Deep Space Nine 606 "The Sacrifice of Angels"

"Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
 Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
 Rode the six hundred."
- Dr. Julian Bashir and Chief Miles Edward O'Brien quoting from Tennyson before valiantly charging into battle.


This. This is what we have been waiting for, nerds. Greeted with Ben Sisko's gravitas-laden resolve against the backdrop of Federation fighters (FIGHTERS?!?) swarming about the fleet, as Julian and Miles open in a pa de deux of quotation from the third stanza of "Charge of the Light Brigade." Our heroes have come to the devil's doorstep, swinging a diminutive bat, but yea they charge onward into the mouth of hell to the clanging toll of Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko's enormous brass cajones.

This day the hopes of freedom from tyranny and blood at the hands of a ravening oppressor shall be decided in this world of ideas we all share. This day we shall know victory or a hundred generations of servitude to a faceless alien throne. This day we shall know deliverance or oblivion!

...okay, I might be getting a little carried away. What I did do was have a nice little bit of scotch (Laphroaig 10 for those keeping track) and actually just read the entire Tennyson poem that the boys were quoting from. I encourage you, my friends, to do the same. The poem can be found here: http://poetry.eserver.org/light-brigade.html

Go on, I'll wait.

There! Now are you fired up? Good. Lets get it on...

After the cold open, we get wind of Sisko's strategy of attempting to divide the Dominion forces by attacking only the Cardassian ships, and thus provoking an emotional reaction which will divide their fleet. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dukat is wise to Sisko's plan, and explains to his loyal lieutenant, Glin Exposition, that he intends to give them an opening and then surround them. Dukat may be a preening Narcicistic asshat, bit he sure knows how to take a page out of the Greek playbook from the Battle of Marathon.

Sisko, not one easily hoodwinked, sees that it's a trap, but goes for it anyway. And The Federation fleet is charging forward, in what looks for all the world like a phalanx. We are then treated to what concentrated phaser fire from an entire wing of Galaxy-class starships can do to a Cardassian frigate. The poor bastards.

Back at deep space nine, the poor decisions crew is having a meeting in a conspicuous public place while discussing how to to disrupt the Dominion's very imminent plans to take down the minefield (at this point, I'm willing to believe their strategy involves getting caught). And of course, they get arrested and thrown in the can for the duration. But who's left? That's right. Our man Quark. The Federation's greatest undercover hero. Why he didn't get a medal for this, I'll never know. This is buttoned by more sparring between Dukat and Weyoun, including a bit of business validating last episode's concerns from the Starfleet Admiral about the safety of Earth. And also to reinforce Dukat's megalomania. He's rolling deep, now. I would note that Sisko's not-so-subtly metaphoric ball is standing prominently in the foreground.

Cut to Poor Decisions Odo. He's stressing about his friends at risk in battle, and the Gross Female Changeling consoles him by telling him that she's going to execute his girlfriend. Maybe poor decisions run in the changeling family, as she's more or less guaranteed that he will now turn on her. Silly.

The crew of the USS Warp Core Breach and the
USS Redshirt suddenly reconsider their career choices.  

We then slam-cut to the battle in full pitch, with the USS Defiant being escorted through heavy resistance by the USS Redshirt and the USS Warp Core Breach! Sadly, those brave souls were doomed the moment they agreed to bring 100 year old Miranda-class frigates to a modern battle. Those glorious bastards died with their boots on, at least. The jaws of death close around The Defiant and all looks lost... Until the Klingons come charging out of the sun to their rescue, descending like a fiery rain onto the Dominion horde. Only the Defiant makes it through.

Of course they do. Personally I think they were just off waiting for a dramatically appropriate entrance opportunity.  I can just see Martok on the bridge of the IKS Rotarran, chewing on some bit of awful Klingon food, warding off Worf's protestations, "No, Worf, let them work for it.  Don't you want to make a good entrance?"

Quark, unsung hero to the cause of all that is good and right in the world, then uses a combination of subterfuge, and cold-blooded murder to bust out his brother. Good ol' Quark! Rom then escapes into a tube to sabotage the station. After a brief firefight on the way to their objective, Odo rescues them from,the Jem'Hadar. You gotta love a guy who can stick to his guns whenever it suits him and at no other time!

But Rom is too late. The Dominion forces aboard the station destroy the minefield JUST before our guy disables the stations weapons, and all appears lost.

This is when Sisko puts his hat into the ring for the greatest literal Deus Ex Machina ending ever. He basically flies into the wormhole, stops halfway, and puts the Prophets on the spot to intervene on his behalf. They let it slip that they will not allow Sisko to sacrifice himself to win the war, as they need him to fulfill a destiny. And his appeal works.

In the midst of the hole in space, the godlike prophets vacuum up the Dominion fleet as though it was so many dust bunnies.

Our heroes, in full battle-boner mode, return to the station with NO enemy ships in pursuit and proceed to beat the crap out of the station itself. Damar announces 200 enemy ships breaking through the lines, and Weyoun announces gleefully that it's time to start packing!

What follows is one of the greatest frustrated psychotic breakdowns ever from Gul Dukat. Determined to save his ego in a last ditch effort to get validation form his daughter (whom he once tried to kill, and then later abandoned, btw), he attempts to persuade her to evacuate with him. She then confesses to him that she sold him out, and then is promptly shot by Damar, as punishment for treason.  Dukat, for all intents and purposes, loses his mind at that moment.

We then get Sisko's amazing triumphant return, and the crew reuniting. It's not all smiles, due to Ziyal's death, but it's not exactly a Pyrrhic victory. Our heroes are home, the arch villain is a prisoner (appropriately handing him his ball back.  Have you noticed the ball is a metaphor?), and the bad guys are retreating. I call that a win.

I should note here that since Sisko now KNOWS that he has a predestined fate, can he not just legally take all the crazy risks he wants because his time to go is set in stone?!? I would.

So there we have it. We have won the battle, beaten the bad guys, and done good. It feels great.

I'm just gonna bask in this for a while, as its awesome. Fortune DOES favor the bold!