How do I begin to sum up 'The Visitor'? It's not only one of the finest episodes in all of Star Trek, it's one of the best pieces of television ever made. Every time I see it, I end up in tears. But it's not an overly sentimental tearjerker, it's subtle and honest in its storytelling. It's delightfully simple and self-contained, making it something that you can watch even if you've never seen any of DS9 before.
I think what clicks for me always is the performances. Everything that makes Avery Brooks my favourite Star Trek captain is displayed here, not only because of his performance but because of what he allowed Captain Sisko to be. He's a family man and a father before he is a Starfleet officer, and he's never afraid to show his vulnerable and caring side. Duty is important to him, but it's with the simple things in life that his heart really lies.
To complement that, Cirroc Lofton as Jake is probably the best he's ever been so far. The moment where his father first comes back and asks how he's doing, and instead of being able to reply he just starts to cry sums up so much of their close father/son relationship. Jake really needs his dad, even relies on him and there's a really deep love between them, undoubtedly solidified more since he lost his mother. We can see that without his dad, Jake turns completely away from the life he could have and shuts the doors to so many other people and paths. My favourite moment is actually the last time Sisko appears and he just watches old Jake sleeping with such a lovely expression on his face.
Then there's Tony Todd playing the older Jake who also is magnificent. While the old-age makeup effects still look kind of terrible (always a problem, they looked terrible back in the 1990s too), the performances are fortunately able to come through. He also has a great chemistry with the young lady playing Melanie.
Maybe there's a bit too much technobabble at moments, butI love this episode and it will make you want to go and see your dad.
Among the purest representations of what Star Trek is all about, 'Darmok' is near enough a masterpiece. It's a beautiful look at the language barrier between two people when you don't understand how the other person communicates. It's exciting, at times bewildering and ultimately sad.
Of course, it's got issues. The concept of the language based around metaphors seems inherently flawed (how do you have a normal conversation with someone? How do you order a meal off a menu? How do you potty train your child? How do you teach your children the stories in the first place?) but it also works because the point is we find it incomprehensible. It's alien. There are ways to answer my questions (maybe the aliens have some telepathic abilities, or pass down genetic memories) that really don't matter in the grand scheme.
Patrick Stewart is on top form as always, but he's given a run for his money with guest star Paul Winfield as the alien captain. There's also a brief glimpse of a very young Ashley Judd in what looks to be her first ever on-screen acting job, and she will return in the future.
It's a compelling mystery episode with tension and excitement. The crew of the Enterprise all have great scenes trying to solve the problem while Picard struggles to understand his companion and how to stay alive. Also, I really love the uniform jacket that Picard wears here for the first time.
IT'S A FAAAAAAAKE!
Can you believe that THIS is the episode I somehow managed to miss when first broadcast? I had to wait quite some time before I got to see it.
Often touted as the best Star Trek episode ever, I'm not sure I quite agree with that but it's definitely in the top 10. This is daring and goes completely against everything that the franchise has been about. It's not quite the shocking tale some promote it as, but still. The main character, our hero, manages to lie and cheat, and eventually be an accessory to murder all in the name of the greater good (the greater good).
It's quite a sedate ride, but it all comes together so well at the end. This is about the intrigue and mystery of what's going on, and the anticipation of the reveal. It's exquisitely put together and the acting from both Avery Brooks and Andrew Robinson is wonderful.
The closing moments are a real high point. Sisko tries to convince himself that he can live with his choices, but it becomes more of a statement of hope rather than fact. The Captain may have to continue lying, if only to himself.
I'm now reading the novel 'Hollow Men' which is a direct sequel to this episode and deals with the aftermath.
Nothing else in season 1 quite prepares you for this. An absolute tour-de-force of writing and acting produces not only the best episode of the season, not only one of the best episodes of DS9, but one of the best of the entire Star Trek franchise. Screw it, it's among the best hours of television ever made.
The atrocities of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor are brought into the light and we get our first real understanding of what went on. The fierce and judgemental nature of Kira makes a lot more sense after seeing this, and the first season of the show turns out to be very much about shaping her character going forward. She's full of hate, and as the season has progressed we've seen her discover more and more that it's something she needs to let go of. It also goes a long way towards finally humanising (for lack of a better word) Cardassians.
It plays to the strengths of the show at this point in time: it's a small scale story completely focused on character. The various dialogues between Major Kira and her Cardassian prisoner are the high points in that they overshadow everything else. Fortunately, there's no B-story here in the background to take away from it. Nana Visitor pulls out a very strong and nuanced performance, but it's really guest star Harris Yulin as Marritza/Dar'heel who grabs your attention. He manages to give us something that we just can't take our eyes away from, and his voice is mesmerising. There are lines here which have been stuck rattling around in my head for 20 years.
Surprisingly, this is the first appearance of Gul Dukat since the pilot episode. I'd forgotten how little he appears early on. But his part in this is great as ever, and his reminiscence of playing games with Odo is quite fun.
The ending might be a bit groan-inducing but that somehow doesn't take away from it's power at all, and I particularly like the surprise on Kira's own face when she says, "no, it's not." An essential piece of viewing and a clear indication of how powerful this show is going to become..
While I can't say for sure, 'Cause and Effect' has the distinction of being my earliest memory of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. And what an introduction, this remains one of the most fun, exciting and well put together episodes of the series. Pre-dating Groundhog Day by a couple of years, it's an incredibly daring and inventive episode about being caught in a time loop. Nothing like it had been done before, certainly not on television, and it's creative use of narrative structure was utterly new. And how often do we get to see the Enterprise destroyed?
I like the fact that every scene was filmed multiple times instead of just reusing the footage. I also think that Gates McFadden is able to carry the episode very well, much like she did in 'Remember Me'. Seeing Kelsey Grammar pop up at the end is a joy, I'd love it if we'd had a follow up episode letting us know what became of him and his crew.
It's hard to reconcile in my head the fact that one of my favourite episodes ever was written by one of my most hated writers and one of the people I hold responsible for driving the franchise into the ground.
This episode is genius. It's a labour of love from all involved and just worked out perfectly. The producers made a great choice by selecting 'The Trouble with Tribbles' as the episode that DS9 would revisit, as it's one of the best of the original series and allows for all the comedy that follows.
What struck me watching it now is that the special effects from this episode, made in 1996, still stand up. The integration of the DS9 cast into the 1960s episode is nearly (not quite, but nearly) flawless. The attention to detail on the set design is great, and the cinematography matches The Original Series exactly.
On top of all that, the script is fantastic. Sisko, Dax, Bashir, Odo, Worf and O'Brien all get to have a lot of fun while remaining beautifully in character. The episode certainly isn't anything more than a fun deviation and has no bearing on the continuing plot of DS9, but it's a wonderful tribute made for the 30th anniversary of the franchise, and absolutely essential viewing.
Plus, it introduced the quite hilarious concept of the Department of Temporal Investigations. While we unfortunately won't see them again in the shows, they'll get a bunch of novels written about them.
I get emotional every time. Deep Space Nine ends with a beautiful farewell that manages to cover a lot of bases. It wraps up the Dominion War and gives - mostly - satisfying farewells for these characters. This show had by far the characters with the most depth and development in the franchise. There is no room for arguing that fact at all. They felt real. They had faults and they had arcs and evolved throughout the show.
So, it's a real shame that this is the final on-screen appearance for all of them bar Worf. If there was any Trek show that deserved a continuation in film format it was this one. The stories developed here were so rich, and even though this episode wraps things up it still leaves enough open questions and paths for exploration (with one MASSIVE cliffhanger in particular).
This episode itself is strong though certainly not without problems. The pacing is mostly good, but every time we cut to Kai Winn and Dukat on their pah-wraith search it really spoils the momentum. I've now learned (thanks to online forums that didn't exist for me back in the day) that a lot of people were not fans of any of this storyline. I can kind of understand why, even though it never bothered me too much. I really like the mythos that was slowly built up around the Bajoran religion, and certainly when I was younger I couldn't see the way elements became shoehorned in. The pah-wraiths amount to little more than hand-waving magic when you really look at them and they had the effect of turning both Winn and Dukat into pantomime villains.
I don't really accept the way that Winn changed her entire religious beliefs so readily, even though she tries to justify it. I also don't quite understand most of Dukat's motivations after he loses his daughter in season 6. If we are supposed to believe that he's just gone a bit insane then it could have been portrayed better. The whole showdown is over and done with far too quickly and it all gets a bit Star Wars (which I adore, but Star Wars is fantasy-based whereas Star Trek is science fiction/technology based). It doesn't fit. And we get a fast wrap up where Sisko and Dukat just fall into the fire which is... silly, to be polite.
The rest of the episode makes up for this, though. The final battle of the Dominion War is a visual feast and a gripping rollercoaster. The space battle is a tremendous accomplishment for 1990s television standards, but the best part is the Kira/Garak/Damar resistance storyline. Those three characters have such rich histories of conflict to mine that putting them together leads to nothing but joy on screen. The death of Damar does feel like a gut punch even though we've spent so much time hating him for his actions over the course of the past few seasons. It's a shame that his murder of Ziyal is never directly addressed by Kira or Garak. The love-to-hate-him character Weyoun gets a satisfying send off, and the war is ended with a moment of compassion and understanding when Odo offers to give himself up to save everyone.
The individual character bookends are also greatly satisfying, and often bittersweet. Odo leaves, O'Brien leaves, Worf leaves. Odo's decision feel natural even though he leaves hurt people in his wake, but Miles' is much more unexpected and actually the more emotional for me. The O'Brien/Bashir bromance was among my favourite parts of this show, so the video collage of their past moments is heartbreaking for me. Worf's departure is a bit stranger, since we will see him again in Star Trek: Nemesis and it doesn't acknowledge his decisions here at all. Additionally, I will be forever disappointed that there are no flashback to Jadzia due to licensing reasons.
In happier endings, Julian and Ezri are finally together and I like it. It was all a bit forced but I'm just happy at the thought of them together. Nog gets promoted to Lieutenant (take that, Harry Kim), Kira is in charge of the station and Quark gets to keep running the bar while Rom has become Grand Nagus!
That leaves the saddest ending of all: the Siskos. In particular, I think Jake gets the short straw. His dad is gone but just within reach. Benjamin has not only left his son behind, but his pregnant wife. It's a bold ending that leaves you wanting to know more, and extremely bittersweet. Ben and Jake were the heart and soul of this show from the very beginning and I think it's appropriate that it finishes on a shot of Jake thinking about his dad while being comforted.
I said in my review of 'Emissary' that DS9 was my favourite TV show of all time. This rewatch has solidified that statement for me. The characters here are mismatched, broken people who grow and evolve into true friends and take us on that journey with them. It has also really struck me how much DS9 continues to stand up to today's modern TV landscape, while the other Trek shows feel very much liked dated products of their time. Here we have a tale of terrorism, religion, war and through all that a thread of hope and idealism.
I absolutely can't leave it here, and I'm going to be delving into the "relaunch" novels that pick up where the show ended and continue the journey. It's not official canon and could easily be overwritten at any time (especially given the announcement of all the new Trek heading our way on TV), but that doesn't take away from these new stories at all, and given the "black sheep" nature of DS9 in the franchise I have a feeling that these stories are probably the best I can hope for. There's also the upcoming documentary What We Left Behind to look forward to, and maybe one day we'll get a nice HD upgrade for the show.
See you again down the road, DS9.
Absolutely excellent, probably the best episode of the season so far. Some real edge-of-your-seat enjoyment with stunning visuals.
In possibly my favourite entry so far, we get a far more traditional "episodic" story. A situation develops at the start, complications occur and things are happily resolved by the end (although, Harry Mudd may disagree with that assessment). Although, that final shot was a doozy!
Everything felt like it was working better here than it has previously. The Klingons have been the most difficult thing so far as they slow down the episodes so much, but here we get them speaking English and behaving a lot more like the classic Klingons that Star Trek presented us with for so many years. These guys want to fight and hurt other people, and no religious nonsense is going to get in the way.
This gave us a much more detailed look at a couple of characters. Captain Lorca reveals more and more what kind of person he is. He wants to help people, but he also recognises the sacrifices that may need to be made to do that. It's easy to disagree with his perspective when we hear about the results, and the news that he destroyed his own ship and crew is a lot to take. He's also extremely intelligent and perceptive, and he has no qualms about people paying the price for what they've done. Rainn Wilson's portrayal of Harry Mudd isn't too far removed from the Original Series character, but he also managed to put his own spin on it. Maybe it was just due to the quite horrible situation he was trapped in, but this Mudd was more serious while being no less selfish. Still, I don't know if I agree with Lorca leaving him there.
More compelling to me was the different side we see of Saru. It felt like his desire to be an effective captain (going as far as researching the traits of Starfleet legends) began to override his more natural decision making. The debate over the use of the Tardigrade was exactly the Star Trek storytelling we've been waiting for, but at the same time the context here made it kind of one-sided. Placing Saru on the side of using the creature made him seem unsympathetic and cold, and it's only when we realise that he has to make these choices because he believes that saving his captain is the highest goal that we can begin to see why he's doing that.
There was also scientific joy as Stamets uses himself with the jump drive. This is one part of the show that I wasn't quite clicking with, but the more detailed explanations here have made things clearer. As it stands, it seems to me that this method of travel isn't sustainable given the high cost on the user (is Stamets going to be willing to do that again?) and I'm really interested in where it's going to go. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear the first use of the word "fuck" in all of Star Trek. Tilly continues to be a delight.
Very disappointed to see the online homophobes and bigots crawling out of their holes all over the place.
Well, that was a ride. The episode draws from a huge amount of Trek backstory and crafts something bursting with emotion. I think that the the view of Picard's face lining up with the classic image of Locutus is one of the most arresting shots ever done in Star Trek.
Patrick Stewart is completely on form throughout, and it's hard to pick one singular moment that stood above the rest. From his anger about the Borg while speaking with Agnes, to his PTSD when first arriving on the Cube, to his genuine happiness at seeing Hugh again and all the work he's doing, this consistently feels like the Jean-Luc Picard we all knew. He's shown first hand that disconnected Borg are not the monsters he had assumed. Small bursts of moments from First Contact were used effectively, including an unexpected glimpse dof the Queen. The terror of what he experienced may never fully go away despite the strides we saw him make over the years, and it rings true.
Other random thoughts:
I remembered this as being a strong two-parter, but rewatching here I was blown away. I'm not sure if there has ever been a Trek story so blunt or that feels quite as prescient as this does by today's standards. With Trump over in America, the "sanctuary cities" debate and Brexit happening here ("Europe is falling apart") among all sorts of other issues of homelessness and unenployment, the insanely high cost of living and excessive force used by police, this is absolutely chilling to watch. Maybe over the top in some ways, but this franchise was never really about subtlety.
This is pure Star Trek, and is overflowing with ideas and messages. From something as simple as Sisko and Bashir (two men of colour) being arrested and chucked in what is more-or-less a prison, and Jadzia (an attractive white woman) being treated like a princess who's done no wrong after being found in the exact same circumstances as them, this deals with so many issues that we have screaming in our faces today. Would Chris have been as quick to stop and help the commander and the doctor? This present a society where people don't want to deal with other people's problems and money is the more important factor, which sounds too familiar.
In fact, the most unrealistic things about this episode are the quaint 1990s style computer terminals being used and the fact that nobody seems to have mobile phones.
Side note: the first time I watched this was on the initial UK BBC2 broadcast. The channel showed it as a 90 minute movie, even though it was listed as a single episode in the Radio Times. I remember thinking "this seems long" and looking at the clock, realising over an hour had already past. Fantastic viewing experience.
I also love the way that Jadzia really quickly improvises and makes her explanations upon being found. She's got a lot of experience to draw on! PLUS, for once Star Trek did a time travel story that didn't just go back to our "contemporary" Earth, which became contrived very quickly.
Wow, it just keeps getting better. Trek has done its fair share of horror stories, some poor and some good, but this is probably most effective scare episode the franchise has done. I loved the way it riffed off moments from the core Alien trilogy and managed to do some properly unsettling things in the process. Besides from having a fantastic design, the moment the blue alien dude started having trouble breathing was a wonderfully staged sequence full of dread.
The Gorn looked great and felt vicious even as infants. I love how this series is setting them up. I also appreciate how we've come to understand La'an's character up to now and her own reactions to this situation.
The most interesting part here may have been Spock. While I'm not sure the actual execution of his emotional barriers dropping was, the effect of it on the character is certainly fascinating. Ethan Peck has been KILLING IT so far and is handling this stuff so well. It's an angle that works. I quite like that the franchise is acknowledging the more emotional Spock we saw in 'The Cage' and working to bridge things to the more stoic version we are familiar with.
And damn, the episode blindsided me with the death of Hemmer. I clocked those two new away team characters as dead from the moment we were introduced to them, but Hemmer was a real shock. Especially given that he seems to have become a fan favourite. What a way to go out too - compare it to the lacklustre death of Airiam over on Discovery, which had zero impact despite the character having been there since the start. This one hit hard, with the reactions of the rest of the crew really doing it justice too.
Of all TNG episodes, 'The Wounded' feels like the one which firmly leads to the creation of Deep Space Nine. Chief O'Brien, having been given more and more screen time over the past couple of seasons, is finally given something of a leading role and a huge amount of character development. I would think that it's this episode that brought his character over to DS9. I really love the dinner scenes with Keiko, and of course the fantastic talk in Ten-Forward.
Additionally, we get to meet the Cardassians for the first time. These guys are just incredible, and I think one of the most developed alien races in popular science fiction. A big part of their success is down to the casting here, with Marc Alaimo playing Gul Macet. It's no coincidence he was later cast as Gul Dukat throughout DS9 (and for me, by far and away the best Trek villain ever). He brings a great deal of menace and intellect to the role, but we also get depth when you look at all 3 of the Cardassian actors together as they each display very different personalities. If they hadn't all worked so well I'm not sure that the Cardassians would have become some an important part of the franchise. There are wonderful scenes on the bridge as Picard has to deal with events while Macet watches on, tense stuff.
The weaker parts of the episode for me come in the form of Captain Maddox. Maybe it's because we've gotten so used to Picard as an example of a leader, but this guy just crumbles in comparison to him. It's also odd that we never see any of Maddox's crew and have to assume that they are just blindly following his bizarre orders.
This will always remain among my favourite episodes. It's full of joy and the spirit of exploration as well as being all about the father/son relationship portrayed so well by Brooks and Lofton. It feels like it's been a while since we've spent time with Benjamin and Jake, so this makes up for it very nicely.
It's not a flashy episode, it's a quiet character piece that lets itself have fun. We've had a hint of Jake's desire to write before, but this is the real beginning of his journey and it was always one of my favourite parts of DS9 (I always wanted to write when I was a teenager, so Jake was such a great character for me to watch). The relationship between the two of them feels so natural. I love the way Jake is nervous about showing his dad his story, and the way he makes a joke about joining the Maquis. There also seems to be a lot of delight in Avery Brooks' performance here.
The Bajoran sailing ship is a gorgeous creation. Sure, it stretches believablility that Benjamin managed to build it in a couple of weeks - especially with that level of detail - but we can let it slide. Don't forget, before being assigned to DS9 he was in charge of ship building at Utopia Planitia and designed the Defiant. The story of them getting all the way to Cardassia is just lovely and peaceful, and I love the welcome that Gul Dukat gives them when they arrive (which, for once, sounds pretty sincere). Ben also gets a great scene with Dax, reminiscing about their past.
The background story isn't quite as wonderful, but there's fun to be had. Julian handing Dax a padd saying "GO AWAY" never fails to make me laugh. We get to meet Leeta for the first time, who will become quite important.
Drunk Bashir and O'Brien is one of my favourite scenes in all of DS9, and they both play it really well. I love that their friendship has now reached this point, and I love that O'Brien declares "I really do... not hate you anymore!".
Also, important to note: the beard has appeared. It's funny, because it coincides with a change in the series which is going to propel it's quality up and and up. To me, this episode does represent the beginning of the real DS9, there's a change in the mood of the show and everything just feels like it's working perfectly.
An amazingly well constructed episode that deals with alternate timelines but manages to be a wonderful character piece. The return of Denise Crosby as Tasha is central to this, and I wish I could experience the original shock of seeing her that must have occurred back in 1990.
The episode manages to bring meaning to her senseless season 1 death, and her scenes with both Guinan and Picard are very layered and powerful. Additionally, the episode has a vividly different look from standard TNG; dramatic lighting and longer focal depth really stand out, giving the episode its own identity. I get a small thrill with the return of the original-era movie uniforms and even set design.
It's also nice the way that the main cast change their performances in only subtle ways. Mainly we see that Picard and Riker have a harder edge, they seem more battle weary and forceful in their decisions. But the old captain is still in there as we see in his discussions with Guinan. This is yet another demonstration of what an important addition Whoopi Goldberg was to the cast.
As for minor criticism, I find the last 5 minutes of the episode a little dull. The battle with the Klingons just isn't particularly exciting. It's also convenient that the Enterprise-C crew were so willing to go back to their time without much argument.
This brings back memories. Back in the '90s I used to fill up videotapes with episodes of TNG recorded off Sky 1 (a 4-hour tape using the long play setting allowed 9 or 10 episodes!). This episode was one that I remember watching a lot, and it was absolutely one of my favourites. Rewatching it now, it still is. 'Remember Me' is classic Star Trek and it's so much fun. The concept is completely daft and yet they make it work.
Beverly rarely got to have episodes focused on her, and it's a shame because Gates McFadden is completely able to carry the show. She has a number of scenes all by herself and she keeps things interesting. Her dynamic with the Captain also serves to keep things more interesting than it would be with another character, as they are always less formal around each other. Gotta love the two of them on the bridge: "you're telling me the two of us cruise around the galaxy with no crew?!" - "we've never needed one before."
In a nice bit of continuity, we also get the Traveller returning. I find him a bit creepy, to be honest. This also continues Wesley's journey to his later destiny. There's some really nice cinematography on show, notably with the silhouettes against the vortex and the transition as we discover what's happening on the "other side".
I also noticed that by this point in the show, they've really nailed the aesthetic it will come to be known for. The ship feels super cosy.
This episode was huge and felt like a turning point for me. And it really managed to give me feels!
Intense, thrilling, and immensely satisfying. This episode is a payoff to so many things that have been building, and lets rip by officially kicking off the Dominion War. Time is given to each main character as plans are set in motion, and there's a sense of inevitability throughout the whole thing - although, the whole way through we expect the crew to be able to defend the station; instead, they evacuate it and it ends up in Dominion/Cardassian control. A bold move.
There's time for some lighter stuff admidst everything. Rom and Leeta's wedding is short and cute, as well as the Rom/Quark brotherly love which fights its way to the surface. I'm also glad that Kira and Odo finally address the tension between them which begun back in 'Children of Time'. There's further romance in the air when Dax agrees to marry Worf and manages to take him by surprise, which is a rare sight by itself.
I also particular love Garak's view that shooting somebody in the back is "the safest way". He also has a quite magnificent talk with Ziyal.
The episode really revolves around Captain Sisko, though. He's a rock here, making firm decisions and planning things out while recognising that it's a lost battle. Speaking of the battle, it's a glorious space fight that ticks all the boxes and feels pretty epic. It allow us to also see the already broken dynamic between Cardassia and the Dominion as Dukat and Damar clash with Weyoun over their desire to subjugate Bajor again.
The mines seem like a good idea, but the method of implementation felt flawed to me. Surely there were other ships to help out?
But anyway, my favourite moment of the episode comes from Kira as she officially protests the Federations unwillingness to turn the station over to the Dominion, then reports for duty. The planned sabotage towards the end is also a fantastic twist. I know what's coming but I can't wait to watch it all again. I'm going to have to wait a little bit, though, because I'm reading Trek books alongside my rewatch and I have a couple of Dominion War novels to get through which fill in some events between this and the next season.
Suffice to say, there's a lot packed into this one, so it's interesting that it doesn't move at a breakneck pace and spends a fair bit of time on character moments. That's in stark contrast to what Star Trek: Discovery is doing, and I definitely prefer DS9's approach
I don't think this episode had much impact on me as a kid, but watching it now I realised what a wonderful piece of work it is. I've often had a problem with the Borg, in that they just aren't very interesting. Certainly they've managed to give them a cold sort of sense of dread, but mostly they are incredibly bland. 'I, Borg' finally gives them a new angle and it was much needed.
It's also surprising just how little they featured in the show, with this only being their third appearance. We get a brilliant character piece here for Picard, but also for Guinan and even Geordi. It's especially unnerving to Guinan, usually the poster child for serenity and good sense, to clearly be angry and unwilling to let go of her hate. Picard's responses are more expected and the episode allows us to go on a wonderful journey with him. I was particularly impressed by his mental transition back to being Locutus.
The real reason the episode works as a whole though is because the great performance by the young actor playing Hugh. He presents vulnerability and confusion well, without breaking into anything overly emotional or melodramatic.
It does seem that this episode would be completely ignored by the time of the First Contact movie, notably in regard to Picard's state of mind, and there are inconsistencies which aren't really addressed. I think at this point the idea was that Borg were still born and grown instead of being made up of all the species that they had assimilated.
[8.5/10] Expectations can be a difficult thing to manage. When you hear that an actor is going to reprise one of your favourite roles of all time, it's easy to get excited. When you see trailers and it looks good, you get more excited. When you start hearing positive early reviews, your excitement level can go through the roof. If anything, I was worried that my expectations for Picard were just too high, and I was only going to be disappointed.
But almost from the opening moments of this premiere, I was swept up. Picard avoids excessive nostalgia (but provides just a nice amount) and begins by telling a tale full of emotion and character. It's markedly different from Star Trek: Discovery, both in terms of visuals and writing. The pace is measured and characters are given room to breathe, the action is sparse but hard-hitting. Patrick Stewart himself is a frailer man than the one we remember, but there's no mistaking that this is our Jean-Luc Picard back on screen.
It's still early days and there are a lot of directions this story could take. But here I was surprised at just how impactful some of the emotional moments and revelations were. Isa Briones is strong in the role of Dahj, seemingly an unknown "daughter" of Data's,, but it was Picard's reaction to it all that made it have so much more weight. No mention of Data's other daughter, Lal, but that may come up later.
There was some awkward exposition early on with an interview sequence that didn't quite hit the mark due a mix of writing that was a bit too on-the-nose and the actor for the interviewer feeling weirdly out of place. For a mostly calm opening there was a surprising amout of information and story to be digested here and a lot of questions that I can't wait to be answered.
A much stronger follow up to 'The Siege of AR-558'. This puts Nog front-and-centre, which doesn't happen often, and deals with his recovery from losing his leg. Aron Eisenberg gets to show that he's a better actor than most of us expect and puts in a very strong performance that requires a lot of him. The episode also performs the miracle of making Vic Fontaine an integral part, and I actually found myself really liking him for the first time.
It's a downbeat episode for the majority of the running time. Nog becomes kind of exasperating to watch, and it's easy to understand why Jake loses his temper with him. It all feels very realistic, though - not that I have any experience of losing a limb or being around someone who has. The low mood all gives way to quite a gorgeous and positive ending, though, so it's worth it. It's impressive that the two main characters in this episode, Nog and Vic, are just secondary characters who don't even have their names in the opening titles. There is so many depth and good writing to all involved in this show that we can have episodes like this and it just works.
I also love the background stuff that happens, such as the worry shown by Rom and Leeta (and even Quark!). The sense of their family really shines through. I also love Bashir's exasperation when his holosuite programs are belittled.
If I have any complaint, it's the overuse of damn swing-jazz lounge music. I just cannot get behind it's inclusion in the show, and the fact that every character who comes into contact with it seems to fall in love with it just bewilders me.
What pure, joyous fun this is. A pitch perfect spoof of James Bond and spy shows which has its tongue firmly in its cheek. The details are all just so correct, from the bad guy leaving the heroes to die in a convoluted manner instead of just shooting them, to the full on sexist treatment of all females, to Dr. Bashir's initials just happening to be J.B. We also get the extra fun of having Garak, a "real" spy along for the ride to point out how ridiculous it all is. His line about working for the wrong intelligence agency is gold.
While this is a Bashir episode, the real stars of the show turns out to be Sisko and Kira in their alter egos. Avery Brooks absolutely nails it with a maniacal performance that is spot on for what was needed (I can never get tired of his, "HA!"). Meanwhile, Nana Visitor puts on the worst Russian accent in history and commits to it fully, making everything she says (intentionally) hilarious. The way she pulls the file dossiers out from the bed is fantastic.
Worf as a baccarat playing henchman is great, so I think that leaves O'Brien as the only character who's left underused (and, ironically, gets Colm Meaney to play the kind of role he's done in a lot of action movies).
The episode just sends up every trope of the genre expertly, and then completely turns things around for the finale in which the hero switches sides to join the bad guys.
Finding ways to make the holodeck malfunction at this point must have been a difficult task, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was sick of it, but this worked in every way. The writers were clearly having a ball with this one, and the names used are fantastic, 'Mona Luvsitt' being my favourite.
This has always been one of my favourites. I really enjoy "bottle" episodes that just take place in our main location with our main characters. It's often the case that they end up trapped or have some mystery to solve (see also 'Disaster' over on TNG) and I just love them. I guess I like focused storytelling.
Here we have a classic situation with the main characters all trapped in various parts of the station and a countdown to destruction. Maybe one of the reasons that I like this so much is because it reminds me so much of one of my other favourite pastimes: point & click adventure games. All our characters are locked in somewhere and need to get out or survive by figuring out how to make use of the tools they have around them, which is exactly what you need to do in adventure games. In my mind I can see this playing out as a pixellated LucasArts or Sierra game from the 1990s, and I find it charming.
The episode has other things going for it, too. The situation is just crazy enough to be fun without being ridiculous, and we get interesting pairings of characters. It's not often that we see Sisko and Jake having to get out of a dangerous situation together, or see Garak come up and work in Ops. We are also given the classic Odo/Quark match up too, which we've seen a lot but never fails to be a highlight.
And then there's the wonderful Gul Dukat who comes along and just begins to enjoy himself. It's really difficult to dislike him, no matter how smarmy or condescending he's being, because he's just so damn charming and Cardassian. The interplay between him and Garak gives us a real sense of how much they hate each other. Plus, his blustering outrage at finding out that the station has turned on him as well is quite hilarious.
The ending is a bit of a let down. O'Brien is kind of useless crawling through that tube and Sisko frantically swapping out rods on a panel doesn't make for exciting viewing as we're not all that sure what he's attempting to do. It's also a shame that there's no resolution shown to us for Dukat as he departs the station, as that was where the best parts of the episode lie.
It did occur to me that Gul Dukat must have spent an entire afternoon at one point just recording video messages to account for every possible contingency on the station, and the more you think about that, the funnier it becomes.
"Bajoran workers, you have stayed out past curfew, you have 5 minutes to return to your quarters."
"Bajoran workers, you did not return to the habitat ring, your families will now be executed."
"Bajoran workers, you have spent too long in decontamination, if you do not report for work within 7 minutes a security detail will arrive to escort you."
"Bajoran workers, you have blocked a toilet in the docking ring, resolve the situation immediately or face the consequences."
"Bajoran workers, you did not resolve the blocked toilet situation in a timely manner..."
etc.
I wish I had a group of friends as awesome as these guys when I was a kid. I was always the lone geeky one amongst the people I hung out with.
So much to enjoy here. Dustin's feelings of protection toward his newfound pollywog are a bit odd, mostly because the thing is not cute in any way! His friends' reactions were a bit more in line with my own, and I get the feeling that it's going to keep growing into something nasty. But there's something very cute about the way he interacts with it. I was also won over by Max here in much the same way Mike was as she skateboarded around him and made him laugh - typically, Eleven would turn up right at that moment. Great use of tension as she and Mike nearly meet each other, anyway.
But again, none of this compares to the horror that Will is going through. In any other situation, Bob's advice about standing your ground would probably have been good, but of course it backfires here - and again, I have to wonder, did Bob set that up on purpose?
Major Teen Wolf (the original) vibes during the basketball scene. Not sure what Nancy is up to, because I can't believe she's stupid enough to make that phone call to Barb's mum without realising the danger it puts her in.
Gloriously good fun, and it actually advances the narrative of the show. Finally, four seasons (and about 3 years) in, Voyager makes contact with home.
Unfortunately, we don't get to see any of that. But I can pretty much forgive it, because what we are given is an extremely enjoyable, funny and adventurous episode that focuses on the strengths of the show's most complex and interesting character, the Doctor. He's paired up with a new version of the EMH and the sparks that fly between the two of them just makes for great viewing that puts a smile on your face.
It's unfortunate that the EMH-2 is played by Andy Dick. This was before most of his "troubles" began, but it's hard to happily sit and watch him.
We get to see classic Trek villains in the Romulans, and we're also given the first hint of a new enemy on the horizon (the Hirogen). The scenes back on Voyager while all the excitement is happening feel quite a lot like filler material, but they at least keep the levity and humour that is needed. Also, is it my imagination or is Tom getting a bit chubby?
I daresay this is my favourite Voyager episode so far, and that's largely down to things actually HAPPENING and the story finally being pushed in new directions. Couple that with good comedy and strong character work and you have a winner. There's also a real emotional moment at the end; I just wish we could have seen more of actual Starfleet interaction. Maybe that's still to come.
Reviewing this as a complete 90-minute movie rather than two separate episodes.
"Worf... WOOOOOOOORRRRRFFF!!!!!!" - Gowron
It's hard to talk about 'The Way of the Warrior' without acknowledging what a kick in the arse it was for DS9. It can be seen almost as a second pilot for the show given how it changes things up so much. It sets in motion a massive story arc and gives us a new main character by bringing Worf over from TNG. It gives us a modified title sequence and reworked version of the theme tune, both of which are more active and less forlorn. There are people who claim that this is where the show really begins, and in some ways it's hard to argue with them. Myself, I think the previous three seasons have been instrumental in building up to this, though.
Klingons. That's what we get here, a lot of them, and we're going to be seeing them for quite some time. It's a big move to make them the Federation's enemy again and also very exciting. From the off, it's clear that action is going play a bigger part in the show than it has previously, but we're also shown that it's not going to do that at the expense of character. Each person here is engaging in the action scenes specific to their own character's strengths and it's allowing their individualities to show. That ranges from Jadzia allowing her knowledge of Klingon combat to come through to Garak teaming up with his greatest enemy and making snarky comments while fighting side by side.
If the show does anything a bit wrong, it's that it might focus a bit too much of making it all about Worf. He's bringing a lot of baggage with him, and his past dealings with the Klingon leaders are crucial to why he's there. For all that, I do feel that Worf fits perfectly on the station and integrates very well with the rest of the crew. Garak also seems to fit in better than previously, and we see that he's dining with Odo as was once hinted at. It's also great the way the crew inform him that his homeworld is about to be invaded.
Sisko also seems to have kicked things up a notch. His shaved head makes him feel like even more of a force to be reckoned with, but he goes toe-to-toe with the Klingons and doesn't back down an inch. His talks with Worf about staying in Starfleet show how at ease he now feels with his role in command of the station. I like our introduction to Martok (whom, if you've seen the show before, you might know that he is actually a Changeling, which makes things even more interesting in retrospect).
The battle with the Klingon fleet still remains impressive, if quite small scale by today's standards. I remember watching this in the '90s and being blown away by how good it all looked and how exciting it was. I hadn't really seen stuff like it on television before. I love that the station is now decked out with an arsenal of weapons and it says that this place is now prepared for full on war. An action packed and beautifully involved piece of television, this is essential viewing. Maybe way too much exposition in the dialogue, especially at the start, but that's just how Trek does things.
Once in a while, Star Trek strikes absolute gold. This is an example of that. Clever storytelling and a plot that's very much driven by character result in one of the highlights of the series, if not franchise. Plus, we get to have fun with Q and do a bit of time travelling. It's a real showcase for the talents of both John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart.
However entertaining the sections set in Picard's youth are, the real highlight comes once we see his new present day life on board the Enterprise. It's really unsettling to see him reduced to a mere errand boy that nobody takes notice of, that Riker and Troi see nothing special in. Even the blue uniform is unnerving.
The episode does seem to have a message that I take some issues with, that being that you won't get anywhere in life unless you're reckless. There's a difference between pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and just being an arrogant idiot with no regard for yourself or others. It leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Picard's friend Corey also seems to be very immature, but fortunately Marta has much better writing. Otherwise, this is a beautiful mix of Quantum Leap and It's a Wonderful Life that ties back in to a tiny throwaway line of dialogue that Picard gave us about his heart back in season 2.
Also, I love the Nausicaans, one of my favourite Trek aliens. Always makes me laugh that they look like they belong in KISS.
This is something truly special, and every time I've sat down to watch 'Far Beyond the Stars' has felt like an event. It's a dark and difficult episode that brings up issues which Star Trek was designed to address - in this case, racism. What makes this one different though is that it doesn't try to dress it up in any kind of metaphor, as the franchise so often does, and gives as a very direct and plain story set in 1950s America.
That in itself is the twist. Things get a bit meta and it turns out that Deep Space Nine and its characters may all be a fictional creation of writer Benny Russel. Or maybe this is the Prophets giving Captain Sisko some new guidance. We don't get any definitive answer, we just get a very emotional episode full of beautiful and haunting moments.
Part of the appeal definitely comes from seeing the show's actors out of their prosthetics and alien makeup, just playing normal human beings. Some of them are almost unrecognisable (Nog), while others are clearly the same faces (Dukat). They each give performances far removed from their standard characters and each leaves a big impression.
I have to admit, though, that I can't give this episode a perfect score because it has some deep flaws that aren't addressed. It doesn't seem to me that there's much explanation, reason or even point for any of the events to happen. The message seems to be that Sisko shouldn't give up on his path, but it's not very clear. The Prophets might be sending Sisko a vision, but to what end? What does it have to do with anything? Where is it supposed to lead him, and how is a vision of 1950s America supposed to guide him toward anything? It feels a bit left field, and serving no purpose other than to deliver a (very high quality) morality tale on racism.
The other problem is that Avery Brooks, who gives a stunning performance for 95% of the episode, goes way too far at the end and turns a powerful moment into something a bit cringe worthy. It's all a bit over-the-top and takes me right out of the moment.
DS9 really did comedy well. Unlike the funny but often garish Ferengi-centric episodes, this one feel much more natural. Riffing on Cyrano de Bergerac and developing an almost Shakespearean tilt, this is an absolutely wonderful episode about lust and romance in all its various forms.
The jokes just work, and so much of it is because the comedy all stems from characters rather than just situations. From over-the-top stuff like Worf throwing Morn aside and challenging Thopok, to subtle things like the girlish (and very un-Klingon) yelp from Grilka when Quark pinches her on the way down from the holosuite. The actors sell it, too, for example the excellent ending when Julian realises what his multitude of patients have been getting up to.
Then we have the O'Brien/Kira storyline. On the surface this is very strange and something that I wouldn't have thought works for the characters at all - and it doesn't, that's entirely the point. They're both equally as horrified with the sudden thoughts in their heads, and again it's played so well that even though we as an audience think, "noooo!", the show recognises it.
Certainly among the funniest episodes of the series, but it also gives us so much great character work. Finally, after a year, Jadzia manages to get Worf to see that she's been standing there the whole time!
I think this is one of DS9's finest moments, despite not quite loving it as much as I used to on previous viewings. This show has the awkward task of bringing some pretty deep religion into Star Trek, and here (as often) it handles it pretty much flawlessly. As an agnostic myself, I really like the way the show allows for all points of view to be valid, and allows for faith vs. science.
This is demonstrated in a very strong scene in ops between Kira, Dax, O'Brien and Worf as they discuss their conflicting points of view without it interfering with their characters or relationships. Kira and Worf are the believers - despite the fact that they believe in different things - and their faith allows their worries to not wear them down. Kira even completely stands behind Jake's decision to let Bashir operate on his father, because she trusts that whatever happens is what her Prophets willed.
Avery Brooks really is the star of this episode though as he portrays Sikso going on a real journey and completely accepting the role of Emissary. I love Bajoran culture and the way the show integrated it, and found myself falling in love with Bajor over the course of the show in the same way that Sisko did. While some of his "visions" are clichéd and standard TV-tropes, it works. We even get given some hints about things to come further down the line. Brooks gives an emotional performance that is in danger of gonig over-the-top but is just restrained enough to be believable. When you consider this after the events of 'The Visitor', the Sisko/Jake scenes are even more powerful. I love the suggestion that Kassidy is now a part of their family too.
I have to also mention the best moment of the episode, which is the conversation between Kira and Kai Winn. Winn is a hateful character that is just about impossible to feel sympathy for, and yet Louise Fletcher manages it here as she reveals what she went through during the Occupation and puts Kira in her place. It's just superb.
One nitpick: we're supposed to believe that nobody has ever noticed the reflection in the painting for 20,000 years? Also, the Admiral is a poorly written character and not the best performance.
Big future Doctor Bashir spoiler: a later episode would seem to suggest that Bashir has been replaced by a Changeling by this point. That's impressive if he managed to do brain surgery on Sisko!
