Review of DS9 Episode 1.14 "Progress"

I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.

The Bajoran government is planning to tap the molten core of one of its moons and transfer the energy to the planet to heat homes for the winter, but a stubborn old settler on the moon named Mullibok refuses to vacate. Kira tries and fails to convince him to leave, forcing her to choose between her duty and doing what is right.

This is classic moral dilemma Trek episode. A lot of time is spent (basically the entire episode) building a bond between Kira and Mullibok and much is made of her emotional turmoil, but essentially she is forced to choose between her duty and doing the right thing. It doesn't matter how many people the tap will help, the government has no right to forcefully relocate somebody who doesn't want to leave their home and their property. It's essentially the same thing as ethnic cleansing, even if ethnicity isn't involved. And even if it's just one person, it's still evil. As Picard asks in his legendary mini speech from Insurrection, "HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT TAKE, ADMIRAL?"

However, unlike Picard, Kira makes the utilitarian choice in the end. This could be an indication of DS9's more morally gray tone compared to TNG, but I think it has more to do with the way sci fi writers insist on writing women. I think they are afraid that if Kira made the right choice and refused to allow Mullibok to be forcefully relocated, that it would be seen as her being controlled by her emotions. In order to avoid being accused of sexism, the writers have her make the choice that is seen as being more rational, even though it is wrong. The same thing consistently happens on Voyager, where Janeway almost always makes the utilitarian choice rather than the one that protects individuals' rights and dignity. I believe this is due to the politically correct forces in Hollywood and it's extremely disappointing because it does a great disservice to the women on these shows. It's truly ironic that political correctness has the consequence of writers not being allowed to write good, complex female characters.

Then again, an argument can be made that the utilitarian choice is the only correct one according to Federation ethics. The Federation is essentially a socialist utopia (at least as presented by Roddenberry—DS9 ironically does a ton to subvert that notion). Socialism is a system of government for which trampling on the rights of individuals for the "common good" is a core tenant, so maybe all the times that Picard chooses to protect the rights of individuals over the collective utilitarian good is actually "wrong" by Federation ethical standards and Janeway is actually correct. That still doesn't explain Kira's choice in this ep, though, since she isn't part of the Federation. Not only is her choice wrong, but it is completely out of character for her and that is why I believe her actions were written the way they were in order to avoid accusations of sexism, rather than in service of the character and the story.

THE GOOD

• Mullibok is an interesting and charismatic character. He's equal parts frustrating and endearing. I think he is selfish and his decision not to leave is completely dictated by his fear of...basically everything. He is ruled by his fear. But I also respect him standing his ground against the government and feel bad for him with the way the ep ends.
• The moral dilemma is thought-provoking (obviously, considering I just wrote a mini essay on it...).

THE BAD

• Kira-centric ep. She's actually not terrible here, but she's also not great.
• The plot moves very slowly. It's a character-focused story and Brian Keith as Mullibok more than carries his weight, but Visitor lacks the charisma or acting chops to make such a slow story hold your interest completely.
• The B plot with the kids is not interesting. Also this is the third time in four eps that Jake and Nog have been featured in the B plot. It's getting pretty old. Give Dax something to do for once instead, please.
• Kira's choice at the end is very disappointing.

THE UGLY

• Runabout used: Ganges. No sensor module again, so it must really be removable.
• The kids not being able to figure out what a self-sealing stem bolt is is silly. I guess DS9 doesn't have the internet?
• It's fascinating that Bajor has a moon capable of supporting a breathable atmosphere. For a class M planet to have a moon massive enough to also hold that kind of an atmosphere, the moon would have to be pretty close to the same size as the planet. In fact, the planet and the moon would most likely be orbiting each other, much like Pluto and its moon Charon do. Pluto and Charon are tidally locked, so it's possible Bajor and Jerrado are as well, which would eliminate the possibility of destructive tidal forces that would otherwise be a consequence of such a massive moon, and also make an energy tap much easier, since the same point on Bajor is always aligned with the same point on Jerrado.

RATING: 6/10

Top Albums of 2018

I was planning in making a top 10 list, but decided that I only had interesting things to say about my top 5 metal albums. Plus this list is already super late in getting published, so I cut it down to the top 5 and am including a couple of non-metal album to make the list an awkward top 7, rather than 10. And so I present to you the five best metal and two best non-metal albums of 2018.

#7 Sometimes the World Ain’t Enough by The Night Flight Orchestra

While technically not metal, The Night Flight Orchestra harness plenty of metallic elements on their newest offerings, blending the bombast of 80’s arena music with the soulful power of 70’s classic rock and adding a dash of progginess. The band is composed of several metal veterans, most notably Soilwork frontman Bjorn Strid, who demonstrates range and soul not even hinted at while performing with his main band. In fact it’s safe to say Strid’s powerful and emotive voice is the highlight here, though there are many other great aspects that compete for the honor, including the highly polished songwriting and the warm organic production quality. This is an album that begs to be heard surrounded by flashing stage lights and the haze from fog machines, but absent that, try it with some brandy and a cigar. Sometimes that really is enough, even if the world ain’t.

#6 Perdition by Irish Moutarde

Breaking with my tradition, I’ve included a second non-metal album on this list. I’m just enjoying the unique blend of punk rock and Irish folk music that these Québécois have created too much to leave them out. The combination of the electric guitar, banjo, and bagpipes is flawlessly executed, and when combined with boundless punk energy it makes for a great ride, especially on the faster paced songs like “Terre Rouge” (one of my favorite songs of 2018). The highlight here is definitely the banjo, which sits very high in the mix and just sounds incredible. Banjo is a naturally high energy instrument, and it blends perfectly with the punk rock aesthetic, doubly so when supported by the power of the guitar and the primal and savage atmosphere provided by the pipes. Prepare your tapping foot for plenty of action; Perdition is guaranteed to get your jig on!

#5 Conqueror’s Oath by Visigoth

Though it shocked the metal world by being voted album of the year on Metal Archives, Conqueror's Oath is ironically a slight step down in quality from the band’s debut album. That said, it’s still a great big beast of a recording and deserves most of the praise it gets. What it lacks in consistency, it more than makes up for with extremely high points, most notably on “Traitor’s Gate,” which is not only the best song of the year, but easily one of the best songs this decade. Frontman Jake Rogers sounds like a beefier version of Zachary Stevens as he rampages and bellows across eight tracks of classic doom-influenced heavy metal glory; his apex moment coming with a monstrous and impassioned performance on the aforementioned standout track. Raise your drinking horns to Visigoth, because they are a young band showing they are here to stay and are intent on conquering the metal world by fire and the sword.

#4 Astral Necromancy by Hoth

With a perfect blend of aggression and melody, Hoth’s third full length delivers quite an icy punch. As mesmerizing and beautiful as the aurora borealis, Astral Necromancy never for a moment loses your attention thanks to an unending string of breathtaking tremolo riffs, firebreathing lead work, and some of the catchiest songwriting that black metal has ever seen. Wrap that all up in a flawless production job and you have a real wampa of an album. Forget saving Luke Skywalker; venture out past the fourth marker to experience this polar vortex in its full frostbitten glory.

#3 The Last Emperor by Judicator

I don’t know what exactly is going on in Utah, but somehow the land of Mormons has produced two of the five best albums this year (Visigoth are also from Utah). On the surface, The Last Emperor doesn’t offer much of interest. The galloping riffs vaguely sound like Iced Earth or Blind Guardian, but the vocals of frontman John Yelland often sound like they are straining to match the power of the guitar, unlike the beastly vocalists of those bands. And yet...there is an indescribable power to this music. Despite his shortcomings, Yelland is surprisingly charismatic and his range is undeniably impressive. But the real magic lies in the lyrics. Recounting the tale of the First Crusade, the most epic (and least depressing) of all the crusades, Judicator delve into source material that is rich with individual heroism, human suffering, triumph against all odds, divine intercession, massive military clashes, and a sense of grand and sweeping historical and geographical scale. Judicator take the essence of their inspiration and distill it down into a pure metal form. Sure, I could rave about killer riffs, high energy, catchy choruses, or Hansi Kürcsch’s spine-tingling guest spot, but the real charm of this album goes far beyond any technical musical element and deep into the realm of the holy. Take up your cross and strike out for the east because Judicator are on a crusade to bring metal to the heathens of the world, and they won’t stop until Jerusalem is safe again.

#2 Jord by Panphage

If it is possible for an album to transport you to a time and place that you’ve never been and yet feel every detail of that locality, Jord is that album. I’ve never been to a Germanic heathen ritual in the mountains of 9th century Sweden, but when listening to this album I am there and can experience everything; smell the pine, feel the crunch of snow under my fur-lined boots, see the glint of moonlight on my fellow Norseman’s axe, hear the crackle of the fire, and taste the mead on my lips. Only a very powerful piece of music can do that. A one man project by a man known only as Fjällbrandt, Panphage’s magic lies mostly in the rhythm section, where an unending, blistering stream of tremolo picked notes and blast beats hypnotize you into being transported to that alien yet familiar locale. And yet the album avoids getting lost in atmosphere completely, as the riffs are catchy, headbangable, creative, and exploding with energy; Fjällbrandt’s bark is savage and distinct; and the songs stick in your brain long after the chill of that Scandinavian winter night has subsided.

#1 Back to the Sea by Dagon

I can’t decide what is the most remarkable fact about this album being #1 of the year: A) It is a melodeath album, a genre that has been devoid of interesting ideas for well over a decade now, B) Dagon continue to find inspiration for top notch songwriting in exclusively ocean-based thematic elements, C) It’s also been nearly a decade since this band released an album, 2009’s bone-shattering Terraphobic, or D) That these guys took nine years off and came back without losing a single iota of their magic. Seriously, this is an absolute kraken of an album. Highlighted by Jordan Batterbee’s creative and high energy drum patterns, and seven seas worth of riffs, solos, tempo changes, breakdowns (ones that actually sound amazing), and catchy choruses, Dagon have captured lightning in the bottle twice now with their second masterpiece album in a row. This album is more powerful and savage than a perfect storm and more enticing than a siren’s call. Return back to the sea and surrender to the mighty power of Dagon, masters of ocean metal!



So there you have it, the best albums of 2018. But even though I didn’t write about them, there was a number of other really good album that came out. So I’ll end with giving you an honorable mention list in no particular order. Keep it metal, brothers and sisters.

Honorable mentions

• To Cross the Line by Decaying
• The Sound of Steel by Exmortus
• Wanderschaft by Alphayn
• Queen of Time by Amorphis
• Palo by Kalmah

Review of DS9 Episode 1.13 "The Storyteller"

I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.



O'Brien and Bashir go to Bajor to assist a village where their spiritual leader, the Sirah, is dying. They discover that the Sirah must perform a nightly ritual to protect the village from a mystical creature called the Dal'Rok. However, when he dies, he names O'Brien as his successor, much to the engineer's dismay. Now he and Bashir have to find a way to save the village when the Dal'Rok returns. Meanwhile on the station, Sisko is mediating a border dispute between two hostile Bajoran factions, with the head of one of the factions being a young girl who is eager to prove that she is a strong leader—even if it means pushing their factions into an avoidable war.

The two plots of this episode are unrelated, despite both being about Bajoran society, and are ultimately inconsequential. The main reason to watch this episode is that it is jam packed with character development. We get tons of great O'Brien moments, and we see even more clearly than ever how much he dislikes Bashir. Considering that they go on to become inseparable friends, it's fun to watch O'Brien struggle (and fail) to contain his annoyance at every single thing Bashir says.

The real character development here, though, is for a different pair of inseparable friends, Jake and Nog. Unlike the last B plot they were involved in (in "The Nagus"), this time both young actors actually do a decent job and their story is fun and interesting. If not for the strength O'Brien as a character, I would argue that the B plot outshines the A plot in this particular episode. We get to see a lot of how Jake and Nog are developing as characters and people, which will be relevant for the entire show's run.

THE GOOD

• Good character development for Jake and Nog.
• Important piece in the O'Brien-Bashir friendship arc
• I love how O'Brien always says "Julian" with venom in his voice throughout the whole ep. It makes Bashir so uncomfortable that he reverses his request for O'Brien to call him that. The smirk from O'Brien when his little mind game works is amazing.
• O'Brien's distraught reactions to all the Sirah-related situations he finds himself in are so much fun to watch. I laughed quite a bit more in this ep than I expected to, mostly due to those moments. His trollish cackle when he realizes he's off the hook for being the Sirah is probably my favorite part of the ep.
• Going off the above, Bashir's amusement at O'Brien's discomfort is also fun to watch. Even though they aren't friends yet, you can definitely see the seeds of it here. And their friendship becomes one of the best parts of DS9, so it's fun to watch its genesis.

THE BAD

• Bajoran ep. Why are their outfits always so ugly?
• Inconsequential plot
• The girl who plays the Bajoran tetrarch isn't a very good actress

THE UGLY

• Rules of Acquisition quoted: 1 (9th). 3 total for the series.
• The runabout used by O'Brien and Bashir must be the Rio Grande, since the Yangtzee Kiang is gone and it lacks the Ganges' sensor module.
• It takes the runabout 2 hours to get from DS9 to Bajor. If they were travelling at warp 1 (the speed of light), that would mean that Bajor is about 14 AU (2.2 billion km) away from the station. But since the station was in orbit around Bajor before being moved on thrusters to the wormhole, it seems much more likely that they are significantly closer together and the journey between is done at impulse speeds.
• The Bajoran tetrarch is consistently referred to as being the same age as Jake and Nog (and the script apparently specifies her as being 15), but the actress who plays her, Gina Phillips, was 23 at the time. Jake is 14 and Nog is around 16, although Aron Eisenberg is actually a few months older than Phillips in real life.
• The use of the title "tetrarch" is very interesting. The historical context of that title in Earth history is pretty complex, but the meaning of the word itself implies that she is one of four joint rulers (tetra- being the Greek prefix meaning 'four'—a tetrarchy is a 'leadership of four [people]'). If so, it makes no sense that the other three rulers would send a young girl to negotiate instead of one of them going. Perhaps the rest of tetrarchy was destroyed during the occupation and they keep the title as a matter of tradition?

RATING: 7/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.12 "Battle Lines"

I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.

The Bajoran religious leader, Kai Opaka, makes a surprise visit to the station and Sisko decides to give her a tour of the wormhole. On the other side, they investigate a strange transmission and are attacked and crash land on an alien moon where two sides are locked in an eternal war.

We get our second and last episode featuring Kai Opaka, who is a great character and it's a shame she was "killed" off so early in the show's run. However, the upside is that it clears the way for Kai Winn, who ends up being a great villain for the show.

This episode is supposed to say something about how violence begets violence. It's a theme that Trek brings up pretty frequently, most notably in The Original Series episodes "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" and the great "Day of the Dove"—the latter in particular doing a better job of addressing the issue than "Battle Lines" does. But frankly it's a safe topic to address and not one I find very compelling. "Hatred is bad, mmkay." That said, this episode is still decent, mostly due to the performances of the guest stars.

THE GOOD

• Going through the wormhole is always a positive, especially in this rather claustrophobic first season. More cowbell, please.
• Camille Saviola is really good as Opaka. It's a major shame she was never brought back for any substantial roles.
• Jonathan Banks' IMDB page would probably be taller than me if it was printed out. He's a highly sought after character actor for good reason and it's awesome to see him here as the alien leader.
• The action sequences are actually decent, though not amazing. Since they were directed by the stunt director and not the incompetent Paul Lynch, that would explain the step up in quality from previous eps. I'm glad that Lynch doesn't direct any more eps after this one because he isn't good.

THE BAD

• Nana Visitor's acting is physically painful to watch. She's so bad.
• The ending is rather unsatisfying and depressing. Opaka says they are ready to begin the healing, but no indication of that is given. It seems like maybe she was putting on a brave face so the crew wouldn't feel bad about leaving her behind, damned to an eternal hell of suffering, violence, and death.

THE UGLY

• Terrible response time from Sisko and Kira when the satellite system aggresses them. They should have warped out immediately, especially considering their passenger. O'Brien is much quicker on his feet and bugs out the instant the satellites start scanning.
• Runabout roster: Ganges and Rio Grande. Say goodbye to the Yangtzee Kiang, as it's destroyed in the crash landing.
• Sisko gets defensive when Bashir questions his decision to try and save the prisoners, but I think Sisko's justification for why it's not a violation of the Prime Directive, at least in spirit, is sound. The decaying nature of the defensive satellite system indicates that whoever placed the prisoners there is no longer around, so freeing them isn't a violation of that society's natural course of evolution.
• Dax and O'Brien fly the Rio Grande while searching for the missing Yangtzee, but the Ganges seems better suited for a search and rescue mission with its advanced sensors. We can only assume a different crew is flying the Ganges in a different part of the sector, also looking for Sisko.

RATING: 7/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.11 "Vortex"

I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.


An alien from the Gamma Quadrant named Crodan gets mixed up in one of Quark's schemes and as a result ends up killing somebody in a scuffle. While in custody, he tells Odo that he has met other shapeshifters like him in Gamma Quadrant. Odo is very eager to learn more about his people, but Crodan's government demands that he be returned to face punishment for crimes committed on their world. Now Odo is tasked to bring Crodan back, but on the way he will be faced with a conflict between his duty, sense of justice, and his desire to learn more about his people.

The plot of this episode is very complex, with lots of twists and location changes. For the first time since the pilot, we get to see members of the crew going through the wormhole not once, but twice, which is exciting. As a result of the very active plot and character movement throughout, it feels like way more happens in this episode than should even be possible for 42 minutes of TV. We have scheming, murder, revenge, diplomatic contact, political intrigue, chase scenes, and most importantly of all, a lot of important exposition that will continue to be relevant through all seven seasons of the show.

This episode is the first time we hear the phrase "changelings." Though most of what Crodan claims to know about them turns out to be lies, his story about how they used to be persecuted and that's why they don't trust humanoids is accurate. It's also curious that he knew that they don't normally retain a humanoid shape on their own planet. Overall, there's a lot of foreshadowing of future events involving the Founders and Odo's conflicting desires to be with his people but also do the right thing.

THE GOOD

• Great pacing and plot movement. They fit a lot of story into the ep, but it doesn't ever feel rushed.
• Nice submarine hunt sequence. Definitely hearkens back to the epic sequence from Wrath of Khan, but the tactic Odo uses to take out the Miradorn ship is almost identical to the Riker Maneuver from Insurrection (and I'm not referring to the way he sits in chairs).
• A lot of good character development for Odo.

THE BAD

• Guy who plays Crodan lacks charisma and is too lackadaisical about everything. It wasn't too hard to believe right up until the point where it's revealed that his daughter's life was on the line the whole time and then none of his attitude makes sense retroactively.
• There's also no indication given of why Crodan was getting involved in Quark's schemes. We can guess that he wanted money to acquire passage back to get his daughter, but then we are forced to wonder why the heck he left his daughter in a stasis pod in some cave in the middle of a nebula. It makes no sense at all and no explanation is even attempted.

THE UGLY

• "Maybe that's why nobody has ever seen another shapeshifter--they're all hiding!" Like Crodan with his tall tales, Quark is surprisingly close to the truth with this seemingly throwaway line.
• The actor who plays the Miradorn twins, Randy Oglesby, has played seven different characters across four different ST shows over the years, most notably in eleven episodes on ENT season 3 as one of the Xindi leaders.
• Odo shapeshift count: 1 in frame. Out of frame he turns into a drinking glass, and there's a very cool shot on screen where the glass gets shattered and all the pieces turn to goo and congeal back into Odo's humanoid form. 7 total on screen shifts for the series.
• The effects shots of The Nexus appear to use the exact same matte painting used to show nebulae by several different ST projects over the years, including the Mutara Nebula in The Wrath of Khan and the nebula where the Enterprise-D hides from the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds."
• Runabouts used: Rio Grande taken by Sisko and Dax. The runabout that Odo takes is referred to by the Vulcan captain as the Ganges, but in the effects shots it is missing the Ganges' telltale dorsal sensor module. Either the sensor module is removable, or that was an error in either the script or effects department.

RATING: 7/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.10 "The Nagus"

I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.



The leader of the Ferengi, Grand Nagus Zek, shows up on DS9 and holds a conference for exploring business opportunities in the Gamma Quadrant. But at the conference he suddenly retires and names Quark his successor—much to the consternation of his son and the Ferengi merchant lords—and then shortly afterwards dies unexpectedly. Now Quark must navigate the treacherous waters of Ferengi governance while dealing with attempts on his life by those jealous of his new prestige and power.

This is technically a terrarium episode, but you almost don't notice because of the sweeping galactic implications of it. Episodes like this really fulfill the core promise of DS9 as a show; no longer do we watch a crew going from place to place exploring the unknown, having adventures, and then leaving behind the mess for somebody else to clean up. Now we follow a crew that has the unknown come to them, and the consequences of those encounters are real and must be dealt with. This is more challenging to write because it's more restrictive, but restrictions breed creativity, and while the DS9 writers don't always adequately step up to the challenge, in this episode they definitely did.

This is a fascinating episode because prior to this, Star Trek had always glossed over how Ferengi society works; this is the first in what would become a long line of Ferengi-centered eps on the show. The Ferengi are essentially the exact opposite of the Federation. The Federation has abandoned all market-based activities, including commerce, acquisition of assets, and even money itself; while Ferengi society is entirely based around those things.

If you think about it, neither society is realistic. Both are extreme to the point where it's impossible that they could function as portrayed. The Federation's system implies several dark realities, most notably a denial of people's right to self-determination. If your society needs janitors to function and nobody wants to be a janitor, what happens? Since you can't pay people to be janitors, the only other option is coercing them into being ones. In essence, the Federation's marketless system implies that they resort to nothing less than slavery.

The Ferengi, meanwhile, have no values other than the acquisition of wealth. They treat contracts with the utmost reverence, but seem to have no laws outside of strict adherence to contracts. They treat charity with disgust and view government-run social programs as the ultimate evil. Who takes care of the sick, poor, old, and/or disabled? The implication is that millions of vulnerable Ferengi must be dying in the streets every day. For that matter, according to Ferengi values, why should a parent even feed their own child? There's no profit in it. Unless they are engaging in child slave labor. Shall I go on? Needless to say, no society could function like this. It's impossible; it would be virtual anarchy and inevitably result in the collapse of their civilization.

That all said, there is a deep and rich potential for storytelling when two such opposing societies (however unrealistic they may be) come into contact with each other. TNG never delivered on that potential, but DS9 does here, and will continue to do so in a big (though occasionally disappointing) ways through seven seasons.

THE GOOD

• Wallace Shawn is great as Zek. He was born to play a Ferengi. As I've noted before, the recurring guest stars are the best part of DS9, and episodes that feature them like this one are almost always very good.
• O'brien is back! I missed him but didn't realize just how much I missed him until he walked into that classroom. The show is significantly weaker without him, as the run of three mediocre episodes in his absence proved.

THE BAD

• The B plot is boring and has some bad acting from Cirroc Lofton and Aron Eisenberg. But they're kid actors so that's moderately understandable and expected. A better B plot or a more fleshed-out A plot and no B plot could have pushed this to a 9 or 10 rating.

THE UGLY

• This episode is the first time the Rules of Acquisition are mentioned. Rules quoted count: 2 (the 1st and 6th), 2 total for the series
• Rom's voice and mannerisms are much different from his first appearance and match his character for the remainder of the show's run.
• Rom trying to kill Quark was shocking. I forgot he did that and it shows how much his character changed/grew over the years.
• What happens to Zek's son after this? He never appears or is mentioned again, despite many more Zek-centric episodes.
• Odo Shapeshift count: 1 (turns into goo to pass through a locked door), 6 total for the series

RATING: 8/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.09 "Move Along Home"

I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.


First contact with a gaming-obsessed species from the Gamma Quadrant takes a bad turn when Quark is caught cheating them at Dabo. They get revenge on him by forcing him to play a game of theirs in which Sisko, Kira, Dax, and Bashir are the real life pawns that are forced to confront dangerous obstacles in their attempt to "move along home."

This is a frustrating and frankly quite stupid episode. It's memorable due to just how weird it is, but overall it's bad.

THE GOOD

• Sisko's approach to first contact compared to Picard or even Kirk reveals a lot about his character. Picard in particular seems to relish first contact. Sisko seems to dread it. He is definitely not a diplomat and it probably makes no sense that the Federation didn't send somebody better for the job of receiving their first official visitors from the Gamma Quadrant.
• The exchange when Dax wants Sisko to leave her behind and he refuses is the best part in the episode. Their interactions are always so interesting due to their long and complicated history with each other. Sisko was Curzon's mentee, and now he is Jadzia's commanding officer, and that conflicting dynamic is fascinating.

THE BAD

• The whole structure of the game (or lack thereof) is frustrating. Since Quark (and by extension the audience) doesn't know the rules, everything that happens feels totally random and arbitrary.
• More terrible acting from Alexander Siddig
• The obstacles encountered in the game are neither clever nor interesting.
• The revelation at the end that nobody was ever in danger retroactively ruins the one positive aspect of the plot, which is the tension from worrying about what will happen to the characters.
• No O'Brien for the third ep in a row. Jake mentions that Keiko is still on Earth, so obviously he is with her still. Meaney is lucky he got to sit this one out.

THE UGLY

• Why does Sisko have a tricorder? He was sleeping in bed (in his uniform, no less), and wakes up in the game with a tricorder strapped to his hip. Utter nonsense.
• Quark apparently faces no consequences for his actions.
• The conversation between Brennin and Odo while scanning the alien ship provides some clues as to how the game technology works. Brennin implies that it reads like a continuous transporter beam. Most likely, the four players were locked in some sort of sustained transporter field where matter and energy is able to materialize around them and be manipulated according to the requirements of the game. The tricorders read everything in the game as real, so it's not a holosuite or virtual reality most likely, but rather some highly advanced manipulation of matter and energy, like a holosuite but where everything is fully physical rather than holographic.

RATING: 4/10