‘SONS AND DAUGHTERS’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
In this third ‘DS9’ episode of Season 6, we have the focus of two storylines. One is about a father and a son, the other is about a father and a daughter with a surrogate mother. It’s a fascinating insight. 🙂
Thankfully, Sisko and his crew get rescued from the end of ‘Rocks and Shoals’. We also see Jadzia Dax fully recovered as she’s making out with Worf. It was General Martok’s ship that rescued them.
After dropping off Sisko’s crew at a Federation starbase, J. G. Hertzler as Martok and Worf as his first officer continue their fight against the Dominion on board the Rotarran. They also have new recruits.
One of these recruits is Worf’s estranged son, Alexander Rozhenko. He’s now played by Marc Worden. Alexander has been in the ‘Star Trek’ series before, having appeared in episodes of ‘TNG’. 🙂
In his ‘TNG’ debut called ‘Reunion’, Alexander was played by Jon Paul Steuer. He was later played by Brian Bonsall in the rest of ‘TNG’. James Sloyan also played an alternative Alexander in ‘Firstborn’. 😀
It was nice to see Alexander back and make a connection with his father Worf in the ‘DS9’ series. However, tensions are still brewing between them. Alexander has joined the Klingon Defense Force.
This is without his father’s knowledge. Worf argues with Alexander about his motivations for joining the Klingon military, as he knows full well that it was never Alexander’s wish to be a Klingon warrior.
Worf tells Alexander that he’s accepted the notion of his son not having the heart of a warrior. Worf becomes confused by Alexander’s determination to fight and him distancing himself from his father.
Later, another member of the Rotarran crew taunts Alexander about being raised by humans. Thus, a fight breaks out. Worf breaks up the combat to save his son, but Alexander resents his interference.
Alexander also humiliates himself further when he mistakes a simulation program for an attack on the ship. Despite other Klingons laughing joyously, Worf sees Alexander being accepted as the fool.
Worf attempts to train his son in combat, but the training session breaks down into an argument. Alexander believes that his father plans to send him away and will be glad when he’s dead in battle.
Martok attempts to quash the tension between Worf and Alexander by reassigning Worf’s son to a transport. This causes another argument between father and son, which is interrupted by an attack.
And this is a real attack mind, not a simulation! The Jem’Hadar attack the Rotarran, which fights back. Alexander distinguishes himself by stopping a plasma leak in the ensuing battle. He succeeds in this.
But he locks himself in a room, needing to be rescued, which Worf does. Worf gains a new respect in Alexander and an understanding that he must choose his own path, promising to be a better father.
The Worf/Alexander storyline ends with Alexander joining the House of Martok like Worf has done. I like how that story ends. It was intriguing to see the new level of Worf and Alexander’s relationship.
In the other subplot, Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat brings his daughter Melanie Smith as Ziyal to DS9. He hopes to use Kira’s affection for Ziyal to bring her closer to him. This doesn’t quite work to plan here.
Ziyal’s new artwork gets accepted into a prestigious exhibition on Cardassia and Dukat invites Major Kira to a party to celebrate. It does go the wrong way when Dukat sends a beautiful dress to Kira. 😐
Kira is briefly tempted by the gift, but she finds she can’t face herself in the dress. She angrily returns it to Dukat and makes it perfectly clear she does not want anything to do with him despite his pleas.
At the end, when Ziyal realises Kira didn’t attend the party, she asks her not to make her choose between her and Dukat. Kira assures Ziyal there isn’t a choice since Dukat is actually her father here.
It’s fascinating to see the relationship between Kira and Dukat progress in the series. Kira is also calmer when she’s turning down Dukat’s offers of friendship, since he did terrible things long ago. 😐
‘Sons and Daughters’ is a nice ‘DS9’ episode to sit through. It might be considered a filler of an episode, but I liked the dynamics of Worf and Alexander as well as Kira, Dukat and Ziyal in this tale. 🙂
‘Sons and Daughters’ (DS9) rating – 8/10
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