Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 19: Duet [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow...this is "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" at its best. The plot is simple (Kira suspects that a sick man brought aboard the station is actually a notorious Cardassian war criminal), but terrific direction, great music, and fantastic acting from everyone involved make this episode totally riveting. Harris Yulin is arguably Star Trek's most impressive guest star ever, and his Dr. Hannibal Lecter-ish role is wonderful. The psychology of prejudice is examined in the simplicity of the interrogation scenes and comes to a head in an incredible ending. A nearly flawless and definitely recommended episode.

A Kobherian freighter requests docking at DS9, requesting medical aid for a passenger who suffers from Kalla-Nohra syndrome. This perks up Kira's ears, as the only people who have ever contracted the disease were present at the Gallitepp forced labor camp during a mining accident.

In Star Trek lore, every race that we see on a recurring basis is based on a culture in Earth's past or present. Klingons were modeled after Samurai warriors, for example. Bajorans are clearly Star Trek's version of the Jewish people and the Cardassians are the sci-fi version of German Nazis. This is especially evident in the DS9 series in which we see a liberated Bajor, recovering from the cruel occupation of the Cardassians. Gallitepp is their version of Auschwitz. Bajoran women were raped in front of their children, men beaten until their wives could no longer recognize them and old people who could no longer work were buried alive as the Cardassians forced the Bajorans to strip-mine the resources of their own planet for the Cardassian cause and then were eliminated when they were deemed no longer useful.

Kira goes to sickbay to visit the patient, since survivors of the camp she helped to liberate hold a special place in the heart of all Bajorans. When she arrives, she sees not a Bajoran, but a Cardassian under the doctor's care. Since he clearly suffers from Kalla-Nohra syndrome, he clearly must have been present at Gallitepp, which makes him gulity of war crimes by default.

Kira's shoulder pads go into over-drive and her hair gets more spikey - she calls for Odo and the man who claims to be Aiman Maritza tries to flee. Odo subdues him and he is put into the brig. Sisko is frustrated - there is no "proof" per se that this man committed any crimes, but Kira has already contacted the provisional government on Bajor and they want to see this guy on the business end of a rope after a speedy war-crimes tribunal.

The Cardassian, masterfully played by Harris Yulin, claims he suffers from a different syndrome that is treated the same way as Kalla-Nohra and that he was on Cardassia during the accident at Gallitepp. After the doctor runs some tests, it is evident the man is lying. He then admits that he was at Gallitepp, but only as a filing clerk - a very efficient filing clerk, but he claims to have never heard of or seen first hand any atrocities at Gallitepp.

Maritza becomes increasingly abrasive and smug, and it really rubs Kira's fur in the wrong direction and she cannot wait to see this man die for his crimes. She and Odo continue their investigation to find more dirt on him and after they find an old photo of Gallitep, they see a photo of a man who is supposedly Aiman Maritza, and he looks nothing like the man in the holding cell. Further examination of the photo reveals a man he does resemble - and it's Gul Darhe'el - aka "the Butcher of Galliteep."

After pressing him, he finally admits that he is Gul Darhe'el and continues to be a burr under Kira's emotional saddle. He smugly recounts the "termination reports" that he claims encouraged him. He says his only regret was that he was unable to eliminate all of the Bajoran scum. Kira is almost vibrating like a tuning fork - this guy doesn't act scared and in fact doesn't even care that he will die. When she accuses him of genocide, he responds, "what you, my dear, refer to as genocide, I call a day's work."

This guy is like the captain of Hitler's bowling team - he is obviously pure evil and Kira admits that her only regret is that he can only be hung once for what he did and for what he ordered others to do. Recounting to Odo part of her conversation, Odo advises her not to share personal information with a man like Darhe'el and she says she hasn't - and Odo wonders how Darhe'el would know that Kira was in the Shakaar underground without her volunteering the information to him. "Something's wrong here," Odo retorts, and he gets back to his investigation.

Odo plays verbal chess with Gul Dukat concerning Cardassian files on Gul Darhe'el until he is able to get permission to view the files. He learns that Gul Darhe'el was buried in a big ceremony and currently his coffin is under a big statue in their capital city. Gul Dukat says he attended the funeral himself and that his body and for that matter, his face, was clearly visible to the entire planet as Cardassians watched the funeral via their version of television.

Why on earth - or rather, why on DS9, would someone claim to be the Butcher of Gallitepp? Why would someone with so many enemies on Bajor make a bee-line straight to DS9 to receive medical treatment when he could have received it anywhere else? Why would someone facing a death sentence do so gladly, keeping up the facade that they are someone they clearly are not?

The truth twists Kira's heart in a 180 - from harnessed hatred to tremendous admiration and a change in how she has previously felt about all Cardassians in the past. This is not a preachy story and doesn't try to send a "let's just hold hands and sing Kumbaya" message to victims of war crimes - quite the opposite, it talks plainly about the horrors of such heinous acts and the healing a nation can feel when a purpetrator is brought to justice - even when they denied justice to their victims. There were a few holes in the story here and there, but easy to dismiss considering the masterpiece this episode is as a whole. Excellent.

It is rare that in a show's first year that it has an episode with such power and substance. "Duet" is just one of those teleplays that scores on all levels: fine acting, intelligent dialogue, and film-level direction. If this world were fair, both series regular Nana Visitor and guest performer Harris Yulan would have been dusting off their respective mantles for an Emmy award the initial year of this show's airing. The thespians, acting as the title indicates, in basically what is a two-person drama, complement and compliment each other in sincerity and execution of their craft. The twists and turns of the script keep the viewer mesmerized until the most tragic of all endings. I love Trek for the SFX, but the shows which deal with humanity at its best and worst are the ones that truly stand out! Series television has never been better than this installment.

This one was definitely a highlight of Deep Space Nine's first season. Playing with the old wounds of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, the writers created an intricately constructed story that parallels some real-world events, but adds enough of its own material to retain a unique flavor.

The plot of this episode takes a number of tricky twists, so I won't go into a summary of them here. It's enough to say that a possible Cardassian war criminal appears on the station, and Kira must determine who he is, and what crimes he committed in the past. The plot, as it unravels, is diabolical, and had me completely fooled and eager to get to the next revelation.

This is an episode hinging on strong performances and steady direction. Harris Yulin as the Cardassian is particularly notable. Two scenes in particular stand out, and I'll try to describe them without giving away any plot points. In the first scene, we see Yulin's character from Major Kira's point of view, and what she sees is genuinely frightening and unsettling. In the second scene, the scripted lines are very similar, but Yulin alters his performance, and the direction is just different enough to throw a completely different spin on what is unfolding on the screen. We see the action through Kira's eyes, and the difference is startling. Kudos to everyone involved for managing to completely change the tone using only the most subtle of means.

This episode proves that Deep Space Nine can do a terrific episode without leaving its main sets. In fact, the narrative rarely moves away from three rooms, and this gives the episode an intense and effective claustrophobic feel. The strong script, excellent performances, and confident direction combine to make this episode one of the best Star Treks that I've seen. This one is definitely recommended, especially to those people who know that science fiction (and indeed good drama) is far more than mere visuals and special effects.

This is an classic story, and a fascinating and ultimately moving hour of TV. Major Kira, her wounds still fresh (and deep) from her planet's previous occupation by the Cardassians, goes through a major transformation after dealing with an alleged Cardassian war criminal who is apprehended on the space station.

A lot of DS9 episodes may take a little familiarity with the backstory to appreciate, but this episode stands firmly on its own 2 feet. You get all the exposition you need, and the payoff at the end is powerful. Plus, Harris Yulin's performance as the Cardasian suspect is nothing short of awesome. Great sci-fi, but more importantly, great drama.

Every year of Deep Space Nine produced at least one episode that I consider to be among the best Star Trek episodes ever. Season 1's Duet is the first of these. A story of guilt, justice, sacrifice and interracial hatred, it manages to generate enormous emotion with relatively little action. Provided with intense dialogue, Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin complement each other spectacularly, providing a mesmerising insight into the Bajoran/Cardassian situation. Episodes like these remind me why I loved this series.

One of Deep Space Nine's more intriguing elements is the relationship between the Cardassians and Bajorans. As you probably already know, the Cardassians enslaved, abused and were generally quite rude to the Bajorans for over fifty years. Now Bajor has it's freedom but the two species remain hostile toward one another. So when a Cardassian, claiming to be an infamous war criminal, arrives on DS9 with the sole purpose to be executed for his crimes, DS9's Bajoran first officer, Major Kira Nerys, must decide if this is indeed the hated general who committed hundreds of attrocities against the Bajorans or if something else is at stake.

The interplay between Kira and the supposed Cardassian criminal is both intricate and fascinating as both dance the dance that comes with interrogation. Kira tries to find out why this man wants to be executed and the "criminal" attempts to prove that he is, indeed, this evil Cardassian that plagued Bajor. I won't reveal the ending for those of you that haven't seen this superb episode but I will say this: Things aren't what they seem and the ending is both surprising and tragic.

"Duet" is the best episode of DS9's first season and, overall, one of the best episodes of any Trek series. And Major Kira, a character I'm not fond of, is at her best here, this is THE Kira episode to own.

As an avid S Trek fan, I have to say this is one of the best. Harris Yulin and Nana Visitor should have gotten awards for this episode. And the writing was excellent. This was like Shakespeare on TV. You just don't see this kind of thing.

I get COLD CHILLS at the end of this episode.I'm a
Star Trek fan with some HARSH criticism about DS9 but THIS
is one of their Top 10 BEST shows.It's about an alien who tries
to take credit for his old masters murder of Bajoran laborors
to expose his people's attrocoties.He's played by Harry Yulin
who's blood curdling performance and Nane Visitor's emmotionally
charged delivery make "Duet" DS9's highlite.And it's a "bubble
show"-no action takes place outside the space station.But

existing in tandem with real-like documentary films such as
"Schilnders List" this show's theme transendes all science
fiction and is CLASSIC storytelling.I recommend this to all
Trek fans who dissmissed DS9 early on-it more then makes up for
some of the drek later accociated with Star Trek's big black
sheep.

Simply put, this is the best Star Trek episode that I have ever seen, and I have seen the majority of them. Flawless, brilliant, and cutting, this is the best of DS9, and the best of Trek. Those five stars are not enough for this episode.