Olympus Descending (Worlds of DS9, Vol. 3) MAJOR Spoilers!

S P O I L E R

Warning: This text contains major spoilers for Worlds of DS9, especially
book 3! You have been warned!

*

*

*

*

*

*

I felt very emotional when I finished that story. It is so powerful, so
much was moving around in my brain that it took some time to gather my
thoughts and feelings. Therefore I am hoping that I will be able to
write everything down without forgetting something.

One aspect that made the story so remarkable to me is definitely DRG
III`s writing style. I have always been a fan of it because he finds
what I consider to be the ideal combination. Descriptions on their own
tend to be boring but he skilfully combines it with characterizations.
They don`t feel like a necessary addition but they flow naturally into
the overall story. I mainly felt that about the parts dealing with the
Great Link. I had trouble to visualize how the Founders interact in it
and in general, what this civilization is like. DRG succeeded to make
this alien environment much more accessible to me and soon I wasn`t
wondering any more because what was going on suddenly seemed very
natural. It was a fascinating experience, very much in the spirit of
discovering new worlds and civilizations.

This story revealed more about the Founders than the whole DS9 TV series
showed. In it we learned a lot about Odo but very little about his
people. Also the appearances of the female Founder who appeared to be
their leader didn`t change that. I could summarize their motives with
one sentence: Because the Founders were hunted and killed by the so-
called monoforms they decided to impose order, control over them as a
means of protection but also because they think they are better. I
always found this to be a bit too simplistic but understood that a TV
series would have to face a lot of restrictions to show the viewer what
is going on in the Great Link. This story definitely shows that using
the book form in order to tell a story offers possibilities a TV or
movie can`t offer, certainly not at the same degree.

"Olympus Descending" is full of surprises. That "newly formed" wasn`t
meant in the sense of newborn was unexpected and I agree with Odo`s
thoughts, that it explains a lot about the attitude of the Founders and
their belief in a god, the Progenitor. But it doesn`t explain all of it.
Not only Odo is able to think more independently, but Laas too. That
includes looking at the difference between the Bajoran belief in the
Prophet and the Founder`s belief in the Progenitor. What I found
striking is that the Founders had a lot of passion and went to a lot of
trouble when they built the Dominion, a strong means of oppression and
control of "monoforms". But on the other hand, they just accepted that
they don`t have children. For some reason, they were not waiting blindly
for their god to come and protect them from harm from monoforms but they
did it when it was about securing their future by being able to
procreate. I find this strange.

"If you help yourself, God will help you". This is also what I believe
in and the Bajorans do so as well. In spite of what the Founders did and
in spite of their fanatism I couldn`t help but to feel sorry for them,
although I mainly felt sorry for Odo and Laas. But I also remembered the
story in Worlds of DS9, book 1, the one in which we could see how hard
the Andorians are fighting to overcome their fertility problems. I could
also see that although there is still a lot of work to be done and the
danger is not past, there is progress and reason for hope. The Founders
built an empire of terror but it seems, it didn` t occur to them to use
the vast resources to try to find a solution themselves. They engineered
Jem`Hadar and Vorta but I am left with the feeling, they never tried to
help themselves, maybe because they were also so paranoid about the
idea, that their weakness will become common knowledge.

That makes me wonder again, maybe the Andorians would make even more
progress would they work with the rest of the Federation, even beyond.
My guess, here it is mainly misguided pride - but at least the Andorians
do something. I could read that it took the Founders a long time, even
centuries, before they decided to do anything in the past to at least
get the attention of their god. They were able to make quick decisions
when it is about their Dominion empire but otherwise were only in a
hurry when they thought that their Progenitor had returned. Species that
are unable and in the case of a sentient species, unwilling, to learn,
to adapt, to move forward are doomed to extinction. Maybe the Founders
will simply get what they deserve.

Near suicidal Founders, people who in many cases had been isolated
within the Great Link for centuries and who never experienced reality
themselves are suddenly leaving their home and will soon be scattered
around the galaxy. This is a very dangerous development indeed. I wonder
what they will do. I can imagine that some of these Founders will
eventually snap out of their depression and that their desperation will
change into hatred, into a burning desire to avenge the death of their
god. It wouldn`t surprise me if they won`t stop with the Ascendants but
blame monoforms in general as well.

Now Odo and Laas are indeed all that is left of the Dominion Founders if
you don`t count the female Changeling in prison. I would never have
thought it possible it could come to this! The task they have to deal
with is huge, much too big for them alone. That means, they have to
address the Federation. I don`t think there is another way. This power
vacuum needs to be addressed before other forces, like Klingons or
Romulans, will make their moves. But it also means, they have to deal
with Jem`Hadar and Vorta who suddenly lost their god and the order that
gave their lives meaning. I am afraid, as soon as what happens becomes
common knowledge, chaos will be the result. I think it is inevitable
that the Dominion empire will collapse now. The question is, can it be
done in a relatively orderly manner or will the result be a dreadful
bloodbath?

This brings me to the other character story in "Olympus Descending", the
one dealing with Taran`atar. I have the feeling, the intent was to show
us readers that Taran`atar hasn`t been turned into a more nice, more
harmless Jem`Hadar. He still is what he is. Look at what happened at the
beginning of "Olympus Descending" from his point of view: Taran`atar has
been ordered by a Changeling, to him a god, to live on DS9 so that he
can learn from them and eventually even understand them. He still
doesn`t, months later. He hates the place and most of the inhabitants.
More, he just discovered that he is starting to lose his strengths that
make him an efficient Jem`Hadar killer, that what enabled him to be an
effective servant of his gods.

Odo had, without really realizing it, put Taran`atar in an extremely
difficult position. The dream sequence very much hinted at it, showing
that Taran`atar had to choose what is the best way to serve his gods:
Obeying Odo and lose more of what makes him strong or disobey him and
preserve his assets, seeing Odo as a flawed god contrary to the female
Founder and what she represents. It wasn`t spelled out that way but I
think that was the dilemma Taran`atar was faced with and it was a choice
he simply wasn`t equipped to make. I have expected that some kind of
crisis would happen but that he turned against Kira with deadly force
surprised me when I read the spoilers - but only before I started
reading the story. Now I wonder if Taran`atar thought on an instinctive,
subconscious level, it is Kira`s fault that Odo became a flawed god.

I don`t think Kira will die, certainly not for good. One reason is, Kira
is one of the most important characters of the DS9 TV series and
although I can see that Paramount allows it to kill more minor TV
characters like Shakaar, I don`t think this would be allowed. It also
reminds me of a discussion I participated in recently: I don`t think it
will be a good idea to have to explain future readers why Kira can`t be
in DS9 Relaunch any more except in flashbacks. Also, who would replace
her? I can`t think of a good alternative. Not to mention my selfish
motive - I like her. She is my favourite female character in DS9 and I
most definitely want her to be around in the books!

I don`t want to start my usual rant again, therefore at this point I
just want to mention, drama doesn`t have to mean killing off characters,
especially as important ones as Kira. That doesn`t mean, there can`t be
consequences. Picard was stabbed into the chest and has to live with an
artificial heart. Maybe Kira could have to deal with similar problems,
maybe even with a lasting disability of some kind. I think it would be
interesting to explore something like that.

I am hoping that Taran`atar won`t be turned into the one dimensional
killers I found so uninteresting when watching DS9. What I found so
remarkable about this character is, that he IS a typical Jem`Hadar but
also so much more. He was and hopefully still will be a three
dimensional sentient being, an interesting personality. He is someone
who is in so many ways very alien but also someone I grew to care about.
His addition helped to make DS9 Relaunch so colourful and interesting.
Losing that would be a shame.

There are so many open questions, so many possibilities - One of them
is, who is the giant dead changeling? I immediately had to think of a
huge mother creature who had left its children behind. It could very
well be the progenitor of the Founders, but not a god but their parent.
And I also wonder, are there others of its kind?

Because I got book 3 first, I will continue with book 2 now. I am
confident that two more remarkable stories are waiting for me but
nevertheless, I am so curious how things will develop after "Olympus
Descending". If Marco did this in order to shake up the DS9 universe and
make it more interesting, he succeeded beyond my wildest imagination.

Baerbel Haddrell