‘IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” I’m sure that’s what the Joker said to Bruce Wayne in 1989’s ‘Batman’! 😀 This ‘DS9’ episode has a fascinating journey for Captain Sisko. 🙂
In the episode, Sisko records in his log about him trying to persuade the Romulans to join in the fight against the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant. His actions have severe consequences for his career. 😐
As you can imagine, the episode is told in flashback with us cutting to and fro from Sisko recording his personal log entry of the past two weeks to what actually happened. I like how it gets unravelled.
The Dominion War takes its toll for the Federation who has suffered many losses. Jadzia Dax herself has lost her long-time friend in the war. There are complaints about the Romulans taking a backseat.
Sisko decides to turn the tide of the war in the Federation’s favour as he intends to bring the Romulans into the war itself. It won’t be easy since the Romulans signed a pact with the Dominion. 🙁
To find a way to get the Romulans into the war, Sisko enlists the help of Andrew Robinson as Garak. He wants Garak to help him find some evidence that the Dominion intend to attack the Romulans. 😐
Garak does all he can but his contacts soon end up dead shortly after he communicates with them. In order to speed deliberations, Garak suggests something else to Sisko other than finding evidence. 😐
He suggests producing a forged recording of a planned attack by the Dominion leaders on the Romulans. This will include having Jeffrey Combs’ Weyoun and Casey Biggs’ Damar in the recording!
Sisko is hesitant at first, but he’s driven forward by the Dominion’s recent conquest of Betazed. Oh dear! I hope Lwaxana Troi is alright as well as her daughter Deanna. No mention was made of them.
After gaining permission from Starfleet to proceed, Sisko agrees to Garak’s request to secure the release of a forger, Howard Shangraw as Grathon Tolar, who was kept in a Klingon prison apparently.
Tolar agrees to help out, but Sisko needs to trade a large quantity of bio-mimetic gel in order to obtain an authentic Cardassian data rod. Dr. Bashir protests when Sisko makes the request to him. 😐
Things escalate when Tolar stabs Quark while drunk. Sisko manages to bride Quark to not press charges against Tolar. Sisko is willing to go to extremes to please Quark, and which Quark is satisfied.
Thankfully, Tolar forges the holographic record of a meeting between the Dominion leaders discussing a plan to invade Romulus. Sisko also arranges a secret meeting with a Romulan senator. 😐
This is on Garak’s advice and the Romulan senator happens to be an influential man – Stephen McHattie as Vreenak. Sisko gives Vreenak the recording, hoping he’ll be able to buy the ‘evidence’. 😐
Sadly, Vreenak sees that the recording is a fake and is soon about to expose the deception when he returns home to Romulus. But Sisko later hears that Vreenak’s ship got destroyed en route back home. 😮
Sisko has avoided the possibility that his actions may have forced the Romulans to join with the Dominion. But he also realises that Garak planted a bomb on Vreenak’s ship when he had departed.
Garak planned it out, saying that if the possibility arose Vreenak didn’t buy the forgery, the Romulans would scan the wreckage, find the rod and any imperfections would be attributed to the explosion.
The Romulans would deduce the Dominion was behind the explosion and thus the Romulans would fight in the war against them. This does happen which doesn’t make it easy for Sisko’s conscience. 🙁
It’s intriguing how Sisko lays it all out in his personal log, expressing his doubts and anxieties about the past two weeks. At times, Sisko is angry for what he did as it goes against his Starfleet principles.
But at the same time, Sisko says that after all the forgery, bribery and potential murder caused, it was all done for the good of the Alpha Quadrant and that he can live with it. He soon deletes the log.
‘In the Pale Moonlight’ is a fascinating ‘DS9’ episode exploring Sisko’s choices in bringing the Romulans into the war. I found it interesting especially in how he relates in a log before he deletes it.
‘In the Pale Moonlight’ (DS9) rating – 8/10
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