‘PAST PROLOGUE’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Here we are on the second ‘DS9’ episode. Things are settled by the time we come to the second episode as it establishes Major Kira finding her purpose in the series and a new character is introduced.
In this episode, the DS9 team rescue a former Bajoran terrorist, Jeffrey Nordling as Tahna Los. Tahna’s ship gets attacked by Cardassians, as they accuse him of still being member of a terrorist organisation.
They want Tahna turned in, but Tahna asks for political asylum from the DS9 team. Tahna also knows Major Kira since they used to be friends during the years when Bajor was under Cardassian occupation.
Kira’s issues with Bajor working with the Federation get readdressed in this episode and her loyalties get challenged. Despite saying that she is against the Federation’s help, Tahna questions Kira’s beliefs.
Whilst the Cardassians led by Vaughn Amstrong as Gul Danar want Tahna turned in, Sisko grants Tahna’s request for asylum. But even Sisko doubts Kira’s loyalties to him, Bajor and to the Federation.
As I said, this episode introduces a new character to the series – Andrew J. Robinson as Garak. Garak is the only Cardassian living on DS9 and happens to be the tailor of a clothes shop. That is rather unusual.
Bashir meets Garak when he introduces himself to him at a café on the promenade. Bashir is uneasy about Garak at first. He is not sure whether he is a spy or not and Garak clearly has this slimy presence.
But as the episode progresses, it turns out Garak may be a useful ally to the DS9 team. This is especially when Garak enlists Bashir to discover the plans of Tahna Los when he works with two Klingon women.
Who are these two Klingon women you ask? They are the late Barbara March as Lursa and Gwynyth Walsh as B’Etor, the two treacherous Duras sisters. These two Klingons have been in ‘Star Trek’ before.
They were in the ‘TNG’ series when they almost caused civil war in the Klingon Empire as well as made problems for Worf’s family house. It was nice to see that connections from ‘TNG’ into ‘DS9’ in this tale.
Security chief Odo gets concerned about the Duras sisters on DS9, after making them give up their weapons once asked to hand them over. I enjoyed that first scene between Odo and the Duras sisters.
Odo shares his concerns about the Duras sisters to Sisko in his office. He soon spots Tahna Los with the Duras sisters as they seem to bargain with each other. Odo goes in disguise as a rat to spy on them.
It gets revealed that Tahna knew about Major Kira being aboard DS9 before he asked for help. Tahna seeks help from Kira as he wishes for the use of a runabout. But why would Tahna want this runabout?
I like that scene between Kira and Odo as she discusses with him about her anxieties to betray someone whether it’s Sisko or Tahna. It’s established Kira and Odo have known each other a long time.
Eventually, Kira works with Sisko and the DS9 team to find out what’s going on and what Tahna’s up to. It turns out Tahna arranged to get a vial of bilitrium, a crystalline compound, from the Duras sisters.
It’s also revealed that the Cardassians were chasing Tahna because he stole an anti-matter converter from them. If Tahna connects the vial of bilitrium to the anti-matter convertor, it’ll make a huge bomb.
But why does Tahna want to do this? To destroy the space station DS9? No! Tahna wants to destroy the wormhole leading into the Gamma Quadrant as he believes it’ll stop Bajor from becoming a power.
Sisko and Chief O’Brien wait in a second runabout nearby before the transaction between Tahna and the Duras sisters is completed. Tahna soon realises that Kira has betrayed her and the two fight it out.
It’s interesting how Kira and Tahna’s beliefs clash with each other. Although we don’t have a return appearance of Tahna in the series, it is clear Kira is rejecting her former ways whilst being aboard DS9.
‘Past Prologue’ is a good episode to showcase Major Kira’s position in ‘DS9’ and whether she’s for or against the Federation being in Bajor’s presence. It also provides intriguing backstory to her character.
I also like how Garak gets introduced to the series as he seems to be an unusual Cardassian character who’s willing to help the DS9 team on occasions. He appears once in Season 1, but he will return soon.
‘Past Prologue’ (DS9) rating – 8/10
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