3.9 — “Defiant”

3.9 — “Defiant”

Plot: Deep Space Nine receives a visit from Will Riker. Wait a second… that’s not Will Riker! Meanwhile, Sisko must undertake a distasteful collaboration with Gul Dukat to avoid war between the Federation and the Cardassian Empire.

What I like: The teaser of this episode is well-played. “You have to expect the unexpected.” I like seeing Riker and Kira interacting on DS9 as professionals (before the Maquis reveal). It makes me wish that we had gotten a full fledged crossover movie between the TNG and DS9 casts (I don’t strongly recall what happens in the remaining TNG films, but I don’t think this is in the cards).

Sisko’s look when he realizes the Defiant has been stolen from under his nose, and there’s nothing he can do about it, is priceless.

What isn’t good: The episode goes off the rails a little after Tom Riker takes command of the Defiant and we flail around for half an hour figuring out how to wrap things up. Since when is Gul Dukat a peacemaker who will risk everything to avoid war? This feels like a plotline borrowed from another (better) story.

The plot bends over backwards to return matters to the status quo ante without allowing Tom Riker to do anything very bad. I’ve been hearing that DS9 really takes off in the third season, but so far I’m not consistently feeling it. I feel more like we’re floundering and second season was more on target.

The Obsidian Order isn’t very intimidating here. I feel like there should have been another turn of the screw, not just an orderly surrender by Tom that goes exactly according to Sisko’s plan.

Rating: 3 out of 5 sucker punch phaser blasts.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Defiant_(episode)