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Deep Space Nine (DS9) Season 6

Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Season 5 - Season 6 - Season 7

Reviews in progress.

A Time to Stand Stardate not given: Months after the abandonment of Deep Space Nine the Federation fleet suffers defeat after defeat in the war against the Dominion. Admiral Ross sends Captain Sisko and his crew on an undercover mission to eliminate the Dominion's biggest Ketracel white supply depot - using the Jem'Hadar fighter that Sisko had recovered the year before. After an unscheduled and almost fatal encounter with an unaware Starfleet vessel, the U.S.S. Centaur, Sisko's ship proceeds to the Ketracel white depot. The crew manages to beam down a bomb, but their ship is trapped when the facility raises its shields. In the attempt to outrun the wave of the explosion, the ship is severely damaged.

I was hoping for the sixth season to continue to be as exciting as "Call to Arms" promised. Well, "A Time to Stand" narrowly misses the fulfillment of that expectation. To start with, I would have liked to see some big battle instead of a battered fleet of ugly kitbashes in the beginning. Well, it is clear that the episode primarily needs to wrap up the conquest of Deep Space Nine and then slowly build up tension in emerging enmities, which is done quite skillfully. Yet, the most memorable part of the episode is the bumpy ride on the captured Jem'Hadar vessel, the encounter with the Centaur and the explosion of the Ketracel white depot that leaves Sisko and his crew stranded behind the lines. With this cliffhanger DS9 enters a temporary serial format, comprising the first six episodes of the season.
The forced collaboration of the remaining station residents with the Dominion probably bears more conflict potential than any continuing setting so far in any Star Trek series. And the writers give it a good start. It is just too obvious how Kira loathes being Dukat's subordinate, although she does her best to restrain herself in everyone's best interest. Dukat, on the other hand, means what he says to Weyoun: "She is a fascinating woman." His open advances toward Kira may be a game of power more than real desire. Still, I think he wants to get her to like him, just as in his delusions the Bajoran people revere him. The alliance of the Cardassians with the Dominion is just as unlikely. Actually, I think of it a bit like the Hitler-Stalin Pact, with Bajor being their Poland. Not only are their goals very different. Dukat and Weyoun despise one another, and they do not even bother to coordinate very basic matters of the operation of the station. This should make it easy for the new Bajoran Resistance to divide them, and Kira takes a first step. Well, it almost seems like she prefers to talk with Weyoun not just because he would rather agree with her demands. Her appreciation of his perfidious personality is totally undeserved, however. Odo appears as overly cautious. It is only understandable, considering that his enemies look up to him as a "god". Jake, on the other hand, looks miserable in this episode. Does he truly expect Weyoun to honor the freedom of press? Especially since this man abducted him and Nog in "In the Cards" and must have scared the hell out of him.
Nitpicking: When Sisko's Jem'Hadar vessel is caught in the security grid of the asteroid and the bomb is about to go off in less than three minutes, everyone agrees that only with a precise timing there would be a chance of survival. But then the bomb goes off early, with the vessel at most a few hundred meters away. How slow can the explosion wave front possibly propagate to leave as much as ten seconds to react until the ship finally goes to full impulse?
Remarkable dialogue: "You're not genetically engineered, you're a Vulcan." - "If I'm a Vulcan, how do you explain my boyish smile?" - "Not so boyish anymore, Doctor." (Garak and Bashir)
Remarkable quote: "Then I'm sure you share my delight in knowing that life here is returning to normal. The shops are reopening, the Promenade is abuzz with activity once again, the Habitat Ring echoes with the laughter of happy children." (Weyoun)
Remarkable fact: Only 14 ships out of 112 of the Seventh Fleet make it back.
Rating: 6

Rocks and Shoals Stardate 51107.2: Sisko and his crew are stranded on a desolate planet, with Dax being wounded. Nog and Garak are captured by a group of Jem'Hadar who are marooned as well. When Keevan, the injured Vorta heading the Jem'Hadar, learns that there is a doctor among the Starfleet crew, he asks for a hostage exchange. Sisko and Bashir agree to replace Nog and Garak. Keevan tells them that he is running out of Ketracel white supplies and therefore losing any control over the Jem'Hadar. In order to save his own life, the Vorta reveals his soldiers' attack plan to Sisko. When Sisko later gives the trapped Jem'Hadar an opportunity to surrender, their leader, Remata'Klan, refuses. All Jem'Hadar are killed in the skirmish.

Although the premise is a different one, the setting is a tad too much reminiscent of DS9: "The Ship" to make this a truly remarkable episode. It is a pity. The one grave blunder concerning the appearance of the planet out of the vacuum of space rather lies in the script. Otherwise "Rocks and Shoals" convinces with a great execution. In particular, the visuals are brilliant. It pays that this episode was shot on location. And instead of a clumsy partial build of a ship like in "The Ship" we get to see the digitally inserted Jem'Hadar sink in the background, adding a good deal of realism to the scenario of the marooned crew in the foreground. The shots with the Jem'Hadar and Starfleet being hundreds of meters apart provide a depth as it can be found in hardly any other Trek installment. 
One main issue of the episode is Keevan's demeanor, which must appear as betrayal by human standards. However, the way the Dominion hierarchy really works is so incomprehensible that we can't really tell whether a Vorta wouldn't possibly be worth the lives of several Jem'Hadar. And as much as the honorable Jem'Hadar Remata'Klan may disagree with Keevan, he is still too much of a drug-addicted slave soldier that he would dare to contradict his superior. In the end the Jem'Hadar end up just as they are designed to in case they run out of Ketracel white or out of leadership. It is certainly a waste that they are all slaughtered but probably no big deal in the mindset of the Dominion.
The B-plot further builds up the tension on the occupied station. At the beginning Kira casually and lethargically enters a turbolift with Jem'Hadar. She has apparently put up with the situation. The suicide of Vedek Yassim on the Promenade changes her mind. I can understand her qualms about doing nothing, which seems to her like collaborating with the enemy. But she knows that, given the circumstances, resistance may cause even more harm to her people. Rather than being a logical choice at the time, I think it is a personal decision to engage in covert resistance, because Kira just can't stand being inactive any longer.
When Kira and Odo give him a courtesy interview, Jake once again doesn't understand what is going on. Last time it was the freedom of press, now he claims the freedom of speech when he learns that Kira would not allow a rally on the Promenade. He still thinks of Weyoun as the cozy local dictator. The vedek who kills herself in protest represents the other extreme. It is disturbing that it requires a suicide, but her kind of protest is rather successful than Jake's pathetic writing.
Continuity: I like how Nog refers to the events of DS9: "Empok Nor" when he is unwilling to turn his back on Garak.
Nitpicking: When the Jem'Hadar attack the ship, Dax is tossed against a railing that topples down as if it were completely unsecured. -- We all know the convenient coincidence of Class-M planets being nearby whenever an emergency landing is due. However, the incidence in this episode is by far the most improbable ever shown on Star Trek. Sisko orders Dax to head for an uncharted nebula to escape the Jem'Hadar, and Dax explicitly says "We don't know what's in there." No one is even aware of the existence of that planet until the ship crashes down there! Now, what is the chance of an inhabitable planet being hidden in a nebula, and of a ship accidentally getting into its gravity well? One in a quadrillion? It seems O'Brien has installed an infinite improbability drive on that vessel.
Remarkable quote: "Half the Alpha Quadrant is out there, right now, fighting for my freedom - but not me." (Kira)
Rating: 5

Sons and Daughters Stardate not given: Worf is surprised to see his son Alexander as a new crew member on General Martok's Bird-of-Prey. Much to his dismay, the boy soon becomes the ship's fool when he exhibits poor fighting skills and falls for a battle simulation running on the bridge that he thinks is an authentic Dominion attack. The two have an argument about Worf trying to get rid of Alexander like he were still a kid. But then the Jem'Hadar actually attack, and Alexander proves himself worthy when he successfully repairs a plasma leak. Like his father before, Alexander is accepted into the House of Martok.

This episode unfolds so slowly that it gave my plenty of time to marvel how amazingly fast Klingon children grow up when I first watched it. As the title says, "Sons and Daughters" is all about family. Worf has not seen his son Alexander Rozhenko in years, at least not since the time when the former Enterprise officer came to Deep Space Nine two years ago. By human and by Klingon standards Alexander was a kid when Worf decided to let the Rozhenkos take care of his son after the events of TNG: "Firstborn". There was no strife that could have separated the two, simply because Alexander was still too young. Since it looks like they have not even been talking via subspace in the past couple of years, there is no other conclusion than that Worf consciously broke off the contact. Why? Was it only because Alexander did not want to follow in his footsteps? We may have expected Worf to be more tolerant than that. Or was it because the House of Mogh was disgraced once again? Regardless of the big mistake he probably made, Worf's feelings about his son are just as ambiguous as his actions in this situation. We cannot really figure out what he could or what he should do, much less can Worf himself.
Alexander's opinion of his father is more clear-cut, although his Worf is the much more prominent character that the viewers are more likely to identify themselves with. The boy says, "You never accepted me. You abandoned me." We have to concur for all we know. Alexander defiantly joined the Klingon Defense Force to prove that he is worthy but ultimately to gain his father's respect. It was foreseeable what would happen with Alexander on a Klingon warship, a world he does not really belong in. In this respect he is not unlike many human teenage boys with their self-imposed trials, only that (fortunately) only few would want to die in case of failure.
The daughter in the title is Tora Ziyal, of course. She has made her peace with her father Gul Dukat, the man who abandoned her to die in last season's "By Inferno's Light". And so the story of odd Cardassian family relations continues. Ziyal even manages to incorporate Kira into her family for some time. I wonder why it takes Kira so long to recognize that pretending to be Dukat's friend is wrong. I thought she already made her mind up in "Rocks and Shoals". The most revealing scene regarding Dukat, however, is when Kira refuses to accept the dress he sent her as a gift and calls him an opportunist before leaving his quarters. Only a few moments later Ziyal enters. Dukat promptly tells his daughter that he bought the dress for her. I also like how "Uncle" Martok helps Alexander find his way, which Worf failed to do, just like "Aunt" Nerys cares more about Ziyal than Dukat ever would. Cues like these ones and a decent character development make the episode enjoyable, although it exhibits a considerable lack of action until the final eight minutes.
Remarkable quote: "Lie to yourself if you must, but not to me. You do not hear the warrior's call. I ask again: Why are you here?" (Martok, to Alexander)
Remarkable fact: Alexander was born in 2366, the current date is 2374. That makes him just eight years old!
Rating: 5

Behind the Lines Stardate 51149.5: On Starbase 375 Admiral Ross puts Dax in command of the Defiant and sends her on a mission to destroy a Dominion sensor array in the Argolis Cluster. Meanwhile on Terok Nor, Odo meets the female Founder, much to Kira's displeasure. When Quark has learned that Damar is modifying the station's deflector array to disable the Starfleet minefield that protects the Alpha Quadrant, Kira, Jake, and Rom devise a plan to sabotage the deflector. But they fail and Rom is arrested because Odo is not on his post when he is supposed to give the Ferengi a sensor window for his tampering. Kira is infuriated when Odo tells her that he has rejoined his people.

Like already in "A Time to Stand" and "Sons and Daughters", the pace of this episode is very slow. The whole action is once again concentrated in the final couple of minutes. Another common pattern of the six-episode arc is that the focus is on no more than three or four permanent crew members, with changing recurring characters entering the scene in the roles of mischief-makers. This time it is up to the female Founder and to Damar to further escalate the situation. Actually, it is the first time that Damar gets to say really meaningful lines, besides drinking too much kanar. It becomes clear that his role is slated to grow.
The female Founder is much more of a temptation to Odo than the prospect of having a "family" consisting of Ziyal and Dukat was to Kira in "Sons and Daughters". Odo finds everything he ever wanted to know and to be in the link with her. The single stages of Odo's gradual enchantment are worked out nicely: At first he is skeptical and avoids contact with the Founder. Then he becomes curious and links with her for the first time. But he is careful not to expose the Resistance, as he reaffirms to Kira. Later, however, he reveals to the Founder that he promised Kira not to link again. This is what I see as the actual turning point of his loyalty, because by disclosing this personal information to the enemy he definitely crosses a line. Finally, Odo goes as far as betraying the Resistance and turning Rom over to the Dominion. As much as we may believe in the female Founder's figurative description of Changelings in a link being like an ocean, he commits a serious offense. Well, if Odo were human, we would ask him what he has been smoking. But while it impairs the perception and the rational thinking in a similar fashion, linking is obviously a more profound experience than any drug we could imagine.
To make things worse, Odo provides a pathetic justification for his misdeed when he says to Kira that "Nothing else matters." and "You can't understand." It is the same old story that superior lifeforms keep telling to humanoids as if they were talking to kids. At the end of this episode Odo is so estranged from Kira that we would not expect them to come together again any time soon. It has taken a while, but this is the first time something serious happens under the Dominion occupation that has a bearing on the regular characters.
The link may superficially appear as the Changelings' equivalent of sex, as Damar insinuates when he notices Kira's jealousy. When she accuses Odo of weakening their cause after his first linking with the other Founder, it may be a pretense because she would not admit that she is simply jealous. Then again, Kira is the type of woman who would postpone personal matters in a crisis.
Remarkable dialogue: "Do you realize what you just did? You just handed the Alpha Quadrant to the Dominion." - "I was in the Link." - "Are you saying you forgot?" - "I didn't forget... it just didn't seem to matter." - "A lot of people are going to die. Don't you care?!" - "It has nothing to do with me." (Kira and Odo)
Remarkable scenes: I am usually not fond of hollow rituals meant to boost morale, but I kind of liked Sisko's "phaser power cell ceremony" in the Defiant's mess hall. Dax follows suit but is not half as convincing as the charismatic captain. -- It is cute how Kira portrays Quark's stalking victim when Rom comes to her quarters with a basket of fruit and two Cardassians walk by.
Remarkable facts: Damar is promoted from the rank of Glinn to Gul. -- The female Founder tells Odo that she has no name because there is no use for one in the Great Link. -- A hatch label says "A 51 - Restricted area". Area 51?
Rating: 6

Favor the Bold / Sacrifice of Angels Stardate not given: In an attempt to boost the morale of the Federation, Sisko devises a plan to retake Deep Space Nine. On the station, Rom is about to be executed, while Odo continues to link with the female shapeshifter. Quark learns that the minefield would come down within a week, and Jake secretly informs his father of the aggravated situation. Sisko decides to attack earlier, even though his fleet is outgunned against the Dominion. When the battle begins, Sisko orders his ships to focus their attacks on the Cardassians, in the hope they would leave gaps in the frontline. But only with the help of Klingon reinforcements the alliance can turn the tables, and the Defiant makes a run for Deep Space Nine. Quark and Ziyal free Rom from prison. Odo rejoins the resistance group, but they are too late to prevent the minefield from detonating, with thousands of Dominion vessels waiting on the far side of the wormhole. Sisko summons the Defiant into the wormhole where the ship would meet certain destruction - but the Prophets interfere. Sisko convinces them to protect Bajor against the invasion, and the Dominion fleet vanishes. The Dominion has to abandon the station and retreats to Cardassia. Damar kills Ziyal before the eyes of her father, leaving Dukat on the station as a shadow of his former self.

The double feature is the most thrilling installment in a while, and I wouldn't have expected anything less. "Favor the Bold" begins as slowly as the previous two episodes. But with the Defiant crew preparing for the attack, while the Dominion is about to bring down the minefield, we can hear the clock ticking all the time. "Sacrifice of Angels" wraps up the six-episode arc with its numerous character conflicts, but is notable most of all for showing the biggest space battle in Star Trek so far, and the first one entirely created on the computer.
I think the focus of the double episode is on the various villains though, namely on the female Founder, Weyoun, Dukat and Damar, in descending order of evilness. The female Founder continues to entrap Odo. Well, the two obviously have sex, or rather imitate this humanoid behavior. In any case it does not mean a lot to either of them. And the female Founder is using every opportunity anyway to put down the "small solids" when talking to Odo. Everything she says typifies fascism. It is the culmination of all contempt for humanoid races that superior beings (like most prominently Q) almost habitually exhibit.
Weyoun, on the other hand, is just a minion. He appears to be too intelligent to be a devoted follower of the Founders. However, it becomes clear more than once that he does not bother to question their orders beyond a certain point - maybe simply because of a built-in loyalty that gives the Vorta the satisfaction they otherwise couldn't gain. Speaking of built-in qualities, we learn about the Vorta's allegedly limited sensory and emotional capabilities on no less than five occasions in the double feature. Vorta lack a sense of aesthetics, as Weyoun claims when he consults Major Kira about Ziyal's art. I wonder how this fits with their well-developed communication skills though. They also have poor eyesight, because Weyoun is not able to see the deactivation of the single mines from the station. But they do have good ears, as Weyoun proves when he hears the private conversation of Dukat and Damar. In "Sacrifice of Angels" Dukat embarrasses Weyoun, expecting him to explain to the Founder details on the tactical display. Finally, Dukat describes Weyoun as anhedonic. It may have been a bit too allusive, but I liked this running joke.
Dukat appears as a disordered dictator whose capital weakness is his self-delusion. He is already drunk when he complains about the Bajorans not erecting a statue in his honor (one of my all-time favorite Trek quotes!), still it suits his character. However, when Weyoun suggests that the population of Earth has to be eradicated in order to break any resistance, my impression is that Dukat backs off because he still has a conscience, rather than because of the typically Cardassian idea he outlines, that they may gain a greater victory by re-educating the enemy.
Gul Damar is another minion, but one with an attitude. He loves to talk and to boast, but other than that he represents the "true Cardassia" rather than Dukat. He cares more about the welfare of his people than Dukat with his defective egocentric personality. As much as we despise him for killing Tora Ziyal, he brings order to the current Cardassian chaos in an odd fashion. In a human view Ziyal's death is certainly tragical and Damar is a murderer, but from Damar's perspective he does the only right thing. The macabre irony is that under somewhat different circumstances Dukat would have killed her himself for her betrayal, as he already planned to do twice. But now someone else does what he would have claimed as a father's right to do or allegedly in the best interest of the Cardassian people. Dukat first loses the station and then his daughter, but also his power over both of them is taken away, the only self-fulfillment he used to have.
The non-villainous characters do what they have to do. Well, Kira picks a bad time when she knocks down Damar after his pathetic plea to Ziyal to return to her father. Considering that the Resistance must prepare for another act of sabotage, this may take away the leeway from her that she needs. Leeta is just standing around in her few scenes, and her stagy sobbing in front of Rom's holding cell is annoying. As always, Quark needs longer than anyone else until he takes a risk that does not bring him a return other than everyone's appreciation.
Sisko seems to have made another leap of faith. He tries to explain to the skeptical Admiral Ross what the Bajoran faith really means to him - and that he intends to settle down on Bajor. But when he orders the Defiant to enter the wormhole in a suicide mission he is determined to act against the Prophets instead of asking them for help in the first place. Ross must have a good deal of faith in Ben anyway, considering that he gives the command over the fleet to a man who my be too emotionally attached to Bajor.
Everything in the double episode fits together nicely, except for the Dominion fleet that disappears in a "deus ex machina" fashion. With thousands of enemy ships waiting on the far end of the wormhole, only the Prophets could possibly save the day. Still, it left me a bit disappointed that the Dominion fleet was simply spirited away.
Remarkable dialogues: "Billions and billions of people are counting on you." - "Boy, they're gonna be disappointed." (Rom and Quark), "Chief. I was just coming to see you. Can you believe it? They made me an ensign." - "I didn't realize that things were going so bad." (Nog and O'Brien), "I'd like to toss this smug little Vorta off the nearest airlock." - "Hahahaha." - "And his Founder with him." - "Now, Now, Damar, that's no way to talk about our valued allies. Not until this war is over, anyway." (Damar and Dukat)
Remarkable quotes: "Morn, you do have a problem. But lucky for you, the solution is simple: You're a grown man! And if you don't want to attend your mother's birthday party, you don't have to." (Quark), "Let me tell you something, Odo. We are way, way past sorry." (Kira), "There's an old saying: 'Fortune favors the bold.' Well, I guess we're about to find out." (Sisko), "Perhaps the biggest disappointment in my life is that the Bajoran people still refuse to appreciate how lucky they were to have me as their liberator. I protected them in so many ways... cared for them as if they were my own children. But to this day, is there a single statue of me on Bajor?" (Dukat)
Remarkable scene: A broken Dukat hands over the baseball to Sisko with the words "I forgive you too."
Rating: 9

You Are Cordially Invited Stardate 51247.5: Worf and Jadzia decide to get married despite the ongoing war. In order to be accepted as Worf's bride, Martok's wife Sirella has to agree, but she gives Dax a hard time. In the meantime Worf, Martok, Alexander, Bashir, O'Brien and Sisko celebrate the Klingon version of a bachelor party, a ritual of pain and abstinence. When Dax rejects to leave her own, much more joyous party, she ultimately falls out with Sirella who expects the Trill to apologize. Dax refuses and calls off the wedding. Only Sisko can eventually convince her to do as requested, for Worf and his esteem of Klingon traditions.

I remembered this episode as being a bit silly. However, after watching it again a couple of years later it appears to me as light-hearted but still serious. In other words, as just the right type of episode to be aired after the mini-arc of intense conflict.
Perhaps my previous impression of "You Are Cordially Invited" was mainly due to the harsh contrast between Worf's dead serious fast and pain ritual and Jadzia's anarchical South Sea folklore party, both of which had their own childish outgrowths. But this antagonism nicely illustrates the conflicting interests in the episode. The Klingon-Trill cultural clash is just the tip of the iceberg. It is obvious since DS9: "Let He Who is without Sin" that Worf and Jadzia are simply quite different, and now Sirella comes along with still different expectations.
Martok's wife Sirella seems to be austere and inflexible at first, a mother-in-law from hell. In the end it becomes obvious that she just acted as everyone on the Klingon homeworld would have expected from her. Still, she is unfair to Jadzia, as she demands her to be even tougher and overall better than she would expect from a Klingon woman. But even if we leave aside that Jadzia is an alien to her, can a series of physical and mental exams possibly prove Jadzia's worthiness? In any half-way enlightened civilization rituals are only still performed because they symbolize something, never to come to a decision. The Klingons may not yet have achieved this level of abstraction of their rituals, and of pragmatism for that matter. Well, since they deem duels to the death as appropriate to resolve power struggles, the test before a marriage is still the lesser evil.
Worf always attempts to get the best of both worlds. He sticks to the Klingon idea of honor, just as well as he heeds human principles of tolerance. The ironical thing is that this time he appears as too Klingon to his human friends, putting them to a Klingon ordeal, but as too human to Martok and Sirella. Worf complains about Sirella's treatment of Jadzia: "That is a prejudiced, xenophobic view." And Martok confirms just that, perpetuating what all Klingons except for Worf always say in such a case: "We are Klingons, Worf. We don't embrace other cultures. We conquer them." Worf also says: "She is nothing like the woman I thought I would marry." But what did he expect? He knew all the time how easy-going Jadzia is. And stubborn when someone comes to spoil her fun. So would she of all women become the Klingon equivalent of a model housewife? Dream on, Worf.
Jadzia does her very best to impress Sirella by being stronger than the Klingon woman would expect from an alien. On the other hand, she provokes her prospective mother-in-law when she digs up a discontinuity in her lineage, that Sirella hasn't actually inherited imperial blood. The last straw, however, is when she overextends her right of amusement and heavily flirts with Lt. Atoa. Sirella calls her a "Risian slut", and although I doubt she knows what Risa is like, she hits the nail.
But most of all I love Sisko for setting Jadzia straight. He does not just criticize her self-indulgence. He also gives her new self-confidence, referring to Dax' 356 years of experience, including six marriages.
A little B-plot is concerned with Odo and Kira. When Odo appears at Jadzia's party with a security detail, he is not just reserved and formal because there have been complaints about the noise. He still hasn't resolved his discord with Kira. But I wonder. Why didn't Odo join the party? I mean, Worf's party. While he couldn't experience the pain and hunger like the rest, the mood would have been just the right thing for him. But it was the probably better decision to finally talk to Nerys - even if it was in Jadzia's bedroom.
Remarkable dialogues: "We now begin a fast that will continue until the day of the wedding." - "That's four days away." - "It is a short time, I know, but we'll make the best of it." (Worf, Bashir and Martok), "I'm having a vision... about the future... I can see it so clearly..." - "What is it?" - "I'm gonna to kill Worf." (Bashir and O'Brien) 
Remarkable quote: "The Rotarran's crew actually thinks of me as a good luck charm. The more mistakes I make, the safer they feel." (Alexander), "You put on weight, and your hair is going gray." (Sirella, to Martok)
Remarkable scenes: While Martok is speaking with Sisko, he is "targeting" the captain's baseball, ready to grab it any moment. But Sisko comes to the "rescue", taking it himself. -- The most horrible thing that happens in the episode is when Julian and Miles are just being served an opulent meal, and Sisko comes to take everything away because the fasting is slated to continue.
Rating: 6

Resurrection Stardate not given: The Mirror Universe version of Bareil Antos appears on the station and grasps the special attention of Kira, who was once in love with the late Vedek Bareil of her universe. Mirror Bareil develops an interest for Bajoran religion, but it turns out to be a ruse in order to get his hands on the Orb of Prophecy and Change. He is supposed to steal it for the Intendant, Kira's counterpart in the Mirror Universe. But when he is just about to take the orb with him, he has a vision and stuns the Intendant with a phaser blast. Feeling unworthy to stay with Kira, he departs for the other universe.

It is the first cross-over with the Mirror Universe since DS9: "Shattered Mirror" in the fourth season. But I can't say I have been missing the Mirror Universe a lot. Its principal idea, that everyone is a rogue or a bizarre version of a character we know, is exhausted by now. While "Resurrection" is the first time that someone from the Mirror Universe stays in our universe, the story about Kira Nerys' encounter with Mirror Bareil isn't much different from that of Sisko and Mirror Jennifer. Only that the latter was embedded into an exciting setting. I never cared a lot about Bareil Antos anyway, although I found the way he was killed off in DS9: "Life Support" unfair and contrived. Replacing our Bareil with the Mirror version doesn't make up for this mistake. The two twists that he has a hidden agenda but eventually follows his conscience are not enough to compensate for an otherwise boring course of the story. Even Mirror Kira has no chance to excel as a formidable villain in the new playground of our universe. On the contrary, I would have hoped for a less predictable twist than the revelation that Bareil is just one of the Intendant's many lovers and thugs, and that it is nothing but an attempt to steal the Orb (that Bareil, the thief, was fascinated with all the time). I liked Mirror Kira's jealousy of Major Kira though. Actually, Nana Visitor's performance is about the only attractive thing about the DS9's Mirror Universe. Rather than the unremarkable plot, I enjoyed the decent ironical humor in the episode and a few tie-ins from previous installments.
Inconsistency: The space surrounding Deep Space Nine must be swarming with activity. Yet, when the transporter buffer is activated from somewhere without warning (actually from the Mirror Universe), Jadzia states: "There are no ships in transporter range."
Remarkable quote: "When you overindulge the body, you starve the soul." (Vedek Bareil)
Remarkable facts: Jadzia suggests that Kira might bring Capt. Boday to the dinner, the one with the transparent skull (DS9: "Let He Who Is Without Sin").
Rating: 2

Statistical Probabilities Stardate not given: Dr. Bashir is working with a group of four genetically engineered people like he is one too. However, Jack, Lauren, Patrick and Sarina have spent most of their lives in an institution because, in spite of being highly talented, they are not ready for social life. When the group proves quite helpful in making projections about the war and possible peace negotiations, they are given access to classified data of the Federation. Their devastating prognosis: The Federation would lose hundreds of billions of lives if the war were going to continue. When their proposal to surrender is naturally turned down by Starfleet, Jack, Lauren and Patrick attempt to meet with Weyoun and Damar to supply them with strategic information. But Bashir foils their plan with Sarina's help, and he sees no alternative but sending them back to the institution.

Although it starts off as a comedy, "Statistical Probabilities" continues the discussion about the ethical impact of genetic engineering. Most importantly, this time the scope is not limited to the danger of enhanced people getting dictatorial powers like in some previous installations, most notably TOS: "Space Seed" and TNG: "The Hunted". The Eugenics War is hinted at only in a side note. Instead of that the episode focuses on the individuals themselves. A minor point of criticism is that Jack, Lauren, Patrick and Sarina, representing four extreme archetypes of human (mis)behavior, may be too odd examples and their variety too fabricated to create awareness for the problem of genetic engineering. The diversity of the group may be just the reason why it was assembled at the institute in the first place though. Yet, in spite of their inability to live what is considered a normal life, all of them are apparently geniuses. Although being extraordinarily intelligent has been a goal of their genetic enhancements, it still reminds me of the wrong impression that Dustin Hoffman's character left in "Rain Man", that everyone with autistic disorder naturally must have amazing mental capabilities.
The time and circumstances to get Jack & company involved are badly chosen. It is just not the time for peace talks with the Dominion, much less for the continuation of the hypocritical diplomacy games of the fifth season. Any half-Betazoid counselor could have revealed Weyoun's intention's easier than the four geniuses. And since probability theory doesn't work like shown here, I don't care about their prediction (or should I call it prophecy?) of the Federation's defeat either. Starfleet has received help apparently against all odds from the Klingon cavalry, from wormhole aliens and from their own engineering miracles. Should they suddenly throw overboard everything they fight for, only based on the outlandish calculations by four nerds? I have a problem with the depiction of ingenuity as something inherently nerdy in any TV series or movie anyway. I would have preferred to see Jack and the others in a plot unrelated to the Dominion War or any other critical situation. The episode could have remained as funny as it started. And Jack, Lauren and Patrick would not have betrayed the Federation, thereby abetting Trek's oldest preconception about genetic engineering.
While Julian naturally has the lead role, I initially found O'Brien's involvement a bit misplaced. He only serves as an antipole, as someone merely representing common sense. Still, he eventually comes out much better than Julian who is at a total loss (and I am tempted to say the same about Alexander Siddig). His attempts to mediate between his four new friends and the "real" world are inept, and he doesn't even reflect on the position he takes himself. Julian is obsessed with extremely hypothetical casualty figures like a bigot. In this context he also has the worst line of the episode, which is unequaled in its naivety: "If we fight, there'll be over 900 billion casualties. If we surrender, no one dies." What sounds like a plea for humanity shows that he is a dick for all he should know about the Dominion's boundless cruelty.
Remarkable quotes: "What happened? Your parents couldn't afford the full overhaul?" (Jack, after performing a salto, to Bashir), "There are rules. Ah... ah... don't talk with your mouth full. Don't open an airlock when someone's inside it. And don't lie about your genetic status." (Jack)
Rating: 4

The Magnificent Ferengi Stardate not given: Quark's and Rom's moogie has been kidnapped by the Dominion. With fellow Ferengi Nog, Gaila, Leck and Brunt they attempt to free her in exchange for the Vorta Keevan who was captured a few months earlier. The exchange is supposed to take place on the abandoned station Empok Nor. But Keevan is accidentally killed before he can be sent back, when the Ferengi struggle for the possession of Quark's reward money. Nog devises a method to let Keevan appear alive, using neural stimulators. The Vorta on the opposite side, Yelgrun, notices that something is wrong with Keevan, but not before the Ferengi manage to kill his guards and take him prisoner.

What I like most about this episode is how it ties together several previously separate threads without contrivance. Gaila, Quark's cousin, is the one who sabotaged the shuttle in "Little Green Men" and was arrested after the illegal weapons deal in "Business as Usual". Empok Nor from the episode of the same name is the site chosen for the hostage exchange. The Vorta Keevan to be returned to the Dominion is the one captured in "Rocks and Shoals". Finally, Ishka's and Zek's relationship was discovered by Quark in "Ferengi Love Songs". He has obviously kept it a secret and tells Rom only now.
Other than the nifty continuity, plus the fact that the away team consists entirely of Ferengi, the plot is not particularly interesting. The episode starts off very slowly. Quark's clumsy planning of his moogie's rescue and the assembly of the motley Ferengi crew take up the first half of the episode. It is good for a couple of laughs (e.g. when Gaila shoots moogie in the holosuite training) but overall rather predictable. The Ferengi are initially lacking any team spirit and tactical skills, and it is also foreseeable that they would jeopardize the whole mission because of financial disagreements.
Ironically the somewhat silly twist that Keevan is inadvertently shot in the turmoil and has to be kept alive like a zombie, something that could have easily ruined the episode, turns out quite successful. The story eventually gains momentum, better late than never. Especially the black humor of the remote-controlled Keevan bumping into a pillar is hilarious.
However, the Ferengi can be glad that the Dominion has apparently become a paper tiger. Briefly after "Statistical Probabilities" it is the second time that high-ranking Dominion officials are eager to negotiate and fall for rather simple ploys. Iggy Pop as the Vorta Yelgrun is a highlight of the episode though, and not just because of his wonderfully haggard face.
Remarkable quote: "A child... a moron... a failure... and a psychopath. Quite a little team you have put together!" (Brunt to Quark, referring to Nog, Rom, Gaila and Leck, respectively)
Rating: 6

Waltz Stardate 51413.6: Sisko and Dukat are en route to Dukat's trial when the starship is attacked and destroyed. The two escape in a shuttle and land on a desolate planet, but Sisko is severely injured. Dukat pretends that their emergency emitter is sending out a distress call, but actually the Cardassian is under the influence of hallucinations. When Sisko repairs the emitter himself, Dukat destroys it. Sisko and Dukat are struggling for the control of the shuttle, with Dukat prevailing. He manages to escape, but the Defiant picks up his signal and locates Sisko.

Who Mourns for Morn? Stardate not given: When Quark learns that his most frequent guest Morn has died, he arranges a memorial party in his bar as an opportunity to make some profit. But the truly startling news is that Quark turns out to be the sole heir of Morn's property. Soon Quark has four aliens on his heels: Morn's ex-wife Larell who tells Quark about one thousand bars of latinum in the inheritance, the two brothers Krit and Nahsk who attempt to overwhelm him and Hain who claims to be a security officer and demands Larell's extradition. But actually they are all accomplices of the infamous Lissepian Mother's Day Heist, with Morn being the fifth. The bars of gold they eventually find are all empty, however. Morn has actually faked his death and stored all the precious latinum in one of his stomachs. The accomplices are arrested, whereas Morn remains unscathed.

Far Beyond the Stars Stardate not given: Following the loss of a friend in the Dominion War, Benjamin Sisko is plagued by visions of another life. In this life he is the science fiction author Benny Russell living in New York in 1953. His colleagues and other characters that appear in Sisko's vision look like his staff on Deep Space Nine, the aliens being remodeled to humans. His editor Pabst is the human version of Odo. Benny is writing a story about a space station in the far future, commanded by Benjamin Sisko. But Pabst refuses to publish it as he anticipates that the readers wouldn't put up with a black commander. Encouraged by his girl-friend Cassie (Kasidy Yates) and a priest (Joseph Sisko) Benny carries on nonetheless. Albert (O'Brien) devises a twist that actually the story is supposed to be just a dream which would make it acceptable. But the situation aggravates when a black teenager (Jake Sisko) is killed by the police (Dukat and Weyoun) and Benny is about to lose his job. Benny collapses, is taken to a hospital and wakes up as Benjamin Sisko on Deep Space Nine.

One Little Ship Stardate 51474.2: A runabout with Dax, Bashir and O'Brien enters a subspace phenomenon to explore it, whereby the ship shrinks to a size of just ten centimeters. When the Jem'Hadar overpower the crew of the Defiant and seize of the vessel, the crew of the runabout are left to their own; they exit the anomaly on a path that leaves the runabout at the size of a miniature. Aboard the Defiant the runabout remains undetected which turns out be an advantage against the Jem'Hadar. Having arrived on the bridge, Dax beams Bashir and O'Brien into the control console where they restore the command functions for Sisko. Sisko implants a virus into the Defiant's system to avoid that the ship can warp away. With the help of the little ship and narcotic gas the rightful crew gains the upper hand.

Honor Among Thieves Stardate not given: O'Brien is recruited by Starfleet Intelligence for an undercover mission on Farius Prime. On the planet he becomes friends with Bilby, a man working for the Orion Syndicate. The Syndicate has forged an alliance with the Dominion who expect the gangsters to assassinate the Klingon ambassador on Farius - in the hopes that it might end the alliance with the Federation. O'Brien foils the scheme by informing his contact, Chadwick. But he also warns Bilby that their plan is destined to fail and the Klingons would definitely kill them. Bilby, however, decides to proceed as planned. Knowing the Orion Syndicate, it is the only way for him to protect his family from the revenge of the Syndicate because of his mistake of falling for a disguised Starfleet officer.

Change of Heart Stardate 51597.2: Worf and Jadzia receive a transmission from Lasaran, a Cardassian agent who is about to defect and who has crucial information about the Founders in the Alpha Quadrant. Lasaran expects Worf and Jadzia to meet him on the planet Soukara from where he can't simply be beamed off. In the jungle of Soukara, however, the two run into a Jem'Hadar patrol, and Jadzia is seriously wounded with an anti-coagulant. With a bleeding that can't be stopped, the only hope for Jadzia is to be taken to a sickbay very soon. Worf, who was already on the way to retrieve Lasaran, returns to Dax. While his wife recovers, Lasaran is killed. Sisko tells Worf that, as a husband, he would have done just the same. But as a Starfleet officer Worf has made an utterly wrong decision which will be a stain on his record.

Wrongs Darker than Death or Night Stardate not given: On the birthday of her late mother, Kira Meru, Major Kira Nerys receives a message from Gul Dukat in which he claims that Kira Meru has been his lover for many years. Kira Nerys opens the Orb of Time and finds herself back on Bajor, many years ago. She and Kira Meru are selected to act as "comfort women" for the Cardassian occupation forces, and are taken to Terok Nor. Kira Meru, who only knows the poverty of the refugee camp, is overwhelmed and soon learns to appreciate the luxury as well as being Gul Dukat's mistress. Disgusted about her mother's change of mind, Kira Nerys joins an underground movement and plants a bomb in Dukat's and Meru's quarters. But when she recognizes that her mother still cares a lot for her family and even saves their lives by staying with the Cardassians, she warns Meru and Dukat just before the explosion.

Inquisition Stardate not given: Julian Bashir is interrogated by an officer named Sloan of the Internal Affairs department. Sloan questions Bashir's loyalty, and he surmises that the genetically enhanced doctor who was once kidnapped by the Dominion could work as a spy for them without even knowing. Bashir's support for his genetically engineered friends who proposed that the Federation surrender casts even more doubt on Bashir. Then Bashir is kidnapped by Weyoun who claims that he was indeed "broken" to work for the Dominion. However, Bashir unmasks everything that happened as a simulation. The real Sloan of the secret Section 31 was testing the doctor's aptitude as a secret agent. Back on Deep Space Nine, Bashir makes clear to Sisko that he would never work for Section 31, but the curious captain advises him to accept if Sloan should return.

In the Pale Moonlight Stardate 51721.3: Sisko decides that it is time to gain a new ally against the Dominion: the Romulans. Garak suggests to fabricate evidence that the Dominion were planning an attack on Romulus and to present it to the Romulan Senator Vreenak. The senator arrives, and Sisko takes him to a holosuite where they witness a meeting of Weyoun and Damar who discuss plans to invade Romulus. The fraud fails when, upon an examination of the data rod with the recording, Vreenak recognizes that it is faked and takes off with his shuttle. However, the shuttle explodes, killing Vreenak and destroying the evidence. Garak has placed a bomb on the shuttle, thereby getting the Romulans to declare war on the Dominion and leaving one Starfleet officer with a very bad conscience. 

His Way Stardate not given: When Kira travels to Bajor to meet with Shakaar, the jealous Odo seeks advice in Dr. Bashir's new holosuite program set in a Las Vegas casino. The local singer called Vic Fontaine, an unusually sophisticated hologram, introduces Odo to some holographic women to gain practice, including a reproduction of Kira. But Odo can't ignore that they are unreal. When Kira returns, Vic invites her for dinner on the holodeck, and he invites Odo too, not telling him she is real. Odo is embarrassed when he learns the truth after treating Kira like a hologram. But when the two later have an argument on the promenade deck, Odo brings himself to kiss her.

The Reckoning Stardate not given: In the ancient city of B'hala on Bajor archeologists find a tablet addressing the Emissary. When looking at the tablet, Sisko has a vision of the Prophets who tell him that the "Reckoning" must begin. At Kai Winn's urging Sisko agrees to return the tablet. But suddenly he smashes it on the floor, releasing a strange form of energy. On the promenade deck a Prophet appears in the body of Major Kira. Even though Sisko is shocked that his son Jake hosts the opponent, a Pah-wraith, he allows the battle to take place against the advice of his staff. It is Kai Winn, worried by the fact that her faith is not strong enough, who ends the Reckoning prematurely when she activates a radiation emitter that was installed by the Starfleet crew.

Valiant Stardate not given: Jake and Nog are traveling to Ferenginar when a Jem'Hadar ship attacks. They are beamed out from the shuttle and find themselves on a Defiant-class vessel, the U.S.S. Valiant. The ship's regular staff has been killed, leaving a group of Red Squad cadets in charge, led by the provisional "Captain" Watters. While Nog is excited to work together with Red Squad, Jake has doubts about the irrational unconditional team spirit on the Valiant. When Watters orders an assault on a vastly superior Dominion battleship prototype, Jake is put into the brig. The Dominion vessel suffers only superficial damage, whereas the Valiant is crippled and destroyed. Only Jake, Nog and "Chief" Collins survive the disaster in an escape pod, and are picked up by the Defiant.

Profit and Lace Stardate not given: Zek has been disposed of his position as Grand Nagus because of his relationship with and support for the feminist Ishka, Quark's and Rom's mother. Brunt is now the acting Grand Nagus, and will permanently take this position unless Zek gets support from the commissioners of the FCA within three days. Ishka is ready to meet with "Slug-o-Cola" manufacturer Nilva, but when Brunt arrives on the station she suffers a heart attack. It is now up to Quark to play the role of a Ferengi female to convince Nilva of the feminist idea, for which purpose he is altered using a hormone treatment. When Brunt blows the whistle on the ruse, Quark can prove, thanks to the hormones, that he is a real female. Nilva promises to support Ishka and Zek.

Time's Orphan Stardate not given: During a picnic on an alien planet, eight-year-old Molly O'Brien falls into a time portal and finds herself 300 years in the future. The crew manages to retrieve Molly from the portal, but the calculations are off by ten years. The Molly that returns has spent a whole decade alone on the planet. The O'Briens prepare a special room with a tree and a holodeck for their savage daughter, but when she injures a guest of Quark's bar, Federation officials decide that she better be taken to a care center. Unwilling to give their daughter away and worried about her welfare, the O'Briens make a hard decision: They return Molly to where she came from, 300 years into the future on the alien planet. When 18-year-old Molly arrives there, she encounters her sad young counterpart and sends her back through the portal. 

The Sound of Her Voice Stardate not given: The Defiant picks up a distress call by the marooned Captain Lisa Cusak whose ship has crashed on a remote planet. Soon a regular communication is established, and the stranded captain becomes friends with many of the crew. The Defiant arrives at the planet just before the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere becomes lethal for Cusak. However, the planet is surrounded by an energy barrier that does not permit beaming. Sisko, O'Brien and Bashir take a bumpy shuttle ride down to the surface - only to find that Lisa Cusak has died three years ago. Obviously the energy barrier caused a time shift in the subspace signals.

Tears of the Prophets Stardate not given: The Federation Alliance decides to launch a major offensive against the Dominion and to invade Cardassian space, beginning with the Chin'toka system. Sisko receives a warning from the Prophets to stay on the station, but he decides in favor of his duty as a Starfleet officer. He puts Dax in charge of Deep Space Nine. The Chin'toka system is protected by a series of orbital weapon platforms which become active amidst the battle. The Alliance gains the upper hand when the weapon platforms can be tricked in firing on their own power generator. Meanwhile on the station, Dukat, now possessed by a Pah-wraith, appears in the Bajoran shrine where he destroys the orb and lethally injures Jadzia Dax. Dr. Bashir can save the Dax symbiont, but not the Jadzia host. The Bajoran wormhole closes, and all orbs go dark, indicating that the Prophets have left Bajor. Sisko is shattered and decides to take an indefinite leave, returning to New Orleans on Earth.

Proceed to DS9 Season 7

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