Sloan, We Barely Knew Ya...

But what we saw, we liked. A lot. Though we met him late in the series, and only saw him in three episodes, Sloan was one of the most fascinating recurring characters to have ever appeared on DS9. He was intelligent, cunning, manipulative, devious, and charming. And he wasn't even a Cardassian. Sloan was a human, portrayed by the marvelous William Sadler. A member of a top secret Federation intelligence organization known as Section 31, Sloan was a man who believed he was acting in the best interests of the Federation by violating the principles upon which the Federation was built as a means of upholding them. He believed so completely in the rightness of his cause he was willing to destroy anyone who posed a threat to undermining that cause--including himself.

We first met Sloan in season six's powerful "Inquisition." As Bashir's tormentor, we were drawn in by his relentless pursuit of a confession. As Sloan built his case, the audience, like Bashir, was made to seriously doubt the good doctor's innocence. Once the inquisition was over and the charade revealed (Sloan was posing as a deputy director with Internal Affairs, and Bashir was unknowingly in a holosuite throughout most of the episode), we were further intrigued by Sloan's attempts to recruit Bashir into Section 31. The organization, as shrouded in mystery as the man who worked for them, was described as doing whatever was necessary to protect the Federation. Yikes. So much for the Federation's good-guy persona.

Sloan turned up a year later in the highlight of season seven, "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges." This time he wanted Bashir's assistance in spying on the Romulans during a conference on their homeworld. Ignoring Bashir's protests that he didn't work for Sloan and brazenly dismissing his previous persecution of Bashir as a "test," he enlisted the doctor's aid and proceeded to manipulate Bashir completely while pursuing his own agenda. By the end of the episode, lives were ruined, trusts broken, faiths shaken, and Sloan's Machiavellian plan was a resounding success. The man in black waltzed out the door, and once again the audience wanted to see more of him.

Unfortunately, Sloan's last appearance in "Extreme Measures" proved to be one of the biggest let-downs of season seven. What made Sloan so intriguing his first two appearances--his caution, his ability not to get caught (unless he wanted to), his proven success of pulling the wool over Bashir's eyes--were painfully ignored this time around. The writers set Sloan up to stupidly walk right into a very obvious trap. The moral

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