Civil Defense

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.

Civil Defense is a classy episode that starts unassuming and builds its tension slowly without fanfare.

The surprises come as a comedy of errors highlighting the irony and "shortsightedness" (as Garak puts it) of Cardassia's tyrannical paranoia sparing absolutely nobody who find themselves aboard Deep Space Nine during this unique crisis.

It all works out to a darkly comedic episode where rationality is punished and chaos reigns.

Civil Defense is an ensemble episode, all of the main cast members have good moments ("Gaila, the one with the moon?"), ultimately it belongs to guest stars Andrew Robinson (Garak) and Mark Alaimo (Gul Dukat) who brilliantly steal the show.

5/5, a GREAT episode.

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.

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.

As I write, this has a 7.8 IMDb scoring, but it's not a very good episode IMHO. Station goes into lock-down, based on an old Cardassian program in case of a Bajoran worker revolt. Which is a pretty cool idea. Then, for dramatic tension, the self-destruct countdown starts. Sound familiar? And later on, air shafts (aka, utility shafts) come into use. Aah, air shafts, the writer's best friend. There is a very clever complication about halfway through, which I enjoyed, and you might watch it for that. But otherwise this one runs just by the numbers. Just imagine what it would be like and save yourself forty minutes. If you love the show, it will be all right, but I'd recommend skipping to a better episode.