Interstellar Space Genesis-HOODLUM
Janet Denzel
Since I originally wrote this review, I've had some minor changes of opinion and now rate the episode at three stars. To see the reasons for this change, find the capsule review in the Fifth Season Recap. Below is the orignial review of the episode, which at the time I rated at 2 1/2 stars.
However, despite the welcome return to the Maquis storyline, "For the Uniform" is a show that resides in the neutral zone for me. As much as I like the Maquis and the issues surrounding them, the overall results of "For the Uniform" are less than I had hoped. The show certainly isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it isn't particularly great, either. It's just kind of there, with its various strengths and weaknesses.
The episode is a follow-up to last season's "For the Cause," which ended with DS9's Starfleet Security Chief Michael Eddington escaping the station to join the Maquis which he had been apparently conspiring with for months.
The show is strongest in its early acts, beginning with an undercover Sisko beaming down to a colony in the DMZ to meet a Maquis informant who supposedly has information on the whereabouts of Eddington, only to be surprised and captured by... Eddington.
From here, the episode proceeds into the action, as the Defiant chases Eddington's raider across the DMZ, until Eddington unleashes his flagship of surprises: Complete sabotage of the Defiant computer core, which turns the ship defenseless, requiring weeks of computer reprogramming.
One of the episode's highlights is the way Eddington always manages to remain a step ahead of Sisko and the Defiant. This leads Starfleet to finally take Sisko off the mission and send in Captain Sanders (Eric Pierpoint) of the USS Malinche. Sisko is not pleased, and it's easy to see why. If there's one thing that's completely believable in "For the Uniform," it's that Sisko could and would take Eddington's betrayal personally. It's not simply that Eddington is a traitor that makes Sisko's skin crawl; it's that Eddington betrayed Starfleet under Sisko's watch.
So as one could imagine, as Eddington's reign of terror continues and the Malinche shows no signs of success, it doesn't take long for Sisko to take the initiative and the Defiant to delve back into the thick of the action (against orders, naturally). The only problem is that O'Brien's necessary repairs to the Defiant computers are nowhere near finished; a large variety of common tasks will have to be done manually, putting the Defiant at quite a combat disadvantage.
On the other hand, this is not really all that effective on a storytelling level. Yes, it puts the Defiant in more hazard and raises the stakes; but the amount of tactical jargon here is staggering, and it goes on for far too long. Given the story potential, it seems odd that writer Peter Allan Fields (scripting his first episode of DS9 since second season) would spend so much time on it when more important and interesting dialog concerning the delicate situation could've been highlighted instead.
The unfriendly rivalry, tactical maneuvering, and clever escapes are among "For the Uniform's" strengths, but these events are window dressing for a story that doesn't say enough about its situation (and nothing much new), and has an ending that isn't as powerful as it could've been. Sisko captures Eddington by threatening to release chemical torpedoes on a Maquis colony, forcing evacuation and making it inhabitable for human life. Eddington thinks Sisko is bluffing. Sisko orders the word fire and poisons the planet for 50 years. After seeing Sisko is playing hardball, Eddington finally surrenders.
It's a brutal move on Sisko's part, as he turns thousands of Maquis settlers into homeless refugees. The problem here is that the episode sides with Sisko's notion to become the "villain" and make Eddington's surrender a "heroic" martyr move in the eyes of the Maquis. It's a neat package, perhaps, but a neat package is not what I look for in a Maquis storyline.
The episode doesn't seem to take a real stance on the Maquis issue. On one hand we have Eddington cruising around raising hell, and on the other hand we have Sisko, who is defying orders and risking his crew in a crippled starship in order to satisfy a personal vendetta. Shades of grey are good, but "For the Uniform" is ultimately about the black-and-white issue of the vendetta that sides with Sisko because he's Sisko, the hero of DS9, not because his actions are "right."
That's unfortunate. By simplifying the story to "Sisko vs. Eddington," Fields doesn't push as many dramatic buttons as he could've. A grey-area story steps up to the plate several times in the course of the episode; but the pitch never comes, and that's too bad. (Speaking of pitching, why didn't Fields use baseball as a way for Sisko to work out his frustration? The boxing example comes across as a bit of a clich, and not really in tune with Sisko's character.)
The real problem with the ending is that Sisko's actions don't have any consequences. The show lets Sisko off the hook far too easily. After all the defiance of orders and the poisoning of the planet, it seems that Starfleet will simply pat Sisko on the back for capturing Eddington. Never mind Eddington's relevant speech: Sisko's obsession has clouded his thoughts on the real issue. What if Eddington hadn't turned himself in? Would Sisko really turn his rages into destroying the Maquis by poisoning all the DMZ planets, or is simply bluffing? The episode doesn't make it clear.
The answers to those questions don't really exist in the first place, mainly because Sisko and Dax are able to psychoanalyze Eddington into predicting his "hero vs. villain" thought pattern. Is that all this is about? Eddington having a martyr complex? Is that the real reason he defected to the Maquis in "For the Cause"? I thought he had perhaps a deeper purpose that would be explained in "For the Uniform." I never understood what exactly led him to get personally involved in the Maquis plight, and after this episode I still don't understand.
On an entertainment level, there's a lot to be said for "For the Uniform," because both Avery Brooks and Kenneth Marshall are engaging in their verbal sparring, and Sisko's turn to villainy at the end is scarily convincing, even if not completely appropriate. The show could've been so much more with a better ending, but, as is, it comes up a bit short.
I find myself routing for Eddington in this episode. Okay, it's beieveable that Sisco would become obsessive and ruthless. But this is Starfleet, and the lack of consequesences for his actions are seriously implausible - disobeying orders to leave the case alone, poisoning a planet for 50 years. I seem to remember episodes where officers were court-martialed for far less. Prime directive, schmective!
To add to the comment above, at the end of the episode, a smirking Jadzia ruefully chuckles at the fact that Sisko had not obtained authorization from Starfleet about his plan to utilize his weapon of mass destruction to force Eddington's surrender. No consequences, no continuity, just a gleeful Sisko reveling in his revenge.
I'd conjecture that this episode does not get written if Gene Roddenberry was alive.
Eddington was the far more sympathetic character in this one. Sisko was barely pretending that this was anything but revenge, and he resorts to using chemical weapons on ex-Federation colonists that they'd just condemned Eddington for using! Wouldn't he be under a war crimes tribunal?
Well, at the end Sisko's log said that the Cardassian colonists moved to the Maquis' poisoned planet, and the Maquis colonists moved to the Cardassians' poisoned planet. This is possible since the poison on the Cardassian colonies are harmless to humans, and apparently vice versa.
One thing to add to these comments... I thought it was great to see Nog out of the academy and doing something useful. He was acting like a real starfleet cadet, doing everything eagerly and properly.
It would have been easy for them to forget about his story, we haven't seen him for a while, but I enjoyed bringing him into this episode, even if it was a contrived situation.
To all of the above comments, I personally hated the Maquis. I liked them at first; they had an interesting concept. But then, under Eddington's dictatorship they become nothing more than racists. I was not glad the Jem'Hadar killed them all -- I was GLEEFUL. I was overjoyed. You reap what you sow, and Sisko's right: By contributing to the problems Cardassia faced, you had a direct hand in leading them to the Dominion and killing YOU. Sisko never said truer word. "End of Story." GO TO HELL EDDINGTON!
Did anyone else think Sisko was a bit over-the-top while he was raging on the punching bag--"and he beat me...RAWRR!!!" and later on--"YOU BETRAYED YOUR UNIFORM!" Entertaining overacting, but overacting nonetheless. Also, Captain Sanders was an annoying dick, I'm glad Eddington served him.
The acting, the scenes, the action, the tension... all good, but the inconsistenties are indeed the size of Jupiter. Even with the darker tone of DS9 (which I like), it's just inconceivable that Sisko would use WMD on a planet and not feel the consequences. Amongst others, the idea that Worf would only demur, just to push the button anyway is very hard to believe. And maybe the episode could at least have done without the premise that Sisko was tasked with hunting down Eddington.
As a final note, the CGI was really nice in here. Not just technically, but also aesthetically. Especially the view of Malinche dead in space.
I completely agree with your review. If the writers are going to make a bold move like this, it HAS to have consequences and the dialogue in the tag scene which basically said that everything would be back to normal was more cringe-inducing than anything. They didn't even mention the possibility that the poison might actually have KILLED a lot of the Maquis before they got a chance to evacuate.
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