Deep
Space Nine Season 2 Improves, Thankfully.
By
Kristin Battestella
After
the faulty onset of the Star Trek spinoff
Deep Space Nine, the series’ second
season has a lot of damage control on its hands. Fortunately, things are much
better for this 93-94 Year Two.
Bajoran
and Cardassian relations are not going too well, and Commander Benjamin Sisko
(Avery Brooks) and his Bajoran liaison Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) are
caught in the middle of the tensions along with Deep Space Nine. Maquis rebellions against the Federation and
trouble on the other side of the wormhole in the Gamma Quadrant aren’t making
life on the station any easier for Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and Doctor
Julian Bashir (Siddig El Fadil). Security
Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) is still seeking his place as a shapeshifter
among the humanoids on DS9, but Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) is
looking for profit through the wormhole with a little group called The
Dominion.
Deep Space Nine begins to come into its own with a great three-part opener, “The Homecoming,”
“The Circle,” and “The Siege.” Multi part and in depth storylines give this
series a chance to establish itself beyond The
Next Generation copies and traditional Trek
ideals. The heavy “The Jem’Hadar” finale, other smartly planted touches
regarding the Dominion enemy, and Mirror Universe examinations in “Crossover”
further define the uneasy amid the supposedly tranquil. Yes, the Mirror plots may seem like a cop out
way to spotlight our players by showing how they alternatively could be so bad.
However, these properly used insights and ties to the original Star Trek in “Blood Oath” add nostalgia
and older creditability to DS9’s
repertoire. Besides, Mirror treats are
always a fun, healthy way to twist things without doing a throwaway comedy
episode like “Rivals.” There is definitely something more to Deep Space Nine beyond the TNG dark side and Trek filler. Some players on DS9,
it turns out, don’t like each other very much; comings and goings on the
station are not always what they seem, as showcased in “Sanctuary” and the
aptly named “Cardassians.” The Late
season “Maquis I and II” gets right to the core of DS9’s growing
specialty. The idyllic Federation life way
back on Earth can’t handle all the frontier trouble facing Deep Space Nine, can
it?
However,
there are still plenty of troubles on Deep
Space Nine. We’re stuck on a dark
and dated space station, and the confined setting and wayward plotting feel like
a step down in production, even amateurish. We don’t see wondrous explorations
from week to week, and some of the compensating alien makeup is either too
weird and inconceivable or ho hum humanoid. Really, dudes with prosthetic giblets
over their lips yet they’re still drinking synthehol at Quark’s? Internal episode pacing is also patchy. There’s
a lot going on on this show, perhaps too much.
TNG filler, TOS homage, dry Bajoran politics,
Cardissian angst, Maquis trouble, and Dominion rumblings along with character bottle
shows. Can one series, let alone one
season of a show, handle all that? While there have been considerable storyline
strides since the first season, the viewer is still expected to wait on the supposedly
major and important plots for an offshoot fluff show. The 26-episode order seems
so long today, almost feeling as if it is an excuse to meander. We’re two seasons in now, and this is really
an awful lot of episodes for us to not
intimately know all our players. Some finer
episodes still come across as TNG
retreats, too. Crowded and spotty A and B or C storylines still don’t give the
audience the vital character development we need. Though Oscar winner Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) is
great as guest star Vedek Winn and Frank Langella’s (Frost/Nixon) surprise Minister Jaro is a treat; I’m kind of tired
of Bajoran corruption and Kai politics. How many times can we go round and round
because it’s so important yet have
its resolutions disappear for 20 episodes? Deep
Space Nine feels so roundabout thanks to this burden of riches, and the
series does tread some water this season while trying to find its place.
Fortunately,
individual episodes like “Second Sight” create more interest and romance for
Benjamin Sisko. Although “Paradise” is another
sub par TNG plot, a strong
performance from Brooks allows Sisko to step it up as needed, seen likewise in
his battles with Gul Dukat in “The Maquis I and II.” It’s also wonderful to see his alternate rogue
in “Crossover,” simply because Mirror Sisko is much more head-to-head and badass. We know Sisko can do much more; it’s just a
matter of giving Brooks episodes with enough room to shine. Also lacking in episodic focus is Cirroc
Lofton as Jake Sisko. The commander’s son is still too absentee for a regular
character family dynamic, but his storylines are pleasing when we get them- as
seen in the “The Jem’Hadar” finale. Thankfully, the explorations for Major Kira
are observed through different lenses in “Crossover,” “Sanctuary,” and “Necessary
Evil.” Her relationship with Philip
Anglim as Vedek Bariel in “The Collaborator” just feels left field stale and
unnecessary, yes. It’s not easy for the former militant to find herself in this
newfound peace and uniting with the less than perfect Federation, but we know
who Kira is, was, and wants to be. No man is needed to define the character
anyway, and the already given opportunities for family and relationships get
shafted. However, Kira’s uneasy peaceful parallels are a nice embodiment of the
gloomy Trek trying to come across on Deep Space Nine.
Colm
Meaney as Miles O’Brien is also his usual steady in “Tribunal,” “Armageddon
Game,” and the perfectly un-Trek “Whispers.”
They don’t do much to expand the
character, but more reasons for the audience to love O’Brien are always a good
thing. I don’t know why the writers seem
to have a go-to for letting people mess with the Chief! Rosalind Chao’s Keiko is again underutilized in
terms of appearances and realistic marriage representations, unfortunately. Why
create couples of the week when you have a married regular? I digress. At least
Chao provides solid marital support when tasked. Rene Auberjonois is also
superb in “The Alternate.” His unique outlook and begrudging attitude are a
welcome change of pace in the usually happy Trek
family, and Odo stands out whether he has a few moments or an entire
centric episode. Similarly, even if you
find the Ferengi too outright comedic, Armin Shimerman as Quark and Ferengi
focused shows like “Rules of Acquisition” are wonderfully insightful and revealing.
The Ferengi are supposedly so corrupt, merely an imperfect race of ugly little
trolls compared to pleasant Trek pretties.
Nevertheless, DS9 shows us so much
more- including the plight of female Ferengi and the loveably cranky Wallace
Shawn as Grand Nagus Zek. Max Grodenchik
as Quark’s brother Rom and Aron Eisenberg as nephew Nog are always endearing,
too. If I had to choose between musty, sluggish
Deep Space Nine filler and misuses of
Odo like “Shadowplay” or Ferengi fun like “Profit and Loss,” I say bring on the
latinum.
Once
again, despite several Trill centric episodes- including “Invasive Procedures,”
“Playing God,” and “Blood Oath”- we still don’t know that much about Jadzia
herself. Strangely, we know a lot more about prior Dax hosts while Jadzia
remains the stagnant but pretty talking head tech babbler. Big whoop. On the rare occasion she does give
an answer or contribution, it’s usually a convenient experience from the symbiont.
Likewise still underdeveloped, even Bashir focused shows like “Melora” aren’t
actually about him. We know he’s a
compassionate doctor in a budding O’Brien friendship- a doctor who plays
racquetball in the subpar “Rivals.” Wow. Fortunately, the recurring players are once more
perfection. The transitions for Bajor and the Federation aren’t supposed to be
easy, but imagine if Marc Alaimo were taking the piss as Dukat at every morning meeting. It’d be more
interesting than Jake’s few and far between nothing new teenage drama. The
second tier regulars should be developed more or they should make room for the
waiting in the wings recurring characters.
We don’t know much about them either, but they are intriguing,
mysterious, and the allure keeps Deep
Space Nine going when the these limp regulars fail. Andrew Robinson’s Garak is again wonderful in
“The Wire.” Seriously, why isn’t there a regular Cardassian always on the show?
Mary Crosby (Dallas) also gives us a fine female Cardassian
spin in “Profit and Loss,” and John Colicos, Michael Ansara, and William
Campbell are also great Klingons in homage to TOS in “Blood Oath.”
The
problems that plagued Year 1 are still felt here in Round 2, definitely, and
there is still a long way to go towards Trek
greatness. However, with its tighter possibilities, budding promises and
potential, and less reliance on its predecessors, Deep Space Nine Season 2 feels like a far, far better introduction
to this series. Dare I say it, but those completely new to Trek may even forgo Season 1 altogether and begin fresh here. Even in a feeling long season, there are only
a handful of less than stellar episodes here to stall an audience, making
Season 2 of Deep Space Nine a vast
improvement over its rocky beginnings.
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