{"id":5670,"date":"2016-07-01T13:00:49","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T20:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5670"},"modified":"2016-06-27T07:36:23","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T14:36:23","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s04e12-paradise-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/07\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s04e12-paradise-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S04E12 – Paradise Lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twelfth episode of the fourth season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, I can barely fathom how far this show has come. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but think back to my experience with\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0after \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Paradise Lost.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The vast majority of the time, Starfleet has been portrayed as a force for good in the universe. Indeed, it\u00c2\u00a0had<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to be. Shows like\u00c2\u00a0The Original Series<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0focused on crews who acted as an extension of the organization. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the arm of Starfleet, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think those shows could have done the sort of critical work that\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is doing now. There were certainly episodes every so often about corrupt Starfleet officers, but they were often singular. That\u00c2\u00a0one<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0officer would be taken care of, and Starfleet would go back to being a squeaky clean body meant to be admired and emulated.<\/p>\n

While Admiral Leyton might represent a singular antagonist force in this arc, the writers for\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0have composed a disaster that shows us how a whole\u00c2\u00a0system<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0can be corrupted. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much more terrifying because the Starfleet we see in this episode is broken, and it was broken on\u00c2\u00a0purpose<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fitting that I spoke of hopelessness in the last review because the first half of this episode is\u00c2\u00a0terrifying<\/i>. At every step, Leyton and his followers demonstrate just how completely they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re controlling the situation. How can Sisko fight against\u00c2\u00a0Starfleet<\/i>?<\/p>\n

Let me start first with the Red Squad because WHAT A GODDAMN PLOT TWIST. I never once suspected that there was anything going on with them, and I still can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get over how truly fucked up it is that Leyton used LITERAL TEENAGERS TO SABOTAGE THE ENTIRE WORLD\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S POWER GRID IN ORDER TO GET WHAT HE WANTED. It is perhaps the greatest tantrum thrown by an adult in\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0history, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m including his behavior throughout this episode in that judgment. But what kills me and disturbs me the most is HOW MANY HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS OF STARFLEET OFFICERS GO ALONG WITH IT.\u00c2\u00a0That<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is so much more devastating than the actions of one man. How many other Starfleet officers gave in to paranoia? How many others assumed that Earth and the Federation would be better off if they were in control of everything? How many knew they were committing sabotage and treason and\u00c2\u00a0didn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care<\/i>?<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so messed up, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Leyton knows what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing, too. Why else does he order the Red Squad hidden? Why else does he lie to Benteen about the\u00c2\u00a0Defiant<\/i>? He hides the truth knowingly and consistently, and nothing demonstrates that more than when he has Sisko framed for being a Changeling. In short: Leyton is a coward, a man unable to deal with the ramifications of his actions, despite that he speaks with certainty in his voice and conviction in his actions. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a despicable villain, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also\u00c2\u00a0believable<\/i>. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like a caricature or a stereotype; he feels like half the people running my government.<\/p>\n

Again, this episode has far-reaching implications that the writers couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t possibly have considered. This arc is painfully relevant to this very day. How much have we slipped into a this nightmare ourselves? How much does our own government resemble a\u00c2\u00a0fictionalized<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0creation? IT IS SO CREEPY, ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT.<\/p>\n

However,\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is not content with a moralistic tale about power and loyalty. Indeed, that is a huge part of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Paradise Lost,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not trying to ignore that. (HOW POWERFUL AND AWESOME IS SISKO\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SCENE IN LEYTON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S OFFICE? GOD, I LOVE ANGRY SPACE DAD.) The crux of this issue is whether Sisko is loyal to the Federation or to Leyton. Hell, I think an entire thesis could be written on how Leyton exploited the very same chain of command that he claimed was responsible for the honor and goodness of Starfleet. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big scene I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been ignoring here because it\u00c2\u00a0hopelessly<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0complicates matters for everyone. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disagree with what Sisko does in this episode, and I think he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s morally in the right.<\/p>\n

Yet there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a horrible complication in this story: the Changelings\u00c2\u00a0are<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0on Earth. That unnerving sequence where a Changeling approaches Sisko\u00c2\u00a0as<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Brien makes this situation hopeless. If the Changelings had never been on Earth in the first place, this episode would have been neatly wrapped up in the end. Instead, the terrorist attack that started this in the first place is ignored and the Changelings get off scot-free; Leyton\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plan ends up being such a huge distraction that no one even bothers to find out who caused the bombing. Plus, THERE ARE STILL AN UNTOLD NUMBER OF CHANGELINGS IN HIDING ON THE PLANET. Is this just a matter of waiting until there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an opportune time to seek them out? How can they even do that without propping up the same draconian measures as before?<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have those answers, and neither does the episode. Most of this story is resolved, but the writers keep it open enough so that they can torment us with the unknown. THE CHANGELINGS ARE EVERYWHERE. Or are they???<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Paradise Lost\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards.<\/b>
\n– I\u00c2\u00a0will be at numerous conventions in 2016! Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"