All reviews for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4 have been completed:

4.01 – The Way of the Warrior: A

After three seasons, Deep Space Nine demonstrates that it is still full of plenty of surprises as it launches full-throttle into its fourth season with a feature-length, two-part episode called, “The Way of the Warrior.” Ostensibly, the episode is charged with introduction of the character Worf, formerly of The Next Generation, as well as a new Klingon threat, to Deep Space Nine. But more than that, “The Way of the Warrior” is an epic, sweeping story that puts at least as much emphasis on characters as it does on plot developments and action. The result is a truly cinematic experience which could easily have been released in the theaters.

4.03 – The Visitor: A+

What happens when life pulls us away from the ones we truly love? The ones we need (even if we didn’t realize how desperately we needed them at the time)? How do we then choose to live our lives? How do we find closure when there is seemingly none to be had? “The Visitor” is an intimate, moving, and deeply profound episode from Deep Space Nine that explores those questions within a truly wonderful, if not slightly fantastical, character sketch. Perhaps the only real criticism here is the proverbial “reset button” that Star Trek so often abuses. But if life is a journey, not a destination, then what matters most to this episode is its own journey — and not, necessarily, how things end up. To that “end” this is easily one of the most emotional episodes in the entire Star Trek franchise, being surpassed, perhaps, only by episodes such as TNG’s “The Inner Light.”

4.04 – Hippocratic Oath: B-

Shades of grey … “Hippocratic Oath” is an episode which immerses itself in Deep Space Nine’s purposeful decision to portray its characters, stories and themes in less-than-absolute terms. And for this episode, that choice becomes part of the story itself — to the point where it becomes a prominent, and poignant, bit of dialogue. Overall, the episode’s two plots are serviceable, if not particularly exceptional. But it is the complications which arise from the conflicts that truly elevates this installment above average.

4.05 – Indiscretion: B-

“Indiscretion” is an example of how well Deep Space Nine can draw upon the deep character work that has been a hallmark of the series thus far. Even when the story itself takes inexplicable turns toward the melodramatic, the episode remains thoroughly entertaining and even enjoyable, thanks to its solid foundation of characterizations. As a result, this is an installment that is good, though not quite a classic.

4.06 – Rejoined: A-

“Rejoined” is an episode which explores what happens when two people love one another, despite the taboos that society places upon their emotions. In that sense, it is an episode as much about true emotion as it is about wormholes or “controversial” kisses between two women. The episode is a success because it rises above its subject matter to convey a universal theme: namely, how do people act (and react) when the society around them condemns theirs emotions? And, ultimately, it’s about choices and about those who have the courage to make choices to stay true to their emotions — and those who, for whatever reason, do not have such courage.

4.07 – Starship Down: B+

“Starship Down” is an action-driven episode that manages to find enough time for character moments to make it both entertaining and worthwhile. The key to the episode is the rich history of Deep Space Nine to develop its characters — to make the history of characters a central premise to each subsequent story. As a result, despite the relative mindlessness of the action, the character moments, minor though they are to the episode itself, become valuable events in the history of the series.

4.08 – Little Green Men: D

The best that can be said of “Little Green Men” is that its concept is … quaint. In truth, there are a couple of enjoyable surprises and moments, but for the most part, the episode is a better as an idea than it is as a production. In fact, the story is one that has been told countless times in science fiction shows and one has to wonder why anyone thought that this version would be any sort of improvement. The result is an installment that can only be truly remarkable for die-hard fans of the series … and, at that, it’s a stretch.

4.09 – The Sword of Kahless: C+

A quest story!

Or maybe not.

In keeping with Deep Space Nine‘s tradition of turning familiar story ideas into something different, “The Sword of Kahless” is a quest story that is more about what is done once the treasure is found than it is on finding the treasure itself. To that end, the tale is fascinating and intriguing — even when the developments are melodramatic and fairly implausible. In truth, despite the innovative concept, the actual story doesn’t establish itself as anything truly exceptional. The final result is an episode that, while above average, just isn’t strong enough to be considered a true classic.

4.10 – Our Man Bashir: C

I think it’s safe to say that “Our Man Bashir” is a thorough and deliberate indulgence in cliché. I suppose one can accept the premise enough to be entertained by the episode — which does actually manage a bit of character exploration almost in spite of itself. And there is something to be said for creating a comedic episode to give the series a healthy balance. But the tonic of humor should not be this bitter to swallow.

4.11 – Homefront: A+

“Homefront” is an episode that transcends not only its faults, but the Star Trek franchise itself. It is a story about terrorism — about the the fundamental nature of terrorism to evoke fear in a society as a means of affecting change from within — that manages to deeply resonate into the 21st century. All of the facets of the issue are represented and given voice — and plausibility. This is a complex morality and character tale which explores the depths to which people will go to protect not only their lives, but their ideals as well. This has become the fundamental conflict of *our* world since 2001. And to see these issues explored so fully, completely, and with such prescience in an episode aired half-a-decade before the turn of the century is yet another indication of how powerful and profound this story can be.

4.12 – Paradise Lost: A

“Paradise Lost” is the conclusion to a thoroughly captivating and profound story of Deep Space Nine. Following the profound and incredibly nuanced previous installment, it’s no surprise that this episode doesn’t quit match the lofty heights of its predecessor. But make no mistake, this is a solid and worthy conclusion to the overall plot introduced in ” Homefront.” Indeed, while this episode doesn’t quite find the same balance of approach, it nonetheless conveys a story of people doing the *right* thing, in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds.

4.13 – Crossfire: B-

“Crossfire” is an episode about unrequited love, about what happens when our emotions go unspoken for too long and the object of affections finds someone else. Despite the title, there’s nary an action sequence to be found — unless you count one minor, tangential incident — meaning that the episode is a character exploration. And while the episode does tend to tilt toward the melodramatic, it never truly crosses the line into being insufferable. The result is a surprisingly solid installment — even if it does play out a bit too much like a soap opera.

4.14 – Return to Grace: A-

“Return To Grace” is a sweeping epic of character drama — legitimate character drama, wholly untainted by melodrama or contrived interpersonal conflicts. It’s a story of redemption, of choice, of sacrifice, and finding common ground between seemingly insurmountable differences. The plot is very simple, allowing for the real heart of the story — the character interactions and dialogue — to beat strongly from start to finish. Throw in a handful of action sequences, some inspiring acting performances, and a solid pace, and this episode is, simply, one of the best that Deep Space Nine has to offer.

4.15 – Sons of Mogh: D

What a colossal waste of an otherwise exceptional character drama. The “Sons of Mogh” takes a truly compelling premise, standout performances, and riveting dialogue and literally sabotages it with some truly preposterous sequences, culminating in the entirely inexplicable “final solution.” If you could ignore the final scenes, this would easily be a classic, another praiseworthy installment of Deep Space Nine. But it just doesn’t work that way, does it?

4.16 – Bar Association: C+

“Bar Association” ends up becoming a much more enjoyable episode than one might think. Generally speaking, the Ferengi episodes have not been especially strong or entertaining. There’s just something about the fawning nature of the Ferengi that often detracts from either humor or drama. And, truth be told, there is plenty of that here. Fortunately, events turn out to be much more compelling than the actual performances, thanks to a solidly paced and executed story idea. The result is an episode that is just above average.

4.17 – Accession: C

“Accession” is, primarily, an episode about faith. But it’s also an episode about knowing and understanding oneself. There’s quite a bit to like about this episode, from its premise to its central conflicts. But the execution of the story is lethargic and unfocused and the resolution feels a bit perfunctory and rushed. Additionally, there’s isn’t enough done, within the episode, to explore the ramifications for what unfolds. The result is an installment which is high on potential, but relatively pedestrian in terms of performance.

4.18 – Rules of Engagement: C-

Sigh.

I really, really liked the final scene of “Rules of Engagement.” Really liked it. Sadly, the journey was so utterly contrived and nearly nonsensical that the destination was almost not worth the effort. As it is, the whole farce (and let’s be honest, this was quite farcical), just smacks of writers trying too hard to create courtroom drama. The result is an episode which, for nearly forty minutes, is just plain ridiculous. Fortunately, it finds a measure of redemption … otherwise, it’d be held entirely in contempt.

4.19 – Hard Time: A

“Hard Time” is a gripping, compelling, profoundly emotional episode. In many ways, it’s a dark mirror to TNG’s “The Inner Light” in that a main character spends years in a virtual reality, only to suddenly “resurface” back into the reality he has always known. The episode itself features an excellent production in terms of dialogue, pacing, cinematography, music and, especially, acting. There are a handful of possible criticisms which may or may not serve to pull audiences out of the story. But for anyone who does buy into the concept, this has the potential to be one of the most moving, powerful episodes in all of Trek.

4.20 – Shattered Mirror: B-

“Shattered Mirror” is classic adventure episode thanks to yet another foray into the “parallel universe” which has been a recurrent story idea throughout the series. What separates this episode from previous ones is a deeply personal connection. There are times that this concept is played a bit too much for melodrama. But the overwhelming spirit of the episode is one of action and suspense, so that the interpersonal situations provide merely another layer to a tale that becomes, almost entirely, a vehicle for a fun, thrilling action sequence.

4.21 – The Muse: F

“The Muse,” I think, wants to be a story about how we can inspire one another — but only insofar as there is something within us to inspire. It’s actually a pretty interesting idea for a story. Too bad it’s utterly wasted here. The entire episode plays out like its characters are under the effects of ether, the plot simply makes little to no sense whatsoever, and it involves horrendous mischaracterizations. The result is truly abysmal.

Need I mention that Lwaxana Troi figures prominently?

4.22 – For the Cause: C-

“For The Cause” overplays its hand far too much. The notion that those we love and care about, those with whom we closely work, can often hide surprising and even treacherous secrets is certainly a worthy one to explore. But this episode simply ignores subtlety and character development in favor of contrived and overly melodramatic revelations. It’s a victim of trying too hard to shock the audience. And while the inner conflicts ring true, the circumstances upon which they are based clang with hollow dissonance.

4.23 – To the Death: B

After several episodes which meandered a bit, Deep Space Nine returns to its Dominion arc with “To The Death” — an action-based installment which manages to find enough time to explore the age-old theme of a clash of cultures. For the most part, it’s a smart, well-paced and executed episode. There’s a wonderful bit of continuity back to TNG’s “Contagion.” There are a number nice little character moments as well. So it’s a wonder, then, that this episode doesn’t register as highly as one might expect. Instead, for all its bluster, it won’t ever be remembered as an exceptional outing. That’s not to say that this is a bad episode, rather, it’s just not one of the best the series has to offer.

4.24 – The Quickening: C-

Overcooked.

“The Quickening” is one of those Trek episodes that takes itself far too seriously — and completely misses its mark in the process. There are some praiseworthy moments tucked into the stew, but on the whole, there’s just far too much time spent on making the results as pungent as possible. Perhaps during the production there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Either way, the ingredients do not mix together particularly well and the result is a bitter offering, made all the more distasteful by its attempts to be sweet and fulfilling.

4.25 – Body Parts: D+

They say that Quark’s heart grew three sizes that day …

“Body Parts” is an episode that has absolutely no right to end satisfactorily. It has no right to end by putting a smile on the faces of its viewers. Much less myself. I thoroughly detest its premise, its contrivances, its melodrama, its story … so why on Bajor did I have a stupid grin on my face by the time the credits rolled?

Must be Romulan Ale … or something …

4.26 – Broken Link: B-

“Broken Link” brings Deep Space Nine‘s fourth season to a close with an episode that is more about character than plot, more about consequence than action. In many ways, it’s a counterintuitive approach to a season finale — but works, for the most part. There are clear issues in terms of pacing and superfluous scenes. A lot of time is spent “in between” important events. But the end results are clearly worthy of a finale.

Topics: Sci-Fi, TV Reviews
Filed under: Star Trek

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