Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Treachery, Faith, and The Great River
Season 7 Episode 6
Plot Summary:Odo is summoned to a remote asteroid by an old Cardassian acquaintance of his, but when he arrives he soon realizes that the summons was forged. At the asteroid he is met by Weyoun who clams to be defecting from the Dominion. Odo agrees to take the Vorta back to DS9 as a prisoner of war. Things get complicated when Odo's runabout is hailed by.. Weyoun!? Well as it turns out the Weyoun we've all known and loved was killed in a transporter "accident" (probably arranged by Damar). To replace the deceased, Weyoun 6 was created. But Weyoun 6 was defective (In more ways than one!), and Weyoun 7 was cloned. Now, Weyoun 6 is seeking refuge with Odo, and Weyoun 7 is demanding that Weyoun 6 be returned to the Dominion at once. Quite a mouthful, huh? Well, Odo refuses to return his prisoner, and presses on back to DS9 in his runabout. He is attacked by a Jem'Hadar ship, but Weyoun 6 gives him information which helps him destroy it. Relentlessly, Damar and Weyoun 7 send 4 more ships after it. Just when the runabout is about to be destroyed, Weyoun 6 hails Damar and Weyoun 7 on the comm, and kills himself before their eyes. He does this in order to save Odo. Not wanting to needlessly kill a Founder, Weyoun 7 calls of the attack and lets Odo go back to DS9. Back on the station Odo discusses the concept of faith with Kira.
Sub-Plot: Sisko demands that O'Brien get the station's gravity net operational in a matter of days. But O'Brien won't be able to get the part needed to do the job for three weeks. Nog takes over the job of getting the part. With his Ferengi negotiating skills, O'Brien's access code, and a little faith in the Great River of Commerce, Nog succeeds and helps O'Brien just in the nick of time.
My Opinion: Well, although it didn't reach any high drama points, this episode succeeded in being original and adding some interesting complications into the overall plot of the series. As a bonus it also tutored us a little on the background of the Vorta. Obviously, the main focus of this episode was religion and belief in something higher than yourself: divine providence if you will. Whether it be Kira's Prophets, Weyoun' s Founders, or Nog's Great River, the episode showed how faith can be both wonderful, and tragic. In Weyoun 6's case it was a tragedy. We've always known that the Vorta had been programmed to worship the Founders by the Founders. But for the first time, it's evident that the Vorta also know this and have just accepted it because they are incapable of doing otherwise. They are caught in a trap with no escape. The Odo/Weyoun 6 relationship is a testament to this. No matter how much Odo protested himself being considered a god, there was no possible way for Weyoun behave in a different manner. On the other side of the episode there was the silly, yet entertaining sub-plot. It's depiction of faith is a little different than that in the main plot. It shows faith as something that can always be trusted in. Yet Weyoun' s concept of faith is obviously flawed, since we know the Founders can't be trusted. Perhaps faith is only real if it is chosen freely, without manipulation or genetic influence. Back to the sub-plot, I liked it well enough, although I found Sisko' s demands on O'Brien to be a tad out of character. Overall, it was quite funny Besides for the interesting plot, the episode had many other great aspects as well. I loved the visuals in the ice asteroid field, very impressive. I also liked the idea that the Weyoun (5) that we've been watching for over a season, was killed in a transporter accident. It's kind of creepy thinking that he's gone and were watching a new one. And finally the revelation that the Founders are sick and dying was shocking. This has serious implications for the future of the show. Will they be easier to defeat now, or will the disease just make them more determined?
Wrap-Up: "Treachery, Faith, and The Great River" was a very interesting episode. It maintained a nice mix of intrigue, humor, and excitement. I'd give it three stars.
Review by -William Phillips
Back to Season Seven Index Back to DS9
| Home | | Visit Area51 | Explore GeoCities | Get Your Own Free Homepage |