Blood Oath

Three Klingons arrive at DS9 with a plan of revenge in mind.

This is a good character development episode for Jadzia Dax and a nice tribute to the original series.

The plot is simple and engaging with Jadzia placed in a compelling situation due to the history of the symbiont Dax. For me it all boils down whether Terry Ferrell convinces you that her character has the mentality of a Klingon warrior due to Dax's association. For me she just about does it and that is why the episode works.

It is great to see John Colicos, Michael Ansara, and William Campbell back on screen after their memorable guest performances during the sixties.

Star Trek has traditionally been about positive resolution to conflict with the avoidance of violence, however the Klingon cantered stories have been a way for the writers to have their cake and eat it when it comes to these themes. As DS9 goes on it only gets darker in certain episodes, so if you have a problem with this aspect of the show, now is the time to jump off.

It's taken me 20 years to become a Trekkie but better late than never! I grew up in the early 90s, my mom was a hardcore Trekkie, but I could never get into the show back then but now I have!

This episode is alright but I've never really cared for the Klingons, too barbaric for my liking. I'm starting to like Dax even less as well. You might chalk it up to bad writing but its like you can't even go 2 episodes without Jadzia reminding us over and over that she used to be Curzon. Ok, enough, we get that you can change bodies! In this episode she comes across as a try-hard which was a little off-putting as well. But this episode is over 25 years old so my opinion shouldn't count for much! Don't let it put you off the episode if you are a fan of Klingons

Let's talk fan-service done right. You want to appeal to old-guard and new fans by pulling in past characters; OK -- but do it with a good story, and with details which develop from the specific nature of the individual characters.

Colicos and Campbell played larger-than-life and comic foil, respectively, while Ansara played a more reticent, even tragic hero. All those roles have been deepened here, and it's not surprising to see three veteran actors still have the stuff to light up a screen. What's more notable is how well Terry Farrell keeps up with them, still firmly in character.

This must have been an awesome episode for the three guests but also Farrell. But also for us, the viewers; this is arguably the best episode of any Trek featuring guest stars from a previous Trek, because it's apparent that the writer(s) paid close attention to the original stories that featured these actors, and included details that show they knew as much as the most rabid of fans, if not more -- and used that info as legitimate part of the story (e.g., Kor's suggestion about the armory is exactly what Kirk did in "Errand of Mercy").

There are plenty of TOS or TNG or DS9 episodes which don't realize their real potential; that's just the nature of grind-em-out weekly TV. But here we have a sequel fully as good as the originals: big characters, believable plot, strong execution. Before this, DS9 had good episodes in its own style. With "Blood Oath" they proved they could also be good Trek in the old style, without losing their own. Highly recommended.

OMG. When will DS9 get good?

I have soon seen the first two seasons. A handful of episodes were ok. Rest was pretty uninteresting.

TNG is 10 times better!

Not a huge amount to say about this one. It was fairly paint-by-numbers trek and offers up no big surprises. You follow along and it's not bad, but there are no real mysteries to unfold, and the moral dilemma faced by Dax is played more like an afterthought. Benjamin is Curzon's closest friend and we dedicate, what, three minutes of screen time to his objections?

There's some downright bizarre exchanges between characters, particularly Dax and Kira, and the performances are middling at best.

Also, like the previous episode, there's a really distractingly rubbish scene in the cold open and I'm once again left wondering how the ball was dropped so far in a production of this scale. Odo sitting in his office then getting pranked by Koloth's appearance is so oddly staged and directed that it seems like it's actually missing shots. The risk of doing it as a single, slow panning one-er left the editor with absolutely no ammunition to fix the scene.

It's a real slow burner of an episode - not a bad thing - and by the time we're in the shuttle above the planet there's some good tension built, and the strategising is great. Top marks from Terry here. The reveal of it being a suicide mission doesn't actually impact the story at all, though it does build up the insurmountable odds in a good way. We're cooking with gas now.

Theeeen we're kinda betrayed by technology, scale and budget. The exterior assault on the base is rubbish, although all the choreo in the throne room is pretty cool. Some nice fights, and good commitment from the cast.

I'm rambling because I have so few thoughts about this one. It did not leave an impression.