In the first episode of the fifth season of Deep Space Nine, Sisko assembles a team to infiltrate the Klingon Empire in order to prove a high-ranking leader is a Changeling. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
What a goddamn treat, y’all.
I’m at a point where I don’t know how to say the same things about Deep Space Nine in new ways. This show is thrilling. Electrifying. It excels at using serialized storytelling to consistently reward its audience. It balances humor and drama in ways that show us that the showrunners are willing to experiment without losing sight of their overall tone and vision. An episode about half the cast being transformed into Klingons for a mission doesn’t come across as silly or frivolous and ends up being one of the more exciting things in the show’s run.
This is the fifth season of Deep Space Nine, and I am so eager to see more of it.
The Mission
I appreciate that this show isn’t avoiding absurd plot premises five years in, so yeah, you better believe I adore that Julian surgically alters O’Brien, Odo, and Sisko to be Klingons. Then add Worf to the mix, and send them on a mission to infiltrate an Order of the Bat’leth ceremony in order to expose Gowron, and you’ve got a RIDICULOUS set-up to “Apocalypse Rising.” And it works. IT WORKS SO WELL.
Let’s not forget that Gul Dukat plays a part in this too, offering up the Klingon Bird of Prey that the Cardassians possess so that he can transport these four goofballs to Ty’Gokor. Let’s not forget that no matter how captivating Marc Alaimo is as an actor, his character is Still The Worst, since he drops Sisko and company off and then IMMEDIATELY LEAVES. Granted, I understood why he couldn’t hide while orbiting the planet, but he didn’t do much to prevent that from happening. He doesn’t really care. AND WE KNOW IT.
I’m still entertained by his presence. I CAN’T DENY THAT.
The Hall of Warriors
This set is incredible. THERE ARE SO MANY KLINGONS IN THIS EPISODE, AND THEY ALL LOOK AMAZING, and I must give credit to Deep Space Nine for creating such a believable atmosphere. As serious and tense as much of this is, it was lovely that the writers were able to play up the humor of Sisko, Miles, and Odo trying to be Klingons. Sisko, unsurprisingly, was a master. OH MY GOD, AVERY BROOKS IS SO TALENTED. Miles was the reluctant, apologetic Klingon. And then there’s Odo. I’ll touch on his development here in a separate section, but Odo as the Klingon who is confused as to why anything is required of him. DISINTERESTED KLINGON. It’s too perfect. TOO PERFECT.
But then this episode gets real serious. There’s General Martok’s appearance, which is a bad thing, given that he could very easily recognize any of the four of them. Then, the team has to place the polaron emitters without anyone seeing them, so of course the writers frequently exploit this so that we feel awful and nervous. I knew I was being played with, I was 100% aware of it, and I don’t care: it worked. I was a mess.
So then this show has to throw me for a loop with a giant twist: Sisko’s failure to flip the switch leads to Martok admitting that even he thinks Gowron is a Changeling. WHEW, THIS EPISODE IS TOO MUCH. But before we talk about the shocking resolution of “Apocalypse Rising,” I need to talk about Odo.
Odo
The opening of this season sets a tone for Odo that I imagine will be followed for a while. As a human, Odo has both a new appreciation for humanoid things and a deep, all-encompassing sadness. His entire identity has been torn apart and rearranged, so I don’t think it’s at all irrational for him to feel so listless and useless. Part of the reason he succeeded at being the Chief Security Officer was because he was a Changeling. Without his shapeshifting powers, who is he?
So he’s reluctant to go on this mission because he genuinely believes he has nothing to offer Sisko. I was pleased that “Apocalypse Rising” offers Odo a chance to see that he was always valuable, that his shapeshifting powers were not his sole good quality. If it weren’t for Odo and his incredible attention to detail, no one would have ever picked up on MARTOK being the Changeling. Yet it’s Odo who does this, and it’s a fantastic validation of his character. Also: WHAT A TWIST, I NEVER SUSPECTED IT FOR A SECOND.
God, what a great opening to this season.
The video for “Apocalypse Rising” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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