Star Trek: DS9 [Cardassians - Ft. Clay]

[@ghost-in-the-ciel]

If this were a Discovery episode there would be no character development scenes establishing the respective internal psychologies of all the players involved, instead opting for a seven minute pulse-pounding sequence where Garak must backflip in zero-g through a Bajoran death laser security room to reach the orphan files designated only as "Operation Gossamer Philanthropy" - only for the episode to conclude with a scene between Rugel and O'Brien acted to emotionally wrenching affect that nobody cares about because who the fuck are these characters

[@thepenskyfile]

Excellent.

[@MercerCreate]

Your podcast helps me get through my work

[@thepenskyfile]

Thanks for listening!

[@mattrossesq]

Clay if you aren't at midtown comics in NY on the 31st I will be very disappointed. My office is across the street so I will be watching!

[@JMTavares7]

The decision to give Rugal back to the Cardassians is insane, it's utterly insane. I would call it irresponsible and child abuse. It's not about which side is better, or evil or anything like that. He doesn't know his biological father, the other guy has been his father his whole life. This would be the equivalent of ripping any of us away from our parents at age 11, and putting us with strangers. In the Talarian episode for TNG, the correct decision is made. Sisko doesn't even give a justification in the log, he just said he did it. I don't get it at all. Dukat's "long con" plot is dumb.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

Given that kid's first response when Garek was speaking to him was to immediately start biting him, I think there was definitely something going wrong with the parenting. Though given the situation, it may be impossible to grow up well adjusted in that environment and the parents are genuinely doing the best they can, even if it's not nearly good enough.

[@markcayco9732]

heyyyyy the graphic changed...I see the equalizer effect

[@gruszk4]

O'Briens man... Keiko once again shows off her culinary skills. "Dinner's ready!". What dinner? There's nothing on the table, just one dish you've pulled out of the replicator! And they knew he was Bajoran, right? This whole feeding him a Cardassian food felt like they were forcefully "converting him back". Also, Chief O'Brien once again portrayed as someone who grew up on Earth in early XX century. His father smacked him?! What?! I know Federation is not that rosy and utopian but parental child abuse is a bit much

[@mattrossesq]

I was wondering do you think, or is it obvious, that Garrack is the Tailor in the Carre stories of tinker Tailor etc. Or the tailor of Panama? And if this was a discovery episode the lighting would be 30 of normal and they'd all talk in a deadly serious gravely Christian Bale voice. And loading DVDs for kids is tough...dont be knocking that skill! The real skill is seeing that damn show of whatever for the thousandth time or even waiting for it to end when they are asleep just make sure you don't miss things...

[@la214la]

Sisko definitely made the right choice. Rugal’s father didn’t intentionally leave him and shouldn’t be kept from his child!

[@Dustin-le1xh]

Great review guys. I disagree with the people that say they tried to play off Rugal going to Cardassia as a happy ending. This was an ambiguous ending. It was unsatisfying, like real life often is, and that's why I love DS9. Better than "Suddenly Human". Request you have Sean on "Melora". Been listening to the TNG podcast and he makes me crazy. I want him to suffer by watching that "hot garbage" episode with the handleface alien and molesty Bashir creeping on his patient like Geordi creeping on Leah Brahms. LLAP

[@rjpunkin]

i like this episode alot. I think that the abuse informer was working for Dukot, i mean if there no informants how did he even know garek was bitten

[@1monki]

I like the idea of focusing on the son having to live in the aftermath of the Cardassian withdrawal, that might have made a better episode. These days it could tie into the DACA stuff going on in the US. Make the kid not quite accepted on Bajor by everyone, but also don't give him a home on Cardassia. As you point out, making the Cardassian father pay a price for taking his son back, and have him not be willing to pay that price, would be an interesting angle. He could even do it for understandably good reasons. He's trying to good things on Cardassia and Dukat forces him into this decision. And that would resonate later with the Dukat/Ziyal storyline. Yeah, I like that a lot actually.

[@ewan3866]

This episode had a disappointing lack of contemporary talarian music.

[@MercerCreate]

A quiet, issue oriented episode

[@K-J-B]

I can't get over Dukat's plan; its too outlandish for me. I could buy Dukat leaving Rugal on Bajor during the Cardassian evacuation but he gives him to an orphanage years before that. Did he know they would leave 10 years later and he could use the boy as a political weapon in a rivalry that that didn't yet exist? Why didn't Rugal get discovered while the Cardassians were on Bajor? They had only just left shortly before DS9 began. This would make sense if Rugal had been left during the evacuation but the timeline doesn't match up by about a decade. It's possible Cardassians could turn up in Discovery, the date of first contact isn't known. I wish Discovery was about the war with the Cardassians that O'Brien fought in rather than the Klingon war. Cardassian voles actually appear in Lorca's weapons room so contact may have taken place already or if he turns out to be from the mirror universe he could have brought them through from there. I think that is more likely considering he also has a Gorn skeleton and contact with them didn't happen until TOS.

[@thepenskyfile]

I didn't get the "Rugal was left there before the evacuation", I thought Dukat left him there in the confusion of the Cardassians leaving? Is there a scene where they detail this? It's still an absurd plan, but I got the impression Dukat and Rugal's father were political rivals for a long time - the military and civilian tension they talk about.

[@K-J-B]

The Pensky File It would make sense if Rugal was left during the evacuation but they don't do that. The evacuation took place roughly a year before this episode takes place during the events of Chain of Command and Starfleet arrives on DS9 shortly afterwards, they comment in the DS9 pilot that the Cardassians only just left. It's confirmed that Bajor is occupied during the timeline of TNG before Chain of Command because in the episode 'Ensign Ro' they comment that Bajor is at that time under Cardassian oppression. However when they go to the orphanage, the person who works there mentions that Rugal was put up for adoption 8 years ago (just checked this on Memory Alpha). Therefore he was an orphan years before the evacuation, the timeline doesn't make sense.

[@thepenskyfile]

Of course, you're obviously right. Yeah, that does make things a little more strange. I suppose it doesn't change things too much, but it makes the father Cardassian seem a little dumb. Odd.

[@1monki]

I thought the rivalry existed at the time Dukat gave the son to the orphanage. The Cardassian father was part of the cohort who wanted to withdraw from Bajor, Dukat wanted to stay. Right? No reason to think that rivalry would stop. So it's understandable that Dukat might want a card to play later, or perhaps it was just some revenge. Cardassians seem to like these long, drawn out schemes. It's another game for them. Anyway, that part didn't bother me.

[@bobrobert1123]

The ducat makeup makes me think the actor has an absurdly long neck

[@JMTavares7]

He kinda does

[@markcayco9732]

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