When an old plan is triggered, Sisko must work with a very special decomissioned prisoner in order to solve the intended plan and prevent a war.
This is the ninth appearance of Michael Eddington on the series. Eddington compels me as a villain. He stands out among the Maquis or among Starfleet. Eddington's uniqueness is what makes him special and terrifying among the uniforms. (The same effect was true in The Next Generation; when Picard became Locutus, it was far more terrifying than the simpler zombie Borg.) I didn't think he'd be back after "For The Uniform," Sisko's resounding victory in that episode left Eddington jailed. In this episode, when the Klingons intercept a message from the Maquis, it becomes clear that Cardassia – and thus the carefully managed semi-peace currently holding sway – is in danger, and war could be imminent. And the one man who might be able to help is Eddington. Sisko has to somehow manage Eddington into getting the information he needs to prevent interstellar war.
I love watching these two together. Sisko has sometimes been in Eddington-like shoes but has remained a hardline company man in many ways – despite often taking his own route to get there. Between the two men, we cover many shades of grey as they explore – and enact – the conflict between Starfleet and the Maquis. This is also a great Nog story. This episode plays its b-level storyline up against its a-level quite harmoniously, but honestly, the Nog element could almost stand on its own with a bit more fleshing out. This character's arc has come a long way from the student in Keiko's school. It was great to see Sisko mentoring Nog, and Nog impressed me with how he resolved his own frustrations. If these scenes lacked anything it would be something a bit more constructive to do for Jake.
What do the Maquis really believe? Independence, colonization... and fresh vegetables? Replicated food taste has been a running theme in Star Trek, but wouldn't a colonist welcome preserved food that could persist in flavor past the sell-by date, so to speak? Being devious has always been an Eddington trait: the final twist in this episode shocked me, but I was grinning while I was mouth-O with horror up until the awesome final moments as. Didn't I tell you I liked Eddington? He's a rogue as well as a leader, and I find him endearing. I guess the Maquis no longer exist, but Sisko certainly gets them better.
Seen in the Scene
Quark making Morn freak out and run naked into the temple.
Nog and the chair and the 70 dee-bees.
Rebecca was a nice addition; certainly made sense that Eddington would have a connection tying him to the Maquis like this by now. Her appearance was way too brief for anyone to care about her.
Read in the Script
Eddington: You like this, don't you, Ben? You like deciding the fate of others. It makes you feel important.
Sisko: It's not about me. Do you want your freedom or not?
Eddington: Freedom, huh? Tell me. If they did release me, where would I go? What would I do?
Sisko: Anything you want.
Eddington: What about bringing the Maquis back from the dead? Can I do that? Can you? Can anyone? No, I didn't think so. In that case, I'll tell you what I want. I want to lie here until the Jem'Hadar blow this place to pieces and me along with it.
Overall
This was a good episode, and I loved seeing Michael Eddington again. 4/5 hydroponic garden vegetables.
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