A Novel Idea Almost Sells An “Unforgettable” Romance On Star Trek: Voyager

The Good: Interesting concept, Decent acting from the main cast
The Bad: No real character development, Little chemistry between the leads, Virginia Madsen is ridiculously stiff
The Basics: When Voyager takes on Kellin, a member of an alien race that causes others to forget their existence, Chakotay has an un-steamy romance with their tracker.


For all of my griping about Star Trek: Voyager and how unoriginal it was, there were some ideas that actually worked out fairly well. One was “Unforgettable,” which was penned by Greg Elliot and Michael Perricone. The idea is an intriguing one and one that makes the viewer almost wish was not simply a one-shot or that the producers had been clever enough to “seed” in prior episodes. Because of the nature of the “Alien Of The Week” in “Unforgettable,” the producers could have put Kellin or her target in the background of prior episodes and built a plausible and interesting mystery.

As it is, Elliot, Perricone, and director Andrew Robinson only manage to pull off a barely-plausible romance episode that focuses on Chakotay. Relying upon star power instead of actual chemistry, “Unforgettable” is an intriguing idea that utilizes Robert Beltran’s Chakotay opposite an alien played by Virginia Madsen that is seriously lacking in genuine chemistry.

Voyager is cruising through space when it encounters weapons fire in an area of space lacking any ships. When the starship is hailed, Chakotay is alarmed to be addressed by name by a woman who he does not believe he has ever met before. The woman is Kellin, a Ramoran tracer, who is hunting down a member of her race who has stowed away on Voyager. The Ramorans have a pheromone that prevents other races from keeping memories of them in their long-term memory. Kellin claims that she was aboard Voyager for weeks before and she and Chakotay fell in love.

Now, Kellin is seeking asylum and she wants Chakotay to keep her from falling victim to the tracers sent to hunt her. Questioning Kellin’s story, Chakotay soon finds himself nevertheless charmed by her and the two begin a new romance doomed to fall prey to the styles of the hour-long drama and the tracer sent to bring Kellin back.

“Unforgettable” is a solid idea for an episode that is plagued by Star Trek: Voyager’s style, the acting, and the direction (sorry Andrew!). First, the idea is an intriguing one and the writers covered their bases well. Kellin’s people have cloaking devices, pheromones and they utilize a computer virus, all of which have the net effect of no one knowing anything about their people. The structure of the episode, though, is a slave to the standard conceits of the bottle episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. As the episode reaches its halfway point, Kellin references the neurolytic inverter, a device that will “re-educate” the Ramorans who try to flee the justice of the tracers. While this might otherwise appear to be obvious foreshadowing, it actually works in “Unforgettable.” But knowing that everything will be resolved by the end of the episode, “Unforgettable” makes itself virtually impossible to become emotionally invested in.

On the acting front, “Unforgettable” is a mixed bag. Robert Beltran and the main cast of Star Trek: Voyager do fine with their performances. Garrett Wang is downright charming in his brief presentation of Ensign Kim in his interaction with Virginia Madsen’s Kellin. The main cast acts well, though without any extraordinary performances.

Unfortunately, the guest acting is not as vividly presented. Virginia Madsen is frequently stiff as Kellin. She and Beltran have less than no onscreen chemistry, so their characters courting is almost painful to watch for their rigidity. And while I usually think there is enough in the work to simply blame the actors, Virginia Madsen is not the only one to blame in “Unforgettable.”

Director Andrew Robinson clearly does not know how to get the best out of Madsen until near the end of their time working together. Madsen’s delivery of lines while Kellin and Chakotay are talking in the Jeffries Tube, near a ladder, are so stiff that Madsen sounds almost robotic. That moment is so bad it is virtually unforgivable that Robinson did not ask for another take. Yet, later in the episode, Madsen does not trip on any of her lines and she seems comfortable enough in the role. That indicates that the director simply did not get the performance he needed from the performers.

And it is almost enough to sink “Unforgettable.” Instead, though, the idea is presented just well enough to make it a lock and worth watching, despite the episode ultimately being inconsequential.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the gamechanging middle season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Virginia Madsen, please check out my reviews of:
Red Riding Hood
Wonder Woman
A Prairie Home Companion
The Rainmaker
Dune

6/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Roxann Biggs-Dawson's Last Hurrah As A Sex Symbol On Star Trek Voyager When Torres Gets "Blood Fever!"

The Good: Generally good acting, Interesting (if predictable) plot, Moments of character, Serialization
The Bad: Resolution, Some of the acting
The Basics: When a new Vulcan Ensign goes into his mating drive, he assaults Torres who is essentially infected with the same desires, which she focuses on Tom Paris.


When it comes to Star Trek: Voyager, it sometimes might seem to some that I am overly harsh with the series. There is so much I do not like about the series as it progresses and I can come across as mean about it, I suppose. The truth is, I feel a great deal of pity for the series, the franchise and most of the people involved in it. Despite my virtually undying love for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so many of the people who worked on Star Trek: Voyager are simply the nicest people in the world who were given terrible material to work with. I feel bad for Robert Picardo because he's associated with a series that gave him a great part, but didn't give him a supporting cast to truly lead. I pity Kate Mulgrew who was rolled over in the fourth season when the show sold out to the Baywatch audience and her part was diminished and the attention was turned over to Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine. But mostly, I feel bad for Roxann Biggs-Dawson, who played the half-Klingon, half-human B'Elanna Torres.

Roxann Biggs-Dawson started Star Trek: Voyager as the series' legitimate sex symbol. She was attractive - even with the prosthetic forehead -, fiery, passionate and alluring. Whenever a storyline came up that involved a female character on Voyager having a real sexual desire - like "Remember" reviewed here - Torres was the character focused on. At the beginning of the fourth season, though, Torres is rather unceremoniously dumped from that position. Her last attempt to wow audiences with her sex appeal comes in the third season episode "Blood Fever."

When the Vulcan Ensign Vorik begins to undergo the Vulcan mating ritual known as Pon farr, he approaches his superior officer, Chief Engineer Torres with a proposition. Torres expresses no interest in Vorik and he assaults her with a Vulcan mind link. To escape him, Torres, Paris and an Away Team investigate ruins on a nearby planet, which result in Torres and Paris being trapped underground together. In the confined area, Torres begins to pressure Paris for sex, which he dutifully avoids. Unearthed, Vorik challenges Paris to a fight to the death for Torres, an offer she will not simply sit still for . . .

Pon farr, one of those geek culture common knowledge things that virtually anyone outside the science fiction-loving community would not know about, was always a concept that viewers of Star Trek: Voyager assumed would come up over the course of the projected seven season story. Most fans figured the story would involve Lieutenant Tuvok, the Chief of Security and most noticeable Vulcan on the ship. So when Ensign Vorik popped up on the show as a background character beginning in "Fair Trade" (reviewed here!), many fans had their suspicion that something was going to happen before that. "Blood Fever" is the execution of that general idea.

First, what works well is that "Blood Fever" sets off a series of serialized character arcs that actually endure through the end of the series. Torres and Paris are not chosen at random and "Blood Fever" marks the beginning of a relationship between the two. For sure, Paris was tender with Torres in the first season episode "Faces" (reviewed here!) where the pair found themselves in a life-or-death situation, but since then Torres has been mostly fixated on Chakotay. "Blood Fever" sets the pair on a road toward being a couple and the unlikely pairing works well. This is a fair start to that arc.

Second, Torres gets a chance to shine in this episode and seeing the character overcome by her lusty Klingon half is a nice change for the usually temper-prone character. The concept that that aggression could be channeled into something sexual is - at worst - entertaining. The way Torres resolves the situation works as well and is satisfying to many of the viewers.

Finally, Roxann Biggs-Dawson truly shines as Torres in this episode. Channeling her aggression, Dawson is able to recreate Torres with a real sense of sexual gravitas. She is forceful and forthright and Dawson plays the part that could be heavy-handed with a fair amount of allure and flair. She makes it work.

As a sidenote, the mostly neglected Robert Picardo has what amounts to an amusing cameo appearance where the Doctor expresses disappointment over how Victorian Vulcans are about their mating practices. It's a clever scene and Picardo and Tim Russ - as Tuvok - play off one another brilliantly in it.

The problems start with Vorik. Vorik is the least-Vulcan Vulcan in the history of the Star Trek pantheon until Enterprise begins. His actions essentially amount to psychic rape and his ability to do that, even under the auspices of the insatiable Vulcan mating drive do not read as very real. On an equal level, it's hard for the viewer to care about Vorik. He's a babyfaced Vulcan with no charisma or intrigue. He is a character who is impossible to become emotionally attached to.

I blame actor Alexander Enberg, son of executive producer Jeri Taylor. Enberg plays Vorik . . . poorly and outside nepotism it's hard to see how he might have gotten the role. Enberg lacks the physical control - especially the ability to keep the eyes from expressing emotion - to sell himself convincingly as a Vulcan character. He is smirky and when he plays Vorik in a rage, he seems like a man playing at being enraged. The result is a gutting of any real menace to the episode. Indeed, viewers will likely find themselves rooting for Torres to simply kill Vorik so he does not clutter up our television screen again.

Added to that, the episode ends before it is over. The whole concept of the "Blood Fever" is dealt with and the show feels complete when all of a sudden, there is something tacked on. The last frames of "Blood Fever" set up the following episode, but they do it with a feel of desperation, as if to say, "We really need you to watch next week! See what's coming?!" That type of quasi-manipulation fares poorly and it cheapens the character moments that dominate much of this episode.

Fans of general drama are likely to be entertained by the episode, though it's definitely geared more towards fans of Star Trek and Star Trek: Voyager than a general audience. Is it enjoyable? For sure; it's one of the better episodes of the third season. Is it satisfying? That's debatable. But it is worth at least a viewing for fans as it does set up important character developments between Torres and Paris.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete Third Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the entire season here!
Thanks!]

7/10

For other Star Trek episode reviews, be sure to visit my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007 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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“Extreme Measures” Finds Bashir Taking On The Federation’s Most Insidious Adversary!

The Good: Decent character work, Great acting, Engaging plot
The Bad: Somewhat predictable plot elements.
The Basics: To cure Odo, Bashir takes “Extreme Measures” by taking on Section 31 with O’Brien!


Sometimes, the writers and producers of a work get the wrong impression of their own work based on their originally-conceived notions. With Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s final arc, the best example of this happening is the episode “Extreme Measures.” “Extreme Measures” is, apparently, viewed as something of a disappointment by the show’s writers, who abruptly changed the episode from an Odo and Kira episode to a Bashir and O’Brien episode. The thing is, that change makes “Extreme Measures” work surprisingly well. As so many other characters and arcs were being put to rest, “Extreme Measures” becomes the swan song for the friendship between O’Brien and Bashir and it caps off Star Trek’s best-portrayed friendship magnificently well.

In fact, the only real problem with “Extreme Measures” is that it insults the intelligence of the viewers. The plot, which has reality-bending aspects, is extended one scene too far and as a result, viewers are led to believe an obvious falsehood. The problem is, savvy viewers are not going to fall for it because it is one of the oldest tricks in the science fiction writer’s books. If the writers have anything to feel ashamed about “Extreme Measures” for, it is that.

With a Breen energy dampening weapon in his possession, O’Brien begins to work on engineering a defense against the weapon that has brought the Federation and Romulans to their knees. After Kira and Garak leave to rejoin Damar’s resistance within Dominion territory, O’Brien admits to Sisko that the search for a cure to Odo’s degenerative illness has led him and Bashir to Section 31. Knowing that Section 31 will not give up its secrets easily, Sisko tacitly condones Bashir’s plan to capture a member of Section 31 and use illegal Romulan mind probes to get the information they need. Bashir is unsurprised, then, when Deputy Director Sloan appears to try to stop Bashir.

Bashir’s attempt to get the information from Sloan leads the Section 31 operative to activate a suicide implant. With Sloan on the verge of death, Bashir and O’Brien feel compelled to enter the wounded intelligence officer’s mind to extract the information they want . . . at any cost!

“Extreme Measures” is an appropriately surreal adventure episode that plays around with some of the conventions of a reality-bending adventure. More often, though, “Extreme Measures” conforms to the established sense of reversals and parameters one expects from a story involving conscious people running around inside someone’s subconscious. And “Extreme Measures” does it on a television show budget. For what this sort of thing could look like, be sure to visit my review of The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (here!).

As it is, though, “Extreme Measures” does what it sets out to do in a very entertaining way. With Odo rapidly dying and having even more difficulty retaining his form, there is a sense of urgency to the episode. And the “ticking clock” aspect of “Extreme Measures” only gets deeper when Sloan prepares himself for death. As Sloan’s brain functions shut down, the environment for Bashir and O’Brien becomes more and more dangerous. That is a nice touch.

“Extreme Measures” quickly becomes about Sloane, Bashir and O’Brien and they take on qualities that are very much like the traditional models of the Ego (O’Brien), Super Ego (Sloan) and Id (Bashir). As Sloan – in his own mind – fights to resist Bashir’s assaults based on his demand for information, O’Brien works to interpret the environment and keep Julian focused. Sloan’s resistance is, of course, a delaying tactic. He has a highly disciplined mind and he is dead-set on preventing his secrets from falling into the hands of Bashir. Bashir, for his part, is appropriately focused on his own wants – in this case his unceasing desire to get the information he feels Sloan must have in order to save the life of Odo.

The triangle issues in “Extreme Measures” work very well because the actors playing the roles are each superb performers, acting at the top of their game. William Sadler is given far more range in “Extreme Measures” than he was in the prior episodes he was in. Here, he plays the familiar cold and calculating Sloan, as well as a loving, humanistic Sloan with a dizzying sense of reinvention moment by moment. Never once, though, does his performance seem erratic or in any way sloppy. He pulls off the complex aspects of Sloan’s personality with precision and efficiency.

Sadler’s performance is played off of by both Colm Meany and Alexander Siddig. Meany and Siddig bring back the whole feeling of a buddy adventure throughout “Extreme Measures” and in this episode, fans are finally rewarded with the reticent O’Brien finally admitting the depth of his feelings for Bashir. That scene, which could have been campy, at the very least, comes across in “Extreme Measures” as a refreshing revelation. Fans have figured it, but just as Bashir seems grateful to hear the words, the fans are likely to enjoy O’Brien speaking them to Bashir as well.

Ultimately, “Extreme Measures” puts Bashir and O’Brien in a bad situation that their friendship helps them get out of, making it a decent ending for the on-screen friendship between the characters. It fits the final arc well and it moves Odo toward his character’s end. And none of that would have been possible had the writers gone with their original plan!

[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!]

For other works with William Sadler, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Wonderfalls
“Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges”
“Inquisition”

8.5/10

For other Star Trek episode, DVD or season reviews, be sure to visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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“Tacking Into The Wind” Is A Gamechanging Episode In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Final Arc!

The Good: Great sense of plot progression, Great characters, Good acting, Wonderful effects
The Bad: None that I can find!
The Basics: With “Tacking Into The Wind,” the final arc of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine takes an impressive, and dark, turn!


Every once in a long while, there comes something I am reviewing that it just plain irks me to have to try writing about. In the case of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, that comes with a few episodes where what I really want to do is write about how the episode ends. This is especially difficult without ruining the episodes involved and before “Tacking Into The Wind,” the real challenges were in writing about “Duet” (reviewed here!) and “Necessary Evil” (reviewed here!), both of which have final shots that are so vital, beautiful and profound for the series that I could easily write an essay on just that shot. “Tacking Into The Wind” joins that collection and it is killing me to write without revealing how the last shot of the episode truly frames the episode and affects the viewer.

The journey to the last shot in “Tacking Into The Wind” makes it all worthwhile and the episode is one of the perfect episodes of the series . As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was winding down, the producers and writers seemed acutely aware that they were finishing the long arc of Worf, so “Tacking Into The Wind” takes a few moments to put his character’s journey into perspective. And the scene between him and Dax is one of the exceptional ones in the final arc that truly gives viewers the sense that the character has had real endurance and grown over the course of his years in the franchise.

While Kira, Odo and Garak try to train Damar and Rusot’s resistance cell to better fight the Dominion, Odo hides the extent of his illness from Kira. As the team prepares for their next mission, aboard Deep Space Nine, Gowron’s recklessness has left Martok severely wounded. As Martok recovers, Gowron continues to deploy the Klingon fleet against the Dominion in ways that put the entire Alpha Quadrant at risk. After Sisko and Dax tacitly imply that Worf needs to rectify the Gowron problem, Worf discovers Martok is resistant to overthrow Gowron.

Desperate to do what they can to save the Alpha Quadrant, Kira’s team infiltrates a Dominion facility to try to steal a Dominion ship that is outfitted with a Breen weapon. After getting aboard a Dominion ship that is in the process of getting the upgrade, the fragile dynamic of the team begins to fall apart!

“Tacking Into The Wind” is an episode of revolutions and dangerous situations. While the resolution to the Klingon plotline makes for a compelling resolution to the Worf and Martok arcs, the Damar/Kira plot has farther to go. And Odo’s character reaches its lowest point. Critically ill, Odo shares impressive moments with both Garak and Kira, illustrating his increased understanding of humanoids. At this point in the series, Odo truly has come to understand the importance of his relationship with Kira and the distinction he makes with Garak early in the episode is an interesting one.

The revelation to Garak about his condition shows an uncommon level of trust from Odo. Perhaps as important, Garak shows a great deal of humanity in “Tacking Into The Wind.” Garak has, traditionally, been out for himself and he is very dedicated to liberating Cardassia. His revelation to Kira that Odo is suffering shows a personal connection that is not his usual modus operandi.

Andrew Robinson, who plays Garak, is not even the stand out performance in “Tacking Into The Wind!” It’s a tough call for who steals the show in “Tacking Into The Wind,” because the performances are universally great. Robert O’Reilly, Jeffrey Combs, and John Vickery play perfectly off the regular castmembers and they fit in as if they have been a part of the cast for the entire series. Casey Biggs and J.G. Hertzler elevate Damar and Martok to true leaders. Both men have a real gravitas that overcomes the make-up they are forced to wear. Biggs, especially, emotes incredibly well with his eyes as his character learns the fate of his family.

Nana Visitor, as well, steps up to embody Kira as a leader and as she takes command of the team in “Tacking Into The Wind,” she manages to do so without overshadowing Casey Biggs’ Damar. The respect Visitor shows Biggs by having her character lead without ever being over-the-top helps the episode work. As well, Visitor is able to portray passion exceptionally well . . . especially in the final scene of the episode.

Ultimately, “Tacking Into The Wind” is a perfect episode and part of the essential Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the last perfect episode before the series finale.

[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, movie or DVD set reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

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

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The Klingons Take The Lead And A Risky Path “When It Rains . . .”!

The Good: Excellent character work, Great acting, Generally decent plot
The Bad: Gowron’s character arc seems suddenly altered to service the plot.
The Basics: “When It Rains . . .” finds the Alpha Quadrant defended solely by the Klingons and an underground movement of Cardassians, which is likely not enough to save the galaxy!


There are very few times that the characters in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were reworked to service the plot of an episode or arc. Dukat was retroactively weakened by episodes like “Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night” (reviewed here!). After all, Gul Dukat is initially characterized as exceptionally intelligent, with a photographic memory. Yet, if he had seen Kira in the time period of “Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night,” it seems reasonable that at some point after he met her following “Necessary Evil,” he would have put together that she was familiar to him. The only other real example of a character being altered to service a plot is Gowron in “When It Rains . . .”

In “When It Rains . . .,” Gowron is suddenly transformed from an ambitious, smart leader into a crazed gloryhound. It is easy to understand why writer Rene Echevarria made the change; it leads to a far more heroic character arc for Martok. I like Martok and “When It Rains . . .” sets him on his final path, but it is in the reworking of Gowron’s character to service the plot of “When It Rains . . .” that the episode falls a bit flat. Fortunately, the Klingon plotline is not all that “When It Rains . . .” focuses on!

Following the disastrous losses in the Chintoka System, the hopes of the Alpha Quadrant now rest firmly on Damar’s dissident movement and the Klingons. Analyzing the assault on the Chintoka System, the Klingons have identified a modification that makes their ships immune to the Breen energy dampening weapon. The Klingons, then, make the modification to all their ships to hold the line. Meanwhile, in Cardassian space, Damar and his allies have gone into hiding and Sisko wants to send him help. That help takes the form of Kira, Garak and Odo. Before they leave, Odo leaves a sample of himself with Bashir.

When Kira and her team arrive at the hidden Cardassian base, they are met with hostility by Damar’s lieutenant, Gul Rusot. Despite that, Damar wants very much for Kira to teach his team how to create a useful resistance against the Dominion. On Bajor, Dukat becomes impatient with Winn’s attempts to discern the Book Of The Kosst Amogen and looks inside, getting blinded by the book. Bashir makes a startling discovery when he is studying Odo and he tries to get Odo’s medical records from StarFleet Medical. When Gowron arrives on the station, he pitches a plan to go on the offensive, a plan that puts everyone on edge.

“When It Rains . . .” is dark, but exceptionally watchable. The episode has an excellent sense of pace and it is clearly building to something. In many ways, “When It Rains . . .” is the The Empire Strikes Back of the final arc of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This is where the characters seem like they are at their lowest and, overall, they are. This is the episode where the Federation and Romulans are powerless and the bulk of the crew is actually trapped on the space station, thanks to a climactic event in the prior episode. Odo is diagnosed with the illness that is plaguing his people and when Bashir is able to analyze that, he learns an even more horrible truth.

It might seem like things are all right for Kira, but she and Odo experience some sensation of torsion in “When It Rains . . .” Goaded by Rusot, “When It Rains . . .” forces Kira to consider Odo in a different, uncomfortable, light. Odo, while only suffering from the illness in a way that he is still able to hide it from Kira, still begins to show some wear. Bashir is horribly disillusioned, Dukat is blinded and Winn is pretty much lost. “When It Rains . . .” has the characters at a low point that, for most of them, begins to turn around as the arc continues.

“When It Rains . . .” is well-directed by Michael Dorn and he gets decent performances out of the entire cast. Nicole de Boer, who is the newest member of the ensemble, does well in her brief scene as Dax, opposite Bashir. While viewers may be frustrated by how the episode does not yet conclusive move the budding Dax/Bashir relationship forward, this is not de Boer’s fault and the episode realistically progresses the relationship as best it can.

Dorn also does a decent job of establishing the new relationship between Garak, Odo and Kira and the way Damar interacts with them. “When It Rains . . .” opens up the potential for Damar to truly feel vital. Earlier in the final arc, Casey Biggs made Damar interesting, but Dorn gets him to play Damar in a way that balances what viewers know about the character with what they might only suspect at this point. Damar is, in many ways, a pragmatist in “When It Rains . . .,” and he has to balance that with his sense of patriotism. Such complexity has been lacking from Damar, but in “When It Rains . . .” it comes full bloom. Damar, the character who killed Ziyal in the attempt to motivate Dukat to evacuate, has truly evolved and “When It Rains . . .” is evidence of that.

“When It Rains . . .” is an essential chapter of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and it is vital to the final arc for the character aspects, performances and plot progression.

[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 episode, movie and season reviews, be sure to visit my Index Page for organized listings!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Political Intrigue Dominates Star Trek: Deep Space Nine With “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges!”

The Good: Great acting, Decent plot, Interesting character work.
The Bad: A little predictable in some of the reversals, Could use a little more on the character front for me.
The Basics: Dr. Bashir goes along with Deputy Director Sloane’s attempt to spy upon the Romulan government in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.”


Long character arcs and a real sense of an ongoing, universal story, are two of the real hallmarks of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. As a fan of the series, it is hard for me not to love how long Star Trek: Deep Space Nine took to build up some of its storylines and character arcs. While the series actually left a number of stories unresolved or open ended, the writers did quite a bit to finish many of the main plotlines. But, with many of the characters, there was a sense that the characters still had growth potential long after the series ended. Doctor Bashir is one of those characters who seemed like they would have a story well beyond the end of the series. Part of the reason one might feel there would be more to him is “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.”

“Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” is the final episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that has any ability to stand on its own as the final arc is one long series of episodes that tells a single story. Deeply integrated with the overall Dominion War plotline, though, “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” marks the return of Deputy Director Sloan from “Inquisition” (reviewed here!). While some might debate the merits of Section 31, “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” puts Doctor Bashir in the very center of one of their operations. On his own and in peril, “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” hints that Bashir might well have a real future as a spy, even if he deplores the methods of Section 31.

Doctor Julian Bashir is preparing to attend a medical conference on Romulus when he is visited by Deputy Director Sloan of Section 31. Surprised, Bashir learns that Sloan wants him for a mission for the Federation’s most secret intelligence gathering organization. Sloan wants Bashir to observe the Romulan leadership in order to better understand what type of a threat the Romulans might be following the Dominion War. After Sloan leaves, Bashir reports to Sisko and is surprised when Admiral Ross advises them to learn what they can about Section 31 by performing the mission Sloane is asking him to. When the U.S.S. Bellerophon departs Deep Space Nine, Ross, Bashir, the Romulan attaché Cretak and Sloan – under an assumed name – are aboard.

Sloan’s objective soon becomes clear: he wants Bashir to determine if the head of the Tal Shiar, Koval, suffers from Tuvan Syndrome. If Koval were to ascend to the leadership of the Romulan Government, instead of Cretak – who is a Federation ally – it could be problematic for StarFleet and the Federation. At the conference, Koval makes an uncharacteristic introduction of himself to Bashir, while inquiring about the Dominion biological weapon known as the Quickening. After diagnosing Koval, Bashir learns that Sloan is looking to assassinate Koval. Unable to turn to anyone else, Bashir enlists Cretak to help him flush out Sloan’s Romulan contact and in the process, he puts both of them in danger, drawing fire from the highest levels of the Romulan government!

“Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” has a minor continuity issue with “Unification, Part II” (reviewed here!), which first introduced the character of Neral. Recast with Hal Landon Jr. in the role, Neral looks like he aged about fifty years in the course of the five years between “Unification II” and “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.” And it’s not like Norman Large, who originated the role, was not still alive and working to play the Proconsul turned Praetor!

That said, “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” is an engaging and sufficiently complex political thriller that puts Doctor Bashir in a position where Sloan has him influencing interstellar politics. The Romulan leadership is characterized as especially fragile in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” and that actually sets up Star Trek: Nemesis (reviewed here!) surprisingly well. Unfortunately, like the dangling character Sela, Star Trek: Nemesis fails to directly utilize information presented in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.”

What “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” does manage to do, is advance the characters of Bashir, Sloan and, surprisingly, Admiral Ross. Admiral Ross has been characterized before this as a pretty straightforward StarFleet admiral, one of the undeniable “good guys” of Federation politics. “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” takes him out of the action and leads to a scene between him and Bashir that paints him in a very different light and makes a fairly white bread background character into an engaging StarFleet hero. Sloan, on the other hand, appears to develop, but “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” better reinforces his initial murky characterization of a man who will do anything for the Federation.

Bashir, of course, is something of a delight to watch in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges.” Finally experiencing the political intrigue he has long sought, Bashir now finds himself hip-deep in Romulans, espionage and mystery. “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” gives Bashir the chance to seriously explore something he has had a recreational passion for up until now. The result is an intriguing direction for the character where he comes to learn the full significance of being an intelligence operative and what it means to protect the Federation. This makes for an intriguing arc for Bashir and sets up his final arc of the series exceptionally well.

On the acting front, “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” gives Alexander Siddig a fertile field of great performers to play off of. Opening his part in the episode opposite Andrew Robinson, Siddig deftly plays off William Sadler (Sloan), John Fleck (Koval) and Adrienne Barbau (the recast Cretak). He is exceptionally good no matter who he is playing off and he makes Bashir feel magnetic and vital in a way that some Bashir episodes fail to.

In the end, “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges” is a part of the essential Star Trek: Deep Space Nine because of how it makes the alliance with the Romulans feel appropriately fragile and puts one member of the crew, Bashir, in the position to affect interstellar history.

[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!]

For other works with John Fleck, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Weeds - Season 6
Carnivale
“The Search, Part 1”
“The Homecoming”
Babylon 5 - “The Gathering”
Star Trek: The Next Generation “The Mind’s Eye”

8.5/10

Check out how this episode stacks up against others by visiting my Star Trek Review Index Page where the reviews are organized by rating!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Closing Another Subplot: “The Emperor’s New Cloak” Ends The Tyranny Of The Mirror Universe!

The Good: Decent acting, Cool character aspects, Nice plot resolution.
The Bad: Repetitive, Very plot-focused
The Basics: “The Emperor’s New Cloak” is the final Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode that focuses on the Mirror Universe . . . and it combines the Ferengi subplot to do that!


As Star Trek: Deep Space Nine wound down, the Mirror Universe subplot was one that seemed to have been dropped. The prior installment in that subplot, “Resurrection,” seemed to go in a very different direction and “The Emperor’s New Cloak” ended the subplot in a more definitive and dramatic way than the prior episode in the arc. “The Emperor’s New Cloak” puts the least likely character set into the Mirror Universe and it provides a reset for the Mirror Universe that leaves the next star Trek generation with a place to pick it up that will actually be compelling.

For those unfamiliar with the Mirror Universe, in the original Star Trek, Captain Kirk and three others ended up in an alternate universe where humans were part of a vicious Empire. Picked up on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Mirror Universe was a place where the Klingons and Cardassians unified in order to enslave the human race and Vulcans. With the Bajorans, the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance had been pretty effectively running down the human rebellion, whose only real victory has been to take Deep Space Nine from the Alliance. With their own Defiant, the Rebels have held Deep Space Nine for years. And there, “The Emperor’s New Cloak” picks up where the last trip to the Mirror Universe left off.

Pining over Ezri, Quark returns to his quarters where he is visited by a surprisingly angry Ezri. Quark realizes that the Ezri who has visited him in his quarters is the woman from the alternate universe. Ezri informs Quark that they have Grand Nagus Zek held hostage and Regent Worf will release him if only Quark can bring a cloaking device into the Mirror Universe in exchange. Stealing Martok’s ship’s cloaking device, Quark and Rom join Ezri in the Mirror Universe. There, they are captured by the Rebels.

Liberated by the mirror universe Brunt, Quark, Rom and Ezri deliver the cloaking device to the Regent, but Quark and Rom are quickly captured. Menaced by Garak and Regent Worf, Quark and Rom are reunited with Zek as Ezri is reunited with the liberated Intendant Kira. As Rom installs the cloaking device, the Terran Rebels face down the very real possibility of their extinction at the hands of the Alliance.

“The Emperor’s New Cloak” is another one of the seventh season episodes that gets a surprisingly bad rap among the fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Dealing with the Mirror Universe, “The Emperor’s New Cloak” provides Nicole de Boer with another chance to impress viewers with her acting abilities and she manages to pull it off as the alternate version of Ezri. Predictably, de Boer manages to keep Ezri as a more sexualized character than she has come across as, much like Kira and Intendant Kira before her. Nicole de Boer has a surprising amount of force as the mirror Ezri and she makes the role work.

Even better, “The Emperor’s New Cloak” once again cements Jeffrey Combs as one of the great character actors of all television. Combs has spent much of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine establishing himself as two of the more intriguing villains of the franchise. As Brunt, he has played a surprisingly ruthless Ferengi and as Weyoun, he has made one of the most cunning villains who makes diplomats cool. In “The Emperor’s New Cloak,” the Mirror Brunt is an entire new interpretation of the character and he is fascinating to watch.

What is somewhat irksome is Rom’s role in “The Emperor’s New Cloak.” Rom tries to reason his way around what the Mirror Universe is and it is initially amusing, but the longer “The Emperor’s New Cloak” goes on, the more tiresome his refrain of “it’s alternate!” wears thin. On the flip side, one of the very best of the Rom moments in the character’s history comes in “The Emperor’s New Cloak.” When Rom, Rom of all people!, stands up to the mirror universe Garak, it is a shining moment for the character and makes “The Emperor’s New Cloak” well worth watching. It is also a sterling moment for Max Grodenchik as he presents a likable character standing up to one of the most despicable characters in the multiverse.

But most of “The Emperor’s New Cloak” rides on the performance of Armin Shimerman. Shimerman’s Quark has been building up the up the idea that Ferengi are more worthwhile than the other major powers in the galaxy consider them. Quark expresses a strong sense of loyalty to Zek that helps to redefine what the Ferengi are and it works. Shimerman makes Quark a credible hero once again in “The Emperor’s New Cloak” and the episode becomes one where the viewer keeps rooting more and more for him.

Ultimately, though, the point of “The Emperor’s New Cloak” is to finish off the Mirror Universe subplot in a compelling way and it succeeds admirably. The usual bloodbath for this subplot, “The Emperor’s New Cloak” does what it sets out to do very well.

[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!]

For the rest of the Mirror Universe episodes, be sure to check out my reviews of:
“Mirror, Mirror” (Star Trek)
“Crossover”
“Through The Looking Glass”
“Shattered Mirror”
“Resurrection”

7.5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, be sure to check out my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the episodes and movies I have reviewed.

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

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Ezri Dax Settles In Through Jadzia’s “Afterimage”

The Good: Decent character development, Good Acting
The Bad: Almost nonexistent plot
The Basics: While Sisko works to keep Ezri aboard the station, Garak suffers from claustrophobia which, conveniently enough, requires a counselor in “Afterimage.”


Despite ending with one of the longest sustained plot arcs in the Star Trek franchise and going out with a resounding bang, the final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine began with a somewhat rocky start. That is, arguably, because the show had to accommodate the new character, Ezri Dax before it continued along. Even as the b-plots continue to develop the main characters, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did not simply become the Ezri Dax Show, in contrast to the way Star Trek: Voyager became The Seven Of Nine Show when Jeri Ryan appeared on it. That said, the show did have to devote some time to making viewers care about newcomer Ezri Dax. That is, inarguably, the whole point of “Afterimage.”

“Afterimage” is a “necessary evil” episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that serves the purpose of getting Ezri Dax to remain past the first three episodes of the new season. It is in this episode that Ezri struggles with who she is, who she might become and how those around her react to her. In true Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fashion, it is in this episode that Ezri Dax proves that she actually has something to contribute to the cast and the mix of characters aboard the station.

Having returned once again to Deep Space Nine, Sisko has resumed command and Kira is getting to know Ezri Dax. Ezri is unsettled because she remembers being killed in the shrine, Worf is standoffish to her and part of her is unfamiliar with the station and the other portion knows the station in intimate detail. While Ezri’s problems encourage her to abandon StarFleet and return to Trill in order to learn how to better integrate the Symbiont, Sisko and Bashir find use for her talents. Garak, as it turns out, is suffering from crippling claustrophobia, which is preventing him from focusing enough to complete plans for a Federation assult.

As Garak tries to rattle Ezri, the young counselor uses the holosuites to treat the Cardassian and she puts up with his uncharacteristically abrasive personality. But her solution does not get to the root of the problem, which forces her to look deeper. In the process, Ezri learns an important lesson about herself.

In many ways, “Afterimage” is a filler episode that explains why Ezri Dax would remain with the crew. Theoretically, Deep Space Nine already has a Counselor and a counseling staff; one was alluded to in “Hard Time” (reviewed here!). But the viewer has never seen the station’s counselor and as a result, the idea that only Ezri can solve Garak’s issue may seem contrived, but it works. It also gives the show a chance to add more personality aspects to Ezri Dax that are distinctive. She gets motion sickness and she is deeply insecure, something which Jadzia Dax could never credibly be called.

It also gives a chance to realign the dynamics aboard the station. Worf is hostile to Ezri and in “Afterimage,” we learn that it is not just Worf being a jerk; he is actually trying to honor Jadzia’s wishes (not endangering the Dax Symbiont through reassociation) as well as keep his own emotional health. He, understandably, misses Jadzia, but he does not want to live in the past by getting too close to Ezri. So, “Afterimage” gives the two a chance to start a new, if distant, relationship. It also gives Ezri and Garak a chance to start a relationship, which is interesting because Jadzia and Garak seldom shared scenes.

Ultimately, “Afterimage” is not bad; it is fairly average. But not much happens in it, none of the performances are bad or superlative and it is hard to muster up much enthusiasm to write more about such an average episode.

[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!]

6.5/10

See how this episode stacks up against others in the franchise by visiting my specialized Star Trek Review Index Page where the reviews are organized from best of the franchise to worst!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Captain Sisko Changes The Course Of The Dominion War "In The Pale Moonlight"

The Good: Interesting character study, Good plot progression, Great acting
The Bad: Narrative technique is a little obvious.
The Basics: In one of the best, game-changing, episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Captain Sisko works to get the Romulans into the Dominion War.


Everyone I know seems to like “In The Pale Moonlight” better than I do. I like the episode, but virtually everyone else I know puts it in their Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It does not quite make it there for me. In part, this is because the very first time I saw the episode, I called the last shot/line and I felt a little cheated. Despite the narrative technique, this is a remarkably straightforward episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. While it is good, it is not the most replayable episode of the series and not the most compelling story in the franchise.

What “In The Pale Moonlight” does, however, is once and for all present Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the story of the death of Gene Roddenberry’s dream. With the Dominion War going horribly for the Federation and Klingons, Captain Benjamin Sisko abandons his principles for what he believes to be the greater good (survival of the Alpha Quadrant, not under Dominion rule). That type of decision was one Roddenberry studiously avoided and the fact that he never produced a show where the stakes were raised to high to illustrate how he would have had the heroes escape their fate is an unfortunate one. As it is, writers Peter Allan Fields and Michael Taylor do a fine job at showing how far humans will go to survive and “In The Pale Moonlight” holds up for the realism of that. I, like many Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans, find it engaging to have a cold, hard reality trounce the idealistic world.

Another week of casualty reports comes in an when Captain Sisko posts it, he becomes frustrated seeing how his crew is affected. At that moment, Sisko determines that he must change the course of the war and he knows that the best way to do that is to find a way to bring the Romulans into the war. After a talk with Dax that convinces him that the Romulans will only end their Non-Aggression Pact with the Dominion if it is in their own self interest, Sisko turns to Garak to try to produce evidence that the Dominion is planning to betray the Romulans.

Sisko helps to spring Tolar, a hologram forgery artist, from a Klingon prison and he and Garak get to work on creating a program that will convince Senator Vreenak of Romulus that the Dominion is secretly planning to turn on the Romulan Empire. When Tolar stabs Quark, Sisko begins to have serious misgivings about the entire enterprise. But the Dominion invades Betazed and with the fall of Betazed and the heart of the Federation exposed, Sisko sees no other alternatives, but completing the attempt to bring the Romulans into the war on the side of the Federation and Klingons.

“In The Pale Moonlight” has a lot going for it and all other factors aside, it is solidly entertaining. The episode illustrates, as Sisko notes within the episode, how good intentions and a noble cause may be achieved through the most ignoble means. Sisko wants to save lives and his character is central to “In The Pale Moonlight.” His personal sense of responsibility weighs upon him and that is largely what motivates him in “In The Pale Moonlight.” In fact, that sense of responsibility is largely what makes the episode work. At the climax of the episode, Sisko does not relax or celebrate. Instead, he moves on to the next task involved with trying to win the war and that speaks to his devotion.

The odd pairing of Sisko and Garak in “In The Pale Moonlight” works exceptionally well. Sisko is straight-laced and Garak is his usual obfuscating self. The much-alluded to relationship between Garak and Romulus actually plays into the episode in an interesting way and Garak once again establishes that while he is willing to serve the Federation, he is not at all a good guy. “In The Pale Moonlight” cashes in all of Garak’s favors and given how his backstory is littered with dead bodies and (presumably) favors that can be cashed in, that Garak gives up so much to try to bring the Romulans into the war is extraordinary.

As always, Andrew Robinson is impressive as Garak. Robinson emotes well, especially when he tells Sisko of how the Dominion killed most of his friends who were working on getting the optolithic data rod. He also manages to make Garak sound perfectly reasonable at the climax of the episode where he tells Sisko the score. “In The Pale Moonlight” might be Sisko’s bold attempt to save the galaxy, but it is also Garak’s chance to do some serious housecleaning and developing the episode so that Garak has something entirely different going on from Sisko’s motives is very cool. Robinson sells the individualist nature of Garak, making him seem entirely vital on his own.

Avery Brooks plays Sisko well in “In The Pale Moonlight,” though truth be told his performance is nothing viewers have not seen from him before. In fact, from the moment Stephen McHattie arrives as Vreenak, McHattie overshadows Brooks. McHattie does cool irony exceptionally well and as Vreenak, he is cold, cool and strangely reasonable.

While there is more that could be said about “In The Pale Moonlight,” it would be hard to do without massive spoilers. “In The Pale Moonlight” is one of the episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that is easier to enjoy and wrap your mind around after the fact, than going in knowing what it is all about. It is worth seeing and is part of the essential Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Sixth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the penultimate season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Stephen McHattie, be sure to visit my reviews of:
2012
Watchmen: Under The Hood
Watchmen
300
The Fountain
A History Of Violence
The X-Files - "Nesei" / "731"

9/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please check out my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the episodes and films I have reviewed!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Proportions Are Slightly Off, But It's Great That There's (Finally!) An Elim Garak Figure!

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Interesting accessories, Decent balance and posability
The Bad: Minor accessory coloring issues, Proportions seem slightly off.
The Basics: Elim Garak is a very good figure of an obscure character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine who fans waited a long time for!


There are very few recurring characters from the Star Trek franchise that have not been made into action figures, especially when Playmates Toys held the license in the 1990s. But for some of the characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, fans had to hold their breath and wait until Playmates was phasing the figures out before they got some of the best characters made into action figures. One of the characters that fans had to truly wait for was Elim Garak. Garak was one of only two Cardassians who was made into an action figure - the other being Gul Dukat, reviewed here!. And, despite having a head that was slightly out of proportion with the rest of the figure, fans tended to feel that the Garak figure was worth the wait.

For those unfamiliar with the character, the second episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Past Prologue" (reviewed here!) found Deep Space Nine dealing with several wild card elements, one of which was a Cardassian tailor who had remained on Deep Space Nine when every other Cardassian left both the station and Bajoran space. That Cardassian was Elim Garak and he had a sordid history with some clear ties left to Cardassia and rumors that he had been a spy for the Cardassians and was still one. As the years went by, his story was fleshed out and he became one of the most beloved recurring characters on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The 1996 Elim Garak action figure is a fairly good casting for the 5" figure line from Playmates Toys and it fleshes out well the broader Star Trek universe!

Basics

The Star Trek 1996 Collection of action figures contained twenty figures from Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the drive for collectors was to find one of the limited "Tapestry" Picard figures, with little attention paid to most of the other figures in the assortment, like Garak. To date, this is one of two Elim Garak figures made, the other being the 9" Garak doll. This Garak was bought up rapidly by collectors and continues to be a decent figure from the Star Trek toy line, boosted in part by Andrew Robinson (who played Garak all seven years) appearing at numerous Star Trek conventions over the year and fans looking for something different frequently getting the figure autographed. As well, this figure was seldom a pegwarmer because it had a collectible trading card made exclusively for the figure by SkyBox. Card collectors hunted the SkyBox card exclusive to the action figure, which helped sell what little stock that action figure collectors did not buy.

The Elim Garak figure is the Cardassian leader dressed in an ornate Cardassian business suit. This was an outfit Garak was seen in frequently from the fourth season on and suits his character well, as he was a tailor. Garak's suit features ribbing, multiple colored panels and a stiffness that makes the shirt look almost like a solid, tubular dress. The outfit is colored appropriately, though there are some bumps and accent pieces on the arms and seams which are molded on, but not painted on.

Standing four and three-quarters inches tall, this is a decent likeness of Elim Garak immortalized in plastic. The face looks like the Cardassian, but it does seem slightly large for the body and the shoulders do not seem in the right proportion, so the figure seems slightly off. The character is molded with his hands ready to hold most of his accessories, each in a half-closed position. His legs have a fairly-neutral stance, though they are spread slightly. He has excellent balance and his pose is appropriate for the character. There is a decent level of uniform detailing, including a lot of fine ribbing to make the costume look both stiff and like an ornate fabric. The sculpting details continue at the hands, where Garak has both slightly defined knuckles and molded fingernails.

Elim Garak's face is molded in an expression that makes him look inscrutable, which perfectly fits the character. The Garak figure is sculpted with the usual Cardassian forehead, eye and nose ridges, but they are cast in a monotonal gray plastic without any painted details. Garak's hair is molded on with feathered molded lines, but no paint accents.

The paint job is average, at least on the face. The skin tones are monotonal gray with no shading or subtlety. The figure's lips are uncolored and Garak's eyes are brown with white pupils, which is par for the Playmates course. The only real problem with the coloring is that the skin tones lack depth and shading to enhance the realism of this alien character.

Accessories

Elim Garak comes with six accessories, including the base, some of which were recycled for this sculpting. Garak comes with a tape measure, Obsidian Order isolinear rods, a Cardassian phaser, Cardassian PADD and the base. The Action Base is shaped like a Cardassian symbol which is three inches long and looks just like the purple and green Cardassian symbol. The center of the base has a peg which fits into the hole in either of Garak's feet! When Garak stands flatfooted on the stand, he is stable for balance and has a decent, neutral display appearance.

The tape measure seems like it might be a lame accessory, but it fits the character. Garak was shown with a prop which looked vaguely like the tapered, 7/8" long device this figure comes with. The tape measure looks more like an alien tricorder and it fits either of Garak's hands. It has a few molded details that look like buttons, but there is nothing exceptional about this accessory.

The isolinear rods - or optilithic data rods, if Garak from "In The Pale Moonlight" could be believed - are essentially two small cylinders with ribbing on them. The larger one fits best in Garak's left hand and the smaller one fits only in Garak's right hand. These were data storage devices, so this is roughly the play equivalent to an action figure having a flash drive as an accessory, though this does fit the character quite well.

The Cardassian disruptor pistol is three-quarter inches long and is so detailed that it has the tiny "fins" (ridges) along the barrel that one might have thought impossible to make for this scale. Playmates pulls it off, though and even the detailing on the grip is exceptional. There is nothing this could be mistaken for, save a Cardassian disruptor and it fits into either of Garak's hands, though it looks better in his left hand.

The Cardassian PADD is a distinctive Cardassian instrument and one which Garak was shown with many times in the series. Unfortunately, the PADD has all of the appropriate buttons, but nothing to make the screen stand out (like a little sticker, which other Star Trek toys usually have). As a result, this ends up looking like a big blue plastic chip 3/4" long and tapering from 3/8" wide down. This only fits in Garak's right hand and it looks pretty ridiculous there as it is bright blue.

This is the unfortunate aspect of all five of Garak's accessories; they are molded in a terribly unrealistic bright blue plastic which looks absolutely terrible. Clearly Playmates went through some effort to sculpt the accessories realistically, but the coloring guts them of any sense of realism. Elim Garak is over-accessorized and with the lame coloring of the accessories, it is a serious drawback for the overall figure.

Even so, Playmates included a trading card unique to the figure from SkyBox which attracted trading card collectors to this figure in addition to toy collectors. The trading card is a movie-sized card which has a shot of Garak in a landscape orientation with a blue background. The image is big and clear and this makes for a great card to get signed by actor Andrew Robinson! The back has general information on Garak, but it is still a pretty cool card!

Playability

Garak continued a generally high level quality from Playmates, despite having slightly less flexibility than most of the other figures, which pleased collectors and fans alike. Garak is appropriately stiff, but has decent poseability. Elim Garak is endowed with eleven points of articulation: knees, groin socket, 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. As well, 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, Garak 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, Garak is exceptionally stable, even in the most ridiculous poses which the toy may be posed in!

Collectibility

Playmates seemed to gauge about the right amount of interest for 1996 wave of Star Trek figures and Elim Garak sold fairly well, probably because it was the only Garak figure made at the time and he was one of the few aliens in the line. Even now, the figure remains a decent seller as Andrew Robinson continues to appear at conventions and people want something different for him to sign and tend to go for this. It is hard to find a Garak for less than double the original issue price and it would be hard for even an Art Asylum release to devalue this figure, save by getting the proportions right.

As well, 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 26,500 figures out there (my Elim Garak is #026210!).

Overview

The Elim Garak figure is a good figure, but it has proportion issues and is light on the coloring details. As a result, this figure comes out a bit closer to average than most fans would like.

For other Star Trek figures from the 1996 line, please check out my reviews of:
Grand Nagus Zek
Commander Worf
Benjamin Sisko As Seen In “Crossover”
Jadzia Dax As Seen in “Blood Oath”
Jem'Hadar Soldier
Odo From “Necessary Evil”
The Hunter Of The Tosk
Jean-Luc Picard As Seen In “Tapestry”

7/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing or all the toy reviews I have written!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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