Pointless Afterthought Theater When Star Trek: Voyager Gets "Twisted!"

The Good: I'll go with basic concept of the (almost) end
The Bad: Nothing decent in acting, No character development, Lame plot, Mediocre special effects
The Basics: When the U.S.S. Voyager encounters yet another pointless, boring spatial phenomenon of the week, the viewer (and actors) wonder why they bother.


In “Twisted,” the U.S.S. Voyager, in no particular hurry to return home, finds the crew celebrating Kes's second birthday on the holodeck when the ship encounters a spatial distortion ring. The ring immediately begins to effect the ship and soon the only place the ship seems to exist on is Deck 6. Janeway comes into contact with the distortion and is rendered unconscious and soon everyone on the ship fears the ship will implode . . .

. . . sigh. At least in Star Trek, the spatial phenomenon of the week occasionally turned out to be something as creative and ridiculous as a giant space amoeba (check out my review of "The Immunity Syndrome" here!). "Twisted" offers nothing so special and, in fact, the end comes out of nowhere. The last lines of the episode, where Janeway tells what she thinks the distortion was, is not supported by anything else in the episode, making it feel tacked on and ridiculous and ultimately pointless. It's hard to care about the "why" of something when the something itself is pointless and unentertaining.

Which returns us to the concept of "Twisted." "Twisted" is your basic "spatial-phenomenon-of-the-week" type episode. The Star Trek franchise (save much of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) has a tendency to have "alien" or "spatial phenomenon" of the week scenarios with little else in the mix when one is an avid viewer. Sure, sometimes the alien is a wonderful social commentary cleverly hidden, like using androgynous aliens as a metaphor for homosexuality on Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Outcast" (reviewed here!) or the spatial phenomenon allows for the exploration of a historical idea, as with the Guardian of Forever's time travel ability in "City On The Edge Of Forever" (reviewed here!) from the original Star Trek. "Twisted" offers none of that.

The best spatial phenomenon of the week stories allow the viewer to watch a mystery being solved or learn something new as far as a concept goes. "Twisted" is a collection of boring characters waiting around for an answer to a mystery that lacks genuine clues. The ship is becoming distorted and all avenues lead back to Deck 6. Okay . . . what next? Nothing, it just keeps repeating the concept with different attempts.

Devoid of character development, witty banter and/or remotely interesting special effects, "Twisted" relies on a concept to sell the viewer. Unfortunately, it's not a terribly interesting concept, which is why the characters spend so much time simply repeating aloud what is going on. The concept is simple and as a result, it's not enough to fill up the whole 43 minute episode with.

Even a bad episode may sometimes be saved by decent acing. "Twisted" is not. Instead, the actors seem to know there's nothing special about their characters in this episode. They stand around the holodeck (it's their pool hall scenario) looking bored whenever the camera manages to focus on them. In fact, this episode is a whole ensemble being bored episode. After the birthday party, there's nothing that excites the characters and the cast seems to know it. They spend the first half of the episode figuring out what the problem is and the second half of the episode confirming what they figured out in the first half. As a result, this is a somewhat weird and pointless "waiting around Deck 6 to escape" episode.

The only thing remotely clever is how the crew works their way out of the distortion ring and even that has been done better in other episodes in the franchise.

I pride myself on writing thorough, well-conceived reviews about everything I encounter. "Twisted" is a waste of time, celluloid and because much of the episode is simply people standing around waiting or wandering around the ship observing what is going on, there is simply not enough material to write more. This is a boring, developmentless episode and the actors seem to know that and they perform accordingly.

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

1/10

Check out all the episodes and movies from the Star Trek franchise that beat this one in my listing of Star Trek Episodes Best To Worst!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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If Only The First Season Had Gone Out On The High Note Of "Jetrel"...

The Good: Wonderful character, Great acting, Compelling conflict and resolution
The Bad: Somewhat simplified - and predictable - resolution
The Basics: When a scientist who wiped out Neelix's family returns to try to undo the mistakes of his past, high drama results!


Sometimes in shows that degenerate into big special effects sequences, important, smaller character stories are neglected and forgotten as a series progresses. It's a shame, because sometimes the smaller episodes become the gems in otherwise forgettable series'. While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine continued to get better and better with shows that exploded the galaxy with the Dominion War, two of the more philosophical and character-intensive episodes continued to resonate with the fans. Indeed, most true fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will recall the brilliance of "Duet" (reviewed here!) and the loving character study that made for the sad and tortured "The Visitor" (reviewed here!). In Star Trek: Voyager, there are two episodes that are smaller, focus on Neelix, and become some of the best works Star Trek: Voyager ever manages to create. The first of those gems is "Jetrel."

Life on the U.S.S. Voyager is going as it usually is as the ship aimlessly ambles toward home, when Janeway allows a visitor to come aboard. He is a Haakonian scientist named Dr. Ma'Bor Jetrel and Neelix is horrified to learn that Jetrel is aboard and the the ship is making a sidetrip to Neelix's homeworld. The Talaxian moon Rinax was virtually obliterated using a technology called the Metreon Cascade and Neelix's family had been killed in that attack. Dr. Jetrel was the scientist responsible for creating the Metreon Cascade. Now dying himself, Jetrel seeks to atone for his life as a scientist whose work led to so much death and destruction and he tries to convince Neelix to let him do his work and to be a part of it. Neelix, not eager to be anywhere near Jetrel, resists despite the recurrence of nightmares about the slaughter of his family.

"Jetrel" is a powerful moral tale and for those who do not understand the parallels, Jetrel is based on Oppenheimer, one of the scientists who helped to develop the nuclear bomb. Like Oppenheimer, Jetrel has profound regrets over how his scientific discovery was used for death and destruction. On a side note, the Oppenheimer was once asked by a Senate subcommittee in the U.S. what would prevent others from making what we now call "dirty bombs" and basically blowing one up in a place like New York City. Oppenheimer said that now that the technology was out there, there was no way to prevent the knowledge from being spread and the only way to prevent that sort of eventual attack was to have government control over the uranium mines and enrichment facilities. As several members of the Senate subcommittee had stock in uranium mining interests, they ignored Oppenheimer's advice and the danger still persists.

I mention this because Jetrel in this Star Trek: Voyager episode argues that the Metreon Cascade is a menace he never wanted to see unleashed as it was. Jetrel becomes convincing and compelling by the efforts he makes to undo the scientific abomination he created. The clever aspect of how "Jetrel" works is that it effectively uses the U.S.S. Voyager and its technology. For the first time in the series, Voyager's presence in the Delta Quadrant is seen as a potential good that others have information about and seek to use to make the galaxy a better place. That's compelling and interesting.

Like all great television, though, the episode is not so much about the Metreon Cascade or Jetrel's experiments to try to locate and reassemble the people he obliterated using Voyager's transporters. Instead, what makes "Jetrel" work and worth a viewing for anyone is the character elements.

Jetrel is characterized as a man filled with deep regrets, Neelix is characterized as a man clinging to his hatred and his hurt and the interplay between the two is high drama. This is the definition of great television. Jetrel becomes more than simply a type, more than a social statement. Instead, he is portrayed with mannerisms, even a sense of patriotism that does not dumb down the debate. After all, Jetrel made the Metreon Cascade and he had to have believed it could have been used. Why would he do that? To save his people. To end a war that was killing his people. Jetrel is not written as a simple, monolithic character who is simply guilt-ridden. He is both a patriot and a scientist who is trying to put the genie back in the bottle. That he makes the attempt is honorable, regardless of the outcome.

Neelix here has an equal depth and gravity to him. Certainly, Neelix expresses rage, hurt and loss throughout the episode, reacting negatively to Jetrel in a way we've not seen before. But smartly, he becomes more than just a vehicle for a message and anger when the writers include in him a strong sense of guilt; he was supposed to be on Rinax when it was obliterated and he was not there while his whole family died. His struggle is brilliant and wonderfully written.

It would mean nothing if Ethan Phillips was not bringing his a-game to the episode. Phillips has played Neelix as comic relief and as an annoyance in earlier episodes like "The Cloud" (reviewed here!) and here there is none of that. Phillips is a dramatic heavy overcoming the make-up and prosthetics to present a performance that relies heavily on facial expressions, emotions resonating from his eyes and a profound sense of conveying emotion with his voice. This is his best performance to date and easily the standout performance of the first season. Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway did not act with so many layers when her crew was stranded 70 years from home!

Similarly, guest actor James Sloyan does an amazing job as Dr. Jetrel. Sloyan is recognizable to fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Odo's adopted father Dr. Mora Pol from "The Alternate" and "The Begotten.” Sloyan is a wonderful character actor and he holds his own with Phillips, making the acting in this episode dramatically powerful.

Jennifer Lein gives a nice supporting performance as Kes, playing off Phillips in more intimate scenes that go a long way to providing a multifaceted story for the audience.

"Jetrel" is likely to be enjoyed by anyone and everyone who wants to watch a work that explores the consequences of war and unfettered science. The episode is all about compelling characters wrestling with the consequences of their youths and the story is brilliant and brilliantly executed. It's too bad so few people remember this gem when viewing the entire series. Rating is more appropriately a 4 1/4.

[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete First Season on DVD, which provides the full opening to the series. Read my review of the premiere season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

For other works that James Sloyan , be sure to check out my reviews of:
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - “The Begotten”
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - “The Alternate”
Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Firstborn”
Star Trek: The Next Generation - “The Defector”
The Sting

8.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, 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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Star Trek: Voyager Descends Into A Predictable Possession Story With "Cathexis"

The Good: Decent, though uninspired, acting and special effects
The Bad: Character work is almost nonexistent, Plot is very overdone, Doesn't hold up over multiple viewings.
The Basics: When Tuvok returns to the U.S.S. Voyager with a braindead Chakotay, alien possessions result and the list of suspects soon gets ridiculously narrow.


Star Trek has any number of plots that are reused throughout the franchise with success and failure. One of the more popular ideas that Star Trek recycles within its franchise is the idea of alien possessions, which usually force the viewer to question the identity of one or more of the main crew members. Alien possessions were done in Star Trek effectively with episodes like "Return To Tomorrow" (reviewed here!), with distinction of acting on Star Trek: The Next Generation with episodes like "Power Play" (reviewed here!) and with a sense of tired obviousness on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with the first season episode "The Passenger" (reviewed here!). Sadly, when Star Trek: Voyager decided to tackle this concept in its first season, it leaned toward the limitations from "The Passenger" when it did "Cathexis."

The U.S.S. Voyager, never in a hurry to actually return home, has dispatched Tuvok and Chakotay in a shuttlecraft to explore a nebula when Chakotay returns braindead (go ahead and laugh, Robert Picardo's delivery of the line where this is revealed is classic). Comatose and trapped in Sickbay, Chakotay lays near death while the Doctor works to save him and the crew tries to figure out what went wrong. Soon, it appears there is an alien force at work on the starship and Tuvok must figure out how to stop the influence before the ship becomes crippled.

"Cathexis" is a classic Star Trek: Voyager "bait and switch" episode and it sets a bad precedent for the series that it never recovers from. While earlier episodes like "Time And Again" (reviewed here!) involved anomalies where effect preceded cause, the episode did not so much hinge on the reveal in the last moments of the episode. "Cathexis" does and it's the one trick that Brannon Braga brought to the Star Trek franchise and beat it to death with. While the problem becomes exacerbated in later seasons and episodes, "Cathexis" marks the beginning of the use of this very desperate device. "Cathexis" was written by Brannon Braga and it's disappointing that this is one of his earliest, most obvious influences in Star Trek: Voyager - and that it remains so obviously his child.

What makes "Cathexis" so difficult to watch - even just a second time - is the fact that once the surprise ending is known, the episode loses all of its punch. There are films, like The Usual Suspects (reviewed here!) where the end hinges on an important reveal at the end, where the movie may be rewatched and revisited with a greater appreciation once the surprise is known. One may sit and notice the furtive eye movements, the misdirection, the masterful way everything fits together. Braga's Star Trek: Voyager outing lacks that finesse and sophistication. Instead, it is a simple problem, with a simple reveal and the second viewing - for those who did not figure it out in the first viewing - is mostly a "well, duh" experience. My third viewing was my last and even after years of not seeing this one, it was painfully obvious and tired.

That's not to say that a good story may not be done involving alien possessions. This simply is not it. It's obvious in its basic premise and the cheap use of misdirection is nowhere near as clever as the viewer wants it to be. But moreover, it does not advance a cause. "Return To Tomorrow" and "Power Play" (and even "The Passenger") gave the actors on those series's a chance to actually act. "Cathexis" does not expand the range of any of the actors significantly (though Ethan Philips does well as the catatonic, possessed Neelix).

None of the actors shine and it's hard to criticize them for that; none of the character elements truly leap off the page in this episode. Instead, the mediocre acting is merely reflecting the mediocre writing. So, for example, Kes is not given a lot to do in this episode, so Jennifer Lein does not turn in a performance that is especially noteworthy.

Tim Russ, who plays Tuvok, is given a bit to do in "Cathexis," but like almost all of the early episodes involving Tuvok, his performance must be a study in consistency. Russ is hard to evaluate as an actor because once he established his character, his job was mostly to make sure that it changed as little as possible in the course of the series. In "Cathexis," he does a fine job with that, but he ultimately becomes a tool to the plot point.

While this episode might be enjoyable to those unfamiliar with the genre and the conventions of alien possession stories, fans of science fiction and the Star Trek franchise in particular are more likely to be bored. This is a dull outing, that wastes forty-one minutes for a reveal in the forty-second minute that is unsurprising and cheap.

[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete First Season on DVD, which provides the full opening to the series. Read my review of the premiere season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

4/10

Check out how this episode stacks up against others in the Star Trek franchise by visiting my Star Trek Review Index Page for episodes organized from best to worst!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Encountering The Same Plots As Star Trek: The Next Generation Is Star Trek: Voyager's "Parallax."

The Good: Nice character development, Good acting, Good effects
The Bad: Extremely derivative plot
The Basics: When the U.S.S. Voyager becomes trapped in a Spatial-Phenomenon-Of-The-Week, Captain Janeway is given the chance to test the candidates for Chief Engineer.


Early on in any of the post Star Trek series' in the Star Trek franchise, the budding series (whichever it is) will borrow plots from earlier incarnations of Trek because it's just easier than coming up with original material, I suppose. Honestly, it's hard for the writers and producers to conceive entirely new characters and crew formations, start working with a whole new bunch of untested actors, build sets and write completely new material all at the same time. As a result, some of the early episodes of Star Trek: Voyager bear a striking resemblance to other episodes of other series'. With its first post-pilot episode, Star Trek: Voyager steals a page from Star Trek: The Next Generation by essentially remaking the second season episodes "Time Squared" (reviewed here!) and "Where Silence Has Lease" (reviewed here!). The episode is "Parallax" and what makes it worthwhile is that it is one of the last episodes of Star Trek: Voyager where the Maquis/StarFleet conflict is alive, real and expressed in a way that is not forced.

All is not well aboard the U.S.S. Voyager as it limps towards home with little in the way of supplies, little in the way of hope and no clear Chief Engineer. While Janeway struggles to decide who will become the new chief, B'Elanna Torres - the half-Klingon Maquis officer - has a fight with the StarFleet contender for the post, Joe Carrey. This makes it very hard for Maquis First Officer Chakotay to lobby for Torres to Janeway, but soon all the politics is set aside when the starship becomes trapped in a collapsed star. Working to get out, the officers detect another ship caught in the spatial phenomenon and Torres soon deduces that the other ship is simply a reflection of Voyager. Using that information, Torres and Janeway pilot a shuttlecraft together to find a way out for the starship.

"Parallax" works because despite the amount of time spent and data shared on the spatial phenomenon, the episode retains a strong focus on the characters involved. The spatial anomaly that has trapped the U.S.S. Voyager is somewhat bland and unsurprising by any standards of science fiction. So, it falls upon the character work done in this episode to pull the episode up and make it watchable and interesting.

It certainly succeeds with that. Focusing on B'Elanna Torres and creating a relationship between Torres and Janeway is wonderful and here we see a Chief Engineer who is a realist, a pragmatist and a hard worker. Torres does not inflate her repair estimates and when the Captain contradicts her time estimates, Torres realistically puts her in her place, declaring that the time she estimates is the time it will take. That's a refreshing change and interesting bit of characterization because it creates an atmosphere of realism; the Captain is told right off the bat in Torres's candidacy that she cannot expect miracles. Unlike Scotty, Geordi LaForge or Miles O'Brien, Torres is going to call it as she sees it (if only they stuck with that!).

Moreover, Torres is one of the most intrinsically interesting characters on Star Trek: Voyager. She is half-human, half-Klingon, a combination only seen before in the very popular Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes featuring K'Ehleyr, Worf's former love (she first pops up in "The Emissary," reviewed here!). Torres is the same combination and she has rejected her Klingon heritage. It comes from her mother, who abandoned her and her father and she constantly resents her mother for that, blaming Klingons in general. In short, she seeks to distance herself as much as possible from her Klingon heritage, making her a distinctly different character than the Klingon Pride posterchild Worf (on Star Trek: The Next Generation).

"Parallax" sets up the idea that Torres is a good and reasonable choice to take over as Chief Engineer (the StarFleet Chief Engineer having been killed in the pilot, "Caretaker" - reviewed here!). It also works hard to establish Chakotay as a man of principle. He goes so far as to tell Janeway that he will not be her token Maquis First Officer and that if she wants him to serve, she must actually listen to him at times. It's a nice moment of realistic assertiveness and the viewer wishes that the producers had gone back to that concept more often. After "Parallax," much of the first season lacks any real conflict between Maquis and StarFleet officers, which is utterly unrealistic and defeats the premise of the series.

Part of what sells the viewer on the force of Chakotay's character in dealing with Janeway here is the performance by Robert Beltran. Beltran plays Chakotay as a man of integrity and character who has been fighting a principled battle and, in the case of leading a cell of Maquis, lost. But in defeat, Chakotay is reborn to service, vowing to serve Janeway and get the crew home as a joint crew, integrating his officers with hers. Of course a leader like him would not want his crew simply subjugated to Janeway's! Beltran makes it possible to believe that even from the disadvantageous position of no longer having his own ship, Chakotay would make demands on the captain of Voyager.

Janeway here is proven to be a woman of integrity and vision, wisely listening to Chakotay and judging for herself. Janeway is played by Kate Mulgrew and here she gives a commanding performance that sets her in the philosopher king tradition of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Mulgrew connotes patience with her body language, makes her speech patterns contemplative and embodies a public figure listening while making her decision about Torres. She also illustrates the she can act commanding by taking control of the bridge and delivering orders in a way that seems realistic and . . . well, commanding.

Much of the episode rests on the performance of Roxann Biggs-Dawson as B'Elanna Torres. Dawson instantly embodies a conflicted character who is both professional and broken. In "Parallax," she is given the opportunity to express more than simply her character's mission and she softens the character to make her vulnerable and interesting with alterations from her stiff body language to something softer. Dawson sets Torres up as one of the characters to watch and the viewer is filled with hope that she might be highlighted quite a bit.

This episode also starts the process of attempting to get The Doctor out of sickbay, in this case resulting in a miniaturized doctor. It starts the episode with some humor and that works well. In all, though "Parallax" is a character study from when Star Trek: Voyager still had character and its pretty nice to see that.

[Knowing that the season is a much better investment, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete First Season on DVD, which provides the full opening to the series. Read my review of the premiere season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

6.5/10

Check out how this episode compares to other episodes in the Star Trek franchise by visiting my Star Trek Best To Worst Page!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Eddington Revisited For The Last Time In “Blaze Of Glory”

The Good: Overall good character development, Plot, Acting
The Bad: Sisko's view in the conclusion
The Basics: When Michael Eddington and Captain Sisko go on a mission together to save the Alpha Quadrant, their differences may put everyone in jeopardy.


When Sisko captured Maquis rebel Michael Eddington earlier in the fifth season ("For the Uniform," reviewed here!), many of the fans figured he was gone for good, locked away in a Federation prison to rot for the rest of the series. The other half of the fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, thought he deserved better. I was one of the latter fans and "Blaze Of Glory" was the payoff to that wish for something better.

When General Martok intercepts a Maquis transmission alluding to the launch of cloaked missiles headed for Cardassia, Captain Sisko realizes that if they reach their target, the uneasy peace in the Alpha Quadrant will erupt into full-blown war. Eager to prevent that at all costs, Sisko journeys to the Federation prison where Michael Eddington, his Maquis nemesis, is incarcerated. Eddington is resistant to help his former Captain and he rejects Sisko's logic and calls for compassion. Sisko, therefore, takes Eddington out of prison against his will and impresses him for the mission; together, they will get to the launch site in the Badlands and disarm the missiles. As they near their objective, however, they find the Badlands swarming with Jem'Hadar and their ability to reach the site severely compromised.

The only real problem with "Blaze Of Glory" is the very end. Without revealing any important plot details, I will say that the piece ends with Sisko contemplating the Maquis with admiration. This is completely contrary to all previous character work with Sisko regarding the Maquis. Sisko was betrayed by Cal Hudson (whose name is finally recalled here) and Michael Eddington and that angered him to the point that he wiped out a planet's atmosphere to catch Eddington. It would seem the time for romanticizing the underdog is way, way past. Moreover, the vehemence with which Sisko blames Eddington for the casualties in the Maquis (we learn early on that as soon as Cardassia joined the Dominion, the Demilitarized Zone was cleansed of Maquis terrorists), reads a very real and quite sensible. The about-face at the conclusion of the episode cheapens it.

And this is an episode that should not have any forced character cheapening. It already has plenty in the b-plot. As Sisko and Eddington hunt for the missiles, Nog nags General Martok for some basic respect. By the end of the episode, Nog has earned the Klingon's grudging admiration and the whole situation seems somewhat contrived. Fortunately, there is not a great deal of time spent on the subplot.

Instead, this episode truly is the "Blaze Of Glory" for the Maquis. The missile launch becomes a turning point for the fledgling terrorists and the journey Eddington and Sisko take is an intriguing one. Part of what makes it so well done is that Eddington seems so rational. Despite his betrayal of Captain Sisko back in "For The Cause" (reviewed here!), Eddington does not seem unreasonable or even unlikable in "Blaze Of Glory." If anything, he seems like a man standing for a cause for all of the right reasons. Sisko's dogged determination to apprehend him seems like overkill and his continued harassment here does nothing more than establish Sisko as a devil's advocate.

What drives the characters here are two wonderful actors. Avery Brooks does an excellent job as Captain Sisko. He plays the captain with a great deal of passion and Brooks' own fire comes through clearly in the role in a way that is quite befitting. Sisko modulates between the humanity of wanting to save lives and the rage of being betrayed and Brooks makes the transitions seem effortless and reasonable.

It is Kenneth Marshall as Eddington that steals the show, though. Marshall plays off Brooks' passion with a stone-faced logic that seems designed to frustrate Sisko's sensibilities. Marshall, very rightly, does not overemphasize the forced vengeance of Eddington toward Sisko, instead maintaining his character's humanity and desire for freedom. In the end, Marshall makes Eddington a likable character that comes across as less monolithic than he previously had.

"Blaze Of Glory" is part of the essential Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the resolution to the Maquis subplot begun back in season two. As a result, the episode is fairly inaccessible to those who are not fans of the series. However, the Maquis episodes tend to be high in action and "Blaze Of Glory" is no exception. If one were to watch simply those episodes of the series, they would be likely to come away feeling very satisfied when they reach "Blaze Of Glory."

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

7.5/10

Check out how this episode rates against others in the Star Trek franchise and read other Star Trek reviews by visiting the specialized index page here!

© 2012, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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It Might Take Jake Sisko Some Time, But He Learns War Is Hell In “Nor The Battle To The Strong...”

The Good: Good character growth, General concept
The Bad: Acting is a wash
The Basics: While "Nor The Battle To The Strong..." has an honorable theme, it is repetitive and one we already know, backed by mediocre acting.


There are theories we have, things we understand on a reasoned or emotional level, that sometimes become pounded home in a very real way when we experience them. It is like only through experience can we know something for ourselves. That, at least, is the take of the writers of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Nor The Battle To The Strong. . ." which seeks to teach its adult audience that war is not glorious or glamorous. Given that the core audience to the original Star Trek was a bunch of geeky pacifists (I say that as one!) one suspects that this is a lesson already learned. War is not cool, it is not an opportunity for glory, it is the best chance to find death.

The problem, then, comes in the form of Jake Sisko. As the war with the Klingons continues, Jake Sisko is thrilled about the chance to be on the front lines and he has the opportunity to see the war firsthand. At this point in the series, Sisko is a correspondent for the Federation news service and he is eager to report more on war stories than medical conferences.

En route home from a medical conference where Jake was largely bored and understimulated, Bashir receives a distress call from a nearby planet that is under attack by Klingon ground forces. Reluctantly, Bashir approaches the planet and renders medical assistance to the besieged personnel there. Jake acts as a nurse to Bashir, who begins to practice battlefield surgery and as the bodies begin to pile up, Jake discovers he does not have what it takes to be a soldier. He does not enjoy being around death and hearing the stories of what made the wounds on the personnel he encounters upsets him deeply. He is even more upset when he learns one of the wounded shot himself in the foot to get a medical discharge. Jake flees the protection of the compound and ends up on the front lines of the battlefield, fleeing for his life.

It's not much of a spoiler to reveal that Jake Sisko learns the very powerful lesson that there's a fine line between heroism and cowardice and one does not know quite what they would do in the heat of a battle until they are there. Just like Modernist writers explored following the invention of the machine gun and its use in World War One, Jake Sisko learns it is not a great and glorious thing to die for one's country. Instead, it is bloody, horrible and dangerous. Jake learns this by seeing the dead, being harried by the continual bombings, witnessing cowardice, finding a wounded soldier who is ready to die, and his own acts of cowardice and heroism.

This is ostensibly a Jake Sisko story. Unfortunately, his lesson is obvious and easy to know without actually experiencing it and at his age - about eighteen - one suspects Jake ought to be smart enough to know that. Yes, it's pretty horrible being shot at. It's pretty bad when your enemies like to move in close and slice their adversaries up with big, long knives or swords. This becomes problematic because while Jake Sisko slowly learns his lesson, the viewer is more bored and disappointed by how long it is taking him to get to the conclusion that war is difficult and undesirable. We get it, why can't the bored youth?

As a result, the very limited presence Dr. Bashir has in the episode comes across much stronger. Bashir is dedicated, focused and professional. He is determined to save as many lives as possible and he fails some of the time, but he remains focused on keeping the casualties down. As the colony comes more and more under direct attack with the Klingon invasion force moving in, Bashir finds himself less able to attend to Jake Sisko's needs and more focused on saving lives. Still, this does not prevent Bashir from having a wonderful scene wherein he takes the time to apologize to Jake for ever bringing him into harm's way. In that scene, Bashir is humble, sorrow-filled and ultimately human and real. He expresses a larger theme that transcends the simple "war is bad" motif of the rest of the episode.

Alexander Siddig, who plays Bashir, is able to project an aura of calm when needed and exhaustion when that is appropriate. He plays Bashir as wise, without being preachy and he makes the experience on the planet differ sharply from the gossipy enthusiasm he presents Bashir as in the Runabout. It is Bashir who gives the most memorable performance in this episode and as a result, "Nor The Battle To The Strong. . ." seems somewhat lopsided.

This is supposed to be a Jake Sisko episode, but Jake learns a pretty obvious lesson and there's not much of a plot to back that lesson up. Instead, the siege is a dull siege and actor Cirroc Lofton does not do anything special to break that mold. Lofton is characteristically stiff and bland. He presents, but he fails to emote making a lot of his moments where his character is supposed to be horrified beyond reason seem more blandly comical than genuine. So, for example, when he is upset about the conversation the medics are having over the types of wounds the Klingons dish out, he gets to the point that he vomits. When he rushes off, he presents it as a more comic moment instead of presenting it with a genuine sense of a man being overcome with emotions. He does not act all that well in these moments and because the episode is geared toward Jake Sisko, Cirroc Lofton's acting is paramount.

When he falls down on that, the episode suffers immeasurably. It's an unfortunate presentation of an obvious idea and people who are not fans of the series will find little or nothing to recommend the episode. For fans of television, this is nothing new. We got it already from"M*A*S*H, we've understood it from literature and that Jake Sisko, hundreds of years in the future needs to be taught that war is not a wonderful, glorious experience is just disappointing.

If it seems that the review is rather monolithic, pounding away on the one point; that the theme is dull and already known, it is because "Nor The Battle To The Strong. . ." is that kind of episode and it is repetitive with it.

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

For other works featuring Danny Goldring, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
The Dark Knight
“Civil Defense”
“Dr. Strangechild”

5.5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Conflict In The Darkness Of "The Ship"

The Good: Mood, Character, Acting
The Bad: Abruptness of the climax, Death of an officer comes a mile away
The Basics: In an incredibly dark, insulated episode, Sisko and crew find themselves trapped in a Dominion ship on a planet under siege.


In Star Trek Deep Space Nine's fifth season, one of the first pieces of the plot that needed to be changed was the conflict with the Klingons. The fifth season is all about bringing back the Dominion Threat and with the second episode, "The Ship," the Dominion returns to the forefront of the series.

"The Ship" finds a runabout crew stranded on a distant planet where a Jem'Hadar attack ship has crashed. When another Dominion ship comes by and destroys the Runabout, Sisko, Dax, Worf, O'Brien and two others find themselves trapped in the crashed ship. While Sisko negotiates with the Vorta representative, a Jem'Hadar soldier infiltrates the ship and nearly kills O'Brien's protege, Muniz, who has been in several episodes. As Muniz dies and tensions in the crew rise, they try to find out what it is the Vorta wants from the damaged ship that they are unwilling to leave the ship or simply turn the whole thing over to StarFleet.

This is a dark episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, with most of the episode trapped in the claustrophobic, upside down ship. The sets are dark and the quests to find the object the Vorta is looking for and Muniz dying keep the mood of this episode is quite oppressive. There is a foggy quality to the Jem'Hadar ship as well, which lends itself well to keeping the mood dark and murky.

The characters in this episode bear the brunt of the work, given how physically dark the work is. It's a wonderful thing to see them degenerate into frustration and anger. Sisko is consistently tense, Worf becomes short-tempered and boastful and O'Brien becomes desperately attached to Muniz, wanting only to believe that he can save his friend. Dax, then, becomes something of an inappropriate comic relief and it's refreshing to see Sisko call her on her behavior. This is a tense situation and all of the characters begin the episode with an ease for the find, pleased that they have this salvage. As the Dominion ship in orbit bombards the area, the crew becomes more and more frazzled and it has a very real feel to it. Throughout the piece, the crew we're used to seeing cool and calm fractures and it feels very genuine.

The actors go quite a long way to making "The Ship" successful, though they cannot save the piece from some things. The first would be that the truth about what is aboard comes about rather abruptly. When it is revealed, the explanation for the events leading to the discovery are somewhat disappointing and underplayed. After all of the tension - and cost, for Muniz's death is pretty inevitable and overplayed - it seems somewhat anticlimactic and inexplicable.

But the actors do go a long way to saving the episode from the climactic flaws. F.J. Rio does a great job at playing Muniz in his final Star Trek: Deep Space Nine appearance. Rio does a fine job of playing a man delirious near death and he has a strange humor come across his facial expressions, which works out wonderfully. Terry Farrell, similarly, does a decent job of putting stress in her voice, making Dax's humorous remarks seem more the result of stress and difficulty.

The actor who does the most work, though, is probably Avery Brooks. Brooks does an excellent job of playing both cunning and scared. He makes Sisko both cautious and desperate to solve the mystery of what is on the ship, a little edgier than he usually does. Brooks balances the different aspects of his character throughout the piece rather well, keeping his performance more understated when forced as opposed to going over the top in his scenes of anger and triumph.

"The Ship" is an episode that is less likely to be enjoyed by those who are not fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine than those who are, mostly because this is a coup for the crew, but not terribly revealing for those who do not understand the significance of the Dominion and the Federation getting a Jem'Hadar ship. Moreover, the resolution would seem rather inexplicable to those who are not fans of the series.

Even those who like a good suspense are likely to be intimidated by "The Ship," it's too insular in this particular corner of the Trek universe. But, it is a part of the essential Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for the importance of the salvage.

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

6.5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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If The Enemy Won't Visit You, Take A Trip to See Them . . . “The Search, Part I”

The Good: Characters, Acting, Plot
The Bad: Pacing, Obvious set-up
The Basics: An episode that changes much on Deep Space Nine opens its third season with a bang and a new starship.


. . . Which leads us to "The Search, Part I," an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that is refreshingly direct in its approach. We know from the start of the first act that it's a first part. In truth, it's a middle act, sandwiched between "The Jem'Hadar" (reviewed here!) and "The Search, Part II." This episode occurs some months after the events of "The Jem'Hadar."

While preparing battle drills for a potential invasion by the Dominion, the shields raise and a starship decloaks. The surprising aspect is that it's a Federation starship that appears out of nowhere. Historically, the Federation has never used cloaking devices. So when Sisko appears on the screen confirming that the starship is a Federation ship, the crew of Deep Space Nine (and the viewer) is surprised. And this is only the contents of the teaser!

"The Search, Part I" is mostly a series of introductions. The Defiant, the new starship, is introduced. It is a warship and has been sent to help defend Deep Space Nine. T'Ruth, a Romulan attache to the Defiant, is introduced. She is acerbic and, in short, Romulan, sent to defend the cloaking device the Defiant is only borrowing. Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington is introduced. He is a StarFleet security officer and the security chief of the Defiant. There's another introduction, but as it occurs in the last seconds of the episode, I'll not ruin the surprise.

Eddington's arrival casts some ambiguity on the position of security chief Odo. Odo confronts Sisko in a characteristic move and when Sisko admits that he has wanted Odo to make some changes, Odo resigns as the security chief.

There is little time to indulge Odo; the Defiant has arrived with a mission. Sisko is supposed to take the new starship through the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. Presumably, the warship will be the first vessel since "The Jem'Hadar" to go back into what is now being claimed as Dominion space. Sisko has been ordered to establish contact with the Founders of the Dominion and attempt to make peace.

The irony of the episode is that Sisko ends up doing largely the opposite. After losing O'Brien and Dax on a Dominion outpost, Sisko destroys a Jem'Hadar ship. Perhaps the message of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is that there is no peace in our time; there isn't in this episode.

The strengths of the episode are in the basics. The plot is solid, if a bit obviously a set-up episode for the conclusion. Sisko is ordered to make peace with the Dominion by showing the Federation's teeth. The characters are wonderfully utilized. Kira, Odo and Sisko are all extended in new directions. Kira illustrates her loyalty to both Odo and Sisko with greater depth than previously displayed. Odo encounters life without purpose for the first time as he loses his job and begins his quest to find his people. Sisko shows the new side of who he is. He is a man healed at last. If season two would be entitled "Dominion Rising," Season three would certainly be "Dominion Exposed." Sisko's role in that is to encounter the Dominion as a healed individual, no longer pining for his lost wife. He accepts DS9 as his home for the first time ever.

The acting is solid. Armin Shimerman plays Quark with a relieving amount of humor and Avery Brooks finally comes into his own, showing some real range with his changed character. Gone is the simple brooding of the past two seasons; it is replaced by confidence and security.

The enjoyable aspects of the episode are in seeing the new directions of the series. The Dominion is real and vital. Odo is conflicted, Sisko is confident and there's a new starship and it kicks some serious butt. The episode has some excellent action sequences.

The failings are in the feel of the episode. The pacing is off. The action sequences come after labored character development scenes. The sequence between the meeting with Orinthar (Quark's Dominion contact) and the final battle sequence seem like they are killing time. Losing Dax and O'Brien seems a minor plot point to waste so much time and effort on.

And the subject of Dax. Poor Dax! Somehow she was convinced to make the worst hair style ever in a Trek series! Fortunately, it won't last long.

All in all, a solid season premiere that leaves us wanting more. 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 Third Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the breakout season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

7.5/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Curtain Parts And It's . . . The Dominion: "The Jem'Hadar!"

The Good: Pacing, Realism, Characters
The Bad: Nature of the episode
The Basics: A solid episode that finally brings the hidden villains of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine out of the shadows and into the greater darkness.


I tend to think of the seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as having titles, like section titles in a big book. Season 1 is "Bajor Rebuilding." Season 2 I would entitle "Dominion Rising." Throughout the season there has been a thread of the Gamma Quadrant alliance known as The Dominion. Until this point, the Dominion has remained largely unseen. They've destroyed planets ("Sanctuary," "Shadowplay"), they've been recognized as a powerful economic force ("Rules Of Acquisition") and we've seen their relics ("The Alternate").

"The Jem'Hadar" changes all of that.

"The Jem'Hadar" brings the Dominion to us.

Sisko, Jake, Nog and Quark take a vacation/science project to the Gamma Quadrant. There they find a planet and begin a planetary survey. Quark spends his time complaining and Sisko spends much of his time annoyed at Quark and reminiscing with Jake about Jake's deceased mother. When the conflict between Sisko and Quark reaches its peak, Nog storms off in frustration. Jake follows him. When Jake leaves, Quark and Sisko are captured by a hostile life form. They are imprisoned with a woman named Eris, who tells them about the hostile. They are the Jem'Hadar and they are the soldiers of the Dominion. They are feared by all and their capture is a death sentence. Not ones to give up, Sisko and Quark become determined to escape. In Eris, they see their opportunity.

While Sisko is imprisoned, the Jem'Hadar visit Deep Space Nine. A single soldier beams to Ops and provides Kira with a list of starships and colonies that the Dominion has destroyed in the Gamma Quadrant. His demand is simple: the Federation will stop using the wormhole and stay in the Alpha Quadrant. Ships violating Dominion space will be destroyed. What follows is a rescue attempt and a climactic battle and the notion that the Dominion is here and real and it's a potent threat.

What works is the pace. The plot progresses with a very real pace that inspires real tension. The characters move the plot and they move the story in a sensible direction. For example, even when in a dire situation, Quark continues to hound Sisko about the Commander's supposed human superiority. Jake, managing to return to the orbiting Runabout, is lost when it comes to steering the vehicle. Sisko is both cold and intrigued by the villainous Jem'Hadar.

What fails is that the episode feels like the end of a season. It feels like it's a climactic event and that all of our patience is finally being rewarded. The resolution of the battle is shocking only to those who know Star Trek The Next Generation and the power of a StarFleet vessel.

This is almost a minor point in contrast to the character development. Quark asks some intriguing questions about Sisko and the nature of the Federation, forcing the viewer to acknowledge some of its prejudices in the way it deals with other races. It's an aspect of Quark that has not been explored and it's a welcome intelligence to his character. Add to that, the way he presents the arguments is just plain funny.

Armin Shimerman steals the scenes he's in as Quark. Quark is used a lot for comic relief and in "The Jem'Hadar," it is Shimerman's sense of comic timing that makes his character believable. Even more than that, it's Shimerman's ability to shift from humorous to serious that sells the performance. That he can emote through his prosthetics is amazing!

But the episode works because it is a foundation, it is something real built on the innuendoes played for almost an entire year. And the foundation is ready to be built upon. The episode answers questions by showing us the Dominion and adds questions like who the leaders of the Dominion are. They are hinted at and the question of "Who are the Founders?" and "How much of a threat is the Dominion to Deep Space Nine?" are good questions, that are more than enough to want to come back to next season. 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 Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

9/10

For other Star Trek reviews, organized in order of best to worst, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Wire Me A New Brain: "The Wire" Is Engaging Star Trek Deep Space Nine!

The Good: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Acting, Plot concept
The Bad: ? Nothing major comes to mind, though the witty ending keeps it from replaying as well.
The Basics: "The Wire" is an engaging character study of Deep Space Nine's most mysterious character.


Keeping in the tradition of the episodes that have followed "Profit And Loss," we arrive at "The Wire," a faster-paced, character-driven story that is easily accessible to those who have not been watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. And if, by this point, you haven't been watching the episodes in order, "The Wire" has a lot in it that makes one want to go back and see the episodes that build up to this one, especially the ones that feature Garak ("Past Prologue," "Cardassians," and "Profit And Loss.").

"The Wire" is a Garak story. Finally, we begin to learn some concrete facts about the Cardassian tailor. How? For the first time, we have external sources. Garak, it turns out, has a device in his head and it's causing him excruciating amounts of pain. When he rejects Dr. Bashir's treatments and goes to Quark with the hopes of procuring another device, Bashir becomes suspicious. Odo becomes suspicious when Quark's Cardassian informant reveals that the device Garak seeks is restricted technology of the Obsidian Order. With Garak dying, Bashir must try to understand what the device is and how to get another.

"The Wire" is a surprisingly tight story about addiction and withdrawal. As Garak undergoes physiological changes from the failure of the device in his head, he experiences all of the phases of withdrawal and they are wonderfully illustrated for us. Throughout, Bashir attempts to understand both the device and Garak. It's a surprisingly engaging episode and accessible to anyone who likes excellent television.

"The Wire" marks the first mention of the dreaded Obsidian Order. The Obsidian Order is the Cardassian spy network, a group of secret police who monitor everyone on Cardassia with brutal efficiency. They are the new gold standard for ruthless investigations. From this episode, we understand that the true check on the Cardassian Civilian Government is not the Cardassian Military (which appears to be its tool), but the Obsidian Order.

The acting in this episode is wonderful, especially for an episode that uses only five real characters and actors. Dr. Bashir is played with his usual naivete and curiosity by Siddig El Fadil, Quark is played with his usual avarice and cowardice by Armin Shimerman and Rene Auberjonois plays the always vigilant and suspicious Odo. The episode, however, is stolen by the performances and character development (and introduction) of Andrew Robinson as Garak and Paul Dooley as the mysterious former leader of the Obsidian Order, Enabren Tain. Robinson plays Garak as a confused mix of powerlessness and control and he acts the addictions quite well. Tain is played by Dooley with subtle humor and the overbearing sense of a deep rift between Tain and Garak. They're both wonderful.

It's strange to think that an episode on addiction and the true meaning of duty and friendship could be so engaging, but the truth is, it's well paced and doesn't get bogged down with extraneous characters or situations. It is dark and wonderful; everything we can hope for from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 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 Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]

9.5/10

Check out how "The Wire" stacks up against other Star Trek episodes, movies and DVD sets (and read those episode reviews!) by visiting the index page that ranks the Star Trek franchise in order from best to worst by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007, 2002 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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