Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Apocalypse Rising (1996) User Reviews

Them Founders are a tricky lot...

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 4 January 2015]

In the final episode of season 4, Odo became privy to some VERY interesting information--that the leader of the Klingon Empire, Gowron, is a Founder!! This does make sense in light of all the things Gowron has recently done to stoke discord with the Empire and the Federation as well as Cardassia. Here in the premier episode of season 5, Captain Sisko has been ordered to the Klingon home world to expose Gowron for what he is. But how...how will he get on the planet...how will he get near Gowron...and how will he show that the guy is really a pile of goo?! Well, the plan will naturally involve bringing Odo along--but Odo is busy feeling sorry for himself, as the Founders have made him a humanoid permanently--something that is very confusing and strange for him.

Much of the show is spend with the away team members dressed up like Klingons--which is a lot of fun to watch. While Odo and O'Brien make crappy Klingons, Sisko is surprisingly good. As for Worf, well, he IS a Klingon! This portion of the show is cool--and it's exciting watching these Federation folks acting like drunk Klingons. Additionally, the show is pretty exciting and features a neat twist. All in all, an excellent start to season 5.

A changeling at the heart of the Klingon Empire!

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 18 June 2010]

Season four concluded with the Federation at war with the Klingon Empire and Odo realising that Chancellor Gowron is in fact a changeling. The only way to end the war is for Captain Sisko to take a group to infiltrate the heart of the Klingon Empire and expose Gowron. To do this Dr. Bashir performs an operation to make Sisko, O'Brien and newly-human Odo look Klingon. They are joined by Worf to pose as recipients of the 'Order of the Bat'leth', the Klingon's highest honour which is due to be presented by Gowron. All goes well until Sisko is recognised by General Martok and the team are all captured. When Martok quizzes them and hears that they think Gowron is a Changeling he admits that he had had suspicions and decides to let them go and help them get close enough to Gowron to kill him. Just as Worf is about to kill Gowron in single combat Odo realises something: Gowron is fighting in an honourable way yet Martok is behaving in a way no honourable Klingon would... it turns out Odo had been tricked into believing Gowron was a Founder so the Federation would kill him and thus insure the war would continue.

This was a great season opener which nicely wrapped up the war with the Klingons. There are some good action scenes and the whole sequence on the Klingon home world was tense, there was a feeling that they could be exposed at any time. It was a lot of fun seeing Sisko, Odo and O'Brien looking like Klingons, until they spoke it wasn't easy to realise who each of them was. Until the final reveal I did not suspect that Gowron would turn out to be anything other than a Founder, it was a good surprise to learn that he wasn't.

Highly entertaining episode

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 14 November 2022]

Sisko, Worf, O'Brien and Odo go on a mission to expose the Changeling infiltration of the Klingons.

This is a very enjoyable episode with both fun and tension.

I love the entertainment value of Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney and Rene Auberjonois posing as Klingons. Most of the scenes associated with this are humorous, especially when Worf attempts to coach the the required attitude and body language. If Brooks had never been cast as Sisko he would have made an epic Klingon character.

Generally the plot is good, with some nice intrigue associated with the Changeling plot and tension created as the crew try to blend with Klingons.

Gul Dukat is thrown in for good measure and that always adds to the enjoyment.

The cinematography and production design is great throughout.

Odo's New Job!

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 26 October 2018]

The Klingons are moving in. It turns out that the leader, Gowron, is suspected of being a shape-shifter (hence Dominion), hence not the real Gowron. The DS9 crew dress up as Klingons and head into the hornet's nest. There is a lot of byplay in the episode where they must convince those people they are legitimate. Odo, who is now a solid, has to use his new being, that of a human, and fight alongside those who were previously different from him. I wasn't successfully dragged along into this episode. I thought it was a bit exhausting.

Odo PI.

[thevacinstaller · 6/10 · 11 July 2021]

I felt that Sisko made a very convincing Klingon. Rene and Colm not so much but hey --- It's a fun idea and a good way for the main cast members to develop sympathy for the guest stars who have to spend 5 hours in the makeup chair before starting work for the day.

I find Klingon culture endlessly hilarious. There is a ritual before the hall of warriors star wars medal ceremony where they participate in another ritual where 'passing out' is the enemy.

It took Odo an entire weekend to accept his transformation into solid form thanks to his skillful detective reasoning in exposing Martok as a changeling.

This episode just fell flat for me. My favorite part of the episode would be the performance of Martok. Not a memorable episode but it does move the serialized DS9 arc forward.

Deep Space Nine In Its Natural Ridiculous State

[frankelee · 4/10 · 25 September 2020]

In an attempt to make this show exciting, a good idea, they started a Klingon war, conflict really, with the Federation. It paints the Klingons in a very simplistic way compared to TNG, but this isn't TNG. It does add some excitement to the show, though completely explodes the idea of the Federation refusing to invest properly in military when belligerent powers who will go to war at the drop of a hat are literally all around their borders.

The show itself features the cast dressing up as Klingons and going to a Klingon party in order to capture a shapeshifter who has been leading the Klingons into war with the Federation. They have some silly science fiction plan, but it fails for literally no reason (Sisko had to hit a button on a thing in his hand and he more less wouldn't), so then they are left no choice but to try and assassinate the Klingon grand leader. They get the chance to do this, but refuse to shoot him, instead Worf throws down his gun and challenges the supposed shapeshifter in knife combat, Steven Seagal style.

Fortunately they're all wrong, it was all a plot by the shapeshifters to trick them into murdering Klingons so the Klingons they actually did replace with shapeshifters could be duly elected to replace them. They have an extensive psychological profile on Sisko (as mentioned a few episodes before) and knew he was averse to pressing buttons at the right time and would fail to do so.

It's silly, it's unserious, and it's hard to believe.