Overall: 6.7
I don't know. I feel kind of ambivalent about this one.
Plot Synopsis:
Memory Alpha has a summary here.
The Skinny:
On the one hand, I do think Watters' judgment was severely impaired by a combination of drugs, pride, and just plain being an adolescent. And it was definitely foolish for the Valiant to attempt to destroy the Dominion battleship, as its crew was profoundly inexperienced and was therefore likely to make critical mistakes when it came to assessing said battleship's strengths and weaknesses.
On the other hand, this episode seems to be down on things like unit cohesion and risk taking in general, and that bothers me a little bit. A potentially suicidal maneuver is not always a bad idea. I don't even think Sisko believes this, regardless of what his son might say about the matter. Yes -- the circumstances in which "psychotic bad-assery" is appropriate are rather limited, but occasionally, you do need someone to go in there and die for the sake of everyone else. Do you know how many people were killed or seriously wounded on the beaches of Normandy, for example? That number is in the thousands. But did the prospect of mass casualties prevent the Allied forces from launching their D-Day assault? Obviously not. A military that puts self-preservation first at all times is a bad military. As Mike Rowe once put it, sometimes your duty requires you to put safety third.
Writing: 6.0
This script is not completely horrible, but it's rather lacking in nuance. Only the extreme viewpoints are represented -- and Jake comes off looking a little too selfish for my taste.
Acting: 8.0
The acting is pretty good, though. I especially liked Ashley Brianne McDonogh; not only is she cute, but she has some chops.
Message: 6.0
Again, I'm on the fence here. See the discussion above.
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