Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 113: By Inferno's Light [VHS]

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This was a superb story in the series, full of drama and intrigue. Cardassia has joined the Dominion (shocking!), and it appears an invasion of Deep Space Nine is imminent. The Federation works for a united front with the Klingons. Even the Romulans show up unexpectedly, ready to get involved in the Alpha Quadrant's battle of Armageddon.

"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Episode 113, "By Inferno's Light" (Written by Ira Steven Behr & Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Aired February 17, 1997) continues where the previous episode, "In Purgatory's Shadow" left off. DS9 is preparing for the Dominion attack as the Jem'Haddar fleet pours through the wormhole while Worf, Garak, General Martok, and the real Julian Bashir are being held in a Dominion internment camp deep in the Gamma Quadrant. However, the Jem'Haddar do not attack the station, turning instead towards Cardassia. It seems Gul Dukat has been in negotiations with the Dominion and has formed an alliance that will make him the leader of the Cardassian Empire. Meanwhile, in the internment camp, the captives have a plan to escape that required the claustrophobic Garak to crawl into a tiny space behind the way to reconfigure a transmitter.

In terms of understatement, the Dominion-Cardassian alliance changes everything. While the Jem'Hadar are taking turns fighting Worf to prepare them for war against the Klingons, Sisko informs Klingon Chancellor Gowron that reinstating the treaty with the Federation would be a good thing to do before the Dominion and Cardassian fleets attack the Klingon home world. Then there ae the questions of what the Changeling who has taken Dr. Bashir's place is up to and whose fleet has just shown up at DS9 to join in the fun. "By Inferno's Light" becomes a pivotal episode in the history of "Deep Space Nine" since it opens up a new chapter in the series, which finally arrives at the intergalactic war towards which it had been heading. Just as the first part of this two-part episode set up a lot of elements, the conclusion provides a lot of surprises as the new situation is established.

I know that the original "Star Trek" series was read allegorically, so that the Klingons were the Soviets and the Romulans were the Chinese, but while you can draw some parallels between what is happening with what is happening on "DS9" and World War II (the Cardassians are Nazi Germany and the Dominion is Stalin's Soviet Union), I think that is reading too much into it this time around. You can just think of this as a "Star Trek" version of a universal war and not try to draw historical parallels, because this war is going to continue until the end of the series, in the final episode of the 7th season.

This has got to be my favorite Star Trek episode PERIOD. Regardless of WHICH series it is!! From the original series all the way to"Enterprise"this episode is my hands-down favorite!!! The epic words that STUCK in my mind all these years was when the Jem Hadar warrior(who was beating the crap out of Worf)stated to his Vorta supervisor:"I yield,I cannot DEFEAT this Klingon..ALL I can do is kill him,and that,no longer holds my interest!" That was CLASSIC!!Other "powerful lines include,when the Vorta(being "fed-up"with Worfs'indomitable spirit,and his Jem Hadars'reluctance to kill Worf)so non-chalantly ordered his "loyal" Jem Hadar soldiers:"Shoot them BOTH." I LOVE this segment!! The entire "battle-arena"sequence was FLAWLESSLY executed!! Especially when Martok told Worf to relent,saying:"Honor has been satisfied!!" then Worf DEFIANTLY declaring:"It is NOT over!! The Vortas'impatience,with his(hesitant)Jem Hadar was great:What are you waiting for,FINISH THIS!! The look of absolute SHOCK on the Bashir-changelings' face,when he found himself looking down the"business-end"of the Defiant was GREAT!! The"phantom"Dominion-fleet ruse was INGENIUS!!Also,the treacherous/opportunistic Breen prisoner eliminating its'captor was a nice touch.."Never turn your back,on a Breen"INDEED!! "By Infernos'Light"is science-fiction at its'very BEST!!