'Ashes to Ashes' Discussion Thread

Started by Grizz, October 18, 2014, 06:01:46 PM

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How would you rate 'Ashes to Ashes?'

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Grizz

There has to be a major death this season, I told myself, but it can't be as ceremonious as previous major deaths. It has to be sudden and without (immediate) meaning. But who? Who would be blown away by Denara Clarke on the dusty surface of Rajusca?

The answer came to me...

The most important man on Pioneer. The man we turn to for inspiration and guidance. The man who gives us all hope and spreads good cheer in times of despair and crisis. The man who protects us and heals us. The man who keeps us healthy and whole. Timothy Rogan has to die.

After informing Andzzy of this decision, I set about writing 'Ashes to Ashes' - and it was something else entirely. But it was wrong. It was nothing but ceremonious. How could I write out the longest serving and most identifiable character in the Accobar system and make it anything but ceremonious? I couldn't. Could I? Perhaps I could? Ultimately, it all came down to a rewrite. It was all building to that final scene and by the time Mason beamed down on Rajusca - I had made up my mind.

Michael Barnes was going to die.

Yes, regrettably, the Security Officer turned Executive Officer - spanning Asteroid Base and Asteroid Field - has been taken away from us at the hands of a now surely unredeemable villain. Recruited by Renee Hampton for the Pioneer Project, Barnes' first command position was turned upside down when his predecessor sacrificed himself, due to Griffiths' premature departure from the series. It was an event which elevated Barnes to second-in-command, and it was even briefly rumored that he was being lined up for the top job after Hampton's departure (telling Barnes to watch over Pioneer for her).

I'm sure it won't be the last we see of SFC3 playing Michael Barnes. When has death ever stopped anybody in this series? But I can assure that it wasn't a trick. Michael Barnes is dead - and I thank SFC3 for playing the character in his three distinct roles over the years. Hopefully SFC won't hate me enough to abandon the series  :sweat:

Looking forward, it remains to be seen how Barnes' death turns the tables on the crew. But we also have to ask a question - one which I would love to see you answer here, in this thread:

Who was ultimately responsible for Michael Barnes' death?

Is it obvious? Was game-playing Mason's elaborate hijacking of Starfleet's plan and deception of Clarke a fatal mistake from the start? Or was it a risk worth taking in the face of almost certain death as a result of Starfleet Command's reckless operation to disable the Halkonian cruisers. On top of which, should Costello have gone along with the Captain's plans, and was she too slow when it came to beaming up the crew? Or were there too many variables, keeping it just a needless act on the part of Denara Clarke?

I look forward to your answers - and I hope some of you spotted the hints as to what Mason was up to throughout the episode. The less some people know, the better they will look afterwards. Thanks for attending, rate and discuss, above and below!