Part three of the nine part final story of Deep Space Nine continues with the episode that originally aired on April 21,1999. This is Strange Bedfellows.
The Episode:
Station Log Stardate (approx) 52570.1 Strange Bedfellows
With the Dominion and the Breen formalizing their partnership, Sisko and Kasidy prepare for married life while Kai Winn continues to unknowingly fall for Dukat’s advances.
The Breakdown:
Story A: The execution of Worf and Ezri
After accepting their new gifts, Weyoun informs Worf and Ezri that they will be locked away together. After having the Federation officers put away, the Founder meets with her latest allies ensuring that she does not appear weak in front of the Breen. She indicates that they plan to erase the Federation from the galaxy…forever.
Damar is not happy with the new union between the Dominion and the Breen as it appears the Cardassians are going to have to give up more territory for the alliance to go into affect. Damar insists that he should have been consulted but is soon crushed by Weyoun who reminds him that Cardassia is under Dominion rule, not Damar’s. Realizing that things are spiraling out of control, Damar begins to make plans of his own.
Worf and Ezri begin to attempt their escape from their new cells on Cardassia Prime when Weyoun asks them for assistance ‘translating’ their interrogation by the Breen. Seeing that the two Starfleet Officers are unwilling to cooperate, Damar informs the two that they are to be tried as War Criminals and executed after being found guilty. Weyoun, playing the ‘good cop’ offers an olive branch with life in prison. At the last moment, Worf kills Weyoun giving Damar a moment of joy. Damar agrees to make good on the late Weyoun’s offer and leaves the cell.
Weyoun 8 arrives and finds Damar amused by the death of Weyoun 7. When the Breen arrive, Damar is shocked when Weyoun agrees to let the Breen access to their databases. Damar is further frustrated when he discovers that he now reports to the Breen commander and not directly to the Founder herself. Soon Damar realizes that The Dominion has no intent in keeping the Cardassians whole after an entire Cardassian fleet is destroyed. Leaving in frustration, Damar finds himself unable to even face himself in the mirror.
As Damar deals with the latest treachery, Ezri and Worf make their escape only to be stopped before they can get very far. Returned to their cell, they continue discussing their rather complicated relationship. They soon realize that their moment of weakness together was a mistake and agree that they should not be ‘together’ in a romantic sense. Worf admits that he felt guilty that he didn’t feel the same about Ezri as he did with Jadzia and has been struggling with it. Just as they make amends with one another, Damar arrives to escort them to their execution. Saying goodbye to one another, Ezri and Worf are shocked when Damar kills the Jem’hadar guard giving the two weapons to escape. Damar informs Worf and Ezri that the Federation has an ally on Cardassia and they need to get back with that information.
Upon learning of their escape, Weyoun is furious and finds himself frightened when summoned to the Founders Quarters.
Story B: Winn’s Loss
Winn and Anjohl (Dukat) continue their relationship with Anjohl encouraging his new ‘friend’ to follow the will of the ‘Prophets’ and rebuilt Bajor. He reminds her that the Emissary is standing between her and the will of the Prophets and she must act in their will, not his. It seems his manipulation is going well.
As she talks with her new companion, Kai Winn has another vision but this time the Pah Wraiths reveal themselves to her much to her dismay. She realizes her mistake and asks Anjohl to fetch the Orb so that she can ask the Prophets for forgiveness. Dukat agrees knowing that she is playing right into his hands.
As Winn awaits the arrival of the Orb, she finds Anjohl to be insufferable with his constant questions. Upon the arrival of the Orb she soon discovers that she has been cut off from the Prophets by her communion with the Pah Wraiths. Anjohl steps in and explains the ‘truth’. He explains that the Pah Wraiths came to him in a vision and asked him to come to Kai Winn to help make Bajor strong. Using her confusion and sense of loss, he tells her that the Prophets have rejected her and she needs to embrace the ‘True Gods’ of Bajor. She is furious at his proposal kicking him out of her room. Broken by her lack of faith, she collapses to the floor in grief begging the Prophets for their guidance.
Realizing her need for guidance, Kai Winn calls Colonel Kira to her room. Winn breaks down in front of Kira after acknowledging that she has not been the leader Bajor deserves. Kira encourages Winn telling her that the worst can be redeemed as long as she gives herself over to the Prophets in every way. When Kira suggests that Winn step down as Kai, her attitude changes abruptly, the mere suggestion of her giving up her power makes Kira realize that Winn has no intention to really change her ways.
Winn requests Anjohl to her quarters and informs the former Cardassian that she has never felt the Prophets in her life. She admits that she has been faking it her entire life and now realizes that she must embrace the Pah Wraiths so that she can remain Kai and lead Bajor into a new future. She now plans to take down all her enemies using the power of the Pah Wraiths.
Story C: Married to the Emissary
Martok congratulates Ben Sisko on his recent marriage with Kasidy. He indicates that Sisko is up for a war longer and more intense than any the Dominion can throw at them.
Kasidy returns to he new home after a cargo run and informs Ben that her Bajoran crew are starting to treat her differently, asking for her advice and her favor as the Emissary’s Wife. Ben informs her that the Bajoran’s want her to perform a special ritual but she refuses showing him that this is going to be interesting.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
Holy crap! Talk about an escalation. Not only are the Breen and the Dominion mounting a pretty formidable offensive for the Federation to face, but Kai Winn and Dukat have finally joined forces behind the front lines with a war that I am not sure even Sisko is ready for. Could this be what the Prophets warned Ben about?!
As usual, lets break this down by segment starting with The execution of Worf and Ezri. Lots going on with this part of the episode. Not only is the Dominion/Breen alliance forming and proving powerful but we finally see Damar reach his critical point. If you go back to previous episodes you might notice Damar’s drinking habit starting and intensifying with his constant interaction with Weyoun and the Dominion. For a while it seemed that the Cardassian union with the Dominion was a good move but, when the revelation that Cardassia is seen no more than a plaything by the Dominion, Damar is forced to accept that he needs to step up.
Damar’s growth as a character is pretty incredible if you think about it. Here is a man who, much like Dukat early on, only cares about one thing, the security of Cardassia itself. He truly wants what is best for his homeworld and his people so, when it is clear that the Dominion is not the right choice, he does what any decent patriot would do, he turns coat and begins his subtle attacks from within. While I would not say Damar is a ‘good man’ you have to admit, his intentions are honorable and pure in that he truly cares for Cardassia in every way.
While the Ezri/Worf love affair bothers me, I was happy to see they two finally resolve their animosity toward one another in this one. Worf admitting that he felt guilty for not loving Ezri Dax as much as Jadzia Dax was not an easy thing for the Klingon Warrior to do and, while he did make a mistake in his path to that revelation, he finally get’s it off of his chest. We also learn that Ezri finally realizes that she cares for Bashir, something we will certainly see again…
Okay, lets talk about Winn’s Loss. For much of the series it has been abundantly clear that Kai Winn was in it for herself. When I first saw this series I wondered how such a completely self centered and clearly evil person could come into power but, seeing how the world has been for the past few years, I am not shocked Bajor fell for her absolute corruption. That being said, Winn it seems was not fully corrupt from the start, just searching for some meaning in her life. As she worked her way up through a spiritual organization, ironically herself completely devoid of any spiritual feelings, it seems that she though she was climbing a metaphorical mountain to be closer to her Gods. All her life she saw the Kai as the one person guaranteed to have access to the Prophets and wanted nothing less that that singular access to the beings that had ignored her for her entire life. Imagine her feelings when, upon reaching that final level, those Gods still ignored her causing her some serious self doubt and self pity forcing her to believe that she was still not worthy enough. The irony is, when finally give a chance to commune with them by giving up her position, Winn does what she has always done and accepts the easy path, forsaking the very beings that could save her own people.
In a way she represents the complete opposite of Damar’s journey. Damar allied himself willingly with an evil enemy only to realize his mistake while Winn allies herself with the Pah Wraiths after feeling betrayed. Of course, Dukat was around in both cases…
Finally, while the third story arc was a small one, Married to the Emissary was a fun look into things to come. I dont think Kasidy realizes that she might not have a choice when it comes to her newfound ‘position’ in life. When you marry the Emissary, you marry Bajor.
Overall, great continuation of the final battle against the Dominion AND the Pah Wraiths. Looks like things are about to get crazy so be sure to come back for the next episode in a few days!
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- We see the beginning of the Cardassian Rebellion in this episode, this will be important later.
- This episode was directed by Rene Auberjonois and marks his final directors job on the series. Needless to say, he did an incredible job.
- We get a really great moment where Quark laments the possible loss of Ezri while it is clear that Julian is depressed at the possibility that she is dead. This sets up a very happy reunion to come…
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: The Changing Face of Evil
If you would like to read more reviews I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and for more retro TV goodness check out the rest of the Retro TV Reviews here.
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Late To The Game 3/18/2020
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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