Deep Space 9 Superior

[USS Defiant]

The Jem'Hadar - the Brutes of the Dominion. Great weight-lifters! They do not sleep, eat, or drink. Do any of them actually talk at any time throughout the series?

They sure do Falcon of Marin. They actually have quite a few dedicated episodes where they not only talk, but they also show defiance and down right rebellion against the Founders and Vorta. They appear to be automatons on the surface, but they are quite intelligent and can think for themselves, unlike Borg drones. The Jem'Hadar are about as perfect a solider as there could be.

Yes, they talk. I remember a few episodes but the ones that stick out is Rocks and Shoals, and the one where the Defiant's crew help the Dominion track down the rogue Jem'Hadar who stole the Iconian gateway tech.

Rocks and Shoals is a great episode brother Hirogen!, if I remeber right it was the second episode of one of those brilliant 5 or 6 part "Dominion War arc's".

Here is an interesting note from Ronald D. Moore who wrote Rocks and Shoals .....
"The title seemed thematically right to me, since the episode deals with some characters running up on the "rocks" and others entering "shoal water". I think that the phrase itself actually referred to the Royal Navy's judicial system, but I could be wrong. In any case, the title just came to me as I was working on the script and although later I remembered the judicial connection, it wasn't the initial reason for the title. There are also themes of justice and military order in the script, so I think it's still appropriate."

[Dark Falcon]

They sure do Falcon of Marin. They actually have quite a few dedicated episodes where they not only talk, but they also show defiance and down right rebellion against the Founders and Vorta. They appear to be automatons on the surface, but they are quite intelligent and can think for themselves, unlike Borg drones. The Jem'Hadar are about as perfect a solider as there could be.


Rocks and Shoals is a great episode brother Hirogen!, if I remeber right it was the second episode of one of those brilliant 5 or 6 part "Dominion War arc's".

Here is an interesting note from Ronald D. Moore who wrote Rocks and Shoals .....
"The title seemed thematically right to me, since the episode deals with some characters running up on the "rocks" and others entering "shoal water". I think that the phrase itself actually referred to the Royal Navy's judicial system, but I could be wrong. In any case, the title just came to me as I was working on the script and although later I remembered the judicial connection, it wasn't the initial reason for the title. There are also themes of justice and military order in the script, so I think it's still appropriate."

Lol, "Falcon of Marin". Novato, to be precise.

Good find on the note! I think that the reason that the episode is called "Rocks and Shoals" is that our heroes start on board the Jem'Hadar ship, like a ship at sea, but then they crash on the Jam'Hadar world, like a sinking ship that needs to beach itself along a shoreline in order to save its crew.

However, it looks like Ronald D. Moore put it in the best way it could be put.

[MB.Eddie]

Watched episodes 2'8 'Necessary Evil' and 2'9 'Second Sight' tonight.

Necessary Evil was a great episode. Shows a lot about some of the characters pasts and how things were different at the station under cardassian rule. Had some good comic elements too. Probably my 2nd fav ep to date behind Duet.

Second Sight was quite lame imo. Didnt really enjoy it.

[USS Defiant]

Here is a little Jem'Hadar info, it is an interesting read.......

The Jem'Hadar are a genetically engineered humanoid race from the Gamma Quadrant, the Jem'Hadar are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy. Genetically engineered for strength and resolve, they are also short-lived and believe that "victory is life." They are bred to perceive the Founders, enigmatic shape-shifters who rule the massive Dominion, as gods and are incapable of harming them. The Jem'Hadar's numbers are unknown, but they are produced by the thousands as needed.

It is possible that the name "Jem'Hadar" was chosen by producers as a derivative of the word jemadar, which refers to a platoon-commanding Viceroy's Commissioned Officer in the British Indian Army (largely replaced in the modern Indian Army by the Naib Subedar/Naib Risaldar).

Physiology
The Jem'Hadar are bred in hatcheries. This fact, and their reptilian appearance, indicates that they are likely hatched from eggs. For humanoids, the Jem'Hadar have an incredibly fast metabolic rate due to modifications made on their genetic structure by the Founders. The Jem'Hadar are bred in birthing chambers and have been known to be placed in stasis chambers until their awakening. Because of this, there are only males in the Jem'Hadar species.

A Jem'Hadar is mature within three days of leaving its birthing chamber, allowing for very rapid replacement of casualties. Within a day of maturation, Jem'Hadar children already have advanced language skills and cognitive reasoning. Adolescent Jem'Hadar require food for consumption.

Adult Jem'Hadar do not require sleep nor nourishment; any form of relaxation is shunned on the belief that it would only make them weak. The only form of sustenance required is ketracel-white, which contains a key isogenic enzyme deliberately omitted from their blood chemistry by the Founders to ensure their loyalty. Without large quantities of the white, Jem'Hadar circulatory systems begin to shut down, beginning with muscle spasms.

As a result of advanced genetic engineering and combat breeding, the Jem'Hadar have excellent vision, and are several times stronger than Humans. All Jem'Hadar have a built-in ability to 'shroud' themselves, a form of camouflage which effectively hides them from both sensors and the naked eye.

Ronald D. Moore stated: "The [phaser] stun setting has no effect on the Jem'Hadar."

Most Jem'Hadar die young in battle; as such, it is rare for them to live past 15 years of age. Few ever live to the age of 20. Those who do, are awarded the title "Honored Elders." No Jem'Hadar has ever lived to the age of 30.

Cut off from reinforcements in the Gamma Quadrant during the Dominion War, the Founders began to breed Jem'Hadar soldiers in the Alpha Quadrant known as "Alpha" in 2374. The Alphas were regarded - largely by themselves - as being superior to original "Gamma" Jem’Hadar, so their introduction led to considerable friction with their Gamma Quadrant counterparts. The primary difference between the two was that the DNA and psychological profile of the Alphas were specifically designed for combat in the Alpha Quadrant. The Founders believed this made them better leaders over the Gammas.

Culture and Tradition
Although the Jem'Hadar worship the Founders as gods, the vast majority of the Jem'Hadar have never actually seen a Founder, and some doubt that they even exist. Yet they have built their service to the shapeshifters into a religion, literally regarding the Founders as living gods, to the extent that the Jem'Hadar ritualistically commit suicide if they fail to protect a shapeshifter from harm.

The Vorta, as the representatives of the Founders, are also given immense loyalty by most Jem'Hadar -- even when such loyalty seems unwarranted. Absolute obedience from the Jem'Hadar is further guaranteed by the Vortas' control of the ketracel-white. The Jem'Hadar prefer a kar'takin for close combat.

Although the glory of the Founders means everything for the Jem'Hadar, they also show a strong sense of honor for themselves. Ikat'ika, First of Dominion Internment Camp 371 showed this, when he refused to kill Worf, whom he could not defeat without killing him, even after he was ordered to by his superior Vorta. He chose rather to yield the fight than to kill Worf because it "no longer ... [held his] interest". He was ordered to be shot for this insubordination. That means, a Jem'Hadar might prefer insubordination and therefore death to doing something he considers to be dishonorable

Jem'Hadar combat units follow a very specific hierarchy. Normally, a Vorta commands one or several units. Every unit contains a Jem'Hadar First, who is in command. Each Jem'Hadar after the First is also given a number rank (Second, Third, Fourth, etc.). In the event the First is killed, the Second shall take over for the First, the Third will take over Second, and so forth. Although the succeeding Jem'Hadar will take over the duties of his superior, he will only receive the higher number rank if his Vorta commander allows it.

Before each battle, the First states the following speech to his unit:

"I am [Rank] [Name], and I am dead. As of this moment, we are all dead. We go into battle to reclaim our lives. This, we do gladly, for we are Jem'Hadar. Remember - victory is life."
The rest of the unit then responds:

"Victory is life."
A similar exchange states: "Obedience brings victory, and victory is life."

The dispensing of Ketracel-white has a ritual statement, spoken between the Vorta and the First. The Vorta presents the vials of white and asks:

"[Rank] [Name], can you vouch for the loyalty of your men?"
The First responds:

"We pledge our loyalty to the Founders from now until death."
The Vorta then replies:

"Then receive this reward from the Founders. May it keep you strong."

Jem'Hadar Firsts were also capable of distributing the white among those under his command. By 2374, Alpha Jem'Hadar no longer recited the ritual disperal statement, as they demonstrate their loyalty by their actions, not their words.

Technology
The uniforms Jem’Hadar soldiers wear allow them to be almost completely unaffected by many forms of anti-personnel forcefield. Their energy weapons contain anti-coagulants that are designed to slowly kill their enemies if the energy discharge did not. The rifle and pistol weapons used by the Jem'Hadar have at least three settings, able to stun, deliver a generally lethal pulse laced with the anti-coagulants, and a more powerful pulse capable of vaporizing a humanoid target.

The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual claims that the Jem'Hadar pistol and rifle weapons have only a single setting, and this is a lethal pulse. This is entirely inconsistent with what has been seen in the series. In "The Search, Part I", Major Kira most definitely takes a direct hit to the chest from a Jem'Hadar weapon on a stun setting. Lethal to semi-lethal pulses that leave behind anti-coagulants have been seen in episodes such as "The Ship", "Change of Heart" and "The Siege of AR-558". A higher setting was seen to vaporize humanoid targets, such as Jem'Hadar and Breen, in "By Inferno's Light".

[Elles]

Is that from Wikipedia? Out of curiosity...

[Dark Falcon]

Is that from Wikipedia? Out of curiosity...

http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Jem%27Hadar

No, it's from a website called "Memory Alpha" which is basically a
Star Trek encyclopedia. Don't visit that site too much, or you will become
too obsessed with the Star Trek universe.

[the Fifth Race]

No, it's from a website called "Memory Alpha" which is basically a Star Trek encyclopedia. Don't visit that site too much, or you will become too obsessed with the Star Trek universe.

Is that from Wikipedia? Out of curiosity...

It is actually a combination of both. Both Wikipedia and Memory Alpha are great sources of information. I do use a handful of other rather obscure Trek web-sites for inside info because they usually offer something that you don't find anywhere else. Note: When I put text in BOLD LETTERING, that specifies it came from another source other than myself.

[the Fifth Race]

Watched episodes 2'8 'Necessary Evil' and 2'9 'Second Sight' tonight.

Necessary Evil was a great episode. Shows a lot about some of the characters pasts and how things were different at the station under cardassian rule. Had some good comic elements too. Probably my 2nd fav ep to date behind Duet.

Necessary Evil my favorite episodes of DS9 and it's one of my favorite episodes of telelvision in general. One of the many things that is great about this episode is the way that it tells a great mystery story while filling in a lot of the series back-story. Rene Auberjonois is great as an ever-so-slightly more awkard Odo, and Marc Alaimo is at his most wonderfully manipulative best as Dukat.

This episode also gets high marks for direction and cinematography; this was the first episode to show us a vision of the station as a nightmarish dystopia, all claustrophobic fencing and greasy brown light, it had a very creepy feel to it. The shot where the shop door opens onto the first flashback scene is one of the coolest camera shots ever in a Trek episode.

Second Sight was quite lame imo. Didnt really enjoy it.

I agree with you about Second Sight, it was a rather blase episode. It is definitly not one of my favourite episodes. I found the character of Fenna/Nidell herself to be annoying and irritating. Her innocence and her voice grated on my nerves. Sisko can do much better!.

The background storyline, however, was not without merit. The rebirthing of a dead star is a concept I found intruiging. Not to mention the humourous arrogance of Professor Seyetik. The man knew he was great and he loved himself for it. I saw a lot of Bashir in him.

[HirogenGater]

I am a huge fan of the relaunch (Season 9) DS9 books. I saw there are some new ones coming out this year, but Amazon doesn't have any info on them. Does anyone here have any infor on these titles?

http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Faith-St...e=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Symmet...e=UTF8&s=books

[the Fifth Race]

I am a huge fan of the relaunch (Season 9) DS9 books. I saw there are some new ones coming out this year, but Amazon doesn't have any info on them. Does anyone here have any infor on these titles?

http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Faith-St...e=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Symmet...e=UTF8&s=books

I found this rather informative and interesting site that list all the DS9 relaunch novels ever made with a brief synopsis and mini review (including the above mentioned books that brother HG listed), plus it shows a picture of what each novel looks like, which I found very cool, quite a nice size collection. I hope this helps......

http://www.sff.net/people/krad/ds9.htm

[Starbase]

Necessary Evil was a great episode. Shows a lot about some of the characters pasts and how things were different at the station under cardassian rule. Had some good comic elements too. Probably my 2nd fav ep to date behind Duet.

Necessary Evil was a rather creepy episode, especially the way it was filmed with the dark and dank tones used to depict Terok Nor (DS9) during the Cardassian occupation. I loved the back story we got about the comings and goings of Terok Nor and especially Odo's life as Constable under Gul DuKat.

This was one of those early season episodes that made me realize that DS9 was going to be something unique and special to the Trek universe. Almost like Shakespeare in space.

Second Sight was quite lame imo. Didnt really enjoy it.

This episode is all about sacrifice. The sacrifices that Nidell made that caused her to create Fenna. The sacrifice that Sisko made to save Nidell's life, and the sacrifice that Seyetik ultimately had to make to save Nidell. Love is about sacrifice and sacrifice is always hard but the reward is wonderful. The reward in this case ultimately being the happiness of a young woman.

[the Fifth Race]

Season VI DS9 Episode Discussion
Episode # 23

Profit and Lace
Grand Nagus Zek and Ishka, Quark and Rom's mother, arrive on the station to announce that, thanks to his relationship with the proudly feminist Ishka, Zek has added a new amendment to the Ferengi Bill of Opportunities giving females equal rights. Unfortunately, this has plunged the entire Ferengi society into chaos, Zek has been deposed as Grand Nagus, and Liquidator Brunt is now Acting Grand Nagus — a position that will become permanent in three days. Sure that Ishka's amazing business sense will win them over, Zek invites the commissioners of the Ferengi Commerce Authority to the station, but cola magnate Nilva is the only one who agrees to a meeting.

Brunt arrives on the station and threatens to liquidate Quark and Zek. This prompts Quark to angrily confront his mother, who has a heart attack. While Bashir assures everyone she will survive, Ishka will be unable to meet with Nilva — leaving Zek without a Ferengi female to prove gender equality is a good idea. With no other choice, Quark allows Bashir to temporarily turn him into a female.

The procedure transforms Quark into a lovely female they call Lumba, and thanks to the hormones, an emotional wreck. Between crying jags, he studies his mother's notes and practices walking and talking like a female. When Nilva arrives a day early, Zek enlists Nog to distract the commissioner.

Nilva insists on seeing Zek immediately. On the way, he and Nog run into Brunt, who spills the beans about Ishka's condition. Nog leads Nilva to Rom's quarters, promising him a meeting with Zek's other female advisor, Lumba. Instantly smitten, Nilva decides to take Lumba to dinner. Quark is charming, easily convincing the commissioner that equal rights for females will expand the Ferengi economy. Unfortunately, he is so charming that Nilva invites him back to his quarters.

While Quark desperately fends off Nilva's romantic advances, Brunt suddenly bursts in to tell Nilva that Lumba is actually a male. Quark slips out of his dress, and his hormone-enhanced body convinces his suitor that he is all woman. Nilva promises to do everything he can to ensure Zek remains Grand Nagus, and Quark, having gained new insight into the female psyche, wins back his now-recovered mother's love.
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Oye Vai is this episode bad, sure there were some rather funny and interesting parts but overall it was a dud, this might be my least favorite episode from the whole DS9 series.

The last scene between Nilva and Quark in Nilva's quarters is so awfully executed that I was embarrassed to even be watching it. It consists of a lot of running around tables and ducking behind drapes, accompanied by a lot of growling, yelling, and other unintelligible noises. Alexander Siddig (Bashir) Directed this bomb, what were you thinking?, maybe TPTB forced you to do this debacle. Even Armin Shimerman thought this episode stunk (check background info.)
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Background Information

The production staff had high hopes for this episode. Michael Piller described it as "a classic" after reading the script. Then changed his mind after watching the finished product.

Armin Shimerman reportedly hated the script for this episode, as he felt Quark did not learn anything from his experience as a woman.

Shimerman watched Tootsie and Some Like It Hot for inspiration on how to play a woman.

The title may be a play on words from the DS9 Season 2 episode Profit and Loss.

The events of "The Magnificent Ferengi" are mentioned in this episode.
Referenced Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: #94

10 star rating system
StarTrek.com has it rated with ...... 7.8 stars
GateWorld.net has it rated with ..... 4.5 stars
I have it rated with ...................... 3.0 stars

[Trek_Girl42]

The production staff had high hopes for this episode. Michael Piller described it as "a classic" after reading the script. Then changed his mind after watching the finished product.

Quark as a woman.....that description alone makes it sound bad.

[the Fifth Race]

Quark as a woman.....that description alone makes it sound bad.

It's not all bad, it's almost like they were trying to do a parody on the silliness that are the Ferengi. I remember when it originally aired it was one of those episodes that you either loved or hated among my group of friends. Quark and Brunt deserved much better, at least they don't do any of these ridiculous episodes after Profit and Lace.

Make sure you do not miss today's DS9 episode on Spike Lady Trek. Statistical Probabilities is a brilliant Bashir dedicated episode that is important to the storyline and introduces you to the genetically enhanced 'Others' that a play a part down the road in season VII.

[Lieutenant Colonel Davis]

Well I'm back from my cruise. What did I miss?