Day 120: DS9, Empok Nor

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S5EP24, “Empok Nor”

 Summary: When a major component of DS9 goes on the fritz, the only way O’Brien can get it up and running again is to salvage the same component from a different abandoned Cardassian station, Empok Nor. As Cardassians tend to booby trap the things they abandon, Garak is brought along with the away team (which also includes Nog) to help disarm them. While there are a few traps here and there, the biggest deterrent to invaders are two Cardassian soldiers, kept in stasis until needed and pumped full of drugs to make them more dangerous and aggressive. The good news is, Garak’s on hand to track them down. The bad news is, some of the drugs get into his system as well…

Standalone Thoughts: This is an episode that’s about atmosphere rather than story or character. While you could argue this allows for some character development for Garak and O’Brien, the dark corridors and ominous music make it obvious that the writers and especially the cinematographers wanted to play with a horror/thriller vibe this time around. And I’d say they were pretty much successful in that. While I don’t know if I’d ever say I was creeped out, I definitely felt tense, even though I knew it would all end relatively well. That said, the fact that most of the away team is populated by people we’ve never seen before does allow for more death than your average episode can get away with. Even if they’re not wearing red shirts, the effect remains the same.

The atmosphere is doing the heavy lifting here, but I’d say the other elements come together just fine. Garak’s descent into “evil” is pretty good, although I feel like Robinson could have done a little more to distinguish his normal personality from the one he displays on Empok Nor. Meany and Eisenberg are also good, though again, I think the writers could have done more with them. It doesn’t help that the episode blatantly foreshadowed a cat-and-mouse game between the three of them, but only scratched the surface of that potential. Before arriving at Empok Nor, Garak is playing a Cardassian game called Kotra with Nog, and scolds Nog for conserving and protecting his assets, when the point of the game is to attack boldly and decisively. He also states that he’d like to play against O’Brien, since he thinks O’Brien has a warrior’s instinct. I would have loved to see that mimicked in the episode, with Nog taking a risk that worked in his favor and O’Brien proving Garak right. Instead, all we really get is a scene later on where Garak finds another Kotra board and blatantly states that a game of Kotra is like their current situation. I really would have thought the writers would know better than to blatantly spell out their metaphors, but what do I know?

Regardless, this is a fine episode, albeit one that isn’t essential viewing. But it’s a nice break from routine, and might be an excellent episode to watch on Halloween. Or, if you’re so inclined, you can watch it as a warmup before watching a certain other movie that features hunting down a killer…

How it Relates to the Whole: While the events of this episode will never be brought up again, Empok Nor will make a return appearance, although the sinister aspect of it will be greatly toned down. Though given who stars in that episode, it’s kind of to be expected…

Other: *There’s nothing of any particular note today. We’ll see if we get more material tomorrow.

Best Line/Exchange: This was another episode where I made my choice fairly early;

O’Brien: So what did Captain Sisko do to persuade you to come along?

Garak: How do you know I didn’t volunteer?

O’Brien (chuckles): He threatened you, didn’t he?
Garak: Nothing so coarse. The Captain bribed me. He offered to help me procure a larger space for my workshop; the latest dressmaking equipment is surprisingly bulky.

O’Brien: Well, whatever he did, I’m glad you’re here. (Garak stares at him) What’s the matter?

Garak: Well, it’s just that…lately I’ve noticed that everyone seems to trust me. It’s quite unnerving, I’m still trying to get used to it. Next thing I know, people are going to be inviting me to their homes for dinner.

O’Brien: Well, if it makes you feel any better, I promise I will never have you over.

Garak: I appreciate that, Chief.

I picked this partially because it’s classic Garak, but also because I used a very similar turn of phrase in one of my stories, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind where it came from. Think of it as providing credit after the fact (although the story it’s in was never officially published, so…).

After the Fact Update: This isn’t anything of great importance, but I remember this blowing my mind when I first learned about it, so I figured I’d share it with you, too (and also explain that weird comment I made at the end of Standalone Thoughts). Thanks to someone showing me the relevant DS9 Companion entry back when I first watched the episode, I learned to my utter astonishment that Andrew Robinson’s claim to fame before Garak was playing Scorpio in Dirty Harry. In fact, Robinson was kind of reluctant to do this episode, because he was afraid it would contribute to him being typecast. Fortunately for him, they toned down the psychopathic elements to Garak’s character in the episode, and he felt a little better about it. And fortunately for me, it gave me a reason to rewatch Dirty Harry and appreciate it on an entirely different level. Which is why I’m trying to give the same opportunity to you.