Star Trek Retro Review: 'Civil Defense' (DS9) | Bottle Episodes

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#startrek #review #startrekdeepspacenine #startrekds9

[MrEarthling]

I cannot imagine the temptation that cashiers who make customer announcements must resist not to say “Attention Bajoran Workers”.

[MalzraAirwynn]

Dukat's old boss' recording showing up to chew him out for abandoning his post is one of my favorite moments in all of Star Trek. It's just perfect in every way. It deprives the characters of any easy (if politically costly) way out of the situation. It adds a bit of characterization by telling us what Dukat's old superior thought of him, and adding yet another layer to Cardassian paranoia and in fighting. And most of all it's hilarious. Both in bringing Dukat down a peg after his prior smugness, and as the icing on the cake of all of Dukat's own messages throughout the episode, a capstone to that running gag throughout the episode. Chefs kiss to the writers of this episode.

[bentoth]

The episode is so memorable that "Attention Bajoran Workers" became a meme format years later.

[marcplourde]

"Sometimes success is the result of being smart enough to choose the failure you can survive over the one you can't."

Seriously wise words here, and a great example of how a lot of DS9 problems got solved.

[mikeymegamega]

"sometimes success is choosing the failure you can survive over the one you can't" you sir have a way with words!

[MrFearDubh]

Attention Bajoran workers, as former Gul of this space station I enjoy complete and total immunity from any and all prosecutions for the rest of my life. All Guls must have full immunity because if they didn't they couldn't make any decision fearing prosecution once they are out of office. Therefore it is imperative that I and all former Guls enjoy a lifelong immunity from prosecution. End transmission.

[Dave]

I think this should count as an honorary "O'Brien must suffer" episode. Honorary because the suffering happens off-screen after the episode. I can't imagine all the stuff he had to fix after they were done.

[stevenolsen]

"Choose the failure you can survive" is a line that goes hard

[BintyMcFrazzles]

Dukat is hilarious in this. He's at his most annoying, most self-righteous and smug, and a complete smart then the look on his face when he realises he's hosted himself by his own petard is absolute gold.
Dukat is my absolute favourite villain. Marc Alaimo plays him perfectly.

[freyahah]

Fun fact: Nana Visitor was in two episodes of MacGyver. That was a weird day of re-runs, waiting for DS9 re-runs to start and seeing Major Kira in MacGyver.

[autarchprinceps]

What I love about this concept the most, is the picture of thousands or more of Cardassian officers across their domain spending days recording all matter of crazy potential responses to events, while shitting on pretty much anybody in creative ways, and probably being spied on at the same time by at the very least the Obsidian Order, if not other rivals, on what they have to say about others.
Imagine Dukat walking in on his boss talking all that shit about him of things he didn't even do then yet without him knowing the context.

[karabenomar]

Both Dukat's swaggering in front of the replicated phaser and his failure to beam out are hilarious, and yet the comedy never breaks the tension. It's a gallows humor thing: "Haha, you're going down with us...but we're still f*cked". Civil Defense is one of the episodes I look forward to when rewatching DS9 every time.

[chazblank]

9:07 makes sense, Cardassians never give trials to to the innocent… Odo was their pawn, a tool of the occupation… but they knew he was inherently slippery (just physically) and a genuine believer in the letter of the law and could be a problem for them if he got out of their hands. And a station wide revolt sounds like exactly that situation, because he’s respected by the Bajorans

[elim_inator]

I love it when a piece of media manages to be funny and tense at the same time, and this episode is a perfect example.
It's also a perfect example of constantly making the protagonists' circumstances worse to a point that almost feels ridiculous without it breaking the tension, either.
It's simply great television.

[tbeller]

Garak breaking the bro-code, Dukat looking horrified at being called out, but the audience seeing that this was not a one-time thing for Dukat. He'd make several more increasingly creepy attempts to hook up with Kira in the future.

[euansmith]

Marc Alaimo's neck is one of the natural wonders of the world.
Thanks for another great episode, Steve.

[Nudibranch_]

I really liked this joke:
Kira: any luck?
Garak: plenty Major, unfortunately all of it is bad

[itsOasus]

I am completely guilty of rewatching this particular episode over and over and over again. It is THAT good.

It was one giant Trolley problem LOL

[pashortt]

"Choose the failure you can survive" is a beautiful phrase. Excellent. I may have to steal that for my TTRPG campaign.

It's also a fantastic counterpoint to the usual "find a third option" route so many stories take, particularly Star Trek and how often it returns to the no-win scenario.

[patrickdodds]

"In the Cards" next week? HELL YEAH! DS9's most underrated episode bar none. A truly great hour of television.