“I think it’s time for me to become the villain.”

From start to finish, “For The Uniform” has an almost cinematic quality to it. It’s got a kinetic narrative, driven by strong, plausible characters. It touches on a wide range of themes and conflicts. The dialogue, pacing and acting are exceptional. There are two potential points of criticism, toward the end of the episode, but they aren’t enough to derail the momentum the story manages to build. Put simply, this episode is a triumph of thoughtful action and entertainment. Outside of its final moments, this is one of the best installments of Deep Space Nine.

The episode begins with Sisko’s clandestine meeting with an informant who, Sisko hopes, will lead him to the traitor, Eddington (from “For The Cause”). To Sisko’s unpleasant surprise, he meets none other than Eddington himself, and so begins a story in which the two play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse as Sisko continues to hunt Eddington and Eddington continues to evade Sisko’s clutches. What makes it all go are a number of very strong factors. For starters, despite the implausibility of Eddington becoming a turncoat in the previous season, this episode makes excellent use out of the history between Eddington and Sisko — making the chase very personal, to go alongside the obvious political implications.

To that end, Sisko is, shall we say, a wee bit miffed at Eddington. It isn’t just that Eddington left Starfleet for the Maquis — it’s that Eddington became a traitor, using his position as a Starfleet security officer to channel information and supplies to the Maquis. And it’s not just that Eddington was a traitor, stealing from the Federation — it’s that Eddington did so under Sisko’s watch. Sisko’s personal attachment to capturing Eddington is on full display and is both plausibly and powerfully presented. And the ongoing verbal duel between the two characters will become just as powerful and entertaining as the more action-packed sequences.

There is an early scene in which Sisko vents about the situation while hammering away at a punching bag — a nice touch given that Sisko not only admits, but also embraces, his obsession with capturing Eddington. Later, after Eddington has completely sabotaged the Defiant (requiring weeks of refit), Sisko is pulled off of the hunt for Eddington by Starfleet. Sisko is angry, of course (and he barely is able to conceal it), but he nonetheless wishes the new hunter, Captain Sanders of the USS Malinch, happy hunting.

It’s good to see the series showing characters who, from time to time, become consumed by their emotions. And the manner with which it is displayed here is quite realistic. Sisko isn’t always shouting or punching or moping — he does manage to contain his emotions much of the time — but we still see him seething at every “success” Eddington manages to forge. And boy does Eddington succeed. He seems at least one step ahead of the Federation (and Sisko) at every turn. The opening paces of the episode, which tried to paint Eddington is a favorable “freedom fighter” light, slowly give way to showing Eddington’s more sinister side as her poisons planets with biogenic weapons.

It works because the story follows a natural progression as Eddington continually ups the ante. But the story doesn’t stop evolving there. After Eddington incapacitates the USS Malinch, Sisko heads off to once again continue the hunt (incidentally, the “manual” operation of the Defiant, which is still under repair, is a wonderful touch, adding to the cinematic feel of the episode). This time, Eddington taunts Sisko with a reference to Les Miserables in which Eddington characterizes Sisko as the obsessive detective Valjean.

And this results in one of the most interesting character and plot moments I’ve seen in this series. Sisko finally stops chasing after Eddington’s actions and uses the taunt, the story, of Les Miserables to finally gain an upper hand in his duel with Eddington. Sisko rightly guesses that Eddington has something a bit like a hero complex. It is with that realization that Sisko turns to Dax and says, “I think it’s time for me to become the villain.” It’s a fascinating moment because it turns the story completely around and gets the audience rooting for someone who has deliberately chosen to play a villain.

Unfortunately, here’s where the episode stumbles. Sisko’s decision should have ben about the perception of villainy, and not the actions. All Sisko needed to do was to get Eddington to believe that what was happening was real. Instead, Sisko decides to not only threaten to use biogenic weapons against a Maquis colony … but he actually uses them. I can follow Sisko’s rationale and actions pretty well right up to this point. But the episode shouldn’t, indeed it didn’t have to, have Sisko act in such a way. With all of the episode’s discussions about concocted sensor readings to fool the Federation, Sisko ought to have used the same ploy against Eddington. That would have made the final “debate” between the two characters much more ironic and forceful … and would have avoided the episode’s second mistake: the lack of consequences for Sisko’s actions.

As it is, though, “For The Uniform” is a fantastic episode. Despite its miscues, it’s filled with action, intrigue, character, literally references, and a lot of thoughtful dialogue. If only the final climactic scene had been given just a bit more thought and nuance, the whole thing could have easily been at the very top level of Deep Space Nine episodes.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine