3.1 — “The Search, Part I”
Plot: The officers despair to mount an effective defense of DS9 and the planet Bajor against a potential Dominion invasion, and even consider the drastic step of collapsing the wormhole. Sisko returns from his Starfleet debrief with a surprise: the warship Defiant, a prototype starship developed to fight against the Borg, equipped with a cloaking device. Acknowledging a slim chance of survival, Sisko announces their mission is to fly the Defiant cloaked through the Gamma Quadrant to find the leaders of the Dominion, known as the Founders, and to convince them that the Federation does not represent a threat.
What I Like: Everything! This is an action-packed episode, with ambitious storylines and sharply defined conflict between the characters. In fact, Odo is written so sharply, he appears to have an attitude problem.
There is good dialogue. I like Sisko’s conversation with Kira about Odo, which sounds like two real co-workers talking.
Even better is Sisko’s conversation with Jake about finally coming to view DS9 (“this Cardassian monstrosity”) as home, and about his commitment to protect Bajor, even if it means sacrificing his life and those of his officers.
Best is Kira’s line to Odo, “I want you to see that you are still needed here, no matter what. some. idiot. Starfleet admiral might think!” I didn’t know I had been waiting to hear that line my whole life until she said it.
I can’t overlook this burn from Odo to Kira: “Are you the ship’s counselor now?” It’s the contemptuous sneer. The writers still will not give Troi a break.
The submarine silent running motif sets up some good action and peril. They effectively milk the uncertainty as to whether the cloaking technology can stand up to Dominion scanners. I am intrigued to see where the Odo story will go.
I’m not sure what to think about Sisko’s decision to leave O’Brien and Bashir behind at the outpost. I don’t approve (because of course there should be a magical way to save them!). Perhaps we will learn more about this in the second half.
What Isn’t Good: Nothing! Well, I’m not sure yet about the design silhouette of the Defiant. It doesn’t look very distinctive, and perhaps because of TV budget restrictions, we don’t get much of a beauty pass to get a good view. A lot of ink has been spilled about the design choices, and I feel like I’m open to persuasion. I’m sure there will be a DVD featurette.
What Makes It Star Trek?: For an action-heavy episode, this feels like Star Trek. The ship-to-ship battle with the consoles exploding feels at home with the Original Series films. The precedent for modeling space combat after submarine battles is established in TOS 1.14, “Balance of Terror,” and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Sisko’s mission to seek to solve conflict by increasing understanding is pure Trek. And the episode ends with a first contact with a new species! I can’t wait to see where the story goes next week.
Rating: 5 out of 5 prototype warships.
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