Star Trek: Deep Space Nine S4 Ep. 1 & 2-The Way of The Warrior

• Directed by James L. Conway
• Written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe
• Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
• October 2, 1995
• Syndication

Episode Cast

• Captain Benjamin Sisko-Avery Brooks
• Constable Odo-Rene Auberjonois
• Lt. Cmdr. Worf-Michael Dorn
• Lt. Cmdr. Jadzia Dax-Terry Farrell
• Garak-Andrew J. Robinson
• Chief Miles O’Brien-Colm Meaney
• Quark-Armin Shimerman
• Doctor Julian Bashir-Alexander Siddig
• Major Kira Nerys-Nana Visitor
• Kasidy Yates-Penny Johnson Jerald
• Gul Dukat-Marc Alaimo
• Chancellor Gowron-Robert O’Reilly
• General Martok-J.G. Hertzler
• Morn-Mark Allen Shepherd
• Station Computer Voice-Judi M. Durand

When the Klingons station a task force at DS9 to help defend against the Dominion Lt. Cmdr. Worf is summoned to find out their actual intentions.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the finest of the Star Trek spinoffs. I have made no secret of my feelings about that. While the series did start on the weak side it ended epically. The Way of the Warrior is perhaps one of my favorite season premieres of any Star Trek episode. I remember this as a two-hour episode that I watched with great excitement. DS9 had already got its claws in me by this point and what the commercials teased promised greatness.

Despite being 90 minutes or so (without commercials) it expertly uses elements crafted over the previous three seasons in new and unexpected ways while also integrating a new (to the series but not Trek) character. All the major players get a chance to shine without it feeling forced or events rushed. And it does not skimp on the personal off duty relationships which were central to the dynamics of the characters.

Following the events of Generations, Worf (Michael Dorn) is dealing with uncertainty about his life and his place in the galaxy. With the Enterprise gone the warrior does not know what to do. One could even draw that much of his identity was tied up in that ship, but they never really addressed that here.

Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko and Dorn as Worf played well off of each other and had a chemistry that would provide some great material later on in this series. As characters I saw the first hints that these two were a better pairing than Worf and Picard. Picard was a diplomat unlike Worf but both Worf and Sisko were soldiers with emotional burdens to bear.

This is also the first appearance of J.G. Hertzler as General Martok. Honestly not too different than a few dozen other Klingon characters but Hertzler does what all great actors do and makes him a little bit more than the material provides. An immediate highlight of the show.

I found the dynamic displayed between Garak (Andrew J. Robinson) and Odo (Rene Auberjonois) rather interesting. At this point they had some serious history with each other. This demonstrated a clear understanding or even a kinship between the pair despite what Garak had put Odo through not that long ago in a bid to get back his old life.

I felt that Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) was criminally underused in this episode. Then again, Mark Alaimo was fantastic in the part from series start to finish and made one of the most dynamic villains in all of Star Trek. I was always left wanting more. However his involvement was that of a familiar face and not a necessary element.

We were gifted with a great moment when Dukat and Garak were fighting side-by-side in a narrow hallway though. They are protecting the Cardassian leadership whom the Klingons believe has been infiltrated by the Changeling leadership of the Dominion. Since early on it has been clear they both despised each other for an assortment of reasons. It is just a great scene with tension between the pair and from the Klingon threat.

This is such a densely packed episode. Then again any episode of DS9 would be like that. There’s just so much story here. Every scene has something moving the narrative forward. There is drama and humor and action. But it is all driven by characters played by the finest spinoff cast in Star Trek.

There is some great acting in this. Then again this was DS9. There’s a brilliantly done scene where SisKo understands that despite disorders doing nothing and not warning the Cardassians of the pending Klingon invasion is not an option. Knowing that he cannot directly tell Cardassia he sets up a situation that when reported will give him some cover and still does the job.

What looks like a briefing on the situation is actually a ruse to give Garak information that he can relay back to his people. At first Garak doesn’t quite get what’s going on but quickly picks up on it. But there is also a moment of hesitation from Worf. This is an element of subterfuge that goes against the character’s direct nature as well as his sense of duty and he hesitates before continuing on.

The Way of the Warrior is perhaps a fantastic jumping on point if you’ve never watched DS9. While it doesn’t dive into the element of Sisko being the Emissary of the Bajoran religion (which is not an insignificant element for the show) it does set up 95 or more percent of everything of the show from here to the series finale. You understand all the players and get an overall view of the fictional universe.

This is yet another fantastic episode of the best Star Trek spinoff series. The Way of the Warrior has action and drama and excitement and humor and everything else that the best of Star Trek has. I think it goes without saying that I highly recommend this episode as well as the whole series.