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A rousing tribute to the original Star Trek's most popular episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations" is a triumph of clever plotting, technical achievement, and pure, unadulterated fun. Like "The Trouble with Tribbles" from 29 years earlier, this fifth-season episode is an instant classic, beginning when a surgically altered Klingon (Charlie Brill, reprising his role from "Tribbles") uses a Bajoran Orb of Time to travel back over 100 years to prevent his past-tense capture by Capt. James T. Kirk. Undercover time travelers Sisko, Dax, Odo, Worf, O'Brien, and Bashir track the Klingon's scheme on the Enterprise-A and the Tribble-infested space station K-7, turning this two-series hybrid into a nostalgic valentine, with DS9 characters digitally inserted into original "Tribbles" footage. With re-created sets, ships, and costumes, "T & T" mines hilarious gold from its Trek-savvy premise, including the mysteries of Klingon physiognomy, Starfleet snoops whose names are anagrams of "Mulder and Scully," and enough in-jokes to delight vigilant Trekkers everywhere. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (29)

The Best of DS9 ...
Episode 103 Trials and Tribble-ations is the best DS9 episode ever made....and more! The episode transcends DS9 blending arguably one of the best Star Trek "Original Series" episodes -- Trouble with Tribbles -- with charachters from DS9 and Next Generation.

The cinematography is superb as clips from the original episode are seamlessly integrated into this episode. And by "seamlessly integrated" I mean 2 things: technically speaking, and from a plot perspective.

This episode is at once nostalgic, original, filled with drama and humor (mostly Dax's comments, but comments by Sisko and others as well.) The fight scene is particularly well-done and stands as probably the best scene of the episode.

Oh, it's so good to see Kirk and Spock again, but it is all fresh and new and exciting in the context of this extremely well-done DS9 episode. This is a must-buy for not only DS9 fans, but also Next Generation and Original Series fans. Outstanding, and as entertaining as even the full-length movies.

One Of The Finest Hours Of Star Trek, Ever
Oh my, what a hoot! I commend the producers of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" for this witty, wonderful homage to the original series that also shines in its own right as one of the finest "Star Trek" episodes ever made. This is an exquisite blend of new footage around scenes from the "Star Trek" episode "The Trouble With Tribbles". Charlie Brill is terrific as the disguised disgraced Klingon from "The Trouble With Tribbles". Here he tries to change history by sending the "Deep Space Nine" crew back in time, hoping to kill Captain Kirk. Michael Dorn ("Worf") is hilarious as he tries to explain to his befuddled comrades why the Klingons from Captain Koloth's battlecruiser more closely resemble humans than Klingons of Worf's time. And now I know who was responsible for the barroom brawl - and it wasn't really anyone from from the old USS Enterprise! Admittedly "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" was my favorite "Star Trek" series, yet I'm sure this hilarious episode will appeal to "Star Trek" fans of all stripes as well as others, like myself, who enjoy hilarious science fiction television.

A Nice Tribute To The Original Series
Over 30 years ago, the Original Star Trek series produced an episode that continues to be a favorite among fans even today. "The Trouble With Tribbles" was a silly episode with lots of humor.

30 years later, the producers of Star Trek : Deep Space Nine (the best series of the modern Trek era) created this wonderful episode..."Trials And Tribble-ations". Using footage from the original episode, the crew of the Defiant go back in time to save Kirk from a vengeful Klingon.

This episode has many fun moments. The best one is when Bashir, O'Brien and Odo don't recognize the human looking aliens as Klingons. "Those are Klingons?"

A great episode and a fiting tribute to the original. Definitely better than Voyager's tribute episode with Captain Sulu.

This time everybody knows the Tribbles I've seen...
Sooner of later what was happening in the movies with "Zelig" and "Forrest Gump" was going to make a move to the small screen, which is as good an explanation for the fun of Episode 103 of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Trials and Tribble-ations" (Story by Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler & Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Teleplay by Ronald D. Moore & Rene Echevarria, "The Trouble With Tribbles" written by David Gerrold, Aired November 4, 1996). The "Defiant" return from Cardassian space with the Bajoran Orb of Time along with Arne Darvin (Charlie Brill), a Klingon who has been surgically altered to pass as human (gee, doesn't that sound familiar?). Darvin uses the Orb to send the "Defiant" and its crew back over a hundred years to Deep Space Station K-7 where the U.S.S. Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk, commanding, is in orbit and suddenly we find ourselves in the classic original "Star Trek" episode, "The Trouble With Tribbles."

Darvin turns out to be the same spy that was caught by Kirk poisoning the grain shipment. Darvin wants to change history by killing Kirk, so Sikso, Dax, Bashir, and O'Brien dress up in period uniforms and search the Enterprise for Darvin. Meanwhile Odo and Worf, check out the space station. Granted, the interaction between the two casts consists more of cuts than using computers to insert the DS9 gang into the original "Star Trek" episode, but that does not take away from the fun, and there is a lot of fun to be had in this episode. The best moment is when O'Brien and Bashir join Odo and Worf at the station bar when the Klingons show up and start baiting Scotty and the Enterprise men. The other three all stare at the Klingons, then at Worf with his all those ridges on the top of his head, and then back at the Klingons with their smooth brows. But to their questions about what happened, all Worf will say is that Klingons do not talk about it with outsiders. This may well be the funniest moment in "Star Trek" history (my second choice would be Captain Picard's Shakespearean monologue when he is trying to win Lwaxana Troi back from an amorous Ferengi). Dax mooning over Kirk is not half bad either.

Clearly "Trials and Tribble-ations" is a unique crossover episode for the "Star Trek" universe, and fortunately there was no attempt to duplicate it with a similar project. Actually, since you can make the argument that not since "The Trouble With Tribbles" has there been a "Star Trek" episode that was so totally in the spirit of fun, that "Trials and Tribble-ations" is just the big cosmic wheel coming full circle.

Tribble Trouble
This was the first DS9 I ever saw, and it was wonderful. Sisko and his crew blended in wonderfully, althougth Odo's make-up probally wouldn't have been possible in 1967. This episode was funny, and the special effects(the effects where DS9 mixed with TOS) were great. I even found out how to annoy Worf("Is that lilac I smell"). I only have two complaints. George Takei(Sulu) wasn't in this episode. Then again, I'm not even sure he was in the original, and he was the star in the Voyager episode "Flashback". And second of all, Worf didn't tell us(actually Odo, O'Brein, and Bashir) how the Klingon change from brown humans to boney forehead aliens. Other than that, I love this episode. It's the only one from Deep Space 9 I saw, but already I think this the best DS9 episode I ever saw. I also recommend the orginal episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles. That is just as good as this one. ... Read more

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An episode that seems to focus on "morale chief" Neelix (EthanPhillips) but which, in fact, brings to a conclusion a pair of subplots thathave been festering for several shows. Ostensibly, this story is aboutNeelix's intraship TV show about news of the day. But when Tom Paris (RobertDuncan McNeill) transfers off Voyager, Neelix is upset--and he's moreupset when, after discovering that a spy has been sending communications tothe Kazon, he comes to the conclusion that the spy was Paris. Viewers willknow better and may enjoy the cat-and-mouse nature of the scenes involvingNeelix and the real spy. On the other hand, the final battlesequence--involving Voyager and the Kazon ship, as well ashand-to-hand grappling between Neelix and the villain--is decidedlylackluster, particularly the fisticuffs with Neelix, who doesn't appear ableto punch his way out of a paper bag. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Neelix thinks that Paris is the traitor on "Voyager"
"Star Trek: Voyager," Episode 35, "Investigations" (Story byJeff Schnaufer and Ed Bond, Teleplay by Jeri Taylor, Aired March 13, 1996) begins with Neelix (Ethan Phillips) hearing a rumor that someone is leaving "Voyager" to join a Talaxian convoy. It turns out the rumor is true and that Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) is leaving the ship, which stuns most of his crewmates. No sooner is Paris gone but the Talaxian vessel is attacked by the Kazon Nistrim and Paris has been taken hostage by Seska, the former Maqui who was really a Cardassian spy, who tries to persuade him to join her side. Meanwhile, back on "Voyager" Neelix has become suspicious about how the Kazon could have known Paris was aboard the Talaxian vessel and starts to figures out there must be a spy aboard. But instead of suspecting Jonas, the true Kazon spy, Neelix finds evidence that Paris was the traitor.

Of course Paris cannot possibly be the traitor, which means there is more for Neelix to investigate and plans within plans within plans. "Investigations" is a pivotal "Voyager" episode in that it provides a resolution to several sub-plots that Janeway and the crew have been dealing with for most of this second season. Making Neelix the focal point of the episode is basically a diversionary tactic, because he is on the outside of everybody else's machinations. Unfortunately, this means that Neelix has to be front and center during the episode's climax. I understand the impulse to use Neelix in this regard, but it does end up keeping this from being a really great episode. "Investigations" also opens up some new sub-plots, especially when the new rift between Janeway and Chaoktay as "Voyager" continues to make its way across the Delta Quadrant.

I was wondering about that.....
Well, this episode of Voyager is rather important to watch because it brings resolution to a couple of storylines that have been going on for the previous several episodes. For the past couple of episodes, we have been wondering why Tom Paris has been so obnoxious lately. And we have also been wondering about when in the world the senior crew was going to discover the covert communications between Jonas and the Kazon. This episode wraps both of these storylines up rather well, so I give it four stars.

However, I held back on 5 stars for a couple of reasons. Number one...I kinda thought that the whole "Briefing with Neelix" thing was kinda cheesy. But I'll let it go because after all, the Voyager crew *is* far from home in a stressful situation, so there must be some relaxation of the formal atmosphere! But the other reason I didn't give this episode 5 stars is because the writers seemed to just drop the issue of Janeway and Tuvok's manipulation of Chakotay. Given Chakotay's character and his sensitivity to being "duped", I think that the writers should have written Chakotay as much angrier at this manipulation than he actually appeared to be in the episode.

Oh...one other thing! Note that this episode should be viewed after episode #36 "Lifesigns". Episodes are numbered in order of their production dates...not the order in which they were shown during the actual run of the series! In many cases, it doesn't matter, but in this case, it does!

King Abdulla of Jordan is in this episode!
This episode has great historical value. In the opening teaser, Prince (now King) Abdulla of Jordan has a non-speaking cameo role as a member of Voyager's crew! This is proof of the reach of Star Trek's vision. A man of such importance in his country today is also such a fan of Star Trek that he arranged to be in one of the episodes (before he became King, of course).

Great episode!!
In this episode, Neelix discovers that a crewmwmber is secretly sending messages and tactical information to the Kazon, one of Voyager's worst enemies. Through his investigating, he discovers who the traitor is, but will he live to tell the captain who it is? ... Read more

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Nominated for the prestigious Hugo Award and voted the best Star Trek ever by readers of TV Guide, "The Visitor" transcends the limitations of series canon and exists in a continuum of its own making. There is something indefinable, something both solid and intangible about the love that exists between a parent and a child. If strong enough, it probably could forge a connection through time and space--and beyond life itself. This episode feels very real.

The plot is deceptively simple: a young writer appears on Jake Sisko's doorstep in the middle of a very dark and rainy night. She wants to hear his story; and Jake is an old man. He needs to tell it. Distinguished kudos all around for great writing and great acting. Tony Todd is superb as the adult Jake Sisko. Not only does the man age from twentysomething to 80, he also nails Cirroc Lofton's mannerisms and body language. Lofton's expressive performance as the young Jake is a standout as well. Avery Brooks is a profoundly gentle Sisko here--a father who obviously loves his son. And Rachel Robinson is absolutely luminescent as Melanie, the young writer. (She's also Andrew "Garak" Robinson's daughter.) Kudos to the design team for using color and lighting to express Jake's mounting depression. Honorable mention to Aron Eisenberg as Captain Nog. Watch for the "future" uniforms that seem to come from TNG's "All Good Things." "The Visitor" is an amazing episode and it belongs in every Trek fan's collection. --Kayla Rigney ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Probably THE BEST episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine
If I could, I would rate this episode as 6 stars out of 5, because it's so good.
The episode "The Visitor" deals with the relationship between Jake Sisko and his father, Captain Benjamin Sisko. What happens is Jake, who is an old man who's about 80, tells the story of his father's death to a young, aspiring, and attractive woman named Melanie (played by Andrew J. "Garak" Robinson's lovely daughter Rachel). In the end, when the musical suite plays, we see Ben Sisko, sitting in front of his elderly, napping son, who shows him a draft of a book he dedicated "To my father, whose coming home", which he won't be able to publish, but he reveals to his father what he realized, and why he has taken the path he has. If you're interested, and haven't seen this episode, I won't ruin it for you. But if you either have it, or have seen it, you understand why I would rate this a 6 out of 5.

Perhaps the finest hour of 'Trek' ever.
This episode from the early fourth season was the most moving and heart-rending episode perhaps ever done for any Star Trek series. Outstanding performances all around by Avery Brooks, Cirroc Lofton and Tony Todd as the elder Jake Sisko. There are very few trek episodes I will buy for posterity through the years but this will be one of them, when they finally release it on video.

The best of Trek
Often, episodes that earn the "best of" title are those that take that which is unique to the science fiction universe to the limits. Witness TNG's "The Best of Both Worlds," which is often labelled the best of that series and shows the desperate battle against an implacable enemy. For "The Visitor," however, the science fiction elements are mere window dressing for an examination of human relations. They allow the plot to progress, but except for the specifics of the technology, we're not seeing anything that couldn't happen in this day and age with the most minor of changes.

This is why the episode resonates so strongly with the viewers, who see not the crash and burn of a starship, but of a human life. Everything is immediate and nearly any viewer will be able to find an emotional connection to the events onscreen. It showcases the best father/son relationship I've ever seen on a TV show, and that showcase makes for the best episode of any Trek series.

Best Star Trek episode ever!
This episode clearly marked DS9 as the best,if not equel to TNG by conveying emotions between characters instead of much appreciated action. Never has an episode of Star Trek dealt so realisticly with its characters that it excels as one of the series finest moments. From the stormy beginning to the emotional finale this is Star Trek acting and directing at its best. If you dont like DS9, then this probably wont change your mind about the show due to its character driven plot but for any DS9 fan this is an episode not to miss.

A Standout Episode for a Remarkable Series
"The Visitor", from DS9's fourth season, remains a fan and critical favorite. Like the best of Trek, this particular installment is more dependent on character development than special effects or other technical wizardry.

The acting by all is first-rate. Tony Todd (of "Candyman" fame and an earlier role as Worf's brother) turns in a fine performance as the elder Jake Sisko, enduring a lifelong quest to rescue his father from subspace limbo. Cast member Cirroc Lofton gets one of his few chances to shine as the young Jake. Guest star Rachel Robinson is quite good as a young woman that visits Jake in the winter of his years. Last but not least, star Avery Brooks brings his usual dynamic strength to the role of Benjamin Sisko as he pops in and out at stages of his son's life.

The respective scenes featuring exchanges between Brooks, Todd, and Lofton are endearing and memorable.

Besides being well written and acted, the episode features one of the best scores of any Trek show. It is no wonder that composer Dennis McCarthy's music is featured on a "Best of Trek" compilation album. The music is a combination of subtlety, poetry, and foreboding as it represents the strong bond between father and son.

"The Visitor" is an example of true quality television and deserves a place in the TV Hall of Fame. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

"The die is cast", sequal to "Improbable Cause"
'The Die is Cast' is the second in a two part DS9 story ("Improbable Cause" is the first, and basically sets up this episode). It involves a plot by the Tal-Shiar and the Obsidian Order (kind of like the CIA for the Romulans and Cardassians) to eliminate the Dominion as a threat. Having secretly built a large fleet of warships, they embark on a mission to destroy the homeworld of the Founders, the Dominion's masters. In tow are Garak and a very unwilling Odo. Garak's old mentor wants Odo (a member of the Founder's race) interegated. Garak must decide between returning to the old life he was cast out of, and the life of his friend. Our heroes on DS9 must also decide: Do they try and stop this fleet? A successful attack may eliminate the Dominion as a long term threat, but a failed one could plunge the galaxy into bloody war. Nice tension, great scenes between Garak and Odo, a big ending, and a number of plot twists make this an excellent episode. Huge events which turn the whole 'Star Trek' universe on it's ear are what separate DS9 from the other Star Trek series. This episode is a great example of that grand-scale story telling, yet it does not lose site of Star Trek's signature character drama. Lots of fun, especially when paired with it's partner!

Odo is falling apart - again!
The great season three of Deep Space Nine is coming to a close with only a handful of episodes left, this action packed outing is worth every penny. Garak is interrogating Odo by using a Romulan device that prevents him from returning to liquid form, something that soon becomes torture as Odo's body desperately needs regeneration. In the meantime the Federation gets wind of the Romulan-Cardassian plot to enter the Gamma Quadrant and attack the Founder's homeworld, striking a deadly blow to the evil Dominion! Great battle sequences make this one an intelligent story with a classic ending...

Wow
An incredible episode with more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at. Also filled with very good acting from Andrew Robinson and Rene Auberjonois. Odo and Garak are taken aboard a Romulan Warbird and taken (with several other warbirds and Cardassian ships) into the Gamma Quadrant. With one mission: to destroy the Founder's home world. When they get there, all is not as it appears. I would recommend this episode to anyone and everyone who likes Deep Space Nine.

LESS than the first, but MORE than just your average DS9
Second-part episodes have the dubious distinction of holding the momentum set forth in the first installment. "Die" tries but just isn't as good, although the actors make a valiant effort to keep the story strong. Rene Auberjonois, Andrew Robinson, and Paul Dooley are again brilliant in their respective roles. The special effects crew gets a chance to shine when an all-out Dominion attack surprises the Cardassian-Klingon Alliance.

And the reminder that "no changeling has ever harmed another" comes from a surprising source

Intence darkness and drama
Episode title: The Die Is Cast

Written by: Ronald D. Moore

Directed by: David Livingston

"The Die Is Cast" is a direct sequel to the outstanding "Improbable Cause" and to all surprise, it manages to live up to it's prequel's standards, even if they diverse tremendously.

After the subtle and dramatic "Improbable Cause", "The Die Is Cast" offers direct escalation and powerfully and rapidly paced storstructure.

It is, in a way, as dark as it's prequel, but not at all in the way you'd expect. As "Improbable Cause" was dark in an anxiously repressed way, "The Die Is Cast" throws the pain directly onto the viewer's face.

It's also as slow to open up to the viewer as yo might expect from the earlier episode, but not because it's so subtle, but because it's so out in the open. At first it seems only to be a political action-adventure, but as you watch it more, from analytical perspective, it's one of the most thought-provoking and profound star trek episodes.

So, in the end, it was probably a good thing this two episode long story was divided into two different parts, with two very different writers, and two very different directors.

I never would have thought the infamous third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could produce such a masterpiece of drama and talent. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Mature, dark and exiting in a subtle way
Episode title: Improbable Cause

Teleplay by: René Echevarria

Story by: Robert Lederman & David R. Long

Just when the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine appeared to be full of potential unused, it shocked by tying the continuing aspects of the season into one neat baggage by the way of a two episode long story.

"Improbable Cause" is the first one of these episodes, and noticably different from "The Die Is Cast", the latter and equally succeeded episode.

It all begins as Garak's shop is mysteriously burned to the ground by a bomb. This leads to a dark and fascinating investigation by Odo, who eventually manages to connect the explosion of Garak's shop to a much more complex scheme within the Cardassian political structure.

The episode progresses with subtle, even modest scenes, but conveys a much more dramatic substance on a deeper level. Garak has finally a meaning, and Odo's developement is been given a new direction.

It's amazing how such a short episode, with minimal dramatical twist can have so much substance and developement in it. It's dark exploration of the characters and their lives is extraordinarily incorporated to the episode, so that it's almost impossible to notice it.

The whole episode, in fact, is so subtle in it's ways of telling what it needs to say, that it takes countless of times to see it before it truly opens up.

A true masterpiece of writing.

Constable Odo investigates an attempt to blow up Garak
Garak's tailor shop is destroyed by an explosion and as Odo investigates the case becomes more and more complicated. It seems give other Cardassians were killed in similar explosions and all of them have ties to Enabran Tain, the former head of the Obsidian Order. It seems, not everybody on this side of the wormhole is waiting for the Dominion to attack. Actually, "Improbable Cause" is the first of two parts, to be continued in "The Die is Cast." As two-part episodes go, this is an above average set-up, but what makes this a great episode is that focuses on Garak and Odo, giving us several scenes featuring the two sparing as they try to figure out what is going on.

Garak and Odo!
Garak's shop is destroyed and it looks like someone is trying to kill him, Odo is called in to investigate, using his contacts on Cardassia it is revealed that a lot of Garak's former 'associates' were eliminated. Odo and Garak take a Runabout and go deep inside Cardassian space where they find evidence of Romulan involvement. It becomes apparent that Garak's death-threat is just a small piece of a bigger puzzle as a fleet of Cardassian ships decloak. It seems the Romulan's and Cardassian's are preparing an attack force but who is the target?

D.S.9. - Dialogue Show Ninefold.
DS9's 3rd season was probably its worst and yet it still managed to produce one of the best double episodes ever made. This first installment was marginally the stonger of the two with a totally faultless hour - don't expect extravagent SFX - DS9 sticks to its now famous character driven shows with unparalelled flair. It also stands the test of time, showcasing the qualities of the character of Elim Garak and revealing some of the master plan the writers had install for him. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Major Kira is Enceinte, or, Any Womb in a Storm...
So, what do you do when two of the stars of your television show decide to get married and have a baby but their characters do not really like each other? Well, the first thing you do is set up a distraction by dragging up the old chesnut about the guy who is told by his doctor he only has a short while to live, the guy sells off his possessions, and then learns the doctor made a mistook. Well in "Body Parts" Quark gets to play this part. Told he has Dorek syndrome and a week to live, Quark sells his body parts on the Ferengi futures market. But then, when he is told he is not going to die (good news), he discovers that Brunt (remember him form "Family Business" and "Bar Association"?) now owns his body (bad news). So while this nonsense is going on, nobody will really notice when Keiko is injured and her baby has to be transplanted into Major Kira. After all, with the imminent (yawn) threat of a Dominion invasion, who would not want DS9's second-in-command carrying Chief O'Brien's baby? Enough sarcasm. There is one redeeming sequence in "Body Parts," when Quark dreams of going to the Divine Treasure of the Ferengi afterlife when he has a spirited discussion regarding the Rules of Acquisition with Gint, the first Grand Nagus. This is really a sub-standard episode and the idea of putting these two plotlines together is rather unsettling, but you have to admit this is an original method of dealing with Nana Visitor's pregnancy.

Funny!
The wonderful thing about DS9 was that it didn't always take itself too seriously. Some of the best episodes were centered around Quark (played by Armin Shimmerman). Armin isn't just an excellent actor but he has an excellent sense of comedic acting. His comedy delivery is exceptional. Even though this episode likely won't make any DS9 fan's Top-10 list it is, nevertheless, funny.

Quark is up for sale!
Quark is diagnosed with a fatal illness, in Ferengi tradition he begins selling off his body parts in advance, to his surprise his entire body is bought... by Brunt.

When Quark realises he doesn't have the disease he is forced into an interesting situation, break the contract with Brunt or die. But if he breaks the contract he will forfeit Ferengi rule and one of the Rules of Acquisition that the Ferengi Empire was founded upon!

A mediocre episode that serves to fill some air-time while the budget is saved on some big budget season finale... or so I thought. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Odo has to rejoin the Great Link and be tried for his crime
In a story that we knew was coming, Odo collapses and begins to lose his ability to remain solid. The only thing to do is for Odo to be returned to the Great Link. Sisko flies the Constable into Dominion territory, transmitting a call for aid. A Jem'Haddar ship arrives with a Changeling who will take Odo back to his people. Merging with the Great Link will save Odo's life, but the Changelings will also judge him for having killed another Changeling (See "The Adversary"). "Broken Link" is a pivotal episode in the massive DS9 story arc of the coming war with the Dominion, not to mention its impact on Constable Odo. I was pretty sure that when this moment came there would be some sort of significant twist that would have a major impact on both storylines, and that was certainly the case here, especially in terms of Odo's punishment. Odo was always the most interesting character on DS9 and the whole bit with the Dominion puts him at the heart of the storm.

To be continued...
In the season 4 finale we see Odo lured into the Gamma Quadrant in an attempt to find a cure for the disease that has infected him, he cannot hold a solid shape. Once he enters Dominion space and transmits an urgent message to the Founders in the hope that they will know of a cure - the Defiant is quickly surrounded by Jem'hadar.

Odo beams down to the surface of the new homeworld of the Founders, with Sisko and Bashir, the Female Changeling leads Odo into the Great Link (which seems to have expanded hugely since the last time we saw it in The Search). Time passes, possibly days, and Odo finally emerges. He is weak, but solid, apparently cured. It is at this point that we learn that Odo IS solid, a punishment for killing another Changeling (season three finale). Once Odo returns to the station he sees an image of Gowron, the leader of the Klingon Empire, he realises he is a Changeling!

A fairly good stand-alone episode that sets up season five with a lot of possibilities, unfortunately the next season doesn't quite flow as smoothly as the last two. All in all a good solid, no pun intended, script but not a very exciting season finale! ... Read more

Reviews (89)

Finnaly a Good Action Serie
This cool action mythologie girl serie comes in DVD on april 29. sister show of HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS who also will be on DVD on JUNE 3. Lucy Lawless is wonderful ,she has a real sword style and circle that no one else does. The First season includes :

1-Sins of the Past
2-Chariots of War
3-Dreamworker
4-Cradle of Hope
5-The Path Not Taken
6-The Reckoning
7-The Titans
8-Prometheus
9-Death in Chains
10-Hooves & Harlots
11-The Black Wolf
12-Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts
13-Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards
14-A Fistful of Dinars
15-Warrior...Princess
16-Mortal Beloved
17-The Royal Couple of Thieves
18-The Prodigal
19-Altared States
20-Ties That Bind
21-The Greater Good
22-Callisto
23-Death Mask
24-Is There a Doctor in the House?

I can wait too have this one. CAN YOU ???...

FINALLY XENA! But...
I agree with the other reviewers. It is great to be able to enjoy Xena's First Season and Lucy Lawless in all her glory! The first season finds the series still looking for an overall look and a direction, and you will have to wait for Season Three and Further Seasons for truly mythological storytelling and pathos.

My only complaint is ,of course, the total lack of special features of this Anchor Bay DVD edition. IT lacks alternate comment sound tracks, or documentaries, etc. One MAJOR miss is that NONE of the episodes are close-captioned (this is strange because when they were originally broadcast, they were...!). Maybe Anchor Bay will correct this in future Xena seasons'DVD releases. The lack of extras and the lack of close-captioning is the only two reasons why I adjudicated 3 out of 5 stars to this DVD.

I did not experience any noticeable graininess or blurring when playing my DVD's on my Sony DVD player and viewing it on my Sony 32" TV (not a new one, I might add). I have not tried watching the DVD's on my computer, but it has been my experience that DVDs do not play back with the same quality on DVD-enabled computers.

I still recommend XENA SEASON ONE DVD to all Xena enthusiasts.

Xena Rocks
Xena season one is amazing. It is here that we see how the Warrior Princess begins her adventures with her sexy little sidekick Gabrielle. This is classic Xena all the way, plus we are introduced to our favorites: Ephiny and the Amazons, Salmoneous, Lila, Cyrene, Draco, Autolycus (Bruce 'Evil Dead' Campbell), Ares, Hades, Princess Diana, Joxer and every Xenafan's favorite CALLISTO? There is also a cameo by Hercules and Iolaus for Hercfans.

Previously this season of Xena could only be ordered from a webpage as seen on tv. To my understanding this collection is not remastered, and does not include DVD extras such as deleted scenes or commentaries. The good new, for those that can wait a couple more months, another mastered version with DVD extras is soon to be released.

For those fans that must have this season now, order it here, it is about 30 dollars less than what it is offered in the commercials, but if you could relax for a month or two I suggest you get the vamped version.

Greatest Series of all time comes to dvd
Enjoyed every minute of watching my two favorite actress show after show in dvd quality. The only down side is not enough extra's.

A 5-star show; too bad the DVD collection's overpriced
"In a time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world."

If you don't recognize the above, you've been in a distant land since at least 1995, and this review isn't really for you. But you should buy this collection immediately, because you're in for an entirely novel treat.

Xena: Warrior Princess is a spin-off series from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", which followed 5 "Action Pack" (don't ask) Hercules movies. The Hercules and Xena stories are revisionist tales of antiquity. Most of the names are right ("Hercules" instead of "Herakles", and the Roman "Cupid" instead of Greek "Eros" are notable exceptions), but anachronisms abound. We first see Xena sitting on her horse, complete with stirrups (1000 years before their invention) and saddle horn (2000 years early). Xena's sword is bronze, but steel implements abound in an era when Indian Wootz steel was a commodity valued above gold. The wet countryside of New Zealand doubles for the dry Mediterranean clime of Greece. And barbarian warriors look suspiciously like Maori. Obviously the emphasis is on entertainment rather than historical accuracy. It's a good thing, too, because the entertainment value is outstanding.

The premise of the series is that Xena was a teenager living in the Greek village of Amphipolis when it was attacked. She rallied her neighbors to mount a successful defense. Then she took the surrounding towns to have a defensive perimeter. One thing led to another, and Xena was a warlord terrorizing the countryside. But, true to her original intent, she spared defenseless women and children. When her underlings thought that made her soft she broke from them, and began an epic quest for redemption. Soon after this she met Gabrielle, a young villager whose community is raided. With ambitions exceeding her small town's reach Gabrielle decides to follow Xena on her travels.

Xena is a mythic hero. Lacking the godly strength of Hercules, she nevertheless matches him in battle by virtue of superhuman agility. Plus, as she says, "I have many skills" -- including tactics, strategy, eastern martial arts, horsemanship, medicine, and singing. Xena is at the top of her form when we first see her. In sharp contrast to this we watch Gabrielle as she transforms from quick-witted but unsophisticated villager to wannabe bard to reluctant warrior.

Lucy Lawless got an early entry into the Hercules/Xena universe; she played Lysia in "Hercules and the Amazon Women", the very first of the movies that preceded the "Hercules" series. In fact this earlier role was a strike against her when trying out for the part of Xena in the "Hercules" series. But hair dye, boots with lifts, and skin bronzer transformed Lucy Lawless (5' 10 1/2", light brown hair, pale skin) to Xena (6' tall, brown-black hair, olive complexion). Add in a passable American accent, and this native New Zealander carried off the role of an Americanized Greek mythic hero with aplomb. When you see Xena riding at the gallop or trading blows with a foe that's really Lucy Lawless; when Xena is tumbling through the air it's a stunt performer.

Renee O'Connor also got an early start; she played an earlier version of Deianeira, Hercules' wife, in "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom", the second Hercules movie, before landing the role of Gabrielle. In the first season of X:WP O'Connor is listed as "also starring", after the title; only Lawless gets "starring" billing.

Various continuing characters from "Hercules" appear in Season One of X:WP:
- Kevin Smith as Ares, God of War
- Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
- Michael Hurst as Iolaus (Hercules' sidekick); also as Charon
- Robert Trebor as Salmoneus, mercurial merchant
- Bruce Campbell as Autolycus, King of Thieves
- Erik Thomson as Hades, God of the Underworld

Season One of Xena introduced a number of new faces that would become familiar:
- Danielle Cormack as Ephiny, Amazon warrior
- Paul Norell as Falafel, food stand vendor
- Karl Urban, who would appear again in seasons 2+ as Julius Caesar
- Hudson Leick as Callisto, nemesis extraordinaire
- Ted Raimi as Joxer, bumbling would-be warrior

More notable one-shot guest stars from Season One included:
- Kate Hodge as Celesta, Goddess of Death
- Galyn G"rg as Helen of Troy
- Tim Thomerson as Meleager the Mighty
- Peter McCauley as Talmodeus

Season One of X:WP was shot on 16mm film to keep production costs down, so the DVD video transfer is no better than you'd expect. The audio is quite a bit better, including outstanding music by Joseph LoDuca. The Xena theme, in particular, is a wonderful mix of bouzouki, french horns, and strings to mix traditional Greek sounds with the stirring European classical melodies we've come to associate with inspirational themes.

The 7-disc Season One collection is remarkable mostly for what it DOESN'T have. There are NO extras in the Season One DVDs AT ALL. Each of the 24 episodes is 44 minutes 15 seconds or less. There are no DVD or CC captions. There are no extra chapter stops; each episode has 5 or 6 chapters. The 7th disc is a CD-ROM, with rather unremarkable content. There are no printed guides in the set.

6 DVDs, with 4 episodes each; 24 total episodes
1 CD-ROM:
- Screensaver
- Cast & Director bios
- "Scrolls" - episode cast lists, guest stars ("mortals" and "gods"), search through the scrolls text
- Season One trivia game

Xena: Warrior Princess is a fun, butt-kicking action series. It's a shame that the DVD collection of Season One is both low on extra content and high on price. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Sisko discovers a wormhole and that his life is not linear
The two-hour pilot of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" starts with a flashback to the Federation's battle with the Borg as Wolf 359, when Jean-Luc Picard was Locutus. The Borg destroy the USS Saratoga, killing the wife of Commander Benjamin Sisko, who escapes with his son, Jake. It is now three years later and Sisko is placed in command of Deep Space Nine, a space station built by the Cardassians around the planet Bajor. The occupation over, Sisko is charged with helping Bajor prepare for membership in the Federation. But the planet is on the brink of civil war and Kai Opaka, the spiritual leader of Bajor, declares Sisko to be "the emissary." The Cardassians have stolen eight of the nine crystal orbs that can lead to the Celestial Temple, where dwell the Prophets, the deities of Bajor. Sisko and his science officer, the Trill Jadzia Dax, discover a wormhole and Sisko encounters the Prophets, who turn out to be non-corporeal aliens who live there. Then things get really interesting.

Now that DS9 is long gone, I think we are in a much better position to evaluate the pilot episode, especially in terms of how the series was able to develop and expand upon the various premises established here at the start. Sisko as the Emissary and his love of baseball, the wormhole and Bajor's religion, the Cardassian occupation and their continuing involvement in the quadrant, Dax and the Trills, Odo and the Founders, Quark and the Ferengi, are all still important at the end of the series, which would seem to speak to how successful DS9's creators were in establishing the series. So if you have asked me way back when what I thought about these first two episodes I would have rated them a 4; but in retrospect I have to bump it up one more star. Of course, there are so many characters and so much exposition being established that there are lots of gaps to be filled in later--and Sisko does lay it a bit heavy on poor Picard--but that is why DS9 is best considered as a series and not some sort of episodic sitcom.

Where it all began...
The first episode(s) of Deep Space Nine provided us all with an insight into a new, darker, more violent Star Trek, Deep Space Nine. The characters are all fully fleshed out by the end of this brilliant episode which concentrates on the newly acquired freedom the Bajoran's now enjoy, the Enterprise is in orbit of Bajor and protecting the planet, but when Picard and crew are called away on an urgent mission it is left to a skeleton crew headed by Commander Benjamin Sisko who must defend the former-Cardassian space station, Terok Nor, from the old landloards who are on their way back to retake what they believe to be there's...

Sisko discovers a wormhole and the strange beings that live in it, with his untested crew on DS9 they are the only ones who can stop the Cardassian invasion ship! Explosive!

If at first you don't succeed, kick the console
EMISSARY suffers from a lot of the flaws that have plagued Star Trek spin-off pilots, although I think it has so far been the most successful. This, however, isn't saying much; I've found most of those pilots to be dull, boring, and/or incoherent. The Deep Space Nine pilot wasn't as bad as all that, though I hated it when I watched the initial airing. Re-watching it again recently with the benefit of hindsight, I found I appreciated it much more. It's still not exactly terrific, but it does do everything that one expects from a first episode while still managing to tell a story.

The problems that face Star Trek pilots are usually the same ones that crop up every five years or so (whenever Paramount decides to launch another moneymaker). "We need to introduce the characters," I imagine the suits saying, "We need to introduce the setting; we need to introduce the political undertones; we'd like to give the major characters a backstory; we'd like to drop some hints about storylines that we'll be following up on in the future; we'll need to populate the immediate area with some convincing bad guys; we'll want to explore the religious aspects of the indigenous people; we'll want to introduce some amazingly advanced alien creatures that humans are encountering for the first time; and we'll want an extended cameo from a star of the previous series. Oh, and yeah, we'll want some kind of a story in there too, okay?"

For everything that it's trying to do, I think EMISSARY mostly succeeds. The story itself is relatively simple, and revolves around introducing Ben Sisko (and the audience) to his new setting, his new command, and the various plot strands that will be cropping up in the future. The introduction of the characters is mostly handled well, although there are a few clumsy moments, and a lot of the people and their makeup don't appear to be quite in their regular form yet. I like the fact that the episode neatly subverts itself. The set up begins with this station being the backwater of the universe (influencing the decisions of more than one character), but by the end this has been completely reversed.

The pilot also contains a few examples of the sort of thing that I really dislike about Star Trek Series That Do Not Star William Shatner. I am talking about, of course, the reliance on technobabble and the ability of the crew to come up with miraculous solutions to problems in no time at all. Fortunately, there aren't too many examples of this on display here. Unfortunately, the two that spring to mind are particularly poor. The first is that Dax is able to totally redesign the way the laws of physics work, and throws out this observation as if she's giving advice about which wine goes with a particular kind of fish. In order to make the station's thrusters move the ship faster, she figures a way of lowering the mass of the object, therefore requiring less energy to push it. The question that immediately comes to mind is: if lowering the mass of something is so easy, why on Earth isn't this standard operating procedure for all forms of transportation? Do Starfleet care as little for fuel efficiency standards as the U.S. government does?

The other piece of "instant brilliance" is the fact that O'Brien manages to boost the power of the station's phasers with almost no effort on his part at all. Truly amazing. I can just imagine thousands of Federation scientists working around the clock, trying to think of a way to increase the efficiency of their government's phasers, only to be beaten to the punch by Miles O'Brien after two whole seconds of thought.

There are some nice touches that rescue this episode from being a plodding introduction that one must get through in order to understand the series. Sisko's discussion and explanations concerning "linear time" are quite interesting, although the first time I saw this, I thought that the story violated its own internal logic, and nothing that I saw on my second viewing convinced me that I was wrong (how could he teach the concept of linear time to beings that exist outside of it, when surely they would be stateless creatures and could only either already know of linear time, or could never know of linear time?). I liked the aliens living in the wormhole, even if they fall prey to many Star Trek stereotypes (alien beings that are so highly advanced that they act and talk like complete idiots). The characters only have one episode to establish themselves, but in that time I already find them much more interesting than the entirety of the Next Generation crew. The setting is again more intriguing than that of the previous series, and really makes the show feel that there is a lot of potential for conflict here. A rough start, but not a bad one.

The best pilot episode of all the Trek series
The powers that be pulled out all the stops for this excellent and very good-looking first show of the Deep Space Nine series. The infamous and often referred to battle at Wolf 359 is finally seen to some extended length in the beginning of 'Emissary'; the rundown space station is a well-conceived set design; the matte painting of the Bajoran temple on the planet surface is mesmerizing albeit too briefly seen; and all those aliens! The production design put forth here was the most superior effort by the creative staff in any Trek program to date - heck some of the movies don't look this great!

Also the story is a terrific, hard edged and dyed-in-the-wool science fiction tale that is handled well. The revelation of the existence of the wormhole; the incorporeal wormhole beings using a variety of people from Sisko's memories to interact with him; the explanation of the mysterious Orbs and their purpose; Sisko using the game of baseball to demonstrate the concept of linear time; his rush of emotions over his admittance of his inability to 'exist beyond the moment his wife died' and that he has been living in non-linear time; many more brilliant touches are present within this well-structured script.

The characters are surprisingly well defined for a first episode. Normally the main characters undergo a severe change in the shows immediately following; an actor will begin to add their personality to the composite of the person they are playing and these differences are usually noticeable. That doesn't happen on ST: DS9 though, the character flow from pilot to series inception is practically seamless. The best character interchange we get to see in 'Emissary' is the scene in Sisko's new office where he has called together Odo and Quark for a meeting. The tension between Odo and Quark comes into play right away; Quark breaks out in uproarious laughter at Sisko's request for him to remain at DS9 and become a community leader; Odo sarcastically makes the observation that Quark has all the natural qualities of a politician. The addition of the character of Dax allows the show to continue the familiar Trek theme of the differences between our Earth-centric view of everything in terms of humanity and the point of view from an outsider that adds interesting and conflicting complexities. Being over three hundred years old and having existed as a variety of alien beings added a great and very unique dimension to this Trek series. As far as the actors go for this particular show an honorable mention should be made for the young Cirroc Lofton; he stood in for the wormhole aliens in a variety of sequences and did an admirable job. Also his scenes with Avery Brooks as father and son are believable and convincing.

Best line: Sisko and Gul Dukat's first meeting is quite memorable. When Gul Dukat makes a point of how uncomfortably close the Federation members are to the formidable Cardassians Sisko remarks sarcastically "We'll be sure and keep the dog off the lawn."

The best Trek yet!
People will debate this for years to come, but in my opinion, the best Star Trek series ever started here... Deep Space Nine.

Benjamin Sisqo (Avery Brooks) plays the head of a Starfleet delegation sent to bridge relations with the Bajorians. Bajor has been under the enforced rule of the Cardassians for the past 50 years, and after winning their freedom, reluctantly accept the help of the Federation in rebuilding their society. However, the discovery of a wormhole to another sector of the galaxy changes everything.

Over the course of seven seasons, DS9 went from being the afterthought of the Star Trek universe to being the standard bearer. Well thought plotlines, and stories that had consequences made this worth the visit every week. There are weak episodes, and there are great episodes. Make sure you don't miss any. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

snake fire
Buried underneath an avalanche of awfulness in this thriller directed by Happy Day's Potsie Anson Williams are good actors like Christopher Walken and Joanna Cassidy. That Walken is sleepwalking is preferable to when he goes in the other direction and he gets to tell the same anecdote twice, but poor Cassidy is lumbered with an insulting Mrs Robinson wife of a college dean role reduced to having an affair with perenial teen Charlie Schlatter. Schlatter is perhaps the most offensive element of this film, his pretty boy appeal more annoying than charming, totally unbelievable as sexually active and worse a rebel! Things aren't helped by screenwriter Barry Sandler supplying him with smarmy wisecracks, as if he was doing bad Neil Simon. Some of Sandler's gems - "My father is a judge and very objective. He objects to everything I do", "I like going to cemetaries. They remind me I'm alive", and Cassidy gets "The state I was married in was depression". This banter is paced by Williams, well, like TV without the laughtrack, until Josie Bisset as a girl Schlattter is interested in becomes the victim in a series of murders at the college. At least this thankfully ends the romance overplayed with songs on the soundtrack. Schlatter's previous arson connection (symbolised by a snake fetsh. Freud, are you paying attention?) is soon abandoned when different modes of killing are used, and we get stuck in the mentality of police investigation headed by Walken where Schlatter has to prove his innocence in 24 hours. The fact that Schlatter is free implies that his innocence is believed, something the audience doesn't doubt thanks to Williams' stalker POV during Bisset's death, and also is evidence of Walken's teams inaction since Schlatter is left to solve the crimes. If all this isn't stupid enough, Williams adds tilted camera angles, black and white flashbacks which ironically are more flattering to pre-Melrose Place Bissett, a mute groundskeeper out of Universal circa 1932, and incriminating polaroids where the photographer is unknown. As a friend of Bisset, Amy Davis has a likeable presence and certainly more acting ability than Schlatter, even if she is lumbered with the role of a low self-esteemer and given lines like "My cousin Roz has a lizard. I call it the lizard of Roz".

All American B Movie
All American Murder is a flic that I wouldn't waste time writing a review for except Christopher Walken makes this movie memorable. Walkin plays an on the edge homicide detective who is burnt out on life and is looking to catch a good guy for a change, or so he says. The story line is predictable and managed to remind me of how inocent seeming college girls rarely ever are and manage to complicate life. I believe there is one reason this movie is worth owning, Walken's character has a scene where he forces a psychopath in a convienant store to attack him (Walken), instead of harming a pregnant lady. Walken while using a megaphone in front of a crowd of worried onlookers manages to give a speech about the psychopaths inability to please his girlfriend in bed. Walkens dark comical talents we love seeing on SNL twice a year are most certainly present in this movie. ... Read more

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Arguably one of the best episodes of Deep Space Nine and a jewelin the entire Trek canon (it was shown during the Museum of Television and Radio Broadcasting's Tribute to Excellence in 1994), "Duet" is apowerful and moving tale about the apparent capture of a notorious war criminal.When a middle-aged Cardassian (Harris Yulin) arrives on the station to receivemedical treatment, Major Kira (Nana Visitor) accuses him of being a monsternamed Gul Darhe'el, the "Butcher of Gallitepp," who killed thousands of Bajoransat a notorious labor camp. What ensues is an incendiary exchange between Kiraand the imprisoned Darhe'el, in which he boasts provocatively of his crimes andstrikes a nerve in the major by accusing her of ignoring the pain and deaths shecaused as a Resistance terrorist. Seeing red, Kira keeps returning to Darhe'elfor more verbal combat, but Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Odo (Rene Auberjonois)suspect something is amiss.

Pitched by a couple of interns on the show as a Judgement atNuremberg-like courtroom drama, "Duet" was instead given a Man in the Glass Boothspin by writers and coproducers Ira Behr and Peter Fields. Ironically, theepisode was made during a state of end-of-the-season exhaustion and under afrustrating mandate to shoot cheaply. Yet the result is stellar, a morally andpolitically complex drama. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A fantastic work of psychodrama
Wow...this is "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" at its best. The plot is simple (Kira suspects that a sick man brought aboard the station is actually a notorious Cardassian war criminal), but terrific direction, great music, and fantastic acting from everyone involved make this episode totally riveting. Harris Yulin is arguably Star Trek's most impressive guest star ever, and his Dr. Hannibal Lecter-ish role is wonderful. The psychology of prejudice is examined in the simplicity of the interrogation scenes and comes to a head in an incredible ending. A nearly flawless and definitely recommended episode.

"We're guilty, all of us."
This one was definitely a highlight of Deep Space Nine's first season. Playing with the old wounds of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, the writers created an intricately constructed story that parallels some real-world events, but adds enough of its own material to retain a unique flavor.

The plot of this episode takes a number of tricky twists, so I won't go into a summary of them here. It's enough to say that a possible Cardassian war criminal appears on the station, and Kira must determine who he is, and what crimes he committed in the past. The plot, as it unravels, is diabolical, and had me completely fooled and eager to get to the next revelation.

This is an episode hinging on strong performances and steady direction. Harris Yulin as the Cardassian is particularly notable. Two scenes in particular stand out, and I'll try to describe them without giving away any plot points. In the first scene, we see Yulin's character from Major Kira's point of view, and what she sees is genuinely frightening and unsettling. In the second scene, the scripted lines are very similar, but Yulin alters his performance, and the direction is just different enough to throw a completely different spin on what is unfolding on the screen. We see the action through Kira's eyes, and the difference is startling. Kudos to everyone involved for managing to completely change the tone using only the most subtle of means.

This episode proves that Deep Space Nine can do a terrific episode without leaving its main sets. In fact, the narrative rarely moves away from three rooms, and this gives the episode an intense and effective claustrophobic feel. The strong script, excellent performances, and confident direction combine to make this episode one of the best Star Treks that I've seen. This one is definitely recommended, especially to those people who know that science fiction (and indeed good drama) is far more than mere visuals and special effects.

Being Cardassian IS'NT Enough!!!!!
I get COLD CHILLS at the end of this episode.I'm a
Star Trek fan with some HARSH criticism about DS9 but THIS
is one of their Top 10 BEST shows.It's about an alien who tries
to take credit for his old masters murder of Bajoran laborors
to expose his people's attrocoties.He's played by Harry Yulin
who's blood curdling performance and Nane Visitor's emmotionally
charged delivery make "Duet" DS9's highlite.And it's a "bubble
show"-no action takes place outside the space station.But

existing in tandem with real-like documentary films such as
"Schilnders List" this show's theme transendes all science
fiction and is CLASSIC storytelling.I recommend this to all
Trek fans who dissmissed DS9 early on-it more then makes up for
some of the drek later accociated with Star Trek's big black
sheep.

Simply put...
Simply put, this is the best Star Trek episode that I have ever seen, and I have seen the majority of them. Flawless, brilliant, and cutting, this is the best of DS9, and the best of Trek. Those five stars are not enough for this episode.

Not just great Trek, but great storytelling
This is an classic story, and a fascinating and ultimately moving hour of TV. Major Kira, her wounds still fresh (and deep) from her planet's previous occupation by the Cardassians, goes through a major transformation after dealing with an alleged Cardassian war criminal who is apprehended on the space station.

A lot of DS9 episodes may take a little familiarity with the backstory to appreciate, but this episode stands firmly on its own 2 feet. You get all the exposition you need, and the payoff at the end is powerful. Plus, Harris Yulin's performance as the Cardasian suspect is nothing short of awesome. Great sci-fi, but more importantly, great drama. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A good episode with some inconsistencies
This episode has great special effects, and I for one never get tired of great space battles in DS9. However, when compared to previous episodes such as "The Way of the Warrior", it pales in comparison. The Alliance sees fit to send at most six ships to try and retake the station, yet in "The Way of the Warrior" a massive Klingon fleet is dispatched to DS9. And isn't Terok Nor supposed to be orbiting Bajor? What happened to the planet?

Back Through the Looking Glass for Captain Sisko
Jennifer Sisko comes from the Crossover universe to lure Jake back with her and force Captain Sisko to follow. The rebels have taken over Terok Nor (DS9 Crossover counterpart), but an Alliance Fleet led by Regent Worf is coming to take it back. "Smiley" O'Brien had stolen the schematics for the Defiant, but their version of the warship has some problems and they need Sisko's help to get it ready for battle. "Shattered Mirror" has one of the all-time best Star Trek battle sequences at the end and while we might be wary of so many episodes involving the Mirror Universe there is always the pleasure of finding out what Intendant Kira is up to in her catsuit. Unfortunately, this time it has to do with the idea that sometimes there are tragic parallel events in parallel universes. "Shattered Mirror" is a first-class DS9 episode.

Mirror, mirror... Defiant, defiant!
In a great mirror universe adventure Sisko must help O'Brien put the finishing touches to a Defiant they have built, you see an Alliance ship is on it's way with an evil Worf as it's Captain. In a greatly over-acted episode we get to see Worf and Sisko go head to head as the Defiant look-a-like goes up against a ship 10 times the size of it. Great plot and top-notch special effects! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) encounters a planet where none had existed moments before. That planet, Meridian, shifts between dimensions, appearing in our time and space for short spells every 60 years. Upon investigating, Dax falls in love with one of Meridian's inhabitants, Deral (Brett Cullen), setting up a big problem as the clock ticks down to another, imminent dimensional shift. Basically a star-crossed romance from the get-go, "Meridian" doesn't have a lot of mystery to it. But it does have the considerable charm of Terry Farrell, whose Jadzia was always a woman for all seasons onDS9: gorgeous, funny, tough, lusty, a tomboy, a lover, a surrogate sister. Not surprisingly, this character-driven story, with a higher quotient of emotion than usual, was directed by Jonathan Frakes, Riker on The Next Generation and heir to directorial duties on Star Trek feature films. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Getting soapy in space again
Episode title: Meridian

Teleplay by: Mark Gehred O'Connell

Story by: Hilary Bader & Evan Carlos Somers

Directed by: Jonathan Frakes

"Meridian" is one of those low-budget-romantic-TV-movie-turned-into-star-trek kind of episodes. We have a plot about a planet that shifts between dimencions, being 60 years at a time in a foreign dimencion and a couple of days in our own.

The crew of the Defiant just happen to stumble upon it just as it makes it's once-in-sixty-years shift to our universe, and Jazia Dax just happens to fall suddenly in lovewith one of the natives.

We also get a sub plot concerning a rich businesmann visiting DS9 and ending up lusting after Major Kira and ordering a sex programme from Quark featuring our good Major.

Even Jonathan Frakes's competent directing or Terry Farrel's talented performance can't do much for this episode, wich is all about a weak plot combined with old fascioned storytelling.

Yes, a bad episode as DS9 rips off "Brigadoon"
Yes, it is hard not to think of "Brigadoon" when the Defiant discovers the planet Meridian, which phases into the "real" universe every couple of decades. Only during this period of time, which gets shorter each time, can the inhabitants of Meridian age and reproduce. Sisko and crew try to help the planet stabilize and eventually they figure out something that just might possibly work. However, matters are further complicated when Jadziah Dax falls in love with Deral, one of the Meridians, and decides she will stay with him when the planet phases again.

Actually, if this DS9 episode had been a musical that might have been an improvement. Just think of Deral, Sisko and O'Brien dancing around and singing something along the lines of "Go Home with Jadziah Dax." The Dominion is supposed to coming pouring through the wormhole at any moment and Dax is going to leave her friends to die because of a relationship she has established with some new guy in a few days. Can you imagine Curzon doing this? "Meridian" makes "Brigadoon" look like a documentary. This is one of those rare DS9 episodes where the sub-plot, involving a guy named Tiron who gets shot down by Kira and gets Quark to put together a holo-program involving the Major, is more interesting and earns the episode a third star. Oh, well. They cannot all be good, you have to expect bad episodes every once in a while.

BRIGADOON! In space! Just throw 'em in the brig!
Horrible, horrible, and horrible. A cheap rip-off of an arguably bad musical, the cast stretches absolutely no acting muscles in the dull tale of a mythical planet that appears every X-many years for absolutely no reason. The romantic subplot is EXTREMELY difficult to accept, especially given that it surrounds the station's science officer! Avoid at all costs.

Now that was just terrible!
This episode was a complete flounder. The plot was horrid as was the writing. The dialog made me sick, litarally. This was by far the worst Dax episode. (Except for Rejoined, maybe) ... Read more

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Always intent on tackling big themes in unique ways, the various StarTrek series have covered the subject of death, from suicide to terminalillness to euthanasia, a number of times over the years. "Life Support"continues that bold tradition with a challenging story about dying andmedical ethics. A radiation accident brings Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim),Bajoran leader and lover of Major Kira (Nana Visitor), to the brink of deathon the eve of important negotiations with the Cardassians. Aware of hiscondition but determined to see a historic treaty struck, Bareil pleads withDr. Bashir (Alexander Singer) to keep him alive and conscious so he can coachthe less diplomatic Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) through the difficult talks.Bashir, who would rather place Bareil in indefinite stasis while seeking acure, reluctantly yields but then protests as Kai Winn and Kira plead forgreater and grimmer interventions to stave off the inevitable.

The strong butflawed script by Ronald D. Moore tries to lighten things up with a trivial,secondary story line about a conflict between Jake Sisko (Chiroc Lofton) andNog (Aron Eisenberg), as if the main action is nothing but a turn-off. Infact, Bareil's tragedy is presented with painful honesty about the wisdom andmorality of sustaining a life that might reasonably be called something lessthan human. The crossfire of altruistic and selfish interest between sundrycharacters makes for compelling drama, and the final scene of parting betweenthe living and dying is quite moving. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A major step for the series, a minor one for the writers
Episode title: Life Support

Teleplay by: Ronald D. Moore

Story