“THE DIE IS CAST”
“Constable, THIS is what happens when you don’t MOISTURISE!”
“The Die is Cast” is a true watershed for Deep Space Nine: an episode that sees the show finally capitalise on the galaxy-shattering arrival of the Dominion and shift its storytelling focus into the epic space opera it would remain for the remainder of its run.
One of the frustrations I had re-watching TNG last year was that, aside for the Borg incident (which was something of an early peak for the series) and perhaps the brief Klingon civil war, nothing much really happened in terms of the broader canvas; nothing to really shake up the Trek universe. Episodes tended to generally only focus on smaller scale issues. That’s why, when I first watched this episode some 26 years ago (man, I feel old), I was so thrilled. It truly felt like storytelling on an EPIC scale—and the moment the fleet of Romulan and Cardassian warships decloaked at the station, I knew just how massive the stakes were.
By this point, the DS9 writers had gained considerable confidence and I could tell that they weren’t afraid to shake up the status quo. One of the show’s greatest strengths, of course, is that plots aren’t neatly wrapped up by the end of each episode. I knew that whatever happened now, there would be consequences, and the Trek world would never be quite the same again. In many ways, I feel this is the point in the series where the writers truly found their feet and decided exactly what they wanted the show to be.
The plot is bold and, to me, almost Shakespearean in tone. Of course, in DS9, the characterisation was at least as important as the plot, and the two are deftly intertwined here. It’s a powerhouse episode for Odo and Garak, with Auberjonois and Robinson once again delivering superb performances. Garak is initially delighted at being reinstated as Tain’s protege, but things quickly sour when Tain orders him to interrogate and torture Odo, undoubtedly as a test of loyalty. Whereas until now I suspected Garak may be a sociopath (a quality that would, no doubt, be valuable in his line of work), it’s clear that the tailor-cum-spy does have a conscience; for the torture scene evidently causes him almost as much pain as Odo. It’s a harrowing scene and all the more painful for the stunning performances and uncomfortably claustrophobic directing. What we learn—specifically, that Odo is tormented by an almost irresistible desire to return to his people—adds another wonderful layer of depth to an already complex and conflicted character. Fortunately, later Garak redeems himself by rescuing the Constable and the beautiful, enigmatic closing scene suggests that out of this painful affair a new and unlikely friendship has been born.
Elsewhere, there’s plenty of excitement as Sisko and crew defy Starfleet Command and take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant on a rescue and intercept mission. I did feel that Sisko was a little too quick to go renegade. Although the cost of his disobedience is laid bare, if every Captain in Starfleet decided to go off and do their own thing irrespective of orders, the chain of command would collapse and Starfleet would be no more. I don’t know if I’d have been quite as forgiving if I were Admiral Toddman. Eddington, of course, proves himself a rather duplicitous character, deliberately sabotaging the Defiant—but, the fact is, he was simply following orders from Toddman. Would you or I have done any different in his position? Hard to say. This plot does sow seeds of doubt about Eddington and how much he can be trusted; something that would go on to provide some excellent drama in the next two seasons.
I do feel, however, that the scenes of the Defiant dead in space felt just a little bit like padding. The only bum note in the episode for me comes at the end of act two when the Defiant suddenly de-cloaks. Sisko’s line “...AND WE’LL HAVE TO FIGHT OUR WAY OUT OF HERE!” is something of a low-key cringe for me. Both the directing (a rapid zoom in on Sisko’s face) and Brooks’ line delivery with a sudden raised voice, come across as a tad melodramatic for my taste.
Apart from that though, the episode is flawless. I loved the twist that the Founders had actually orchestrated the entire affair, deliberately manipulating the Cardassians and Romulans into attacking them in order to eliminate them both. We see just how dangerous the Dominion is because they’re utterly insidious and manage to pull everyone’s strings from the shadows. The fact that Lovok turns out to be a Changeling highlights that basically no one can be trusted now. How do you defeat an enemy that can change shape and replace people in positions of power? The episode also treats us to one of the most stunning space battles ever seen on Trek up to this point. Most of the time Trek only featured very limited space battles: rarely more than a couple of ships exchanging phaser blasts. This is one of the first times we’ve seen an entire fleet of ships engaged in battle on screen and it’s utterly thrilling—particularly when we get to see the Defiant kick ass as only it can. Fortunately, all the pyrotechnics are warranted by a truly brilliant plot and superb characterisation and performances. This is definitely among DS9’s top ten episodes and basically sets the tone for the rest of the series to come. Rating: 10
“Constable, THIS is what happens when you don’t MOISTURISE!”
“The Die is Cast” is a true watershed for Deep Space Nine: an episode that sees the show finally capitalise on the galaxy-shattering arrival of the Dominion and shift its storytelling focus into the epic space opera it would remain for the remainder of its run.
One of the frustrations I had re-watching TNG last year was that, aside for the Borg incident (which was something of an early peak for the series) and perhaps the brief Klingon civil war, nothing much really happened in terms of the broader canvas; nothing to really shake up the Trek universe. Episodes tended to generally only focus on smaller scale issues. That’s why, when I first watched this episode some 26 years ago (man, I feel old), I was so thrilled. It truly felt like storytelling on an EPIC scale—and the moment the fleet of Romulan and Cardassian warships decloaked at the station, I knew just how massive the stakes were.
By this point, the DS9 writers had gained considerable confidence and I could tell that they weren’t afraid to shake up the status quo. One of the show’s greatest strengths, of course, is that plots aren’t neatly wrapped up by the end of each episode. I knew that whatever happened now, there would be consequences, and the Trek world would never be quite the same again. In many ways, I feel this is the point in the series where the writers truly found their feet and decided exactly what they wanted the show to be.
The plot is bold and, to me, almost Shakespearean in tone. Of course, in DS9, the characterisation was at least as important as the plot, and the two are deftly intertwined here. It’s a powerhouse episode for Odo and Garak, with Auberjonois and Robinson once again delivering superb performances. Garak is initially delighted at being reinstated as Tain’s protege, but things quickly sour when Tain orders him to interrogate and torture Odo, undoubtedly as a test of loyalty. Whereas until now I suspected Garak may be a sociopath (a quality that would, no doubt, be valuable in his line of work), it’s clear that the tailor-cum-spy does have a conscience; for the torture scene evidently causes him almost as much pain as Odo. It’s a harrowing scene and all the more painful for the stunning performances and uncomfortably claustrophobic directing. What we learn—specifically, that Odo is tormented by an almost irresistible desire to return to his people—adds another wonderful layer of depth to an already complex and conflicted character. Fortunately, later Garak redeems himself by rescuing the Constable and the beautiful, enigmatic closing scene suggests that out of this painful affair a new and unlikely friendship has been born.
Elsewhere, there’s plenty of excitement as Sisko and crew defy Starfleet Command and take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant on a rescue and intercept mission. I did feel that Sisko was a little too quick to go renegade. Although the cost of his disobedience is laid bare, if every Captain in Starfleet decided to go off and do their own thing irrespective of orders, the chain of command would collapse and Starfleet would be no more. I don’t know if I’d have been quite as forgiving if I were Admiral Toddman. Eddington, of course, proves himself a rather duplicitous character, deliberately sabotaging the Defiant—but, the fact is, he was simply following orders from Toddman. Would you or I have done any different in his position? Hard to say. This plot does sow seeds of doubt about Eddington and how much he can be trusted; something that would go on to provide some excellent drama in the next two seasons.
I do feel, however, that the scenes of the Defiant dead in space felt just a little bit like padding. The only bum note in the episode for me comes at the end of act two when the Defiant suddenly de-cloaks. Sisko’s line “...AND WE’LL HAVE TO FIGHT OUR WAY OUT OF HERE!” is something of a low-key cringe for me. Both the directing (a rapid zoom in on Sisko’s face) and Brooks’ line delivery with a sudden raised voice, come across as a tad melodramatic for my taste.
Apart from that though, the episode is flawless. I loved the twist that the Founders had actually orchestrated the entire affair, deliberately manipulating the Cardassians and Romulans into attacking them in order to eliminate them both. We see just how dangerous the Dominion is because they’re utterly insidious and manage to pull everyone’s strings from the shadows. The fact that Lovok turns out to be a Changeling highlights that basically no one can be trusted now. How do you defeat an enemy that can change shape and replace people in positions of power? The episode also treats us to one of the most stunning space battles ever seen on Trek up to this point. Most of the time Trek only featured very limited space battles: rarely more than a couple of ships exchanging phaser blasts. This is one of the first times we’ve seen an entire fleet of ships engaged in battle on screen and it’s utterly thrilling—particularly when we get to see the Defiant kick ass as only it can. Fortunately, all the pyrotechnics are warranted by a truly brilliant plot and superb characterisation and performances. This is definitely among DS9’s top ten episodes and basically sets the tone for the rest of the series to come. Rating: 10
