1- VIEWERS CHECK THIS OUT BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER YOU WATCH "PLAYING GOD".........
*SPECIAL EFFECT WIZARDS AND WIZARDRY HAVE A HOME ON DS9........................ The opening 10 seconds of a roundabout docking at a DS9 port is stunning art. I have re-watched it a few times and DS9 definitely had it "going on" in the artistic realm of special effects in the 1990's. I have a 79" screen and it is pure heaven to watch all of the special effects and artistic renderings. We, in America, in the 2020's are spoiled with all of the graphic art and green-screening (a verb?) in our entertainment today. All you have to do is put a movie in your dvd player from the 1980's (like Ghostbusters for instance) and listen to your kids guffaw and mock. But.....DS9 was on the cutting edge of artistic technology and they used that tech to the best of their abilities. I read some of the user reviews before tackling this episode and, frankly, I am excited to watch this one because of the special effects I know are rampant throughout. As Peter Pan said, "Here we go!!!!!!!!....."
*WATCH OUT FOR THAT WALL!!!........... I think tall girls are very attractive. I know through their lives they were probably bullied by obvious monikers such as: "giraffe girl" and "do you have a problem with nosebleeds because the air up there is pretty thin isn't it?". Terry Farrell is listed as 6-0" so that would put her solidly in the "tall girl" category (the average height for an American female is 5-4" according to 2018 statistics). In Farrell's younger days she did some modeling and her gigs were with big name agencies. I think modeling agencies like the fact tall girls look good in outfits because their legs go on forever and a style put on their slender body has a reasonable chance of looking stellar. At approximately 5:10 the Symbiot Trill candidate (Arjin played by Geoffrey Blake) arrives at his Trill mentor's quarters. He is met at the door by a no-nonsense alien - big dude- who tells Arjin, "Jadzia is in the shower". Ummmm, WOW - I personally hate awkward situations like this. Jadzia comes out of the bathroom wearing only a towel and is a little put off by Arjin showing up early. She tells Arjin to make drinks for the two of them and then says goodbye with a smooch to her large alien (ahem...) friend. Interestingly enough, she asks Arjin to make her a Ferengi drink of some sort (she seems to like all things Ferengi) and then heads back into the bathroom/bedroom to finish getting ready. As she retreats to the bedroom (6:00) I notice she almost runs into a doorway wall! Sometimes the curse of being a tall girl is a bit of awkwardness attached to movement. It is hard for a 6-0 lady in a towel to be graceful in any situation let alone one that requires her to walk, talk with memorized lines of dialogue, know where all of the obstacles in the scene are without looking at them AND making sure her towel doesn't have a wardrobe malfunction.
*MEET THE HIND END OF MY CREW MATES!......... At 8:40 Dax is taking Arjin around the station and introducing him to the staff and crew of DS9. At the same time, Chief O'Brien and Major Kira are investigating wires that have been "chewed" on by Cardassian voles (rodent like creatures) left on DS9 by the previous landlords - the Cardassians. When Dax and Arjin walk around the bridge of the station doing introductions O'Brien and Kira are both inside a console inner panel - head first with only their two rear ends sticking out- lol. Dax literally introduces Arjin to the chief and the major's rear ends! I can tell this is going to be a lighthearted episode!
*DON'T THESE VOLES LOOK LIKE GREMLINS FROM THE SPIELBERG MOVIE OF THE SAME NAME?
The Cardassian vole looks a lot like Steven Spielberg's gremlin creatures (from his 1984 movie "Gremlins") AFTER they get wet. Spielberg was inspired from the gargoyles/demonic creatures which medieval cathedrals in Europe have carved in stone around the outside of their sanctuaries. This is the first the viewers have learned of the voles. These creatures are about the size of a lap dog and their teeth are fang-looking sharpies. If you are a family living on DS9 and you have children under the age of 2 - you better hope your kids' bedroom is secure from predators such as these! A simple rat trap won't do - you need a dog or a mongoose or a young mountain lion......
*KLINGON CHEF SINGS HIS GOOD-BYE SONG....... At approximately 14:00 the last appearance by the Klingon chef (thank the gods in producer-ville) takes place. The interesting part of this scene is not the singing chef going table-to-table with an accordion-looking instrument, nor the still living food on the dinner plates...... it's when Dax gets up from her table and begins to sing in fluent Klingon with the chef. They then have a conversation in fluent Klingon about Arjin- in front of Arjin (rude? Yes...a little bit). The chef tells Arjin that Dax taught him the Pavarotti-style opera song...in Klingon. Dax - an obvious type-A personality realizes she is running over the type-C Arjin and engages in a serious conversation with him about how he needs to ramp up the strength of his personality or the symbiont will consume anything that is left of him when he becomes the host.
*TYPE A EXPRESSES HERSELF TO TYPE C AND GETS A REACTION SHE WASN'T EXPECTING....... At approximately 24:00 in a scene with Arjin and Jadzia, she goes off on Arjin about her being "worried" in his potential lack of success in the joining process. Instead of backing down or shrinking silently away (like a good type C boy) he bubbles over and gets passionate for the first time in the episode. At first, I thought it was Dax's plan all along to fire the guy up, but when I saw the obvious hurt etched on Jadzia's face after Arjin storms out of the room post-verbal-explosion, I realized she didn't count on or plan for the reaction she got back.
*STAR TREK CLASSIC MOMENT: Odo's line delivered to Kira, "I don't step on ants, Major" is one that has become a classic and made Odo a bit of a cultural icon. Kira is saying it's better to destroy the life found in the new universe (they originally thought it was seaweed-type of stuff) which Dax and Arjin accidentally brought back from the Gamma quadrant toward the beginning of the episode -when they ran into it in the runabout. Once they put the "seaweed universe" into a containment field in the science lab they discovered what they had inadvertently brought back with them - a just-forming new universe with unknown and possibly intelligent life contained therein. Kira, from the beginning, wanted to burn the whole thing up before it can destroy the station (they are down to about 5 hours before it does just that) and, very possibly, begin to consume their own universe. She is in the distinct minority - no one is expressing approval for her idea only contempt for her violent idea. When she looks at the group opposing her and asks the question, "well.....do any of you have a better suggestion?" everyone just looks back at her with a blank, stare. Sisko retreats to his office to come up with his decision. Of the three stories contained in this episode (1-Arjin and Dax, 2-the Cardassian voles and 3-the new universe and potential intelligent lifeforms) the new universe story seems the most compelling and serious with cosmic principles to ponder and CLASSIC Star Trek moments - yet it seems like the focus was with the Arjin story line. This is a bit of a disappointment and I'm not sure of the reasoning behind the decision.
Sisko ponders his self-imposed 1 hour deadline and makes the entirely fallacious internal argument of comparing what they would do by destroying the new universe with what the Borg did to the Federation and the planets contained therein. He says, "Would we be any different from the Borg if we would destroy their universe to preserve our own?" The problem with this reasoning is the Borg were assimilating, devouring and decimating other civilizations because they felt like they were the superior race and were venturing way beyond their original borders. They had no need to do this for their survival - they were selfish and exerting undue power over weaker life forms. The comparison Sisko makes is ridiculous and false from its' conception. The DS9 crew wants only to save their universe and the billions of inhabitants in it.
2- Final Reflection and Grade.... *Jadzia Dax is a fascinating character. Because she has so many previous lives still existing inside of her (from a string of previous hosts) she has an extensive library of experiences and knowledge to draw from. Jadzia, at around 35-years-of-age, is still a young woman and a young woman who passionately embraces all life has to offer. I think one of the reasons I've always found her a compelling character is because she sees living as fun and is constantly pursuing all things that will enrich and enhance her life experience. She is a multi-cultural and multi-racial lover and her exuberance in grabbing each day by the horns and seeing what she can glean from it is very contagious. If I'm being honest in my review, I have a bit of a crush on Farrell with the leopard-like spots running up and down her neck. There's just something about a tall, smoking hot brunette that is in to science, using her brain and has a worm-like creature that is centuries-old living inside of her.
The episodes are getting stronger as time goes on. The character development of everyone is fascinating to watch and the writers are involving all of the characters in an egalitarian way. This will lead to strength in the series later on. Some series on TV focus on one or two actors in the ensemble cast because they like writing for them or because they are popular. The writers here resist that temptation.
Final Grade: A.
*SPECIAL EFFECT WIZARDS AND WIZARDRY HAVE A HOME ON DS9........................ The opening 10 seconds of a roundabout docking at a DS9 port is stunning art. I have re-watched it a few times and DS9 definitely had it "going on" in the artistic realm of special effects in the 1990's. I have a 79" screen and it is pure heaven to watch all of the special effects and artistic renderings. We, in America, in the 2020's are spoiled with all of the graphic art and green-screening (a verb?) in our entertainment today. All you have to do is put a movie in your dvd player from the 1980's (like Ghostbusters for instance) and listen to your kids guffaw and mock. But.....DS9 was on the cutting edge of artistic technology and they used that tech to the best of their abilities. I read some of the user reviews before tackling this episode and, frankly, I am excited to watch this one because of the special effects I know are rampant throughout. As Peter Pan said, "Here we go!!!!!!!!....."
*WATCH OUT FOR THAT WALL!!!........... I think tall girls are very attractive. I know through their lives they were probably bullied by obvious monikers such as: "giraffe girl" and "do you have a problem with nosebleeds because the air up there is pretty thin isn't it?". Terry Farrell is listed as 6-0" so that would put her solidly in the "tall girl" category (the average height for an American female is 5-4" according to 2018 statistics). In Farrell's younger days she did some modeling and her gigs were with big name agencies. I think modeling agencies like the fact tall girls look good in outfits because their legs go on forever and a style put on their slender body has a reasonable chance of looking stellar. At approximately 5:10 the Symbiot Trill candidate (Arjin played by Geoffrey Blake) arrives at his Trill mentor's quarters. He is met at the door by a no-nonsense alien - big dude- who tells Arjin, "Jadzia is in the shower". Ummmm, WOW - I personally hate awkward situations like this. Jadzia comes out of the bathroom wearing only a towel and is a little put off by Arjin showing up early. She tells Arjin to make drinks for the two of them and then says goodbye with a smooch to her large alien (ahem...) friend. Interestingly enough, she asks Arjin to make her a Ferengi drink of some sort (she seems to like all things Ferengi) and then heads back into the bathroom/bedroom to finish getting ready. As she retreats to the bedroom (6:00) I notice she almost runs into a doorway wall! Sometimes the curse of being a tall girl is a bit of awkwardness attached to movement. It is hard for a 6-0 lady in a towel to be graceful in any situation let alone one that requires her to walk, talk with memorized lines of dialogue, know where all of the obstacles in the scene are without looking at them AND making sure her towel doesn't have a wardrobe malfunction.
*MEET THE HIND END OF MY CREW MATES!......... At 8:40 Dax is taking Arjin around the station and introducing him to the staff and crew of DS9. At the same time, Chief O'Brien and Major Kira are investigating wires that have been "chewed" on by Cardassian voles (rodent like creatures) left on DS9 by the previous landlords - the Cardassians. When Dax and Arjin walk around the bridge of the station doing introductions O'Brien and Kira are both inside a console inner panel - head first with only their two rear ends sticking out- lol. Dax literally introduces Arjin to the chief and the major's rear ends! I can tell this is going to be a lighthearted episode!
*DON'T THESE VOLES LOOK LIKE GREMLINS FROM THE SPIELBERG MOVIE OF THE SAME NAME?
The Cardassian vole looks a lot like Steven Spielberg's gremlin creatures (from his 1984 movie "Gremlins") AFTER they get wet. Spielberg was inspired from the gargoyles/demonic creatures which medieval cathedrals in Europe have carved in stone around the outside of their sanctuaries. This is the first the viewers have learned of the voles. These creatures are about the size of a lap dog and their teeth are fang-looking sharpies. If you are a family living on DS9 and you have children under the age of 2 - you better hope your kids' bedroom is secure from predators such as these! A simple rat trap won't do - you need a dog or a mongoose or a young mountain lion......
*KLINGON CHEF SINGS HIS GOOD-BYE SONG....... At approximately 14:00 the last appearance by the Klingon chef (thank the gods in producer-ville) takes place. The interesting part of this scene is not the singing chef going table-to-table with an accordion-looking instrument, nor the still living food on the dinner plates...... it's when Dax gets up from her table and begins to sing in fluent Klingon with the chef. They then have a conversation in fluent Klingon about Arjin- in front of Arjin (rude? Yes...a little bit). The chef tells Arjin that Dax taught him the Pavarotti-style opera song...in Klingon. Dax - an obvious type-A personality realizes she is running over the type-C Arjin and engages in a serious conversation with him about how he needs to ramp up the strength of his personality or the symbiont will consume anything that is left of him when he becomes the host.
*TYPE A EXPRESSES HERSELF TO TYPE C AND GETS A REACTION SHE WASN'T EXPECTING....... At approximately 24:00 in a scene with Arjin and Jadzia, she goes off on Arjin about her being "worried" in his potential lack of success in the joining process. Instead of backing down or shrinking silently away (like a good type C boy) he bubbles over and gets passionate for the first time in the episode. At first, I thought it was Dax's plan all along to fire the guy up, but when I saw the obvious hurt etched on Jadzia's face after Arjin storms out of the room post-verbal-explosion, I realized she didn't count on or plan for the reaction she got back.
*STAR TREK CLASSIC MOMENT: Odo's line delivered to Kira, "I don't step on ants, Major" is one that has become a classic and made Odo a bit of a cultural icon. Kira is saying it's better to destroy the life found in the new universe (they originally thought it was seaweed-type of stuff) which Dax and Arjin accidentally brought back from the Gamma quadrant toward the beginning of the episode -when they ran into it in the runabout. Once they put the "seaweed universe" into a containment field in the science lab they discovered what they had inadvertently brought back with them - a just-forming new universe with unknown and possibly intelligent life contained therein. Kira, from the beginning, wanted to burn the whole thing up before it can destroy the station (they are down to about 5 hours before it does just that) and, very possibly, begin to consume their own universe. She is in the distinct minority - no one is expressing approval for her idea only contempt for her violent idea. When she looks at the group opposing her and asks the question, "well.....do any of you have a better suggestion?" everyone just looks back at her with a blank, stare. Sisko retreats to his office to come up with his decision. Of the three stories contained in this episode (1-Arjin and Dax, 2-the Cardassian voles and 3-the new universe and potential intelligent lifeforms) the new universe story seems the most compelling and serious with cosmic principles to ponder and CLASSIC Star Trek moments - yet it seems like the focus was with the Arjin story line. This is a bit of a disappointment and I'm not sure of the reasoning behind the decision.
Sisko ponders his self-imposed 1 hour deadline and makes the entirely fallacious internal argument of comparing what they would do by destroying the new universe with what the Borg did to the Federation and the planets contained therein. He says, "Would we be any different from the Borg if we would destroy their universe to preserve our own?" The problem with this reasoning is the Borg were assimilating, devouring and decimating other civilizations because they felt like they were the superior race and were venturing way beyond their original borders. They had no need to do this for their survival - they were selfish and exerting undue power over weaker life forms. The comparison Sisko makes is ridiculous and false from its' conception. The DS9 crew wants only to save their universe and the billions of inhabitants in it.
2- Final Reflection and Grade.... *Jadzia Dax is a fascinating character. Because she has so many previous lives still existing inside of her (from a string of previous hosts) she has an extensive library of experiences and knowledge to draw from. Jadzia, at around 35-years-of-age, is still a young woman and a young woman who passionately embraces all life has to offer. I think one of the reasons I've always found her a compelling character is because she sees living as fun and is constantly pursuing all things that will enrich and enhance her life experience. She is a multi-cultural and multi-racial lover and her exuberance in grabbing each day by the horns and seeing what she can glean from it is very contagious. If I'm being honest in my review, I have a bit of a crush on Farrell with the leopard-like spots running up and down her neck. There's just something about a tall, smoking hot brunette that is in to science, using her brain and has a worm-like creature that is centuries-old living inside of her.
The episodes are getting stronger as time goes on. The character development of everyone is fascinating to watch and the writers are involving all of the characters in an egalitarian way. This will lead to strength in the series later on. Some series on TV focus on one or two actors in the ensemble cast because they like writing for them or because they are popular. The writers here resist that temptation.
Final Grade: A.