A Time To Stand: Excellent premiere which set up the rest of the Dominion War Arc perfectly. I loved Garak on the bridge of the Jem'Hadar ship and Quark basically admitting on the Station that as far as occupations go, this one wasn't so bad. If only he knew what was to come. ****1/2.

Rocks and Shoals: LOTS of great character stuff (like the scenes between Nog and O'Brien and Nog and Garak) and a powerful ending. Unfortunately the Kira stuff on the station is kind of boring since we never see either Gul Dukat or Weyoun. ****.

Sons and Daughters: The weak link of the War arc. I think the episode suffers from the fact that it tries to make it seem like Worf isn't a COMPLETELY bad father but instead accidentally lets the audience know that he's a HORRIBLE father. Still, I like Martok this episode and the stuff with Kira, Dukat, Ziyal and the infamous purple dress is SUCH a great and disturbing twist that I can't help but give the episode a somewhat positive grade. ***.

Behind the Lines: The first REAL betrayel by a Star Trek crew member and it's a doozy. I don't know what was more shocking: that Odo let Rom get caught or that he didn't seem particularly bothered by it. The latter development was kind of retconned in the next two episodes but the point where the episode leaves off makes the audience completely uneasy. ****1/2.

Favor the Bold: For a set-up episode this was REALLY great. I love how the episode made you really get to know a bit character (Damar) and also had a great deal of humor (Leeta whimpering over Rom's fate). Great cliffhanger too. *****.

Sacrifice of Angels: This episode contains the single most brazen and audacious example of a deus ex machina that I have ever seen in ANY TV show or movie. Having the Prophets disappear the Dominion ships in the Wormhole is SUCH a cop-out that I can't help but admiring the writer's nerve and loving it. Oh yeah, a whole bunch of other stuff happened too. *****.

You Are Cordially Invited...: This episode was a lot of fun but I can't help but feeling a little bit more sour on it in Ronald D. Moore's admission in the special features that Dax MIGHT have been tempted to sleep with the fire-breathing guy had she not been so rudely interrupted. As it stands it's still one of the better episodes of the season. ****.

Resurrection: It was good to see Bariel again but this was the biggest waste of a Mirror Universe episode ever. And that stings particularly badly considering we didn't get one in season five. Luckily next year's The Emperor's New Cloak fit enough bizarreness in it worth FOUR seasons. I did however like the idea that after what happened during the Resistance on the Station she and Quark are now friends. But other than that the episode stunk.*.

Statistical Probabilities: The Jack Pack are some of the most interesting set of guest stars the show has ever done. I just wish both of their episodes had been better. Still, this one is slightly better than Chrysalis. ***1/2.

The Magnificent Ferengi: A classic. How cool was it to see Iggy Pop as a Vorta? The episode is a non-stop blast and has both great action and hilarious jokes. It's also the ONLY Star Trek episode to have more than one Vorta in it even if they were barely on-screen together (and one of them was dead). Perfect. *****.

Waltz: Powerful and frightening episode that explores the true nature of evil. Sisko had quite the "Misery" thing going with Gul Dukat as Kathy Bates where he alternately shows disgust with Dukat and is put in the precarious position of having to tell the Cardassian what he wants to hear or Dukat will kill him. ****1/2.

Who Mourns For Morn?: One of the most underrated episodes of the series. Yeah, the story ain't that hot but the show contains some of the best jokes of the series usually involving the yappy (yet silent) Morn. And yes, this is the episode in which we finally learn what Gold-Pressed Latinum actually is AND why it's pressed into gold (people were tired of doing business transactions with eye-droppers). Also cool to see 24's Gregory Itzen in a comedic role. Best line goes to Quark: "I want Morn's money. I need Morn's money. I DESERVE Morn's money". ****.

Far Beyond the Stars: Great to see all of the actor's out of make-up with many of the actors playing against type. A harsh indictment of racism in the 20th Century that points out that despite the fact that racism is STILL a huge problem in the nineties and beyond that it truly WAS a bold move to make a person of color the Captain of the third Star Trek series. Avery Brook's performance is great and his directing was inspired. *****.

One Little Ship: Star Trek's first and only shrinking episode is not only a lot of fun but also has a real element of danger to it with the Jem'Hadar boarding the Defiant. Best part was Jadzia blowing kisses to Worf from the Runabout while she was tiny. The look on Worf's face was priceless. ****.

Honor Among Thieves: I'll be the first to admit that the episode is somewhat boring but the expression on guest star Nick Tate as Bilby when he learns O'Brien is in Starfleet is heart-breaking. Star Trek's version of Donnie Brasco. **1/2.

Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night: I enjoyed this episode but because of the special features I probably won't enjoy it as much upon another rewatch. Still, it was interesting that they went the complete opposite direction with Kira once Nana Visitor nixed the Gul Dukat affair storyline: now Kira can never forgive her mother and is completely disgusted with her. ***1/2.

Inquisition: I wish the show had done more with Section 31 which is one of the coolest Star Trek elements DS9 introduced. Still, I like how completely out of the blue it came from and turns the last act (which you figure would be about Bashir trying to prove his innocence) into a completely different story. ****.

In the Pale Moonlight: "It's a FAAAAAAKE!" The highlight of the season in my book. Stephen McHattie does a GREAT Romulan and this is one of Garak's better episodes (and THAT is saying something). I love that they actually had the Dominion invade Betazed. I never thought they would actually go somewhere that dark. And I loved every second of it. *****.

His Way: I was never that crazy about the Kira/ Odo romance and thought it worked better as an unrequited deal. There's something unnerving about seeing Odo kiss someone that ISN'T unnerving when it comes to other people in heavy make-up like Worf or Quark. But DANG, if their getting together episode wasn't one of the series' best. From the introduction of Vic Fontaine to Nana Visitor singing "Fever" (She has a beautiful voice) everything about this episode gels. If only Rene Auberjonois and Visitor had better sexual chemistry this episode would have been perfect. ****1/2.

The Reckoning: I would have liked this episode better if Kai Winn had had a good reason for stopping The Reckoning. Surely, if she was upset that Sisko had more faith in the Prophets than she did she would have tried to prove him wrong by staying out of it. But then again, Winn is so delusional that she thinks saving her own skin IS a way to prove her faith. **1/2.

Valiant: I liked this because you learned how deluded and mad the Captain and Red Squad were by a matter of degrees. Bit by bit, you realize how dangerous these people are instead of having it thrown at you all at once. It was smart to play it that way. ***1/2.

Profit and Lace: Oh, I wish this episode were better but I'm not sure if it could have been. It did SOME things right. Rom teaching Quark how to walk like a female to Leeta's delight is a keeper as is the Sluggo Cola jingle. And Wallace Shawn as Zek, as always rules. Still, it's tough to get behind the notion of feminism being a GOOD thing in Ferengi society when the episode spends every second with ugly women sterotypes and has Quark nearly being raped is played for laughs. **.

Time's Orphan: It may just be me, and it will probably sound mean, but Molly has always struck me as an incredibly stupid child. Maybe the writers only know how to write characters as either toddlers or teenagers but an eight year old Molly's dialogue is no different than a three year old Molly's dialogue. It makes her descent into a wild child here more believable but I seriously am unnerved that the writer's have no idea how to write her lines properly. **1/2.

The Sound of Her Voice: At first glance this episode seems to be a throwaway, an unnecessary detour before the big season finale. But watching the ending again makes me realize that this episode IS necessary because it gives the Starfleet officers one last time to be all together before Jadzia's death in the next episode. I also like that it made Odo realize how much he owed Quark for his relationship with Kira. ***.

Tears of the Prophets: One of the VERY few "good" Star Trek deaths. Yes, it can be argued that Jadzia's fate was cliched and pointless but the fact of the matter is it gave the audience a REAL reason to feel that Sisko going on that mission to Cardassia was a mistake. Yes, the Wormhole exploding drove that point home too but we all knew (or at least guessed) it was going to be retconned the next season. Terry Farrell was leaving the show and this gave her death some weight even if at first glance it seemed as pointless as Tasha Yar's. At least Jadzia got a touching farewell scene with Worf. ****.

Comments

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

Wow. I started to watch the special features since I only saw DS9 from the DVDs, but when I saw previews of the Odo/Kira relationship before it happened, I decided to stay away from it. It's clear Dukat would've tried something with Kira, but she'd NEVER go along with it. Isn't Frakes full of himself too?

Sacrifice of Angels - I feel like there are cheaper cop outs, but perhaps none on a grander scale than this.

Statistical Probabilities - Those guys freak me out, but they are fun.

Who Mourns for Morn - I admit, I cracked up at the end when it seemed like Morn was going to explain himself, and yet they didn't even let him talk.

Far Beyond The Stars - One of my all-time favorite Star Trek episodes. There's this DVD that's the best of the captains, 10 episodes, 2 for each captain, one best of picked by people who worked on the show and one picked by the fans. This is one of Sisko's (I forget who picked it), and since I don't want to own an entire Star Trek series, I may end up buying it.

Inquisition - Whenever the next Trek series or whatever comes, it'd be criminal of them to not continue the Section 31 stuff.

In the Pale Moonlight - Another awesome episode.

His Way - Crap, Kira does sing in this episode doesn't she? Hmmm...

Time's Orphan - I can't remember Molly sounding that bad, but it seems like she's come down with a case of Franklin Richards Syndrome.

Tears of the Prophets - The death was lame, but at least they did stuff with it.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

I never got the impression Frakes was full of himself. I listened to his commentary to First Contact and he is quite self-deprecating and all of his interviews make him sound quite friendly too.

Sacrifice of Angels: In the Deep Space Nine Companion Ira Behr is angered greatly that many fans considered the ending a cop-out when he said it was an affirmation of Sisko's relationship to the Prophets and it was cool how the Gods stepped in. I can get what he's saying but he doesn't realize how something that nuanced can come off to a general audience. I however LOVED the ending because it seemed so shameless but I understand why a lot of other fans didn't.

Inquisition: I agree but I don't think there will be another Star Trek series for a while. I REALLY hope the next Star Trek movie keeps the original timeline in tact and that the next series (if it ever arrives) takes place in the original continuity. AND picks up where DS9 left off in the Alpha Quadrant.

His Way: Behr was also disappointed that a lot of fans hated this episode too but I have to agree with him on this point. The episode was non-stop fun from start to finish.

Time's Orphan: Who's Franklin Richards and how is he similar to Molly?

Tears of the Prophets: I understand why people think that but I thought it was good because she at least got to say goodbye to Worf. Too many of Star Trek's pointless deaths have characters dying alone or with people they don't care about.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's cool then. I just noticed that when directing something, Jonathan Frakes does seem to like to have the camera on him.

As an important part of DS9 as the Prophets were, Star Trek in general avoids using god-like power to such a significant degree. It's why Q never returned Voyager home.

I don't know where the franchise is going, but we can assume it's not dead, correct?

Franklin Richards is the son of Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four. He was born in the late 60's and is about 8 years old now, but a lot of writers give him much younger dialogue, which is annoying.

Yeah, the goodbye to Worf was good, but at the same time, the Dax symbiote managed to live on, so it wasn't completely the end.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Sacrifice of Angels: Which was stupid because he should have. Q shouldn't have been used on Voyager and the excuses they used for not having him send them back were lame. The fact that so many Star Trek series shy away from the fantasy aspects inherent in science fiction is why they are for the most part lame. The original series, DS9 and to a lesser extent TNG all had fantasy elements to them. The fact that Voyager and Enterprise hardly did is one of the reasons they both sucked.

Inquisition: There will be a new movie out next summer dealing with Kirk and Spock's early adventures. It's going to be both in and out of continuity. Leonard Nimoy will be appearing as Spock in scenes set after Star Trek: Nemesis. There is rumored to be time-travel involved too.

[90scartoonman.livejournal.com]

It would've looked so cheap if Q was the one to solve Voyager's problems, though. I know Enterprise had an energy being episode, but I think they wanted to be light with those because of how surprised Kirk and his crew would be later. I do agree, though, they didn't need to keep those elements away.

I heard about the casting for the new movie, but haven't heard much about it since. It's planned for next summer, then?

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

Sacrifice of Angels: I don't think Q should have been used AT ALL on Voyager. I liked seeing the Organians on Enterprise especially since it didn't violate continuity.

It WAS planned for this Christmas but they thought it would make more money in the Summer so they changed it. It actually makes more sense for it to be a summer flick so I don't mind.