“Tacking Into the Wind”
Written by Ronald D. Moore
Directed by Mike Vejar
Season 7, Episode 22
Production episode 40510-572
Original air date: May 12, 1999
Stardate: unknown
Station log: Kira goes over the footage of an act of sabotage Damar’s resistance committed on a Jem’Hadar ship. They put the bomb in the wrong place. It worked anyhow, because the Jem’Hadar security missed it, but Kira rebukes Rusot for his people not following instructions as to where to place the bomb. When Rusot complains, he names one of the people in the cell, which prompts another rebuke from Kira and Garak on the subject of not providing names for security purposes. If Kira is captured, she shouldn’t be able to tell the Dominion the names of anybody in any of the other cells. When Rusot says he’s heard it before, Kira tartly points out that she shouldn’t have to repeat it, then.
Rusot leaves in a huff, and Damar gives him his support, which doesn’t fill Kira or Garak with warm fuzzies. Odo then returns from a sabotage mission of his own, which went off without a hitch, and he goes to the bunk room to rest—at which point he lets himself show how badly the disease has ravaged him. He’s been shapeshifting a lot the past few weeks that they’ve been helping Damar, and it’s accelerated the progression of the disease. Garak walks in on him, and Odo makes him promise not to tell Kira. She has too much on her plate, and he doesn’t want her pity.
Bashir has been up all night for four straight days trying and failing to find a cure for the disease, and his and O’Brien’s attempts to locate Section 31 have also failed. He refuses to bring Sisko in on it, as that will just alert 31 that they’re onto them, and two people aren’t going to find an agency that has stayed secret for three centuries. He’s determined to find the cure himself.
Gowron is bitching about the engagement at Avenal, in which Martok got his ass handed to him. Sisko angrily points out that they were outnumbered six to one and fought hard (Martok himself is in critical condition), but they had no chance. Both Sisko and Martok had argued against attacking a location so deep in Dominion territory. Gowron fobs off Sisko’s concerns as loyalty to his friends, and then oh-so-generously says that Martok’s popularity with the troops means he won’t relieve him of duty—yet.
The Breen energy weapon is being installed in Jem’Hadar and Cardassian ships. Kira and Garak think they should steal a Jem’Hadar ship that’s been outfitted with the weapon and give it to the Federation. Rusot thinks they shouldn’t be doing Starfleet’s dirty work, but Damar agrees that aiding in finding a countermeasure for the weapon helps everyone.
Kira comes up with a plan that would involve a five-person team, including Odo. Garak breaks his word to Odo and tells Kira what bad shape Odo’s in—but Kira already knows, not being stupid. But she knows that it means too much to him to not let her know, and if it allows him to hang to a shred of dignity, she’ll pretend not to notice for his sake.
The Rotarran returns to Deep Space 9, and Martok is transferred to the infirmary. Worf reports to Sisko that Gowron sees Martok as a political threat. These insane offensives are designed to humiliate Martok. But he’s doing it at the expense of their entire defense posture, since the Klingon ships are the only ones immune to the Breen weapon. Worf says he has a plan for how to stop Gowron, but it won’t be easy, and Sisko authorizes him to do whatever it takes.
Rusot tells Kira that his people have secured a Cardassian shuttle, and then he proceeds to taunt Kira, saying that she’s only doing this so she can kill more Cardassians. Kira doesn’t have time for his nonsense, but when she tries to walk away, he puts a hand on her, which is all she was waiting for. She takes him down in about half a second and makes it clear that she won’t put up with his nonsense. After she lets him go, he starts to say that when the war is over they’ll have it out, and before he can even finish, she smiles and says, “You won’t have any trouble finding me.” But after he leaves, Garak comes out of the shadows, where he was watching, ready to help Kira if she needed it (which she really didn’t). He warns her that she can’t afford to wait that long, that the confrontation with Rusot will come sooner rather than later, and that she shouldn’t wait—she should kill him before he kills her.
Worf tries to convince Martok to challenge Gowron, but Martok refuses. He is a loyal soldier of the empire and he will not challenge the chancellor in a time of war unless he shows cowardice, which he hasn’t done. Worf insists, but Martok insists louder, and he’s the general and the head of his House.
Damar receives word that the Dominion tracked down his wife and son and had them executed. Damar is devastated, wondering what kind of state, what kind of people give the order to kill innocent women and children. Kira snidely reminds him of the Bajoran occupation, and Damar storms out. Kira is belatedly contrite, but Garak insists that this was the bucket of cold water he needed if he’s to become the leader Cardassia needs him to be.
Worf talks to Dax about the situation with Gowron, realizing that asking Martok to challenge Gowron was a mistake. But Dax doesn’t think so, and—after being surprised to learn that Martok and Worf consider her to be a member of the House of Martok, as Jadzia’s successor—bluntly tells Worf that the Klingon Empire is corrupt and dying and deserves to die. The High Council has favored expediency over honor for decades, and if Worf—the most honorable man she knows—will put up with it, what hope is there for everyone else?
Kira, Damar, Garak, Odo, and Rusot take the shuttle Rusot acquired and head to a Dominion repair facility. Garak, Rusot, and Damar are posing as Cardassian soldiers who have taken a Starfleet commander (Kira) prisoner (Odo is posing as her shackles). Vornar, the Cardassian at the airlock, grumpily says that he has to confiscate their weapons, as armed Cardassians aren’t allowed to roam free. Vornar also recognizes Damar, and whispers him good luck.
Garak takes “Commander Rota” to the bridge, telling Luaran—the Vorta in charge—that she’s the deputy intelligence officer for the sector, and Luaran might want to interrogate her. Before she can even look at Garak’s “orders,” the female changeling walks in, catching Luaran off guard, as she had no idea she was in the sector. The Founder dismissively says that her movements aren’t Luaran’s concern, and then asks one of the Jem’Hadar to see the new plasma rifle that he’s carrying. She admires it, then shows it to Garak, who then shoots Luaran and the three Jem’Hadar on the bridge. The female changeling then turns into Odo—it was him all along!!!!—and is a bit appalled at the carnage.
Then Garak brings the bad news: the Breen weapon isn’t installed yet. They can’t leave until that work is finished. Rusot isn’t thrilled at having to wait 30-45 minutes but Kira won’t leave without the Breen weapon. She fakes being Luaran to give a status update, with the visual feed disabled, claiming comm system issues. Odo gets the information requested, and then Kira says that they’ll be spending the next hour fixing the comm system and she’ll report back then. Now they just have to hope they bought it and wait for the Breen to finish their work.
O’Brien brings Bashir some crab rolls made by Keiko. While he breaks for lunch, O’Brien asks what would happen if Bashir did find the cure. Bashir figures that 31 would send Sloan or someone else to destroy his work. So O’Brien suggests that Bashir send a message to Starfleet Medical saying he’s found a cure, and when the 31 operative arrives, capture and interrogate him. Bashir declares this a good plan and happily eats more crab rolls.
Gowron meets with Martok, Worf, and other Klingon commanders to announce their next offensive: the Sarpedion system, the headquarters of the Twelfth Order, which Martok will attack with fifteen Vor’cha class cruisers. It’s one of the most heavily fortified locations in Cardassian space, and fifteen battleships won’t scratch the surface. Martok objects, but Gowron slaps him down—so Worf stands up and challenges Gowron. They fight, and Worf beats him despite Gowron shattering Worf’s bat’leth. As Martok leads a chant of Worf’s name, Worf quiets them down, saying that he is not the person to lead the empire, Martok is—and he puts Gowron’s cassock on Martok instead, declaring him the leader of destiny. Martok is less than thrilled, but accepts the honor.
On the Jem’Hadar ship, it’s been almost an hour, and Odo is no longer able to maintain a pleasant shape, and he collapses. Rusot points his rifle at Kira, saying they have to leave now. Garak points his weapon at Rusot, and Damar pulls out his own phaser telling both of them to drop their weapons. Rusot insists to Damar that they shoot both Kira and Garak and keep the Breen weapon for themselves.
Instead, Damar kills Rusot. Kira orders the lower decks flooded with neurocine gas, and they take the ship out to the Federation. Kira leaves Damar to take the helm (while exchanging a look that indicates that they may not like each other but they’re at the point where they trust each other) while she sits with Odo. Odo apologizes for keeping the extent of his suffering from her and she reveals that she knew all along.
The Sisko is of Bajor: Sisko all but orders Worf to get rid of Gowron, a particularly nasty turn of events, but at the very least something needs to be done about Gowron’s insane strategies. Sisko’s frustration at Gowron is palpable in both his conversation with the chancellor and his talk with Worf.
Don’t ask my opinion next time: Kira kicks eighteen kinds of ass in the episode, running half a dozen operations, critiquing all of them, coming up with the plan to take a Jem’Hadar ship equipped with a Breen weapon (which works very well, and she’s the one who improvises best when it goes to shit, thus salvaging it, including a good imitation of Luaran’s speaking pattern), and taking Rusot down about fifty pegs. Oh, and verbally kicking Damar in the ass when he was already down (he says, mixing his metaphors).
The slug in your belly: Dax says that Martok saying she is a member of the House of Martok is “sweet,” which prompts Worf to remind her that “sweet” isn’t very Klingon—so she goes with “honorable,” which Worf says is better but a bit obvious.
There is no honor in being pummeled: Having already been responsible for Gowron’s ascension to the chancellorship—first by killing his only competitor for the job and then by aiding him in his civil war against that competitor’s family—Worf is now responsible for the end of his reign and installing his successor. Oh, and he also was the one who orchestrated the placement of the emperor. Busy guy…
Preservation of mass and energy is for wimps: Odo learns the hard way that shapeshifting a lot accelerates the disease that the Founders are all suffering from. When Garak tries to offer him comfort, Odo cuts him off, saying that if he doesn’t want pity from the woman he loves, he sure as hell doesn’t want it from Garak (to which Garak replies with his enigmatic smile).
Plain, simple: When Garak pulls a gun on Rusot, the latter scoffs, saying that he’d never kill a fellow Cardassian over a Bajoran, to which Garak just smiles and says, “How little you understand me.” Indeed. Also Garak does a superb job posing as a gul during the operation, making himself far more blustery than usual.
Victory is life: The female changeling (who, like Odo at the end, is no longer able to hide how badly she is being ravaged by the disease) orders Weyoun to kill Damar’s wife and son, has teachers, scientists, and other civilians be detained and interrogated as an intimidation tactic, and instructs civilians to be placed on Dominion military installations, so that if Damar destroys them, he’ll kill his own people. Oh, and she tells the Breen commander that if the cloning facilities weren’t damaged, she’d kill this Weyoun and replace him. She’s so much fun at parties…
For Cardassia! The most encouraging sign that Damar is having a real effect isn’t the successful raids on installations and destruction of ships, it’s some random glinn recognizing Damar and quietly but seriously wishing him luck with the rebellion while standing only a few feet from a Jem’Hadar.
Keep your ears open: “They weren’t part of this rebellion. The Dominion knew that. The Founder knew that. Weyoun knew that. To kill her and my son, the casual brutality of it, the waste of life… What kind of state tolerates the murder of innocent women and children? What kind of people give those orders?”
“Yeah, Damar, what kind of people give those orders?”
Damar lamenting the Dominion having his family killed and Kira pointing out the dramatic irony.
Welcome aboard: Robert O’Reilly and John Vickery make their final appearances as Gowron and Rusot, respectively, the former ending a character that had begun nine years before in TNG’s “Reunion.” Kitty Swink (last seen as Minister Rozhan in “Sanctuary”) plays Luaran. J. Paul Boehmer plays his third of five Trek roles as Vornar; amusingly, two of those five are Nazis, as a holographic captain in Voyager’s “The Killing Game” two-parter and as an actual SS officer in Enterprise’s “Zero Hour” and “Storm Front,” while he also has played a Borg in Voyager’s “Drone” and the Vulcan Mestral in Enterprise’s “Carbon Creek.”
Also back for more are recurring regulars Casey Biggs, Jeffrey Combs, J.G. Hertzler, Salome Jens, and Andrew J. Robinson.
Trivial matters: This episode draws heavily on two running themes of not only DS9 but also TNG before it: the Klingon political arc that began in “Sins of the Father” and continued through “Reunion,” “The Mind’s Eye,” the “Redemption” two-parter, “Rightful Heir,” “The Way of the Warrior,” “The Sword of Kahless,” “Apocalypse Rising,” and other episodes; and the Bajoran-Cardassian conflict first seen in “Ensign Ro” and which has been part of the texture of DS9 from jump, most notably in “Duet,” “Cardassians,” “Necessary Evil,” “The Collaborator,” “Second Skin,” “Civil Defense,” “Life Support,” “Destiny,” “Indiscretion,” “Things Past,” “The Darkness and the Light,” “Ties of Blood and Water,” and “Wrongs Darker than Death or Night,” not to mention TNG’s “Lower Decks” and plenty of other DS9 episodes, particularly the arc that opened the sixth season.
The last time Gowron and Worf dueled, in “Apocalypse Rising,” it was interrupted. Gowron told Worf he’d never get another chance to kill him, and Worf proves him rather spectacularly wrong here.
Worf’s Kahless quote about power being thrust upon the worthy is a riff on the line from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Act II, scene v): “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” (General Chang was right, apparently, you really can’t appreciate Shakespeare until you hear him in the original Klingon…)
This is the third time we’ve seen a change of power in the Klingon Empire, having previously seen Azetbur succeed Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Gowron take over from K’mpec in “Reunion.”
Worf performs the death scream, opening Gowron’s eyes and screaming to the heavens, as first seen in “Heart of Glory,” and also seen in “Reunion” and “Tears of the Prophets.”
Martok’s prediction that not everyone on the High Council will accept him will prove prophetic in the novels The Left Hand of Desinty Books 1-2 by J.G. Hertzler & Jeffrey Lang, which take place immediately following the end of the Dominion War. Martok consolidates his power in those novels, and he has continued to be seen as a strong chancellor for the empire in the years following the Dominion War in the novels Diplomatic Implausibility, A Good Day to Die, Honor Bound, A Burning House, A Time for War, a Time for Peace, Articles of the Federation, and A Singular Destiny, all by your humble rewatcher; Doors Into Chaos by Robert Greenberger; A Time to Kill and the Destiny trilogy by David Mack; and The Fall: Revelation and Dust by David R. George III.
Luaran also appears in both your humble rewatcher’s “The Ceremony of Innocence is Drowned” in Tales of the Dominion War and the novel The Battle of Betazed by Susan Kearney & Charlotte Douglas, where it’s established that she was the overseer of the conquering and occupation of Betazed following “In the Pale Moonlight.” She (or rather another clone of her) also appears in the Starfleet Corps of Engineers novella Malefictorum by Terri Osborne.
Kitty Swink, who plays Luaran, is married to Armin Shimerman who, ironically, didn’t appear in this episode as he was off filming the final episodes of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, on which Shimerman had a recurring role as Principal Snyder.
Unknown to Damar, his son Sakal does survive the Dominion’s execution order, though he is eventually killed on Cardassia, as shown in “An Errant Breeze” by Gordon Gross in Strange New Worlds III.
Walk with the Prophets: “But his Cardassia is dead and won’t be coming back.” Let me state up front that I count this as one of the ten best episodes of any Trek series.
But unlike any other episode that would make that list—“City on the Edge of Forever,” “The Inner Light,” “The Visitor,” e.g.—this isn’t an episode I would just give someone to watch out of context by itself because it doesn’t remotely stand on its own.
That, however, is its greatness. “Tacking Into the Wind” is the culmination of a decade’s worth of stories on two TV shows. The corruption of the Klingon Empire that Dax decries was first seen way back in “Sins of the Father” on TNG when the High Council conspired to accuse Mogh of a crime committed by Ja’rod in order to spare Duras some embarrassment, and it hasn’t really gotten any better. And besides the Cardassians finding themselves in the same position the Bajorans were in under the Cardassians themselves, as revealed in “Ensign Ro,” there’s also the fact that Damar’s leadership may finally fulfill the dream that Aamin Maritza died for back in “Duet” of Cardassia becoming something better than what they were when they oppressed Bajor.
The ride there is simply amazing, too, with exciting tension all around. The episode is a series of verbal confrontations, each more compelling than the last, from Kira and Garak rebuking Damar and Rusot, to Odo and Garak’s discussion of the former’s condition, to Kira putting a physical smackdown on Rusot’s ass and a verbal one on Damar’s, to Sisko’s frustrated argument with Gowron and his equally frustrated discussion with Worf, to Worf’s futile imploring of Martok, to Kira’s thrilling theft of a Jem’Hadar ship, to Worf’s brutal fight with Gowron and his subsequent glorious speech, to the standoff on the Jem’Hadar ship that ends very badly for Rusot, to Dax’s whupping Worf upside the head.
I have been unkind to the manner in which character of Ezri Dax has been portrayed in this rewatch, and I think justifiably so, but regardless of what happened in any of the other 24 episodes of this season, this episode justifies the character’s entire existence, because the come-to-Kahless speech she gives Worf is one that only Ezri could have given. Only someone with all the knowledge and memories of Curzon and Jadzia, but without the closeness to those events that they had (Curzon’s diplomatic career in general and his friendships with Kang, Kor, and Koloth in particular, Jadzia’s relationship with Worf, etc.), could provide the perspective Ezri gives to Worf. It’s one of the most brilliant moments in the show’s history, putting the events of previous Klingon episodes into sharp relief, and leading Worf to the only decision he can make.
Worf himself has changed, too, and for the better. In “Redemption II,” he was the one saying that they shouldn’t challenge a sitting chancellor in the middle of a war, but now he knows that the letter of honor is less important than the spirit, and he’s the one trying to convince Martok to do the very thing he cautioned against during the civil war against Duras. And yet, at the same time, he hasn’t changed at all—he’s still doing what’s right for the empire, even if it’s not best for him. It’s why he accepted discommendation at the end of “Sins of the Father,” and it’s why he challenged Gowron here.
I complained mildly about how “When It Rains…” was mostly setup, but that actually helps because we jump right into both Gowron’s inane strategies and the overwhelming tension among Kira, Damar, and Rusot because the previous episode put it in place for us. It gives both plots room to breathe and shine.
The best part of this whole thing, though, is the bravura performance given by Nana Visitor. We see Kira in several modes here: she’s the leader of Damar’s resistance, she’s a Bajoran stuck among Cardassians, she’s Odo’s lover, she’s a brilliant strategist—and an adaptable one since, unlike Rusot and Damar, she’s easily able to adjust her plan to fit the scenario. She displays an effortless competence that’s incredibly compelling without making the character seem in any way broad or unrealistic. She’s just doing what she’s been doing for most of her adult life, and we know she’s good at it precisely because she’s lived this long.
Quite simply one of Trek’s best hours, mainly because it’s such a brilliantly put together culmination of so many other of Trek’s hours over the previous decade.
Warp factor rating: 10
Keith R.A. DeCandido will be a guest at Farpoint 22 this weekend in Timonium, Maryland, both as an author and a musician as part of the Boogie Knights. Other guests include actors Tim Russ and Colin Ferguson, author Timothy Zahn, Klingon language guru Marc Okrand, and fellow Trek fictioneers Rigel Ailur, Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Dave Galanter, Allyn Gibson, Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Robert T. Jeschonek, David Mack, Aaron Rosenberg, Howard Weinstein, Richard C. White, and Steven H. Wilson, and tons and tons more. Here’s his schedule.
He died how he lived.
Experiencing bij.
…I think we can move that whole conversation in the previous episode’s comments section regarding THAT ONE SCENE over here now. Sorry for starting that up early, I did at least try to hold it off for this episode, but it grew into a monster all on its own…
Isn’t this the third time we’ve seen the passage of power in the Klingon Empire, the first being Gorkon’s assassination in TUC?
The bit that I enjoyed the most of this episode was the lack of the Bajoran Religion story. I think that that aspect of the show is the one that has aged the worst over the years. However, the rest of it is on fire. Kira, Damar, Garak, Worf and Martok. Even Dax, as mentioned. Just as Jadzia, way back in Blood Oath, effectively functioned as Curzon’s daughter to Kor et al, so Ezri effectively acts as Jadzia’s daughter giving her spin on dear old mom’s beliefs.
The only thing I disagree on is that this completes Worf’s Trek-long character arc. I think that won’t be complete until we get Worf succeeding Martok as Chancellor of the Empire (if not Clone!Kahless as Emperor) and for that we’ll need a Worf series. You hear me, Paramount, get that Worf series back on track.
Sean: dang, you’re absolutely right.
Robin, to the edit function!
—KRAD
Re-reading the quote actually convinces me even more that it’s not really about Ziyal at all – the analogy being made is specifically about a)people who had nothing to do with the rebellion and b)orders being given. Ziyal’s death met neither of those conditions (unless I’m completely blanking; but nobody ‘ordered’ Damar to shoot her, and she certainly wasn’t innocent).
I was definitely rolling my eyes in the back of my head when Damar gave his little speech, so it made Kira’s rejoinder (and Damar’s realization) all the sweeter.
The only nitpick I had is, if I recall, this is the first we’ve heard at all about Damar having a family (somebody please correct me if I’m just not remembering – it’s totally likely there was a reference I’m just not remembering). It also seems that Cardassian culture seems to have different views on marital fidelity, since there never was any indication that Damar was doing anything to be even slightly guilty about when he went through comfort women. I know Dukat also had a history of this but…he’s Dukat. I can’t help but wonder if his wife/son were just thrown in. But as Damar was portrayed as such a by-the-book Cardassian, it seemed a bit odd to me (unless it turns out in their culture it’s just not a transgression).
Lisamarie: On the one hand, Cardassians publicly place huge value on family. On the other hand, recall that we saw dozens of Cardassian military men canoodling with comfort women in “Wrongs Darker than Death or Night,” and I highly doubt that they were all single. Not to mention the ease with which O’Brien and Kira convinced a Cardassian guard that she was a comfort woman for the local gul. This sort of adulterous behavior has been portrayed as the norm for men in Central Command.
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
Oh dear, the Star Trek VHS board game rises like a zombie. Back to the grave with you! Back! Back!
Oh good, I’m glad I’m not the only one who considers this one of DS9’s best 5 episodes, and basically swoons at the awesomeness for the entire 45 minutes. :-D I hope no one minds a long gushing post.
There’s a very deep overall theme to this episode of “good characters having to accept very hard things.” Damar being (understandably) super-pissed at Kira’s jab at him — but storming off rather than retaliating because he knows she’s right. Worf accepting what Ezri reveals to him about his beloved Empire, when he would much rather have argued against her with all his soul but knows, deep down, that she’s right too. Odo (and Kira) coming to terms with the fact that he really is dying, soon. Martok accepting that he’s the best candidate for Chancellor — even though (or because) he doesn’t want the job. Damar accepting that “his” Cardassia is gone for good, and shooting Rusot because of it. Even, I guess, Bashir accepting that he’s not going to be able to discover a cure for Odo on his own. How do we handle such hard acceptances in our lives? How do we learn not to react with anger or denial?
Kira really is sixteen kinds of awesome, perfect (yet believable) from start to finish. She gives Damar the “cold water” he needs, yet is decent enough to feel sorry about it right afterwards. Her pretending not to know Odo’s weakness actually gives me tons of feels; it beats out her helping Laas escape (and expecting Odo will leave too) as the greatest moment of their romantic arc. She shows off her general gritty terrorist competency with a freedom we’ve seldom seen. And finally, watching her beat the crap out of Rusot is highly satisfying (and reminiscent of her similar beating of Damar in Favor the Bold, amusingly).
The whole episode is also a CMoA for Garak — while he doesn’t actually do any more killing than Kira or Damar, his ruthless expert-assassin attitude is lurking in plain view, and his verbal confirmation of willingness to kill Rusot is so well acted. Also, it’s really interesting and kind of sweet how much he and Kira trust and agree with each other at this point, and how loyal he is to her, since Second Skin way back in early Season 3, before which I suppose they pretty much considered each other enemies.
I kinda wish we got more of Sisko here, but just his giving Worf permission to get rid of Gowron is pretty cool — and you know he’s got to know how a Klingon coup is going to proceed.
Finally, I feel the combat-choreography of this episode needs praise. The scene where our unarmed heroes (save for the rifle Odo swipes) have to take down an armed unit is glorious; the scene where Damar shoots Rusot is well-timed to leave you feeling like you’ve been punched in the stomach (in a good way).
And finally, it would have been so easy for the Worf/Gowron duel to end up anticlimactic, especially with the limitations of bat’leth fights in general (it’s not exactly a practical weapon, which disqualifies many real-life martial arts moves). But it’s not! It’s totally the best bat’leth fight Trek has ever had, and possibly its best combat in general! The shattering window is great, and it’s so satisfying to see that bug-eyed creep get a deserved sword in the gut, rather than some non-Klingon surrender ending! Truly a climax to complete a 9-year arc.
I never really realized before that Sisko telling Worf to do whatever it takes, leading to Worf killing Gowron, is practically another “In the Pale Moonlight” moment, with Sisko setting a process in motion that results in someone’s murder for political ends. I know Klingons see death as something to be craved and celebrated and all that, but still, by human standards, it’s kind of disturbing.
A question for Keith, since you literally wrote the book on Klingon honor: Did Gowron die honorably? He accepted a challenge according to the proper guidelines and fought quite effectively, but was simply outfought. I’d think that, all else being equal, that would make it an honorable defeat; but is that negated by Gowron’s dishonorable actions leading up to the challenge in the first place?
Then again, Worf did the death scream for Gowron, which would suggest that he believed Gowron was on his way to Sto-Vo-Kor.
@10: Just what I was musing about too.
If a slimeball like Gowron can get into SVK no problem just because he died in an honorable duel, it does provide a stark view of the differences between SVK and human “heavens.” Which in turn reflects on how other aspects of Klingon ethics contrast with human ethics.
@6, @7
We know specesism is alive and well among Cardassians (that’s kinda been their whole thing). That makes a handy rationalization; that it’s not “really” adultery if it’s with a non-Cardassian.
Although the steal-the-ship plotline was gripping at times, I find it completely unbelievable that Damar would be so foolish as to go on this mission himself; he’s the most-wanted man in the Dominion, and his likeness is well-known. It makes no sense that he could just stroll into a guarded Dominion facility without some kind of disguise. Indeed, he endangered the mission and his entire rebellion, and it’s equally disappointing that Kira didn’t object after being so detail-oriented in the opening scene of this very episode. It seems painfully contrived, just like Dax and Worf being assigned together to the same dangerous mission in Change of Heart. DS9 built up the Jem Hadar as a fearsome foe, but the failure of the guards to spot Damar from a few feet away makes them seem like incompetent stooges. This doesn’t ruin the episode for me, but it does tarnish it a little.
That said, the completion of Worf’s arc is amazingly satisfying. The Worf-Dax scene does a beautiful job of placing Worf’s entire arc from TNG and DS9 into focus. It’s remarkable how the character of Worf evolved from a caricature in TNG Season 1 to (arguably) the most nuanced and fascinating character in the entire franchise. This particular story is the capstone of that gradual development, and for that reason alone, it’s a great episode.
I also loved the dark humor of the Weyoun-Founder scene near the start of the episode. It was well-written and *perfectly* delivered.
I always felt kinda bad that Armin Shimerman lost both his steady gigs in the same year…
@1 OMG – is it bad that I really want to play that game now but I know I’ll hate it once I start to play it?
Now I’m more sad that I stopped watching before the fun stuff! Thanks for the summary.
But- tacking is only done into the wind. The term is “wearing” if done with the wind. I guess they didn’t read enough about Hornblower.
Christopher: Yes, Gowron died with honor, because he was challenged by a fellow Klingon and lost a proper duel, which is why Worf did the scream at the end. It’s pretty much the Klingon equivalent of a Catholic who’s been an utter bastard confessing on his death bed to a priest, and thus getting into heaven anyhow.
—Keith R.A. DeCandido
@17 Uh yes and no? That’s not precisely how Catholicism works. You can’t confess under false pretenses, nor can you sin with the expectation you’ll just confess (ie, taking advantage of grace because grace abounds) and it will be a-ok. Unless of course, you have a true conversion after that. And aside from death bed conversions, making amends is a part of that (for a death bed conversion, there will probably be more Purgatory). I mean, your statement is true that you can be a bastard, and end up confessing on your death bed and get into Heaven but it’s not because of checking the ‘confession’ box gets you some handy loophole; sacraments have an internal and external component. Both are important. (Also, since we believe in purgatory, it doesn’t mean you get off scot free, either)
I, too, was wondering if Worf would do the scream, and was a little surprised, but can suppose it means a few things It’s a cultural tradition in addition to a religious one (and Worf doesn’t think he’s actually going to SVK), it’s done out of respect for his office, or maybe just out of respect for whatever former glories as a warrior Gowron had done before he was corrupt. But all of those things would be different from a death bed confession, which reflects your current state ofthe soul.
On the other hand – it does in some ways throw into contrast the differences between how Klingons and others define honor and what they define as virtue – perhaps Gowron is redeemed in their view, because the duel itself has some ‘sacramental’ quality, and by entering into the duel with the appropriate motives (and not shying away from it, attempting to stab Worf in the back, etc) he gets whatever the Klingon version of grace is (hah, probably not a very Klingon concept), at least enough to make up for his past dishonor.
However, I can’t help but think Purgatory might in some ways appeal to Klingons, lol (I’m remembering the ‘bachelor party’ in You are Cordially Invited.) So perhaps Gowron is undergoing purification, somehow ;)
@7 – I was thinking about that exact same scene, actually – obviously, there is a fair bit of hypocracy in the upper circles. Although Damar did kind of strike me as the type that earnestly tried to live all that out (hence the reason he is ultimately able to make the change he does here…he really IS trying to do what’s best, despite his initial allegiance to an evil regime).
However, I had not really thought about the idea that the Bajoran women didn’t really ‘count’ (not that would apply to Damar’s case) as put forth by 12.
@17: OTOH Duras died the exact same way (killed by a fellow Klingon in a proper duel), and he did not get the Klingon death scream and was deemed to have died in disgrace, so apparently there are circumstances where even being killed in a proper duel isn’t enough to salvage your honor.
CLB, I think the prospect of countless Klingons dying for Gowron’s political ambitions, Klingon ships being lost even though they were, at this point, the only ships that could safely fight the Breen, the Federation and the allies losing the war and more billions of lives lost is a bit more disturbing than Sisko telling Worf to do whatever it takes to get rid of Gowron, and that leading to Gowron’s death. But our morals, though.
I haven’t used the phrase “rapt attention” in a while in this rewatch, and since we’re coming to the end, (sigh), time to dust it off.
I sat in rapt attention the whole 45 minutes of this episode, and what a ride. Every moment just works to well, especially giving Rusot and well-deserved ass-kicking, and giving Damar a much-needed bucket of water to the face. Ezri, in one conversation, shows why she’s a opening credits regular. As krad said, no one, not even Jadzia, could have given Worf that dose of reality. And once again, Worf proves to be a kingmaker, getting rid of Gowron in a well-deserved (but honorable) death.
Start-to-finish awesome.
@13: My take on Damar going on the mission was that the glinn had something to do with it. I assumed they prearranged to get on board this way. Unless the Jem’Hadar would also have known Damar’s face, it’s a reasonable assumption, I think. Memory Alpha concurs: “The Cardassian guards, who recognize Damar, allow them to pass, quietly pledging their support of the Rebellion.”
@16: I’m unclear on your comment on tacking. I’m no sailor, but it seems to me they are tacking rather than jibing, aren’t they? Head-on, chest out, and all that…? Yeah, I don’t think the DS9 folks are sailors either, this title makes no sense.
@20: I would assume that having done something worthy of another Klingon claiming the “Right of Vengeance” would disgrace you if you lost the duel. Klingons seem to operate by a “He who wins the duel is legally right” type of system.
@@@@@!6 & 22: While a sailor might know that tacking is only done when sailing into the wind, the common person does not. And, “Tacking” is a terrible title even if it DID tell everyone that our characters were working against the driving force without the redundant addition. I’m perfectly ok with the title as is, based on those factors.
My take on Gowron is that he’s been selfish, shortsighted, and foolish, but not dishonourable per se. He’s been dispensing glorious battle opportunities, relentless in supporting his allies (although, admittedly he hasn’t listened to them telling him what type of help they want), and has supported his people. Yes his strategy is counter-productive, and it shows he is jealous about his position, but his failings are not base honour. His failings are an inability to put his personal feelings aside for the greater good.
From a human, 21stC, POV these are much greater failings than simply being a decietful little conniver like Duras; Duras appears to have been dishonourable but competent, Gowron is incompetent but honourable with it. But by Klingon standards, Gowron is honourable even if he isn’t the best strategist in the galaxy. That is why Martok doesn’t challenge him, it takes Worf with his Human upbringing and Starfleet experiences to step in and see it.
It reminds me of the way the English Civil War is taught (or used to be taught anyway). The Caveliers were wrong but romantic, the Roundheads were right but repulsive.
The Left Hand of Desinty Books 1-2
The Left Hand of Destiny. :-)
@25: No, I agree with Ezri: The High Council was corrupt, and Gowron was right in the midst of the corruption. If his actions weren’t defined as dishonorable, it’s only because the Council had redefined/eroded the standards of honor to suit its own members’ self-interest.
Ezri’s speech is one thing I love about this episode. Ron Moore had spent so many years glorifying the Klingons — showing their darker side, yes, since stories need villains, but overall creating a portrait of a society that many fans eagerly embraced. I liked it that he was able here to deconstruct his own brainchild, to take a critical look at the Klingon society he’d largely built and point out that it wasn’t so glamorous after all.
I always pegged the Cardassians as good fathers but bad husbands: you knew he’d be tomcatting around as soon as your back was turned but he’d always come home in the end. We have no reason to believe that Dukat wasn’t as fond of his legitimate seven as he was of Ziyal.
That’s what made Enabran Tain such a bad Cardassian from a Cardassian POV: he was a lousy father who denied his offspring.
First of all, I truly love this episode title. When in doubt, go nautical.
Keith said it best. This is Star Trek top 10 material. And not because it’s an episode that stands on its own, unlike Duet and The Visitor. This works because it pays off seven seasons of growing attempts at serialization within the Trek universe. Another one that gave me this much satisfaction was season 5’s By Inferno’s Light, which also paid off a lot of loose threads with gusto. These shows laid a solid foundation for Trek, in terms of pursuing long-term storytelling. It would take another five years for it to happen again, thanks to Enterprise’s Xindi arc and episodes like Azati Prime, Damaged and The Forgotten.
Needless to say, I find this to be the absolute best script Ron Moore’s ever written in all of Trek. Certainly his best DS9, and easily outclassing TNG efforts like The Defector and The First Duty. The only other episodes I find it to be on the same level would be Yesterday’s Enterprise and All Good Things….
Killing off a major secondary character from another TV show in the final season of its spin-off. Imagine trying to pitch this idea 9 years in advance to a studio executive. Only a writer who helped create this character could do it (keeping in mind that Brannon Braga also helped in the developing of Gowron).
Having Dax be the voice of reason in Worf’s decision was the smartest course of action. For one, Worf needed someone to talk to, and he couldn’t really discuss assassination openly with his commanding officer, so Dax and O’Brien are the only logical choices. Second, it gives some needed closure to Dax and her own Klingon history. This is a character whose previous host helped three Klingons to murder someone – violating Starfleet rules in the process – because she honored that friendship.
The funny thing is, I never trusted Gowron. Even back in Reunion, he could have easily been the one who poisoned K’mpec. Despite Duras’ own crimes, there’s no reason to believe Gowron would have been innocent in that situation. He always gave a strange vibe, especially with those eyes (thanks to Robert O’Reilly for that one).
I remembered Nana once objected to the idea of Kira and Odo hooking up romantically. She had a point, but overall I think Odo’s dire situation at this point gets some extra points of poignancy thanks to that connection.
And kudos to Damar for finally putting that patriotism into something truly worthwhile. Rusot was clearly part of the problem.
Ezri’s finest hour! She’s a mature, articulate woman here with the advantage of multiple past lives informing her words. One of my favorite moments in all of Trek.
@29: And having Dax deliver this tough message to Worf is also good because it gives purpose to all the (mostly melodramatic) crap that has happened in the Worf/Ezri relationship. It was sometimes painful to watch and seemed to drag on forever, but after their Breen captivity experience, they finally have a relationship where Ezri can tell Worf what he needs to hear and have her opinion respected.
A worthy 10. It was great to see it all come together in this episode. Too many times we see shows fizzle out at the end, but here they got it right (for this episode anyway). Strong performances everywhere.
This is one of my all time favorite episodes of DS9 it deserves a 10. It ties various arcs together and gives the cast a chance to shine and to kick butt. Is it wrong that I’m glad Worf finally won a big fight and Gowron died? It gives Worf the respect he deserves among Klingons. Kira is also mighty awsome too.
My regret is that there was an very intriguing deleted scene that I suspect would have been a very satisfying character moment for Worf (particularly since this was really the culmination of Worf’s 11 seasons) had it made the final cut:
Here’s how Memory Alpha describes it:
Ronald D. Moore once revealed that in a deleted scene from this episode (cut for time), “Ezri asked Worf what it was like to stand at the pinnacle of the Empire for a moment and Worf said he remembered wishing his father had been there to see it.. Ezri replied, “I think he knows… and so does Jadzia”, before raising a toast to his brief reign.
I fell behind on the rewatch but I came back just for this episode because I still vividly remember it years later as one of the best hours of television I had ever seen. Absolutely worthy of a 10. In fact I’d almost go Spinal Tap on this one and give it an 11. A riveting tour de force by Nana Visitor, Casey Biggs, Andrew Robinson, and Michael Dorn.
I’ve been watching along with the rewatch for a while now, usually at lunch on Netflix or here and there while I’m doing something else, but for this episode, I couldn’t take a break or do anything else. It demanded my attention, and it got it. Just amazing, incredible work. I don’t remember how the rest of the season plays out, but if nothing else, we’ll have this shining pinnacle of Trek to look back fondly on. I’m not surprised that it ties in to so many novels.
I complained about it in Favor The Bold, and I’ve got to say, even though it might reflect badly on me, Nana Visitor thwacking a big, armoured repto-person with barely any visible effort still remains unconvincing. I keep thinking of when Jack Burton tried to overpower Thunder. Though I think a lot of it has to do with typical Trek ‘clasped fists at the speed of sludge’ fight choreography, which makes Alec Guinness tottering around with a lightsabre look like Ray Park. One or two fancy moves – even just a quick, unexpected knuckle to break a nose, or something – would work wonders IMO.
But, all that moaning would only bring the episode, Kira and all, down to a 9.8 or 9.9 in my eyes. It really is brilliant, isn’t it?
Am I the only one who thinks that Sisko may have worked with Section 31 just like Ross? He has a propensity for plots that seem right up their ally (taking down Eddington via chemical warfare, getting the Romulans into the war via false pretenses, hinting that Gowron needs to be eliminated to Worf). It’s not surpise that our dynamic duo did not want to get him involved. Hell, maybe he even ordered Bashir to do what Sloan said to help Sloan’s plot along.
treebee72 @14: Well, considering how many actors would kill to have one steady job that lasted 2.5 years (much less another one that lasted 7), I wouldn’t feel too sorry for him.
@37: You’re not alone in the moaning, at least – I cringed at that as well. At minimum, it would have to hurt your hand to whack a clothed Cardassian…
Is this really the last Klingon episide review I’m going to read from you? I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life now.
(Wipes a tear away)
@38: I don’t think Sisko ever worked with 31 based on what we saw in the show, but it has occured to me that O’Brien and Bashir really have no way of knowing that he isn’t working for them. Just their trust in him…but Ross turned out to be helping them with their dirty work, at least for one mission.
@13: Thank God somebody else notices this.
Virtually NOBODY. RECOGNIZES. DAMAR.
Cardassian or not, people know who this guy is. The leader of the Cardassian Union gives speeches, including the noteworthy one he’d just recently broadcast to you know, EVERYONE, about his rebellion. He’s not some random Gul from another sector. He’s a wanted and very well-known man walking onto a military installation with Dominion soldiers who are supposed to be looking out for him but who give him a free pass instead. Making this plot hole even worse is when he’s recognized on the street by civilians in a later episode. The Dominion didn’t get where they are by being sloppy and ignorant, and here they are being sloppy and ignorant.
Other episodes get bashed for lesser offenses, but people really like this one. No accounting for taste I guess…
@20 I never thought Duras fought honorably in that duel because in the middle of the fight he was still trying to wheel and deal to save his hide – “I’m the only one, Worf! I’m the only one who can prove your innocence. Kill me and you’re a traitor forever.”
Kira’s admonishment to Damar rang pretty hollow to me considering that she has the blood of innocent women and children on her hands as well. She doesn’t brag about being a terrorist for nothing. That said, she is indeed a bad-ass in this episode. I still don’t quite see any chemistry between Kira and Odo but they do the best they can with it. A very intense, entertaining episode that packs in a lot of important changes to the Trek oeuvre.
Oh all kinds of win all over this episode. If it weren’t for needing the history to really appreciate and understand it, it feels and wants to be a feature film. I’d watch that. The pacing and dialogue is amazing and the episode is absolutely riveting in every way.
Humorously, the one little thing that bugged me (and I agree with other things like no one recognizing the now infamous Damar), was in the opening when they are analyzing the ship and the explosion and discussing that Damar’s operatives placed the bomb in the wrong location. I was thinking “where is the camera that got the perfect photo of this exploding ship?” And I pictured a little cute webcam floating randomly out in space similar to the tiny droids on the Death Star. We don’t know what they do but they sure are cute and hang out randomly. That mystery camera thought would not leave my head. Too much strategic planning at work.
But 11 all around. Wow.
Good thing the female changeling decided to imitate humans as badly as Odo did, or else there plan to take over the bridge would’ve failed badly, right? :P
I know, they would’ve come up with another plan, but it still bothers me that she still just looks like a female Odo, even though it would be easy for her to take on any form she likes and do it perfectly.
@47/waka: But that’s just it. She can take on any form she likes — but she likes Odo a lot more than she likes actual humanoids. Presumably she’d rather look like him than like a “solid.”
My favorite sentence in all seven seasons is probably “Yeah, Damar, what kind of people give those orders?”
Coming in at a more distant second and third are “Nerys. Kira. Major.” and “Death to the opposition.”
@48/ChristopherLBennett
That’s a good point. I haven’t thought of that. I think an even better point might be: “Who am I to question the decisions of a god” *does a Weyoun bow*
So many good moments in this episode, but I just want to draw attention to one that hasn’t received any love here yet: Garak appearing out of the shadows after Kira and Rusot’s confrontation having been there the whole dam time.. Chilling.
The conflict both Martok and Worf had with Gowron was so badly set up and executed that I’m amazed no one saw the shit oozing from their television screens. This felt like filler material and nothing else.
I agree it’s a great episode.
But when Odo goes to “rest” in the bunk room in the beginning, why is he even in humanoid form? shouldn’t he be liquified in his bucket? It’s just silly!
“oh … oh my, that is really quite toxic, isn’t it?”
my favorite line of the whole series.
@54/fresnel: That’s the single nit I have to pick with this episode: Why didn’t Odo bring his bucket on the mission? If changing forms accelerates the disease, you’d think relaxing into formlessness would be the most palliative and therapeutic thing he could do.
It’s telling that of the best closing arc episodes don’t have any of the Dukat, Winn, Pah Wraith rubbish in them.
Some fine work from everyone here, as close to a perfect episode as you are going to get, Easily onc of the best of the entire series run, not quite up there with In the pale moonlight, Far Beyond the stars, Duet or The Visitor but not far behind
This is one of a handful of Star Trek episodes that, when I finish watching, I immediately want to watch again. There’s so much going on and all of it is terrific.
Two of the three plot holes that bothered me in this episode were already brought up (Damar going on the mission and Odo not resting in his liquid form), but another that struck me as extra ridiculous was, why does Kira have to imitate the Vorta, instead of the literal Changling who had just imitated another member of the opposition?!