Deep Space 9 Superior

[Starbase]

The Die is Cast .... Officially this is the start of the legendary Behr era of DS9 as he took over from Micheal Piller as executive producer. And what an amazing start he gave us. An outstanding episode that concludes a thrilling 2 parter. The slow build up of part I explodes here when the Tal Shiar/Obisian Order alliance makes their offensive on the Founders home world. But to their arrogant horror they find out its a set up and the Jem'Hadar blow them all to pieces.

Once again, Andrew Robinson turns in a bravo performance. But then that's par for the course for this series, (DS9 is chalk full with actors possessing extraordinary cinematic talent!) The revelation that Lovok was a changling, and the Dominions's duping of both the Obsidian Order, & the Tal'Shiar caught me by surprise the first time that I saw this episode. The torture scenes as to be expected are quite upsettling. Garak is torn between his loyalty and his friendships. In the end Garak discovers he's no longer the man he used to be. Everything works and takes your breath away. A true Trek masterpiece.

[jelgate]

Like you stated - the final act features some outstanding battle pyrotechnics. Obviously, a lot of time and effort went into this scene. If I had to sum up in one word what these special effects convey, I'd say Pandemonium. Yes, lots and lots of chaos. Through this battle, one can get a perfect sense of disarray, which is what it seems to me the creators wanted, just the basic feeling of the Jem'Hadar completely overwhelming Tain's fleet.

It seems like the battle of Omarion Nebula had more to do with the visual effects of the the Jem'Hadar vs Romulan/Cardassian then the special effects of the bridges being destroyed.

[Weyoun]

The Die is Cast is one of those episodes where we witness the intellectually-witty Garak temporarily turn to the dark side of the force - all to serve the Obsidian Order via the torture of Odo. There are very some powerful scenes here. It all seems so fitting that the Obsidian Order would be linked to Garak, and that the leader of this Cardassian rebellion movement would actually be his father. Like father like son This episode carefully brings these ties together, and is constructed quite well in a elaborately tense, Dominion-controlled kind of way.

In retrospect, it clearly could have stood out as a major cliff hanger, and paved the way for the major events yet to come into fruition against the Alpha Quadrant. A decent episode - there are far better ones to come in the later seasons.

[Saquist]

I agree with you for the most part Saquist. Every television series (scifi or otherwise, but especially scifi) always have a handful of these type of episodes with cheat ending's or some plot device that came out of left-field and makes very little sense. You usually see 1 a season.
I'm curious to know exactly what you mean here.

Sorry...NBA playoffs....
You know how it is.


Okay, while a love afair between him in the female changeling is out of the quesstion I feel they really should have turn the over the blanket on the interact the level of connection between the two that eventually leads to him betraying Kira.

I wanted that to have a better rise in climax...more lead more development. They seemed to have been really going at something between those two...I felt she could have been the Dominion equvialent of Kai Win.

Yikes!!! I cringed so much watching that. It was painful



I know, but I couldn't resist mentioning them

Did the relationship end just as quickly as it began? Like, in a nanosecond?

It came so out of left field, it ended up in right field

Well some one had to I guess.
Actually the story picks well after they had terminated the relationship.
Apparently Seven had a change of heart on the other side the Galaxy. She apparently has a fan base on Earth aswell.

If you haven't noticed my DS9 watching has decreased. Thats because I finally got a job. I have the 1st degree burns to prove it

Congratulations, sir.

The Die is Cast is one of those episodes where we witness the intellectually-witty Garak temporarily turn to the dark side of the force - all to serve the Obsidian Order via the torture of Odo. There are very some powerful scenes here. It all seems so fitting that the Obsidian Order would be linked to Garak, and that the leader of this Cardassian rebellion movement would actually be his father. Like father like son This episode carefully brings these ties together, and is constructed quite well in a elaborately tense, Dominion-controlled kind of way.

In retrospect, it clearly could have stood out as a major cliff hanger, and paved the way for the major events yet to come into fruition against the Alpha Quadrant. A decent episode - there are far better ones to come in the later seasons.

THIS was my favorite Gark episode...That's not hard to do really. Since I don't particularly care for the character but finally they stopped dancing around his past. We learned something and ..>>AMAZINGLY it was actually interesting. I actually like the odd...distance between him and his father. I guess I can Identify with that. BUT I liked the torture seen...I like that Garak didn't go easy on him...

ODO...just takes too much for granted sometimes.
He should be smarter for a Chief of Secruity but stuff keeps going over his head and sometimes it seems he trust people when he shouldn't...I don't know...Maybe it's just me.

[SaberBlade]

Need an episode identified. It basically involves Sisko asking Kira if she believes him to be the Emissary, and she's... I don't know, very soft spoken, emotional, perhaps close to tears and she admits yes. I think it may involve the Ba'hala episode but not sure at all.

[the Fifth Race]

Need an episode identified. It basically involves Sisko asking Kira if she believes him to be the Emissary, and she's... I don't know, very soft spoken, emotional, perhaps close to tears and she admits yes. I think it may involve the Ba'hala episode but not sure at all.

I think you hit the nail on the head. In the DS9 season V episode Rapture where Sisko/Emissary finds B'hala after Bajoran scholars have been searching 10,000+ years for it. I remember Kai Winn questioning Sisko's place as Emissary (so what else is new) only to eat her words and seek the Emissary's forgiveness when his visions turned out to be right. There was a scene in that episode where Winn asks Kira if she thinks the Emissary will forgive her for doubting him, which impresses Kira, only to be admonished by Kai Winn for doubting her. There was a lot of Kira and Sisko talking about the Emissary's place in everything Bajoran in this episode.

[the Fifth Race]

Okay, while a love afair between him in the female changeling is out of the quesstion I feel they really should have turn the over the blanket on the interact the level of connection between the two that eventually leads to him betraying Kira.

I wanted that to have a better rise in climax...more lead more development. They seemed to have been really going at something between those two...I felt she could have been the Dominion equvialent of Kai Win.

Pardon my late coming to party post here. But if I gather what you two are talking about - You are saying that you would have wondered what the story-line would have been like if Odo and female Changeling become a romantic item (or at least the Founders version of a romance), where Odo betrays his loyalty to Sisko and the Federation? .... or where the female Changeling becomes sympathetic towards the Federation and the is willing to work with the alliance to stop the war?

As I typed that out, I became very intrigued with both those directions the story-line could have possibly taken. Intresting food for thought.

[jelgate]

Explorers

Thier is a love-hate relationships between this episode. In some areas it shines while in other areas in fails epically. I really find the story of the lightship hard to grasp. If the Bajorans were so far ahead of us technologically why did they wind up being less then us and the Cardassians. Never mind the scientific contradiciton of a wooden ship being able to leave the atomsphere of being a planet. I could go on but the point is expressed the ship is hard to grasp. Once that is ignored its a fun character piece in seeing Jake and Sisko bond. Something we haven't seen in awhile. Its fun watching them talk and converse about how life a and changes like Jake exploring his writing or Sisko lack of dating. Its just enjoyable to see how much these two have changed since Emissary. Also worth noteing is this is the start of Sisko changing into Capt. Bald Awesome.

The B plot of Bashir seeing an old colleague is interesting but it seems kind of filler. I like seeing Bashir trying to talk to her because she got what he didn't. He did better then her but its not like he wanted the position on the Lexington. He wanted to be on DS9. So its kind of seems pointless to see why he is antagonizing of not talking to her. Although I will admitt I absolutely love the scene of Bashir and O'Brien being drunk. Its hilarious.

Family Business

Quark episode..boring. Ishaka..boring Ferengi culture...boring.

For those unable to follow this episode is boring to me. I do not care about this episode. It challenges Ferengi society values and that is why its boring. I find them so unrealastic that any society would function in the way Ferengi do. It does not make logical sense. For that reason I do not care about seeing Ishka but heads with Quark on what is wrong and what is right in Ferengi society

I feel the exact opposite about the B plot. The stressed out part about Sisko wondering about should he ask Kassidy Yates out is fun and interesting. Lets be honest he probably has not dated seriously since Jennifer died. So its probably hard to go out with someone despite the encouragement from his friends. So I like seeing him work up the courage to ask her out. Being nothing more cool as watching Sisko and Kassidy across the promenade to listen to a baseball game and to see Jake spying above. It leaves a chuckle

[SaberBlade]

I think you hit the nail on the head. In the DS9 season V episode Rapture where Sisko/Emissary finds B'hala after Bajoran scholars have been searching 10,000+ years for it. I remember Kai Winn questioning Sisko's place as Emissary (so what else is new) only to eat her words and seek the Emissary's forgiveness when his visions turned out to be right. There was a scene in that episode where Winn asks Kira if she thinks the Emissary will forgive her for doubting him, which impresses Kira, only to be admonished by Kai Winn for doubting her. There was a lot of Kira and Sisko talking about the Emissary's place in everything Bajoran in this episode.

I originally thought it was Accession, fantastic episode, watched it, but was disappointed when it wasn't the correct episode. I am not sure why I've focused on that one scene.

[nx01a]

Jake and Sisko have family time. Gag.
I was far more interested in the solar sailing ship and Dukat at the end. Would he fire on them?

[Starbase]

ExplorersThier is a love-hate relationships between this episode. In some areas it shines while in other areas in fails epically. I really find the story of the lightship hard to grasp. If the Bajorans were so far ahead of us technologically why did they wind up being less then us and the Cardassians. Never mind the scientific contradiciton of a wooden ship being able to leave the atomsphere of being a planet. I could go on but the point is expressed the ship is hard to grasp. Once that is ignored its a fun character piece in seeing Jake and Sisko bond. Something we haven't seen in awhile. Its fun watching them talk and converse about how life a and changes like Jake exploring his writing or Sisko lack of dating. Its just enjoyable to see how much these two have changed since Emissary. Also worth noting is this is the start of Sisko changing into Capt. Bald Awesome.

The B plot of Bashir seeing an old colleague is interesting but it seems kind of filler. I like seeing Bashir trying to talk to her because she got what he didn't. He did better then her but its not like he wanted the position on the Lexington. He wanted to be on DS9. So its kind of seems pointless to see why he is antagonizing of not talking to her. Although I will admitt I absolutely love the scene of Bashir and O'Brien being drunk. Its hilarious.

Good review. I tend to agree with most of what you said - That being said, this episode appealed to me quite a bit, although my brain kept telling me: 'If you don't see Benjamin Sisko for the next 24 hours, it's because I've hired him to build me a house - shouldn't take him longer than a day' If he could build a space-worthy, historically accurate, comfortable ship out of Bajoran lumber, I shouldn't criticize. When Dukat set off those fireworks , the ship should have stated moving as the light hit its sails...maybe that was Dukat's intention, to blast them back home.

The B-story involving Julian's personal history as parallel with ancient Bajoran accomplishments was lame! We've heard enough recently about that failed exam post-ganglionic nerve fiber. Like yourself - I did love him and O'Brien singing the "Chariots of Fire" song, thus equating the ancient Bajorans on Cardassia to Jesus in England.

I liked Dukat, as always, especially at the end revealing the Bajoran crash site. I'm kind of surprised that no actual Bajorans are going to get credit for making the trip and forcing the Cardassians to own up - why didn't Sisko ask Kira if she'd like to go on that trip? Since Kira was so enthusiastic about the idea in the first place, and Sisko obviously has no problem with the entire command crew of the station flying off anyway, it would have been a nice gesture.

I'm having a very hard time explaining what I liked about this episode. Maybe the Sisko-Jake interaction, which seemed rather more sincere and realistic than it has of late. Maybe I just like that this episode was different. Maybe it was the anti-canonical history theme.

[Starbase]

Jake and Sisko have family time. Gag.
I was far more interested in the solar sailing ship and Dukat at the end. Would he fire on them?

lolol, that whole DuKat welcoming them while citing the journeys historical significance with a celebration rang completely false with me.

I rewatched Explorers with brothers Fifth Race and USS Defiant last week, and they both enjoyed it far more than I did. Although Jake was starting to become a real man, and his acting did get better which you start to notice in this episode.

[jelgate]

Jake and Sisko have family time. Gag.
I was far more interested in the solar sailing ship and Dukat at the end. Would he fire on them?

I don't think Dukat was about to start a war. Well not yet anyway

I want to say I'm making a special night of this Saturday when I sit down to watch Way of the Warrior. I even have friends coming over. Yes I have friends

[Alan Wake]

I don't think Dukat was about to start a war. Well not yet anyway

I want to say I'm making a special night of this Saturday when I sit down to watch Way of the Warrior. I even have friends coming over. Yes I have friends

Well... Stranger things have happened right?

[the Fifth Race]

I want to say I'm making a special night of this Saturday when I sit down to watch Way of the Warrior. I even have friends coming over. Yes I have friends

That's awesome brother jelgate. Thanx to your DS9 entire series re-watch - I have hosted both brother USS Defiant and Starbase over at my house for Saturday DS9 re-watch night the last 3 weeks (we usually get 2 or 3 episode in). Onething we all realized after our first re-watch session - DS9 brilliantly holds up today as well, if not better, than when it originally aired (classically epic). It's just one of those wonderfully deep and rich shows that when you get hooked, it's for life!.