Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Vortex (1993) User Reviews

Tense, well written & acted space drama...

[karacter · 8/10 · 7 April 2009]

An excellent first season installment that "delivers the goods" for Trekkers and others alike- solid acting, mysterious aliens, phaser battles, ship-to-ship battles, and a strong, well written story that comes complete with moral dilemma.

It's another "Odo centered" episode that gives us more insight into him, especially his efficiency and integrity as a law enforcement officer, while at the same time giving us a peek past his cold exterior to see his inner loneliness and vulnerability. Guest star Randy Oglesby as Ro-Kel/Ah-Kel is excellent as a ruthless smuggler (or pair of smugglers) who manages to be truly menacing without playing it too far over-the-top (quite an accomplishment in the Star Trek Universe!) Guest star Cliff De Young gives a solid performance as Croden, a roguish visitor to the Station who we initially distrust yet eventually feel compassion for. Mr. De Young's excellent acting (and a good script) make his character three-dimensional and totally believable, escaping the "cardboard cutout" quality of so many Star Trek characters. The character of Croden reminds us of the basic truth of people- that no one is all good or all bad, but a combination of both, and that both must be acknowledged hand-in-hand to truly know and understand a person's character.

Like the best episodes in the Star Trek Universe, this one makes you think and ponder your own moral standards- and wonder what you would do were you to be in the character's situations. That is the basis for any type of excellent drama and it is presented quite well here.

I give this one an 8 out of 10.

Odo smiles.

[rhysellis-64300 · 8/10 · 28 April 2019]

A really great episode from the first season of Deep Space Nine. It acts as both a good charactor building story of Odo and adds some interesting background in relation to Odo's Changeling history. We're also given some hints regarding Odo's race that will feature more prominently in later episodes. The other aspects to 'Vortex' which really establish DS9 as a show which likes to draw upon 'grey areas' is the charactor of Croden, where one dismisses him at first but develops an affection towards him as the story unfolds. Previous episodes of the first season try to build on the good/bad nature of various individuals, but this is the first one which I think works exceptionally well.

Maybe Odo isn't alone after all...

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 14 December 2014]

A real rogue, Croden (Cliff De Young) arrives on the station from the Gamma Quadrant. Unlike most visitors, he's not particularly interested in meeting with Federation or Bajoran dignitaries...but he IS interested in hangout out with the lower elements of the station. However, in the process, Croden kills someone and Sisko has to decide what to do with him. However, Croden throws an interesting monkey wrench into all this---he tells Odo that he's seen OTHER changelings and he offers to tell him where...if he lets him free. Naturally, there is more to this and the denouement is quite interesting. Worth seeing, especially as Croden isn't quite as he seems and it does give some insight into Odo's origins.

Odo-centric episode, intrigue and good character moments

[romkevdv17 · 7/10 · 31 October 2021]

Odo, by this point in the season, has already established his character for the most part but his species were still somewhat of a mystery beside the one line about it in the pilot. This episode does a great job of introducing intrigue of his origins while also maintaining the mystery, along with exploring the conflict at hand in a minimum fashion.

The actual plot about the criminal and the other aliens who are twins are okay, although a bit cliched/bland. Pretty obvious twist that the lying criminal is actually speaking the truth and his only crime was protecting his family. Most interesting part is Odo's way of dealing with the possibility of finding his own species. At times, he literally catches himself losing his cool and seeming desperate for more information. In the end though his duty trumps this curiosity or even want to find his own kind, but as they touch down on what is supposed to be the colony, he just angrily shouts at the criminal until he reveals it was all a lie. This episode was definitely a great mystery-thriller, where the first act has you wondering what its about. After its revealed the colony doesn't exist, the remaining plot threads are far less interesting but still.

Personally, Odo has a kind of McCoy-esque quality to him, a very stubborn person at times and firm about his position and his opinion and especially his job. If he doesn't like the way things are done, he says it direct, no funny business. He's not Vulcan in that manner though and neither is he Klingon, whether it is his species or just him he makes for a fine character who's fun to watch, especially with Quark, I love his witty dialogue and dry humour. Additionally, his role as Security Officer can easily be distinguished from those of Worf or Tasha Yar. Whereas those two had their own stubbornness, they were also brash and unruly in their own ways. Worf could sometimes become a joke by how often he wanted to 'shoot first, ask questions later' and Tasha Yar was always the one to let emotions take control and get angry. When Odo watched a riot form around his office he stayed cool under pressure, same in this episode. Someone like Worf would far more easily give up his duty for some personal venture (although of course some episodes show his dedication to Starfleet).

To be alone

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 October 2019]

Rene Auberjonois is center stage in this DS9 story. Odo gets a glimmer of hope that he might reunite with others of his kind.

It all comes from a fight on the space station between some aliens. One is killed and the other wounded. Cliff DeYoung the wounded one tells there are others like Odoin the Gamma Quadrant. And it turns out he's wanted for murder on another world so Odo is given the task to escort DeYoung.

The viewer also is given tantalizing bits and pieces of what a changeling society is like. It whets one's appetite for more.

And a season or two later all about changelings is revealed.

Going Through the Wormhole At Last

[Nominahorn · 7/10 · 20 February 2019]

1.11 "Vortex"

An alien from the Gamma Quadrant named Crodan gets mixed up in one of Quark's schemes and as a result ends up killing somebody in a scuffle. While in custody, he tells Odo that he has met other shapeshifters like him in Gamma Quadrant. Odo is very eager to learn more about his people, but Crodan's government demands that he be returned to face punishment for crimes committed on their world. Now Odo is tasked to bring Crodan back, but on the way he will be faced with a conflict between his duty, sense of justice, and his desire to learn more about his people.

The plot of this episode is very complex, with lots of twists and location changes. For the first time since the pilot, we get to see members of the crew going through the wormhole not once, but twice, which is exciting. As a result of the very active plot and character movement throughout, it feels like way more happens in this episode than should even be possible for 42 minutes of TV. We have scheming, murder, revenge, diplomatic contact, political intrigue, chase scenes, and most importantly of all, a lot of important exposition that will continue to be relevant through all seven seasons of the show.

This episode is the first time we hear the phrase "changelings." Though most of what Crodan claims to know about them turns out to be lies, his story about how they used to be persecuted and that's why they don't trust humanoids is accurate. It's also curious that he knew that they don't normally retain a humanoid shape on their own planet. Overall, there's a lot of foreshadowing of future events involving the Founders and Odo's conflicting desires to be with his people but also do the right thing.

THE GOOD

-Great pacing and plot movement. They fit a lot of story into the ep, but it doesn't ever feel rushed.

-Nice submarine hunt sequence. Definitely hearkens back to the epic sequence from Wrath of Khan, but the tactic Odo uses to take out the Miradorn ship is almost identical to the Riker Maneuver from Insurrection (and I'm not referring to the way he sits in chairs).

-A lot of good character development for Odo.

THE BAD

-Guy who plays Crodan lacks charisma and is too lackadaisical about everything. It wasn't too hard to believe right up until the point where it's revealed that his daughter's life was on the line the whole time and then none of his attitude makes sense retroactively.

-There's also no indication given of why Crodan was getting involved in Quark's schemes. We can guess that he wanted money to acquire passage back to get his daughter, but then we are forced to wonder why the heck he left his daughter in a stasis pod in some cave in the middle of a nebula. It makes no sense at all and no explanation is even attempted.

THE UGLY

-"Maybe that's why nobody has ever seen another shapeshifter--they're all hiding!" Like Crodan with his tall tales, Quark is surprisingly close to the truth with this seemingly throwaway line.

-The actor who plays the Miradorn twins, Randy Oglesby, has played seven different characters across four different ST shows over the years, most notably in eleven episodes on ENT season 3 as one of the Xindi leaders.

-Odo shapeshift count: 1 on frame. Off frame he turns into a drinking glass, and there's a very cool shot on screen where the glass gets shattered and all the pieces turn to goo and congeal back into Odo's humanoid form. 7 total on screen shifts for the series.

-The effects shots of The Nexus appear to use the exact same matte painting used to show nebulae by several different ST projects over the years, including the Mutara Nebula in The Wrath of Khan and the nebula where the Enterprise D hides from the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds."

-Runabouts used: Rio Grande taken by Sisko and Dax. The runabout that Odo takes is referred to by the Vulcan captain as the Ganges, but in the effects shots it is missing the Ganges' telltale dorsal sensor module. Either the sensor module is removable, or that was an error in either the script or effects department.

Odo Rules

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 26 September 2018]

I have to say that the complex character of Odo is really of interest to me. Here, we get to know him better. He meets another alien who gives him hope of finding others like him. He is in perpetual fear of prejudice. His job on the ship is made more effective by his harsh demeanor. In this, he finds another character who has feelings like his own, having been driven from his planet because he is different. There are many difficulties in this episode and some harsh realities. One of my favorites.

One of the best episodes of the show

[generalhooha · 10/10 · 26 June 2020]

I don't understand why this episode is rated so low. The acting is phenomenal, Croden is an extremely complex character, and Odo's search for his identy begins.

10/10, on par with some of the best episodes of the later seasons.

Odo and the rogue

[Paularoc · 8/10 · 13 October 2012]

Quark is negotiating with twin Miradorn raiders for the purchase of a stolen art object. Croden, an alien from the Gamma Quadrant tries to take the object from them and in the ensuing scuffle kills one of the twins. The surviving twin vows that he will kill Croden. While in the brig, Croden convinces Odo that he knows a place where Shapeshifters live. As it happens, Croden is wanted on his home planet and will be executed if he is returned there. Of course, Odo is suspicious of Croden but later discovers that he has misjudged Croden; Croden is desperate to get back to the Gamma Quadrant for honorable reasons. Sisko orders Odo to take Croden back to his home planet. Croden tells Odo that the Shapeshifters can be found on a small planet located in a volatile vortex field in the Gamma Quadrant. When Croden and Odo reach this planet, Odo finds out the truth about Croden's past and why he wanted to return to the Gamma Quadrant. All this time, the Miradorn ship is closing in on them. The resolution to this story is highly satisfactory and tells us something important about Odo. Cliff DeYoung is very convincing as Crodon and in the end we have great sympathy for the character. As we've come to expect, Auberjonois and Shimerman give stellar performances.

Odo Delves into His Origin

[Samuel-Shovel · 5/10 · 25 July 2020]

In "Vortex" a man from the Gamma quadrant is charged with murder aboard DS9. Him and Odo form an unlikely bond after Croden tells him he knows where to find other changelings.

I sort of liked this episode despite its flaws. I still have zero understanding of why Croden murders that twin? Maybe I missed something but why was he involved in all that? Why didn't he just request assistance from Odo to get his daughter back right than this elaborate scheme? That's my main headscratcher that's holding me back from rating this anything higher than a 5.

Rumours of other shape-shifters

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 17 February 2010]

As this episode opens it looks like it will be another Quark centred story however it soon turns out that Odo will be taking centre stage. As Quark is having a meeting with a pair of twins who are selling an objet d'art they are interrupted by Croden, an alien from the Gamma Quadrant. In the scuffle that follows one of the twins it shot and killed then Croden is arrested by Odo who had used his shape-shifting abilities to infiltrate the meeting. Odo is somewhat disappointed that he can't hold Odo for long but has enough to deal with when the surviving twin states his intention of killing Croden. While being questioned Croden claims that he knows where there are other changelings in a vortex in the Gamma Quadrant. When Sisko goes through the worm hole to inform Croden's people that he has been arrested they demand his return for crimes he has committed back home. Sisko agrees and tasks Odo to fly him back, on the way Croden explains that his wives were killed as a punishment for his crime. The shuttle doesn't get as far as Croden's home world as the surviving twin's ship attacks them. Forced to take refuge in the vortex they land on an asteroid where he claims he can show Odo more changelings however it turns out there are none, they were just a myth on his world and Odo was the first he'd met. There is something there though; a stasis chamber which contains Croden's daughter. Soon after opening the chamber they are found and must once again flee from the twin's ship. They survive by luring their pursuer into a volatile area of the vortex... Odo must still decide what he is going to do with his two passengers though.

This was a pretty good episode where we get to see Quark avoid implicating himself once again and Odo showing his sense of justice by doing the right thing even if it means ignoring his mission orders. As usual Rene Auberjonois puts in a good performance as Odo and guest star Cliff De Young does well enough as Croden.

Odo and the Rogue

[dand1010 · 8/10 · 9 August 2021]

Who is Odo? Where does he come from? Are there others like him? If so, where do they come from? These questions and more are dealt with in this episode.

The word "changeling" is first used to describe Odo's race.

An homage to Alfred Hitchcock in the opening scene (pre-credits) with the glasses on the tray.

This episode has a lot of action. Firefights on the ground and in space.

Also: don't pre-judge the rogue (Croden) in this episode. He is annoying but by the time the episode reaches a dramatic conclusion his motives and personality become a little clearer.

Solid Odo episode

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 14 December 2021]

One species from the gamma quadrant kills another on DS9 and Odo gets involved.

This is a strong character episode for Odo and it makes his origin quite intriguing.

The highlight for me is when story asks questions about the Changeling species and makes me want to find out more. Rene Auberjonois carries the episode very well with a grouchy, reluctant hero performance.

In the second half, when the action moves off DS9, it gets quite compelling and there are a number of cool moments with quite plausible danger and characters doing the right thing in difficult circumstances. There are some convenient plot turns, but it doesn't spoil anything. Also the visual effects are done to a pretty good standard considering that it's Star Trek.

All performances are very good, particularly Auberjonois, Armin Shimerman, Cliff DeYoung and Randy Oglesby.

It's a 7.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

Moral dilemma

[tomsly-40015 · 3/10 · 6 October 2023]

I don't know about this episode. Quark is always depicted as some kind of criminal that does not kill people. Yet, in this episode he and his brother clearly staged a robbery with another guy that kills another guy to take hisbelongings. Quark is involved in this murder, he and the other guy staged this robbery. But nothing happens to Quark.

Same problem with Odo. The same killer is not punished for his murder. Instead Odo let's him freely go after he learned that he also killed other people on his home planet - but in self defense. Those were officials that attacked his family and thus he had to kill them. Odo seems moved by those events and completely ignores the fact, that he just killed another guy a few hours ago, cold bloodedly to steal his belongings! But hey, since he was treated badly on his home planet and his wife was killed, you can just accept another murder for money and let this poor soul run.

Very weak episode and both, Quark and Odo, have a stain on their characters ever since.

Odo --- Grump with a heart(?) of Platinum.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 10 March 2020]

I enjoyed this one ----

What works for me:

• Croden's performance was quite good. There's a charismatic likable manner about him.
• Odo's performance throughout this episode was great. Odo has his own form of Justice and he ultimately puts his sense of Justice over the order to release Croden to the authorities. I enjoyed the scene in the cave when Odo is hit by a rock and Croden has an opportunity to leave but as he starts to head out he looks at his daughter and then he doesn't have the heart to set that kind of poor example for her and he goes back for Odo. Little moments like that help to round out my star trek meal. I found it quite interesting to hear the stories Croden was telling Odo about the changelings and specifically how accurate they turned out to be.

This is a solid self contained episode that adds to the star trek universe and specifically the desire of Odo to find his home and others like him.

In retrospect

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 2 July 2022]

This is probably the first episode where there is tacit involvement with a planet which is under the jurisdiction of the dominion.

Cliff DeYoung A.k.a. "Dr. Cray Z. Molardo" from "Robocop" (1994), is Croden, A hapless alien from the Gamma quadrant that unfortunately went to Quark to solve his problem.

Randy Oglesby is a Twinned Miradorn- Who drives a Raider ship much like we saw in the Star Trek TNG episode "Gambit". We also saw that same ship, although a much bigger version of it, flown by the "Children of Tama" in TNG "Darmok"- A ship which inflicted major damage upon a galaxy class starship under maximum shields.

Croden's dilemma involves One of these twinned Miradorn. These are people you don't want to cross.

But we don't know Croden's backstory, it is told to us as this episode unfolds.

He describes a planet where justice is meted out the way the dominion would do it. And although the dominion or the founders are not mentioned, this is the first time Odo is referred to as "a changeling".

Both DeYoung and Ogleby put relish into their characters, we believe them. We believe who they are represented to be.

That is what makes this one of the best season one episodes. As Croden's True story comes out, we start caring about him.

We probably would have liked to see more episodes where Twinned Miradorn were involved, they had quite interesting aspects although the characters of Ro-Kel/Ah-Kel were particularly surly. The only other time where this race is mentioned was in "Q-Less", where we find out that Picard's Girlfriend "Vash" had run afoul of the law on that planet.

There is also a gag where they use a particular gas inside of a nebula as a weapon... this gag was used in Voyager at least once and possibly in both enterprise and TNG. Why not? It was a great gag. And Odo thought of it first.

Good episode. Watch it at least for Odo.

[Filmreader · 8/10 · 2 April 2020]

Good episode. Watch it at least for Odo and the two people that he saved. And one them saved Odo.

First properly good episode of the series

[thepkhunter · 9/10 · 12 March 2024]

Woah woah woah! We have our first properly good ep of ds9!

Rene absolutely carries it, but it's got actual intrigue and substance. Quark gets used for story and not just bad comic relief, Sisko has to toe the line between starfleet ideals and underbelly reality and the guest star can act. Firing on all cylinders.

Some really, really good space shots for the time, too.

Odo was maybe a little too quick to break the rules for a stuffy security officer, but his motivation to do so is sound and well explored in the episode.

This presents some exciting questions for the series to continue to answer.

Great episode.