The obvious choices of Kafka and Orwell are certainly there, but I would suggest Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler as another influence,
The Cardassian trial is a show trial. Guilt or innocence have nothing to do with the verdict. The verdict is all, in the sense that it confirms the States control over what is right and what is wrong. The State gives comfort and it gives stability. The fact is that most people want a quiet life. They want to put bread on the table and they want to go to bed knowing that they will wake up to the same thing over and over again. Why do people vote or accept a voice with comforting platitudes? Because the alternative is believing in your own voice and being disappointed by it. Stalin knew that. Every tin-pot after him knows that, even the ones leading some countries today know that. Arthur Koestler understood that.
I give eight stars for Colm Meany and for Rosalind Chao (who really should have been given much more in the series). The story could have been a little less pat at the end and therefore I took away a star , but meh what can you do in 45 minutes!
The Cardassian trial is a show trial. Guilt or innocence have nothing to do with the verdict. The verdict is all, in the sense that it confirms the States control over what is right and what is wrong. The State gives comfort and it gives stability. The fact is that most people want a quiet life. They want to put bread on the table and they want to go to bed knowing that they will wake up to the same thing over and over again. Why do people vote or accept a voice with comforting platitudes? Because the alternative is believing in your own voice and being disappointed by it. Stalin knew that. Every tin-pot after him knows that, even the ones leading some countries today know that. Arthur Koestler understood that.
I give eight stars for Colm Meany and for Rosalind Chao (who really should have been given much more in the series). The story could have been a little less pat at the end and therefore I took away a star , but meh what can you do in 45 minutes!