Mini Review #119: Star Trek DS9 4x1 "The Way of the Warrior: Parts 1 and 2" (Patreon)

Well it is here! DS9 Season 4 has arrived on the channel! I can't believe that I am already here but boy am I glad to be here. This season opener was the best season opener since The Emissary all the way back in season 1. It may very well be the best opener so far because so much insane-ness happened this episode I don't know where to start. Sisko has a bald head now so that was unexpected and brilliant. It took me about 20 minutes to warm up to his baldness but once I saw him bald in that red captains uniform I was sold. He looks so tough and commanding now. I am also glad that Yates is into bald people as I love her relationship with Sisko. And that KISS... such passion! The opening theme song is also different. It is not as slow and feels a little more dance-ish however, it also felt a little more unnerving right at the start which really set the tone for the episode because man was this episode edge of your seat stuff. The episode starts with like 1 million Klingon Warbirds docking at DS9 but the Klingons are acting strange and quiet. At first, I thought they were all Founders preparing to fight DS9 but I was so mistaken. I actually loved that the episode had no Dominion in it at all but it was just the thought of the Dominion lurking on everyone's minds that pushed the Klingon Empire into trying to conquer Cardassia. It made so much sense that an event like this would happen as Cardassia is weak through their new government rebuild but it also cemented just how scared the quadrant is of the Dominion. WORF shows up which was EPIC and I was so excited to see him! He had some great moments picking self over side in this episode and I am really excited to see how he interacts with the DS9 crew going forward.

Ok, I'll take about it. THE SPACE BATTLES WERE INSANE! Watching the Defiant blow up ships as usual with its machine gun fire phasers while saving a Cardassian ship was really cool to watch but the main event was the DS9 station itself. Seeing all 5000 of those torpedos launch at the hundreds of Warbirds was crazy epic. The music was going so ham and the model work for the explosions was unreal. The battle had so much energy to it but also so much at stake which made everything incredibly tense and stressful. Finally, I am really interested to see where this all leads. With the Klingon/Federation Peace Treaty destroyed and the Klingons refusing to leave the conquered Cardassian planets, things are looking really strained in the Alpha Quadrant at the moment. It feels like this is exactly what the Dominion wanted and I know this isn't the last conflict between Klingons and Federation fleets. It can't be there is just too much tension between them at the moment. I am so excited for what this season brings and this opening episode was incredible!!!!