Star Trek DS9 - Season 4 - Episode 12
Star Trek DS9 - 4x12 - Paradise Lost
Originally Aired: 1996-1-8
Synopsis:
Preparing Earth for war with the Dominion, Sisko and Odo discover evidence of a Starfleet plot to seize control of the planet from the Federation. [DVD]
Filler Quotient:
0, not filler, do not skip this episode.
- Numerous major long term plot threads are serviced here.
Problems
- What's with the TNG style uniforms all over the place in this episode?
Factoids
None
Remarkable Scenes
- Sisko chewing out the Red Squad cadet getting him to describe his mission.
- Sisko being relieved of command by Admiral Leyton.
- The shape shifter O'Brien.
- Sisko: "Paradise has never been so well armed."
- Odo rescuing Sisko.
- The Lakota attacking the Defiant.
- Leyton starting to freak out as he began to realize he's losing.
My Review
The sequel is a bit better episode than the first part. While crazy power hungry idiotic admirals have been a cliche since TOS, it was fun to watch in this episode. The battle between the Defiant and the Lakota to me seemed far too short, but other than that it was spectacular. Other than that, the episode reminded me somewhat of TNG: The Drumhead, though without most of the offensiveness. Overall, a decent two part episode. It could have been done a lot better, but it was acceptable.
The following are comments submitted by my readers.
I still don't understand why you found the drumhead "offensive". It was a great episode, and this one continues in its spirit.
I agree that Paradise Lost is better than Homefront. However, for me, this two-parter will always live in the shadow of Babylon 5's Messages From Earth-Point of No Return-Severed Dreams arc, which dealt with similar subject matter but did it a lot better.
The captain of the Lakota was played by Susan Gibney, the same actress who was the designer of the new Enterpise and Geordie's unrequited true love in TNG, Dr Leah Brahms.
I don't know if this Starfleet takeover plot has further consequences or developments or not. If it doesn't come up again then that's a bit disappointing - but if it is a standalone two-parter this is still pretty good. Mankind still has to be vigilant against its own corruptible nature.
Most Star Trek episodes set on Earth add some more realism to the whole series. Since I have visited some of the locations myself (e.g. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris), there is a certain connection of the present age with the Star Trek future, whatever unlikely it will seem. So I like these episodes very much and give at least 8 points to the two parts, regardless of nasty uniforms and recurring power hungry admirals, which are just like in real life. A remarkable scene in "Paradise Lost" is Odo doing the Vulcan nerve pinch on the female Starfleet guard. Did he ever use it on other occasions?
so how did they fake the bloodtest? And how come they kept using them later...
The blood test is easily faked by a changeling, simply kill a solid and store some of their blood inside your changeling body and move that pocket of solid blood to the surface wherever someone is taking the blood sample from you, be that with a hypo Starfleet style or cutting your palm with a blade Klingon style
This episode feels oddly prescient. Had it been released during the run of Enterprise, it would read as a 9/11-allegory. Blood tests and martial law for increased airport security and the PATRIOT Act. Fake-O'Brien's speech to Sisko "only four of us... in the end, it's your fear that will destroy you."
Episode sits among the best of Trek, as social commentary... even before the events it speaks most directly to. Cutting to the core of our failings as a society, and yet there is hope; our hero Sisko triumphs in the end over the coup d'etat.