If you recall, the last batch of episodes I reviewed were pretty uninspiring. The momentum that the season had built up to that point was brought to an abrupt halt by misfires like 'Move Along Home' and 'The Vortex'. With the next batch of three, however, we see that those episodes were merely mid-season fumblings. With 'Battle Lines' DS9 gets back on track (at least for the nonce) and returns to the strong characters and situations that really punctuated early eps.
Battle Lines (1x13): Now, this episode had me hooked the second Camille Saviola walked on screen. Her character, Kai Opaka, was pretty interesting in 'Emissary' and I had been looking forward to her return to the show. As the spiritual centre of the Bajoran culture, her presence pretty much guaranteed some of the religious conflict/discourse that I find to be one of the linchpins for the series. I was also looking forward to seeing her matched up with Sisko again since their previous meeting was handled so well.I wasn't disappointed.
The basic premise of the episode revolves around the Kai arriving on DS9 and wanting to go through the wormhole, also known as the Celestial Temple of the Prophets. Sisko, Kira, Bashir and the Kai grab themselves a runabout and head for the Gamma Quadrant. While exploring on the other side of the galaxy their runabout is attacked and the group manage crash land only to find themselves marooned on a prison planet. The inmates there had arranged themselves into two groups and were at war with each other, striking at the other's camp whenever the opportunity presented itself. The catch in their particular situation is that the conflict has been going on for a very long time since they can't die as long as they reside on the prison planet (something to do with nanomachines, or something). The only way out of their neverending cycle of violence is to come to terms with their hatred and find a better path.
At its heart, the show is about the Kai and creates a situation that essentially serves to write her out of the show, but it is also very much about Kira. Like the prisoners, she has lived a violent life since childhood and the episode takes a moment to question whether or not she can move beyond her past and use her energy for other purposes as well.
If you've followed these commentaries at all, you know that my favourite aspects of DS9 are the politics, the religion/mysticism dynamic, and the interpersonal relationships, for better or worse. In 'Battle Lines' we get a little bit of all of the above..
I also wanted to note that the story for this episode was by a writer I really enjoy, the late Hilary J. Bader.
The Storyteller (1x14): Another decent episode, this one focusing on Bashir and O'Brien. Bashir is on a medical mission to Bajor and O'Brien is pretty much there to fly the runabout for him. They go to a village to help an old man called a Sirah whose duty is to ward off a creature that menaces his village. Upon his death, he names O'Brien his successor and the shenanigans begin.The plot of this episode leaves something to be desired and it is certainly not a favourite of most fans of DS9 but somehow it doesn't detract too much from my enjoyment of it. Part of it may be because of the production values - which are pretty great when you see the village all laid out with all the extras and stuff - but likely a big part of it was watching the budding friendship between Bashir and O'Brien begin to develop. What I like about these two characters together is that it is not an instant buddy-match, like where everyone on the Enterprise is best friends and plays poker every Friday, but a more realistic depiction of a friendship and working relationship in the Trek universe.
From readinf the Deep Space Nine Logbook I know the producers felt that this was a plot heavy show and not exactly what they were aiming for on the show, but I think it is far from a failure and ultimately watchable and entertaining.
Progress (1x15): 'Progress' is probably the best of the bunch being the most well-rounded and well written episode of the three. The gist of the story is that the Bajoran government is about to perform a massive energy transfer by tapping the molten core of its fifth moon, Jeraddo, to supply power for those parts of Bajor that are in need. This causes a problem because one small group of settlers on Jeraddo refuse to leave and it forces Kira to come to terms with some things about her character and her life.She starts off the episode trying to force these folks off Jeraddo like the government demands, but when they refuse, she begins to sympathise with their plight. Kira finds what these people are going through to be somewhat similar to the sort of tyrranical oppression she fought as part of the Bajoran resistance. She doesn't like being pushed around, she doesn't like seeing her, or anyone else's, freedoms being taken away. By the end of the episode she comes to realise (with a little help from the ever wise and eternally patient Sisko) that whether she likes it or not, she is this person now. This is the life and path she chose and it comes with certain responsibilities and drawbacks that she has to learn to live with. Ultimately, no matter how much she wants to help, she also has a job to do.
Very nicely done.
And with that I'm going to bring this particular entry to a close. It's always good to go out on a high note, don't you think? Anyway, when I find a little bit of time to watch more episodes I'll cobble together another DS9 Thoughts. So, until then...
mike
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