Day 97: DS9, Apocalypse Rising

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S5EP1, “Apocalypse Rising”

As I warned yesterday, I will be spoiling the events of yesterday’s episode so I can talk about this one, something that will probably become more and more common as the season goes on. Just a reminder to read at your own risk, at least if you’re interested in seeing this show for yourself.

 Summary: The Klingons are pretty much on the verge of war with the Federation, and now that Odo has identified the Klingon leader Gowron (Robert O’Reilly) as a changeling infiltrator, the Federation has to figure out what to do about it. What they finally come up with is sending in a team to, ironically enough, infiltrate the Klingons and then expose Gowron as a changeling. To that end, Worf, Sisko, O’Brien, and Odo (still trying to adjust to his new existence as a humanoid) pose as Klingons who are contenders for the Order of the Bat’leth, waiting for Gowron to get close enough that they can use a special device on him to temporarily revert him to a liquid state. What follows is a combination of espionage and culture clash, two things you wouldn’t think work well together. But this is Deep Space Nine, where they make a habit of figuring out how to do things differently, and do them well.

Standalone Thoughts: This is generally a really good episode, which I mostly bring up because I feel like one wrong move could have caused that not to be the case. That wrong move, specifically, is the pacing. There’s enough potential in this situation that it could have been stretched out to a two or three parter, and yet it’s all condensed into one normal length episode. Furthermore, a lot of the episode consists of Sisko and the others trying not to blow their cover, which could run the risk of feeling like padding. So you’ve got unnecessary material on one hand and a lot of important plot developments on the other, and yet they blend together into something that works. What sort of alchemy is going on here?!

I think part of it has to do with the fact that the actors (especially Avery Brooks) are playing their roles with gusto. They have to walk a balancing act of being more aggressive, as befits Klingons, but also clearly still playing O’Brien, Sisko, and Odo, complete with the reservations the characters would have about the situation. And they succeed admirably, so much so that their scenes are an odd but entertaining mix of funny and tense. Somehow, that mix allows the time to pass quickly, so it’s only upon reflection that you realize that some of that material wasn’t necessary. About the only real pacing issue I ultimately have is that I think the plot was tied up a little too neatly, but given that this is the first episode of the season, there’s still a good chance that we’ll be exploring things, so I won’t judge too harshly at this point in time.

Other than that, there’s only one other thing really worth discussing at this point, and that’s Odo. So far, Auberjonois and the writers are doing a fine job of showing Odo’s struggles as he learns how to be human. He’ll certainly come through when the chips are down, but he’s clearly not doing well; one scene between him and Sisko makes it sound like he’s on the verge of resorting to destructive behavior, specifically alcoholism or an eating disorder. I’ll be interested to see how this develops over the course of the season, because I honestly don’t remember if his response to the situation gets better or worse. Either way, I have faith in Auberjonois’ ability to sell it.

In conclusion, this is a good start to the season, though it’s hard to tell even on a rewatch what direction they plan to go from here. I know this is the season where things really take off, but at what point that happens, I’m not sure. I do know I’m eager to find out, though.

How it Relates to the Whole: There are two developments here, one large and obvious, and one that’s more subtle. The larger one, of course, is dealing with the strained relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The other, which may not have been intended at the time but certainly became something later on, is the fate of one particular character. But we’ll be discussing that one a little further down the line.

Other: *As usual, new seasons often bring slight cosmetic changes. In this case, I only noticed one; Kira’s hair has gone from reddish-brown to unquestionably dark brown. It doesn’t affect anything, obviously, but it’s fairly noticeable. I guess I’ll just think of it as something that happens to pregnant Bajoran women until I grow accustomed to it.

*There’s an interesting beat with Odo that actually turns into a good character moment the more you think about it. In order to pass as a Klingon, Bashir has to alter his face so it looks more humanoid (and then add the forehead ridges on top of it). At the very end of the episode, he tells Odo he could change his face to look like anything he wanted. Odo declines, saying his own face would be fine. At first, it seems strange, since it would seem like changing his face to be more human might be something he wanted, especially since he could then stick it to the Founders, who left him with his unfinished face as a reminder of what he lost. But then you think about some of his behavior throughout the episode, and you realize that maybe that’s precisely why he wants to keep his old face; he feels like he deserves that punishment. If that was the intent, then I applaud the writers for not drawing too much attention to it.

Best Line/Exchange: I tried to resist, I really did. But as much as I should pick a line that’s more relevant to the plot, the exchange I had the most fun with, and would therefore personally consider the best, is this one;

(The topic of Kira’s pregnancy has come up)

Bashir: You’re doing great.

Kira (groans softly): I don’t feel great.

Bashir: You’re positively glowing.

Kira (scoffs): Oh, really?

Bashir: I think so. But then I suppose my opinion doesn’t really count.

Kira: Oh, it counts. Don’t forget, this (puts a hand on her stomach) is still your fault.

Bashir: MY fault?

Kira: You preformed the transfer from Keiko to me.

Bashir: After you volunteered.

Kira: After you put the idea in my head.

Bashir: After you flew the runabout into an asteroid field!

Kira: After you insisted we check on those anomalous bioscans!

Bashir: That was Keiko!

Kira: Yeah, that’s right, it was, but I’d rather blame you!

Bashir (throwing up his hands): Whatever makes you happy! (walks off a bit) I never argue with my patients or my commanding officer. (Turns back to her and smiles to show there are no hard feelings. Kira immediately smiles back.)

This exchange is amusing enough on its own, but when you remember what’s going on behind the scenes, it becomes a meta moment that’s just delightful. The fact that the two of them have an easy bantering chemistry makes it even better. So yes, it might not be fully related to the rest of the episode, but at least it’s fun. And as I’ve established, I always enjoy a little bit of fun.

After the Fact Update: Apparently my instincts were right on the money; this episode was supposed to be a two-parter, but it was cut down to one. Furthermore, Brooks and Meaney absolutely loathed the Klingon makeup, while Auberjonois and Dorn got some schadenfreude that they weren’t the only ones suffering for once. And yet somehow this translated to a good episode and good performances. Again, who’s the wizard on the DS9 staff, and can we get him working on a modern TV show?