“The Changing Face of Evil,” plays the double entendre of the replacement of the Cardassians by the Breen as the primary military force I the Dominion and the exposure of Dukat as the dark influence behind Kai Winn’s quest to reawaken the Pah’Wraiths. The Breen begin their tenure as a Dominion power in earnest by attacking Starfleet headquarters on Earth. Even the Klingons are impressed with the audacity. They never tried anything so bold.
I have to confess seeing San Francisco burning back in 1999 when the episode originally aired was had far more of an emotional impact than any other time Earth has been threatened in Trek. Thee were serious consequences this time. In the post-9/11 world, it strikes me as terribly prescient, particularly in Starfleet’s reaction.
The Federation now has a new enemy it does not know how to fight. It has to rely on Damar, who has finally grown fed up enough with the Dominion treating his people like second class citizens, to organize a rebellion against the Dominion, which like the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.
Fortunately, the United states did not lose a subsequent battle comparable to the Dominion retaking the Chimtaka system and destroying the Defiant in the process. Nevertheless, the story seemed a lot more innocent back then tha it does now under our new reality.
In terms of the series narrative, the Cardassians are about to become full circle. The Dominion will brutally stamp down on Damar’s resistance fighters thesame way they had the Bajoran resistance cells years before. Consider it the ultimate case of reaping what they have sown.
“The Changing Face of Evil” tightens the screws at just the right moment to make The Final Chapter even more compelling. It isa lot of set up of the big picture before we see the personal impact on various characters which is, in many ways, far more compelling.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
