MOVE ALONG HOME


Was there a point to all that?

"Move Along Home" is one of the most fragmented, irrelevant episodes I can
recall ever seeing on Star Trek.  The premise - such as it is - is a mishmash
of old, tired ideas.  Trapped in a maze, Sisko, Bashir, Kira and Dax must
solve a number of puzzles to escape.  This idea has been seen zillions of
times before, even in science fiction video (at least two episodes of Doctor
Who, as well as Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, used the same sort of
gauntlet).  Meanwhile, Quark is unwittingly maneuvering them into different
hazards, and eventually realizes that they are at risk of being killed.

The "punch line" of the episode is that they were never really in any danger,
only the pieces which they represented were.  After all, it was "only a game".

Yeah, right.

This episode had some of the outright dumbest scenes I can recall seeing on
Deep Space Nine, and some of it rivals the stupidity of The Next Generation's
"Qpid".  Seeing Quark grovel before the alien leader, Falow, was simply
absurd.  Besides, why the concern for their lives?  Since when does Quark
(who, among other things, hires mercenaries) care about the law-and-order
sorts?

The game itself was simply pointless.  We never learn the rules of the game,
which might at least have given the episode some structure.  How Falow managed
to shanghai Sisko and company and transport them to... wherever they were was
left entirely unexplained, as was how Odo was transported from their ship to
Quark's when he entered the room of light.  Or how he managed to get back and
forth from Quark's to the game so easily.  Was it all an illusion?  Telepathy?
Were they transported to a holodeck (or equivalent) aboard Falow's ship?  We
aren't told.  We don't know.  We don't even have a reasonable basis from which
to guess.

Why Falow's people were so concerned with games is also entirely unexplained.
The one bit of the episode which displayed some characterization - the
exchanges between Sisko and Jake - was left entirely unresolved.  And the
scenes in Quark's early on showing the cheating at the roulette wheel was the
most crass and shallow method of handling the Ferengi we've yet seen in DS9.

Overall, I can honestly say that I don't have anything good to say about "Move
Along Home".  The story was poorly conceived and badly paced, and added
nothing to the totality of DS9.  If you haven't yet seen this episode, don't
bother.

Grade: F


DS9 SEASON ONE AT A GLANCE:
Emissary: C-
Past Prologue: A
A Man Alone: B
Babel: A
Captive Pursuit: C
Q-Less: F
Dax: D+
The Passenger: A-
Move Along Home: F
---
Total Points: 19 2/3
Season Average: 2.185 (C)
(Fall of 0.273 from previous episode)