Date: August 14, 2020

Season 6, Episodes 9 and 10

Musical Accompaniment: Medieval Wolf Music, whatever that is. Go Pack!

Interstellar News: Professor Zoom went to the groomer today and he smells sooooooooooo gooooooood and is super soft. Also, only four more backers until 100! Consider backing “Lucky Devils and Witchy Ways“.

Favorite Quote from “Statistical Probabilities”:

Bashir: Maybe our projections were wrong.

Jack: How can you say that? We factored in every contingency, every variable. The equations don’t lie. You. You ruined everything.

Bashir: What do you make of that, Jack? Why didn’t you anticipate that? Why didn’t you factor her into your equation? Because you thought you knew everything, but you didn’t even know what was going to happen in this room. One person derailed your plans. One person changed the course of history. Now, I don’t know about you, but that makes me think that maybe, just maybe, things may not turn out the way we thought.

Bashir helping Jack to explain how important it is to expect the unexpected.

So what had happened in “Statistical Probabilities” was…: Four other genetically engineered humans are brought to the station to learn from Dr. Bashir, they were not so lucky to be able to pass as “normal”; Lauren is a flirt, Jack is insane, Patrick is a mess, and Sarina doesn’t talk… they’re “mutants”. Gul Damar makes a statement advocating peace but the mutants dissect it and instantly engage with Bashir, all focusing on the problem. When Weyoun and Damar come to DS9 to talk to Sisko about peace the mutants figure out what the Dominion is after and this leads to a ton of statistical analysis all coming to the conclusion that the Federation must surrender. Bashir loses his shit when Sisko, O’Brien and ultimately the Federation reject this plan, but he won’t participate in espionage which is what Jack, Lauren, and Patrick try to do. Bashir stops them and explains that they could be wrong, after all they didn’t factor in Bashir being untied and stopping them. He promises to come visit them and they beam out to go back to the institute.

“He’s a mutant, just like the rest of us.”: Bashir, who was outed as being enhanced recently, gets so caught up in being with others like him that he forgets about the chain of command and what’s really important. As a doctor and a compassionate person of course billions of lives seem well worth the risk, but that assumes that the Dominion won’t eradicate worlds. I mean Weyoun said just a few episodes ago they should attack Earth and be done with it and now that they’ve lost DS9 I worry about Bajor and Earth. One thing I did not understand is the discussion the senior officers has. Dax has 300 years experience, Worf is a strong Klingon warrior, Odo is a fucking changeling, and Sisko is a damn religious icon. Why are they all allowed to join Starfleet but enhanced individuals are banned?

Yes I understand there’s KHAAAAAAAAAN and the Eugenics War, but for every Jack there’s likely a Bashir. So outlaw it, punish the parents, and see if the kid can be helped. The problem becomes, though, when something is outlawed and people go somewhere else for their fix… and likely somewhere not a reputable or safe, which is likely what happened to Jack and the others. The 24th century may be move evolved than our society, but prejudice still exists and this episode shows it clearly. I did love that O’Brien missed his friend, Bashir eventually helped to illustrate that projections are just educated guesses, and Weyoun is as delightful as ever. 7 lucky shots at the dart board for this episode.

Favorite Quote from “The Magnificent Ferengi”:

Quark: Brother, there’s something I need to tell you

Rom: You mean that ten bars of latinum is an overly generous finder’s fee? I already know that.

Rom is not the worst Ferengi ever, he’s just a MUCH better engineer and problem solver.

So what had happened in “The Magnificent Ferengi” was…: The Nagus calls Quark to let him know Ishka has been captured by the Dominion and he’ll pay 50 bars of latinum if Quark rescues her. Quark and Rom put together an all-Ferengi Mod Squad with Nog, Leck, cousin Gaila, and Brunt. They try rescue missions on the holodeck and are terrible until Rom remembers they are Ferengi and maybe they should negotiate. They are given Keevan to trade for Ishka and will do it on Empok Nor. They arrive first and get set up in the Infirmary but Gaila falls asleep on his shift and Keevan tries to escape so they all RUUUUUUUUUN only to find the ship was disabled. Suddenly the proximity alarm sounds so they all RUUUUUUUUN back to the Infirmary and Nog sees an entire platoon of Jem’Hadar have come to greet them. Quark, Rom, and Nog head out to meet Yelgrun and Ishka and Quark negotiates to make the exchange in 30 minutes. As the Ferengi are celebrating Rom lets slip how much the Nagus is actually paying, the arguing ensues, and Gaila accidentally kills Keevan. They decide for Nog to engineer Keevan “alive” a la Weekend at Bernie’s and make the exchange. The Ferengi wind up with both Ishka and Yelgrun while poor dead Keevan is stuck bouncing into a wall.

“I hate Ferengi.”: The Vorta may hate the Ferengi but this episode made me love them that much more. Nog does his best to try to get the others to listen to him, but he’s too young and has drunk too much of the Federation’s root beer flavored Kool Aid. Leck is fantastic and creepy and not at all your typical Ferengi. Gaila and Brunt are familiar faces who each have a grudge with Quark but also need Ishka alive, and let’s be real it’s Gaila’s show with his ridiculous scream and his shooting of Keevan. And then there’s the running, which is much more hysterical that it was on TOS. Given that we’re in a war and we need to be serious, and hell hostage negotiation is serious too, the humor hit in all the right ways. Watching Rom and Quark crawl around the station’s tubes, and taking a wrong turn to Sisko’s office, was fantastic but equally fantastic were Ishka and Yelgrun. As flamboyant as Weyoun is, Yelgrun is the deadpan opposite and it was delightful whenever he was speaking. Ishka is still giving sound financial advice, even held captive, and it shows she has a passion for it as well as the lobes. You almost feel bad for Keevan until you remember what an asshat he is, but the actor who played him got to be goofy as all hell in the hallway scene and it was beautiful. I love that, as contrived the reason, the Ferengi get to be the heroes in their own story. 9 cheers for the boys from Ferenganar!

TA Out!

Date: August 13, 2020

Season 6, Episodes 7 and 8

Musical Accompaniment: Yesterday was cellos and today it’s violins…

Interstellar News: Six more backers are needed and that will be seven short stories, four novels, a vignette, and a partridge and a pear tree (on top of the original two novels) up for very little support on your part. Consider backing “Lucky Devils and Witchy Ways“.

Favorite Quotes from “You Are Cordially Invited…”:

Martok: Do you still love her?

WORF: Of course. However, in this case, that may not be enough. Anyone can see that we are hopelessly mismatched. She is a Trill, I am a Klingon. She has had five marriages, this would be my first. When she is laughing, I am sombre. When I am happy, she is crying. She plays tongo with the Ferengi bartender. I can barely stand him. She mocks everything, while I take everything seriously. She is nothing like the woman I thought I would marry.

Martok: We are not accorded the luxury of choosing the women we fall in love with. Do you think Sirella is anything like the woman I thought that I’d marry? She is a prideful, arrogant, mercurial woman who shares my bed far too infrequently for my taste. And yet I love her deeply. We Klingons often tout our prowess in battle, our desire for honor and glory above all else. But how hollow is the sound of victory without someone to share it with. Honor gives little comfort to a man alone in his home and in his heart.

And this, my friends, is why Martok is now listed as one of my favorite DS9 characters.

Today is a Good Day to Die: “We don’t embrace other cultures, we conquer them.”

So what had happened in “You Are Cordially Invited…” was…: Alexander is going to be transferred to another ship so Dax and Worf decide to get married at Quark’s. Dax has been through five Trill weddings so she’s fine with Worf planning this one and Jake has sold his first book. Worf will do the Kal’Hyah, described as a four-day Klingon bachelor party and Dax will meet with Martok’s wife, Sirella, to be judged. Worf brings Martok, Sisko, Bashir, O’Brien, and Alexander to the holosuite to give them sticks, make them sweat, have them fast, and go through six total trials that eventually make Alexander pass out and cause O’Brien and Bashir to fantasize about killing Worf.

Sirella doesn’t want an alien to join the house and does everything she can to cause Dax to fail. Dax has a party, Odo and Kira finally talk, and Sirella crashes the party and is challenged by Dax. Dax and Worf call off the wedding. Martok tells Worf he’s made a mistake and Worf goes to try and talk Dax into taking him back. When Dax refuses, Sisko talks her into it. The wedding commences, with bat’leths no less, and O’Brien and Bashir are super excited to beat up the newlyweds.

“Do you have any idea how much paperwork a Supreme Commander has to do?”: So the parts I loved were fantastic, and I’ll outline them first. The running gag of “use your imagination” about a Klingon bachelor party and everyone likely being completely wrong was fun. Alexander being completely klutzy but owning it was fantastic and I’m glad he and Dax got to meet. I absolutely loved the way Martok clearly loves his wife and is even a bit scared of her. The bit where Dax finds a historical inaccuracy in Sirella’s family line is very Dax but it also showed she was going to do things her way and wasn’t actually interested in letting Worf really plan everything out. Sisko reading Dax the riot act was fantastic because he’s just that good at yelling at people and getting them to see the error of their ways, he’s a wonderful motivational speaker. Lastly, I am totally Nog at the ceremony who is trying to look over the tall people to see… I really laughed at that a lot.

Now, unfortunately, for the bad. Why is there not one single line of dialogue about Worf’s parents or the crew of the Enterprise? All you have to do is say something about the war keeping them from being there, but they can’t even Skype in? You can also do the quickie ceremony now and then have a big ass party after the war, so they could have mentioned something about the other family members and friends they may have wanted to invite. And what, O’Brien can’t spend one minute talking about how his wedding to Keiko was off again and on again? Come on! Sirella also apparently is won over by Dax, but we never see it, and we have another mystical Klingon Hallmark moment. I’m also sad that Odo and Kira’s conversation is never seen and there’s not one joke about them being in the bathroom or closet or whatever all night long. This episode has so much potential to be an awesome, lighter story after the heaviness of the last few episodes, but it just fell short. At least I got to find out how the Klingons destroyed their gods… 5 Ma’Stakas and a few var’Hama candles for this episode.

Favorite Quote from “Resurrection”:

Bareil: You’re crazy.

Intendant: Oh, we know what I’m like. What about her?

Bareil: I am not going to discuss this.

Intendant: Oh, please, please. I really want to know.

Mirror Kira is certifiable, and I love her.

So what had happened in “Resurrection” was…: Dax is trying to get Kira to bring someone to dinner when Mirror Bareil beams into Ops and takes Kira hostage. Kira beats him up, takes him to security, and he asks her to destroy the device so he can just stay in their universe. Mirror Bareil is nothing like Vedek Bareil, though he does decide to check out Bajoran temple services and he and Kira spend time together both at the Worf-Dax residence and in bed that evening. He tells Kira he wants an Orb experience but after it’s finished we see the Intendant in his room because they’re there to steal the Orb. Quark warns Kira who busts Bareil just as the Intendant waltzes in wearing Kira’s uniform. Bareil has a change of heart and stuns Mirror Kira and the two return to their universe.

“But eventually I’d find some way to ruin it.”: The entire time I was thinking this was a con and it totally was, I didn’t buy his escape story for one minute. At first I thought less of Kira for buying it, but for her there were a ton of emotions wrapped up into Bareil, especially since she was essentially widowed when he died. There’s something that happens when someone you are dating and think you might spend the rest of your life with suddenly dies and it stays with you forever. You always think about what might have happened and if they thought of you the same way. No matter how different Mirror Bareil was, he still looked like the late vedek and that may have been enough to cloud Kira’s judgement. You also have to think about the fact that she had a rough few months with the occupation, Odo’s betrayal, and Dukat’s creepiness, so I’m giving her a lot more leeway than I would. I also liked this Bareil better than the one we had, the performance was much less stiff and it’s always fun when someone impresses Worf. I feel like they’re just coming up with stuff for Bashir to do, but he hasn’t really served a purpose in the last few episodes. I’ll end with two thoughts: I wonder what the Mirror Universe wormhole aliens are like and how are we just now finding out Bareil’s first name is ‘Antos’? 4.5 orbs for this episode, the last one being whole but unable to be opened.

TA Out!

Date: August 12, 2020

Season 6, Episodes 5 and 6

Musical Accompaniment: It’s been a while since I’ve done some good cello covers.

Interstellar News: My brain stopped working around 4 pm, but a nap helped. We also had to watch the second episode tonight on DVD because our internet dipped and Netflix wasn’t working for a bit.

Favorite Quote from “Favor the Bold”:

Ziyal: I am telling you the truth. The question is, have you been telling me the truth.

Dukat: About what?

Ziyal: That the Bajorans are wrong about you. That you regret the horrible things you had to do during the occupation.

Dukat: I do regret them, Ziyal. Deeply.

Ziyal: Then this is your chance to prove it to everyone, including me. Show us that you’re capable of mercy.

Ziyal hitting her father where it hurts.

So what had happened in “Favor the Bold” was…: Sisko comes up with a plan to retake DS9 while Martok and Worf go to get Gowron on board. Sisko dreams of building a house on Bajor, Nog is promoted to Ensign, and Sisko is back in charge of the Defiant as a Dominion fleet approaches. On the station, Rom is still in a holding cell and Odo has been knocking changeling boots for three days unaware of the passage of time. Weyoun is preparing to execute Rom but Rom only cares about stopping the deflector array. They use Morn to send a message to Starfleet, Kira kicks Damar’s ass, Dukat moves to protect Terok Nor, and Odo tries to apologize to Kira.

“Gods don’t make mistakes.”: Sisko has really drunk the Bajoran Kool Aid and it shows in his presentation to the other admirals as well as during his conversation with Ross. What started as an assignment to him, he has really taken to heart and he is of Bajor. He continually has to remind the higher ups that DS9 is super important because of the wormhole, because they’re all worried about their own planets. To be fair, Gowron is worried too though he’s always been like that. Martok continues to be awesome and he’s one of the best things that could have happened to Worf, well Martok and Dax that is.

On the station there were so many bits that I loved. Weyoun trying to understand art, Ziyal playing to Dukat’s ego, Rom worrying about the entire AQ, Leeta and Quark haggling over how long she’ll work for free if he can get Rom out of jail, and Damar confiding in Quark over drinks were all just little bits of awesome. Jake figuring out how to smuggle a message out of Terok Nor and the “adults” finally realizing how enterprising Jake can be was a great moment for his character. We also finally see Odo snapping out of his “Great Link high” but it’s too little too late and Kira needs actions not words. This is a great set up for what’s to come, but it’s mostly setup so there’s no real sense of finality. 6 gifts for Morn’s mother.

Favorite Quote from “Sacrifice of Angels”:

Weyoun: The Captain is a very clever man.

Dukat: You do see it, don’t you?

Weyoun: Of course I do.

Dukat: Well then, perhaps you’d like to explain Captain Sisko’s strategy to the Founder yourself.

Weyoun: I could never hope to match your eloquence.

Weyoun buttering up Dukat so he doesn’t embarrass himself.

So what had happened in “Sacrifice of Angels” was…: The Defiant leads a big ass fleet to try to take back DS9 and they are met by an even bigger Dominion force. Dukat is overconfident and is relying on the minefield being taken down in a matter of hours while he also has Damar arrest Kira, Leeta, and Jake. Quark and Ziyal break them out of jail so Rom can turn off power to the station, or at least the weapons. Odo, who finally realized what an ass he was being, comes to the rescue with the Bajoran security force but Rom is just a few seconds too slow and the minefield comes down. The Defiant, having been the only ship to make it to DS9, heads into the wormhole to sacrifice themselves by blowing it up (or something) when the wormhole aliens ask Sisko why he is there. He gets them to try to see reason and eventually they make the incoming Dominion ships disappear. As the Defiant exits the wormhole, the Dominion evacuates but Dukat looks for Ziyal. He finds her though she wants to stay and admits she helped Kira escape jail. Out of nowhere Damar shoots her and she dies, much to the sadness of Kira and Garak. As Starfleet returns to DS9, Sisko reunites with Jake, Bashir and O’Brien are stoked about the holosuites, Rom is a proud dad, and Dukat has remained on the station in a catatonic state over the loss of his daughter.

“His pagh will follow another path.”: So much to unpack here. I’m not surprised that the Defiant was the only ship to make it through, because well that’s what happens in a TV show. The attack patterns reminded me of when I played football in high school and we had our own patterns for different plays. I still remember a 4 was a button hook and a 7 was sharp turn a few yards up, but I never was able to really jump high so I couldn’t ever run an 8. I absolutely loved when Quark shot the two Jem’Hadar soldiers, it totally reminded me of when Smecker shoots the guy in Boondock Saints, and then Quark just stands there totally in shock. I was shocked that Ziyal was shot and that Sisko didn’t go purposefully into the wormhole to talk with the wormhole aliens. Seriously, only my husband was around to see my shocked HOLY SHIT DAMAR KILLED ZIYAL face… I gasped quite audibly. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending because it seemed all swish-and-flick the Dominion reinforcements are gone, but I am interested to see what consequences arrive for Sisko in the future. 6 cheers for getting the band back together again and a few more minutes of silence for Ziyal.

TA Out!

Date: August 11, 2020

Season 6, Episodes 3 and 4

Musical Accompaniment: I am now on the Nemesis soundtrack, hope it doesn’t have any spoilers.

Interstellar News: Yesterday was not a good day. Today was slightly better but I am still a mess. Please… wear your fucking masks and wash your damn hands.

Favorite Quote from “Sons and Daughters”:

Worf: I can see our lives together will not be easy.

Dax: True. But they’ll be fun.

I use a similar line: “I can’t promise life with me will be perfect, but it will never be boring.”

So what had happened in “Sons and Daughters” was…: New Klingons are arriving on the Rotarran and one of them is Alexander who is totally mad at Worf. The crew finds out Alexander is part human and gives him a hard time but eventually come to accept him, even when he forgets to take out a simulation. Worf tries but is a terrible teacher and Martok goes to transfer Alexander. Alexander finally tells Worf he felt abandoned and, after a battle with the Jem’Hadar, they both agree to be better to one another and Alexander joins the House of Martok.

On DS9, Jake wants to join the new resistance and Ziyal comes back on the station. She wants to make amends with her father and she also wants to show Dukat and Kira her art, which is very good. Dukat wants to throw a party for Ziyal and sends Kira a dress. Kira likes it for 2.6 seconds and then is utterly disgusted with herself and explains to Dukat that she wants nothing to do with him, even if it means distancing herself from Ziyal.

“All right, I’ll be here. But I won’t guarantee it’s going to be any fun.”: Alexander is klutzy for a Klingon, poor Alexander. He had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Worf is a terrible father in many ways, which is disappointing in the long list of excellent fathers on DS9. The one awesome thing Worf did was when he promised to stand by Alexander’s choice of not becoming a Klingon warrior, and then he goes right back to treating Alexander as a young child. We get the Klingon Hallmark moment at the end but I’m not sure why because Alexander is still a klutz and super green and is a terrible warrior. On the station Dukat turns the creep factor up to 12 and then to 15 all in the same episode. There are fleeting moments when you forget what a complete ass he is, and then he gives Kira’s dress to Ziyal which is disgusting and gross and creepy as fuck. Kira again uses the mirror to her advantage when she sees herself doing something unthinkable. 5 blue dresses for Ziyal, all made by Garak of course.

Favorite Quote from “Behind the Lines”:

Female changeling: You love her.

Odo: I wish I didn’t. I’m so vulnerable to her. All she has to do is smile at me and I’m happy beyond reason. A minor disagreement between us and I’m devastated. It’s absurd. Sometimes I wish I could reach inside myself and tear out my feelings for her. But I can’t.

Love and vulnerability are awful and I know exactly how Odo feels.

So what had happened in “Behind the Lines” was…: The crew of the Defiant has a new ritual with power cells when Admiral Ross comes to ask Sisko for a plan to attack a GQ array. Sisko then gets promoted to be the Admiral’s adjutant, leaving Dax in command of the Defiant and the mission. Dax and crew are successful, Bashir is still trying to get with Ensign Kirby, and Dax is now in charge of the power cell ritual.

On DS9 Rom and Quark narrate what’s happening to Damar down below as Damar and some Cardassians get into a fight with the Jem’Hadar, something they plotted. Odo and Kira get into a fight because Odo thought it was a bad idea, when the female changeling comes aboard to spend time and link with Odo. Now it’s Kira’s turn to be made but Odo promises he won’t link again. Quark gets Damar drunk and Damar lets slip his plan for de-mining the wormhole, so the resistance comes up with a plan. Odo, however, links again and fails to start the diagnostic leaving Rom in jail.

“Cadet, by the time you took command, there’d be nobody left to call you anything.”: Sisko’s story shows us the passing of the Defiant torch and how, when you do a good job, you get promoted to administration. There’s also the third not-so-terrible Admiral in Ross and, so far, I’ve liked him the best. This episode the station had the most compelling part of the story. Kira, Rom, Jake, and Odo are a four person resistance but there are already cracks when the female changeling shows up and busts it wide open. With respect to the female changeling, Weyoun is reverant, Dukat is an ass, and Odo is uncomfortable until after the first linking… then it’s like he’s high and doesn’t give one iota of anything. We end with Kira being livid and betrayed, Odo not caring as he’s drunk deep of the changeling Kool Aid, and Rom is in jail. So much cliffhanger, so little time. 8 shots of kanar for Quark because drunk Quark is fantastic.

TA Out!