Tacking Into The Wind

**** (4 stars out of 5)

The Dominion's Founder leadership may be failing, but they'd take the whole galaxy down with them out of spite. And on that note: it's a Bad Leaders theme day!

Kira and Worf fight uphill battles with the empires that have never taken them seriously. Though they hate her completely, the Cardassians need Kira's guidance. Likewise, the Klingons need the generally despised Worf. I don't mean Generals despise him- General Martok's flower units about the boy. But the outsider's perspective is required for some radical changes.

Damar of Cardassia suffers grievously when the Dominion has his innocent wife and child shot. When he wails about the injustice of his oppressors, Kira all but chortles in his face. And so Damar must choose whether to kill his blindly racist friend Rusot or his honest foe, Kira. All phasering aside, speeches are what it's all about on Star Trek.

Take my Worf... please! As it becomes obvious to everybody that Gowron would get his whole army slaughtered if it made a good photo-op, Worf keeps silent. Ezri is even brave enough to tell Worf that the Klingon Empire is dying- and deserves to die if they won't defy their corrupt, dishonourable leaders.

When he can bear it no longer, Worf assumes governmental control in the usual manner: petitions, leaflets, and filibusters. NAH! Just kidding. With sharp, stabbing things! That pop-eyed, poisoning snake Gowron has had it coming for seven years!

"Tacking Into The Wind" proves that heavy is the head that wears the crown. Klingon heads being plenty heavy enough already, Worf fobs the actual job off on his brother-in-arms. Qap'la, Martok!  Maybe his hard-ass wife will even crack a smile when she hears she's now the First Lady. If Martok gets a darling new cape, perhaps Sirella gets new shoes?