Odo noir, Quark comedy, Kira drama, and Klingon battles in this batch.
- Odo deals with a dangerous dame in “A Simple Investigation”. This is yet another variant on the “Sam Spade” story—woman seduces the private investigator to get what she wants. The new angle? She has a “data port” on her neck, so she can directly interact with computer systems. She and Odo end up in a physical relationship—including some shape-shifting (ewww!) There’s a minor B-story with Bashir and a holodeck which is frankly more interesting than Odo’s story.
- Meh—another Quark episode. “Business as Usual” has the desperate Ferengi (remember, he was drummed out of Ferengi society earlier in the season) joining the arms trade as a salesman. The actual transfer of weapons occur offsite—Quark just demonstrates holosuite versions. Steven Berkoff plays the arms kingpin—he’s mostly known for directing and acting in film. He’s also Shatnerian in his overacting here. Movie veteran Lawrence Tierney cameos as an alien regent. In the end, Quark’s conscience finally catches up with him, and he double-crosses the bad guys.
- Kira welcomes an old friend in “Ties of Blood and Water”. He’s Ghemor (Lawrence Pressman), her Cardassian quasi-father from the third season episode “Second Skin”. Unfortunately, he’s dying, and Cardassia (currently under Dominion control) wants him extradited before he can foment any opposition. Ghemor decides to tell Kira her secrets before he dies, so the Federation can use it against their enemy. The episode is all about family, and secrets, and a hospice situation—a rather touching script with impressive performances, if a bit slow.
- Again with Quark! “Ferengi Love Songs” finds Quark beset with a) Rom marrying Leeta and b) Ishka (Quark’s mom) stepping out with the Grand Nagus. Cecily Adams replaced Andrea Martin in the mother role—Martin apparently couldn’t handle the prosthetics. Even for a Ferengi-centric storyline, this is a goofy episode—it's like a Three’s Company script. Also—why would the Ferengi build their homes so people would have to crouch all the time? Makes no sense. There is a cute reference to action figures, though.
- It’s more Klingon mumbo-jumbo in “Soldiers of the Empire”. Worf joins General Martok (who was recently broken out of a Dominion prison) on a Bird-of-Prey to fight the Je’Hadar. Mindy noted that the Dominion “menace” seems to come and go, allowing silly Quark episodes to play out in the middle. Also, it seems like Worf can drop in and out of his role on DS9 whenever he wants—as can Dax, who comes along for the ride. How can two senior officers just drop out of their duties during wartime?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.