Civil Defense

While doing some routine work on the station, a long-hidden program is activated. It seems that an old Cardassian program designed to handle rebellions by Bajoran slaves on the station was hidden in the system and has just begun broadcasting warnings from Gul Dukat. The warnings indicate unless the rebellion is stopped immediately, stern measures will result. The stern measures mean a release of poison gas! So, as the Commander and crew try to turn off the program, they need to keep moving in order to prevent from being killed. Eventually, however, the real Dukat arrives and he thinks this is all very funny. Well, by the end, the joke is on him. See this one and see what I mean.

The idea for this show is pretty novel and generally good. However, it is hard to sustain this for the entire program and eventually it becomes a bit overlong. An excellent idea but one that was difficult to sustain for so long.

The premise to this is fine and it is fun up to a point. The problem is that Gul Dukat shows up and begins to extort people. He is the face of the computer which is programmed to keep miners from shirking their duties and rebelling against their masters. This program was left in place when the Cardassians left the station. It is well set up, but it devolves into a silly "we've only got so much time" and how can we get there" episode with several deus ex machina moments. There is some humor which would not be a part of a serious episode. So while the byplay is fun, it really doesn't work very well. I also have a question: What happens to Gul Dukat at the end?

Quick Review:

O'Brien and Jake Sisko are working in a little-used part of the space station. All of a sudden.....they trip a security alarm which sets off a series of security protocols the Cardassians put in place - and apparently didn't bother to disengage when they left OR let the Federation know about it.

Gul Dukat's voice and video image warning Bajoran workers to please cooperate or else he will kill everyone - plays incessantly in the background and foreground.

Plot Hole Question: Why didn't the Federation THOROUGHLY sweep DS9 before allowing families and civilians to live and work on the station? How many other traps and death-lurking-security-protocols are awaiting whomever stumbles upon them?

This episode is a clear reminder of what DS9 was before the Federation took control. A drab, depressingly dark and dingy place of forced labor for Bajorans.

Leadership rises to the top under any situation. Notice how Sisko (stranded on the station in isolated rooms with O'Brien and Jake) takes charge, comes up with awesome ideas, and has a never-give-up attitude. People who are genuine leaders tend to be leaders in all aspects of their lives and in all situations - not just when they are in their normal leadership position.

As the episode progresses the groups formed are: Group 1 (Roaming around in isolated rooms) - Benjamin Sisko, Jake Sisko and Chief O'Brien Group 2 (Stuck in Ops) - Kira, Dax, Bashir, Garak, and an expendable extra Group 3 (Stuck in Odo's security office) - Odo and Quark

This episode drags along. The writers had a hard time with it from the conception of the idea. There is so many pseudo science discussions and space station terminology and phraseology the episode bogs down. Even when there is only a few vital minutes remaining before the space station self destructs the actors are walking through their cues and blocking with hardly a sense of inevitable death. At least Kirk, etc. Acted desperate like their lives depended on their actions. He was sometimes accused of overacting but we all loved it and you know it.

From what I read, this episode did not have a script that everyone liked. They had the idea, but no script. Eventually a script got approved but not after constant rewrites. In the end, the producers are happy with the final result, but I have to disagree and say, this episode has potential and falls flat.

The finale is not any twist, nor is it an exciting finale. It seems more like a disaster film where everything that could go wrong can go wrong. We don't learn anything really new from the characters, we do not seem to gain any new ground, except to learn that Dukat and Garak hate each other. Neat, but what about the main characters?

This is an episode with the potential to have dialogue and interactions that could move characters forward, in the end, it is a disaster episode that moves at a plodding pace and ends with a rather unconvincing display.

This is rated high among fans, I rate it lower. However it does give us back evil Dukat. For that I give it a higher rating.

After an old Cardassian security system is triggered, DS9 goes into a deadly lockdown.

This is a enjoyable episode that is good fun whilst giving more insight into the Cardassian regime.

The disaster-movie formula is a guilty pleasure of mine, so this type of story always entertains me. Some complain about the flow of the A-B-C plot structure and the lack of urgency about some of the acting but it doesn't bother me.

As with lots of similar stories there is a requirement of suspension of disbelief, whether it be a capsized ocean liner, exploding water tanks dowsing a fire, or in this case a computer booting up a deadly program from an previous operating system. If you can accept this premise you should enjoy the episode. Also, the stakes do get unrealistically high at one point, but again I can let it go and enjoy.

The concept of the Cardassians having this security measure in place does more to expand their background of totalitarianism. The use of Gul Dukat and Garek is very good, particularly Dukat in an ironic and entertaining role.

Visually it is a good one, as it gets into some unexplored parts the station and the camera generally tells the story.

For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.