The SmarK DVD Rant for Star Trek Deep Space Nine Season Two.
Back again with the second round of Commander Sisko and his wacky bunch of space station protectors.
The second season strays a tiny bit from the focus of the first season, as it meanders between relationship-building episodes and Bajoran politics, but it’s still a fun bunch of episodes that is 1000% superior to TNG’s second season. Although Bashir is far more effeminate than Kate Pulaski.
The Film:
The season kicks off with a bang right away, as they roll out a full-length movie in the form of a three-parter
Disc One:
– The Homecoming. The season premiere sees Quark “acquire” an earring that was supposedly found at a Cardassian work camp, more than a year after all the Bajoran prisoners were supposed to have been freed. Kira recognizes it as the property of a famous Bajoran freedom fighter, and soon she and O’Brien launch a rescue mission to Cardassia 4, where they pick up 12 POWs and nearly trigger a war with Cardassia in the process. Meanwhile on the station, a mysterious group of Bajoran dissidents, who represent a group called the Circle (sort of a Bajoran KKK) vandalize the station and assault various crew members in an effort to get the non-Bajorans off the station. The mere presence of Li Nalas, who had acquired an almost legendary status through his 10 years in the labor camp, seems to bring the Bajoran crew members together, but the Bajoran government is not quite as thrilled to have him back again, and as a result of her actions, Kira is “promoted” to a planet-side position again while Nalas is made her replacement on DS9. It turns out that he’s not quite the hero others perceive him to be, however.
– The Circle. Part two sees Kira hanging out with Vedek Bareil on the planet and trying to learn the ways of peace and meditation. When that proves to be hopeless, Bareil offers her a chance to gaze at one of the Orbs, and she has a vision that only confuses her more. Meanwhile, the EVIL Vedek Winn begins consorting with exactly the person she shouldn’t be consorting with — the mysterious leader of the Circle. What a bitch. While Odo and special “deputy” Quark investigate the origins of the terrorist group’s weapons (which prove to be from a surprising source), the Circle consolidates their hold on the Bajoran government and sends a pair of warships to the station, giving our heroes 7 hours to evacuate or else.
– The Siege. Sisko isn’t one to give up so easily, however, and while Odo tries to get evidence of who’s REALLY supplying the Circle to the government, Kira and Dax stow away on one of the escape ships and grab an old Bajoran raider ship from an abandoned base, hoping to inflict some damage on the incoming forces before they can overwhelm the station. Sisko’s stalling tactics and rather impressive sneaky maneuvers leave the remaining crew back in control of the station, and the Circle is exposed for what they are but at the cost of a life. Overall, this was a FABULOUS start to the second season, with a really epic feel and a “how are they supposed to get out of this mess” drama about it. It takes guts to open a season with a 3-part story arc, too.
– Invasive Procedures. The station gets invaded for the second time in as many episodes, this time by John Glover, Tuvok and Anne of Green Gables. I swear that Tim Russ must have set a record by now for appearances in Star Trek as different characters, as this time around he’s a Klingon. Anyway, a group of hoodlums, led by a renegade (but wussy) Trill, use a giant galactic storm that has reduced DS9 to a skeleton crew as a chance to break into the station and steal the symbiont from Dax. Verrod, it turns out, was a loser in the giant sweepstakes that the Trill have for ownership of a symbiont, so he decided that taking Dax by force was the only way to get one. However, he immediately changes into a totally different person once joined with Dax (while Jadzia lies dying on the operating table) and his girlfriend is less sure of her place in his life once they escape. Thus, the station crew gets all badass and is able to turn the tide back to their advantage again. Kinda like Die Hard with more talking.
Disc Two:
– The Cardassians. While having lunch with Garak the Plain and Simple Tailor, Bashir comes across an odd sight — a Cardassian boy being raised by a Bajoran man. When the kid attacks Garak on sight, word quickly gets to Gul Dukat of the incident and soon questions are being asked about why there’s Cardassian war orphans still on Bajor and not back on their own planet. When it becomes apparent that the kid isn’t an orphan at all, things get REALLY messy and Bashir & Garak are forced to play investigator while Sisko conducts a hearing over which planet should custody of the poor kid. And as usual, the real loser is the kid who gets caught in the middle of the custody battle and doesn’t know who his parents really are. The relationship between Julian and Garak continues to develop and continues to be a lot of fun here.
– Melora. It’s a double morality fable here, as you get both a comment on the handicapped and a space-aged update on the Little Mermaid in one episode. A new ensign, Melora, comes to the station, but she’s from a planet with very little gravity and thus she has the muscle control of a 2-year old and requires leg braces and a wheelchair to get around. Sadly, the Cardassians weren’t quite wheelchair-compliant when they built DS9, and this results in more than a few mishaps for the intensely-proud Ensign Melora, until Julian figures out a way to stimulate her muscles and let her walk in normal gravity. Although not before answering another age-old question of Star Trek fans: What’s sex in zero-G like? For someone so prissy, he sure scores a lot of cosmic poon. Of course, it comes down to a choice between living normally with humans or being able to fly in zero-G. Oh, and one of Quark’s former business partners is trying to kill him, and Odo is Mr. Sympathy. Nothing really exciting here.
– Rules of Acquisition. It’s the old Shakespearean cross-dressing confusion plot, as Quark discovers a particularly talented young waiter named Pel who appears to be usurping Rom’s place as his brother’s #1 guy during sensitive negotiations with a race from the Gamma Quadrant. Grand Nagus Zek makes another appearance as his continued push to deal with the Gamma folks leads Quark and Pel to a race who paint their faces like wrestlers and sell intergalactic hooch. Fun guys. However, Quark finds his new assistant putting the moves on him, and Rom of all people actually pieces together that “he” is in fact a “she”, which is a major no-no in the Ferengi world. All that aside, this is notable for one simple reason: When the Doci are unable to supply Quark with the wine he needs, they give him the name of another group that can the Dominion. So you can blame Quark for the years of war that followed.
– Necessary Evil. Our first flashback to the days of Tarak Nor sees Odo trying to solve a more recent mystery involving the theft of a list of Bajoran names by Quark. His investigation leads him to reminisce about a his first case as security chief for the Cardassians, when a young Kira was framed for murder by the same people who appear to be involved with the current theft. As told in the style of a hard-boiled detective movie and following parallel stories in the past and present, Odo & Kira piece together the truth about what happened 8 years previous, and what it means for the mystery plaguing them in the present. And it ends with a rather surprising revelation about who DID commit the murder. Powerful stuff.
Disc Three
– Second Sight. Sisko has his first flirtation with getting over his dead wife, as he keeps running into a mysterious and sultry alien named Fenna on the Promenade at night. However, he’s soon dismayed to find out that she’s been living a double-life as the wife of a prominent scientist who is visiting the station although she doesn’t seem to recognize him outside of their moonlight rendezvous. The solution is typically silly Star Trek, but the payoff is a little more dark and unhappy.
– Sanctuary. Speaking of dark and unhappy, the station suddenly finds itself welcoming thousands of refugees from the Gamma Quadrant, who have been fighting a revolutionary war against their conquerors for decades and only recently tasted their first hint of freedom. Unfortunately, they lost their home planet in the process and they think that Bajor would be a perfect fit for their 3 million survivors, since they’re farmers and Bajor needs food. Bajor, however, doesn’t agree with the sentiment despite the obviously perfect fit that the two races would make, and once again things screech to an unhappy end for everyone. Things would never go that badly for Picard. This one’s mildly notable for the guest appearance of Andrew Koenig (son of Walter, aka Chekov) as one of the refugees. It’s also notable for another off-hand mention of a group from the Gamma Quadrant called the Dominion.
– Rivals. Another fun little concept episode sees Prince Humperdink playing an El-Aurian conman, who comes in possession of a child’s guessing game while in the hoosegow for trying to swindle an older couple. The game gives him an extraordinary run of good luck, so he decides to do what any good lowlife would — he replicates a bunch of bigger models and sets up shop across from Quark with intentions of driving him out of business. Meanwhile, Miles sets up a racquetball court and Julian immediately takes him up on a good-natured game, but it soon turns into a rather brutal one-sided drubbing by the good doctor. Quark of course sees this as an opportunity to make some money on the side with wagering, and both plotlines end up meeting in the middle by the end. This was just all sorts of fun.
– The Alternate. From light comedy to horror movie, as Odo meets up with the scientist from Bajor who raised him from a young whatever. In a neat touch of continuity, the writers remember that Odo mentioned that his hairstyle was copied from the doctor, and so indeed the doctor has Odo’s exact hairstyle when he finally appears in this episode. Anyway, apparently there’s been lifesigns from the Gamma Quadrant that resemble Odo’s, so they fly down to a planet and find some cosmic sludge in a ruined city that may or may not be alive. When they get it back to the station, however, it seems to escape the lab and starts growing at an amazing rate. Or DOES it? A very surprising twist keeps this one interesting until the end. Plus the slow build towards the origins of Odo make this another winner.
Disc Four
– Armageddon Game. Conspiracies abound, as O’Brien and Bashir take part in a mission on a planet with two warring factions and a heapin’ helpin’ of Weapons of Mass Destruction between them. Specifically, biological warfare, and with peace approaching the two sides agree to destroy their supply of the deadly nerve gas. However, with the last bit of toxin destroyed, the lab is invaded by what seem to be terrorists, who kill all the scientists and nearly kill the Starfleet officers before they make a last-second escape and hide out in an abandoned base on the planet. However, when the newly peaceful diplomats report the incident to Sisko, they change the story and suddenly O’Brien and Bashir are dead, wiped out by a failsafe security system installed years earlier. Things are tense for the missing officers, since O’Brien has been infected with the toxin and everyone (except his wife) is busy getting on with their lives. The explanation for the actions of the planet’s leaders actually makes sense, viewed from their logical end of things, and the bonding between Julian and Miles continues. Good stuff.
– Whispers. GREAT EPISODE. This is what Brannon Braga would be doing if he had talent. O’Brien returns from a meeting with a race in the Gamma Quadrant who will be holding peace talks with members of their rebel faction on the station, but everyone is acting weird. From Keiko all the way to Sisko, everyone seems to be shutting O’Brien out of the loop and treating him like a leper. His sense of paranoia deepens as he’s locked out of more and more everyday functions on the station, and soon he’s treated like a fugitive as everyone on the station appears to be possessed by a conspiracy to tamper with the peace talks. Or is it just him? The solution is not a holodeck fantasy, or a dream, and when you discover the secret to why everyone is acting like they are, it all makes sense. There’s no “bad guy” here, either, and the entire episode is told from O’Brien’s perspective, by O’Brien, so how they pull off the swerve is a doubly neat trick. Great mind-bending sci-fi that had me guessing from start to finish.
– Paradise. This is another one of those Trek episodes that seems to be a thinly-veiled allegory about extremist groups in action today. Basically Sisko & O’Brien are searching for nearby M-Class planets, and find one that’s already inhabited. This comes as a shock to them, and even moreso when they beam down and discover the remains of a starship that crashed and was presumed destroyed almost 10 years previous. In fact, the crew survived and thrived in their new surroundings, completely rejecting all technology because a mysterious field disrupts anything electronic (including Sisko’s communications with the runabout and phasers). The colony is lead by a Jim Jones-ish woman who convinces them to join the group, assuming they’re willing to do their fair share of work and eschew technology. Sisko & O’Brien aren’t so willing to give up searching for a way out, however, and as they rebel more and more against the technologically-backwards colony, they discover that the leader is using more than just her charm to keep the people in line. Sisko’s stubborn and stoic behavior is great, the rest is a bit of a preachy yawner.
– Shadowplay. Now here’s a fascinating concept episode: Odo and Dax beam down to a planet in the Gamma Quadrant where strange energy readings are being picked up. They discover a relatively primitive tribe of people who have never seen aliens before, and are instantly suspicious of them. This suspicion largely stems from a series of disappearances that occurred a few days previous, as villagers seem to be dropping off the face of the earth without explanation. As Odo’s natural detective sense kicks in, he befriends a young girl on the planet, and begins piecing together clues once it becomes apparent that no one has ever attempted to leave the village before or even thought about doing so. The solution is truly unique and opens up a HUGE philosophical can of worms, one which Next Gen only touched on in its 7 seasons. I always enjoy episodes that make you think about what’s going on and then throw a curveball at you.
Disc Five
– Playing God. Well, this one certainly lives up to the title, as Dax is given a Trill initiate to torture and generally test for his worthiness as a potential host, but on the way back from the Gamma Quadrant they discover a proto-universe stuck to their nacelle. Apparently it was just Brannon Braga’s ego. THANK YOU! I’m here until Thursday, try the veal. Anyway, the tiny (but expanding) universe seems to contain what might be traces of intelligent life, so they can’t just crush it like a bug, and they can’t keep it on the station (what with it providing their impending doom and all). The premise is so silly that I couldn’t really get into it.
– Profit and Loss. Speaking of silly, it’s DS9 v. Casablanca, as the station finds what appear to be runaways from the Cardassian empire in a battered shuttle, and it’s further revealed that the leader, a female professor who teaches radical political ideals, was knocking boots with Quark years back and the attraction may still be mutual. However, Garak the Plain and Simple Tailor relays a message to Cardassia Prime about her presence on the station, and both Quark and Garak are left with moral battles about whether to help her or turn her in. Mundo boring here, as it’s filled with endless relationship talk between Quark and his old flame. I mean, really, this show covers a lot of burning issues, but “Does Quark get laid” isn’t one of the ones I was sitting up nights worried about.
– Blood Oath. With a name like that it’s gotta be about the Klingons. This time three of them head to the station to avenge a dishonor done by a mysterious dude known only as “The Albino”, which they’ve been carrying around with them for 80 years. It then turns out that Kurzon Dax was godfather to one of their children, and that child was slaughtered by their albino foe. Thus, Jadzia is all full of righteous anger and is ready to join them on a glorious quest for revenge. When they arrive, the battle plan seems suspiciously like a setup to get them all killed, so Dax has to rally the aging warriors and lead them into one final slaughter, 50 on 4. I like those odds.
– The Maquis, Part I. Running concurrently with the TNG episode of the same name, this one finds a Starfleet officer sabotaging a departing Cardassian ship and causing it to blow up outside the station. Sisko is immediately outraged but the Cardassians seem less so. While being visited by his old friend, Commander Hudson, Sisko learns that there’s problems brewing on Federation colonies that were left inside the DMZ as a result of the treaty with Cardassia. The crew goes to investigate (with the unlikely help of Gul Dukat), and meanwhile Quark finds himself in a position to do business with what seems to be a Vulcan terrorist. Sisko and his group trace the terrorists (now named as the Maquis) to an asteroid in the Badlands, where he meets the leader of the group (you can probably guess who it might be already) and gets even more pissed off than he was before.
Disc Six
– The Maquis, Part II. Continuing on, Sisko and his group return to the station, but Gul Dukat gets kidnapped by the Maquis, and it doesn’t appear that Cardassian high command wants him back very badly. In fact, they blame the whole thing on him, leading Sisko to conclude that they’re covering something up. So he leads a rescue mission for his unlikely ally, bringing the whole conflict to a head and leading to a showdown in space with the Maquis leader and some tough choices. Good stuff all around.
– The Wire. More from one of the characters who is rapidly becoming one of my favorites, Garak the Plain and Simple Tailor. In this case, his weekly lunch with Bashir takes a turn for the worse when he seems to have a sudden seizure for reasons that Julian can’t figure out due to a lack of information from the Cardassian records. It turns out that the problems are caused by an implant in Garak’s brain, which of course has Bashir asking questions about the function and origin. Garak is forthcoming with answers, but they keep changing until Julian can no longer tell what might be truth from what is simply Garak’s usual embellishment of the real story. Another really good episode to build the relationship between these two.
– Crossover. One of the most well-known (and mocked) Star Trek concepts gets another visit, as Kira & Bashir take a trip through the wormhole and end up going through the looking glass, so to speak. An engine malfunction results in their runabout passing through to the dreaded Mirror Universe, where the station is much different than it is here. Black is white, up is down, etc. Specifically, when Goateed Spock used his Vulcan logic to lead a revolution 80 years previous, it left Tiberius Kirk’s empire in shambles and the Cardassians and Klingons moved in to take over, enslaving humankind in the process. Bajor went with the evil side, and the result is Evil Lesbian Kira running the station, humans working in the mines, and Garak back in power again. Kira and Julian decide to stir up trouble and find a way out, as you might expect. The plot isn’t important, it’s the joy of watching everyone play opposite their character (especially Sisko) and having a blast at it.
– The Collaborator. The Bajoran political thread gets picked up again, in the most depressing way possible. Winn and Bareil are visiting the station again (with super-cool Bareil now coming as close to openly flaunting Kira as his f*cktoy as humanly possible), but while there the station is joined by another guest, a Bajoran traitor from the Occupation years. Odo immediately places him under arrest, but SURPRISE SURPRISE, Vedek Winn grants him sanctuary because he has dirt on Bareil, who seems to be having guilty flashbacks via the Orb. A disgusted Kira goes to work proving her boyfriend’s innocence as the election for Kai approaches, but things REALLY don’t look as innocent as she was hoping. And the ending is just one crushing revelation after another. On the bright side, Bareil doesn’t end up dead, as I thought Winn might have been planning. Really sad, but good, episode.
Disc Seven
– The Tribunal. It’s the old Orwellian nightmare plot, as Miles and Keiko are on an innocent vacation trip, when they’re suddenly assailed by a Cardassian warship and Miles is arrested! And being Cardassian law they’re dealing with, minor details like trial, judgment and sentencing have been taken care of in advance. The purpose of Cardassian court is merely to entertain the masses and maintain order, but once the crew back on DS9 figures out what the charges are (long before O’Brien ever learns of them) they begin the hopeless task of compiling evidence towards his innocence. Odo does his best representing his friend, but Law & Order this ain’t and different methods are required to spring him from the miscarriage of justice about to take place. But if you thought that the Cardassians were evil
– The Jem’Hadar. you ain’t seen nothing yet. The season wraps up with Sisko taking Jake on a science exhibition into the Gamma Quadrant, but Nog and Quark end up tagging along as a result. However, while exploring a planet there, they run into a rather vicious warrior race called the Jem’Hadar, who aren’t big on taking prisoners and follow the orders of the Dominion, and specifically a race called the Founders. Uh oh. Jake and Nog escape to the ship, but run into the problem of trying to disengage the auto-pilot, and meanwhile DS9 calls in the big guns in the form of a starship to deal with the problem. A starship and three runabouts go through the wormhole, and only three of the ships survive. As the season comes to an end, things are about to get VERY nasty for the Federation indeed, with dire warnings from the Dominion never to cross over again or else.
Does that ending make you want to run out and buy the f*cking third season right now or WHAT? In fact, that’s what I’ll probably do this week. Have I mentioned that I’m loving this show now and thanks to those who badgered me with e-mails until I caved in and started buying them?
The Video:
Pretty much on par with the last couple of seasons of TNG (obviously, since they were done at the same time), colors are spectacular and contrasts are strong. There’s some serious compression artifacting during black portions and scene transitions, however, and I could make out matte lines in a lot of the SFX shots in space. So not a perfect transfer, but certainly not distracting like the first seasons of TNG were.
The Audio:
Redone in Dolby 5.1 like all the Trek releases, this season doesn’t take advantage of it, as 99% of the show is in the center channel and the only use of the surrounds is during the pilot. Other than that, my rear speakers were silent and I can’t really judge the quality of the 5.1 mix as a result. That’s not a fault of the mix, it’s just a very dialogue-based season of the show.
The Extras:
As with the TNG releases, you get about 90 minutes worth of featurettes and documentaries. I’ve heard of major spoilers in them for the later seasons, so I’m going to avoid watching them until I’ve seen the entire series on DVD and then go back and do them later, because I’d like to experience things blind. I’ll assume it’s the same rating as the TNG releases.
The Ratings:
The Film: ***1/2
The Video: ****
The Audio: ***
The Extras: ****
