{"id":5600,"date":"2016-05-24T13:00:19","date_gmt":"2016-05-24T20:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5600"},"modified":"2016-05-16T23:29:03","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17T06:29:03","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s03e24-shakaar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/05\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s03e24-shakaar\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S03E24 – Shakaar"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-fourth episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, THIS IS SUCH A COOL STORY. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of warfare<\/b>.<\/p>\n

COMMITMENT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. COMMITMENT. That is\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>what\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>does consistently with its writing, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s become my favorite of all four of the series that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen. (Granted, I have a lot more of\u00c2\u00a0Voyager\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>to watch, so we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see. WE WILL SEE.) It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter that this is a self-contained story, one that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s largely resolved in just forty-odd minutes. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shakaar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d worked so well for me because it communicated\u00c2\u00a0a lot<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0in a very short amount of time. LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TALK ABOUT IT.<\/p>\n

Worldbuilding<\/b><\/p>\n

There is an UNREAL amount of worldbuilding in this episode, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Granted, the conflict here relies on our understanding of Kai Winn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past within the series, which\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 surprise, everyone. I LOVE HOW SERIALIZED\u00c2\u00a0DEEP SPACE NINE\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>IS. But let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say that you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t catch the past episodes; this script tells you so much\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>regardless. You can tell from Louise Fletcher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s performance that Kai Winn loves to use condescension and passive-aggression in order to get what she wants. (SHE IS SO PERFECTLY CAST IN THIS ROLE.) The long conversation between Winn and Kira in the beginning helps us to understand the need that Winn has: she wants Kira to convince an old resistance fighter to return technology that is helping to purify the poisoned, toxic soil on Bajor. And we even know why\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is important, too! Aside from being\u00c2\u00a0told<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0by Winn that this could lead to Bajor being able to export resources for the first time since the Cardassian occupation.<\/p>\n

So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big deal. A\u00c2\u00a0very<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0big deal. Kira knows this, but the script also helps us to understand why she cares so much about Shakaar, Furel, and Lupaza. Hell, there was even a moment (which you can see on the video) where I was confused as to why Shakaar was so reluctant to return the soil reclamators. Why risk his life for something that would most certainly benefit other people? When my confusion was cleared up, I understood how complex this predicament was. Ultimately, this was about fairness. How was it fair that Shakaar and his people waited three years for these machines, only to have them taken away from him just two months into their use? Why would Shakaar have to sacrifice the well-being of his people in order to help others?<\/p>\n

This is a deeply political struggle, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one that forces Kira to make a decision. Does she support the well-being of Bajor as a whole, or does she support her longtime friends who deserve the chance to better their own soil, too? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a struggle that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfolded countless times in the real world, and I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s represented beautifully here.<\/p>\n

Commitment<\/b><\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where I found \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shakaar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d most electrifying and satisfying. I think it would have been a lot easier for the writers to have the action unfold in this story over the course of a day or two. Indeed, I figured that once Winn dismissed Kira from her responsibilities, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d see the lengths Winn would go in order to stop Shakaar. I never assumed that Kira would be a\u00c2\u00a0part<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0of them. Even when she made the choice to run off with Shakarr and support him, I anticipated a quick end to that arrangement. How could Kira leave her duties on DS9 for that long? Would Winn tolerate Kira\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s defection for more than a day or two?<\/p>\n

No, the writers decide to have Kira defect to Shakaar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s side FOR LITERAL WEEKS. Yes, the time passes between scenes, but I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find this unbelievable. Instead, given what I knew of Kira, I totally accepted that she had made such a significant stand against Kai Winn. Look how passionate she was prior to this decision! She was so convinced that there was a diplomatic way to resolve this situation. However, Winn demonstrated quite obviously that she had no intentions of\u00c2\u00a0ever<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0resolving this conflict with anything other than force.<\/p>\n

So Kira made her choice. YET EVEN MORE BRILLIANT, SHE AND SHAKAAR ARE TOTALLY AWARE OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT THEY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122VE DONE. Granted, that self-reflection comes once they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re forced into a possible skirmish with Bajoran troops. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no longer an abstract concept: at some point, they will have to kill other Bajorans in order to get what they want. Unsurprisingly, neither of them are willing to do that. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a twist that feels credible because we have such a great sense for who these characters are. Both of them\u00c2\u00a0love<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Bajor and would do anything for their country. Except, of course, killing their own people.<\/p>\n

I just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, the look on Winn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face when Shakaar, Kira, and Lenaris reveal their plan to have Shakaar run for First Minister is one of the BEST THINGS EVER. As I said before, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a satisfying story that hits all its beats perfectly and gives a cathartic conclusion for these characters. BRAVO,\u00c2\u00a0DEEP SPACE NINE<\/i>. BRAVO.<\/p>\n

The Zone<\/b><\/p>\n

So, did O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Brien\u00c2\u00a0purposefully<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0hurt his shoulder, or was it a genuine accident? I suppose it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter much, but I enjoyed that there was a subplot within \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shakaar\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that was 100% not serious at all. It helped to break up the main story without distracting from it. Also, when are we getting an episode about Morn? Thanks.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shakaar\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><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\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 will be Death Note<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/em>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark 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":"