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Penumbra / 'Til Death Do Us Part

Deep Space Nine's 10-part finale presents a multitude of separate story arcs, each starting almost randomly in any given episode they choose to and continuing through to any other. For the purposes of focusing in on Sisko's dealing with the latest prophecy from the wormhole prophet aliens, it is chiefly the first two episodes of the ten that we need to look at, before moving on to the final two-episode conclusion.

In hindsight, it really is a silly contrivance by the writers to have another prophecy here at all, trying to add some drama and tension to a development that normally shouldn't really produce anything but harmony. What we end up with in this thread is very similar to the situation in the Next Generation's 5th season episode "A Matter of Time", where information from the future suddenly introduces a lot of doubt and second guessing into a present-time event that could have done without it. The Next Generation crew eventually rose above all that by learning to examine the character of the messenger with an appropriately critical eye. It is sadly more common on Star Trek to regard visitors from the future with an almost religious reverence that shouldn't be questioned too deeply, and with today's messenger being the Prophets, that concept is made about as literal as it could be.

Our critical eye, with hindsight from the end of the 10-episode arc, would also point out that there isn't much validity or logic to the Prophets' warning either. Exactly how does marrying Kassidy produce nothing but sorrow? All they can really do is predict that Sisko and Kassidy will be parted at the end of the show.... regardless of whether or not they get married. Any study of people believing they are near the end of their lives reveals that very few regret the things they've done, but most regret the things they never found the time and courage to do. Sisko and Kassidy shouldn't let getting married become one of the things they both regret never doing. Even if it's only going to last for about three or four hundred stardates, surely there is less sorrow for having enjoyed marriage for that short time than not doing it all.

I would also point out that the events that separate the two at the end feel quite subject to random variation, and aren't logically inevitable at all. More writers' contrivance. But perhaps that discussion is best saved for the two-hour finale itself.

The second episode begins Kai Winn's participation in this massive concluding story, and gives her a classic introductory scene, before branching out into very new and interesting territory for her. In fact, if it's this easy for Winn to mistake a vision from the Pagh Wraiths for one from the Prophets, and similar seemed to happen to Sisko in the season opener, perhaps all the more reason for Sisko to question the information from his own visions in this one.

One thing I found most strange was Winn's candour in advertising to all and sundry that the Prophets had never spoken to her. In most Earthly religions, the heads of any order supposedly have an exclusive line of communication with God, and gain their power by making their subjects believe they need to go through them to have any connection with God. Personally, I don't subscribe to that kind of set-up, but it seems to me that Winn is practically declaring herself unfit for the job of Kai by making such a fact so widely known.

To be fair, Kai Winn receives here what is probably the deepest character exploration she has ever had on the show, an element that reaches its zenith in the third of the ten episodes of this arc. Sadly, as was the case with Dukat in "Waltz", she isn't very interesting afterwards, and will only have one or two standout moments later despite the large quantity of screen time she gets.

Dukat's best moment in the entire ten-part story occurs at the beginning of episode two, as we see him being the chief mentor inspiring his old Cardassian buddy Damar to rise to something greater. Even here, there is something richer and nobler still within Dukat, and this remains the way I prefer to remember him. For the most part, the remainder of the Dukat/Winn scenes during this ten-part story quickly became one of its dullest elements, receiving far more screen time than it deserved, and confusing the hell out of me on first broadcast when I tuned back in after a two-year absence and saw little more than episodes 4, 7, and 8 before the big double-length conclusion.

The Ezri/Worf interlude also took things too far for my tastes, although it at least had several good scenes within it and ultimately dredged up some information that led to better things later on.

But "Extreme Measures" filters out much of the noise and allows me to enjoy my favourite DS9 finale thread uninterrupted for a whole episode, packed with moments that I appreciated, and for that, I'll happily rank it ahead of many of the finale's other episodes.

The Dukat/Winn plot concerning Prophets and Pagh Wraiths is the real weak-point here, and feels clumsily tacked on to the rest of the story at this point. Many preceding episodes of the final arc have witnessed this subplot dragging itself along with little purpose and God only knows what being at stake.... arguably there might be enough here to fuel a decent two-part adventure, but as a 10-part subplot in the shadow of the Dominion War, it gets lost. Dukat makes a final vague speech about the whole universe being set in flames, but I really don't believe such a threat from him at this point. Besides, shouldn't the script ask Marc Alaimo to play Kosst Amogen at this point, instead of Dukat? Cirroc Lofton presented a far more compelling version of this villain in season six, while the story and effects work in "The Reckoning" did a better job of convincing us that huge threats from the Pagh Wraiths should be taken seriously.

Sadly, as much as I like to promote involvement in the face of considerations like the Prime Directive and time travel, the world of the Prophets has continued to become decidedly more enemy-centered ever since the Pagh Wraiths were introduced in early season five, with season seven now displaying little else from them, and Sisko's pursuit of his role with the Prophets has led him to lower philosophical ideals instead of higher ones. It's a very one-dimensional, enemy-centered final act that Behr and Beimler give Sisko to perform at the end of this series, and doesn't make a lot of sense practically, physically, or meta-physically. I have to seriously take issue with Behr's concept of "turning Sisko into a god", which he talks about in his DVD interviews. Exactly what does "a god" mean to him that he thinks any man could be eligible to become one? What are his criteria? The over-abused resource-stressed concept of sacrifice, leading to a mystical, non-corporeal after-life with riddles for communication? I don't quite think there's a way to make this work, or more importantly a reason for it to be a worthy goal in the first place.

Which brings us to Sisko's fulfillment of prophecy. Most time travel stories get into trouble because of the way that future outcomes are already known, and the characters somehow wind up with the conviction that they can't actually aim for the most ideal outcome possible, or that one thing must be sacrificed to preserve another good thing. Third density thinking for sure.

The concept of the Prophets not understanding linear time seems to be contradicted by season seven, when they think they know exactly what will happen to Ben Sisko, and leave him little room to make better choices.

And when you finally see what they're talking about in the two-part finale to the entire show, it really doesn't make any sense that the ludicrous events that play out were at all inevitable, or likely, or even remotely logical. There's a lot of writers' contrivance at work there, not to mention a very simplistic, dualistic good vs. evil mentality that grates against the rich tapestry that DS9 otherwise enjoyed elsewhere.

Still, some good bits may require one to look closer in order to appreciate them. In her half-hidden DVD extra interview, actress Louise Fletcher seems convinced that her character of Kai Winn "sheds a lifetime of hypocrisy", indicating that she never really believed in the Prophets. But look carefully at when the character says that. She's in the middle of an extended bluff to gain Dukat's confidence, just prior to poisoning him. How much truth is there in all the varying things she says, versus how much is made up for his benefit? There are still shades of grey and richer dynamics going on with Winn even to the last, and is her final act not to help the Emissary against the Pagh Wraiths? Once more, as an unpredictable third party, Winn keeps an otherwise one-dimensional scene interesting.

DS9 has a lot of threads that do work really well in its intense final 10 episode arc, including the two-part finale, and it's a very moving end for a good series. I am left wondering about the precise details of exactly what is passed between Odo and the other Changelings throughout the seven years of the show each time they link - and exactly what he can logically pass on to them to resolve their trust of solids now that he wasn't able to share with them before. This is a good angle, but needs a bit more of a dramatic turn in it to make it feel believable and logical. Somehow I didn't get the impression that a romance with Kira would make that much difference, and don't forget that the other Changeling of the 100 that we met earlier this season had already had a similar experience. What of the 100 anyway? What is their status concerning the disease or the things they had learned through experience or their allegiance to the Dominion?

Rick Berman and Ira Behr both admit they wish they could have had more episodes to tie up a few more loose ends from the series. The one that is missing most for me is the status of Bajor's admittance into the Federation. Is it all a done deal but for the paperwork and ceremony, now that the big war is over, or is there still cause for deliberation? It seems there would have been sufficient time in the finale for a few words on the subject, particularly as Captain Picard defined THIS as Sisko's primary mission in the pilot episode, but it seems the writers' interests had moved on in the meantime. We really haven't learned anything new in the last two-and-a-half years on this subject, since season five's excellent episode "Rapture". Personally, I think the Federation should admit Bajor, and let Kira keep her Starfleet uniform permanently. However, should the Prophets apply, they should be denied until they can resolve their explosive differences with the Pagh Wraiths (arguably two factions of the same race) and until they demonstrate some higher philosophical and social ideals.

Sisko and Ross get into a no-win scenario when they needlessly promise to drink bloodwine with Martok. Of course they can't actually go through with it for very good reasons.... but at the same time, how can they pour such an expensive vintage onto the street without seriously insulting Martok, and by extension the entire Klingon Empire? That can't be good for interstellar relations. Time to ask Martok to respect an Earthly mourning ritual instead, or something.

Perhaps some of Behr's indulgences made the final two-part show less than it otherwise would have been, and things that they could easily get away with in earlier stand-alone episodes feel a bit too out of place in the finale - a prime example is that Vic Fontaine's song probably should not have been full-length while the rest of the cast have nothing to do but smile, particularly since the finale already indulges in other music-only montages at other points that work much better.

Background music on DS9 gets noticeably more emotional and exciting nearer the end of the run, and Dennis McCarthy seems to do his best Star Trek work ever during the actual double-length finale. Bravo! The final scenes are very powerfully scored, and the music here is worth listening to all on its own many times over. Excellent!

When all is said and done, I do enjoy this show, and its finale, which easily had a more engaging event to show us than the Next Generation had managed during its finale. Deep Space Nine goes out on a high, after a very cathartic finish that leaves its audience with much to think about in the aftermath. Hats off to a fine piece of art!

1. Take Me Out to the Holosuite (Probably the best expression of DS9 team spirit I have ever seen, and probably my strongest memory from any non-mythology episode in season seven. One of the most key images from the pilot - baseball, an image critical to the character of Bajor's Emissary, gets the full focus for an episode. And though such an episode simply must get made, it then goes on to knock it out of the park on so many levels, particularly finding the perfect victory for one of Sisko's recurring issues that would most boggle his Vulcan opponent while infectiously uplifting the audience. Nice.)
2. Chrysalis (A sweet story of helping someone see the galaxy anew, complete with many archetypal strengths, and staying slightly ahead of some of the expected clichés. Apart from logic wanting some early scenes to swap places in the sequence, this was a solid, optimistic Trek episode.)
3. Finale 7: Extreme Measures (It's rare during the final serialized push to find an episode entirely focused on one thread, but here it is, and it's the most satisfying episode of the final lot. This one gives us some enjoyable satisfation regarding Section 31 and it celebrates the O'Brien/Bashir relationship with some great teamwork and camaraderie, all while furthering the big plot and making THE most important contribution to its ultimate successful resolution. Nice one!)
4. Afterimage (Star Trek is back, successfully pondering where no navel has pondered before. Ezri's orientation episode digs nicely into interesting aspects of several characters, keeps its story well-structured and believable, and ends in a good place. Two thumbs up.)

5. Treachery, Faith and the Great River (More is done here to define and expand what we know about the Vorta [and a little bit about the Changelings] than anywhere else in DS9. Plus we see Nog in his element, with O'Brien's priceless reactions. Like "The Abandoned" from S3, an important episode, quite nicely done.)
6. It's Only a Paper Moon (Nog's recovery is one of the more pleasant, interesting, and memorable stories of the season, and Vic Fontaine was used well here. Funny that this tale is usually the one that came to my mind whenever I read about other fans' blind devotion to "In the Pale Moonlight" and they neglected to mention any story details.)
7. Chimera (Odo's meeting with another of the 100 amnesiac explorers of his own kind is an important episode, mostly well done. Though it makes an unnecessary mistake at one point, it also scores a number of good victories and comes out on top as one of my favourite and more memorable episodes of the season.)
8. Image in the Sand / Shadows and Symbols (At last, instead of more "everything" episodes, we get here a nicely focused ABC-plot structure with some solid successes and intriguing developments, and only a few out-and-out gaffes.)
9. Tears of the Prophets (It's good to start viewing Season 7 with this Season 6 finale. It's slightly more focused than the other "everything" episodes of season six, and it changes the landscape in several ways, thus we know season seven is going to be different. But somehow, Terry Farrell's failed negotiating tactics forced the only event that I could still remember going back into this for the 3rd... 4th?... time, after many years.)
10. Inter Armin Silent Legit Leaches (Wait, Armin wears Ferengi make-up, and doesn't a legit out-rank a Cardassian gul, or is it the other way around? Ummmm, Inter Aroma Ezri Silent Riches.... What was this episode? Oh, yes. Bashir and Sloan, and Romulus. And Admiral Ross, of course. Interesting, yes. Righteous, to a point. Good production value! But not quite an outstanding story.)
11. Finale 9 & 10: What You Leave Behind (The goodbye thread mostly hits highly emotional bullseyes but sometimes misfires. The war A-plot is wrapped up satisfactorily, but with some character turns not quite justified satisfactorily. Finally, the firecave quest gets lost pursuing levels that aren't even interesting or relevant to the series. Lots of good stuff here, but much more defocused than many other episodes.)
12. Finale 3: Strange Bedfellows (Many of the most fascinating turning points in Deep Space Nine's final push occur here in this episode, including Kai Winn's most deeply involved story ever, while the pressure on Damar builds to its erupting point. It's very noticeable and odd at this point, that recurring guest characters get the main focus and most of the screentime, while the regulars are stuck with background or supporting roles....)
13. Finale 5: When It Rains... (Some fascinating new threads appear here, the two involving Dr. Bashir being my favourites. The report from the last episode's battle was far more interesting than seeing the battle firsthand. Odo and Kira's journey was okay, particularly Kira's transformation. But I didn't care for the Klingon plot with its ugly ceremonies, and Winn and Dukat are treading water by this point, desperate for worthy material.)

14. Finale 8: The Dogs of War (At times as de-focused as one of last year's "everything" episodes, this one does at least succeed with two strong stories at its heart, one nicely wrapping up the show's Ferengi ensemble, the other furthering the A-plot on Cardassia in a decent but somewhat unremarkable fashion. Add in a reminder/inching-forward of everything else on the show - these bits are typically not great in-and-of themselves but remain decent, and you're now prepped for the big double-length finish...)
15. Prodigal Daughter (This somewhat-sequel to "Honor Among Thieves" is less sordid, mostly, and a worthy exploration of Ezri's family. It was headed for a higher rank until its dark turns appeared near the end.)
16. The Emperor's New Cloak (DS9's final annual Mirror Universe chapter feels like a mess, with each character inhabiting a different episode with a different style. I don't mind the humour, but it doesn't fit all these dark characters whom I don't like. At least the plot keeps moving, covers all its bases, and turns out not too unpleasant, but it's still too aimless and unsatisfying to counterbalance all its darker blunders.)
17. Once More Unto the Breach (The first Klingon John Colicos elevates an otherwise cookie-cutter quest-for-honour-and-glory battle plot. Has good CGI opticals, but the ideas are far too old-hat to excite anymore.)

18. Finale 2: 'Til Death Do Us Part (This one is an improvement on its predecessor. It has several surprise twists and most plot threads develop in interesting ways. But scene content [prisoner cell, rambling dialogue] is often not exciting.)
19. Finale 4: The Changing Face of Evil (This one seems to go plodding through various plots without much heart or inspiration. The Dukat/Winn scenes eat up a lot of time without becoming interesting and are full of imagery that we shouldn't have to look at. Meanwhile other threads that should be interesting just paint by numbers and wind up average. We actually get a space battle, but it's pretty dull, marked only by a pointless stunt that is later annulled and forgotten. The episode's final twist is probably its best contribution to the ongoing arc.)
20. Finale 1: Penumbra (This episode is not satisfying with any of the threads that it tackles. The Ezri and Worf plot seemed to be making progress in getting them to face their issue, and then it went one unnecessary step too far. Sisko's wedding plans are pretty boring, and their opposition made no sense. Dukat inexplicably begins his biggest mistake, while it's same-old, same-old for the rest of the villains. Hmmph.)
21. Badda-Bing Badda-Bang (Disappearing into the holodeck too often on Star Trek can really backfire without profound appeal. In this case, the rob-the-casino plot was too thin and uninspired, while the style took over and appeared far too self-indulgent from the producers. They jumped the shark on Vic Fontaine with this one. Definitely not my cup of tea, but it was a pleasant cup nonetheless; I'll give it that.)
22. Finale 6: Tacking Into the Wind (The two main threads focused on in this episode both boil down to petty bickering amongst characters supposedly on the same side - huge distractions from the main plot we're interested in. Gowron's thread and character don't even make enough sense to be here at all. The third thread for Bashir remains the one I'm most invested in, but it just treads water during this episode until its final scene.)

23. The Siege of the AR- Episode Number (Soldiers pondering their navels again, eh? Hmmm... Possibly some "Day of the Dove" antagonist type creatures are feeding off audience response to this somewhere. Even Bill Mumy's welcome presence isn't enough for me to say this one is at all worthwhile.)
24. Field of Fire (This one is an ugly trawl of bad psychological advice & example, and bizarre that all our regulars gradually make themselves more and more scarce to let Ezri try to solve the mystery all on her own. None of the guest characters are interesting or likeable, especially Joran. Skip this one. Deny the emotional-feeding creatures.)
25. Covenant (45 minutes totally wasted on bad imagery, which comes in the shell of the boring old prisoner formula plot. This one is best skipped when going through DS9. Deny the emotional-feeding creatures.)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season Seven (1998-1999): 24 episodes @ 43 minutes + finale movie @ 91 minutes. Get your copy of this 7-disc DVD set from the links below: DVD Extras include: Crew Dossier featurette: Benjamin Sisko Crew Dossier featurette: Jake Sisko Ending an Era featurette The Last Goodbyes featurette "Section 31" barely hidden interviews of DS9's recurring guest cast Photo Gallery
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