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| Reviewer : |
Hattix |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
If you watch no other Season 2 episode, then make it this one. Taking the classic Good Guys vs Oppressive Tyrant approach, Paradise adds the Trek philosophy and results in one of the best evil-doers DS9 - Trek as a whole - has seen. Alixus isn't evil for evil's sake or a power-mad psychotic, but evil for the sake of a philosophy she's grown which eventually consumed her as religion. Evil so self-assuredly right that you can identify with the character and know why she's done what she did, no matter how wrong it was. Excellent stuff. |
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| Reviewer : |
The Geek |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
This is the episode where I felt I got a good read on Sisko's character. Thus far we have seen him as the reluctant Emissary, but beyond that he is merely reacting to whatever is going on around him. As Sisko crawled into the box, I actually said to myself, "This is something Picard would do." Well played, because I admire Picard's conviction to what he feels is right in all situations. Having said all of that, I have a YATI! Dax and Kira locate the Rio Grande, which is traveling at warp. Kira wants to beam over at warp (which we have seen done on a few occasions), but Dax comes up with this "better" idea about lassoing the Rio Grande and then using their own Runabout to drag the Rio Grande out of warp. They are successful in a typically dramatic way, but why could they not simply order the Rio Grade to disengage her warp drive? There are a several instances in just this episode alone that shows how the Runabout can carry out functions autonomously after getting orders over the comlink. Why the huge, crazy idea? Anyway, the nit is not enough to detract from the main story, so I am still comfortable with the 5-star rating. |
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| Reviewer : |
Platonian |
Rating : |
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| Review : |
This episode isn't bad, it's horrifying. It shows the level of depravity and evil to which we humans can sink in pursuit of our arrogance. This is hubris writ large. Alixus is the most evil character I have seen in all of Trek. Her rapacity is astonishing. She feels she has the “key to perfection” and is perfectly content to inflict the most grievous harm on others to further her mad goals and ambition. More horrifying, if such can be imagined, her deluded disciples on the planet and conspirators in the United Federation actually embrace what Alixus teaches. Sadly, humanity has not been “perfected” by the United Federation’s “peace and prosperity.” Might the greatest threat not be from without, but within? We humans, and all sentient beings (to keep this in the Trek universe), need to resist the temptation to “play God.” There are few people I think actually deserve assimilation by the Borg. Alixus is one. |
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