DS9 Stories/News: Goodbyes

Source: http://deflipside.com/?page_id=1693

by Christopher DeFilippis

DeFlip Side, Vol. 1, No. 6
(First Appeared: June/July, 1999; First Light E-zine, Issue #82)

This is going to be short and sweet, folks. My original plan for this month’s column was to bid a fond farewell to Deep Space Nine, until recently the best show on television. I was going to do an in-depth review of the final episode, exploring whether or not it brought the Dominion war arc to a satisfying conclusion, as well as if it proved a fitting send-off to the best Trek series ever; my swan song to the swan song, so to speak. But those ne’er do-wells at Paramount took the wind out of my sails. After watching the finale, I came to only one inescapable conclusion: It’s not over.

After all, Sisko left his baseball behind.

Of course, there’s also the question of his unborn child, his career in Starfleet, a new Defiant that needs to be broken in, an unfinished real estate transaction on Bajor and his promise that he would return “in a year from now or yesterday.” But the baseball is the cincher. He doesn’t leave home without it, much less take up permanent residence in Prophet limbo. We haven’t heard the last from him or the rest of these characters. I don’t know when or in what format, but we’ll see them again. Bet on it.

This fact colors my opinion of the two-hour series finale. As a final good-bye, it would have left too many loose ends. But as a “so long for now” it was perfect. It brought enough closure to satisfy, but egged us on just enough to keep our expectations for a return simmering on a low frame somewhere in the back of our brains. Like Kira and Jake, we’re all gazing out of a portal on the Promenade, waiting patiently to see what happens next.

I’ll spare you all a long-winded essay on what I liked and why. Different parts of the finale will have appealed to different people for different reasons. But there is no call for excess exposition. After all, we’re not talking about “Mirror Image” here (the legendarily confusing finale to the TV series Quantum Leap). Instead, I’ll be as succinct as possible:

The Good Stuff:

• The death of Kai Winn.
• The kick-ass battle scenes.
• Kai Winn’s unfortunate demise.
• Garak’s revenge on Weyoun.
• Barbecued Kai.
• Nog’s promotion.
• Pah Wraiths 1, Kai Winn 0
• Kira’s ironic role in the liberation of Cardassia.
• Kai Winn all gone.
• Ezri’s nearly exposed breasts.
• Bye bye Kai.
• Sisko plowing Dukat over the cliff’s edge in a flying tackle.
• The old bag bites it.
• Martok’s self-satisfied belt of blood wine while standing on bloated enemy corpses.
• She’ll finally shut up.
• The faint hope that once O’Brien accepts a teaching position at the academy, he’ll attain some kind of rank (Where does “Chief” fall, anyway? As far as I can tell, it’s somewhere between ensign and lieutenant. So Nog outranks him now? Not a proud legacy for more than a decade in uniform…).
• Winn-kabob.
• Damar’s last stand.
• Burn Winnie burn.
• Worf’s new-found honor and influence with the Klingon council.
• Are those Kai burgers I smell?
• Bashir finally gets some.
• Armagedd-Winn.

The Bad Stuff:

• Vic Fontaine’s schmaltzy send-off.
• A too-short stand-off between Dukat and Sisko that smacked of the
• Kirk/Mitchell showdown in “Where No Man has Gone Before” (“Get on your knees and pray to me, James”).
• A tuxedo-clad Odo melting into the Great Link.
• The use of stock footage of a Klingon getting blown down a corridor on a wave of fire (from The Undiscovered Country, I think).
• Worf’s flashback sequence that held not a smidgen of Jadzia memories. (I guess Paramount didn’t want to have to pay residuals to Terry Farrell.)

 

As you can see, the good clearly outweighed the bad. I think the very best thing about the episode, and the series over all, was that I could never tell exactly how things would turn out. And even when I did have a pretty good idea of where things were going, the characters would reach their destinations via completely unexpected routes.

This rule holds true for the future of Deep Space Nine. It’s a foregone conclusion that Sisko will come back. Just watch; he’ll soon get tired of playing pinochle with Wesley on the astral plain and shuffle back into his mortal coil for a return to his old life. But to what effect? Will he be considered a lord on Bajor? Will his new found Prophet wisdom cause a rift between him and his all-too-human friends and family? Will he have hair? I can’t even guess at the possibilities.

Of course, we’re most likely to be hearing from Worf the soonest. I just hope the powers that be use the opportunity they’ve created to full effect in the next movie. Worf’s position as Federation ambassador to Qo’noS lends itself to a sweeping story that could encompass the Federation and Klingon Empire and propel the franchise forward, something it sorely needs after the disaster that was Insurrection.

The one thing I do not want to see is a feature length film that combines the Next Gen and DS9 casts. The writers have a tough enough time as it is finding useful roles for the entire Enterprise-E ensemble with each outing. If they tried to add the DS9 crew as well, the screen would be packed tighter than Seven of Nine’s Wonder Bra, but with a far less marvelous result. I’ll pin my hopes on a small-screen reunion that will give the DS9 characters and plot lines free reign.

In the meantime, I guess I still have Voyager to give me my Star Trek fix, though it’ll be like going from heroin to methadone. Now that the DS9 writers are freed up, maybe they can help put Voyager on the right track and raise it to the standards we’ve come expect from Star Trek. But I’m not gonna hold my breath. I don’t have to anyway.

When DS9 premiered, I still had a maniacal hatred of new Trek. I wasn’t sucked over the Next Gen event horizon until Generations hit the theaters. And by the time I got into DS9, it was well into its run. So I ask you to pray with me now that channel 11 in NY soon starts rerunning the series from the beginning. There are three years worth of episodes I’ve never seen. It’s a little something extra to look forward to.

See Pop? Sometimes it works to your benefit to be a day late and a dollar short…

DS9 Stories/News: DS9 Stories/ News: Odo & Kira Relationship Review (14)

“The Abandoned”

Review originally printed in ORACLE

Newsletter July 2011

____________________________________

 

Review written by Mary Shaver

Sisko hasn’t heeded Odo’s earlier unspoken warning and has placed teams of Star Fleet security personnel around the airlock leading to the runabout.  When Odo and the Jem’Hadar reach the airlock Odo realizes that nothing good can come from this standoff. He entreats Sisko to let them go. He will deliver the Jem’Hadar to the Gamma Quadrant and then return in the runabout. Sisko is concerned about Odo’s safety but Odo assures him the Jem’Hadar ‘couldn’t ‘ harm him because of his genetic programming. The boy bows his head in silent acknowledgement, but the Captain remains unconvinced that this is a wise course of action. At this point Odo has no choice but to give Sisko the brutal truth. If they put the boy on the Star Fleet vessel, he will kill a lot of innocent people and wind up being killed himself long before they ever reach their destination. Odo’s argument tips the scales for Sisko and he agrees to let them go, although it does seem as if he capitulates a little too quickly. Not only is this decision likely to get him in hot water with Star Fleet, but the Captain Sisko we’ve come to know would exhaust every option before admitting defeat. What about putting him in stasis until arrival at Star Base 201, or keeping him sedated, or pulling out the feeding tube to weaken him? The fact that Sisko was so willing to release the Jem’Hadar suggests that he too was terribly uncomfortable with the prospect of turning him into a lab specimen.

 

In response to Sisko’s largess, the Jem’Hadar displays behavior typical of his race. Rather than being thankful that the Captain was doing right by him and trying to be his friend, he announces proudly to Odo that Sisko was afraid of him. He then goes on to assert that not only is Sisko his enemy, but everyone except his own people are his enemies. “Does that include me?” Odo gravely asks. He receives no response. The gulf between them has become an abyss, While the Jem’Hadar can’t harm him, it is clear to Odo that he has become another enemy.

 

So, despite all Odo’s best efforts he couldn’t overcome the genetic encoding his people implanted in the Jem’Hadar. If Odo hoped to ease his own guilt over what the Founders did to the Jem’Hadar, this failure did nothing to ease his conscious. In fact the encounter with a member of a race created by the Founders for the express purpose of implementing the Dominion’s ideology of total control must have further complicated Odo’s conflicted feelings about his people. The very existence of the Jem’Hadar and their genetically designed drug addiction make the Founders even more repugnant. And yet deep in his core Odo still holds a secret longing to be part of the Great Link. It is a perfect recipe for fueling Odo’s sense of shame and self-hate.

 

Finally, whatever idealistic tendencies Odo might have, he is first and foremost a realist and a pragmatist. In the final scene, Odo approaches Kira in the replimat. Taking a seat opposite her, Odo acknowledges the validity of her warnings in his usual simple and direct way. “Major, about the boy. You were right.” While this is a painful admission, it is also another important step in Odo’s personal journey of self-discovery. 

 

DS9 Stories/News: Boss Chicks: Kasidy Yates

Source: http://www.amaya-radjani.com/2011/10/boss-chicks-kasidy-yates.html

Kasidy Yates is the captain of the freighter Xhosa.  She is played by Penny Johnson (a woman whose lips I’d murder to have), and she is a strong, practical woman who plays Captain Benjamin Sisko’s love interest.  Jake Sisko, Benjamin’s colorful son, plays matchmaker and hooked them up. At first it seems like there is nothing between the two, until Kasidy expresses a love for baseball, which is Captain Sisko’s favorite game.  They hit it off and start a serious relationship.

Kasidy is a smuggler for the Maquis, an enemy of the Federation and Starfleet.  Clearly, she had her reasons for being a collaborator, and when she had to go to jail, she did so willingly and alone so that her crew could be protected.  It is never revealed why she chose to collaborate with the Maquis.  In fact, other than a few minor details, nothing is known about this beautiful, strong woman who becomes Captain Sisko’s wife.  It’s a complete injustice, as Kasidy is a very interesting character.  I’ve always wanted to know how she became a freighter captain, the relationship she had with her crew, some of their adventures, and details about her year in prison.

You already know my feelings about DS9’s wardrobe.  They attired Kasidy in some of the ugliest, most hideous, velveteen uniforms I’ve ever seen.  I felt like Penny should have argued with the costume department and fought tooth and nail for a decent uni.  Also, her hairstyles left a lot to be desired.  Somebody should have been punched in the face for that mess.  The only time she looks decent is when she sports a beautiful teal dress and her purple robe.

One of the writers, in a case of epic failure, thought that it would be good for the Captain to knock up his wife at the end of the series, give her a bullshit ass first trimester, and then forget that she was pregnant.  I scoffed at this, because Kasidy never struck me as the housewifely type.  She didn’t cook, wasn’t a homemaker, and showed little interest in having children.  She loved her job and she fought for it when her husband decided to get up to some tomfoolery and convince her superiors to give her paid leave to keep her out of the shipping lanes during the Dominion War.  She dispensed with that shit quick, fast, and in a hurry.

Ankhesen said that Kasidy actually quit her job when she got pregnant, and had to take care of Jake after her husband went to be with the Prophets.  I call shenanigans on that bullshit as well.  The Kasidy that first appeared in Season 3 would not have done anything like that.  And Jake was an adult, so I know she wouldn’t have taken care of his grown ass.  But still, I liked the character, especially since she was the only black woman seen with any regularity on the show.  She had brains, style (in spite of her hideous wardrobe), grace, athletic ability, and guts.  Therefore, this makes her worthy of Boss Chick status.

Kasidy Yates with Tholian Silk

DS9 Stories/News: Boss Chicks: Kai Winn Adami

Source: http://www.amaya-radjani.com/2011/11/boss-chicks-kai-winn-adami.html

Kai Winn Adami, played by the marvelous Louise “Nurse Ratched” Fletcher, is the spiritual leader of the Bajorans.  The Kai, which is the equivalent of the Pope, is a very powerful, influential figure.  When DS9 begins, Winn is a Vedek (or a cardinal).  She is ambitious, devious, and calculating.  She is deeply resentful of Captain Sisko, who is the Emissary of the Prophets (Jesus, in other words).  Winn has a very strong, very deep faith; she is a true believer, but her true nature keeps her from being the voice of the Prophets.

The first time she stepped foot on DS9, she started causing problems.  She disagreed with the teaching of evolution in the Bajoran school and called for a boycott, which led to the school being bombed and Keiko (the teacher) losing her job.  In actuality, the protest and bombing was designed to lure her greatest rival to the throne, Vedek Bareil, to the station to be assassinated.  She manages to get out of this situation unscathed.

Major Kira openly disliked Vedek Winn.  She doesn’t trust her, and she has reasons not to.  Shortly after the bombing, Winn secretly backed the leader of a rebel faction called The Circle in order to force the Federation from Bajor.  She agreed to bless Jaro (the leader of The Circle) in exchange for being made the next Kai.  The coup fails and Winn managed to get out of this situation as well.  The woman was made of Teflon.

When it was clear that she was going to lose to Vedek Bareil for the position as Kai, she came upon some information that led to him having to remove his name from the ballot and ensured her election.  Kira is forced to accept her as the new Kai.

This opportunistic woman tried every trick in the book (and then some) to make sure she became the spiritual leader of the Bajorans.  While Winn’s unswerving faith is commendable, the Prophets never spoke to her or guided her because of her true allegiance, which was to herself and not the Bajorans.  As a result, she turned against them and began to worship the Pah-Wraiths (the enemy of the Prophets; or the Devil, as it were).  Kai Winn is helped along this path by none other than Gul Dukat, who disguised himself as a Bajoran farmer to gain her trust.  But her new faith in her new gods turns out to be a mistake, as she ends up being betrayed by them in favor of Dukat.  At the end of her life, Kai Winn tries to redeem herself by destroying the book that called forth the Pah-Wraiths, the Kosst Amojan, but she dies at the hands of Gul Dukat, the physical embodiment of the devil.

Winn Summons the Pah-Wraiths

Winn Adami Dies

You may ask why I think such a horrid woman worthy of Boss Chick status.  It’s simple:  This woman did whatever she had to do in order to get what she wanted, fair or foul, while maintaining a false façade of goodness and honor.  Talk about being boss?  As far as I’m concerned, the Kai was one of the baddest chicks in the DS9 series.  You gotta respect a woman who lives by the motto of Malcolm X: “By any means necessary.”

DS9 Stories/News: Boss Chicks: Female Changeling (aka “Gertrude”)

Source: http://www.amaya-radjani.com/2011/11/boss-chicks-female-changeling-aka.html

One of the many races that Deep Space Nine introduced the world to was the Changelings.  Changelings are shapeshifters.  One of the major characters on DS9 is the changeling Odo, the space station’s security chief.  Odo’s pretty badass; if you could change into anything at will, you’d better be a badass.  But having been around humans, Odo has developed some empathy and respect for them, as well as the ability to love.

Odo questioned his origins for many years; as far as he knew he was the only one of his kind.  But in Season 3, he found himself drawn to a rogue planet hidden inside a nebula.  The inhabitants of the planet turned out to be a race of Changelings, in their default liquid form.  The leader of the Changelings was a female.  She had no name, so I took to calling her Gertrude.  Gertrude is played to the T by Salome Jens.  Gertrude tells Odo that their race was once hunted by the “solids” (her term for humanoids) and they sought solace and peace on the rogue planet.  Determined to make sure that never happened again, Gertrude instigated a plan to take over the galaxy.

Mind you, girls & boys, this sorta thing ain’t for the short-sighted or half-assed.  Old Gert was a master manipulator and literally did not give a shit about any other race other than her own.  Gertrude felt that her race was superior above all others and there was an underlying hatred and mistrust of all humanoid cultures.  She founded the Dominion and instigated a bloody, genocidal war across the Alpha & Gamma quadrants, taking over many planetary systems in a serious effort to protect her people at all costs.  The Dominion, ran by the Founders (the Changelings), was a major political power and the sworn enemy of the Federation.  Gertrude coordinated the war efforts which resulted in the deaths of over 800 million people.  She was so completely bad-ass that she negotiated deals with several cultures (Cardassia and Breen, to name a couple), and promptly reneged on them once her objective was met…and they couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

One might ask how it was possible for Getrude to run half of the galaxy on her own?  She didn’t.  The Founders cloned thousands of loyal assistants called Vorta, who in turn cloned millions of warriors called Jem’Hadar, who were literally built to fight.  They ensured the loyalty of the Jem’Hadar by instilling an addiction to ketracel-white (cocaine) in their genetic makeup.  If any race decided to get up to some chicanery and cause problems, Gertrude sent the Jem’Hadar in to literally destroy their entire population.  This kept societies firmly under Dominion rule.

Gertrude was focused on bringing order to the galaxy (meaning other cultures would serve the will of the Founders or face genocide) and it was her justification for the millions of people who died in the war.  She had no regard for life itself, and ordered the execution of many innocent individuals, even children, regardless of whether they were actual participants in the war or bystanders.  Even Vorta & Jem’Hadar, her personal army, selflessly sacrificed themselves and she…did…not…give…a…fuck.  Even when it was clear the Dominion was going to lose the war (thanks to Kira’s terrorist efforts), Gertrude did not order her troops to stand down, but to fight to the last man.  She was comforted knowing that the Dominion War cost the lives of nearly a billion people and the destruction of hundreds of worlds.

Cardassia: Destroyed. By a Boss Chick.

Best lines:

“…because what you can control can’t hurt you.”

“Isn’t it obvious? You may win this war, Commander. But I promise you, by the time it’s over you will have lost so many ships, so many lives, that your victory will taste as bitter as defeat.”

“I would promise the Breen the entire Alpha Quadrant if I thought it would help win this war.”

Earth: Destroyed. By a Boss Chick.

She never once showed remorse and never apologized to anyone for her actions.  I respect the game.  Therefore, she’s a Boss Chick.