4.11 — “Homefront”
Plot: A shocking act of terrorism brings Sisko and Jake home to Earth in the company of Odo to share their expertise regarding security against Changeling infiltrators. Sisko’s father welcomes them for a visit. Wouldn’t you know? He doesn’t like to follow the rules. What sacrifices will the Federation make for the sake of security?
Thoughts: Recommendation for first-time DS9 watchers–Don’t read the spoiler trivia on IMDB about this episode!
This two-parter is a combination effort from two of DS9’s best writers, Robert Hewitt Wolfe and showrunner Ira Steven Behr. Encouragingly, both writers worked on the second half as well, which also has a story contributed by Ronald D. Moore.
I like how the murder of 27 people is a sufficient shock to support the story after over 100 years of comity; they don’t have to pull a gross stunt like exploding planet Vulcan to grab attention, and more importantly, the imagination.
A great scene is Bashir and O’Brien talking to Quark in the bar during the break from their holoprogram. Some of their dialogue is lifted from the text of “The Banter Sketch” from Monty Python. These writers are burning inspiration. Quark flips our expectations by grabbing the last word. “Hew-mons. All you care about is yourselves.” Not their bank balances!
It’s good storytelling that the Dominion wants to strike us for the purpose of “undermining the trust and mutual understanding the Federation is built on.” This goes to the core of what makes Star Trek tick, and threatens it in a way that enables us to look more closely at the premise. I want to know what happens next. I’m starting to resent having to watch Voyager in between episodes.
What’s off? I like the character of Sisko’s father, played by Brock Peters, but the dialogue in the restaurant always seems a bit false. Peters played an Admiral in Star Trek IV and VI.
4 out of 5 fathers who make their sons paranoid.
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