Death of Ziyal

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

I'm wonderin', y'all...the death of Ziyal--necessary to the plot or unnecessary contractual/financial drama?

 

I just can't see what purpose it serves. Sure, Garak gets to go back to freely flirting with that two-timing Julian Bashir, but after Ziyal dies, her dad pretty much just gets over it (big surprise there, considering), the guy who kills her goes on to glorious redemption, and the only person who not only mentions her after she dies but seems genuinely torn up about it is Colonel Make-Me-Yak Kira (kudos to Kira on that, by the way). So basically I'm just askin'...WTF?!!?!

 

*Sniff* I really liked Ziyal.

[GhostofMajorHayes 10]

It was a necessary loss in order to further the storyline on DS9. The actresses(3) that portrayed Ziyal were very effective in portraying a young lady that loved her father in spite of his malicious actions. After a while, her character could only provide very little in helping to define future scenarios on DS9. When she was killed for betraying her father(which she did), during the ep "Sacrifice of Angels", she contributed greatly to the overall plot that would encompass DS9 during its final 2 seasons. Her death at the hands of Damar pushed Dukat over the edge and directed him into a state of insanity as seen in the eps "Waltz" and "Covenant". Her death was also necessary to Damar's development as well. In the ep "Statistical Probabilities", a group of genetically enhanced people can read through him and verify that he killed "a princess" and that he was a leader in name only. This was a great effort on the writers part to foreshadow events to come in which my fave DS9 character would see that it is necessary to stand up and amend his past inactions and make the ultimate sacrifice in the end.

 

 

 

I liked Ziyal very much too, but in all honesty there was nothing more she could bring to the show and at least in her characters death, DS9 went on to have the two best seasons that a trek series could ever have.In essesnce, her death was done to push DS9 into a more tragic, dark and productive series.

[Dabo Queen 0]

I will agree, there wasn't much more they could've done with her, though I hated to see Garak lose everyone he cared about (first Taen, then Ziyal, and eventually poor Mila).

 

I wish they would've had Ziyal turn on her butthead of a dad before she died...I mean seriously, how many times would he have let her die/killed her himself? God forbid anybody touch a single red hair on Kira's hair, though...Dukat would've fought the entirety of the Dominion forces singlehandledly just to breathe the air expelling from that crinkled little nose...

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

I wish they would've had Ziyal turn on her butthead of a dad before she died...I mean seriously, how many times would he have let her die/killed her himself? God forbid anybody touch a single red hair on Kira's hair, though...Dukat would've fought the entirety of the Dominion forces singlehandledly just to breathe the air expelling from that crinkled little nose...

 

Yeah...what was with the writers on that?

 

Ziyal's death pushed her father over the edge, true, but Dukat's going insane, IMO, was one of the worst plotlines ever. Dukat should've been offed by the Maquis ages ago. No wait...by the Klingons, when they realized he'd hijacked a bird of prey. The show didn't really need Dukat after that.

 

As for Damar...he wasn't all that necessary once DS9 was recovered; he should've died in that battle. The only reason anyone cares about him is that he eventually got redeemed. <_< Personally, he was a lot more entertaining when he was drinking kanar like water and banging Cardassian hookers. B)

[Trip05401 0]

No it wasn't nessessary at all. Not only was Ziyal beautiful but she was also a great character and I would liked to have seen her and Garak get together.

[Dabo Queen 0]

[Personally, he was a lot more entertaining when he was drinking kanar like water and banging Cardassian hookers.

 

Eff yeah! Damar was the frickin' rock star of Cardassia Prime! <_<

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

Eff yeah! Damar was the frickin' rock star of Cardassia Prime! <_<

In washed-up, has-been, one-hit-wonder sort of way.

[Hooray for boobies 0]

The idea was good. Pushing Dukat over the line. He was always bordering anyway, possibly one of the things that made him so interesting.

 

The follow up of it all was appalling though, and the writers of the series ought to be genuinely ashamed of their incompetens on that one.

 

Especially bringing Dukat and Damar together again the way it happened was incredibly sloppy. And what is annoying is it was totally unecessary.

 

Having started down this road of forgetfullness the writers then also bring Damar and Garak together with Garak apparently forgetting everything about the past. What were they not thinking?

 

There is Kira also though I think she at least gets a line complaining about it. Possibly because she was a main character.

 

So a good idea. Never really followed up, and eventually sweeped under the rug in a most embarrasing fashion.

 

The writing of the series was loosing quality rapidly towards the end of the seventh season though, with loose ends hanging everywhere. Especially annoying were the many intermixing storylines of the last few episodes. A departure from the standard format that didn't work.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Hooray for boobies

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

Seventh season had it's moments though. Where the writers screwed up, Martok represented.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Seventh season had it's moments though. Where the writers screwed up, Martok represented.

I don't really see the 7th season in a bad light, I'll have to find the post where I counted up my favorite episodes per season but if I remember right season 7 had more of my favorites that any other season. The only thing I really didn't care for in season 7 was Winn.

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

Seventh season had it's moments though. Where the writers screwed up, Martok represented.

I don't really see the 7th season in a bad light, I'll have to find the post where I counted up my favorite episodes per season but if I remember right season 7 had more of my favorites that any other season. The only thing I really didn't care for in season 7 was Winn.

Ech. HATED Winn. CanNOT understand why they kept bring that %*@#$ back. She annoyed us in the first few seasons and that was enough. We sooooooo didn't need to see her again. Was Louis Fletcher that desperate for a paycheck?

[Hooray for boobies 0]

I found Winn to be one of the more interesting villains, she was great in the first two seasons, and Fletcher played her well with just the right touch of eeriness. That said I too didn't really care for her final appearances in the seventh season. Teaming up Dukat with Winn, perhaps the best two villains of DS9 should have potential for much more than we got. But I mainly blame lack of time for this short-coming. Too much was attempted at the end and Winn was one who suffered from this by getting too little time.

 

Seventh seasons did have som great episodes. Chimera is a gem and one of my favourite episodes, I also liked the Episode where Nog is recoving from his injuries. The best use they ever made of Vic Fontaine.

 

But I did not at all like that they started intermixing several storylines for the last ten episodes. That was a mistake. I think each of the storylines would have been stronger if they were given each their own episode.

 

They also did one or two too many big battles towards the end. And each one looked exactly like the previous one. Those were real yawners. Especially the finale episode would have benefitted from less battle and more time for Dukat and Winn.

 

Finally the conclusions of several things felt rushed and unsatisfying. Worfs challenge of Gowron. The two had a history since early TNG and their stories had alway been given whole episodes. To suddenly throw in a resolution at the end of an Episode dealing with other matters felt like a cheat.

 

The Ferengi were given an even worse ending effectively saying were gonna give up beeing Ferengi and start beeing humans. Booo!

 

Then there is Bashir and Section 31 whose conclusion was just plain confusing. Pity as they had some decent episodes before.

 

Man, I could on and on about all these things never given enought time and care. The Cardassian rebellion. The fate of Sisko and the role of the profets.

 

 

So despite some very good episodes season seven ended on a low note with several failures

 

Dukat and Winn

Worf and Gowron

The Ferengi self denial

Section 31

The Breen, what did they ever add?

Oh and also I never liked Ezri Dax. Should never have been in more than one or two episodes. More time loss.

 

Ok rant over!.

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

You made good points though.

[Hooray for boobies 0]

Oh, thanks!

 

I wish to add though, so there is no confusion. DS9 is still my favourite Star Trek series. And alltogether I am pleased that the writers had the courage to experiment and break new ground for Star Trek.

[Eratosthenes 0]

Wow, I have to say that I liked almost all of the last season, but when it comes to Star Trek i love it all anyway.

 

 

I have to say, possibly the best episode of this season was the Seige of AR-558. I just rewatched it yesterda and was VERY impressed about the way it was presented and how it showed the psychological effects of prolonged periods on the battlefield.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

I think her death was necessary. Ziyal's presence was the last semblance of good in Dukat. With that gone, he became more believble to be the pure evil that Sisko would say he was, and more believable as the man capable of all the atrocities possible through the power of the pah-Wraiths. Ziyal would have been a grounding for him. That would have held him back.

 

That said, the death scene was weak. Star Trek really seemed to have trouble killing off regular ancilliary characters without having the death scene seem weak. Sarek would be an exception, but he wasn't all that regular either.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I guess it served a purpose - if nothing else but to show that even winning comes at a price. I liked Ziyal and I was saddened by her death and rather it not have happened.

[rob39874 0]

I never saw much of Season 7 but i think Ziyals death was pointless. Fair enough it pushed Dukat over the edge and made him nuts But there was other ways to do that as well. One death I thought was really pointless was killing Jadzia off. Ezri should never have taken her place. I think we should get a spin off maybe a Section 31 show so we can see how different they are to the federation we actually know.

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

I think her death was necessary. Ziyal's presence was the last semblance of good in Dukat. With that gone, he became more believble to be the pure evil that Sisko would say he was, and more believable as the man capable of all the atrocities possible through the power of the pah-Wraiths. Ziyal would have been a grounding for him. That would have held him back.

 

That said, the death scene was weak. Star Trek really seemed to have trouble killing off regular ancilliary characters without having the death scene seem weak. Sarek would be an exception, but he wasn't all that regular either.

 

Like, this is actually a really good point.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

Thanks. Every once in awhile I like to think I'm more than just another pretty f-- y'know what? Forget I said that.

[SeeingEyeBorg 0]

LOL. You know, for a moment there, I thought you meant the other f---.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

Oh my.