Captain Benjamin Sisko sits at his desk surrounded by a litter of iPads, like so many fallen leaves — like so many of his fallen comrades.
“The Cortez was a good ship!” he mourns to Major Kira. He had introduced the captain to his wife. And now, the war with the Dominion has taken them too.
Kira passes Papa Sisko at the doorway — Ben’s dad is finally visiting Deep Space 9! But it has not been the cheeriest visit, laden down as Ben has been with war and loss. Sweetly, his dad tells him that’s actually why he came: “I’ve been worried about you. The last couple of times we talked it seemed like you were carrying the weight of the entire Alpha Quadrant on your shoulders.”
Captain Atlas confides that he doesn’t know how much more he can bear. He wonders…he wonders if he should pass the weight to someone else. Let someone else make the decisions, have the glories and the losses. Have his command.
Papa Sisko assures Ben he will support him no matter what happens.
What then happens is René Auberjonois walking past the door wearing an old-fashioned suit & hat, which presumedly is not what he had in mind.
Actually hey before I get going on this season, maybe a fun idea: does anyone want to cast a vote for which episode of DS9 S6 gets the Recap Treatment?
So looks like we have a clear frontrunner emerging in 6x19 ‘In the Pale Moonlight’, which has received twice the number of votes as the next closest, 6x13 ‘Far Beyond the Stars’
Actually hey before I get going on this season, maybe a fun idea: does anyone want to cast a vote for which episode of DS9 S6 gets the Recap Treatment?
It’s ONLY LOGICAL that I don’t leave Season 3 out in the cold (vacuum of space) as the only Star Trek: DS9 season for which I haven’t written one full episode recap. I gotta. And it’s gotta be ‘Civil Defense’, because like, have you seen ‘Civil Defense’? Here let me tell you every fantastic thing that happens in
Season 3, Episode 7: ‘Civil Defense’
‘Civil Defense’ — a Season 3 episode! — begins with Chief O’Brien hard at work converting an old ore processing unit into a deuterium refinery with the help of his engineering intern, young Jake Sisko.
…It is actually only just now in this moment that I’m realizing this ore processor from the Terok Nor days was probably that same godawful Metropolis factory they sent Bashir to, that first time he and Kira ended up in the Mirror ‘Verse of Manic Evil Pansexual Doppelgängers. Hah, neat.
And yes I realize I got all of 30 words into this recap before sidebar-ing about continuity like a fucking nerd, but hey you choose to sit around this internet campfire.
WHERE WAS I. Oh ok, so Commander Sisko has shown up because O’Brien has kept his kid past dinnertime. I would now like everyone to keep in their mind for the remainder of this episode the fact that it was the end of the workday and everyone was ready to kick off and head home.
But before they can do that, Jake is having trouble deleting one of the old operating files from the computer, some mysterious unnamed thing that O’Brien can’t make heads nor tails of either. O’Brien tries to transfer it to a central system and deal with it later, but the computer is like ho ho ho, not today buddy, not on your life, threat intended. With headspinning quickness, the computer is already announcing they have just five seconds to enter the correct access code.
Jake: “Or what?!” O’Brien: “Well I dunno, but I better stop it—” Alarms: “BLARE. BLARE.”
THAT’S RIGHT: IT’S A STATION BOOBYTRAP ENSEMBLE EPISODE, AND YOU’RE ALL INVITED.
A coupla suits arrive in Ops, announcing they’re from the DEPARTMENT OF TEMPORAL INVESTIGATIONS, good god yes.
Dax grins. “I guess you boys from Temporal Investigations are…always on time.”
Kira laughs, the space bureaucrats do not, and I am flipping my shit because no one told me that Deep Space Nine’s love letter to The Original Series was also their tonally perfect homage to the X-Files comedy episodes?? BUT IT SO IS. [Update: SO VERY IS]
Kira shows the suits in to Sisko’s office, where Ben, eager to share Deep Space 9’s bounty of space bevs, the glue that holds this society together, asks, “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”
“Just the truth, Captain,” Suit One responds.
Sisko:
Ok here’s some elements essential to the BRILLIANCE of the meta-tastic comedic episodes of The X-Files, which would have been in its own fifth season at this point, and clearly known and loved by the Star Trek: DS9 writers:
- suits, whose demand for explanations provides narrative framework and ballast — check, just brought those in by turbolift - outlandish supernatural plot devices — born ready - diegetic jokes — Jadzia Dax has us covered, now and always - genre jokes, always with the ~feel~ of puns even when they’re not, delivered straight BUT - with this pervading sense that everyone involved, actors fully but on some level even characters too, are playing it Extra Straight as their way of having as much fun with it as possible - basically, everyone holds their stares for one hilarious beat too long to leave space for the imaginary *wink*
It is HEAPS OF FUN because the sense of everyone being in on the joke includes us, the audience, and so we love these episodes for their sense of community and affection as much as we do for their creativity and cleverness in taking a break from form to comment on the form. These kinds of episodes are the best and bounciest and all silliness in the service of sincerity and I’M SO HAPPY and we’re only just starting, ahh, AAHH.
Anyway thrilled about my inimitable #aesthetic! A glance at the archive reveals Peter Bruegel the Elder, a majestic dog wrapped in twinkle lights, the 1960s Tel Aviv hospital X-Men indie, and Snoop & Martha — yeah that, sure is…unique.
The Original Tarra recaps stuff! And sadly I do not, for these and other reasons. Actually a lot of the other reasons have to do with how I was mostly recapping Vikings S3 because I had this theory that I’d be able to deliver the best lols about a show that I had some genuine affection for, but on the whole found curiously flawed and inconstant and soapy. I love good soapy stuff though, so I guess I mean the cheaper sort? Discount soap.
Another TV show that I feel very sames about and have fully thought about recapping For The Jokes, Vikings-style, is the violent-ass 1920s gangster show/music video Peaky Blinders. I was actually seriously thinking of recapping its most recent season, before I ended up binging it with my best friend instead, which was a blast.
So instead the recap joke, as it were, was on me, because guess who I met in Peaky Blinders S3 this summer
I’m not going to keep doing this. I really promise. I can’t keep doing this, if I ever intend to finish Star Trek: Deep Space Nine before midway through 2018. Which, at my current rate, would be the reasonable projection. Oh in case you are just now joining us: at the time of writing I have only watched through episode 4x10. And I will be finishing the series before 2018, you have my word.
But — continually feeling dissonant over how little I actually said about the season 2 episode ‘The Wire’ relative to the DEPTH & TENOR of my feelings for it, and because of and after it, it’s getting a damn recap.
ARTICULATION AHOY. Or at least AIMED FOR.
Because tbh “A CRISP HOLY FUCK TO ALL OF THIS” can probably not be beat in efficacy/overall sentiment.
Season 2, Episode 22: ‘The Wire’
The first scene of ‘The Wire’ does so many things I enjoy that it could almost be a case study in How A Show Can Catch A Tarra.
We open with Garak complaining to Bashir about a late shipment, deadpanning: “Oh well, that’s the price for doing business with a culture that refuses to even acknowledge the concept of time. Though I must say, they make magnificent sweaters.” My Kinda Space Jokes.
Immediately on the heels of this blithe Stoppardian absurdity, Julian yawns, revealing he’s sleepy because he was up late last night. No, not entertaining a lady friend, Garak — reading a Cardassian epic, the nerd.
And with that we’ve neatly transitioned into Lit Crit With Garak & Bashir, my favorite PBS show. Julian gets particularly animated whenever he’s talking about ~artwork~, which is so silly and precious I want to bottle it. Garak is surely torn between professorially informing him he’s critiquing Cardassian literature from an entirely alien sensibility, and just letting him keep talking in the hopes that he’ll continue doing this soft sparkle thing:
The former wins out though, especially as Garak can’t help but wince as pain lances through his head.
Which turns us on a dime from literary theory to medical mystery, as our International Man of Secrets bundles himself swiftly around this flash of strange suffering, hoping to deflect the lighthouse beams Dr. Bashir’s eyes have turned into. As usual, Julian doctoring someone gets an A grade from this viewer, because it’s such a goddamn delight watching the Bertie Wooster of space go so sure-footed on something.
Garak assures him that it isn’t necessary to go to the infirmary. “Well maybe not, but humor me,” Julian tries. But Garak, visibly fraying under a building strain, makes a deliberate cut: “Frankly Doctor, I’m a little tired of humoring you.” And withTHAT glimpse of the dangerous unknown sea always swirling just beneath their lunch dates, Garak departs, leaving Julian to hmmm at his retreating back.
What is certain is this: Garak knows what is hurting him, and he does not want Julian to find out.
Forget your Cardassian epics — THIS IS THE WAY TO START A STORY.
I just have to say I love reading your recaps of shows. I don't even watch most of the shows you post about but I read them all anyway! They're always so entertaining, and they really brighten my day, I know that seems a little strange. Anyway I just wanted to let you know. Hope you have a good day!
You glowing gem, you precious precious sapphire on the necklace of life!!! You want to talk about day brightening — it is mine right now thanks to you.
At first I didn’t even know what to do with this weird & wonderful knowledge, and then I realized the answer was HOLD IT TO MY HEART FOREVER. I do hope you continue to enjoy reading me chatter about things you haven’t even seen??? Ahh! Oh my gosh
