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Star Trek DS9 - Season 6 - Episode 05

Star Trek DS9 - 6x05 - Favor the Bold

Originally Aired: 1997-10-27

Synopsis:
The Federation continues to lose the war with the Dominion/Cardassian Alliance and morale is sinking fast. [DVD]

My Rating - 10

Fan Rating Average - 5.04

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Filler Quotient: 0, not filler, do not skip this episode.
- Numerous major long term plot threads are serviced here.

Problems
None

Factoids
- This episode is a candidate for my "Best Episode of DS9 Award"
- This episode establishes that Changelings do not age. Perhaps this works by the Great Link constantly rejuvenating itself somehow? Perhaps a Changeling which never returns to the Great Link would eventually die of old age?
- This episode establishes that the Vorta lack a sense of aesthetics.
- This episode establishes that the Vorta have poor eyesight and that the Jem'Hadar have excellent vision.
- This episode establishes that the Vorta have very good ears and can hear very well.
- The enemy Dominion fleet at the end of this episode consisted of 1254 ships. Bashir claimed that a fleet that size outnumbered the Federation fleet two to one.

Remarkable Scenes
- Seeing the Defiant on the front lines. Finally.
- O'Brien singing his "engage, retreat" tune he started in DS9: A Time to Stand again. Bashir: "Well we'd better think of a new tune fast or the only song we're gonna be singing is hail the conquering Dominion."
- Dax: "We're not going to win this war by running away from the enemy."
- Sisko announcing he wants to retake DS9.
- Sisko presenting his plan to retake DS9 to the admirals.
- Weyoun examining one of Ziyal's paintings.
- Weyoun: "Gods don't make mistakes."
- Weyoun's response to Kira asking him to release Rom: "You can't release a man and then execute him. It makes no sense."
- Martok, regarding his plans to bring Worf with him when he talks to Gowron: "What could be better? An ally and an enemy both telling him the same thing. He'll have no other choice but to agree!"
- Weyoun: "You're not sure? Two large enemy fleets break off from the front lines and rendezvous at a Starbase and you're not sure why?"
- Kira beating up Damar. Ziyal: "Did you kill him?" Kira: "No, but I thought about it."
- Sisko's lofty description of Bajor to Admiral Ross.
- Nog promoted to ensign! Cool.
- Weyoun: "Weak eyes, good ears."
- The sight of the massive Federation fleet and the sight of the massive twice as large Dominion fleet of 1254 ships.
- Sisko: "There's an old saying. Fortune favors the bold. Well, I guess we're about to find out."
- Morn Appearances; 1. Supposedly just finished bemoaning to Quark about having to attend his mother's birthday party. 2. At Quark's, wrapping a present. His present is used as the method to get a message off the station.

My Review
Another spectacular performance by Salome Jens as the female shapeshifter, manipulating Odo, as well as Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun, manipulating the Cardassians. Even Dukat and Damar get great roles in this episode. We get to see how dedicated Damar is to his job and how maniacal Dukat can be. We get to actually see the Defiant on the front lines for the first time since DS9: A Call to Arms, we get numerous tidbits of cool information and factoids regarding the Dominion, and the episode slowly but surely builds to the best cliffhanger since TNG: The Best of Both Worlds, DS9: A Call to Arms, and Voy: Scorpion.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From AW on 2015-12-29 at 2:07am:
    Props to Morn for plot relevance.

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