jhochstny

DS9 is the one Trek spin-off that wholly captures the spirit of the parent series. TNG would occasionally get it right, but only DS9 gets the mix of opposition and friendship between the characters was perfect, and was never more delightful in this ep that gives us Nana Visitor as a sexpot KGB colonel, a Garak envious of the Bondian excesses of MI-6 agent Bashir ("It appears I joined the wrong intelligence service"), eye-patched O'Brien, and a Sisko/Dr. Noah who fits nicely n the mold of Dr. No, Blofeld, and Goldfinger, and white-jacketed cigar aficionado Worf/ Duchamps...Only DS9 ever got away with the alternating great tragedies ("Duet"), an elegiac original tale of the time-lost in "The Visitor", the pure silliness of "Take Me Out to the Holosuite", and brilliant tribute episodes.like "Trials and Tribble-ations..." , all with the spiritedness of the original,. And "Our Man Bashir" by using the 1964 super spy template, we also get the '60s naughtiness without which TOS would have been a long-forgotten dud.

This one goes to eleven.