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Reviews
Star Trek: Voyager: Darkling (1997)
Jekyl and Hyde, the Doctor Develops a Dark Side
It really comes as no surprise for Star Trek Voyager to explore the potential of a dark personality development within the Doctor, and it is a rare chance for Robert Picardo to flex his psychotic... muscles.
Make no mistake: Picardo is a very talented actor, but, this setting combined with his character's accent makes the change from light to dark difficult to express. The budding restlessness within Kes doesn't shore up the plot, and Tuvok seems to be going through the motions while investigating the crimes being comitted on the planet's surface.
The episode would get a much lower personal rating from my perspective were it not for a few scattered moments of well-played suspense, mild as it is. That, and the idea of how deadly a crazy hologram could be are the saving graces. If the director had forced a more mysterious script, waiting until much later for the big reveal, the plot would have been more well received. True, time seeing Picardo portray the Doctor's dark side would have been shortened, but as I stated, he was very limited in available scope, and allowing the viewer to surmise that darkness would have allowed for a more savory feel.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Siege of AR-558 (1998)
Every show about war needs a frontline episode.
DS9 isn't all about war, but war is a large portion of the story, and in order for us to understand what's at stake for everyone it is necessary to show us what its like to be desperate, outnumbered, tired...
The show's writers tried hard to get the point across, and for the most part they succeeded. Nog is battle-tested, and I find myself struggling after this episode to still see the obnoxious young Ferengi from season 1. His is a character who has grown immensely, and hopefully Quark has a better understanding of his nephew's desire to live up to the Starfleet standard.
Aside from that, there is battle, and Ezri gets to see if her memories of war have prepared her for what she's going to face. Overall The Siege of AR 558 is a strong episode in what's shaping up to be a very well-written season.