Star Trek DS9: Onto Season Two / by Mark

Let's move onto the season season of the series:

  • We start with a three-parter--let the plot padding begin!. In "The Homecoming", Quark gets an artifact from a freighter captain, and Kira freaks out when she sees it. It's from a resistance fighter, and now she wants to rescue him from a Cardassian labor camp. While Sisko decides whether he will let her go, O'Brien finds graffiti on the station from political extremists "The Circle"--it looks like the mission to stabilize Bajor is falling apart, and this fighter might be the one to unify them. Sisko sends O'Brien along with her on the mission. They manage to break in and grab their leader Li Nalas (Richard Beymer) as well as a few other prisoners. Bajoran minister Jaro (Frank Langella) arrives, and he grandstands in front of a crowd about Nalas' escape. He's a hero to the Bajoran people, and Sisko asks for his help--but he's hesitant. It turns out Nalas' heroic story is more legend than fact--he was just in the right place at the right time. However, based on the legend, the Bajorans make him the new DS9 liaison--putting Kira out of a job.  Onto...
  • ..."The Circle". Jaro tells Sisko that Kira's reassignment is a "promotion", but he doesn't buy it. The rest of the cast drops by Kira's quarters to check on her (it's like the Marx Bros stateroom scene), then Vedek Bereil arrives and offers her time at his monastery. Tearfully, Kira leaves the station--Sisko promises he will get her back. Down at the monastery, Bereil shows Kira one of the celestial orbs, and we get a dream sequence--a SEXY sequence--with her and Bereil. Meanwhile, The Circle is causing havoc on Bajor, and Quark tells Odo they need to leave--the Circle is ready to stage a coup due to weapons from another race. Odo responds by making Quark his deputy.  Sisko calls out a Bajoran military leader--they seem to be retreating from The Circle. He also wants Kira back. Nalas holds up a ship from the alien race while Odo sneaks on as a mouse to find out what's happening. Kira gets nabbed by The Circle, only to find out that Jaro is leading them. He wants to know what the Feds will do once the coup occurs. Fortunately, Quark aka "Deus Ex Machina" found out where they are hiding, so Sisko, Bashir, Nalas, and some red (well, brown) shirts beam down and back up with her. Odo returns--the Cardassians are arming The Circle. Vedeks Jaro and Wynn do some scheming, The Bajorans are about to kick the Feds off the station, and Starfleet plays the Prime Directive card--they are to leave. Sisko's not giving up without a fight, so onto...
  • ..."The Siege". Sisko uses Starfleet officers on the station we've never seen or heard of before and their associations with Bajorans as examples to get the others to volunteer. Of course, it works, and they all stay. Most of the non-Starfleet residents and the families are sent away. Quark tries to sell seats on the transports, and ends up with no seat for himself. Kira and Dax go to a Bajoran moon to get a ship that will be allowed back on Bajor. The Bajoran military board the station, only to find it empty--Starfleet is hiding in the ducts (why are ducts always made big enough for people)? There's various skirmishes on the ship while they battle for control. Meanwhile, Kira and Dax dogfight over Bajor, then crash. Bereil's monks save them, and they go to the government to plead their case. Vedek Wynn changes sides once she hears the evidence. Just in time, the Bajoran military gets the word, and Starfleet is back in charge of DS9. Of course, Nalas is killed by one of the military, so Kira gets her job back.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.