Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Episode
Particulars: S2EP26, “The Jem’Hadar”
Standalone
Thoughts: While this episode is the moment where fans rewatching it sit up
and take notice (see next section), it’s not a bad episode for a first-timer,
either. There is a little bit of whiplash, since the episode starts out as a
comedy and then gets serious about a quarter of the way in, but the content manages
to get you reinvested. There’s a good action scene near the end that doesn’t
end how you’d expect, some nice tension, some scenes that show that Jake is
maturing, and an ending that, while not a direct two-parter, is intriguing
enough to make people want to come back for Season Three. So for the most part,
this is a success.
If there’s one thing I’ll criticize, though, it’s most of
the interactions between Quark and Sisko. When the episode is being comedic, it’s
not so bad, because that’s the sort of thing you’d expect from a comedy.
However, Quark makes at least two sanctimonious speeches about bigotry that
start to veer dangerously into preachy territory, and started to get my back
up. To be fair, this may have been to make the moments in the final act where
Sisko and Quark look out for each other have all the more impact, but it doesn’t
make the speeches any better to watch as they’re going on. But since it’s a
relatively small part of the whole, I’m willing to look past it, especially
since this episode is the first real sign that the show is on its way to being
great.
How it Relates to
the Whole: Talk about essential viewing. This episode introduces the Jem’Hadar
(obviously), the Vorta (though we haven’t learned the species name yet), and
the concept of The Founders, though we don’t know anything about them just yet.
Even better, there are enough little details that you can catch on a rewatch
that suggest the showrunners had a very definite idea of where they were going
with these guys. Combine that with the ending, and it looks like the main plot
of the show is starting to take shape. Very encouraging indeed.
Other: *Jake claims
he’s “a low-tech kind of guy”, which is an interesting statement, but one I can’t
really prove. He hasn’t been around much to demonstrate this, but somehow, it
just doesn’t seem like that’s accurate. Also, it depends on what he means by “low-tech”.
Does he still use pencil and paper? Does he prefer to turn the lights on manually
instead of asking the computer to do it? This is a case where “show, don’t tell”
would be particularly useful.
*I know it’s an eyedropper of some sort, but this;
…looks so much like one of those novelty lightsaber pens.
Given that this was 1994 (before the prequels and, I believe, the remasters of
the Original Trilogy), I doubt that particular merchandise existed yet, but it’s
an amusing similarity.
*A starship called The
Odyssey plays a big role in this episode. And all I can think is “Who in
their right mind would name a vessel after an epic poem about a guy who took
ten years to get home, losing his ship and his crew in the process?” Someone in
Starfleet either has a warped sense of humor, or they were hoping it would
somehow prevent disaster, like having a theater called the Macbeth.
*So how do I feel about this season as a whole? It did,
indeed, follow a similar path as Season One, with a lot of unrelated one-off
episodes. However, there were a lot more episodes that I really enjoyed, and
even most of the mediocre episodes had something worthwhile about them. Plus,
the characters have finally found their rhythm (Dax being the exception), and
the writers are starting to develop the supporting characters, which is all to
the good. So it’s definitely an improvement over Season One, and with this
episode to close it out, it suggests things are just going to get better. We’ll
see how true that actually is starting tomorrow.
Best
Line/Exchange: For all the serious stuff that happens this episode, I once
again am drawn to the humorous moments;
(Quark, Sisko,
Jake, and Nog are wandering through a beautiful foresty area, though Quark
doesn’t seem to appreciate it very much)
Sisko: Quark,
this is as close to paradise as you’re going to get. All you need to do is to
allow yourself to see it!
Quark: I’ll tell
you what I see. In two words. Exploitable resources.
That actually made me snort out loud when Quark said it.
It’s predictable for him, sure, but the delivery is perfect and it does sum up
the difference between humans and Ferengi much more than any of Quark’s more
soapboxy speeches do. Plus, given everything that happens in this episode,
offering up a little humor to make us more receptive to what comes later is a
good move. And who better to do that than Quark?
After the Fact
Update: Apparently, the speeches Quark makes were meant to try to move the
Ferengi away from being considered “Failed villains”. That thought kind of had occurred
to me, but while it’s not a bad idea, there will always be people like me who
feel like the preachiness outweighs any good points the script was trying to
make.
The DS9 Companion also
confirms something I’d been wondering about; the powers we see Eris display in
this episode never show up in subsequent Vorta appearances. It’s not a big deal
in the long run, but it’s a rather blatant example of early experimentation
with a character, and noticeable retcons. Well, at least it won’t matter in the
grand scheme of things.
End of Season
Fashion Critique: At the suggestion of a commenter, I’ve decided to make
this a regular thing, consisting of outfits that caught my eye, for good or for
bad, complete with commentary of varying degrees of snark. We’ll be going in
chronological order, starting after “Rivals”, and with a note of which episode
it came from.
(Armageddon Game)
The outfit itself isn’t too bad—though a turtleneck dress
doesn’t quite make sense to me—but the gloveless finger coverings are just
bizarre. And they aren’t even covering all her fingers! What’s the point of
them?
(Armageddon Game)
I can’t help but notice that the hairstyles kind of look
like powdered wigs from the 18th century. Not sure if that was the
intent or not, but given that I like that period, I figured it was worth
acknowledging.
(Whispers)
I mean, it’s probably a bit more comfortable than our
modern hospital gowns, but why purple? And what’s the point of the brown
stripes?
(Whispers)
Jake’s clothing is probably the most consistently
baffling. At least this one looks like it’s a jacket on top of a jumpsuit, but
the color combinations don’t seem like they’d be natural choices.
(Shadowplay)
And another one. This one at least avoids the “jumpsuit”
look, at the cost of being really baggy and therefore looking like a Snuggie.
That being said, I do like what Sisko’s wearing…
The red and purple combination works, and it looks pretty
stylish. I’d almost expect to see him in a library in front of a roaring
fireplace wearing that.
(Shadowplay)
It’s like a cross between Bedouin caravan traders and
60’s tie-dye. It’s not an awful look, but it’s a strange one.
(Shadowplay)
I’m guessing those spikes are fairly lightweight and not
sharp, but they’re an odd decorative choice anyway. The risk of them bonking
into things seems to outweigh holding the hair back.
(Shadowplay)
Call me uncharitable, but the first thing that went
through my mind when I saw this? “Straightjacket”. Definitely not a flattering
look.
(Shadowplay)
Yes, these are workout clothes, and Kira wants to keep
sweat out of her forehead. But why does it look so ragged? It’s like she tore a
strip off the bolt of cloth to make the headband, only then she tied a square
knot in it for some reason. I feel like this was a case where you should have
had one or the other, but not both.
(Profit and Loss)
And now for an example of “doing it right”; Lang’s
outfit. Sure, the hem is odd and it probably gets dirty easily, but it looks
good on her, and I like the design of the top;
Make it in a different color, and I’d wear it.
I also kind of like Lang’s hair;
While yes, it looks like someone uncoiled a slinky and
wound it through her hair, it’s done in a very tasteful manner, and could
easily be seen as streaks of grey hair that she’s chosen to arrange artfully.
It’s not perfect, but I like the idea.
(Profit and Loss)
Remember my theory that Garak made ugly clothes on
purpose? Look no further than that suit jacket on the right. A two-tone suit I
can maybe understand, but a two pattern suit? Unless that was an order from
Harvey Dent, it’s more likely to generate stares of disbelief than approval.
To give Garak some credit though, he then follows up by
revealing that he made this dress;
Simple velvet, nice color, no outlandish design…yeah, I’d
wear that too. Of course, Garak immediately rips it and says its unlikely to be
very fashionable for long. I know he was making a point, but it’s kind of
amusing that he does it to one of the few flattering dresses I’ve seen so far.
(Blood Oath)
The girl on the left is appropriately alluring for a Dabo
girl (and has some awesome gold tinted eyelashes), but the one on the right
doesn’t look enticing at all. Even if the spikes on her dress are made of soft
cloth, she looks like a pincushion. Then again, Klingons are into spikes and
weaponry, so maybe that’s why Kor liked her.
(Blood Oath)
The Starfleet jumpsuits may be iconic, but I’ve never
really wanted to wear one. What Dax is wearing, on the other hand…yeah, I’d put
that one on. It’s striking, it’s fitted, it looks like it would be great
workout gear or an outfit for a stealth mission. Can we make this the base for Starfleet uniforms
instead?
(The Maquis)
While the plain grey top and pointed shoulders don’t
really do it for me, the main design is nice, and the cut is generally good. I
suppose it stands to reason, though; Vulcans would probably be more logical in
their clothing choices.
(The Maquis)
Check out the guy in the upper left corner. He appears to
be wearing a two-toned vest, with one half matching his pants and the other
half a different color entirely. That seems like an odd fashion statement. Then
again, having one half match his pants and the other half match his shirt might
be interesting…
(The Maquis)
The outfit itself isn’t too bad, but I mostly wanted to
comment on the cut of that vest. Why a rectangle? And the two pointy bits are
distracting, to say the least.
(The Wire)
So Garak gets a new outfit and…well, it’s not horrible
(the purple stripes are a nice touch), but he kind of looks like a banana that’s
getting a little overripe. Then again, maybe this is popular on Cardassia,
because…
…Enabran Tain is wearing something very similar. Though
unlike Garak, Tain looks like a dad from the 50’s (and as I mentioned in the
review, he kind of acts like one too). All he needs is a pipe and slippers.
(Crossover)
Yes, the top looks like those silver reflectors you put
over your car windscreen, but for all that…I kind of like the Indendant’s
outfit? It’s form-fitting, eye-catching, and Nana Visitor makes it work.
Clothes make the woman, and that seems particularly true in this case.
(Crossover)
The boob window on the Duras sisters in TNG was always a source of mild
amusement to me (at least it’s honest about its fanservice), but I think these
iron whipped cream breastplates (complete with implied nipples), are probably
even more distracting.
(Crossover)
We get another dress/pants combo, now with added cleavage
display. The outfit would probably have been fine just as a dress; as it is, I
just shake my head.
(The Collaborator)
This nightgown almost
works…but then you look at it in full and it turns into a weird cross
between sexy lingerie and maternity wear. Pick one and stick with it!
(The Collaborator)
The lady in the blue dress there caught my eye, mostly
because the deep blue stands out from the normal colors we see on the station.
As for the outfit itself, it’s not terrible, though I feel like it either
needed to have a little more exposed skin on the arms or neck, or at least had
better color matching.
(Tribunal)
Is there a reason Cardassian prison clothes look like
bondage wear? That’s just weird on a wide variety of levels.
(The Jem’Hadar)
The casual outfits on display in this episode are
interesting. On the one hand, Jake’s outfit actually looks sensible for once,
looking like he’s got a shirt, pants, and belt instead of a jumpsuit. Nog, on
the other hand, looks a little like an Oompa-Loompa. Like I said, I tend to
ignore Ferengi outfits as deliberately hideous, but this one is particularly
bad.
Not that the adults are much better…
The shirt? Not my style, but not awful. The vest? Burn
it. Immediately.
As for Sisko…while the cut of the collar is weird, the
colors actually complement each other, so I’ll give this one a pass.
Conclusion: Season Two fashions are mostly ridiculous,
with a few decent bits here and there. Kind of the opposite of the season’s
content, actually.
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