Best known for playing Lt. Commander Worf inStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,actor Michael Dorn also directed four episodesofStar Trek. Dorn is one of manyStar Trek: DS9actors who became directors.Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Avery Brooks (Captain Benjamin Sisko) and Rene Auberjonois (Constable Odo) each directed nine episodes ofDS9.TNG’s LeVar Burton (Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge), andStar Trek: Voyager’s Robert Duncan McNeill (Lt. Tom Paris) and Roxann Dawson (Lt. B’Elanna Torres) have all become successful television directors.
ManyStar Trekactors, including Dorn, got their chance to direct episodes becauseStar Trekproducer Rick Berman’s “Director’s School” let interested actors from 1990sStar Trekshows get hands-on experience as directors. TheStar TrekDirector’s School was inspired by Dorn’sStar Trek: The Next Generationcast mate Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker), who may beStar Trek’s most well-known actor-turned-director since there are manynewStar Trekepisodes directed by Frakes. The four episodes ofStar Trekdirected by Michael Dorn range in tone, yet Dorn handles each one adeptly.
4Star Trek: Enterprise Season 1, Episode 25 - “Two Days and Two Nights”
Archer’s Visit To Risa Misses The Mark
When the NX-01 Enterprise gets toStar Trek’s resort planet RisainStar Trek: Enterpriseseason 1, episode 25, “Two Days and Two Nights”,the crew expects to enjoy a peaceful shore leave, but the two-day visit to Risa isn’t that easy.Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) are robbed by shapeshifters. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) is targeted by a Tandaran spy for information about the Suliban. Even Dr. Phlox’s (John Billingsley) hibernation is interrupted by Ensign Travis Mayweather’s (Anthony Montgomery) injury. Only Ensign Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) actually has a good time.
Archer’s story in “Two Days and Two Nights” is strongly evocative of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s trip to Risa inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 3, episode 19, “Captain’s Holiday”, when Picard becomes entangled with the alluring but morally dubious archaeologist Vash (Jennifer Hetrick).
The various plot threads in “Two Days and Two Nights” pose a challenge for Michael Dorn’s fourth and finalStar Trekepisode as a director, especially since each storyline needs a slightly different tone. The sickbay scenes are funny, and Hoshi’s date is appropriately romantic, butthe bulk of the episode just doesn’t mesh that well.Archer’s connection with Keyla (Dey Young) is played straight and weighed down with exposition fromStar Trek: Enterpriseseason 1, episode 21, “Detained”. Tucker and Reed’s subplot being played for laughs is awkwardly transphobic in retrospect, making it a tough watch today.
3Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7, Episode 21 - “When it Rains …”
Tensions Rise On DS9 During The Dominion War
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 7, episode 21, “When it Rains …” is the fifth chapter in the nine-part saga that endsStar Trek: DS9, withcharacters moving into their places like pieces on a chess board,as each side angles for their own brand of victory against the Dominion.Colonel Kira Nerys(Nana Visitor) and Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) join forces with Legate Damar (Casey Biggs) to help the Cardassian uprising against the Dominion, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) investigates Odo’s mystery illness, and Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) conspires with a disguised Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo).
Dorn capably handles many characters in the aptly-named “When it Rains …”, and it helps that Dorn’s involvement as Worf is relatively minimized, with the focus of the Klingon story trained on Chancellor Gowron (Robert O’Reilly) andGeneral Martok (J.G. Hertzler). The setup forDS9’s thrilling conclusion moves along, showing thatDorn understands where and how to sustain interest in an otherwise dark chapter ofStar Trek.Most interestingly, the storytelling in Dorn’s framing subtly conveys the characters' alliances: pairs like Winn and Dukat or Worf and Martokdosee eye-to-eye, whereas Kira and Damar aren’t on the same page yet.
2Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 5, Episode 25 - “In the Cards”
Jake Sisko’s Baseball Card Quest Lightens DS9’s 5th Season Ending
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 5, episode 25, “In the Cards”, is Michael Dorn’s directorial debut.The episode follows Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg) as the pair try to get an authentic Willie Mays baseball card for Jake’s father, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). The boys' misadventures trading favors and tracking down items for the station’s crew recall earlier attempts to gain profit, way back inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 1, episode 15, “Progress”, when the “Noh-Jay Consortium” got stuck with 100 grossself-sealing stem bolts.
My Favorite Jake & Captain Sisko Star Trek: DS9 Episode Isn’t The One You Think
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has epic episodes showing the love between Jake and Captain Sisko. but my favorite is about a Willie Mays baseball card.
Like most lighthearted episodes ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,“In the Cards” stands out as a breath of fresh air amid the bleak surrounding circumstances. The episode’s structure emphasizes Jake and Nog’s quest instead of the looming Dominion threat, andDorn’s direction respects the central message of hope instead of pushing the comedy too far.Instead of being motivated by profit, this series of trades is driven by Jake Sisko’s love for his father. Best of all, Jake wanting to do one nice thing for Ben starts a ripple effect that affects most ofDS9’s characters positively.
1Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 6, Episode 18 - “Inquisition”
Michael Dorn Directs Star Trek’s Introduction To Section 31
In a story that director Michael Dorn calls “Kafka-esque”,Star Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 6, episode 18, “Inquisition” seesDr. Julian Bashir at the center of a multi-layered test orchestrated by Director Luther Sloan (William Sadler), the director ofStarfleet’s special intelligence division, Section 31. Sloan cites Bashir’s humanitarian efforts from earlier episodes as evidence that Julian is actually a Dominion spy, a story which seems to be corroborated by Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs). Bashir comes to the opposite conclusion, that Sloan is the spy before the reality of Bashir being in an elaborate simulated test is finally revealed.
BecauseStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewas much more serialized than its contemporaryStar Trekshows, chances were always pretty high that the seeds planted byStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 6, episode 18, “Inquisition”, would eventually bear fruit, but when Michael Dorn directed “Inquisition”, there was no way to know just how much of an impact Section 31 would have onStar Trek’s future.
“Inquisition” is a complexStar Trek: Deep Space Nineepisode that requires deft direction, and Michael Dorn pulls it off spectacularly. The story would fall apart if the truth about Sloan’s mission was telegraphed too soon, butDorn’s directorial sleight of hand makes sure that the audience is compelled to figure out the mystery alongside Dr. Bashir.Sloan’s test exists within its own believable reality before the reveal of Section 31 and their clandestine mission hits with a stunning amount of weight. “Inquisition” is proof that Michael Dorn can direct dramaticStar Trekepisodes just as well as comedic ones.
