The Reckoning

Another boring episode featuring Bajoran religious fanaticism at work. No doubt this episode was tailored to accommodate the American obsession with religion. It's a wonder that Bajor manages to be a space-faring culture with such backwards mentality. Hear this: to them, it's perfectly logical that a weird space phenomenon (the gate), as well as their planet's meteorology and geology, could be severely upset depending on the particular location of an archaeological artefact.

Something funny about Bajor, but also about most other Star Trek "races", is the fact that they achieve global unity in such eminently polarising subjects as religion or ideology. Look at human religions, and see how they're prone to split into rival branches, over trivial, petty details, and with such intensity that their members are not above killing people from the other side at the slightest "provocation". Religion has never been a unifying force: it's been one of the main dividers within humankind, and a willing originator of death, suffering, intolerance.

The fact that this is a work of science fiction does not mean that shoddy plot designs should be acceptable, when they breach the credibility of a universe based on progress.

Sisko takes an important religious artefact from Bajor.

I think how much you enjoy it will depend how interesting you find the Bajoran religion episodes. For me this is one of the weaker entries as it kills much of the intrigue surrounding the Profits and Pah-raiths, plus is shows little consistency in the character development of Kai Winn, for the sake of making her the antagonist once again. I like the themes of leaders (religious or otherwise) portrayed as self-serving, but the writers make her quite one-note in this one.

I also struggle with some of the luvvy-duvvy scenes between Kira and Odo. Even though I wanted them to get together the compelling dynamic that existed previously has given way to something less appealing for me. As a beloved Trek character once said "having is not so pleasing a thing after all as 'wanting."

The visuals have been slated enough by other reviewers and I wouldn't disagree with it, but it is Star Trek and I have seen far worse.

I think all actors do a great job with the material.

For me it's a 5.5/10 but I round upwards.

Some of the Bajoran religion episodes in DS9 aren't bad even though faith vs science usually isn't handled all too well. This episode wasn't great, but had its moments. Louise Fletcher's performance as Kai Winn is always great to watch and if the plot did take a cue from the binding of Isaac and Sisko willing to sacrifice his son, Jake, for his faith then she would be the angel, which is an interesting twist. Louise Fletcher does a really good job of creating a more complex character rather than an easy outright villain.

The Reckoning is a great Deep Space Nine episodes. I love how it dives into the mysterious, almost mythic nature of the Prophets and their connection to Bajoran spirituality. The central conflict between faith and practicality is captivating, and it's fascinating to see Sisko fully embrace his role as the Emissary. The tension builds beautifully as the Prophets and Pah-wraiths clash through Kira and Jake, giving the episode an intense, otherworldly feel. I've always enjoyed the Prophet-centric episodes, as they add layers of mystery to the series' lore, and this one is no exception. The stakes feel immense, and the blend of character drama with cosmic intrigue is just perfect.

The truth came out with her but I'm not watching another episode with her in it. Period.

What a creepy actress she fits her charachter well. Her personal history makes you wonder why she was ever cast. Creepy.