Day 163: DS9, Badda-Bing Badda-Bang

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S7EP15, “Badda-Bing Badda-Bang”

Note: This is the last time in this show that episodes were swapped around. As usual, I will report on the explanation for it whenever it comes up in the DS9 Companion.

 Summary: Something’s gone wrong with the Vic Fontaine program. In an attempt to keep the program from getting too boring, the designer inserted a random element to shake things up, which in this case means Vic getting bought out by old rival Frankie Eyes (Robert Miano) and possibly getting booted out of Vegas altogether. Since the DS9 crew can’t delete the characters or reset the program without deleting Vic’s memories of being a hologram, they’ll need to find some other way to get the new characters out of the picture. Eventually, they settle on an unorthodox method; rob the casino and make it look like Frankie’s taking more than his fair share. Since Vic’s gained a lot of friends in the past year, it’s not hard to rope in people to help. It doesn’t quite add up to eleven, but nine should be more than enough for their purposes.

Standalone Thoughts: I’m afraid I cannot be wholly subjective about this episode. This is because I love good heist movies, especially if they have a lot of moving parts and brilliant executions/improvisations. And this episode has that in spades. We actually get to see two heists, the hypothetical perfectly executed heist, and the actual heist where they encounter setbacks and have to work around them. Throw in scenes of them planning the heist, jazzy music, and pretty much everybody looking good in period costume, and I was all but destined to love this episode. Furthermore, I don’t even want to talk about it too much, so you can experience it for yourself. Where’s the fun in telling you why it’s brilliant when you can just see it for yourself?

That being said, I do have one quibble, and that’s the brief conflict midway through the episode involving Sisko. Sisko can’t understand why everybody (including his girlfriend Kasidy) seems so intent on helping Vic out, and is a bit put out by it. I can kind of understand this, and if the conflict came from Sisko telling everybody to get back to work, then I’d probably be fine with it. But instead, it turns out that Sisko’s biggest problem with Vic’s program is that it’s an unrealistic portrayal of the way things were in the early 60’s, especially with regards to race. The episode basically screeches to a halt to moralize at us for a few minutes, then Kasidy drops a few platitudes and suddenly Sisko’s entirely on board with this plan for no apparent reason. It’s fortunately short enough that it doesn’t put a damper on the episode, but since it doesn’t really serve any purpose (although I will admit it’s somewhat in character for Sisko), I think it would have been better to excise it entirely and find some other way to get Sisko involved in the heist.

That one thing aside, this is a good episode if you’re in the mood for something light, and a magnificent episode if you like heist movies. It’s smart, fun, and fast-paced; what more can you ask for?

How it Relates to the Whole: This episode has nothing to do with the Dominion War, and the only connection it has to previous episodes is the fact that Nog immediately wants to help Vic out because of what happened in “It’s Only a Paper Moon”. But unlike a lot of the other episodes this season that have served no purpose, I don’t much care. Sometimes, content trumps context.

Other: *I do question the fact that Odo seems enthralled by the sexy dancers on stage in an early scene. It doesn’t seem wholly in character for him. Then again, maybe we should just read that as him having developed something of a libido now that he’s in a relationship with Kira…

*I’ve checked this multiple times, but I’ve done it one last time to make it official; this episode aired on February 24^th, 1999. The Ocean’s Eleven remake was first announced in January 2000, and was actually released on December 7^th, 2001. Which means that, even though it looks to a modern audience like the episode was riffing on the era of the original Ocean’s 11 while using the remake’s style and sensibilities, it appears to actually predate the very concept of the remake by nearly a year. If anything, Steven Soderbergh was the one who was taking inspiration. And I can’t blame him if he did.

Best Line/Exchange: Much as I love this episode, there aren’t a lot of great lines. I guess this will have to do;

(Frankie Eyes is putting the moves on Kira)

Kira: You’re very sure of yourself.

Frankie: Well, doubt is for losers.

Kira: And quite a philosopher.

Frankie: Well, I’m thinking of writing a book.

Kira: What’s the title?
Frankie: Well, maybe you could help me think one up.

Kira: My talents lie in other directions.

Frankie: Good title! Mind if I use it?
Kira: I’d say you already paid for it. (referring to him helping her win at Blackjack)

Frankie: So what do you say we hit the roulette table and see if I can’t buy Chapter One?

On the one hand, it’s a weird pickup line. On the other, speaking as both a writer and a fan of banter, I kind of like it. I might even go so far as to say someone using a similar line on me might actually get my attention. Though whether or not it’s because I’m interested or because I’ve spotted a fellow DS9 fan depends entirely on their execution.