Date: June 30, 2020

Season 3, Episodes 5 and 6

Musical Accompaniment: Cello covers today, I’m on a bit of a roll with different instruments I guess.

Interstellar News: Happy last day of Pride, my friends. I saw a beautiful rainbow during my evening walk and it was a wonderful thing.

Favorite Quote from “Second Skin”:

Kira: Anything worth doing in a holosuite can be done better in the real world.

Quark: You’ve obviously never been in the right holosuite program. But, if you’d like, I could…

Kira: You could, but you’d live to regret it.

Quark trying to talk Kira into some sexy fun time and Kira not taking the bait.

So what had happened in “Second Skin” was…: Kira gets a call about a week stay in a prison she was never at, so she heads to Bajor to investigate but is kidnapped on the way there. When she wakes up she’s on Cardassia and looks like a Cardassian, and a man named Entek tells her she’s been a long-term spy for the Obsidian Order and given the real Kira’s appearance and memories, but her real name is Illiana Ghemor and she is the daughter of a Legate. They’ve given her drugs to help her remember, but they aren’t working. Entek questions her about DS9, shows her Kira’s dead body, and has her play a recording of Illiana before she left for assignment.

Meanwhile the DS9 crew begins to look for Kira but it’s Garak that has some answers for them. Sisko, Odo, and Garak are headed to Cardassia for a rescue mission and O’Brien does some fancy engineering to make the ship appear as something else and they even have a holofilter in case they are found out. During a traffic stop Garak uses his connections to get them through security. On Cardassia Prime, Ghemor sees how much pain Kira is in and vows to help her get off planet as he’s actually a dissident, but Kira realizes that they’re after him and not her. The Order comes in but is stopped by Garak, Sisko, and Odo and they help both Kira and the Legate escape back to DS9. Kira really is Bajoran, Ghemor is going to take sanctuary on another planet, and Garak is still not to be trusted.

“This is extortion. Yes, it is.”: So this episode was a wild ride from start to finish. You know something is going to happen to Kira because the woman was following her around the station and onto the ship headed to Bajor, but I was NOT expecting her to appear as a Cardassian. Entek is very convincing and I firmly believe the Order is like Google and really does keep everything, it’s the only way to explain how they have the tools to do everything they do. I also love how fucking smart Kira is and how damn good at her job she is. She figures out that it was never her they were after and then she just rolls with her rescue – that literally no one batted an eye at her being Cardassian, except for Garak being a bit of a hound-dog. Even Sisko was super on point, blackmailing Garak and casually dropped Odo-as-a-bag so that they can get a drop on the Cardassians. I’m also really loving how many strong father figures there are in the DS9 universe, I mean take a look at Ghemor and his actions for a random Bajoran woman he didn’t know from Adam. He even calls her “Nerys” at the end and it was super sweet. The one thing that’s going to keep me up is how the hell did Entek know that story when Kira didn’t tell anyone else about it? 9 Hallmark moments for parents and children, especially today.

Favorite Quote from “The Abandoned”:

Sisko: Maybe you should inspect the merchandise before you make the deal. Or isn’t there a Rule of Acquisition for that?

Quark: There is and I do, usually.

Sisko being sassy and sarcastic but Quark being completely honest, for once.

So what had happened in “The Abandoned” was…: Jake and Mardah talk about having dinner with Sisko while Quark buys a busted up ship from Boslic who found it in the Gamma Quadrant. Quark finds all kinds of junk as well as a baby, so he takes the baby to Bashir and we see how adorable Sisko probably was when Jake was an infant. A few hours later, however, the baby is now a boy of about 9 years old and has absolutely been genetically engineered and needs an enzyme Bashir can’t seem to create. Sisko doesn’t want to like Mardah because she’s a Dabo girl and a few years older than Jake. Kira brings flowers to Odo’s new quarters and he has feelings!! He’s turned his place into a sanctuary for shape-shifting, but I’m sure there’s plenty of solitude still going on. The kid grows one more time and it’s clear he’s a Jem’Hadar and addicted to a compound O’Brien finds while exploring the wreckage some more. The kid takes a special liking to Odo likely because Odo’s race are the Founders who were responsible for his existence, and neither Odo nor Bashir want the kid to become a science experiment. Odo tries to bond with the kid and get him to explore more than his programming, but the only thing the kid wants to do is fight. When Sisko tells Odo that there’s a ship coming to take the kid away, Odo is taken hostage but later everyone agrees it would be best for Odo to drop the kid off in the GQ and come back.

“Tell me more about my poet-hustler son.”: It’s hard to go against your programming, especially when you’ve been programmed to have no free will. I love that we have the Jack issue with the rapid growth and then BOOM there’s a Jem’Hadar on the station. I also love that Odo and Bashir were both on the side of trying to help the kid figure out if he could become his own person instead of being subjected to being a science experiment. Sisko, too, eventually got on board despite his orders because he didn’t want to see any loss of life and that’s exactly what happened. Sisko got to be the good guy twice because he changed his mind and decided not to judge a woman by her job and allowed a lost boy to return to his people. Again, I’m really pleased with the strong parental figures. I liked finally meeting Mardah and seeing Jake be terrified his father would either embarrass him or give Mardah the 9th degree, but it turns out that Sisko got to learn more about himself and his son that night too. It was interesting to learn more about the Jem’Hadar and I’m completely fascinated by genetic engineering, so I really liked a lot of things here. I will say I didn’t like when they gave the kid the drug instead of seeing if they could detox him out of it, I mean Bashir just did rehab with Garak, right? Anyway, I give this episode 8 episodes of Smallville, for obvious reasons. They grow up so fast, don’t they.

TA Out!

Date: June 29, 2020

Season 3, Episodes 3 and 4

Musical Accompaniment: Violin instrumentals tonight

Interstellar News: Today was a better day.

Favorite Quote from “The House of Quark”:

Grilka: Thank you, Quark. You may have saved my family.

Quark: Well, it is the House of Quark, after all.

Grilka: I really am very grateful for all you’ve done, Quark. That is why I’m going to let you take your hand off my thigh instead of shattering every bone in your body.

This is the exact moment Quark fell in love, I just know it.

So what had happened in “The House of Quark” was…: Morn goes home with a Dabo girl and the only patron at Quark’s is a very drunk Klingon named Kozak who can’t pay his bill so he attacks Quark and accidentally kills himself. Quark and Rom believe this is a chance to improve profits so they lie and say Quark beat Kozak in self-defense. Kozak’s brother comes to make sure Quark tells everyone his brother died an honorable death, but Kozak’s widow Grilka explains that Kozak had no brother nor a male heir and then she kidnaps him. She performs the brek’tal ritual which means she and Quark marry and Quark offers to help figure out how to stop D’Ghor from taking her lands. Quark finds out D’Ghor has been dishonorable but is challenged to personal combat, so he goes to run away but then is suddenly overcome with the need to be the good guy. He shows up with a bat’leth and accepts the challenge from D’Ghor but throws the weapon away and says everyone knows it’s just an execution. D’Ghor goes to kill Quark but Gowron stops D’Ghor and they turn their backs on him and allow Grilka to run her house due to extenuating circumstances. Grilka gives Quark a speedy divorce and a kiss.

Meanwhile Kieko has had to close the school as Jake and Nog were the only two left. O’Brien tries to lift her spirits, which works for an evening until she realizes she had nothing to look forward to. He has the idea to have her begin an arboretum in an empty cargo bay, but Bashir helps O’Brien realize Keiko needs to be a botanist again. O’Brien finds an expedition heading to Bajor where she can take Molly and O’Brien can shuttle over in a mere three hours for the next six months.

“Oh, definitely fireworks.”: The main story line involves Quark, which I’ll get to, but I absolutely love the O’Briens, they are just so adorable. O’Brien just wants his wife to be happy because he is a good partner and he sees that without school there’s just no more joy in her life. He also finally let Bashir into his life and Bashir actually turned out to give damn good advice. While it’s absolutely possible for Keiko to be more things over the course of her life, her passion is for plants.

The Quark story line from start to finish is fantastic. Quark is an excellent storyteller from the lie at the bar all the way through the very end where Rom is fascinated by his big brother showing so much courage. There were so many twists and turns and the best was when Quark actually cared enough to help out Grilka even though she’s a female. Gowron was fantastic when he shamed D’Ghor for using money instead of combat to cripple the House and he even realized what lengths Grilka was willing to do to lead her own house. Do I hate that the Klingons are sexist? Yes. Do I believe Gowron made the right call? Also, yes. I loved absolutely everything about every scene Quark was in, it was delightful and I would absolutely watch it again… although I’m not sure the shock value will be the same when Quark brandishes a weapon and bluffs with his life. 9 perfectly sharpened bat’leths for this episode.

Favorite Quote from “Equilibrium”:

Sisko: I suppose it would have been easier if you’d never found out about Joran.

Dax: No, I’m glad I did. If you want to know who you are, it’s important to know who you’ve been.

While this doesn’t work for those of us who do not have more than one life, or do not remember our past lives, it is certainly a good quote to consider.

So what had happened in “Equilibrium” was…: Sisko is cooking for everyone in his quarters when Dax starts playing a tune she doesn’t know. Later she gets angry and upset with Sisko and Kira and hallucinates, but a quick trip to Bashir shows that there might be something wrong with her and the symbiont so they head to the Trill home world so she can be examined. Dax has some tests done but hallucinates again so she heads to The Guardians for help and one believes she’s unbalanced. The computer identifies the music and as soon as the composer’s picture is on the screen, a Trill named Belar, Dax passes out and the doctors think they will have to save the symbiont instead of the host. Bashir and Sisko investigate and find out that Belar was joined with Dax for six months although he was an unsuitable candidate, which would throw all of Trill society into chaos. Sisko threatens to expose the doctor if they don’t do whatever they need to in order to save Jadzia, so she welcomes another host into her memories.

“I just think you look so cute.”: The beginning scene where Sisko is cooking, Odo is trying so hard to keep stirring the right way, Kira commenting on how cute he is, and Jake being just adorable was so great, but the rest of the episode was such a downer until the very end. Jadzia welcoming in Belar was actually kind of a nice ending even though he was a crazy murderous man, but it seemed to have brought her peace. It was wonderful to see how much Sisko and Bashir really care about Dax. I thought this was an interesting episode that taught me more about the Trills, but I hate that they have to lie to their own people in order to keep order. Considering how strong the previous episode was, this one just doesn’t live up. Only 4 hosts for this symbiont.

TA Out!

Date: June 28, 2020

Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2

Musical Accompaniment: Acoustic love songs via the guitar

Interstellar News: Today was both very good and very bad. Do with that what you will. The Sandlot is still amazing after all of these years and the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot gets better with each viewing.

Favorite Quotes:

Quark: Actually, my brother Rom did most of the talking. I think he’d be better suited for this mission.

Sisko: Not Rom, you.

Quark: But why? Rom only has a son to think about. I have a business.

Quark trying to throw his brother under the bus, but Sisko knows better.

Kick-ass Kira: “I don’t believe this. I’m talking to a tree.”

Shape-shifter: Ironic, isn’t it? The hunted now control the destinies of hundreds of other races.

Odo: But why control anyone?

Shape-shifter: Because what you control can’t hurt you. So, many years ago we set ourselves the task of imposing order on a chaotic universe.

Kira: Is that what you call it? Imposing order? I call it murder.

Odo and Kira not only asking the good questions, but spilling the tea.

Part 1, “Can I speak freely?”: After the events of the Season 2 finale, the DS9 crew does their best Doctor Strange impression and runs simulations to see if they could survive an attack by the Jem’Hadar when Sisko decloaks with the Defiant,,that was originally built as a warship to defeat the Borg, a Romulan named T’Rul, and a man from Starfleet security that Odo hates. Sisko’s mission is to head to the Gamma Quadrant, find the Founders, and make them understand the Federation comes in peace. Everyone, including Quark, comes along on the Defiant and reach out to the Karemma in order to find the Founders and the Dominion. On Callinon VII Dax and O’Brien get stuck in a trap at the outpost, Sisko has to leave them behind but ultimately they get attacked and boarded, and Odo gets him and Kira on a shuttlecraft and head for the Omarian Nebula because he just has a feeling. In the Nebula there’s a rogue planet and a whole host of Odo’s people.

Part 2, “You mean no one told you? You see, I pretend to be their friend and then I shoot you.”: Odo has a lot of questions for his people. He finds out about the Great Link and tries to learn more about his gifts as Kira is supportive and tries to contact anyone else. Sisko and Bashir have had to abandon the Defiant when O’Brien and Dax show up and they head back to DS9. Admiral Nechayev is there to work on a treaty with the Dominion but they’re left out the Romulans and of course Garak is suspicious. O’Brien gets beat up by a Jem’Hadar, Dax is set to be transferred, and Sisko is absolutely up in arms. Sisko finds out the terms of the treaty and it means abandoning the station and Bajor, so they decide to blow up the entrance of the wormhole. Odo finds out he was part of The Umbrella Academy, well that he was one of 100 infants sent out into the world but no one was expecting him back until 300 years from now, and he also gets to combine his goo with another shifter’s and it’s NSFW. Kira figures out the source of the interference and asks for Odo’s help to unlock the door. Behind the door it’s like Eureka and The Matrix all over again because Odo’s people are the Founders and everyone works for them. Odo wants nothing to do with it and everyone is set free.

My Thoughts and Impressions: There’s only one scene about Sisko and Jake realizing that DS9 is finally home but it’s a powerful one because they are the world’s more adorable father-son duo and it’s so refreshing to see such a loving bond. While Season 2 did not end on a cliffhanger, there were absolutely a lot of unresolved things and I’m glad that the opening bit did a good job to show no one was idle in between seasons. Sisko not only went to Earth and returned with renewed purpose and passion, but he also came back with a ship and the staff of the Nagus because he knew Quark would need convincing to come along. They make really good reasons for why EVERYONE has to go on this mission but I still wonder who was left in control of the station with the main cast gone. I was excited to see Odo finally getting to see where he came from was giggled when Kira told him to stop interrogating, but boy was she wrong as Odo was absolutely on the correct track.

As soon as Part 2 started, I had lots of questions. Where the hell did O’Brien and Dax magically come from? Why were all the Starfleet people obviously extra smitten with the Dominion? Why was no one asking about Odo, Quark, or Kira? Those kept me distracted enough to realize this was another “Future Imperfect” scenario, and I even did a double-take at the TV when the big reveal happened. I knew the Vorta weren’t the Founders but I was sure that they worked for them, thought I didn’t see Odo’s people being the Founders. I really enjoyed these two episodes and the story is compelling enough to keep me interested, I am really enjoying seeing where this story leads. I am also excited for O’Brien who has a new toy to tinker with and, seeing as I just watched “The Trouble With Tribbles” again today, I am reminded at how much O’Brien and Scotty are alike. For both parts, I think they earn a batch of 8 fried meatballs in some tasty marinara sauce.

TA Out!

Date: June 27, 2020

Season 2, Episode 26

Musical Accompaniment: No music today, was instead listening to TV in the background.

Interstellar News: Today was a long fucking day.

Favorite Quote:

Quark: The way I see it, humans used to be a lot like Ferengi. Greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We’re a constant reminder of a part of your past you’d like to forget.

Sisko: Quark, we don’t have time for this.

Quark: But you’re overlooking something. Humans used to be a lot worse than the Ferengi. Slavery, concentration camps, interstellar wars. We have nothing in our past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see? We’re nothing like you. We’re better. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lock to pick.

Quark making a hell of a lot of good points.

So what had happened was…: Sisko is excited to spend some quality time with Jake in the Gamma Quadrant except Nog and Quark come along as well. Quark, like me, is allergic to nature and is having a hard time camping, but the boys are making progress on their science project. The boys go off to complete another survey and a woman named Eris attacks the camp, but suddenly they’re all surround by a group known as the “Jem’Hadar” and put in confinement. The Jem’Hadar are the soldiers of the Dominion who is run by the Founders and Eris is apparently on the run from them. Quark picks her lock so she can help them escape confinement and they run away hopefully to be rescued.

Meanwhile Jake and Nog come back to an empty campsite and decide to beam up to the runabout once they realize they’re outnumbered. On the station one of the Jem’Hadar beams aboard, breaks their containment field, explains that they’ll never see Sisko again, and tells them to stop using the wormhole before he beams out. Thankfully the rest of the DS9 crew is coming with enforcement from the Odyssey. They help out Jake and Nog, and beam up Quark, Sisko, and Eris but the other ships are under heavy fire. They retreat back to DS9 but the Odyssey is hit by a suicide ship and all hands are lost. Back on DS9, Quark realizes the lock on Eris wasn’t what she said it was and reveals her to be a Dominion spy. She transports out, O’Brien is flummoxed as to where and how, and the rest of the crew is just as speechless.

…”I don’t know any trees that wear boots.”: This reminds me a lot of what happened to the Enterprise when they encountered the Borg for the first time and found out they were woefully unprepared. Q may have been an arrogant ass hat, but he did have a point that Starfleet and the Federation were out exploring the galaxy without being really prepared for what was out there. The ways where it is different are actually really good.

We’ve got Nog being hysterically panicky, Jake trying to be cool under pressure but so fucking thankful when O’Brien shows up, and Quark actually having a good idea for a change that isn’t below board. We have an articulate enemy that knows more about us than we know about them, but also one who is purposefully brutal to make a statement. Where the Borg just destroyed everything in their way, the Dominion very carefully plans their moves and know just how to get the attention of those they are after. Pretending to be stuck in confinement and then breaking out at just the right time, acting the victim to gain their trust and access to things, and name-dropping (“I really wanted to meet a Klingon”) about a race that’s not part of the current crew is absolutely page 101 out of the “better than you bad guy handbook”. What started as a way for Sisko to spend more time with his boy, turned into an intergalactic incident of gigantic proportions… they even blew up a ship that looks just like the Enterprise because they could! That means this was an awesome end to the season and an excellent episode, and I’m super pumped to begin Season 3 tomorrow. 9 phaser shots in honor of the Odyssey and her crew. Also, may I say, poor Morn.

TA Out!

Date: June 26, 2020

Season 2, Episodes 24 and 25

Musical Accompaniment: Celtic Music

Interstellar News: I met with 15 students today and got a ton of other things done as well, what a week!

Favorite Quote from “The Collaborator”:

Kira: A good man does not betray his own people.

Odo: The one thing I’ve learned about humanoids is that in extreme situations even the best of you are capable of doing terrible things.

Odo hitting Kira right where it hurts, as she had done terrible things during the occupation.

So what had happened in “The Collaborator” was…: Vedek Bareil visits the orb three times and has some strange visions each time, but he’s also now dating Kira and there is a lot of kissing. The Kai choosing is upcoming so of course Bareil and Winn do some verbal sparring but Kubus Oak comes aboard DS9 to ruin everyone’s lives. He was part of the Bajoran government during the Cardassian occupation and has been living on Cardassia since they pulled out, but he’s old and he just wants to go home… except he’s a traitor and is to live in exile. Vedek Winn believes Kubus has information pointing out that Bareil was the cause of a massacre. Kira goes looking for answers and it does not look good for Bareil as first the files are sealed and then they were deleted, but O’Brien is able to establish it was Bareil that did both. Bareil pulls out of the choosing and Winn is elected the new Kai, but Kira digs deeper and realizes Bareil was covering for Kai Opaka who sacrificed her own son to save over 1,000 Bajorans.

…”Welcome back. You’re under arrest.”: While I love that Kira and Bareil have each other and it’s clear they are very much in love, Bareil gets stiffer (no pun intended, promise) with each episode I see him in. He just doesn’t hit certain notes correctly and it bothers me a bit. He also needs to stop looking at the orb so damn much. I wanted to know more about Kubus and what happened to him, he seems to just disappear. I mean why would he even want to live on Bajor, he would never be safe if what happened on the station is any indication. He should have just retired elsewhere and called it a day. I do have to say I was compelled by the story but just knew it couldn’t be Bareil, he’s not that type of man. I also thought it was interesting that when Kira and Odo were talking, and she admits she’s in love with Bareil, Odo is like super shocked and then is like “oh yeah I knew all along and you humans are the worst at love”. COME ON DUDE, you’re totally in love with Kira! I like Odo but he is totally smitten with Kira and either is super weirded out about it or really just doesn’t know what to do with those feelings. Sigh. It was also interesting that Kira goes to Quark because she knows as awful as he can be, he’ll get the job done. It’s even more interesting when Quark calls her out on it. I was pissed, however, at Winn being elected to Kai because she is the absolute worst… she’s right up there with Umbridge. 6 educational decrees for this episode.

Favorite Quote from “Tribunal”:

Kovat: This would be a good time for you to advise the offender.

Odo: Advise him to do what?

Kovat: To confess. To throw himself on the mercy of the court, of course.

Odo: I never heard of a Cardassian court showing mercy.

Kovat trying to be a good Cardassian defense attorney, by their standards, and Odo being incredibly confused and sassy.

So what had happened in “Tribunal” was…: The O’Briens are going on vacation but first O’Brien must act like I do when I leave my cats with someone else for longer than one day and, on his way out, he runs into Boone from his time on the Rutledge. O’Brien and Keiko are on a runabout and O’Brien remembers the perks of having a wife and leaving your kid with neighbors, but then a Cardassian ship approaches and Gul Evek beams aboard, searched the ship, and arrests O’Brien. Keiko is taken back to DS9 where she and Sisko are contacted by the judge who will be prosecuting the trial, though in Cardassia things are different and they already know he’s guilty and will be executed next week. Odo and Keiko are able to head to Cardassia for the trial and the rest of the team tries to find out what happened. Just like in the last episode we watched, things are looking like O’Brien is guilty until Dax realizes the voice was recorded and they find their way to Boone. The trial commences and sentence is about to be handed down when Sisko pops in with Boone and the archon dismisses everything and everyone gets to go home… well, except for the O’Briens who still get to go on their vacation.

…”And if that sounds like a threat, it is.”: So my husband calls this an “O’Brien must suffer” episode and I totally understand why. We’re all so confused the entire time about what O’Brien did and we know for sure he didn’t do it, even though he’s prejudice against the Cardassians. I do love a good courtroom drama but this left me with more questions than answers and feeling a little unsatisfied. Why was Sisko allowed in the courtroom, wouldn’t they have stopped him ahead of time? It was the bit of evidence we all knew was coming, but not how I thought it would arrive. Also, they way they got their evidence was super leaps of logic. Bashir gets to examine someone purely on the whispered words of a shadowy figure? And another thing, why is the weapons depot so poorly secured that there’s no visuals or guards or secondary and tertiary ways to get to the warheads? The trial part was super interesting as Odo was hell on wheels and Kovat reminded me a lot of Christopher Lloyd. While it was a happy ending it was also a hell of a way for us to get there. 6 years in the Cardassian labor camps for this episode.

TA Out!