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 EPISODE REVIEWS | ||
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Once More Unto the Breach Airdate: Week of November 9, 1998 Written by: Ron D. Moore Directed by:Allan Kroeker File Photo || Mission Log || Opinion Poll Short Take: A good Klingon episode! Brief Summary: Kor dies well Review:DS9 can follow certain formulas to success or to mediocrity. The Klingon episode is a good example. It can be couched in too much honor and Stovokor babble, or it can deeply personal, about people sacrificing their own lives for greater goods. All too often we get the babble, as with "Sons and Daughters." I'd like to see more "Soldiers of the Empire." "Once More Unto the Breach" was just what I needed. In some ways, like "Soldiers," with a great warrior encountering his own inability to fight, except this time the warrior knew he couldn't recover his greatness, like Martok did in "Soldiers." All he could was die an honorable death, giving the episode a sense of inevitability, and great tragedy. It certainly justified the use of Kor in my eyes. I felt no need to tie up the Kor thread, but bringing him back with his old age showing and his need to die apparent was a good move. A nameless Klingon would not have worked. It's an idea that can only work as a Klingon episode. An old man dying doesn't make for good TV. But an old Klingon, no longer able to fight, no longer able to even remember the name of a ship does make for good TV. His whole being was fighting; without that, he was indeed nothing. Helping was strong characterization with the rest of the cast. Worf was actually probably the weakest for awhile, until the last act when he cooked a pretty good plan to stop the Jem'Hadar. Great because it required the sacrifice of life, a choice he was willing to make, but also because it was a decent idea free of too much technobabble. The other characters worked well, too. I enjoyed Martok's aide, not only because of his sense of humor, but also because the one scene where he tipped off Kor about the plan - it showed his respect for Kor as well as his understanding over what it means to be old. Martok's characterization in particular impressed me. Having him come from a lower class background is nice enough, but even better, he didn't hate Kor because of it. Martok is a patriot and a Klingon, and despite what Kor did to him, he let Kor go, because as a Klingon he knew that everyone needs to die well. Seeing Martok overcome his personal feelings about Kor helped him grow even more past the crusty old Klingon we expect he'll be. I thought the dialogue at the episode's start was a bit clunky. Kor says hello, Kor says I need help, Kor wants honor, Worf likes honor, etc. The thing I love about Klingons is that they can say deep and even poetic things; this wasn't happening there. As the episode progressed, that changed. The best scene that characterizes this in my mind was in the mess hall, following the disaster. The insults were just great, even better than those in "Soldiers." Ending the scene was a pause, with Kor saying, essentially, that the worst mistake he ever made was growing old. Old warriors don't die; they just waste away. The B-plot was hardly there but wasn't bad. A decent enough premise, with Quark thinking Ezri likes Worf, then trying to stop her with mixed motivations, both to protect her and to get her. My only fault with it was that it made Quark lust after Ezri AGAIN. "Once more Unto the Breach" is the second straight DS9 episode that's legimately *good." It was good because it combined the drama of war with personal decisions... something that looks to be repeated next week. Some short takes: - I believe the episode is actually titled "Once More Into the Breach," but I'll change the title to "Unto" to correctly quote the Shakespeare -I don't think that we needed to see Kor's death. Having the battle's progress conveyed over transmission worked well enough. -Ok, we didn't SEE him die. but no way he's coming back. - The FX of the ships leaving orbit were nicely done. I like that artificial camera motion that a computer can bring. -I have no clue as to what the reference to animated Trek was Rating: A- Next week: This season's "War is hell" episode. Rankings: 1)"Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" 2)"Once more Unto the Breach" 3)"Shadows and Symbols" 4)"Image in the Sand" 5)"Chrysalis" 6)"Afterimage" 7)"Take Me Out to the Holosuite" | |
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