Defiant

Sometimes on this show, when they are working on a bad or mediocre script, the actors remind me of high school actors with a lesson or two. But when there is a good script, like this one, all the actors fall into place and you can see how good they really are. I assumed this episode was going to be just a treat for fans only, with a wink and a nod and the presence of Jonathan Frakes, from The Next Generation. But a person could enjoy this without any knowledge of Commander Riker.

The script builds with a movie-quality dramatic tension. It is a little cramped as a story, it doesn't quite fit into one episode, and you might find it slightly overdone. But it has a lot to recommend itself, with good straight action and lots of character nuances. If you're cruising episodes looking for some good ones, I'd pick this one. And I looked up the writer: it was Ronald Moore.

There is a reason why Star Trek's flagships are called 'Enterprise' and not 'Defiant.' U. S. S. Defiant's have been part of Star Trek since the Classic days in the 1960s. The attitude of 'defiance' is just that slightly little off so that a U. S. S. Defiant could never promote to the topmost position in Starfleet. How ? You can avoid enemies. No need to get defiant. Riker's double has no reason for joining the Maquis. Really, Deep Space Nine has no reason for ordering a U. S. S. Defiant to that wormhole. That move only provokes. Defiance isn't it. Instead, simply leave. Nice to see that evil twin of an 'Enterprise' frequently play out in Star Trek. Since this season 3 of Deep Space Nine, see misguided defiance in every episode!

It all kicks off when Star Trek TNG's Riker visits DS9.

This is a strong episode with an interesting cameo and other great character work.

The story contains compelling political intrigue between the Federation, Cardassians, and other organisations who I won't name for fear of spoilers. It is all nicely played out in good character exchanges between the likes of Sisko and Gul Dukat, plus Riker and Kira Nerys.

Performances of Marc Alaimo, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, and Jonathan Frakes make the best of a pretty good script.

All the visuals are impressive, particularly the space scenes, set design, makeup and costuming.

There are one or two silly moments (Riker's beard etc), but they are still enjoyable.

Tom Riker's resistance group calls themselves the Maquis, after the WWII resistance fighters in Vichy France: but many cast members, particularly Avery Brooks (Ben Sisko), mispronounce it as if it is "Marquee". One is a group of tough mountain based anti-Nazi resistance fighters, the other is a large tent for parties: a bit of a difference! Other than this, it's a good episode with lots of character and plot development.

I kept thinking of Tom Riker as weak and eventually realized that this man has every skill of Will Riker and as such is formidable. True, Kira points out a major weakness in Tom which is Tom's ambition which is clouding his objectivity.

Early in the episode I was hoping that this would be a fun episode with Will Riker and Kira doing some harmless mischief. The episode title warned me that wouldn't be the case.

The writers tried to add some complexity to Gul Dukat in this episode. They provide motivations that seem noble showing his family side and using his patriotism to justify previous actions. After the episode Civil Defense, and his other history, I have a hard time buying it as justification. This man is cruel and self centered. Retribution is high as part of his motivation.

Starfleet's internal ship security always amazes me. Since the inception of TNG, ships have been taken over by unauthorized people so many times it is ridiculous. In the early 1990's when this series is born, systems security is new to many (i.e. Writers), but that's poor excuse. It's one thing for Tom to gain access to the Defiant and take over, but then countless other unauthorized people run all the subsystems without trouble. Again, the episode Civil Defense offers a stark contrast. The station security kept throwing up roadblocks right and left for individuals to access. It makes me wonder on two points. First, has no one in Starfleet devised a foolproof way for the proper people to regain access to command codes when dozens of previously unauthorized people are all over the ship? And second, has it occurred to no one to put in some sort of notification system checking on the two bodies of William Thomas Riker that one is not impersonating the other? Starfleet security is ludicrous.