I've Finally Finished DS9
Apr. 16th, 2010 07:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meddowSo, a bunch of misfits, failures, outcasts and emotionally scarred officers ended up on a rundown space station orbiting a war-torn planet that nobody really cared about. Although it was a less than desirable assignment, that rundown space station through a series of events became the most important piece of real-estate in the galaxy, and the centre point of a massive war against an enemy it took an alliance of the Federation, the Klingon Empire, the Romulans and the galaxy's most unlikely resistance cell to defeat. And between that group who initially didn't get along all that well, romances and bromances developed and eventually they became one big unconventional family. Together they faced down massive space battles, holosuite antics and multi-episode story arcs that would later be re-used by Battlestar Galactica. And at the end most of them left, some of them stayed, and among their peoples they became leaders, reformists and teachers.
In other words: Best. Trek. Ever.
This season can really be split into two parts, everything before the finale arc and the finale arc. The everything before was hit and miss, with some terrible episodes but with some brilliant ones. The finale arc was, bar one episode, ranged from great to brilliant.
I thought the show had lost a lot of the magic in Image in the Sand. With the team so fractured thanks to the three storylines not interacting it just didn't seem the same. But became again the show I loved in Shadows and Symbols, with the guys on that awesome mission to get Jadzia into Klingon heaven (her death may have been lame, but the tribute she got in that mission was fantastic), Kira once again comfortable in the position of underdog facing down a much more powerful foe (I thought that was a nice call back to the pilot), and Sisko's plot being more mystical (and I love how it linked into Far Beyond the Stars, and yay for getting Damar into the Benny Hill universe).
I'm not a fan of the Sisko being part Prophet retcon. I would have welcomed it a lot more if there had been something to suggest it in the past (like if Sisko's mother walking out on him had been mentioned in an earlier season). Still I think this show had for the most part pulled of it's retcons. What is it with this show and characters mother's being revealed to have been forced into prostitution? First we had Kira Meru, now Sarah Sisko. I could have done with a bit more anger at the situation Sarah Sisko was put into.
Now is a good time as ever to discuss Ezri Dax. First of all, I really like the idea of a character coming to terms with having suddenly hundreds of years of memories. If a person is a sum of their memories, how do they come to terms with that? Particularly when their memories are so small in comparison. Goodness knows many of my half-finished post Journey's End Doctor Who fix-it fics touch upon the subject.
But, saying that, Ezri initially came off as far too comic-neurotic than actually struggling. And it was so jarring after Jadzia who was so self-assured and confident to have the new Dax a neurotic mess (I suppose the contrast was the point though). And then there was the fact that she was the galaxy's worst counsellor, who spent most of her time trying to work through her own issues and not do her job and told Julian it would have been him if not for Worf (that is not helping!). Any other star-fleet position but counsellor would have been nice.
Garak was the saving grace of Afterimage, but Prodigal Daughter and Field of Fire were just awful. Saying that I warmed to Ezri in the final arc, about the time when she went out to rescue Worf. I prefer Jadzia but Ezri's alright.
I loved Take Me Out to the Holosuite. It was just so much fun.
Random giffage time:
Bashir was being creepily needy in Chrysalis, so I was quite happy with the outcome of that episode. Bashir's an interesting character, on the surface pretty laid back and normal, but in certain situations, his obsessive and needy sides really show.
Treachery, Faith and the Great River was a favourite of mine this first part of the season. I love explorations of faith, and I loved seeing Weyoun's faith in the Founders explored as well the episode giving the Ferengi a spiritual side that is so perfect for a species of capitalists.
Really, if family was a reoccurring theme in season five, it's faith that reoccurs through this season. From the opener with Sisko's faith in the prophets, Worf, Bashir and Quark giving respect to Jadzia's trip to the afterlife, and Odo's near unwavering faith in Kira. Actually, that one thing I really liked about the treatment of faith in this show (and it's something that can be said for BSG as well) is that faith in people or an ideas is treated as just as valid as faith in a god or gods. Odo seems to draw as much comfort from his faith in Kira as Kira does in her faith in the Prophets. Faith in the principle of the Federation comes into play later with Bashir and Section 51.
I'm sad they killed Weyoun Five off off-screen. He was my favourite Weyoun (he was the one who moaned about having no sense of aesthetics, right?)
Once More Into the Breach: My dislike of Klingon episodes has subsided, just because I adore Martok, so having an episode to devoted to Kor did not bug me, and I really enjoyed that as well. I particularly appreciated that talk of legends and their deaths.
I love DS9's 'war is hell' episodes and The Siege of AR-558 is no exception. Quark being there was a bit random, but I appreciated him being the voice who brought up Jake and generally pointed out how dangerous humans could be. And poor Nog.
I read on Memory Alpha that they deliberately picked characters that had not seen much combat for this episode, so Worf, Kira and O'Brien were out. Though this made me thing: we never got to have an episode in which the characters that have seen a lot of combat team up and kick ass. You team Kira, Worf, O'Brien and Garak up, and they'd be unstoppable. (Spin-off!)
Actually, I would have loved an episode with Kira and Worf in which they went into combat together, just because I remember once Worf saying that terrorist tactics were not honourable, and it'd be fascinating to have those two with their two very different attitudes interacting.
Covenant was an enjoyable episode. Again faith, this time Kira's vs Dukat's. As a conclusion to the epic and twisted Kira/Dukat relationship, it was a huge disappointment. I felt there needed to be something more to it. But then, I don't think I would ever be satisfied with any ending to that relationship that having Kira be the one to kill Dukat. But, apparently Sisko was the chosen one, so Sisko it was. *sigh* Couldn't she still have stabbed him or something? He could have lived.
I'm not a big fan of Vic Fontane but I loved It's Only A Paper Moon. Nog is probably the best example of the amazing writing and characterisation in this show. He went from a teenage thief to a traumatised war veteran.
The mirror universe though is an example of taking a good thing and then flogging it to death. The Intendant was really the best thing about the mirror episodes, and even she was getting tiring towards the end, although I enjoyed her surviving. Rom pointing out all the inconsistencies just made matter worse. And Vic Fontane was in the mirror!verse. WTF?
Chimera gave Treachery, Faith et al a run for the episode I enjoyed the most this part of the season. What I've always liked about Odo is that of all the regular characters in any Trek series, he's the most alien. Not eating, drinking, he doesn't need to breathe if he doesn't want too, and his motivation is not to become more human. Furthermore, this episode touched upon his precarious loyalties. Yes, he has turned his back on his people, but as Laas points out, his reason is not due to some great love of humanoids or being anti-war, it's because of Kira. I have a feeling that if Sisko and the others were to ever know that, Odo would not be as trusted.
I have to say, I love Kira/Odo all through this season. Their relationship is so mature. What I love about it is both the immense trust they have in each other, but also the respect each has for the other having their own desires, goals, belief and responsibilities that acknowledgement in their actions those may be bigger than their relationship. Odo's willing to sit back and watching while Kira risks her life for Bajor, just as Kira's willing to acknowledge that Odo's tie to his people may be more important to him than her. So often I see relationships being treated as the be all and end all, love being the supreme thing that justifies all manner of reckless actions with no respect for consequences, and I just don't think that's true. And this love story for me is a breath of fresh air.
Anyway, those two are wonderful in this episode and I loved that we got a glimpse at the problems they face being two members of very different species.
Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang was a fun little distraction. As for Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges, I quite like the idea of section 31, but it just didn't catch my imagination as other plotlines have done. Maybe because spy things bore me stupid (with the exception of anything mocking James Bond). Still, unravelling the mystery of what was going on was good. And I really liked that Romulan senator. I thought she was all kinds of awesome, so it's a shame she became a victim of the intrigue.
Okay, that part of the season is over and done with. On to the massive ten part finale arc:
I'm going to start with Damar, because he rocketed up my list of favourite characters. His transformation from hopeless drunk Dominion puppet to charismatic leader was fantastic. His death was the biggest tragedy of the finale because by the end of it, he was the perfect leader for a new Cardassia, one patriotism and a love of his people, but knew that they had made mistakes in the past and could not afford to repeat them. Why did he have to die? *Sniff*
Possibly unsurprisingly, given my love of Cardassian schemes, Bajor-Cardassia relations and all things Kira Nerys, the Cardassian rebellion happened to be my favourite plotline of this arc. I would have loved to have seen more of it. Hell, give me an whole episode of Kira, Damar and Garak sulking in a basement and I'll be the happiest ever Trek fan.
I can't help but just love it for the irony of having Kira and Garak be the liberators of Cardassia. Kira's story go anymore wonderfully full circle. And poor Garak was heartbreaking in the final episode, discussing the Cardassia that no longer exists.
Oh, and the troops storming the Dominion stronghold and also the scene in the Dogs of War in which everyone was screaming 'For Cardassia!' are two of my favourite moments in Trek.
Loved that it was Kira who busted in an pointed a phaser at the Founder. Really, Kira/Odo/Founder is a bit of a love triangle if you think about it. So I'm guessing the power of love mixed with inevitable defeat convinced the Founder to give up the war? Well, that's how I read it. What had changed between the last time Odo and the Founder linked was that Odo found out that a solid could reciprocate his love and trust him. Or I many have just read that in because I've become a hopeless shipper and I just want to be able to say 'Kira/Odo - their love saved the Alpha Quadrant.' Still fits with the first Star Trek movie.
It was nice that the Worf-Dax-Bashir love triangle achieved resolution. I felt a bit too much time was on it, and while Ezri and Worf really did have to work out their issues before the show ended, the Bashir-Ezri hook-up was kind of unnecessary and seemed a bit quick.
The Klingon stuff I enjoyed immensely, especially Worf's five seconds as the Chancellor of the Empire (go Worf!). I'm not sure it's because I just really like Martok and Worf and so that was why I enjoyed it, or the show has won me over and I've learnt to love Klingons.
The O'Brien and Bashir investigate Section 31 episode was the real clunker of the arc. While I loved the attention given to O'Brien and Bashir's friendship (I was so sad O'Brien never told Bashir he loved him), the story just was not good and it seemed so weird to go from having three to four plotlines an episode to just the one through this one.
The Winn/Dukat hook up was so creepy and wrong. I sat there squirming in my seat as she fell in love with him. I found Winn to be quite sympathetic through the first half of the episodes. With the Prophets silent, it's as if she was set up to fail (I wouldn't be surprised if she deliberately was). But then, she was given a test in the form of Kira telling her to resign as Kai, which was arguably Kira failing at how to not push people to evil deeds, but at the same time the Kai's like that guy on the roof in the flood who rejects the guy in the boat (Kira) in favour of his God, but then when he dies finds out that God sent the guy in the boat, so she failed (and clearly, Kai Winn never watched that episode of The West Wing). Anyway, that plotline became a bit less wrong when she chucked Dukat out on the street and then murdered him. Nice to see the Kai didn't stay a victim.
Still, when I watched What You Leave Behind Last Year, having only the bare bones knowledge of the series, the Fire Caves bit stood out. You see, the big ass space battle, I could understand, the rebellion I could understand, but the Fire Caves bit were rather WTF because they didn't seem to tie in. On second viewing, the same problem emerged. The set up was right there from the first episode of the arc, but it Winn, Dukat and Sisko were all afterthoughts. The writers really needed to find a way to tie it into the war. But then again, maybe not that was a good thing because the temptation would be there to give the whole war a dues ex machina ending, and four seasons of RTD's Doctor Who has taught me how disappointing those are. Basically, the Fire Cave bit sucked, but I don't know how it could not have sucked.
Sisko joining the Prophets was fine, and I'm sure the Sisko-became-a-god thing is used by those arguing why Sisko's the best captain all the time. One thing that bugged me was that he didn't say goodbye to Jake. It seemed Jake was a bit sidelined. Surely he could have gone with Kassidy to say goodbye to his Dad. And, you know, it's not like Jake losing his Dad has caused him to ruin his life before *cough*TheVisitor*cough*
I didn't like the montage of clips, just because I would have picked different clips. The goodbyes were well done, particularly Odo and Quark and Odo and Kira.
And can I just say now, because I knew it was going her ending was going to go this way, but now it's time to celebrate it: thank you writers for not only creating Kira Nerys, but also for giving her character development, not side-lining her when she became on half of a major relationship with another main character, but best of all, for not only not killing her off, but also for give her the freaking station and thus an awesome ending. She's the only major female character in genre television that I can think of right now that didn't fall into any of those holes. Really, it's a sad state of affairs when it comes to the writing of female characters and its one of the major reasons why I'm so bitter and cynical at the moment.
And the final shot, Jake and Kira, Sisko's son and his successor, standing looking out over DS9 and towards the wormhole was just perfect.
So I am done. Which means that now with the whole of the canon covered, I can get to acting on those plot bunnies and finish that vid I started.
In other words: Best. Trek. Ever.
This season can really be split into two parts, everything before the finale arc and the finale arc. The everything before was hit and miss, with some terrible episodes but with some brilliant ones. The finale arc was, bar one episode, ranged from great to brilliant.
I thought the show had lost a lot of the magic in Image in the Sand. With the team so fractured thanks to the three storylines not interacting it just didn't seem the same. But became again the show I loved in Shadows and Symbols, with the guys on that awesome mission to get Jadzia into Klingon heaven (her death may have been lame, but the tribute she got in that mission was fantastic), Kira once again comfortable in the position of underdog facing down a much more powerful foe (I thought that was a nice call back to the pilot), and Sisko's plot being more mystical (and I love how it linked into Far Beyond the Stars, and yay for getting Damar into the Benny Hill universe).
I'm not a fan of the Sisko being part Prophet retcon. I would have welcomed it a lot more if there had been something to suggest it in the past (like if Sisko's mother walking out on him had been mentioned in an earlier season). Still I think this show had for the most part pulled of it's retcons. What is it with this show and characters mother's being revealed to have been forced into prostitution? First we had Kira Meru, now Sarah Sisko. I could have done with a bit more anger at the situation Sarah Sisko was put into.
Now is a good time as ever to discuss Ezri Dax. First of all, I really like the idea of a character coming to terms with having suddenly hundreds of years of memories. If a person is a sum of their memories, how do they come to terms with that? Particularly when their memories are so small in comparison. Goodness knows many of my half-finished post Journey's End Doctor Who fix-it fics touch upon the subject.
But, saying that, Ezri initially came off as far too comic-neurotic than actually struggling. And it was so jarring after Jadzia who was so self-assured and confident to have the new Dax a neurotic mess (I suppose the contrast was the point though). And then there was the fact that she was the galaxy's worst counsellor, who spent most of her time trying to work through her own issues and not do her job and told Julian it would have been him if not for Worf (that is not helping!). Any other star-fleet position but counsellor would have been nice.
Garak was the saving grace of Afterimage, but Prodigal Daughter and Field of Fire were just awful. Saying that I warmed to Ezri in the final arc, about the time when she went out to rescue Worf. I prefer Jadzia but Ezri's alright.
I loved Take Me Out to the Holosuite. It was just so much fun.
Random giffage time:
Bashir was being creepily needy in Chrysalis, so I was quite happy with the outcome of that episode. Bashir's an interesting character, on the surface pretty laid back and normal, but in certain situations, his obsessive and needy sides really show.
Treachery, Faith and the Great River was a favourite of mine this first part of the season. I love explorations of faith, and I loved seeing Weyoun's faith in the Founders explored as well the episode giving the Ferengi a spiritual side that is so perfect for a species of capitalists.
Really, if family was a reoccurring theme in season five, it's faith that reoccurs through this season. From the opener with Sisko's faith in the prophets, Worf, Bashir and Quark giving respect to Jadzia's trip to the afterlife, and Odo's near unwavering faith in Kira. Actually, that one thing I really liked about the treatment of faith in this show (and it's something that can be said for BSG as well) is that faith in people or an ideas is treated as just as valid as faith in a god or gods. Odo seems to draw as much comfort from his faith in Kira as Kira does in her faith in the Prophets. Faith in the principle of the Federation comes into play later with Bashir and Section 51.
I'm sad they killed Weyoun Five off off-screen. He was my favourite Weyoun (he was the one who moaned about having no sense of aesthetics, right?)
Once More Into the Breach: My dislike of Klingon episodes has subsided, just because I adore Martok, so having an episode to devoted to Kor did not bug me, and I really enjoyed that as well. I particularly appreciated that talk of legends and their deaths.
I love DS9's 'war is hell' episodes and The Siege of AR-558 is no exception. Quark being there was a bit random, but I appreciated him being the voice who brought up Jake and generally pointed out how dangerous humans could be. And poor Nog.
I read on Memory Alpha that they deliberately picked characters that had not seen much combat for this episode, so Worf, Kira and O'Brien were out. Though this made me thing: we never got to have an episode in which the characters that have seen a lot of combat team up and kick ass. You team Kira, Worf, O'Brien and Garak up, and they'd be unstoppable. (Spin-off!)
Actually, I would have loved an episode with Kira and Worf in which they went into combat together, just because I remember once Worf saying that terrorist tactics were not honourable, and it'd be fascinating to have those two with their two very different attitudes interacting.
Covenant was an enjoyable episode. Again faith, this time Kira's vs Dukat's. As a conclusion to the epic and twisted Kira/Dukat relationship, it was a huge disappointment. I felt there needed to be something more to it. But then, I don't think I would ever be satisfied with any ending to that relationship that having Kira be the one to kill Dukat. But, apparently Sisko was the chosen one, so Sisko it was. *sigh* Couldn't she still have stabbed him or something? He could have lived.
I'm not a big fan of Vic Fontane but I loved It's Only A Paper Moon. Nog is probably the best example of the amazing writing and characterisation in this show. He went from a teenage thief to a traumatised war veteran.
The mirror universe though is an example of taking a good thing and then flogging it to death. The Intendant was really the best thing about the mirror episodes, and even she was getting tiring towards the end, although I enjoyed her surviving. Rom pointing out all the inconsistencies just made matter worse. And Vic Fontane was in the mirror!verse. WTF?
Chimera gave Treachery, Faith et al a run for the episode I enjoyed the most this part of the season. What I've always liked about Odo is that of all the regular characters in any Trek series, he's the most alien. Not eating, drinking, he doesn't need to breathe if he doesn't want too, and his motivation is not to become more human. Furthermore, this episode touched upon his precarious loyalties. Yes, he has turned his back on his people, but as Laas points out, his reason is not due to some great love of humanoids or being anti-war, it's because of Kira. I have a feeling that if Sisko and the others were to ever know that, Odo would not be as trusted.
I have to say, I love Kira/Odo all through this season. Their relationship is so mature. What I love about it is both the immense trust they have in each other, but also the respect each has for the other having their own desires, goals, belief and responsibilities that acknowledgement in their actions those may be bigger than their relationship. Odo's willing to sit back and watching while Kira risks her life for Bajor, just as Kira's willing to acknowledge that Odo's tie to his people may be more important to him than her. So often I see relationships being treated as the be all and end all, love being the supreme thing that justifies all manner of reckless actions with no respect for consequences, and I just don't think that's true. And this love story for me is a breath of fresh air.
Anyway, those two are wonderful in this episode and I loved that we got a glimpse at the problems they face being two members of very different species.
Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang was a fun little distraction. As for Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges, I quite like the idea of section 31, but it just didn't catch my imagination as other plotlines have done. Maybe because spy things bore me stupid (with the exception of anything mocking James Bond). Still, unravelling the mystery of what was going on was good. And I really liked that Romulan senator. I thought she was all kinds of awesome, so it's a shame she became a victim of the intrigue.
Okay, that part of the season is over and done with. On to the massive ten part finale arc:
I'm going to start with Damar, because he rocketed up my list of favourite characters. His transformation from hopeless drunk Dominion puppet to charismatic leader was fantastic. His death was the biggest tragedy of the finale because by the end of it, he was the perfect leader for a new Cardassia, one patriotism and a love of his people, but knew that they had made mistakes in the past and could not afford to repeat them. Why did he have to die? *Sniff*
Possibly unsurprisingly, given my love of Cardassian schemes, Bajor-Cardassia relations and all things Kira Nerys, the Cardassian rebellion happened to be my favourite plotline of this arc. I would have loved to have seen more of it. Hell, give me an whole episode of Kira, Damar and Garak sulking in a basement and I'll be the happiest ever Trek fan.
I can't help but just love it for the irony of having Kira and Garak be the liberators of Cardassia. Kira's story go anymore wonderfully full circle. And poor Garak was heartbreaking in the final episode, discussing the Cardassia that no longer exists.
Oh, and the troops storming the Dominion stronghold and also the scene in the Dogs of War in which everyone was screaming 'For Cardassia!' are two of my favourite moments in Trek.
Loved that it was Kira who busted in an pointed a phaser at the Founder. Really, Kira/Odo/Founder is a bit of a love triangle if you think about it. So I'm guessing the power of love mixed with inevitable defeat convinced the Founder to give up the war? Well, that's how I read it. What had changed between the last time Odo and the Founder linked was that Odo found out that a solid could reciprocate his love and trust him. Or I many have just read that in because I've become a hopeless shipper and I just want to be able to say 'Kira/Odo - their love saved the Alpha Quadrant.' Still fits with the first Star Trek movie.
It was nice that the Worf-Dax-Bashir love triangle achieved resolution. I felt a bit too much time was on it, and while Ezri and Worf really did have to work out their issues before the show ended, the Bashir-Ezri hook-up was kind of unnecessary and seemed a bit quick.
The Klingon stuff I enjoyed immensely, especially Worf's five seconds as the Chancellor of the Empire (go Worf!). I'm not sure it's because I just really like Martok and Worf and so that was why I enjoyed it, or the show has won me over and I've learnt to love Klingons.
The O'Brien and Bashir investigate Section 31 episode was the real clunker of the arc. While I loved the attention given to O'Brien and Bashir's friendship (I was so sad O'Brien never told Bashir he loved him), the story just was not good and it seemed so weird to go from having three to four plotlines an episode to just the one through this one.
The Winn/Dukat hook up was so creepy and wrong. I sat there squirming in my seat as she fell in love with him. I found Winn to be quite sympathetic through the first half of the episodes. With the Prophets silent, it's as if she was set up to fail (I wouldn't be surprised if she deliberately was). But then, she was given a test in the form of Kira telling her to resign as Kai, which was arguably Kira failing at how to not push people to evil deeds, but at the same time the Kai's like that guy on the roof in the flood who rejects the guy in the boat (Kira) in favour of his God, but then when he dies finds out that God sent the guy in the boat, so she failed (and clearly, Kai Winn never watched that episode of The West Wing). Anyway, that plotline became a bit less wrong when she chucked Dukat out on the street and then murdered him. Nice to see the Kai didn't stay a victim.
Still, when I watched What You Leave Behind Last Year, having only the bare bones knowledge of the series, the Fire Caves bit stood out. You see, the big ass space battle, I could understand, the rebellion I could understand, but the Fire Caves bit were rather WTF because they didn't seem to tie in. On second viewing, the same problem emerged. The set up was right there from the first episode of the arc, but it Winn, Dukat and Sisko were all afterthoughts. The writers really needed to find a way to tie it into the war. But then again, maybe not that was a good thing because the temptation would be there to give the whole war a dues ex machina ending, and four seasons of RTD's Doctor Who has taught me how disappointing those are. Basically, the Fire Cave bit sucked, but I don't know how it could not have sucked.
Sisko joining the Prophets was fine, and I'm sure the Sisko-became-a-god thing is used by those arguing why Sisko's the best captain all the time. One thing that bugged me was that he didn't say goodbye to Jake. It seemed Jake was a bit sidelined. Surely he could have gone with Kassidy to say goodbye to his Dad. And, you know, it's not like Jake losing his Dad has caused him to ruin his life before *cough*TheVisitor*cough*
I didn't like the montage of clips, just because I would have picked different clips. The goodbyes were well done, particularly Odo and Quark and Odo and Kira.
And can I just say now, because I knew it was going her ending was going to go this way, but now it's time to celebrate it: thank you writers for not only creating Kira Nerys, but also for giving her character development, not side-lining her when she became on half of a major relationship with another main character, but best of all, for not only not killing her off, but also for give her the freaking station and thus an awesome ending. She's the only major female character in genre television that I can think of right now that didn't fall into any of those holes. Really, it's a sad state of affairs when it comes to the writing of female characters and its one of the major reasons why I'm so bitter and cynical at the moment.
And the final shot, Jake and Kira, Sisko's son and his successor, standing looking out over DS9 and towards the wormhole was just perfect.
So I am done. Which means that now with the whole of the canon covered, I can get to acting on those plot bunnies and finish that vid I started.
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Date: 2010-04-16 08:49 am (UTC)Sarah Sisko retcon: see, this ties directly into my big issue with the Prophets. Because what happened to Sarah was rape, pure and simple. Apparantly she never wanted to be with Joseph, or to have a child. The Prophet took over her body and forced her to both. And yet we're supposed to regard the Prophets as the good guys in their fight with the Pagh Wraiths. I can't see any moral difference between them, and this is why I think B5 did the same thing much better with the Vorlons and the Shadows, where the solution is to get rid of both.
My way of dealing were two drabbles:
Cold Heaven (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1697777/1/Cold_Heaven)
Second Coming (http://community.livejournal.com/celestial_templ/9987.html)
This being said, I do adore "Treachery, Faith and the Great River", and I love the way various types of belief are dealt with here, including Kira's in the Prophets.
Ezri: I like her and appreciate the effort to make her different yet recognizably a version of Dax. However, I think Ezri/Bashir has to be the most unconvincing 'ship in the entirety of DS9.
Kai Winn: is in a way Laura Roslin written as a tragic villain, or Laura is Winn written as the heroine of the story. Basically agreed on your take on her; the one where I try to trace her journey through the show is: Faith Manages (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2049042/1/Faith_Manages)
Nog: oh yes. Also, did you notice? It's only a paper moon: a song as a way of a previously upbeat character, deeply traumatized now, trying to help himself deal with the loss of a leg as the tip of the iceberg of all that happened. I see what you did there with Felix Gaeta, Ron Moore.
My guy Quark and his protecting Nog and commenting: *hearts* May I pimp my big Quark essay on
Sisko & Fire Caves: and this is why the DS9 finale is not my favourite Trek finale even though DS9 is the best Trek. All Good Things... remains unbeaten as the best Trek finale episode, because there is no such stupidity here.
Martok: what a marvellous idea to introduce real Martok in s5, huh? Love him, too.
Odo/Kira: I see we're of a mind; as I told you, much as I had problems with the way they got together in s6, I do love them as a couple in s7.
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Date: 2010-04-17 12:26 am (UTC)That got really frustrating towards the end. Didn't help that the majority of those Pagh Wraith cultists seemed harmless and actually like quite nice people. I haven't seen B5, but Sisko rejecting the conflict and ending it by destroying them both, that would have been a better ending. Of course Bajor would never have forgiven him – that could be his only sorrow thing. Or, some kind of indication of what the future would be like if the Pagh Wraiths were freed would have gone a long way to making me more sympathetic to the Prophets = good idea (Then again, I'm reading the Millennium trilogy of DS9 books at the moment, which does something like that, with the Pagh Wraith following Bajoran Ascendency lead by Kai Weyoun out to bring about the end of the universe, but even with that, I still don't feel that the Prophets are the good guys. But then, there are some scathing criticisms of the Prophets made by non-believing characters in those books, so ambiguity seems to be what they're aiming for).
Is in a way Laura Roslin written as a tragic villain, or Laura is Winn written as the heroine of the story.
They really are two different sides of the same coin (although, there's also a bit of Sisko in Roslin to, or at least, Sisko's more Roslin than he is Baltar or Starbuck). That thought makes me wish Roslin's role of the dying leader hadn't been so dreadfully sidelined in 4.5 *Sigh*
I see what you did there with Felix Gaeta, Ron Moore.
I did notice that. I'm thankful Nog decided building a fictional casino was a better outlet than leading a mutiny. (Poor, poor Gaeta).
All Good Things... remains unbeaten as the best Trek finale episode, because there is no such stupidity here.
I agree. All Good Things... remains the champion. While it's not the best, I do have a soft spot for Endgame, as Admiral Janeway and the Borg Queen destroying each other was really a quite fantastic way to end Voyager. And, actually, thinking about it, was done far better than Sisko vs. Dukat. But as with most of Voyager, the good undermined by quite a few mistakes.
Do you want a link or do you want to remain in squee mood for a while longer?
I'll let curiosity be the undoing of my happiness. Could I have the link?
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Date: 2010-04-17 05:01 am (UTC)There is some Sisko in Roslin as well, yes. Back when BSG's first season had ended, there was a lot of Roslin antipathy (no, really!) because she was accused of coming between Adama and Starbuck and of being crazy to follow her visions, and I remember writing a comparison to how people reacted when Sisko, a male character did similar things.
Link to Chimera debate of uncomfortable subtext: the start of debate (http://londonkds.livejournal.com/20864.html) and a more detailed explanation of the central argument (http://londonkds.livejournal.com/21622.html).
Forgot to add the last time re: why the Founder surrenders after linking with Odo: to be honest, I never thought it had anything to do with Odo/Kira at all. I thought it was because Odo promises to return to his people (with the cure). You do remember the Founder telling Weyoun in the s6 occupation arc that she'd give the entire Alpha Quadrant if they get Odo back, Weyoun thought she was kidding and she gave him A Look? Add to this that the Founders are in danger being being wiped out by a bio weapon, and you have the Female Founder deciding that a life time (and her case, that might mean millennia) of imprisonment is worth it if in exchange Odo goes off to save their people and stays there.
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Date: 2010-04-17 08:20 am (UTC)True. It's too late to fix things if it has to be done in a book. I do have the habit of treating tie-ins as canon if I decide I approve of the development (I haven't read enough of the Millennium series yet to make a decision either way).
I forgot to mention the cure in my little analysis :) Although...
You do remember the Founder telling Weyoun in the s6 occupation arc that she'd give the entire Alpha Quadrant if they get Odo back, Weyoun thought she was kidding and she gave him A Look?
I remember that bit, but not its placement and it really confuses me. Did that happen before or after Rom was sentenced to execution? Because it seems negligent on behalf of Odo not to think to offer to return in exchange for the end of hostilities (because it would be win/win). I don't know. Odo-Founder relations are had to keep track of. Maybe Kira/Odo was not primarily responsible for the Founder standing down the troops, however the 'we don't trust solids because they don't trust us' thing was the driving factor behind the founding of the Dominion, so I still think Odo finding a bunch of solids and one solid in particular that trusted him was pretty important ending hostilities (and with Odo's presence in the link will in the future curb any other desires for safety-through-conquest).
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Date: 2010-04-16 10:31 am (UTC)LOLLLLLLLL I think you mean Benny Russell. Though that would be interesting... O_o
I can't be objective about Ezri because I find her really attractive. Especially in that mirror universe episode. :o
That gif reminds me that I'm the same height as Aron Eisenberg (so he's taller than me with the Nog head on). D:
(I was so sad O'Brien never told Bashir he loved him)
Me too! :(
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Date: 2010-04-17 12:32 am (UTC)Mirror!Ezri was a lot of fun until she decided to redeem herself. I wouldn't have minded if she stuck around.