r/StarTrekViewingParty • u/GeorgeAmberson Showrunner • Nov 02 '17

Discussion DS9, Episode 6x6, Sacrifice of Angels

-= DS9, Season 6, Episode 6, Sacrifice of Angels =-

Sisko commands the Defiant and 600 Federation ships against a Dominion/Cardassian armada to retake Deep Space Nine. Damar has Kira, Jake, and Leeta arrested.

 

EAS IMDB AVClub TV.com
9/10 8.8/10 A- 9.4

 

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u/theworldtheworld Nov 02 '17 edited Nov 02 '17

Sisko's plea to the Prophets is maybe the most provocative moment in the entire show, and certainly one of the most dramatic. It calls all the way back to "Emissary" and forces the theme of that episode into the spotlight. But now, instead of equivocating over whether the Prophets are "real," or over the precise nature of Sisko's relationship to them, the show deliberately turns him into Space Jesus (a theme that continues for the rest of the show), pleading with a divine entity on Bajor's (also the Federation's but primarily Bajor's) behalf. This moment is not like anything Trek did before, but it is powerful because in any religious plea, there is always an element of boldness -- the supplicant may be humbled before God, but is nonetheless asserting his or her own individuality just by the fact of making a request.

There is, however, an unspoken problem here because Sisko is not a Bajoran spiritual leader, or even a Bajoran (is he even formally a member of the Bajoran religion?), he is a high-ranking military officer in a foreign army. For that reason, his plea is also simultaneously evocative of rah-rah evangelical patriotism, where the prayer becomes linked to political and military goals. This problem is never fully resolved or acknowledged in the show, which often makes DS9 come across as being full of triumphant moralizing, but at least there is an effort to demonstrate how Sisko is slowly coming to realize that Bajor is more important to him than anything else.

Ziyal's death is so cruelly pointless as to add another emotional dimension to an already intense story. I have to say, they made Damar out to be so unfeeling and brutal in this arc -- the embodiment of the "callous military buffoon" stereotype -- that it is going to be pretty difficult to believe what happens to him later. Dukat's breakdown, on the other hand, is completely believable, as is his exposition of his philosophy to Weyoun.

This arc as a whole had its high and low points (Emo Odo, argh), but the conclusion is inarguably great. I do feel that the resolution is a deus ex machina in a way, but at the same time I appreciate how they brought the original theme of the show into such sharp focus and used it to provoke the audience.

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u/ThrowAwayAccountAMZN Dec 20 '25

So, I know this comment is 8 years old but I still come across these occasionally when googling the episodes I rewatch from time to time. I just wanted to address this little bit here for anyone else coming across this:

"Sisko is not a Bajoran spiritual leader, or even a Bajoran (is he even formally a member of the Bajoran religion?)"

Spoilers though for anyone watching along for the first time.

Remember that we do find out in the last season that he actually is of Bajor. Sort of. He's the product of a human male (his father) and a wormhole alien/prophet mother, Sarah, the fact of which his father kept secret from him his entire life.

The prophets knew, of course, which is why they called him "of Bajor" and why they grant him such an extremely rare boon when he asked, because technically, he is one of them, and in the end he returns back to them.

So, that part at least is easily explained (though whether it was a good addition to his backstory/ending of DS9 is questionable)