6x01 A Time to Stand

[8.4/10] We’ve reached the phase of Deep Space Nine where I could write a thousand words on the complex political and personal dynamics of any given scene.

In the heart of the Federation’s defenses, you have an eager but beleaguered Nog, getting advice from the wily but demoralized vet O’Brien, which puts him in line with a pessimistic and precise Dr. Bashir, who gets a dressing down from the supercilious but genuinely helpful Garak, who uses his knowledge and physiology of Cardassia to help out Captain Sisko, who puts his life in the hands of old friend Dax, who pilots his ship through a dangerous mission but not before she reunites with her characteristically doctrinaire fiance Worf, who’s still under the command of the proud but gregarious General Martok.

Back on the newly redubbed Terok Nor, you have the Bajoran-hating Damar, serving under the self-satisfied and manipulative once-and-future commandant of the station Dukat, who continues to bristle at his partnership with the station’s Dominion attache Weyoun, who is worshipful and desperate for the approval of Odo, who feels uncomfortable in his position but has the support and friendship of Kira, who has to get an earful from an uncharacteristically generous Quark about how, as occupation’s go, this one ain’t so bad.

And from a purely political angle, you have a desperate Federation that's losing this war, with questions about what lengths they might go to -- including teams on secret missions firing on their own vessels, in order to turn the tide, while soldiers and civilians alike wonder why there’s not some other way. And you have the strange bedfellows of the Dominion, the Cardassians, and the Bajorans trying to make nice with one another out of a certain expedience, but sitting uneasily aboard the crossroads of the station where different principles, old wounds, and renewed ambitions coalesce.

It is all utterly marvelous, full of the kind of depth viewers had come to expect from Deep Space Nine, and far more interwoven and interconnected in its character relationships, observations on the clash of civilizations, and overarching themes than my humble write-up can convey.

The things that stand out here are just that: how well the show understands its characters as it embarks on its sixth season, how well it motivates them and finds the places where their interests align and clash, and what it has to say (and sometimes merely hint at) about the advent of an extended war in a franchise known for its single-serving conflicts.

It’s so clear how every character involved here feels and what each wants, without the show ever feeling too on-the-nose about it. The conversation between Captain Sisko and his dad is a marvelous scene, one that puts a bit of a fig leaf on Jake being left behind, which conveys the threat hanging over the head of everyone in the Federation, and underscores the senselessness of the whole thing. The exchange between father and son, about how there should be enough room for everyone in a universe this big, but “it just doesn’t work that way” is one of the most poignant and incisive of the whole franchise.

It’s a bold choice to show the Federation losing this badly. You internalize the sense of how Starfleet losses weigh down on everyone through the characters. Julian’s Threepio-esque oddsmaking, Garak blanching at his pessimism, O’Brien lamenting the hit and run engagements they’ve been reduced to, the table-cracking reaction from Sisko over a Federation fleet being decimated, all give you the sense that are favorite galactic superpower may be outmatched here. That sense of hopelessness and intimidation, in a franchise known for its optimism, is startling, in a good way.

The character interactions in that shadow of destruction feel so lived in and true. The way Julian seems more cynical and weary in his back-and-forth with Garak sells how even their close relationship has changed with things being upended like this. The way Nog, Miles, Dax, and SIsko gripe and commiserate about how the Jem’Hadar ship they recovered isn’t suited to their needs recognizes the little pieces of the human experience that remain salient in these big conflicts. Their disappointment at being called back to a starbase and potential broken apart speaks to their esprit de corps even in desperate times. It’s all meaningful stuff that feels true to the characters.

That goes double for the events back on the station. Damar’s hatred for the Bajorans, Dukat’s desire to amass his own power and restore the status quo ante-Federation, and Kira’s resistance to breaking down policial and personal walls make for some glorious interactions, especially with Weyoun as the middle man. There’s such a tangle of the personal and the political there, with Kira having to balance her own revulsion at what’s happened with her desire to do what’s practical to protect Bajor. And Dukat is as creepy and menacing as he’s ever been, throwing his weight around on his newly reclaimed station while trying to insinuate himself into Kira’s life. How they see themselves, and one another, are very different, which is the stuff good interactions are made of. Their scenes together are as charged as they’ve ever been, and it makes for fantastic television.

But the wildcard is Weyoun. He’s the hardest one to read here, which makes him an intriguing player. He is a voice of moderation holding Dukat in check, but also the representative of the force that’s ready to subjugate the whole Alpha Quadrant. The way he toys with Jake about “bias” in his reporting is manipulative as all hell and shows how propaganda can come in a velvet glove. His peacemaker role between Kira and Dukat makes him an interesting fulcrum between them. And the way he’s beside himself over Odo’s merest acknowledgment shows that one of the keenest operators in the show still has a weakness.

As always, I love the complexity of Odo’s position as well. He is conflicted, not wanting to take advantage of the Vorta’s worship of the Founders given his disapproval of his people’s ways, but also wanting to use the power he has for good. We know from past episodes that he felt like he lost a part of himself having worked for the Cardassians during the first occupation, and he doesn’t want to repeat that experience. The difference, of course, is Kira, and the idea that even in a fraught and perilous situation, they have each other to lean on, and help each other remember who they are and the greater good, is heartening and wholesome.

The pure plot mechanics are a thrill as well. There’s practical impediments here that make the Dominion both formidable and vulnerable. It’s nice to see that Rom’s plan worked, and the mines continue to keep the Dominion from sending reinforcements to the Alpha Quadrant, putting them in a bind and creating friction between Weyoun and Dukat. The debates about whether the Dominion occupation is different than the Cardassian one show that these things are complicated, and whether or not it’s a betrayal of pride of principal to collaborate with them isn’t so clear.

But the desperation of the Federation’s position makes the secret mission to destroy the Dominion’s supplies of ketracel white in the Alpha Quadrant that much more vital if they hope to end that occupation. Sending Sisko and company on a crucial mission deep in enemy territory, on a ship they don’t fully know how to use while having to maintain their cover, has the stakes and the thrills to carry the season premiere to the end.

You can see the team working together, with some of the hard choices that would define Deep Space Nine’s latter seasons. Sisko’s choice to fire on a Starfleet vessel, and not go to rescue it when other Jem’Hadar ships start stalking it, is a tough one. From a utilitarian basis, losing one Starfleet crew, even one you know, to deal a debilitating blow to the enemy that’s killed hundreds of crews, makes sense. But it’s hard in the moment, and reflects the tricky moral compromises that characterize this era of the series.

It’s also full of pure excitement. Sisko and company sneaking an enemy ship, dropping an explosion on a key facility that they may not escape themselves, and then being stranded in enemy territory, leads to a set of tense sequences and even more perilous moments to come.

This is, in many ways, what Deep Space Nine has been building to for so long. The Cold War with the Dominion gets much hotter. The character relationships forged over the past five years become strengthened and tested by the rigors of war. The shifting alliances and resentments are brought to bear in new ways with changes in the political and military landscape. And what it means to be a citizen of the Federation, a Bajoran, a Cardassian, a medic, a reporter, a soldier, a person, all change as well in that pale new light. DS9 had hit some incredible heights before, but “A Time to Stand”, and this earth-shaking conflict with the Dominion, represent the culmination and crescendo of so much good work realized in gripping splendor.