Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"You Are Cordially Invited"
Air date: 11/10/1997
Written by Ronald D. Moore
Directed by David Livingston
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"Blood, pain, sacrifice, anguish, and death."
"Sounds like marriage all right."
"How would you know?"— Worf, Bashir, and O'Brien
Nutshell: Pleasant, but predictable. Par for course as wedding "event" shows go.
I've said in the past that the success of a romance on the screen rides on the chemistry between the leads. The problem with Worf and Dax that I've never quite been able to get past is the fact that they don't really seem like they love each other. There just hasn't been the screen chemistry that I expected to come out of these characters' various similarities and differences. Instead, what we usually get from these characters is cliché-ridden squabbles and the hammered-home fact that these are two people who have nothing in common and probably never will.
What's most bothersome about the relationship is the fact that there's so much potential for the writers to make them a believable couple with interesting, multifaceted dimensions—yet we rarely, if ever, see it. "You Are Cordially Invited" features Worf/Dax scenes that are more believable and deeper than many past episodes have fared, but there still isn't quite enough done to overcome the clichés and make believable the passion.
Don't get me wrong. "You Are Cordially Invited" is a decent hour of fluff, and plentiful in amiable scenes. Although I wouldn't say it's a Trek episode you have to see, I wouldn't recommend you miss it either. It's a romantic comedy with some good lines, although it doesn't go the extra mile to flesh out what's most important about itself—namely, analyzing the solid character core of why the relationship exists in the first place.
For a long time I've felt like saying to Worf and Dax, "Okay, so you love each other. Fine. Why do you love each other? Can't we see some of that manifested on the screen in more-than-simply-glib terms?" The chemistry between Dorn and Farrell isn't completely absent here, but I still think this episode warranted to see the softer side of Worf (heck, we saw the harder-edged side of Dax, after all). That brings me to the whole issue of Worf: Why won't the writers let this guy lighten up just a little? Why is he such a stolid, no-fun guy? What happened the Worf on TNG who used to laugh with Guinan? You'd think that if there's anyone who could make Worf lighten up some, it's Dax. Why not explore that possibility? Hopefully, now that the wedding is over with, we won't have to listen to Worf complain about how perfect it needs to be, and better dialog between the newlyweds can prevail.
Well, the reason such dialog doesn't prevail here is because the storyline for "Cordially" centers around the most basic of wedding premises, utilizing the expected clichés that have dominated wedding stories on television and in cinema for decades. The formula states that in the eleventh hour before a wedding, the marriage must be suddenly called off (much to everyone's dismay), and then saved just as quickly as it was cancelled.
Specifically, Dax finds herself challenged by General Martok's wife Sirella (Shannon Cochran), who questions the Trill's worthiness for being accepted into her honorable Klingon house. The conflict, of course, if forced and chock-full of Klingon rituals. Meanwhile, Worf, Martok, and Alexander, along with Worf's closest male friends (read: the other male DS9 regulars of Sisko, O'Brien, Worf, and Bashir), engage in the Kal'Hyah, a series of prenuptial rituals (quickly coined a "Klingon bachelor party") which includes ... well, probably what you could imagine a "Klingon bachelor party" would include.
Many of the stand-alone comic pieces are amusing, as Sisko and the others unwittingly find themselves in a series of traditional endurance tests, including deprivation, blood, pain, sacrifice, anguish, and death. (Bashir: "Sounds like marriage, all right." O'Brien: "How would you know?" Hehe.) It's the typical sort of Klingon humor, but it's funny in its low-key portrayal—including a scene where poor O'Brien and Bashir hang from a pole over hot coals ("I can see the future: I'm gonna kill Worf."), and another where they're preparing to break their long fast with a huge meal once they've heard the wedding has been called off ... only to hear it's back on again. The blank stares on their faces are priceless.
Dax's party is also fun—a particularly fresh, energetic, festive setting. It's always nice to see the wild side of Dax emerge, and after being put through the wringer over the last seven episodes of DS9, a light break is definitely worthwhile. When Sirella interrupts, however—demanding that Jadzia leave her party and stop acting like a "Risian slut" (and I do believe this is the first episode of Trek where I've heard the word "slut" used), Jadzia hits her, and Sirella in a fury cancels the wedding.
The next morning, in a wonderful "The Day After" scene, Worf comes to Jadzia's quarters. I liked some of the dialog:
Dax: "You're mad."
Worf: "I am concerned."
Dax: "Yeah, well, I'm hung over."
But the formulaic manipulations engage at warp speed when Worf and Dax can't (immediately) come to terms over the problem that the conflict between Sirella and Dax represents. Worf is too traditional and serious; Dax is too fun-loving and unconventional. "There should be no wedding." "That's fine with me." Yadda, yadda, yadda. Fortunately, the scene is punctuated with a note of quiet, somber seriousness rather than histrionics and yelling. Dax and Worf both seem genuinely hurt by the way events have unfolded, and less caricaturish than the events could've potentially created—which is better than I expected.
But, still, this is pretty slight material. Subsequent dialog scenes feature each receiving a prodding from a close friend to give in a little and go through with the wedding. Sisko gives Dax a good kick in the rear, and Martok supplies Worf with some words of wisdom. A lot of the dialog is stiff and sounds "scripted." (Although, I did think Dax's line about "still leading with her heart after seven lifetimes" was interesting, especially considering how content she was to avoid romance in the first two seasons on the show.) What's amazing is that the dialog manages to work anyway, despite its hackneyed nature. I credit this to the actors, who do a wonderful job of believing what they're saying, helping make us believe it too. Again, it seems hard to go wrong with the Sisko/Dax and Worf/Martok relationships.
As for the actual wedding scene: I liked it quite a bit. The costumes were nice, the Klingon story was well conceived, and the music had an nice mythical aura about it. Ron Moore is the expert on Klingon milieu, and he delivers again here with a scene that has some poignancy.
There's not a whole lot more to say about "You Are Cordially Invited." It's definitely pleasant and diverting, and there are some good lightweight scenes. But there's not much meat to the story, and what "meat" there is comes packaged in a formulaic, predictable (though surprisingly palatable) plot. It's what I expected of a wedding show. Nothing more, nothing less. Suggestion of the week: Turn your brain off and relax.
Next week: Mirror, mirror on the wall: For how many Bareils will Kira fall?
Previous episode: Sacrifice of Angels
Next episode: Resurrection
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126 comments on this post
Thu, May 8, 2008, 4:15pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Sep 11, 2008, 9:35am (UTC -5)
Thu, Nov 13, 2008, 9:50am (UTC -5)
Sat, Jan 31, 2009, 8:31pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Feb 4, 2009, 12:43pm (UTC -5)
The ceremony itself was really well done and mythical with those drumbeats and the story of the Klingon Hearts.
And...yes, call me "juvenile" but I liked Jadzias Dress! ;o)
Sat, Oct 17, 2009, 10:30pm (UTC -5)
For such lightweight fare, almost everything works. The actors did well. The Kira-Odo scene could've worked, but they ran out of time, I guess.
It makes sense for the TNG characters not to appear. After all, Worf abruptly changed the time and place of the wedding, and it being war time and all...
About Jadzia's dress; the first time I went "hubba-hubba" at a Star Trek character.
Thu, Oct 29, 2009, 7:32am (UTC -5)
Fri, Oct 30, 2009, 11:10am (UTC -5)
The singing was cool, too.
Wed, Dec 2, 2009, 3:14pm (UTC -5)
Who would they bring over, cos no doubt Trek fans would be arguing about the validity of the choices for decades?
Who actually were Worf's closest friends? In my opinion, the TNG crew were nowhere near as well-developed as the characters in DS9, so picking a "best friend" would be anybody's guess.
Finally, the writers would actually have to write several characters from another show into a DS9 script and pay their wages. While this wouldn't bother me in the slightest -- I love Star Trek crossovers -- I can imagine it giving the DS9 creative team a bout of acid reflux.
Mon, Jan 4, 2010, 1:04pm (UTC -5)
I just hate it when people confuse TNG & Voyager like that.
Wed, Jan 6, 2010, 3:33pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Feb 23, 2010, 3:09am (UTC -5)
Thu, Mar 4, 2010, 3:02pm (UTC -5)
Meanwhile, perhaps all the TNG clue were drifting hopelessly in space after the last battle...
Thu, Mar 4, 2010, 3:06pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Mar 24, 2010, 3:06pm (UTC -5)
The wedding was never planned to take place that day and anyone not already on the station probably couldn't have made it there in time.
Sun, Jun 6, 2010, 8:38pm (UTC -5)
Second, to answer the comments about the TNG crew, it seems they wanted to get the entire cast in non-speaking roles, but only Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton were available, so they nixed it. I sure would have liked at least Riker to appear.
Third, a word about Odo. You mentioned in last week's review that if Odo and Kira were friends again by this week, you wouldn't buy it. Well, that didn't happen, and I thought it was nice continuity to see it adressed. But the off-screen resolution is a little disappointing. You might want to check the Memory Alpha article for this episode to see the much more status-quo-shattering resolution that was originally planned.
Fri, Aug 13, 2010, 8:31am (UTC -5)
Sun, Nov 14, 2010, 11:49am (UTC -5)
Just saying.
Wed, Dec 22, 2010, 3:46am (UTC -5)
Fri, Feb 11, 2011, 6:39pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Mar 20, 2012, 8:43pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Mar 23, 2012, 9:05pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Apr 15, 2012, 11:57am (UTC -5)
Tue, Apr 17, 2012, 2:21pm (UTC -5)
It's funny that she was erased from time Krenim style in the finale...she was totally absent from the montages.
Wed, Apr 25, 2012, 8:07pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Apr 29, 2012, 6:05pm (UTC -5)
Sat, May 5, 2012, 2:58pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jun 14, 2012, 3:00pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Jun 17, 2012, 11:53am (UTC -5)
Sun, Jun 17, 2012, 3:55pm (UTC -5)
Tom/B'Ellana > Troi/Riker > Odo/Kira > Worf/Jadzia > T'pol/Trip > 7/Chakotay
Sun, Jun 17, 2012, 5:01pm (UTC -5)
In my opinion is: Worf/Jadzia > Troi/Riker > Tom/B'Elanna > Beverly/Picard > Seven/The Doctor > Janeway/Chacotay > Kira/Odo.
Ican't comment on Trip/T'Pol as I haven't watch all of Enterprise yet
Sun, Jun 17, 2012, 6:46pm (UTC -5)
Back to the episode: it's one of my favorites in the series, only way to make it better would be if the Enterprise crew were present but I understand why that didn't happened.
Sat, Jun 23, 2012, 8:22pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Jun 30, 2012, 9:29pm (UTC -5)
Anyway, couple that with the fact that Farrel and Dorn cannot, by any stretch, act effective romance and you've got a pretty boring couple.
I'd also like to know how Crusher/Picard can be considered a Trek couple. They were romantically involved in exactly two episodes and one scene of one bad movie. Then Picard went off with that Amish woman. Chokotay and Janeway? They were never a couple. Doc and Seven? What? Crushes are not relationships.
I'll tell you a relationship I wanted to see : Garek and Bashir.
Sun, Jul 1, 2012, 5:36pm (UTC -5)
Pairinig Worf and Jadzia together was not planned from the beginning it came up when the writers saw the actors acting together which means that other people saw their on screen chemistry as well(s4 dvd extras).
Michael Dorn in a convention last month in the question of which series did he prefer TNG or DS9 he said that he loved TNG and it's still his favorite series overall and he enjoyed his time there more but he's more proud of Worf's love story with Jadzia in DS9.
But different people have different tastes and that the beauty of life.
Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 7:16pm (UTC -5)
She’s the character who can look beyond cultural differences and a person’s appearance and that’s why she’s friends with so many of the other characters. She sees Kira as Kira and not as another Bajoran, she sees Quark as Quark and not as another Feregi, she sees Julian as Julian and not as another human or later an enchased human.
Yes Jadzia understands the Klingon culture and maybe that is what in the beginning brings her close to Worf and they become friends but in my opinion she understands who Worf really is. It is Worf who understands and loves not another Klingon (and let’s not forget that Worf is not the typical Klingon)
And yes I believe the two actors act wonderfully around each other and they have a thick chemistry.
Mon, Nov 26, 2012, 10:16pm (UTC -5)
The Jadzia/Worf lovestory didn't disturb me though. But there were missed opportunities to make Work grow as a character: the enthusiasm of Jadzia and the mentoring of the great Martok.
What disturbed me is the fact that Odo's betrayal hasn't been revealed to the rest of the crew (cf. Dax/Kira scene in the beginning). And how Jake - who was part of the resistance cell - can ask Kira why Odo is avoiding her. I would have liked to see a Sisko/Odo debriefing before letting the compromised Odo return to duty.
On a light note, I will also vote for the couples:
Worf/K'ehleyr > Tom/B'elanna - Trip/T'Pol (if you delete the vulcan pressure thing from memory) > Troi/Riker > Jadzia/Worf > Sisko/Kasidy (and Picard/Eline ;-)).
Wed, Dec 5, 2012, 6:55am (UTC -5)
Wish I knew which episode it was, but they had and awesome 'getting crap past radar' conversation.
That bit on the Jadzia "gets" Klingons makes a LOT of sense. It's like how Mormon Missionaries around here marry immigrants from countries they went to. For them, they get hot, exotic women. For the women, they get someone that speaks their language. If you ask *them*, they say they're in love, but it hinges more on that same type of "I get you" feeling.
You're right on the Crusher/Picard relationship, but I have a hard time not seeing a Crusher/Picard "relationship" because they (seriously... it's creepy) look like my parents. My Mom has similar hair and a similar build to Crusher. My Dad..., well, I tell people my Dad is Clark Kent to Picard's Superman. Ya know Picard's alias Galen--that's my Dad's name...
@ Everyone else: I wish weddings in RL were as cool as Klingon weddings. The weddings I've been to are BORING!
Tue, Dec 18, 2012, 10:37am (UTC -5)
And that's just the most obvious incompatibility. Worf's whole thing is that he wants life to be predictable and make sense from his perspective. He's not into nuance and tolerance for opposing viewpoints. That's why he's so into Klingon tradition, despite not growing up with it -- it makes things simple and clear: do this, don't do that, follow the rules and you're good. Yet suddenly he's signing on for a lifetime of wondering what his wife is going to do next to freak him out.
Dax's previous lifetimes only makes it worse, because he's not just marrying a woman who's much less inhibited than him and has had exponentially more and longer relationships, but has had half of them as a man. That's a level of weirdness that should send a guy like Worf running for the hills.
Yes, Jadzia is very hot, and maybe the chemistry and the sex are great. But beyond that, what's Worf getting out of it except drama and stress?
Wed, Dec 19, 2012, 7:43pm (UTC -5)
I have to say, the Ferengis are damn fun at parties.
Thu, Jan 31, 2013, 5:21pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Jun 3, 2013, 1:35pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jun 4, 2013, 12:40pm (UTC -5)
For whatever reason, the creators of DS9 occasionally sprinkled in "break" episodes at the worst times. 'Take Me Out to the Holosuite' and the other holosuite episode in season 7 (where Avery Brooks sings) are other examples.
I saw a recent story on all the ST series that said DS9 was the most daring series but that it suffered because it was produced during the transition to more serialized TV. I think that's exactly on the mark, and episodes like "You Are Cordially Invited" are perfect examples of the whiplash we sometimes got from this series.
Mon, Aug 26, 2013, 12:23am (UTC -5)
While the plot left me with a shrug, many of the lines are absolutely brilliant comedy!
My favorite part was probably Bashir and O'Brien, hanging over a fiery pit, talking about how they're gonna kill Worf. Tacky, sure, but well written and well performed!
Oh, and I wish I'd been invited to Jadzia's party .. man, that looked like fun!
Thu, Aug 29, 2013, 10:07am (UTC -5)
Thu, Aug 29, 2013, 12:43pm (UTC -5)
I don't think "why didn't the Enterprise show up?" is any kind of mystery, though. There's a war on. I'm sure we can all imagine Picard, Riker and Troi (and perhaps Data, Crusher and La Forge) sending voice congratulations. Kor was friends with *both* Jadzia and Worf and didn't show. Because people are busy in a war. (This also justifies Worf showing up to the Riker/Troi wedding in Nemesis, since there wasn't a war on there.)
Thu, Aug 29, 2013, 4:24pm (UTC -5)
My only qualm with the way it played out was that Bashir -- who wasn't particularly close to Worf -- was included in the Klingon bachelor party. Everybody else there made sense. But Bashir was clearly just there to be funny with O'Brien.
It is too bad that Garak wasn't involved somehow in this episode, perhaps in making Jadzia's wedding dress. Seems like a perfect episode for that.
Sun, Oct 27, 2013, 8:56pm (UTC -5)
5/10
Fri, Dec 20, 2013, 1:41am (UTC -5)
Wed, May 7, 2014, 12:34am (UTC -5)
Sisko wasn't trying to have it both ways. It's all about understanding the context of what's being said. Telling Jadzia to quit specifically crediting her past accomplishments as Curzon is different than telling Jadzia to utilize the overall wisdom and experience in general of her past lives. Forest for the trees. She's justifying herself by specific accomplishments of one host that pertains to her current situation rather than utilizing the overall experience she's gained over the centuries.
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I've always really enjoyed this episode and whenever I've re-watched the series, this one is included. I don't know if it's the lightweight nature of it that's needed after the preceding arc of episodes or if it's really that good of an episode. So disregarding said arc, I will think of the episode on its own terms.
I've never found the charisma between Jadzia and Worf to be anything but what the story needed and it has always worked for me. A lot of it seemed believable enough and I just viewed it as that's their relationship and that's just how they interact. Unlike, say, the charisma between Foreman and Thirteen on House MD. I liked the idea of them together but more than one too many scenes fell a bit flat. In Jadzia/Worf's case also I noticed that in a few comments (earlier episodes) on here the relationship itself came out of nowhere. That's far from true and it was hinted at several times since Worf's arrival on DS9.
I'm still of the belief that ST hasn't done romance well in general, but there are romantic episodes that HAVE been done well. Quite well in fact. Unfortunately, it's been tried too many times and, even more unfortunately, in too many bottle episodes. Ones where the romance's birth and death hinge on what can be encapsulated in one hour. Not saying that it's never worked at all but that the percentages are not in favor.
Budding romances between major characters, however, is a different thing and is also an area where the ball has been dropped one too many times. Crusher and Picard, for instance, was a fantastic idea where the ball was dropped with an unceremonious thud.
All in all, though, this episode was rather enjoyable. Jammer hit the nail on the head when he said basically that it's not a must-see but don't necessarily miss it, either. The only mistake in this episode, and it's a glaring mistake, was to have the off-screen talk between Kira and Odo. That talk most definitely should have been a major part of a different episode and most definitely NOT something that would have simply been alluded to. I really can't fault the whole episode for it since it's not intrinsic to the plot. But even that minor scene was disheartening and disappointing because of the knowledge of it's reason for being there.
It be what it be. Fun to watch episode with plenty of grin-worthy dialogue despite some pedestrian 'seen-it-all-before' wedding fluff.
Just squeaks by into 3 stars for me.
Mon, May 12, 2014, 6:43pm (UTC -5)
And then there's Jadzia, who has been through five marriages, and yet can't seem to grasp what marrying even entails...
I'd say 2 stars, with reservations... It's not terrible, but after everything that's happened, you'd think MAYBE there could have been less boring fodder for the writers to tap into.
Sun, Jun 1, 2014, 5:22pm (UTC -5)
The two scenes with Martok and Sisko are wonderfully acted, and for me, brings this episode up to 3 stars.
Sun, Jun 1, 2014, 5:28pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Aug 18, 2014, 11:30am (UTC -5)
Completely agree regarding Martok/Sisko!
Shannon Cochran played a very good Klingon "goddess".
Again, Martok has GREAT lines and delivers them without skipping a beat :-)
"MARTOK: I shall endeavor to die this year, if possible." ... to be followed by "Isn't she magnificent" :-)
I really enjoyed the wedding when they finally got there. The best part I thought was Sirella's line:
SIRELLA: And when the two hearts began to beat together, they filled the heavens with a terrible sound. For the first time, the gods knew fear. They tried to flee, but it was too late. The Klingon hearts destroyed the gods who created them and turned the heavens to ashes. To this very day, no one can oppose the beating of two Klingon hearts. Not even me. Worf, son of Mogh, does your heart beat only for this woman?
When she said "not even me" I choked up. I know, I'm a sap :)
I also liked Sisko not copping out to Jadzia's woes (like he normally does). He put her in her place quite appropriately!
I’ll go a little higher than Jammer. 3 stars for me.
Sun, Aug 31, 2014, 2:39am (UTC -5)
Wed, Sep 17, 2014, 7:04pm (UTC -5)
I'm sorry folks, but this episode is pretty bad. There are a couple of good things I can say:
1. Bashir (since when is he Worf's choice for a ceremony like this?) and O'Brien are awesome. Meaney is as good as ever in the role.
2. Some of Martok's lines, while still a bit too cheesy to really resonate with me, have some worthwhile stuff to say.
But the bad far outweighs the good here:
1. Alexander is here.
2. Worf and Jadzia don't seem to be a particularly good couple.
3. The crew is inept - how do things get done when security officers join parties, and/or miss their shifts?
4. I still don't like Brooks' acting.
5. The most potentially interesting scenes are kept offscreen:
5a) Odo and Kira
5b) Jadzia's final meeting with the Klingon lady
5c) O'Brien and Bashir attacking Worf
I could probably go on, but I'm sure anyone reading this gets the idea. Contrast this bullshit with the O'Brien wedding (Data's Day). For one thing, it wasn't the entire focus of the episode. For another, even not knowing Keiko at all before that, there was a definite feeling of wanting the wedding to succeed. I'm not certain that Worf+Jadzia will be good for either of them, so I can't decide if I want this wedding to succeed or not. Also, the TNG episode gave us the single best Data-face ever. It's a bit unfair to use that in a comparison with this episode, but I'm doing it anyways.
Maybe most importantly, the predictability of the standard 'wedding-drama' is used playfully in Data's Day - Geordi has to make it clear to Data that, despite Keiko's protestations, Data should be ready to proceed with the wedding. After all, that's how these scripts play out. The script has a tongue-in-cheek feel that makes it fun even if it's unsurprising at the end. Meanwhile, this script's predictability just makes it dull.
Sun, Sep 21, 2014, 10:15pm (UTC -5)
He needs to stumble into a heroic death, and quickly....
Thu, Sep 25, 2014, 12:19pm (UTC -5)
Anyway, it's a silly episode that mostly works even with all the cliches. It's just fun to wind down with the crew after the heavy storylines they just survived. Dax's party is a lot of fun, and I liked how Kira and Odo talked all night in private. It was basically a college party. Dax and Nog should get down more often.
Guilty pleasure, so 3 stars.
Wed, Mar 4, 2015, 10:58pm (UTC -5)
a) How they didn't show the final resolution between Sirella and Jadzia, and as a former comment pointed out, this episode did a far better job of showing how incompatible Worf and Jadzia are, than selling me on the reasons they should get married.
b) I was very disturbed by how awful Sirella was to Jadzia. No one's ever mentioned this before, so maybe it's just me? Anyway, I didn't care for Sirella's blatant xenophobia or disrespect to Jadzia. Perhaps the two of them worked something out - again, this links back to my first point, that we should have seen a scene of sorts where both acknowledge their "wrongs." I also did not care for how insistent Worf was that Jadzia cave in to his demands.
c) The way the Odo/Kira situation was resolved. I thought Kira was a person who didn't forgive easily, and with Odo's betrayal, they came this close to total annihilation by the Dominion. The fact that Kira was the one to reach out to Odo, rather than the other way round, was simply implausible. It should have been the other way round, considering that it is Odo who is in love with her and Odo who betrayed her.
Apart from the above gripes, which ruined the episode rather, it was enjoyable. Jadzia's bachelorette party was a hoot, and the Polynesian lieutenant's expression when he bumped into Worf on the way out was hilarious. Ditto for poor Miles and Julian's various reactions to the Klingon bachelor rite Worf puts them through.
Thu, Jun 18, 2015, 12:18pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Jul 17, 2015, 5:35am (UTC -5)
Fri, Jul 31, 2015, 3:24am (UTC -5)
I'm watching this for the first time and while the earlier Dax was one of my favourite (if not THE favourite) character, I'm just waiting for the character to die and leave the show. This episode had so much potential (EVEN accepting the ridiculous couple these two make). Actually let me just point out that marriages like these are the ones that a lot of people in less democratic and egalitarian situations feel they 'have' to stick on with, and lead to endless unhappy days full of discontent and verbal violence. Le sigh.
Worf and Dax should have had an affair, to satisfy Dax's curiousity. That is ALL that could possibly exist between them. If Worf had been at his best, he would have been amused with Dax, but not interested at all. He and K'ehlar worked so well precisely because she stood up to him.
Sisko telling Dax that Worf was like a kid who had to be indulged, the wedding vows where she is the 'stronger heart and wiser' - thereby giving the male heart to be less wise, do what he likes, etc. All that is patriarchal rubbish, sadly.
But the episode DID have potential as scenes with Klingon women and secure Klingon men (like Martok) always do.
On a side note, all Worf has done so far is feel 'ashamed' of and 'look down' at who someone connected with him really is (Alexander and Dax). Surely, it's more 'honorable' to be true to who you are, even if the world disapproves? Now there were glimpses of that in the TNG Worf. Worf here is like the most annoying, conservative parent who cares WAY too much about every random bigoted stranger's opinion. Married life would have been hell for them both.
Wed, Aug 26, 2015, 3:18pm (UTC -5)
Re the chemistry between Worf and Dax: it is there, but I would so much prefer K'Ehleyr. I also really liked Deanna and Worf in the alternate timeline TNG episode. Worf and Dax do love each other, but they aren't even remotely compatible.
Tue, Sep 22, 2015, 11:35pm (UTC -5)
All in all, I really dislike Worf & Dax as a couple, but worse relationships have stayed together I guess.
Sun, Oct 11, 2015, 7:32am (UTC -5)
Sun, Jan 31, 2016, 9:31am (UTC -5)
There are so many good scenes here. Anything with Martok in - the harmony singing is glorious - and the party - Morn chest-bumping the Bolian - are particular highlights. having Dax back to the fun Dax of earlier series is also good. And the Klingon rituals are also great - any race that celebrates in the wedding ceremony that they killed their gods and burned heaven has to be admired.
"We do not embrace other cultures, we conquer them!" indeed. 3.5 stars.
Sun, Feb 28, 2016, 7:17pm (UTC -5)
I don't think TNG guys should have been in the episodes but I do think that either some dialog about them being unavailable should have been written in (perhaps a mention by obrien and a comment by worf) or something other than "closest male friends" should have been used (perhaps comrades in battle or something).
Thu, May 26, 2016, 2:36am (UTC -5)
First off, I love the character of Sirella, or at least her interactions with Dax. God, it was so refreshing to see Dax have to deal with someone as stubborn and demanding as herself. Worf is generally hard-headed, but usually whenever he and Dax find themselves in a disagreement it ends with Dax getting her way (yeah, I'm looking directly at "Let He Who Is Without Sin..."!). Watching Sirella not put up with any of Dax's arrogant, valley-girl nonsense was so refreshing! And, having Sisko talk some sense into her was refreshing as well. I haven't made a secret of my dislike for Dax before, so this probably shouldn't come as a shock to anybody.
Second, I simply adore how extravagant the wedding ends up being. Trek often has a tendency to do weddings that are really small in scale. In TOS: "Balance of Terror" there's a wedding, but it's done in the ship's chapel with Kirk presiding and practically no frills. TNG: "Data's Day" has the O'Brien's getting married, but it's also a fairly low-key affair. Rom and Leeta exchange vows with few frills. Sisko and Yates will end up getting married in the Wardroom on the spur of the moment with absolutely no frills. Over on VOY, Paris and Torres will get married in "Drive", but OFF-SCREEN! Small weddings are something I've simply never understood. This is supposed to be one of the pivotal moments of your entire life, treat it so! I mean, to each their own, but a small wedding is definitely not the way I would go - give me a huge Catholic wedding with all the trimmings! So, it's nice to see the franchise FINALLY doing something like this.
Third, like I said, the humor actually works. Given that Ron Moore isn't exactly known as a comedic writer - and, in fact, shares some of the blame for the horrible Ferengi "comedy" episodes - I have to give massive credit where it's due here. Everyone backing away from Bashir so he'll have to endure the next test first creaks me up every time. LOL!
I used to think there were two major problems with the episode. First was how Kira and Odo resolve their difficulties in a closet. But, the comments in the "Behind the Lines" thread have convinced me that this isn't as bad as I originally thought, so I won't hold that against the episode anymore. Second, however, is Martok and Sirella's relationship. While I love that Sirella throws Dax's bullshit right back in her face, I have to ask myself "what does Martok see in this woman?". Worf and Dax show little chemistry together? Hell, their chemistry is off the charts compared to this couple. For all intents and purposes, Sirella treats Martok like shit! He even says... "She is a prideful, arrogant, mercurial woman who shares my bed far too infrequently for my taste. And yet I love her deeply." Umm.... .... .... .... why?! Seriously, give me at least some reason for why this man loves this woman so much. Unfortunately, we get nothing like that, so it's really the only flaw I can find in this otherwise excellent episode.
HOLODECK TOYS - 21 (+3)
9/10
Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 5:15pm (UTC -5)
Worf must really care deeply for Jadzia like no other for him to put up with her overly confident, flirtacious, wise-cracking tough, independent nature compared to his staunch, traditional, devoted reserved nature, either that or the love making was the best he's had and he didn't want to lose it, but I'd guess its the first one.
Wed, Jul 27, 2016, 10:28pm (UTC -5)
I think they missed some real opportunity to conclude the Jadzia/Worf relationship, even within the time they had available. But I guess maybe at some point they just said f--k it and wrapped it up simply as they did.
They make some efforts in seasons 4-6 to show that Worf isn't a traditional, normal Klingon, despite his fervent desire to be one. In fact, his honest desire to be a traditional Klingon makes him about the only one there is, from what we see. The rest of the Empire appears to view his kind of mentality as already antiquated, almost like Kor. Jadzia makes a few efforts to show Worf that she's perfect for him because what he really does need is someone who's as much of an oddball as him. Klingon, but too Human, just as she's Jadzia, but too Curzon. Between her background with Klingon culture, her acceptance of eclectic individuals, and her wild, passionate side, I really do see her and Worf as being perfect for each other despite their temperamental differences.
You're totally right that Sorella was basically correct about her. She wasn't really prepared to be married; at least, until she was. She was creating as many chances as possible to sabotage it, and Benjamin basically just tells her to grow up. I mean, Curzon died on Risa for Chrissakes, and unless Jadzia wants to live that life again she's got to drop the crap and get real. Worf went through this with her previously in "Let He Who Is Without Sin", where he had to deal with who she was, and now SHE has to deal with who she really is. She wanted everyone, from Benjamin to Sorella, to treat her with deference as if she was still Curzon. She even took liberties with Worf, and at her engagement party, apparently clinging to his persona and doing the kinds of things she remembered him doing.
But aside from her conflict with what kind of person she wanted to be, I do think Worf recognized that he's never find someone as unique and well suited to him as she was. I mean damn, how many non-Klingons could train against him with a Bat'leth, speak Klingon, understand his ways, and know how to calm him down without merely placating him?
Mon, Oct 17, 2016, 6:45pm (UTC -5)
Odo/Kira > Troi/Riker > Tom/B'Ellana > Worf/Jadzia > 7/Chakotay > T'pol/Trip
For Troi/Riker, I'm including their moments together in the TV series, even though they weren't actually a couple then. If you include only Insurrection and Nemesis, they'd probably be lower.
Thu, Dec 8, 2016, 9:11pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Dec 20, 2016, 10:39pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 1:21pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 4:11pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 4:12pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 4:29pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Mar 23, 2017, 3:04am (UTC -5)
No more then 2 stars, since I never really thought J and W belonged together. And the bachelor party scenes were just a bore.
Tue, May 16, 2017, 3:49pm (UTC -5)
At least Dax gives Martok's racist wife a piece of her mind. The men just put up with Worf's backward culture. Weak.
Also, don't they have wikipedia at DS9? Maybe look up what a Klingon Bachelor party is before agreeing.
Sat, May 27, 2017, 12:24am (UTC -5)
And Worf... Like, she tells him she doesn't want a klingon wedding like Worf wants, so he storms off. But Martok then convices him to stop being stubborn and be willing to compromise. So he goes to Jadzia... an tells her to do what he wanted. How generous of him. Yes, Jadzia was doing pretty much the same thing in Let He Who is Without Sin, but I didn't like her there either.
Wed, Jun 28, 2017, 6:29pm (UTC -5)
Federation: join an alliance with us: Romulus is the better choice!
*Better cuisine (and no worms in the mud)
*Blue beer
*Our cold war is a bluff... We only bark by the neutral zone to keep Starfleet awake
*And we don't attack your colonies and helpless hospitals
*We don't care of tribbles
*We let u call us "Romulus" in "Earthian" translation and don't cut your head with a bat'leth
*We dont have stupid bat'leths
*We resurrected Tasha
*We gave u a pendrive for Data's backup
*We copy-paste your favourite captain
*Our D'deridex ships are BADASSIC!
*Klingons, breaking Khitomer Agreement, attacked your colonies and betrayed u. We, breaking Algeron Agreement, gave u cloaking devices.
*We are a sort of amusing Vulcans
*Klingons are a sort of boring Kazons
*We had Jean-Luc Picard 2.0 as emperor. Klingons still have that Kahless 3.1 (as emperor)
*We have Donatra, Klingons have Sirella and her stupid fake grandma
*Tal Shiar is fine, Obsidian Order is OUT. We r cool!
Federals, enjoy Romulan Star Empire! We are COOL!
Fri, Jul 7, 2017, 9:16pm (UTC -5)
I talk about my personal trainer this way whenever I'm cripplingly sore the next day.
Thu, Aug 31, 2017, 11:38am (UTC -5)
Second, watching Jadzia and Warf's relationship is bumming me out even more on this re-watch than it did the first time I watched DS9. That is because I've since had a relationship in which I was in love but our personalities weren't a good fit, and I'm convinced it's a horrible idea, even when you love each other. Warf is always trying to put Jadzia's fire out, and I don't like it. Every other male on the station has a crush on her, and she could do better. And by better, I mean someone who won't try to change her or tame her. As others have said, maybe the Warf we saw later in TNG would be a good fit with Jadzia. But they're writing him too serious and obsessed with tradition in all these eps with Jadzia, and it's making me feel bad for her. I mean, I love Warf, but he's not a good influence on Jadzia. Bleck.
Biggest problem with this episode, though, is that "the big talk" between Kira and Odo was off screen! His was a horrible betrayal, and I wanted to see that talk more than anything else that happened in this episode. Maybe we'll see more about it later. . . but I wanted to hear that INITIAL conversation. I think Kira should still be realllly angry with Odo. And in fact, I don't even think she should have allowed him to remain head of station security at first, after what he did. She obviously didn't tell the Star Fleet people who were off the station what he did. And she should have. They should know he can't necessarily be trusted! But they looked pretty buddy buddy when Jadzia found them talking! Come on, she was more awkward with him just after finding out he was in love with her, and less awkward now. . . when he's a possible danger to the station?
Thu, Oct 19, 2017, 5:13pm (UTC -5)
I just don't get the romance between Worf and Dax -- the 2 actors don't portray it well. Worf is particularly wooden here. I don't think the clash of cultures here is analogous to any 2 human religions or races that I know of -- so there's no commentary on any kind of real world situation that I can see this applying to.
Sirella, Martok's wife, is super-annoying, needlessly heavy-handed with adherence to Klingon tradition so you know the headstrong Dax will rebel. But I guess somehow she's ultimately cool with the wedding after Dax supposedly goes begging on her hands and knees -- would have been nice to see that after seeing all the friction between the 2 earlier.
We didn't get to see a softer side from Worf really -- not even any real joy. The whole Worf getting married could have been a much more meaningful thing.
1.5 stars for "You Are Cordially Invited" -- another episode of DS9 staff getting to act out a (mostly) fun episode unrelated to the main story arc. Sometimes these outings work ("In the Cards") but here it really didn't for me. The episode focused too much on the unimportant aspects of the marriage and less about any character development.
Mon, Nov 20, 2017, 12:36pm (UTC -5)
Agreed that a lot of the interactions worked well, particularly between Worf and Dax, and Worf and Martok and Sisko and Dax, but Sirella was too extremely unpleasant, so much so that for Dax to have to beg to her felt like too much and for it to not be shown but still end with her feeling very warmly to Dax felt like really too much.
Mon, Nov 20, 2017, 1:32pm (UTC -5)
I don't blame Dax for either having mixed feelings about getting married or remembering & being affected by having been married multiple times before.
Mon, Nov 20, 2017, 2:18pm (UTC -5)
I agree with you that the episode would have been much stronger had Sorella's attitude really come out of an actual attitude problem from Jadzia. As it was I think no matter how Jadzia behaved she would have treated her the same way. I get the "you're not a Klingon" angle, but for Jadzia to have to be humbled it wasn't enough to just say that she should have to beg to be accepted into a Klingon house and not make assumptions. It should have also involved a humbling of the Jadzia/Curzon character of feeling like they're entitled to whatever they want. There's something in common, in a way, between the Curzon persona and between Kor, in that they both feel above others in some way and that they should be considered as privileged in some way. I would have liked Sorella's attitude to come directly out of "you are not Curzon" and for Jadzia to really be put in her place and have to stand for herself, rather than as 'new-Curzon'. The episode didn't really go there and instead what we got was Jadzia basically having to grovel because marriage is important and she should do whatever it takes to make it work. That's an ok message, but it barely even told that message. We end up with a kind of mishmash where some of it is Jadzia not sure if she wants to settle down, and some of it where she's proud but has no good reason to keep hoisting up that pride over what she wants. The scene with Sisko is excellent but it's not enough to really give us the story that should have been here. I like this one, but it comes short of really giving us what we should have gotten about Jadzia's character weaknesses.
Tue, Feb 6, 2018, 10:36pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Feb 10, 2018, 7:53am (UTC -5)
I'd almost rather watch a Ferengi episode.
Almost.
Wed, Feb 14, 2018, 9:01am (UTC -5)
Unsurprisingly, the best parts of this episode have nothing to do with Worf or Dax, in order of precedence:
1. Martok's repartee with his illustrious wife is one of the best (hell, ONLY) depictions of a Klingon marriage. The fact that she immediately starts out with insults and wonders why the hell he hasn't frikkin' died already, followed by him jovially promising he'll try to die "this year, if possible", is a hilarious exchange I will never tire of. I do hope Hertzler lands a role of some kind on Discovery, he's second only to Andrew Robinson as my favorite supporting actor in Trek, and Hertz has played a LOT more characters.
2. Martok telling Worf he can't interfere in his wife's domain, then discouraging Worf from talking to her either because she doesn't really like him either - more comedy gold with a firm foundation in Klingon culture. Like meeting his wife at the airlock, Hertzler's line delivery is PERFECT. Martok brough Worf into the house against his wife's wishes, and she's accepted the fact "there's nothing she can do about it!"...but Martok dare not push her farther when it comes to new family members. Worf's "how comforting" is his best line in the episode.
3. Some great O'Brian-Bashir interactions this week, with the added dynamic of Sisko and Alexander, none of whom know what they're getting into. But at the same time, all of them stick with it (until of course they learn the wedding is off, then anything goes), because despite Martok saying no one would think any less of them if they gave up, they know better.
4. Quark and Dax's friendship showing in their shared suggestion that they simply hold the wedding at the bar...which doesn't sound so great, but it's more than a bar, it's a great space to hold a wedding! I also enjoy the irony of Dax getting married in the same place she had an arbitration hearing a few years back ;)
5. As quickly and cleanly as Odo's betrayal was swept under the rug with a single act of redemption (bailing Kira and Rom out with his security forces) left a bad taste in the mouth, Kira and Odo finally deciding to find someplace quiet (Dax's closet) to talk felt like a very realistic and relatable way to try to mend fences. I especially liked Odo telling his deputies they could join the party...Odo's a great boss!
6. Nog's bizarre werewolf(?) dancing/growling at Dax's party. I'll admit I dance like that sometimes at parties...and I those who know what I'm referencing are truly worthy of my friendship.
Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 2:36pm (UTC -5)
One of the funniest episodes of ANY show, imo. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. I felt like Martok was channeling Michael Palin in some scenes. And Bashir's "I'm going to kill Worf" is too good.
Anyone taking this episode seriously is missing out. As Captain Sisko alludes to in the beginning, this is the break everyone needs.
For once I really didn't mind Dax, and I thought Worf showed more personality than in virtually any other episode. I really felt like the plot was irrelevant; episodes like this are a little gift to fans. I'll never forget "The Trial of Anguish" - I'm glad Klingons properly - and honestly - prepare for marriage!
Martok as usual was incredible, he's such a dramatic Klingon. His speech "Honor gives little comfort to a man alone in his home and in his heart," managed to somehow be hilariously over the top, and really touching.
My only nitpick was the ceremony, which abruptly ends with Sirella saying "this man and woman are married." The appropriately stylized and passionate Klingon ceremony seemed to grind to a halt and she's like, okay, it's over. (I imagine Ron Moore getting a call as he was writing it and being told "we need the script in an hour," because that part didn't seem to be fully written.)
As for the nitpicking about Worf's friends, TNG, etc., the tradition is for Worf to spend that time with his "closest male friends." If all Klingons are anywhere near as literal as Worf, then it is obvious that his male friends on the station are physically closest.
A final note, I agree with whoever said that Odo and Kira having a conversation off-screen lends more depth and realism to the show; American television is often very obvious; and I thought it was a nice touch that they had a very personal and intense conversation off screen. I would even go as far as to say it was none of our business.
Sun, Aug 26, 2018, 3:40pm (UTC -5)
2 stars.
Mon, Aug 27, 2018, 7:32pm (UTC -5)
2.5 stars.
Sat, Dec 8, 2018, 7:48pm (UTC -5)
Drex is a total douchebag, Sirella is simply a BOOR. I give a piss of her "ku klux klingon" foolishness. A boor is a boor.
Now I understand why Martok never tried to escape from that asteroid: compared to his wife, Enabran Tain was a lovable teddy bear :-D
Fri, Jan 25, 2019, 10:30pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jan 29, 2019, 9:23pm (UTC -5)
Kind of a "take care of a few loose ends" ep, with the marriage and Odo and Kira talking it out.
No great shakes, some silliness, average offering.
Major objection: You don't put cheese on shrimp linguini.
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 9:06am (UTC -5)
I've seen some people complain that Worf is overly controlling and possessive of Jadzia, and I've seen some people complain that Jadzia doesn't take the relationship seriously, is overly "promiscuous" despite Worf's discomfort and dislike of such behaviour, and is in general apathetic towards Worf's feelings. I think both of these complaints are valid. There's nothing inherently wrong with the way Worf wants to have a relationship or the way Jadzia wants to have a relationship, I'm sure Worf could be perfectly happy with a traditional yet open-minded Klingon woman who shares his values and accepts him, and Jadzia would probably be very happy in a playful open relationship with someone who jives with her and jokes with her and whose company she actually enjoys, and who doesn't mind her general flirtatious attitude.
But Worf and Jadzia don't *respect* each other. They don't *care* about each other and what each other want. They refuse to make any compromises in their relationship. Despite their vastly different values and desires and expectations in a relationship, they each just behave as if their idea of a relationship is right and the other person is being selfish if they want anything different.
Worf wants the relationship to be exactly a certain way, he wants Jadzia to act exactly a certain way, and he doesn't respect Jadzia's own desires and freedom and the fact that she may want to act another way or want the relationship to be a different way.
Conversely, Jadzia expects Worf to put up with all sorts of things she does that he's not comfortable with (e.g. teasing him, playing tongo with Quark, flirting with other guys) to satisfy her whims, but then she ignores and doesn't care about all the things which are very very important to Worf.
tbh, this quote from the episode pretty much sums it up for me:
"She says it's because he's a pigheaded, stubborn man who puts tradition before everything else. He says it's because she's a frivolous, emotional woman who refuses to take him or his culture seriously. You can see the problem."
"They're both right."
They're both mature adults, Worf and Jadzia *know* each other and what they value and how they want to live. They never should have gotten together if they're so incompatible. tbh, their relationship was a mess from the beginning. In "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places", Jadzia was just horny for Worf, while Worf was all like "we have had sex, therefore we must be in love and must get married". You couldn't have two more opposite extremes.
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 9:39am (UTC -5)
I think the missed opportunity is that the friction should have come out of the fact that each of them is right; that they need what the other has, and that while being stubborn is endearing in a "good old Worf" sort of way, that's not what a relationship should be about. They're both strong-willed, so no doubt any bending on this front was going to come through some fireworks, which is what it should have been, but ultimately the message Dax supposedly learns from Sirella should have been learned through being with Worf. And what's worse, Dax seems not to have learned that lesson either way; not in this episode, and not subsequently. She should be smarter than that: it's one thing to be an ass like Curzon, but another to be dense. And being dense doesn't make sense for Dax. So I do consider this aspect of the relationship a failure. But as a straight pairing, yeah, I always saw it making sense. And should it come as a surprise that Worf's previous relationships were a half-Klingon who hated Klingon culture, and a Betazoid? Dax was basically the next logical step in this progression, with Worf being satisfied with not having a traditional Klingon woman, and yet also having someone with some of the martial aspects of a Klingon. Who else other than Jadzia could possibly have ever been suitable for Worf?
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 9:57am (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 10:19am (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 11:11am (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 11:43am (UTC -5)
You may be right, because in fact the movies must have been geared to the extremely casual continuity fan (Wesley, of all people is back in Starfleet!). So maybe the TNG filmmakers were just playing fast and loose with canon and didn't really care what happened on DS9.
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 1:06pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 7, 2019, 1:18pm (UTC -5)
Even if he is entirely over Troi, also, it might still feel like there are unresolved issues between him and Will, given that Worf didn't make a move on Troi in part because he didn't want to hurt Riker. And also while Worf felt more kinship with Jadzia than he would have with Deanna, I could see him, after having lost Jadzia, wondering whether it would have been better to get together with Deanna and maybe he would have avoided some of that heartache. Who knows, maybe Jadzia would still be alive -- she went to that temple where Dukat killed her to pray for getting pregnant with Worf's child, after all. I wonder if some part of Worf would wonder, deep down, if she would be alive if not for him. However -- this is speculation, and to be honest I don't really think that sounds like Worf, to me.
But I think it's also just that Nemesis wanted to do a "Worf drank too much Romulan ale" joke because it's funny (in theory) for super-strong bear Worf to be taken down by booze. That it's specifically Romulan ale is meant to tie into the Romulan threat. In fact if we want to give the movie credit (which I don't recommend), I think it's more about that Worf is finally letting himself open to Romulans -- and of course it violently disagrees with him, because he's hated Romulans his whole life. But by the end of the movie, we get the exchange:
WORF: The Romulans fought with honour.
RIKER: Yes they did, Mr. Worf.
So Worf's longstanding hatred of Romulans *as such* has finally dissipated and he can judge them individually, even though the notion hurts him (via the ale). End of character arc.
Because it's Nemesis, I mean, I'm not saying it's handled well or anything. But I think it's more about that than about Troi anyway, and even if it were about Troi, I don't think anyone on DS9 sabotaged Worf/Dax in order to, years later, make a joke about Worf getting sick from drinking because he's still pining for Troi.
Tue, Jul 30, 2019, 2:53am (UTC -5)
Sat, Aug 24, 2019, 12:43am (UTC -5)
And despite 100 years' worth of changes to Klingon society between the two series, I doubt T'Kuvma's ideology has completely disappeared. (We know that there are still Molor worshippers in Kronos, for instance.)
All of this makes Sirella a lot less likeable than she already was.
All in all, I think this episode suffered from way too may cliches: the angry mother-in-law; calling off the wedding at the last moment; the caricatured Klingon bachelor party. It had its moments, and I enjoyed Jadzia's scene with Sisko and her Polynesian-themed party. And yes, I do think Worf and Dax had some chemistry; but the execution was still poor.
Wed, Feb 19, 2020, 5:03am (UTC -5)
Or to put it another way: not an episode I found particularly fun or interesting.
Once more, Klingon culture is hugely stylised and masochistic; if they spend so much time being obsessed with these kinds of rituals, it's a miracle they ever found time to bootstrap themselves up into a space faring culture.
And then there's Worf and Dax. While it did start to become more plausible as Worf loosened up towards the end of season six, at this point, his humorless obsession with honour meshed very badly with Jadzia's freewheeling attitude to life.
(Which isn't to say that "quiet" people can't have strong relationships with extroverted people; I've got many friends with similar partner dynamics. But Worf and Dax simply never seemed to have enough commonalities beyond the fact that they both like martial arts and BDSM sex...)
I dunno. If I ever feel like watching through DS9 again, this is one of the episodes I'll probably skip!
Sat, May 30, 2020, 12:31pm (UTC -5)
I actually rather liked this one, I would probably give it a solid 3 stars. It’s a necessary light-hearted diversion from the gritty, stressful war episodes that preceded it. Was the plot predictable? Of course. But that didn’t affect my enjoying it. There’s something nice about turning your brain off and seeing characters you like put a new spin on some familiar, if not cliched, themes. All in all, as a palate cleanser, I think it does a great job.
I also liked the scene of Odo and Kira coming out of a closet talking all night like a couple of teenagers. Great stuff imo.
Tue, Oct 6, 2020, 4:24am (UTC -5)
Thu, Apr 1, 2021, 10:53pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Jul 24, 2021, 12:08am (UTC -5)
Sat, Jul 24, 2021, 6:53am (UTC -5)
Ditto, my friend. Ditto.
https://youtu.be/WpmILPAcRQo
Sun, Aug 22, 2021, 3:21pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Aug 22, 2021, 3:30pm (UTC -5)
Patrolling the neutral zone for stray comets.
Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 7:51am (UTC -5)
Not EVERYONE here has seen the whole f'n series!
This is why I was underwhelmed in the episodes about the wormhole minefield because, thanks to the assholes on this website (especially f'n Elliott), I knew the wormhole aliens were going to take out the massive Jem'Hadar fleet once in the wormhole. And that was a comment of his from one of the early seasons. Douchebag.
Y'all can burn in Hell!
Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 8:21am (UTC -5)
It's a comments section on the Internet for a television series that's nearly 30 years old. People aren't going to post spoiler warnings, not even when you ask as politely as you have here. Maybe you should just avoid reading the comments until you've finished the show? 😊
Mon, Sep 27, 2021, 10:09am (UTC -5)
I think you should consider the entire site to have one big SPOILER ALERT. Its primary audience (only Jammer can tell you if that's its original target audience, but it has become the main audience over the years) is people who have watched a lot of Trek, having seen many of these episodes multiple times, who want to talk about details that may have taken us several viewings to notice, and to make connections (sometimes contrasts) between different episodes and series that in some cases appeared years apart.
That kind of discussion is hard to have if everybody has to walk on eggshells for the sake of people who haven't yet experienced any of the plot twists or surprise endings. I think it's fair for us to want a space where we can do that.
Wed, Nov 3, 2021, 11:47pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Mar 18, 2022, 10:57am (UTC -5)
At least Jadzia smacked the crap out of Sirella. Sisko coming to yell at her felt really stupid and insulting. At zero point did anyone acknowledge that she was being disrespected. Sisko demeaning the Dax symbiont by saying Curzon was the one responsible for interacting with the Klingons was especially egregious.
Just a lot of one-sided, one-dimensional writing. One of the things I absolutely hate about Trek is its obsession with Klingon Culture and Klingon Honor (again, a completely amorphous term that throughout all series just gets used as a flimsy excuse for whatever the plot requires).
Fri, May 27, 2022, 2:10pm (UTC -5)
It's now 2022 and honestly, the same wedding tropes still play out across movies and television. The build up to the big day, the family conflicts (especially disapproval), the bachelor party, traditionalism, the last minute cancellation vs. the last minute rescue, yada yada. This is supposed to be the 24th century AND it's a wedding between a Trill and a Klingon, yet they turned it into the most cliche, eternally-human wedding drama. Booooring.
It was a real missed opportunity to deepen the narrative between Worf and Jadzia.
Wed, Aug 17, 2022, 7:46pm (UTC -5)
I don't disagree with the general consensus that there are some unfortunate wrinkles in this episode, but here and there there'll be some gem like General Martok's advice to Worf.
What strikes at the moment about my revisiting DS9 (I diligently watched the show when it was new), is just how good it is. It stuns me that the creative crew could consistently put together one quality show after another, year after year. Just working up the wedding ritual and the costumes for the wedding took someone a good deal of time. And they put out good stuff 26 (!) times per year for seven years. (Ok, Season One was only 20 episodes.)
The Berman/Pillar team was just hitting home run after home run as the series developed. By this point in the series, what I see when I look at Season 6, is *confidence*. In 1997, everybody knew their job; everybody, for the most part, executed the work superbly.
It's poignant to see Rene Auberjonois (Odo) & Aaron Einsenberg (Nog) and any others who created magic back in the 90s but who are no longer with us.
[If the unoriginal mercenary hacks who have unwisely been entrusted with the Trek franchise in recent years decide to scribble some mediocre remake graffiti on DS9, I'll be extremely unhappy. ]
Wed, Aug 17, 2022, 11:22pm (UTC -5)
I fully agree about the confidence and professionalism every episode of DS9 exudes at this point. This show had become a well-oiled machine, with no hiccups in direction quality anymore or errant performances (like Siddig's in The Passenger). Voyager, too, had by around this time established a routine that was quite sparkling and reliable. I can say whatever else I want about the writing and show vision of VOY, but the cast and crew certainly seemed to be hitting their mark in terms of production and tone. Janeway's writing was all over the place, but that's a very particular writing room philosophy issue and not really a production or acting issue.
That said, DS9 by this time had also given the actors and directors so much leeway and so many chances for pure fun that they could easily let loose even in otherwise serious episodes. Between the Ferengi plots, hijinx with Quark, Mirror Universe episodes, and others like Bashir, Julian Bashir, I think they knew they could avoid always playing stolid (to use Q's word) Starfleet roles all the time. I've heard lots of flack over the years about Farrell - much of which I disagree with in fact - but here she lets down her hair, so to speak, in a way that no one in VOY ever seems to get to do. You can review the room given to the VOY actors to get their groove on and give us some outpouring of energy and enthusiasm, and you know what, loathe as I am to say it Neelix is probably the only character there who was really afforded the chance to smile and enjoy himself with abandon. I dislike what they made that character into, but I do like how they let Philips play. So I really appreciate that a Starfleet *science officer*, of all characters, is the one partying and enjoying life. In the abstract that's quite a striking thing in itself, putting aside the rest of the story. I also really like Sisko's scene with her following all this, where we get all her energy re-contextualized and fashioned by Ben into what it needs to be. Some object to that scene, but I appreciate it a great deal.
Regarding DS9 vs VOY, just bear in mind my comments above are intended to be understood as within the parenthesis of including VOY in DS9's achievement of pristine professionalism.
Mon, Sep 19, 2022, 9:37am (UTC -5)
I like Worf, am ambivalent about Jax (nice caboose but that's about it), and scoff at their improbable relationship.
I'm not interested in make-believe rituals of make-believe species; it's simply not what I watch sci-fi for. The Klingon..."culture"...doesn't excite me in the slightest. Where on the Kardashev scale are those guys: like, MINUS 500!?
Big weddings and the drama that accompanies them don't resonate with me. I married my wife, an Emirati Moslem runaway, in a court building with just her, me, and the officiating staff present.
I understand some folks might enjoy, or at least tolerate, this one. As for me though, Next!
Fri, Nov 4, 2022, 5:15am (UTC -5)
Why did the serialisation work for me here this time? Well, learning to know the characters during 5 seasons that are double the newer development the characters had time to develop, and you had really the time to learn to know and like them. Here both actors and writers got challenged and the result was fine.
There has over the time been a lot of discussion regarding the Character Jadzia and the actress Terry Farell. Many are quite negative. I have mostly had the opinion perhaps Jadzia just is like that so why do not accept it. After this episode “you are cordially invited” I accept this criticism more than earlier. There is something missing in the characterisation or acting. I felt even Jake overtook her in the recent episodes.
I believe I can just express it like that there is just too little character in the character.
Wed, Apr 26, 2023, 5:33pm (UTC -5)
But this is a theme in Star Trek. Look at how Sisko deals with Cassidy. He goes from being the competent Captain we know to being practically adolescent when there is conflict. I think the only Trek character who showed relative poise in a romantic situation was Picard in "Lessons", but that was short lived.
I'm convinced at this point that Trek writers don't know how to write good romance. Probably because they are sci-fi geeks. This problem persists into the more recent series too.
Sun, May 14, 2023, 11:59am (UTC -5)
I agree with that commentators who say Jadzia doesn't take the relationship seriously, and I will go one step further and ask, what does she take seriously? There are no repercussions for her leading a foolish life, except to be given a new body. And the whole narrative about Jadzia being a Klingon warrior deep down is BS.
Martok makes this episode great for me. "Let rivers flow from our veins!" I also enjoy Alexander, his commentary is exactly what Klingons need.
Four days of fasting? Worf would have to be my very best friend for that! But, during wartime, men he serves with and respects would be sufficient.
Also what's the issue with Bashir's comment about marriage? Have you not seen his parents? Does he not have married friends?
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