Day 34: DS9, Paradise

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S2EP15, “Paradise”

 Summary: While investigating planets that might make for good colonies, O’Brien and Sisko discover a planet that already has humans on it. When they beam down to investigate, all their technology stops working. It turns out the humans they spotted suffered the same problem ten years ago and had a forced landing, and were forced to live off the land and fend for themselves. Thanks to the suggestions of Alixus (Gail Strickland), a philosopher of sorts, they’ve managed to create a nice, rustic community. However, Alixus seems to forbid the use of technology for anything, even things that could easily save people’s lives, and she and Sisko clash in increasingly nasty ways. That just leaves O’Brien and his technical knowhow to try to find a way out of the situation, and as is so often the case, things aren’t always as they seem…

Standalone Thoughts: I don’t really have much to say about this episode. Part of that is due to second-hand bias; this was one of the DS9 SFDebris reviews that I saw before conceiving of this project, and therefore I know that he hates this episode, though I cannot fully remember why. As a result, it colored my own viewing of the episode, and while I don’t dislike it at the same level that he does, I feel like knowing he disliked it made it harder to fully form my own opinions. Hence why I’m trying to stay away from previously published reviews or discussions about this show.

(On the bright side, this is the only episode that I think I’m going to have this problem with; all the other reviews I watched didn’t generate nearly as much passion, good or bad, as this one did, so my memory is fuzzier and I can therefore approach the material with relatively fresh eyes.)

That issue aside, the whole thing is kind of blah to me. It’s a little preachy, but it’s not bad enough that it leaves me annoyed (and thus capable of ranting about it for several paragraphs). Mostly what stands out to me are either strong acting moments, as discussed below, or moments that remind me of other media, even if it was unintentional (I’m thinking specifically of Bridge on the River Kwai and, oddly enough, an episode of My Little Pony). And the ending does make me raise an eyebrow, but the episode didn’t really give me enough reason to care one way or the other. So while it’s not the worst episode DS9’s ever put out, it’s definitely not a particularly good one, either.

How it Relates to the Whole: I don’t think there’s anything particularly relevant here. There’s no follow-up to this episode, and I don’t think any of the small character beats we get have any real impact on what follows. About the only thing that may come into play later is the discussion at the beginning of the episode that suggests that Jake’s being prepped to enter Starfleet, and even that could have just been some filler dialogue and not meant to go anywhere. They can’t all be essential viewing, of course, but I hope we get something with a little more importance soon.

Other: *O’Brien tells us that in his early Starfleet career, he “didn’t know a transporter from a turbolift.” While I know we’re not meant to take it that seriously (and “doesn’t know an x from a y” is a common phrase), using two very common (for Star Trek) devices to proclaim his ignorance doesn’t make O’Brien look very good. This is one case where technobabble might have made the situation better.

*One of the villagers asks Sisko what the current Starfleet fashions are like. Naturally, I responded with “Ugly.” Probably unfair of me (and I’ll admit that most of the terrible fashions I showcased came from men, not women), but I couldn’t resist.

*There’s a scene near the climax where O’Brien confronts a former engineer, Joseph (Steve Vinovich) and asks him to look the other way while O’Brien does some investigating. Joseph refuses, and what follows is a small but powerful scene where they figure out a workaround without spelling it out. In a different context, it might actually have been a tearjerker. For all that the rest of the episode left me cold, that scene was really good.

Best Line/Exchange: Yet another episode I couldn’t find much to work with. I guess this will have to do;

(Sisko wants to try to get medical supplies from the runabout to cure a sick villager. Alixus disagrees with him)

Alixus: Talk like that isn’t constructive.

Sisko: I’m talking about saving the life of one of your followers.

Alixus: You don’t understand us yet. No one follows me, they follow their own hearts.

Sisko: My heart tells me to try to get back to my ship.

Alixus: I’m sure it does. But if we’d had that attitude for the last ten years, we wouldn’t have been doing what was necessary to survive here. To find the plants, herbs, molds that cure disease. We’ve conquered seventeen illnesses with the most powerful resource man has; his ingenuity.

Sisko: An interesting philosophy. And while we’re debating it, a woman is dying.

Alixus: We’re doing everything we can for her.

Sisko: No we’re not!

Sisko’s curt, to the point responses are well-acted, which basically makes this one of the few moments that stood out to me. It’s not much, but it’s all I’ve got today.

After the Fact Update: Several people in the DS9 Companion admit that they had trouble finding the right balance regarding Alixus and her beliefs. Which may explain why it’s hard for me to come down one way or the other on it.