Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges (1999) User Reviews

Making Bashir a patsy.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 29 January 2023]

An interesting episode that continues the explore the the ideals of starfleet being in conflict with a unofficial wet work squad. I always find these episodes fascinating because starfleet is essentially a group of grown boy/girl scouts with the right stuff and being able to dip a toe in the unsavory aspects of human reality is a nice diversion from time to time.

Bashir gets played like a fiddle in this episode. I actually think he took the reveal well ----- I would be throwing stuff. I am pondering if the deputy chief of starfleet security was killed by Romulans or was killed in some master chess movie by Sloan to set up this whole revenge ploy to begin with?

All and all it is a solid espionage episode. Sloan is one of those quietly menacing characters that you know is one step ahead and that's always fascinating to watch play out on screen --- well, at least to me.

Who can you trust?

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 19 January 2010]

When Doctor Bashir is invited to a medical conference on Romulus he thinks he will just be giving a few talks on medical matters, however shortly before he sets off he is woken by Sloan, an agent of the shadowy Section 31 intelligence agency who wants Julian to gather information on a senior Romulan who may have an illness Section 31 can exploit.

The doctor initially refuses but is persuaded to play along with Sloan in order to expose Section 31's activities. When he is at the conference he is surprised to see Sloan is there to. When it becomes clear that Sloan is plotting to assassinate the head of Romulan intelligence Julian is forced to turn to the one person he can trust; a Romulan senator.

This episode was exciting despite having little action, the convoluted machinations of Sloan meant the viewer is constantly kept wondering what his real motives and intentions are and we don't learn what they are till the end. As usual Alexander Siddig does well as Dr. Bashir, it was nice to see him as the main character in an episode.

Our first and only trip to Romulus

[snarky-trek-reviews · 7/10 · 7 March 2019]

Julian keeps a phaser in his quarters. Admiral Ross can't handle his Romulan Ale. Agent Sloan of Section 31 is also an entomologist named Wendell Greer who works in the UFP's department of cartography. Fancy uniforms are fancy. Creepy Romulans are creepy. There is an interrogation room not far from the Romulan meeting hall. Flashing lights can't scan genetically engineered brains. Plot twist, Sloan is neither a Section 31 agent nor a cartographer. Romulan guards need to keep a better hold on their side arms. Plot twist, Sloan dead. Plot twist, no he's not. The conversation between Ross and Bashier at the end is the best part of this episode. In time of war, the law falls silent. Julian has a com panel on his night stand.

This episode is pretty good. Bashier gets thoroughly played by Sloan and Ross who effectively use his moral nature to further their own amoral agenda. The final scene in Ross' offices recaptures the vibe of "In the Pale Moonlight" but the half hour leading there isn't all that memorable. More than anything this episode makes me wish we got more episodes that involved the Romulan's and political intrigue. Instead we went to Vics and saw Quark get a sex change.

Verdict: Worth it for the final scene in Ross' office.

Bashir's adventures with Sloan & Section 31

[GarakStarkX · 10/10 · 5 May 2022]

Bashir is invited to participate in subterfuge with Sloan against the Federation's frenemies, the Romulans. As the resident 100% Roddenberry clean-cut Starfleet officer, Bashir makes the perfect tool to be used by Section 31. We also find out that Ross is in bed with Sloan. They both get the win, putting their operative in a position of power on Romulus, at the expense of Bashir's idealism and naivety. Section 31 is shown to be more adept at subterfuge and spycraft than the Romulan Tal'Shiar.

This is the most anti-Roddenberry episode of Trek. That the Federation are not the clean-cut angels of the galaxy. They operate in a cold and cynical way. Section 31 is Starfleet's real-politik toolbox. They perform the under the table morally dubious tasks that the public face of the Federation would never sanction. But Section 31 exists with the unwritten consent of Starfleet and by-the-book admirals such as Ross.

A direct slap in the face by DS9's writers to Roddenberry and the cartoonish idealism of The Next Generation.

Spy story

[babicddb · 10/10 · 27 April 2021]

Interestingly, a different style from the usual Star Trek episode, and science fiction in general, but still good.

Thought provoking episode

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 8 October 2023]

Sloan recruits Bashir for a medical opinion about a person of interest, but is there an ulterior motive?

This is another quintessentially Deep Space Nine episode as we see the Roddenberry idealism challenged in a similar way to the episode 'In the Pale Moonlight'. There are no plot details I can reveal without spoiling, but it is safe to say that if you love Star Trek for the positive take on future societies it is one of those DS9 instances where the writers apply real world cynicism to the mix. I think what you make of this will impact how feel about the episode generally and (much like Pale Moonlight) the overarching narrative of the series.

I think the story is complex, with a liberal amount of suspension of disbelief required to make certain details plausible. However, it is very well thought out by the the writers nonetheless, who take some inspiration from stories like 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'. There is a lot of telling rather than showing, but the actors elevate the dialogue significantly with their performances.

Alexander Siddig, Adrienne Barbeau, John Fleck, Hal Landon Jr. And in particular William Sadler are all on great form.

A Little John LeCarre in Space

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 12 November 2018]

I guess espionage never left the block here. Julian, who is going to a medical conference, is told by the Section 31 guy that he must do some spying on the Romulans. There is this whole scenario laid out where war will be perpetual. It is based on the assumption that the only ones left standing at the conclusion of this war will be the Federation and the Romulans; and we all know what will happen next. The problem with the episode is the convoluted mess of who is in charge and who are the bad guys from one scene to the next. It's rather tense, but too confusing for us to be engaged.

Middling Spycraft

[frankelee · 6/10 · 26 June 2022]

DS9 struggles with weighty, and here they fail once again. The story is melodramatic in the extreme, and unfortunately Dr. Bashir is just not the right character for this. He's too goofy, too simple in his "moral sensibilities," not that he believes in right too much, or doing the moral thing too much, but rather that he comprehends these notions simplistically, again, melodramatically.

And of course the actor is playing it so bombastically that he's nearly making it camp. I can see how some people would like it if they really like the show, but it's middling without grading on a curve.

Kind of boring, actually.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 28 January 2015]

When the episode begins, the representative from the ultra-secret Section 31 (William Sadler) appears in Dr. Bashir's quarters while the Doctor is sleeping. It seems he wants Dr. Bashir to do some spying for them during his upcoming conference on Romulus. Naturally the Doctor is horrified, as he wants nothing to do with Section 31 but goes along with it to find out what these folks are up to. What follows is a whole lot of spy stuff--and the viewers are left wondering what the $%@@ they are watching. By the time the show is over, it isn't much more clear and you may just feel that the entire effort was a bit of a waste of time.

This episode is very unusual because it is all Dr. Bashir all the time. You don't get to see the rest of the DS9 crew and how much you enjoy all this might have a lot to do with how much you enjoy Dr. Bashir as a character and if you enjoy all this spy stuff. I didn't on both accounts.