In the tenth episode of the first season of Deep Space Nine, Quark plays the worst game ever. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Well, that wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Most of it was entertaining, and there are quite a few good ideas here, but mostly? That was weird as hell. Let’s discuss!
The Good!
So, again, I think the writers had a few cool ideas to subvert tropes used in the Star Trek universe. I am obsessed with the willingness of this show to portray Sisko as a loving, caring father to Jake. There are a lot of contentious, conflict-riddled relationships on this show, and I love that. But I also love that these two are allowed the space to show affection for one another, and the whole birds-and-the-bees subplot is downright adorable. It’s that sort of character depth that gives… well, depth to “Move Along Home.” I think that the same attention is given to Quark and to Kira here, but otherwise?
Well, I’ll get to that in a bit. I think that one of the best jokes this show has made is in the Wadi because we expect a certain dignity and formality to the way first contact plots unfold. Hell, that’s what this episode was building up to anyway! Sisko was nervous about playing a role he rather wished someone else could, and he wanted everything to go perfectly. I think it was downright hilarious that the Wadi showed up just for a casino. They didn’t care about cultural exchange or the act of exploration. Nope, they wanted to play games. THE END.
Bless this show.
And I think that there’s something valuable in the way the show took Quark, an egocentric character who pursues a profit at all costs, and asked him to make a profit while taking a life. I think it’s an interesting premise, and for the most part, it’s executed well. We watch as realization dawns on him, and then, because there’s no real risk to him, he continues playing the game, eager to get more gems. But when one pawn is taken out and he must “sacrifice” a second, he panics. He panics in a way we’ve never seen, and I thought it was significant because this was genuinely about another person. The worst he might lose in this scenario was money. But he believed that he’d be sacrificing the life of one of the senior staff of DS9, and it was unfathomable to him. He couldn’t choose it.
The Not-So-Good
Which seems really weird because Falow assigns the game to randomly sacrifice one person, and Quark isn’t at all bothered by this? I think the show was trying to say that he simply didn’t want to be the person responsible for choosing. Which is fine, but it wasn’t communicated well to us.
Really, that’s my problem with “Move Along Home.” The script is downright confusing at times. When Quark rolled, did he and the others simply stand around staring at one another, waiting for the four officers to survive each new game or chap? Were they able to see what was happening to them, or were the Wadi the only ones? Was there not a Wadi player in the game at all? Was Quark playing a single-player game, like an RPG or something? Why wouldn’t the Wadi tell Quark that they’d transported those people into the game? Wouldn’t that create a more exciting game?
I don’t understand it at all. It didn’t help that each of the scenes within the game itself only went for absurdity instead of risk. They weren’t terribly exciting, especially that final one in the… cave… thingy. Visually, that sequence was kind of a disaster because you couldn’t see where those characters were within the space. It just looked like they were walking around some rocks, not as if they were walking on the lip of a cliff.
But I could deal with all of this if something about the story told us that it mattered. It literally doesn’t, which allows Falow to say that punchline about it all being a game at the end. Yet even then, Sisko’s anger is directed at Quark, when it really should be at the Wadi, WHO VIOLATED THE CONSENT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE AND STUCK THEM IN A GAME THEY THOUGHT WOULD KILL THEM!!! Yes, Quark deserves the negative attention, but this is a little ridiculous. Personally, I would have banned the Wadi from ever stepping foot in the DS9 after that disaster. They’re so rude!
The video for “Move Along Home” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
– IÂ will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be seasons 1 & 2 of The 100, Death Note, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
