{"id":5622,"date":"2016-06-07T13:00:08","date_gmt":"2016-06-07T20:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5622"},"modified":"2016-06-07T11:33:42","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T18:33:42","slug":"mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s04e01-the-way-of-the-warrior-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/06\/mark-watches-deep-space-nine-s04e01-the-way-of-the-warrior-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Deep Space Nine’: S04E01 – The Way of the Warrior, Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first episode of the fourth season of\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>, HOW DID ALL OF THIS HAPPEN IN THE FIRST EPISODE. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.<\/p>\n

GOOD FUCKING GOD, WHAT A START TO THIS SEASON. What is wrong with this show???<\/p>\n

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

I love that the opening of this episode demonstrates just how much everything has changed because of the events in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Adversary.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The regimen that the security team follows might have seemed absurd long ago, but how else are they to prepare for a Dominion invasion? Thus, the story drops us into a drill to show us that these people must continually practice for the inevitable. But how inevitable is this invasion? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem that Sisko and the others face. With no real information in their hands, they can only imagine. Speculate. Guess.<\/p>\n

So when the Klingons arrive at DS9, that imagination runs out of control. And not just for the people who live and work on the station! What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so disastrous about this whole affair is that fear and opportunity collide to create the worst possible atmosphere for the Klingons. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why they seek out Garak and beat him senselessly. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why they go after Kasidy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s freighter and try to search it. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why Martok EXECUTES SOMEONE FOR DEFYING ORDERS. Everything the Klingons do is based on an\u00c2\u00a0imagined<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0coup. As far as anyone knows, the change in power in Cardassia happened. THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ALL ANYONE\u00c2\u00a0TRULY<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0KNOWS. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not difficult for the Klingons to imagine that this sudden power shift is because of more nefarious reasons: the Founders have taken over Cardassia.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, I understand the paranoia. Hell, the opening of the episode is evidence that the Federation takes this threat seriously. But no one is going off to attack other nations! The Klingons are, though, certain that the Dominion has finally entered the Alpha Quadrant. Without real proof of any interpretation of events, the Klingons rely on the Dominion, not just out of cynicism but\u00c2\u00a0advantage<\/i>. It would satisfy some of the more tradition Klingons to expand their empire.<\/p>\n

But the Klingons aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the coolest arrival on DS9. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S WORF.\u00c2\u00a0W O R F. NO ONE SPOILED THIS FOR ME<\/b>. I was so pleased to see him, and HIS STORY HERE IS ALREADY FANTASTIC IN JUST HALF OF HIS GUEST APPEARANCE. In like twenty minutes, he gets character development and angst and multiple fights and\u00c2\u00a0how is this show so good<\/i>.<\/p>\n

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

By bringing Worf into the story, the writers present him with another agonizing choice. Prior to figuring out what the Klingons are doing, he confides in Sisko that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s thinking of leaving Starfleet. Who can blame him? The\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is gone, and the crew he loved and respected has scattered about the quadrant. Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also spent most of his adult life among non-Klingons. Why wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he want to return to his roots? So the timing of this mission is ironic because it pits his instinct against his duty. His instinct tells him that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to go back to Klingon, yet how can he? When he discovers the invasion of Cardassia, he knows it goes against his own moral\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Federation law.<\/p>\n

So what can he do??? Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that I went into this with little faith for\u00c2\u00a0Deep Space Nine<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writers, nor do I think this show isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t capable of absolutely fucking\u00c2\u00a0bringing<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0it. Yet I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still blown away by how far this show took this specific story. In just under fifty minutes, the Klingons depart from DS9, begin their attack on the Cardassian empire, and then they WITHDRAW FROM THE KHITOMER ACCORDS. Like, sure, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible that they agree to them in the next episode, but THIS STILL FEELS LIKE A HUGE DEAL. The Klingons are now\u00c2\u00a0enemies<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0with the entire Federation! The peace that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lasted that whole time is just\u00c2\u00a0gone<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0in a matter of minutes, and the blow was\u00c2\u00a0monumental<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to me. How the hell does Worf make a decision like this? It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help that his hand has been forced. Is Gowron just going to take him away to Cardassia???<\/p>\n

There are so many excellent scenes here, too, and I know I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m focusing mostly on the plot or Worf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization. But let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also acknowledge how great it is that Sisko \u00e2\u20ac\u0153leaks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d information about the attack to Garak. Or Garak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eerie conversation with Gul Dukat, which hints at the possibility that Garak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s services won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be needed anymore. (Also, that scene was an outright confirmation that Garak has the means to communicate with Central Command on Cardassia.) AND WHAT OF SISKO AND KASIDY\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ADORABLE DATE NIGHT???<\/p>\n

Okay, I desperately need the next episode. OFF I GO, FRIENDS.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Way of the Warrior, Part I\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":"