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walkingstackofbooks · 10 months

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DS9 3x20 Improbable Cause and 3x21 The Die Is Cast thoughts (I'm re-watching, so beware spoilers for future episodes!)

(25/05/2023)

Garak!

Shakespeare! The first mention of this Garashir-fic staple XD

Garak is so obviously flirting XD this is the exact same way Gilora was talking to Miles!

G: "I'd be more than happy to bring some by the Infirmary later this afternoon." B: "Why thank you, I'd like that." His smile!

Kira's "Garak. :/". She's just so annoyed by his existence and it shows XD

Oh, this is where he fakes his assassination attempt!

"But who would want to kill me? A simple tailor?" Always with the tailor identity.

G: "And of course, there's always Major Kira." B: "This is serious, Garak." G: "I'm being serious. I don't think she likes me." O: "She doesn't. But if she wanted you dead, you would be." Everything about this is 👌👌

Julian is so fed up with Garak's lies, isn't he

And the moral of the boy who cried wolf is... "You should never tell the same lie twice." Of course, Garak. Sigh

"I have bad news for you. Major Kira has an airtight alibi." Garak's tight amusement at this

"What makes you think I haven't already looked thtough [your security files]?... I'm joking, of course." Needing to mollify Odo.

"Odo I -" Miles is so stunned to see Garak there XD

"They're known to be favoured by Flaxian assassins, and it just so happens a Flaxian came aboard the station just this morning." Oh, Garak is gooood

This guy, the Flaxian, is not acting innocent, he's being super slippery and suspicious - but if Garak blew up his own shop, it can't have been him? Unless he was hired by Garak, I guess...

Odo's surprise to see Garak in the shuttle XD

Okay so Garak is genuinely stunned by the other ship exploding? I'm so confused!

"Because if he did know, he'd already be spinning out an elaborate web of lies to cover up the truth." Odo knows Garak's MO too well.

"Considering those uniforms of theirs, you'd think they'd appreciate a decent tailor." XD Odo has an opinion on this?

The unusual Romulans activity, as though they're getting ready for an invasion - this is them getting ready for the Dominion attack with Train?

Another five Cardassians were assassinated? But I'm almost certain Garak faked his!

"I am not Doctor Bashir and we are not sparring amiably over lunch." Love this outside perspective on Garak and Bashir's lunch dates.

"You blew up your own shop, Garak!" The shock on Garak's face! And Odo's pleased, "Welllll, heh heh."

Ohhh, so there was a real plot to kill Garak

"He retired some years ago. He was, I might add, the only head of the agency ever to live long enough to do so." The fact that Garak is still showing pride at Tain's accomplishment

The emotion on Garak's face seeing Mila :3

"Is there anything you need me to do while you're gone?" Oh, sweetheart!

"Eat it? You're joking." "Yes I am." Julian's fond smile coming out there <3

CHOCOLATES

THEY'RE IN LOVE

"Is it so hard to believe that there's one person in this galaxy who could regard me with a certain affection?" "I could believe there's one (BASHIR cough cough) but I wouldn't expect it to be someone who worked for Enabran Tain."

"Tell me, is there one person in this universe you do care for? One person who's more than just an interesting puzzle to be solved." Interesting that it would just be the one. Why do they care so much about Odo only caring about Kira, because that's what's being implied, isn't it?

Aaaand I've only just realised that this isn't just setting up for The Die Is Cast, TDIC is the next episode! I'd thought it was the end of the season for some reason ..

"Ah, Garak. It's good of you to come. It spares me the trouble of having to send someone else to kill you." ... Whoops

"Like I used to say. Always burn your bridges behind you. You never know who might be trying to follow." I always find it fascinating when aliens have a twist on an English proverb.

"You blew up your own shop? You, my friend, are a true original."

"I never betrayed you! At least, not in my heart." The emotion!

"You'll pardon me if I appear a little startled." This episode has sure been a tough ride for Garak's emotional control...!

321 The Die Is Cast

Julian's babbling on over lunch :3

Miles trying to pretend he was listening and failing miserably XD

His soft smiles leading into a sad face at remembering Garak

"That's not entirely bad news." *hopeful eye contact*

The slow realisation it's not just one ship out there...

Garak's so happy!

"I was good wasn't I?" Garak still needing that validation

"I've missed you too, Enabran." Very deliberate pause there

"Next thing you know we'll be crying over our lost youth." Oh that was very pointed, and you can see Garak knows it.

Dr Parmak mention - "When we get back, you should look him up." This is where all those fanfics start?

"Mila may not be around much longer." Garak's quick head turn. He's so easy to read?

"Is this a request I hear?" "Not at all! Just an observation :)" oh Garak. I guess protecting Mila is another reason you want to stay on Tain's good side.

G: "And believe me, if it were my decision, things would be-" O: "I don't believe you, Garak..." Yeah, legit

"You are imaginative, Constable, I'll grant you that. But I would suggest that you put those creative powers to better use. We would like you to share your unique insights on the Founders." Garak's trying to tell Odo to make it up, tell him anything.

"It sounds like you're hoping Tain will succeed." I mean, I can see why - the Dominion bring home would be beneficial, probably.

Eddington >:(

"I'd like permission to take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant and try to determine if he's still alive." No of course not. But you tried, Sisko <3

"I am not going to just abandon one of my officers." YES, Sisko, I should have known you'd not take no for an answer

"I consider this a volunteer mission, but don't volunteer yet. There's a good chance you won't be coming back." But it's still worth it to him to try to get Odo :3

Eddington is Not Enjoying This. I guess he wants to fly under Starfleet's radar and not get court martialled? I wonder why he volunteered... It would make more sense to me for him to remain on the station and get more entrenched there

Ah, so that's why Eddington came, to sabotage the mission. He IS sucking up to Starfleet

"You've turned us into sitting ducks for the Jem'Hadar!" Miles trying to attack and Sisko restraining him.

"Because I give you my word." "I make it a policy to never question the word of anyone who wears that uniform. Don't make me change that policy." Oh Sisko.... This hit harder knowing what Eddington will do

"Ohh, no, you're going to torture me, aren't you?" The sarcasm, Odo's so confident Garak can't do anything to him

"Tell me, what will happen if you can't revert to a liquid?" "I don't know." The fear in Odo's face.

"I can wait. The question is, can you?" Chills

"Major, leave the chief alone." XD

"Odo! Talk to me!" The emotionn. "Lie if you have to, but say it now!" He's saying the quiet bit out loud?!

Garak is so transparent! He cannot hide his need to keep Odo alive!

There's definitely something about Garak quoting the Shakespeare he disdained just a few days ago to Tain.

"Why are you doing this?" "Because no changeling has ever harmed another." You kind of let Odo be significantly hurt though... Like, that is a thing that just happened.

"To the Bridge, to get Tain." Odo's bewilderment, yeah we're all with you there!

"Odo, I hope you will accept my sincere apologies for all this." Always with the quest for forgiveness.

Odo's breathless, astonished "What?" as the Defiant appears!

What a pilot! Jadzia dodging all those phases like they're nothing!

"It's good to see you again, Constable." "Likewise, Major." They are both looking at each other with heart eyes I swear.

This is very similarly shot to Odo's conversation with his Cardassian informant last episode, I like that choice.

"Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor." Oh, Garak.

#DS9 Improbable Cause #DS9 The Die Is Cast #DS9 3x20 #DS9 3x21 #andi watches ds9 #it's been a while!#these have just been piling up every time i've watched an episode bc life's just BEEN #but hopefully imma get on top of these soon!#WSB

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wellntruly · 7 years

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Hello, amazing person! Who is your favorite DS9 character? I know it's hard to pick just one but, maybe, three top characters? And maybe tell us what your three favorite episodes per season are? Only if you want to and have time, I just love hearing your opinions. :)

Hello anon!!! You sent this to me when I was in the beginning of Season 7 and I saved it until here at the end so I could give you THE DEFINITIVE ANSWERS.

DS9: TARRA’S GOSH DARN FAVES

**Note on picking method, although I’ll try to explain more if anyone wants, as coming up with a rationale for my emotional choices is one of my favorite INFJ pastimes

Character: Julian “Biscuit” Bashir, let’s face the facts and they are these. Actually it would be harder to pick ONLY TWO MORE of my darlings than to just leave it at that, so I will. This is the only cheat I’m gonna give myself though!

…except for how I’ve just decided that instead of 3 favorite eps per season I get 21 total. Because a few seasons are fave-heavy so we’re just gonna redistribute, shhh, don’t worry about it.

SEASON 11x04 ‘Babel’ - Chief O’Brien trips a booby trap left on the station and all hell & nonsense breaks loose, in the first instance of the DS9 plot conceit that dreams are made of. Specifically mine.

1x16 ‘The Forsaken’ - Just a lot of great character work here, across the whole crew. This is where I was starting to feel like I was really getting to know these people, and I really liked them.

SEASON 22x22 ‘The Wire’ - One of my favorite episode of television I have ever seen. Like of all of them, of all the television. It’s astonishing, just on an objective level, even before you get to my personal soft spots for storytelling and spies serving tea and narratives that don’t tell me the answers, GOD, never tell me.

2x23 ‘Crossover’ - In which we learn that I unironically love Mirror ‘Verse episodes like some sort of astral raccoon rolling around in this dumb glittery space garbage. (Anyway, in an unexpected “haha help me” discovery, my notes reveal that Julian was already one-sidedly referring to O’Brien as his best friend at this point.)

SEASON 33x07 ‘Civil Defense’ - Conceivably the best DS9 recap I’ve written, which makes me happy as this second station booby trap episode would be in the running for the best of the series. An absolute ball of fun made even more lovable to me by how fucking impeccable the plotting of this one is. A triumph of the writers room, a showcase of an ensemble piece, an exemplar of the space genres.

3x20-21 ‘Improbably Cause’ / ‘The Die is Cast’ - Two-parters count as one, especially GARAK TWO-PARTERS. A gift to Andrew Robinson, a gift from Andrew Robinson. Andrew Robinson!

3x22 ‘Explorers’ - Ben and Jake go on a father-son road trip in the prettiest space sailing ship the world has ever seen, and Miles and Julian get drunk and talk about their feelings: this episode is worth its weight in latinum.

SEASON 44x03 ‘Hippocratic Oath’ - Lost-crashing onto a desert island in space, NCO Chief O’Brien needs to figure out how to negotiate the increasingly undeniable/unfortunate reality that Dr. Bashir is his superior officer as well as his second spouse, in a uniquely Tarra-oriented episode that I love dearly.

4x15 ‘Bar Association’ - The one where Rom unionizes and Worf tries to figure out just what Star Trek he’s on now is honestly one of my favorites of the whole lot. Initially I was going to classify it as a standalone, but then remembered I’ve tried to explain it to people only to realize each time that it actually required such strong foundations in character and culture to work as well as it did.

4x16 ‘Accession’ - Tons of fantastic religion and relationship stuff for Kira Nerys and Ben “The Emissary” Sisko, one of my most favorite pairs, and meanwhile the Julian/Miles/Keiko storyline just shoots for the STARS.

4x24 ‘Body Parts’ - Again, every element here firing on all cylinders. Quark commissioning Garak to murder him when he least expects it, Nerys being adopted into the O’Brien family, the whole station scrounging up things to help Quark build his bar back, my tears….

SEASON 55x03 ‘Looking For Par’Mach In All the Wrong Places’ - Perhaps the best way to get across just how much I love the Andy Robinson-directed station rom-com that plays like a Deep Space Harold Lloyd film, is if I tell you it bumped ‘Doctor Bashir, I Presume’ off my Season 5 set.

5x06 ‘Trials and Tribble-ations’ - A glorious thing. Ohhhh the nostalgia, the jokes, the X-Files-esque framing device, the love, the fuchsia….

5x14-15 ‘In Purgatory’s Shadow’ / ‘By Inferno’s Light’ - Garak + intrigue + the single greatest reveal that has ever happened to me. So good I can hardly stand it. THE WAY THEY USED THE COSTUME CHANGE. God. Some part of me is still yelling.

5x25 ‘In the Cards’ - Pure happiness. Baseball cards, mad scientists, Jake and Nog on a Quest of Tasks, and begins with a high style wartime dinner table tableau that is second only to the first few minutes of Legion ‘Chapter 3’ for my all-time favorite episode opening. Hell, it might even still be first. Representative note: “this was the best episode, it’s this one.”

SEASON 66x01 ‘A Time To Stand’ & 6x05 ‘Favor the Bold’ - I love my weary weird war-worn Defiant crew, I love my crackling, smoldering Kira, I love living on a starship again, I love all the resistance plotting in Quark’s bar — I love this S6 miniseries!! I’ve picking my two favorites out of the six because we’d already established that two-parters count as one. Don’t think about it too much and it makes sense.

6x07 ‘You Are Cordially Invited’ - One of the best Jadzia Dax episodes of the series, and not just because she throws a party with a fire dancer and physically fights her mother-in-law.

6x25 ‘The Sound of Her Voice’ - Such a beautiful conceit. In many ways this is an episode about loneliness, but it comes together in a way that is actually celebrating how much connections with others truly mean to us as people. Just a wonderfully Star Trek sort of episode, in its graceful melding of the heartfelt and philosophical with a high-grade ~science fiction~ plot.

SEASON 77x06 ‘Treachery, Faith, and the Great River’ - The peak Nog episode and the peak Weyoun episode. In its melding of the hilarious and the misadventure and the fucked up, it hits that rollicking heart-rocking surreal realism vibe I associate with Heller’s Catch-22, which makes sense as memory-for-trifles told me that was the inspiration for the Great River plot. Nice.

7x21 ‘When It Rains…: Part 5’ & 7x22 ‘Tacking Into the Wind: Part 6’ - I am…treating this like a two-parter within the 10-ep conclusion stretch. Just let it happen. And when you do you will get: Kira donning a Starfleet uniform, Julian medically yelling at people over Space Skype, Miles apparently just starting to sleep over in the infirmary, Winn banishing blind Dukat to beg in the streets of Bajor, and The Garak & Kira Show, feat. the Damar Development – the Cardassian Resistance being one of my verrry favorite things to come out of this season.

7x23 ‘Extreme Measures: Part 7’ - Miles/Julian, Deep Space Inception. From my notes: “like if I’d written this story myself I would think ‘well that was self-indulgent’ — that’s the level of My Thing we’re at here.”

Honorable Mentions, holy shit there’s a lot of good stuff in this list:2x02 ‘The Circle’ / 2x03 ‘The Siege’ - 3x03 ‘House of Quark’ - 3x16 ‘Prophet Motive’ - 4x01 ‘The Way of the Warriors: Part 1 & 2’ - 4x05 ‘Rejoined’ - 4x09 ‘Our Man Bashir’ - 5x05 ‘The Assignment’ - 5x12 ‘The Begotten’ - 5x16 ‘Doctor Bashir, I Presume’ - 6x14 ‘One Little Ship’ - 6x18 ‘Inquisition’ - 7x03 ‘After Image’ - 7x04 ‘Take Me Out to the Holosuite’ - 7x05 ‘The Siege of AR-558’ - 7x15 ‘Badda-Bing Badda-Bang’

And you didn’t ask these but I’ll tell ya

Favorite Whole Season: SEASON 4, omg Season 4, are u kidding me S4

Favorite Writer: Ron Moore, followed by my guy Robert Hewitt Wolfe

Favorite Director: Michael Dorn definitely. All three episodes he directed appear in this post – a perfect batting average.

[Masterpost of Tarra Treks Through DS9 because crosslinking all of this seemed ridiculous]

#replies #anon #Tarra Treks #Star Trek DS9 #Star Trek #Deep Space Mine

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