{"id":5889,"date":"2016-10-13T13:00:54","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T20:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5889"},"modified":"2016-10-03T17:42:20","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T00:42:20","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s05e21-soldiers-of-the-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/10\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s05e21-soldiers-of-the-empire\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S05E21 – Soldiers of the Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, Worf and Jadzia accompany General Martok on a complicated mission. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For brief discussion of PTSD\/trauma<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, this was a fun one! And by \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fun,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I actually mean \u00e2\u20ac\u0153increasingly uncomfortable.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d While this is certainly not the first episode to deal with Klingon cultural identity in crisis, I appreciated that it was an interesting twist on something we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen a few times across\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>. Here, though, the show inches closer to dealing with the trauma inflicted on people because of the Jem\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Hadar. Sure, you could easily view \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soldiers of the Empire\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as a story about morale in war, but this felt more complicated than that.<\/p>\n

At the center of the conflict here is Martok\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own fears of the Jem\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Hadar. Given that he was held in captivity for two years by them, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s far more cautious than most Klingons would ever have been in this mission. In fact, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a prime source of friction. Martok doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even go after an easy kill that poses little risk to anyone. Is taking it safe a practical option? Of course! Martok clings to his mission parameters quite well, he avoids fights with the Jem\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Hadar, and he locates the missing ship, the B\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Moth. Technically, he does exactly what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to!<\/p>\n

But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really the point, is it? Along the way, the crew of the\u00c2\u00a0Rotarran<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0have been dealt one horrific blow after another, and Martok\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s denial of a victory feels like a personal insult to them. Who can blame them??? If anything, I understood their restlessness and their mistrust towards Martok. Part of that comes from a lack of self-esteem; part of it was due to their own fears; part of it was due to a justified sense of cynicism that surrounded them. So, credit must be given where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s due. Jadzia was the first person to recognize the maelstrom of negative aspects hanging around the crew. She knew fairly early into this episode that this was a recipe for disaster. Worf, on the other hand, had put Martok on a pedestal and refused to examine his role critically, which only provided more fuel for this inevitable fire.<\/p>\n

Seriously, some sort of fight was inevitable, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m surprised that Kornan didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t outright kill someone. HE SURE WANTED TO. (Also, now I know where I recognized Rick Worthy: he was Simon on\u00c2\u00a0Battlestar Galactica<\/i>! That voice is ICONIC, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he also on\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>?) Like I said: Jadzia deserves a lot of the credit for keeping this sinking ship together long enough for Worf to save it in the end. JADZIA FOR PRESIDENT.<\/p>\n

Though I gotta hand it to Worf, too. Coming up with the idea to challenge Martok and then (believably) letting him win was a brilliant way to allow him to regain his former glory, to get the rest of the crew to rally around him, and to push\u00c2\u00a0everyone<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0into a more aggressive mindset. Well, aggressive with a goal in mind: rescue the Klingons and defeat the Jem\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Hadar ship. Once again, Worf demonstrates his willingness to sacrifice himself or his honor to do what he finds right. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just a very Klingon thing to do, given that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s able to see a bigger picture; you can see human ethics playing a part in who he is now. I admit that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soldiers of the Empire\u00e2\u20ac\u009d made me think about the Worf I saw in the early seasons of\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rewarding to do so. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s changed a\u00c2\u00a0lot<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0since then, and the fact that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now in a romantic relationship \u00e2\u20ac\u201c one that we actually get to see! \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is just further proof that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a different person. A VERY LOVING PERSON, I MIGHT ADD.<\/p>\n

This was a solid episode. Bravo,\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soldiers of the Empire\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. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.<\/b>
\n– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 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":"