4.23 — “To the Death”
Plot: The Defiant returns from an away mission to find DS9 reeling from a Jem’Hadar attack. Sisko pursues the Jem’Hadar through the Wormhole to find another Jem’Hadar ship, commanded by the Vorta Weyoun, that wants to ally with him to hunt down the attackers.
Thoughts: One of the things I love about original Star Trek is that it is malleable enough to support stories in all different genres. I appreciate it when the continuing Star Trek franchises build on this tradition by finding new modes of expression. I approved the effort when TNG pivoted to soap opera (2.14, “The Icarus Factor”) and gothic romance (7.14, “Sub Rosa”), even if the episodes themselves had shortcomings. “To the Death” is a Dirty Dozen-type suicide mission story. We haven’t seen that before!
It’s smart to focus on the relationship between the Federation and Jem’Hadar crews, rather than action. Reportedly 35 seconds of fighting was cut from the episode by censors because of violence. Dax and Worf were supposed to kill up to two dozen additional rogue Jem’Hadar.
I think the overall product is a good episode, especially for Weyoun as the Vorta and his scene with Odo. It does raise some questions, though.
The Jem’Hadar are depicted as living without rest, recreation, self-expression, or art. Does that seem realistic? It seems like this would be a source of vulnerability, for not having sufficient scope of imagination, sense of being, or purpose.
Is the decision to join with Weyoun and the Jem’Hadar crew really one that Sisko can undertake without consulting either his senior staff or Starfleet?
I thought that DS9 4.4, “Hippocratic Oath,” had established that the Federation as being on the side of any rebel Jem’Hadar who oppose The Dominion. The enemy of my enemy is my… enemy? We should understand more about the rebels. Rebelling against The Dominion should be non-trivial because of genetic programming and the White.
I don’t buy the ticking clock. Why it would be impossible for either Dominion or Federation reinforcements to be summoned in a timely fashion? Why this isn’t even attempted, if the stakes are as high as Weyoun claims? To their credit, the writers are aware of this, which is why a lot of speeches start with “Let me get this straight…” or similar phrases.
Is it really so trivial to best a Jem’Hadar in hand-to-hand combat? Don’t they spend their whole lives training to fight?
Are there no female infantry in the Federation? Why are no women besides Dax involved in the assault? Star Trek, this is a missed opportunity. You screwed up.
Let me get this straight: they have a dampening field that renders all phaser rifles in the area inoperative? Convenient.
I find I can overlook a lot when the dialogue is witty, and in the presence of strong characters, good direction, and an ambitious, action-filled premise.
By the way, the Iconian Gateway reference is to TNG 2.11, “Contagion,” an episode where Picard takes military action to prevent the Romulans from achieving the same technology, except that the plot was more convoluted and involved computer viruses. https://plus.google.com/u/0/112507191344108443039/posts/V3UyJQECGeF
4 out of 5 vials of The White.
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