Two Cool Accessories Does Not Adequately Sell The Commander Benjamin Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform Figure!

The Good: Good sculpt, Good coloring, Decent variety of accessories.
The Bad: Accessory coloring, Very overproduced, Very bland facial expression, Lacks skin depth and shading, No significant leg articulation
The Basics: The Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform is a decent display piece, but not a great action figure.


Sometimes, I find myself wondering just what the heck toy companies are thinking when I see the results of their work. In the case of the Playmates Toys Star Trek: Deep Space Nine toy line, there were some times when the manufacturer made some inexplicable choices. The Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform figure, for example, had knees that were articulated, but a groin socket joint that was not articulated. As a result, at best the figure could look vaguely like it was running (though Sisko would not be likely to run while in the dress uniform.

Commander Sisko, for those who were not tuned in to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (reviewed here!), was the Commander and then the Captain of space station Deep Space Nine. He wore the Dress Uniform on occasions like meeting the Wadi in “Move Along Home” (reviewed here!). He very infrequently wore the Dress Uniform as the Commander and later as the Captain.

Basics

The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1995 Collection of action figures contained twelve figures and it was largely made up of guest characters and obscure variants of the command crew of Deep Space Nine. Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform is the human officer, looking just as he did when he was forced to dress up for important events. Sisko appears in his second release figure (there were two Siskos in the second line) as an pretty generic red-uniformed StarFleet officer in Dress Uniform. He is attired in his maroon and black StarFleet Dress uniform. This was one of the most common action figures in the assortment and it remains fairly easy to find even now. Still, card collectors helped keep this from being a complete pegwarmer as it features a SkyBox pog exclusive to the action figure, which made it hunted by trading card collectors as well.

The Commander Sisko figure is the human StarFleet officer as he appeared in the infrequent episodes where Sisko wore the Dress Uniform, with the maroon uniform and with hair on his head. Commander Sisko is attired in his dark red (for Command division) Dress Uniform. The outfit is colored appropriately, including the single open gold/black rank pip on the collar, though there is no physical distinction between the body of this Sisko and the Riker in Dress Uniform figure (from the Officers Collectors Set).

Standing four and three quarters inches tall, this is a decent likeness of Commander Sisko immortalized in plastic. The character is molded with his hands ready to hold most of his accessories in a half-closed position. His legs have a fairly straight-legged stance, so this figure stands up and looks like he is ready to be displayed, as opposed to an action pose which made some of the earlier Star Trek figures more problematic for posing in displays. Commander Sisko has good balance both on and off his stand, probably because he has so little leg articulation. There is a decent level of uniform detailing, including the communicator pin on the chest being both molded into the figure and then painted on. The sculpted details include such finer details as fingernails, but not knuckles.

Commander Sisko's face is molded in a bland, neutral expression that makes Sisko looks bored and kind of dull. This is apparently identical to other Sisko figures created in the first two lines as it has hair that is molded on, close-cropped. Sisko looks more like he is wearing a helmet than that he has hair.

The paint job is fair at best, especially for the face. The skin tones are monotonal brown with no shading or subtlety. The figure's lips are barely painted and they are an unrealistic shade of pink. As well, Sisko's eyes are black with white pupils, which is disturbing. On the body of the figure, the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine figures seem to have been rushed to market as there is nothing truly unique with this figure. As a result the bottoms of the pants lack the piping detail the actual uniform had.

Accessories

Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform comes with five accessories, including the base, one of which is unique to this figure. Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform comes with a StarFleet carrying case, DS9 monitor, 3-D Chess board, Saltah’na Clock and the base. The Action base is a StarFleet delta shield symbol with the name "SISKO" stuck on it with a cheap, black sticker. The center of the base has a peg which fits into the hole in either of Commander Sisko's feet! When Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform stands flatfooted on the stand, he is stable for balance and has a decent, neutral display appearance.

The StarFleet carrying case is a tube that may be slung nicely over the shoulder of the Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform figure. The tube was 1” long and 1/2” in diameter. It had a thin strap that makes the overall carrying case 2” tall. This is a monotonal navy blue accessory with a white StarFleet logo silk screened onto it. Outside its coloring, it fits the figure perfectly.

The DS9 Monitor is a 15/16” wide by 1 1/8” deep by 3/4” tall laptop computer accessory. These were seen on desks around Deep Space Nine and the screen on Sisko’s is a sticker that has an outline of Deep Space Nine on it. The monitor looks silly in Sisko’s hands.

The 3-D Chess Board is also intended for a nonexistent desktop. It’s a 1 13/16” tall chess board with four levels and a Knight piece on the top level. The board is monotonal blue, which is not at all realistic for the prop replica.

Unique to this figure is the Saltah’na Clock. The Saltah’na Clock was featured exclusively in the episode “Dramatis Personae” (reviewed here!). Commander Sisko built the Saltah’na Clock in that episode while under the influence of alien forces. The 1 3/16” long and wide by 1” tall three-plated clock looks exactly like the alien clock Sisko assembled, save that it is navy blue.

That is the unfortunate aspect of all four of Commander Sisko's accessories; they are molded in an unrealistic navy blue plastic which looks unlike what any of the props looked like on the show. Clearly Playmates went through some effort to sculpt the accessories realistically, but the coloring minimizes the sense of realism and clashes with the coloring of the figure. Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform is over-accessorized and with the lame coloring of the accessories, it is a bit of a drawback for the overall figure.

Even so, Playmates included a pog trading card unique to the figure from SkyBox which attracted trading card collectors to this figure in addition to toy collectors. The trading card has a shot of Sisko’s head over the wormhole. The back has a simple checklist of the figures that came with pogs.

Playability

Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform continued a generally high level quality from Playmates and he was quite good at the time, pleasing collectors and fans alike. Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform is appropriately stiff and has poor overall poseability. Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform is endowed with nine points of articulation: knees, biceps, elbows, shoulders, and neck. All of the joints, save the elbows and knees, are simple swivel joints. As a result, the neck turns left to right, but the head cannot nod. Similarly, the shoulders are not ball and socket joints and only rotate. Still, Playmates dealt with this limitation by having a swivel joint in the bicep, that allows everything below to turn and offers real decent poseability!

Moreover, for use with actual play, Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform may bend or extend at the elbows, which offers a greater amount of movement potential making him one of the more realistic Star Trek action figures to play with (for those who actually play with these toys!). On his base, Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform is exceptionally stable, though the legs do not move enough to offer real posing variety. Off the stand, the figure falls over exceptionally easily.

Collectibility

Playmates overproduced the second wave of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine figures and Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform was a slow seller of the assortment. Commander Sisko had two different renditions in the second assortment and the Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform was still a pegwarmer. As a result, he has not appreciated at all in value since his initial release almost twenty years ago.

That said, at least Playmates tried to make the figures collectible. Each figure has an individual number on the bottom of his right foot. In the attempt to make them appear limited, they had numbers stamped on them, though one has to seriously wonder how limited something should be considered when there are at least 41000 figures out there (my Commander Sisko is #040463!).

Overview

The Commander Sisko In StarFleet Dress Uniform figure was not terribly flexible, but even though the accessories were poorly colored, they fit the figure surprisingly well (in terms of content, if not playability). This figure gets a very weak “recommend” from me as it is a bland toy.

For other figures from this same series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine figures, please check out my reviews of:
Chief Miles Edward O’Brien In StarFleet Duty Uniform
Lieutenant Thomas Riker
Doctor Julian Bashir In StarFleet Duty Uniform
Jake Sisko
Rom and Nog
The Tosk
Q
Vedek Bareil

5.5/10

For other Star Trek toy reviews, please visit my Star Trek Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing.

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Video Game Sisko Makes For A Poor Exclusive

The Good: Good sculpt, Good coloring, Balance
The Bad: No accessories, Nothing remarkable as far as an exclusive goes, Very bland facial expression.
The Basics: A particularly lazy exclusive action figure, it's hard to get excited about the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Commander Benjamin Sisko In StarFleet Duty Uniform figure.


When it comes to Star Trek exclusive action figures, Playmates Toys had a decidedly mixed record. When they tried to do an exceptionally limited action figure at the height of the popularity of Star Trek figures – the “Tapestry” Picard (reviewed here!), they received a pretty righteous backlash and the frustrated fans did everything they could to sink the company’s plans (the two subsequent figures that were planned for releases of 1701 pieces were upped to 3000 and then a multipack with unnumbered versions of the figures was later released!). Before that comparatively imaginative recycled figure (all of the pieces to the “Tapestry” Picard were cribbed from other, prior, Playmates Star Trek figure releases, Playmates made some even lazier exclusives. One was the Commander Benjamin Sisko in StarFleet Duty Uniform action figure.

The Commander Benjamin Sisko in StarFleet Duty Uniform action figure was an exclusive from the Nintendo and Sega game Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Crossroads Of Time. The game had a mail-away coupon and Playmates produced 4000 of the figure as an exclusive.

Commander Benjamin Sisko in StarFleet Duty Uniform is Commander Sisko as he appeared in the teaser only to the pilot episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “Emissary” (reviewed here!).

Basics

Commander Benjamin Sisko is a human officer, seen originally fighting the Borg during the famed Battle Of Wolf 359, and in addition to being the first black commanding officer whose story is fully developed in a Star Trek series, he was father to Jake Sisko. Sisko appears in his exclusive action figure as a bored looking officer who is attired in the red StarFleet Command branch uniform. Because he was the leader, Playmates thought the figure might be popular. Unfortunately, because it was a lazy reuse of a pretty standard Star Trek The Next Generation figure’s body with a Sisko head popped on, collectors and fans largely rejected the figure.

The Commander Benjamin Sisko figure is the human StarFleet officer as he appeared in the first five minutes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, with the red uniform and with a head of closely shaved hair. Commander Benjamin Sisko is attired in his red StarFleet uniform (for Command division) that is entirely indistinct from other, similar, figures. The outfit is colored appropriately, including the three gold rank pips on the collar.

Standing four and seven-eighths inches tall, this is a decent likeness of Commander Benjamin Sisko immortalized in plastic. His legs have a very neutral stance, so this figure stands up and looks like he is ready to be displayed, as opposed to an action pose which made some of the earlier Star Trek figures more problematic for posing in displays. Even so, Commander Benjamin Sisko has good balance on which is important because this figure did not come with a stand. There is a decent level of uniform detailing, including the communicator pin on the chest being both molded into the figure and then painted on. The sculpting details lessen, though at the hands, where Sisko has less detailing, including a lack of defined knuckles or fingernails.

Commander Benjamin Sisko's face is molded in a bland, neutral expression that actually characterizes well Sisko's initial emotional resonance. He was a low-key Commander and the lack of defined expression suits the character remarkably well. The hair is little more than a raised portion on the head which has then been colored black; there is little texture to it. Interestingly, while the skin and uniform are cast in a glossy plastic, Sisko's hair is painted with a black matte finish.

The paint job is fair at best, especially for the face. The skin tones are monotonal brown with no shading or subtlety. The figure's lips are painted an unnaturally bright pink which looks somewhat ridiculous. As well, Sisko's eyes are brown with white pupils, which is disturbing.

Accessories

Commander Benjamin Sisko In StarFleet Duty Uniform comes with no accessories. This is especially disappointing for an exclusive figure.

Playability

Commander Benjamin Sisko continued a generally high level quality from Playmates and he was quite good at the time, pleasing collectors and fans alike. Commander Benjamin Sisko is appropriately stiff, but has decent poseability. Commander Benjamin Sisko is endowed with twelve points of articulation: knees, groin socket, biceps, elbows, shoulders, neck, and waist. All of the joints, save the elbows and knees, are simple swivel joints. As a result, the neck turns left to right, but the head cannot nod. Similarly, the shoulders are not ball and socket joints and only rotate. Still, Playmates dealt with this limitation by having a swivel joint in the bicep, which allows everything below to turn and offers real decent poseability!

Moreover, for use with actual play, Commander Benjamin Sisko may bend or extend at the elbows, which offers a greater amount of movement potential making him one of the more realistic Star Trek action figures to play with (for those who actually play with these toys!). On his base, Commander Benjamin Sisko is exceptionally stable, even in the most ridiculous poses. He actually looks very dignified and stern in a neutral display pose.

Collectibility

Playmates overestimated the interest in Commander Benjamin Sisko and after the initial spike, the value of the exclusive figure plummeted. At this point, it is one of the least expensive collectible figures from Star Trek on the market. The fact that is was uninspired and recycled without any new pieces or a hook also helped turn collectors off to it.

Overview

The Commander Benjamin Sisko figure is a poor, bland figure and even fans will have a tough time justifying the expense or effort in tracking down one of these toys.

For other Benjamin Sisko action figures, please check out my reviews of:
1993 Commander Benjamin Sisko (first release) figure
Sisko from “Crossover”
Captain Benjamin Sisko
Sisko As A Klingon
6” Warp Factor Series Captain Benjamin Sisko
Art Asylum Captain Sisko from “Trials And Tribble-ations”
Diamond Select Captain Benjamin Sisko

2.5/10

For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Top Ten Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Episodes

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The Basics: Neglected by mass culture, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a classic in its own right and possibly the best of the Trek pantheon. These are the indispensable episodes...


So, now that I've begun writing up some of my lists for my readers, I find myself in the pleasant and horrible position of sometimes having to truly be concise and nail down some of my opinions. After all, when I'm simply reviewing a film, book, or c.d., where it falls in my larger pantheon can often be overlooked. I can go back and see trends in my reviewing and justify higher or lower ratings based on what I was experiencing at the time.

This became a real issue when coming up with my list of the ten best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes of all time. There are a number of perfect hours of this much-neglected show and in cutting down the list, I was forced to leave off several worthy episodes, like "Sacrifice Of Angels," "Looking For Par'Mach In All The Wrong Places . ..," and "To The Death" (when I originally posted this, I took a lot of crap for not including “In The Pale Moonlight!”). Paring down the best episodes into a list of ten is a kind of "put up or shut up" for the best series in the Star Trek franchise. If you've never seen Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, weren't able to get into it, or loved it and want to see the cream of the crop, these are the episodes that represent the best the series produced and perfect hours of television that may be returned to again and again and again.

10. "Hard Time" (reviewed here!) - Every season, poor Chief O'Brien got tortured by someone, usually for doing nothing but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the fourth season, the show did an episode that smartly dealt with the repercussions of O'Brien being imprisoned by a race that time compresses jail sentences. So while he was unconscious for only a few hours, he had memories implanted in his mind of being imprisoned for decades. The powerful toll that takes on O'Brien makes for one of the most enduring character studies of the series,

9. "Tacking Into The Wind" (reviewed here!) - At one of the last Star Trek conventions I attended while the series was still running, Alexander Siddig (Siddig El Fadil, "Dr. Bashir") was asked the pretty standard question about what season was his favorite and he answered the current (7th) season because the show just keeps getting better and better (in his words). Perhaps there's no better proof of that than in the last few episodes, the series would create one of the top ten episodes of the series. While Damar, Kira and Odo work to free Cardassia from the clutches of the Dominion, Odo begins to succumb to the disease ravaging his people. At the same time, the Klingon Empire stands on the brink of ruin as Gowron's jealousy of Martok overcomes his judgment. A clever episode with a tension that ratchets up until the last moments of the episode, this is one of the last gems the series would produce without feeling like it was going to end (i.e. the events in this episode inspire events that could have inspired a whole additional season!),

8. "Rocks And Shoals" (reviewed here!) - Wow. War sucks, but watching the ethical dilemmas laid out so succinctly when Sisko and his crew crash land on a planet occupied by a lone garrison of Jem'Hadar who are running out of the drug they need to sustain them is intense. Combined with a powerful b-plot aboard the station of a Bajoran's willingness to protest the war at any cost, this is easily the most neglected episode of the top ten. Performances by Nana Visitor on down to the Lieutenant who has to bury the bodies at the end make this an astonishingly great episode,

7. "Return To Grace" (reviewed here!) - One of the nice things about writing a list like this is that it's okay to be biased. Objectively, this spot should probably be saved for “Sacrifice Of Angels;” too bad. I love the character of Gul Dukat. He's Star Trek's" greatest villain and the most consistently, best written adversary for any of the crews. So when Major Kira is transported by Dukat to a conference where the Klingons intervene and she must teach Dukat how to be a terrorist, it's a pretty great hour of television. Smart and managing to make Dukat out of his element without being a buffoon, this episode smartly does what most of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine does best; it forces characters to deal with the consequences of their prior actions and this one knocks it out of the park with that,

6. "Necessary Evil" (reviewed here!) - No episode more poignantly and profoundly changed the direction of the characters without saying anything than this episode. The last shot of the episode knocked my socks off when I first saw it and tugged my heartstrings every time thereafter. A murder investigation makes for a great excuse to look back to how Odo met Kira, Quark and Dukat and it's a smart episode that is a great character study,

5. "What You Leave Behind" (reviewed here!) - The series finale of Star Trek Deep Space Nine did what no other Trek series has been ballsy enough to do, it ended the series with a sense of finality and futility that perfectly fit the show's overriding motif of "Dreams die." The Cardassian War ends, with significant casualties both in literal terms (characters are killed off) and metaphorical (one character leaves with a sense of permanence that destroys all of his individuality). Sisko's role as the Emissary comes to a head when he must take on the Pah Wraiths and ultimately, everything ends. The last shot of the series still brings a tear to my eye. Every time,

4. "In Purgatory's Shadow" / "By Inferno's Light" (reviewed here! and here!) - The first of my two cheats on this list is this two-part episode that marks the turning point that leads directly to the Dominion War. Dukat returns from his private war with the Klingons to stand beside Sisko and his team as they prepare for a Dominion assault. Only, there's intrigue afoot and one of Sisko's people is not himself and Dukat's made an alliance with the Dominion that changes everything. This is quite possibly the best, most plot-driven episode that keeps the suspense building until the last moment of the episode and truly juggles every character involved effectively,

3. "Improbable Cause" / "The Die Is Cast" (reviewed here! and here!) - And then there's this two-parter that for the first time gives Garak a real juicy story. When the tailor is almost killed, Odo begins an investigation and what starts as a simple investigation leads to a convoluted scheme. But the brilliance of the two-parter is that the convoluted scheme serves mostly for Garak and Odo to share some deliciously character-building scenes, including the revelation of Odo's true feelings and a quiet, poignant denouement that wraps up an episode with amazing special effects with a genuine character moment,

2. "The Visitor" (reviewed here!) - Anyone who has seen this episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine knows why it's considered almost universally one of the top five episodes of the series and one of the top ten episodes in the franchise. And who would have guessed; it's a story of Jake Sisko! Set in the distant future, author Jake Sisko spends a night with a young author reminiscing about the death of his father and the effect that had on him. Spanning fifty years, the episode is a tear-jerker and the ultimate tale of loneliness and loss. Well written, amazingly acted and all around great, this episode manages to have an effect on viewers every time they watch, even if it's the only episode of the series they ever see,

1. "Duet" (reviewed here!) - What "The Visitor" does on a personal and character level, "Duet" does on a social and historical level. Subtle in its perfection, for an hour, Kira is able to interrogate a Cardassian whose identity oscillates between filing clerk and war criminal. The mystery of one man's identity sparks a character struggle that asks what the true price of vengeance is, and what it ought to be. This is easily the smartest hour of television yet written and it becomes worthwhile for anyone to see. There is no finer reason to own a television than to see this hour of programming.


For other best and worst of Star Trek, check out:
The Worst 10 Episodes Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Best 10 Episodes Of Star Trek
The Worst 10 Episodes Of Star Trek
The Best 10 Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Worst 10 Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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William Shatner Makes A Legitimately Awesome Documentary With The Captains!

The Good: Amazing interviewing, Shows impressive appreciation for the fans and fan base.
The Bad: Some early cuts (Interviews with Avery) where Shatner does not give subjects enough space to respond.
The Basics: The only documentary (so far) that illustrates real appreciation for the Star Trek franchise, William Shatner interviews The Captains very successfully.


Recently, I sat down and watched Trekkies (reviewed here!) and I loathed it. I was offended as a fan and as a member of a subculture by how exploited the fanbase was. So, when The Captains came up for me as a recommendation for me to watch, I was much more hesitant to watch it. Then, I noted that William Shatner wrote, directed, and appeared as the interviewer in the film. I decided to give it a fair shake.

The Captains is wonderful (mostly) and it is the definitive documentary for fans of the Star Trek franchise and those who truly want to understand what a serious enterprise the Star Trek is. It is entirely appropriate that only William Shatner could get each of the actors (and actress) who played a captain in the Star Trek franchise to open up about both their feelings about the roles, fame, and existential matters. Instantly, The Captains became my second favorite documentary, second only to Fahrenheit 9/11 (reviewed here!), largely because of the quality of the material captured.

William Shatner interviews Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine, as they are the only people in the world who have a similar frame of reference for what he went through as an actor on Star Trek. In the course of traveling around the world to meet with Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Avery Brooks (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), Scott Bakula (Star Trek: Enterprise), and Chris Pine (the film Star Trek). In traveling around to discuss the roles each played before their stint in the Star Trek franchise and their history since, Shatner works his way toward a personal epiphany (though, given the order of the filming, he hits it pretty early making most of the rest of the process pointless) and exposes a side of each of the actors that fans cannot get by going to Star Trek conventions.

Shatner, after an initial bout of cutting his subjects off (albeit in an entertaining way), settles in for interviews that range from the intriguing to the downright profound. Over the course of discussing the effect of shooting Star Trek, Shatner nearly brings Stewart, Mulgrew, and Bakula to tears as they discuss their failures in relationships (both marital and parental).

The Captains largely succeeds because William Shatner was friends with Patrick Stewart and Kate Mulgrew before the documentary and he hits it off with Scott Bakula and Chris Pine exceptionally well. The weakness of the documentary is in the segments with Avery Brooks. In fact, with Brooks, Shatner illustrates his only failure of research; Brooks was interviewed many times during and after the series was over wherein he discussed how he wanted to quit the show, but continued in order to set a positive example for his son. As the interview with Brooks flounders, Shatner tries to address the effect filming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had on his family life, but Shatner fails to regroup with any sort of play on that publically-available information.

The rest of The Captains is magical. Kate Mulgrew turns the interviewing table on Shatner when talking about issues of mortality and Shatner gets an exceptional interview out of Patrick Stewart when discussing the effect of filming the series on his marriages. Shatner has access fans cannot (credibly) get and he uses it incredibly well to get uncommon answers to incredible questions. Part of the filming for The Captains was done at a convention I attended, so there was a significant geek out factor for me on a personal level, but far more than that, it was pretty incredible to get new information from the stars (having been to more than a hundred conventions, watched all the DVD bonus features, etc., it’s a rare thing to surprise me in that way).

More than just being insightful for fans of Star Trek, The Captains is an intriguins expose on the rigors of acting and the effect the media and fans can have on performers. William Shatner may be forever known for Star Trek, but he makes a credible documentarian and The Captains could well be the start of another incredible phase in his career.

For other documentaries, please check out my reviews of:
Trekkies 2
The Furious Gods: Making “Prometheus”
Religuous

9/10

For other film reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the movies I have reviewed.

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

| | | The Basics: Even a great show has its duds: these are the bottom ten episodes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine produced!


In the tradition of the Top Ten Lists I have for the other series’ in the Star Trek franchise, I figured that it was about time for me to revisit Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (reviewed here!) is a bit tougher to make a Top Ten List for (though I did, back when I was writing for another site, here!), largely because after a certain point, the show becomes heavily serialized and pieces of other episodes are required to get the most out of later episodes.

But, even for a perfect series, there are less-than-stellar episodes. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had some duds, though none fell nearly as far as the bottom episodes from the other works in the franchise. For the Bottom Ten Duds Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one need only look to:

10. “Battle Lines” (reviewed here!) – Killing off characters can be a tough sell, but when the whole point of the episode is to bury a guest character it can be dicey. The series eventually got it right with episodes like “Life Support,” which has one of the most heartwrenching finishes of the franchise. But in the first season, in order to set off a perfectly reasonable religious schism that would play a part throughout the rest of the series, Kai Opaka needed to be lost. “Battle Lines” is the result and while it is an initially interesting idea, it replays exceptionally poorly. This is, arguably, the worst essential episode the series produced,

9. “Melora” (reviewed here!) – I admire the message of a handicapable officer, but the execution with “Melora” just sucks. It’s a sad thing when the b-plot (in this case, a disgruntled former partner of Quark’s returning to kill him) entirely overwhelms the character for whom the episode is named. I suppose the writers just really wanted their original characterization for the doctor on Deep Space Nine to see the light of day. This episode is the reason revisions get made (outside the budgetary constraints!),

8. “Fascination” (reviewed here!) – It’s a Lwaxana Troi episode and the real knife in the gut to fans is that it is Vedek Bareil’s penultimate appearance. After being part of this ridiculous “love spell” episode, I think I’d want my character dead, too,

7. “If Wishes Were Horses” (reviewed here!) – On The Simpsons, in one of the “Treehouse Of Horror” episodes, Springfield is overrun by the icons of businesses in town that become animated. The donut-eating Lard Lad, for example, goes on a rampage, stomping on everyone. The denizens of Springfield soon realize that they are fueled by the attention of the townspeople and a catchy jingle (with the simple lyrics “Just don’t look, just don’t look!”) solves the problem. “If Wishes Were Horses” is an equally simple and insulting episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Moreover, it raises nagging theoretical issues (much like “Where Silence Has Lease” did on Star Trek: The Next Generation) where fans can just ask, “If the solution to the problem was just imagining different readings on the consoles, doesn’t that mean everyone is still in The Matrix?!” I find myself wondering if, had the writers known where they were going with Bashir, they would have hinted at his secret in his fantasy here,

6. “Rules Of Engagement” (reviewed here!) – I admire taking narrative risks, especially in a show that usually tries to keep things gritty, realistic, and trending toward the tragic. But, not all risks pay off. “Rules Of Engagement” proves that. While most people I know would swap “The Sword Of Kahless” with this on this list, I like that “The Sword Of Kahless” doesn’t cheapen itself with a “magical” explanation – the characters all just become assholes in their pursuit of the sword. “Rules Of Engagement” relies on a conceit that makes no sense when one considers how efficient Odo usually is (seriously, writers, it takes him days to discover the ship’s crew had been dead for three months?!) and the comedic relief in it is just lame,

5. “Babel” (reviewed here!) – Talk about great ideas that replay poorly. “Babel” has no character development and a painfully simplistic plot. It does, however, have some pretty impressive acting. The fact that so many actors can speak mumbo jumbo the way they do in this episode is cool, but it’s not enough to save it,

4. “Meridian” (reviewed here!) – Sure, it was the “Brigadoon” episode and entirely lame for that reason, but . . . No, there is no “but” here. “Meridian” is a pretty silly one-shot romance episode focusing on Dax. In fact, the only reason to go back and rewatch the episode is to really have the knife twisted in when one considers how much the writers built up Jadzia’s youth and potential,

3. “Q-Less” (reviewed here!) – The most shameless attempt to exploit the Star Trek: The Next Generation audience. Damn,

2. “Destiny” (reviewed here!) – Usually, I consider this the worst episode. “Destiny” is a simple, obvious, prophecy episode and if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. A prophecy is made, no one really believes it, but it affects the way they act and lo and behold, by the end of the episode, there is a way to look at it where the prophecy actually came true! It’s a formula that is so beneath Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that it is shameful that they allowed an episode that relied upon such a “done” conceit to be produced. If Bajoran prophets were so good, how is it none of them made a clear, reasonable prophecy, like, “When you see the Cardassians coming on stardate XXXXX.X, destroy their ship or for 70 years, our people will be raped, killed, enslaved, etc.?” Despite the establishment of the communication’s relay on the other side of the wormhole, I wince each time I feel compelled to watch this episode,

And finally . . .

1. “Take Me Out To The Holosuite” (reviewed here!) – Objectively even worse than “Destiny” is the baseball episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Let us forget, for a moment, that the episode has the least-Vulcan Vulcans (including Vorik on Star Trek: Voyager) the franchise produced up until the liars in Star Trek: Enterprise. Let us completely disregard how the episode makes characters who have absolutely no emotional investment care about a ridiculous grudge match. We can try to believe that Worf, who nails flying drones when swinging his phaser rifle in Star Trek: Insurrection, would actually have issues with hitting a baseball and that he would not be a power hitter for Sisko’s team (we can try . . .), but the Sisko issues are just too much. In context, “Take Me Out To The Holosuite” makes Sisko and StarFleet look like a bunch of absolute idiots and simpletons. Within a year, Captain Benjamin Sisko has: pretty much lost his mind (“Far Beyond The Stars”), been tortured (“Waltz”), sent a married couple on a dangerous mission they completely botched (“Change Of Heart”), conspired, abetted multiple murders, and entirely violated the Prime Directive as well as a number of interstellar laws (“In The Pale Moonlight”), been forced to watch as his son was possessed by a malevolent entity after he destroyed a priceless religious artifact (“The Reckoning”), and lost his best friend in the universe and abandoned his post for months as a result (“Tears Of The Prophets”). Then, he becomes obsessed with a baseball game that causes him to injure his crew and act like an ass to a fellow captain and civilians living aboard his station (most of whom just want to help him out). Seriously?! How does StarFleet not fire this guy?! I love Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and I am a huge fan of Benjamin Sisko, but the fact that Bashir did not relieve him for being emotionally strung out absolutely unfathomable. “Take Me Out To The Holosuite,” with Sisko’s behavior in it, is the line too far in the progression of terrible shit that happens to Captain Benjamin Sisko and it is utterly unbelievable that after this point the military branch of the Federation would allow him to keep his post.

And it’s a baseball episode in the middle of a serious and engaging storyline. “Destiny” might insult genre fans, but “Take Me Out To The Holosuite” is just offensive to people who like decent television!

For similar lists, be sure to check out my:
Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek
Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Bottom Ten Episodes Of Star Trek
The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation

For a comprehensive list of the Star Trek franchise, Best To Worst, check out my ever-growing Star Trek Review Index Page where the reviews are so organized!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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What Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Leaves Behind Is A Perfect Finale With “What You Leave Behind!”

The Good: Engaging acting, Wonderful character work, Great plot, Decent effects
The Bad: Reuse of special effects.
The Basics: Despite some recycled special effects sequences, “What You Leave Behind” finishes the televised saga of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!


As Star Trek: The Next Generation wanted viewers to know, “all good things come to an end.” With Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, it’s all about “What You Leave Behind!” “What You Leave Behind” is the series finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and it is the least self-contained finale in the Star Trek franchise. Every other series of Star Trek, one may easily watch the pilot and finale back to back and have, at the very least, an understanding of what is going on. With Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which was much more of a serialized television show, that is not the case. “What You Leave Behind” is essentially the tenth part of a single, long story arc.

Actually, “What You Leave Behind” is the culmination of years worth of stories and character development. It is the climax to a war story, a fierce character conflict, a rebellion, everything but the resolution to a diplomatic nightmare. Despite my considering “What You Leave Behind” to be a perfect episode and one of the top ten episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, “What You Leave Behind” has two problems for people who are detail-oriented. The first is that the mission that Sisko had is not achieved; “What You Leave Behind” does not culminate with the Bajorans joining the Federation. Despite having a decent build-up, like Colonel Kira in a StarFleet uniform for several of the episodes that precede “What You Leave Behind,” the final leap is never made. The other niggling problem is that director Allan Kroeker recycles space battle footage from earlier episodes in “What You Leave Behind.” As much as “What You Leave Behind” should have gone out with a bang, there are troublingly reused sequences, most notably from “Sacrifice Of Angels.”

Outside those two things, which are somewhat nitpicky (especially the first one, at least in the context of the episode!), “What You Leave Behind” is damn near perfect. It is easily the best finale of the Star Trek franchise.

The morning of the united Federation, Klingon and Romulan assault on the Dominion forces in the Alpha Quadrant, Dr. Bashir wakes up in bed with Ezri while O’Brien and his family pack. As the war looks to be coming to a conclusion, O’Brien has decided to move his family back to Earth as he takes a teaching position. On Cardassia Prime, Kira, Damar, and Garak continue to lead a civilian uprising against the Dominion forces. When Jem’Hadar forces storm Mila’s house, killing Garak’s remaining family, he is enraged. As the battle along the Dominion Front is joined, things look grim for the allies until the Cardassians turn against the Breen. Meanwhile, on Bajor, Kai Winn and Anjohl Tennan (Gul Dukat as a Bajoran) are reunited, with Tennan’s eyesight restored by the Pah-wraiths. They begin their journey to the firecaves in order to release the pah-wraiths.

With the Cardassians rising up in the street, the Dominion forces start slaughtering Cardassian citizens wholesale as they fortify their position. With the absolute annihilation of an entire city, the Dominion appears desperate. Damar, Garak and Kira storm the Dominion’s central command post as the space fleet advances. At Cardassia Prime, the fleets are locked in a stalemate when Odo proposes a solution to end the war. Beaming down and linking with the Female Shapeshifter, brings an end to hostilities, but it comes with a price.

The Dominion War over, celebrations break out on Deep Space Nine and the crew spends a last night together before Odo, O’Brien and Worf plan to depart the station. But amid the revelries, Sisko is visited by the Prophets and called to the firecaves for a final battle between Dukat, Winn and himself!

The two-hour series finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is interesting in that it takes the opposite form of the series premiere, “Emissary” (reviewed here!). While that episode worked its way out from Commander Sisko into a larger universe, “What You Leave Behind” cuts back the big conflicts until only the battle between Sisko and Dukat remains. The culmination of the Dominion War is a necessary plot change, but the resulting battle between Sisko and Dukat is operatic and character-driven. It also has a somewhat refreshing sense of finality to it, which fits in with the darker themes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

One of the nice things about “What You Leave Behind” is that all of the main characters get their moment. Ezri and Bashir appear ready to start a real relationship, which helps motivate Worf’s decision to join Martok on the Klingon Homeworld. Quark manages to get the last line of the series, Kassidy Yates appears for a decent pregnancy moment and Jake Sisko is vital to the final, heartbreaking image of the series (I swear, I’ve never made it through the finale without crying!). “What You Leave Behind” gives Kira her leadership moments, Odo his heroic and humanistic moment, Damar his chance to lead, and Sisko his chance to make peace with the conflicted aspects of his responsibilities (to StarFleet and to Bajor). Even Nog gets a moment.

One of the most compelling moments of the episode actually comes from Garak. With eight hundred million dead on Cardassia, Garak is in shock and his final scene with Bashir actually hints at the potential that Garak might take his own life in the future (which, based on a convention I once had with actor Andrew Robinson at a convention, is what the actor was actually going for in the scene!). “What You Leave Behind” is chock full of character moments and fans still gush over the scene in Vic’s where they can pick out actors, producers and the like out of make-up in the background!

“What You Leave Behind” finds the actors working at the top of their games. Nana Visitor and Casey Biggs bring their characters of Kira and Damar to the point where they are compelling leaders. Louise Fletcher gets the chance to play Kai Winn as delightfully maniacal and Marc Alaimo pushes Dukat over the line to full-fledged villain once again! The episode is a delight to watch for the quality of all of the performers. Avery Brooks manages to have Sisko’s character seem like a religious icon – like Sisko was supposed to have been all along. And without a word, Nana Visitor and Cirroc Lofton see the series off in a way that creates a beautiful, sad, finite end to the series.

We can ask for nothing more.

[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Seventh Season on DVD, which provides the full story for the conclusion to the series. Read my review of the final season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

10/10

For other Star Trek episode, DVD and season reviews, be sure to visit my Star Trek Index Page for an organized listing of all the Star Trek reviews I have written!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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“The Dogs Of War” Sets Up The Final Episode Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Exceptionally Well!

The Good: Decent character development, Good acting, Wonderful humor, Good mood
The Bad: Set-up for reuse of special effects, Punchline nature of much of the episode
The Basics: Setting up the last episode, “The Dogs Of War” pays tribute to the Ferengi subplot while putting the Cardassian Resistance in its most dire situation yet.


In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, there were several subplots, outside the main plot of the show that dealt with both Bajor and the Dominion. One of the best-developed b-plots of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the Ferengi subplot. In Ferengi episodes, Quark, Rom, Nog, and the recurring Ishka, Brunt and/or the Grand Nagus, usually had an adventure which fleshed out the Ferengi culture and made the somewhat generic Capitalist villains of Star Trek: The Next Generation into an actual, viable culture for the Star Trek franchise. There were a few times when the Ferengi plot intersected with the main plot, most notably “Rules Of Acquisition” (reviewed here!) in the second season where the Dominion is first teased! “The Dogs Of War,” the penultimate episode of the series, illustrates the importance of the Ferengi subplot by including it in the final arc of the series.

Actually, in “The Dogs Of War,” there is a lot going on. Instead of a traditional a-plot, b-plot story, “The Dogs Of War” actually has three plotlines progressing concurrently. But the fact that the Ferengi plotline is included at all is pretty cool and it does make “The Dogs Of War” feel like a more fleshed out and complicated episode than it actually is.

The new Defiant-class U.S.S. Sao Paulo arrives at the station to replace the U.S.S. Defiant and Sisko and his crew are thrilled to be able to rename the ship Defiant. As Sisko settles aboard to test its systems, Damar, Kira and Garak arrive at Cardassia Prime. Unfortunately, the contacts Damar has there who were supposed to add to the ranks of the Resistance are slaughtered as the Cardassian Resistance is betrayed! Unable to stop the carnage, the trio retreats to Mila’s home, Garak’s childhood house. There, they are demoralized to learn that Damar has been declared dead and that the Resistance cells have been wiped out.

As Odo moralizes about the Federation’s role in genocide against the Founders, Quark learns that the Grand Nagus is headed to Deep Space Nine to name his successor. With the Nagus planning to retire, Quark – and the newly-arrived Brunt – believes that Quark will be named Grand Nagus. As Brunt kisses up to Quark to curry favor with the new leader, Quark learns of the “disturbing” social reforms on Ferenginar. As Damar and his team take their resistance to the streets, the Dominion retreats to a defensive posture, Quark confronts the Grand Nagus and the allied forces prepare to make a decisive end to the Dominion War!

“The Dogs Of War” is half a dark story of war and resistance and half a long set-up for a particularly lame punchline. Fortunately, the two divergent moods are kept at quite a distance from one another. The Ferengi plotline is the source of humor in “The Dogs Of War” and some of it truly works. When Quark reacts to Brunt’s information on the state of Ferengi society, the riff on Picard’s seminal scene from Star Trek: First Contact (reviewed here!) is absolutely hilarious. Even the build-up to it is surprisingly well-executed with Quark and Brunt having an uncommon banter between themselves.

But, the Ferengi subplot in “The Dogs Of War” (and, thus, for the series) culminates is a pretty lame punchline as the new Grand Nagus is named. After all the build-up, it is hardly a surprise. But, basically the joke hinges on the fact that the original transmission Quark receives is very garbled. It’s a long set-up for a pretty mundane pay-off.

Arguably the more significant portion of “The Dogs Of War” are the other two plotlines, both of which lead directly into the series finale, “What You Leave Behind.” Unfortunately, even within “The Dogs Of War,” the arrival of the new Defiant is somewhat suspicious. It’s not that it’s not cool that Sisko gets another Defiant-class vessel, but the fact that the crew is instantly allowed to rename the U.S.S. Sao Paulo “Defiant” should raise the hackles on the necks of fans everywhere. And the attentive ones are appropriately irked; the ship is not renumbered NX-74205-A or NCC-74205 or NCC-74205-A. Instead, the introduction of the new Defiant serves the purpose of bringing the series finale in on-budget by allowing the special effects to be reused from prior episodes, much the way “The Changing Face Of Evil” reused footage from “Tears Of The Prophets” earlier in the final arc. The producers aren’t fooling anyone with the introduction of the new Defiant, but by the end of the episode, most viewers who were engaged enough to feel disappointment about this will be disappointed simply by the punchline in the Ferengi plot and excited about the impending end of the Dominion War.

And “The Dogs Of War” feels, appropriately, like it is rushing toward the end of the main plot of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. With the Cardassian Resistance crushed, but Damar and his team laying waste to a Jem’Hadar barracks, there is some hope for Cardassia. Moreover, the determination of the allies at the climax to “The Dogs Of War” is admirable.

In addition to providing some closure for the character of Quark, “The Dogs Of War” represents pretty much the culmination of Colonel Kira’s character. In “The Dogs Of War,” she rallies the distraught Damar and uncharacteristically defeated Garak. In a real leadership role, Kira guides the Cardassian Resistance and Nana Visitor completes the transition for the character beautifully.

The Cardassian part of the arc hinges on Damar and the performance by Casey Biggs at least as much as it hinges on Visitor. Biggs brings Damar to the forefront and when the Cardassians are cheering for Damar, we have the feeling that the character has come an exceptionally long way from the disgruntled officer serving aboard Dukat’s ship, as he originally was introduced. Biggs has the gravitas to play the part of a leader who is done with the process of becoming. In “The Dogs Of War,” Damar has arrived and he stands ready to save Cardassia. The power of Damar’s character and Biggs’ performance is that the viewer wants to see Cardassia saved. The Cardassians are originally characterized as an interstellar analogy to the Nazis and that the series has come to a point where the viewer would be rooting for the survival of Cardassians is something that is initially enough to make one squirm. But, “The Dogs Of War” pulls that sentiment off and as the Cardassians rise in the streets, the viewer cannot help but feel empathy.

“The Dogs Of War” sets up a few other final-episode threads, notably Odo’s feelings on the Federation allowing Section 31’s plan to go unchecked, the abrupt establishment of the Bashir/Dax relationship and the plan to invade Cardassian space. On the performance front, it is worth noting that Jeffrey Combs performs twice as much in “The Dogs Of War.” As both Brunt and Weyoun, Combs plays in both main plots and he is characteristically wonderful in both roles.

Ultimately, “The Dogs Of War” is a decent set-up episode and, despite the somewhat lame way it executes the Ferengi plot, it prepares the viewer well for the tone, plot and character arcs for the final episode of the series.

[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Seventh Season on DVD, which provides the full story for the conclusion to the series. Read my review of the final season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other Star Trek reviews, be sure to visit my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the episodes, movies and DVD sets from this franchise that I have reviewed!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Perfection In The Final Arc Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Arrives With “The Changing Face Of Evil!”

The Good: Effects, Plot, Character aspects, Acting, Everything!
The Bad: I’m not wild about the reuse of special effects footage, but it doesn’t detract from the episode enough to downrate it.
The Basics: When the Breen make an all-out assault as allies of the Dominion, the Federation and its allies face defeat like never before in “The Changing Face Of Evil!”


It is almost inarguable among fans of the Star Trek franchise that the series that went out on the highest note was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Building up to its conclusion, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine became a masterful work of great storytelling that led to the end of a vast number of characters. That final arc would not have had the endurance it did if it lacked perfect episodes. The first perfect episode in the nine-part arc is “The Changing Face Of Evil.”

“The Changing Face Of Evil” follows very closely on the heels of “Strange Bedfellows” (reviewed here!) and is the episode where the final sides are drawn for the remainder of the series. It is in “The Changing Face Of Evil” that Damar rises up to save Cardassia, Winn commits to freeing the Pah-wraiths and the Chintoka System falls to the Dominion forces, led by the Breen. More than simply having wonderful plot aspects, “The Changing Face Of Evil” helps define the characters better and set them on arcs that will see them through to their final moments in the series. “The Changing Face Of Evil” has everything a fan could want from an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!

With Ezri and Worf back on Deep Space Nine, things are looking for up for the allies against the Dominion. Unfortunately, the station receives word that the Breen have assaulted Earth. With StarFleet Headquarters in flames, the allying of the Breen and the Dominion spreads throughout the galaxy. With Weyoun suspecting that Damar doubted the Dominion, Damar begins to lay the seeds of dissension between the Breen and the Dominion. Damar quietly lays a framework with Gul Rusot to rebel against the Dominion.

On Bajor, Kai Winn and Anjohl Tennan begin their study of the apparently blank Book Of The Kosst Amojan to learn how to release the Pah-wraiths from the Bajoran firecaves. When the Breen retake the Chintoka System, the Federation, Klingons and Romulans take a stand to liberate the one foothold they had within Dominion space. But the attempt to liberate the Chintoka System leads to a devastating loss for the allied forces. As the fate of the Alpha Quadrant looks grim for everyone, an unlikely hero rises up and cuts the Dominion where they hurt!

Recently, my wife noted that when I like something, I am not overly fond of pointing out faults with the work. I objected, but ever since, I have been making an effort to find any fault I could with things I love. “The Changing Face Of Evil” reuses footage from “Tears Of The Prophet” (reviewed here!). The special effects are altered to include Breen ships, but still “The Changing Face Of Evil” does not have completely new special effects sequences. As well, following the disastrous assault on the Chintoka System, the Female Changeling leaves the escape pods intact without destroying them. While the writers of “The Changing Face Of Evil,” Hans Beimler and Ira Steven Behr, explain the change in tactics well-enough, the initial ruthlessness of the Dominion is diminished by the fact that the Dominion has, in the past, instilled fear simply by killing everyone. The change in tactic in “The Changing Face Of Evil” is interesting, if a bit plot-convenient (namely to save every character the viewer cares about).

“The Changing Face Of Evil” is otherwise flawless and I tend to argue that it is a perfect episode. The plot is engaging and “The Changing Face Of Evil” has one of the big surprises in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The battle for the Chintoka System features a gut-wrenching moment for fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that was, nicely, not spoiled prior to the episode’s release. Moreover, the progression with Damar’s character arc makes for compelling viewing.

In fact, it is hard to think of a perfect episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that has so many things happen, yet manages to develop the characters so well. In “The Changing Face Of Evil,” Damar falls off the fence into action and when he takes a stand finally, it is compelling in a way that he has not been before. Standing as a legitimate leader of Cardassia, Legate Damar is compelling in a way that he never has been before now. Who would ever have guessed that Damar could close an episode the way he does in “The Changing Face Of Evil?!”

The acting in “The Changing Face Of Evil” is universally excellent. As Louise Fletcher redefines Kai Winn, she and Marc Alaimo play off one another very well. “The Changing Face Of Evil” marks the final appearance of James Otis and his brief role in the final arc of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is memorable and as his character meets his fate, it is his delivery of his lines that makes the viewer feel like the character is compelling.

As for the rest of the cast, by this point in the series, the primary cast knows their roles flawlessly and they execute them that way in “The Changing Face Of Evil.” It all adds up to a perfect episode. “The Changing Face Of Evil” escalates the Dominion War and puts the heroes in their worst position yet and it makes the final arc a series one feels compelled to watch!

[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Seventh Season on DVD, which provides the full story for the conclusion to the series. Read my review of the final season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

10/10

For other Star Trek reviews, be sure to visit my Star Trek Episode Review Page for an organized listing of all the episodes, movies and seasons I have reviewed!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Sisko From "Trials And Tribble-ations:" Sticky Shirt Undermines A Decent Sculpt

The Good: Good sculpt, Great accessories, Articulation
The Bad: Cannot hold all of his accessories, Dust sticks to shirt.
The Basics: A good, but not great, figure, the "Trials And Tribble-ations" Sisko seems to be a dust magnet that cannot easily be cleaned, making it a collecting liability.


I am one of the rare people who takes toys out of their package still. I have little diorama's up around the house of my favorite figures posed in interactive displays. I have friends who come over and rearrange them in obscene positions. Sigh. I don't let them come over anymore. In all seriousness, if one is not playing with toys, the best action figures and toys make for interesting display pieces that keep one connected to their favorite things.

One of the sets of action figures I had been pretty excited about was the series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine action figures from the episode "Trials And Tribble-ations" (reviewed here!). That episode put key members of space station Deep Space Nine back in time into an episode of the original Star Trek and forced Sisko, Dax, O'Brien, and Bashir to go undercover in classic Star Trek uniforms. And the nice thing about reviewing one of the original highlights of the set, Captain Benjamin Sisko, is that there is a pretty severe problem that comes up with the Art Asylum produced figure as time goes by: dust.

Basics

The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "Trials And Tribble-ations" Series of action figures contains a Captain Benjamin Sisko figure - technically - Lieutenant Sisko, as he is disguised as a Lieutenant. His is wearing the yellow and black Star Trek uniform. In that series, yellow (gold) was for Command. Standing six and seven-eighths inches tall, this is a decent likeness of Captain Sisko immortalized in plastic. The uniform is well-detailed for the character and the face is a strong likeness of Avery Brooks's legendary character. Unlike the later Art Asylum Sisko figure, this one lacks detailing in the beard with it painted on somewhat lightly. As well, the head is made of a single color plastic, so it has a more monolithic coloring to it than the later figure.

The paint job is generally well done. The uniform is appropriately colored and the figure looks good in that respect. The Command Delta symbol is printed on the figure's shirt and herein lies perhaps the biggest problem with the Sisko figure: dust sticks to the rubbery shirt of the action figure. I recently took the figure out of storage and discovered there was ordinary dust on the action figure. Since then, I have attempted to remove the dust by carefully wiping it and then later with hot water and friction. All I accomplished was ruining the paint job on the collar and the delta symbol. I did, however, move the dust around the figure. The point here is that I tend to keep my figures clean and the bright yellow shirt - made of rubber to allow for chest articulation - is now a dingy yellow with a bit of a smudge on the front. Sigh. It is, however, a very useful thing to know: if you take this figure out, put it in some form of sealed environment that will allow the figure to stay absolutely dust free (much like Stormtrooper figures from Star Wars need to be kept out of sunlight or they yellow . . . fast).

Accessories

Captain Benjamin Sisko comes with four accessories: A Classic StarFleet communicator, a classic Type II phaser, a classic PADD, and a pair of tribbles. That Captain Sisko comes with a PADD makes a lot of sense as he used one at the end of "Trials And Tribble-ations" to get Captain Kirk's autograph. The PADD is a 7/8" x 1/2" choking hazard that is equally incredible in its detail. It does fit in his right hand, which is the only one that is open (the other is in a fist).

The Communicator fits awkwardly in his hand, but the detailing is absolutely amazing. The buttons are red and green and for such a tiny piece that attention to detail is incredible. Unfortunately, the top, gold grill does not fold over for any increased playability.

The phaser is similarly well-detailed. Unlike the old Playmates figures, which came with solid-colored accessories, this phaser is gray and black with colored details and it fits perfectly in Sisko's right hand. One might think that Art Asylum molded it to be a perfect fit . . . This is truly incredible for a toy in terms of detailing and styling of the accessories.

At least, to the tribbles. The tribbles are simple fluff balls. It's pretty much what the standard is for a toy of a tribble, but it still seems pretty lame.

Playability

Captain Sisko is one of the most playable and poseable Star Trek action figures yet and Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys deserve a lot of credit for that. Captain Benjamin Sisko is blessed as well by having nineteen points of articulation: ankles, knees, thighs, groin socket, biceps, elbows, wrists, shoulders, neck, chest and waist. The neck articulation is incredible given that the base of the neck is a ball joint, allowing for up and down posing as well as left to right movement. But the shoulders are equally impressive. As ball and socket joints (like real shoulders!), Captain Sisko is able to strike a number of poses that might otherwise be impossible and allow him to be posed in pretty advanced poses. But what sets this figure apart is the articulation in the chest. In addition to turning at the waist, Captain Sisko is jointed just below the pectoral region with a joint that allows for left to right and front to back motion.

Moreover, for use with actual play, Captain Sisko has all sorts of movement potential making him one of the more realistic Star Trek action figures to play with (for those who actually play with these toys!). Unfortunately, while there is a lot of articulation, the ankles are somewhat problematic; they basically pivot the foot up or down and there seems to be a predisposition in the sculpt - at least the one I have - for the foot to be angled down some and there is some resistance to flattening it.

Collectibility

Art Asylum and Diamond Select did not exactly mass produce the "Trials And Tribble-ations" figures. Indeed, most were exclusives, including the Captain Sisko figure, which was exclusive to Tower Records. Unlike previous Star Trek toy lines, there are no individual numbers on these figures, but mostly they were only available at hobby and comic book shops, so it is not like they were drastically overproduced by any means. The Sisko is was still fairly well distributed and it does appear that the market was never flooded with these. As a result, it has - at the very least - retained its original value.

Overview

Despite the general decency of the figure, because there are better ones, I am ultimately falling to the "not recommend." In regards to the sculpt, it is hard to argue with the articulation of this figure, but it is too easy to knock over and discovering (the hard way) that it gets so dirty from ordinary household dust and becomes virtually impossible to clean off without ruining the detailing on the figure makes it far less durable as a toy.

For other figures of Benjamin Sisko, be sure to check out my reviews of:
6" Captain Benjamin Sisko
Commander Sisko
Sisko from "Crossover"
Captain Benjamin Sisko
Warp Factor Wave 2 Captain Sisko As A Klingon
Diamond Select Captain Benjamin Sisko

5/10

For other toy reviews, be sure to check out my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the toy reviews I have written!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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