Day 58: DS9, Life Support

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S3EP13, “Life Support”

 Summary: As Jake and Nog wrestle with cultural differences in the wake of a disastrous double date, a bigger disaster is brewing in the Infirmary. A shuttle accident has seriously injured Vedek Bareil, which is a problem because he was the driving force behind a peace treaty with Cardassia that might go a long way towards undoing the damage left in the wake of the occupation. Bareil actually dies on the operating table, but some quick thinking and unorthodox tactics on Bashir’s part bring him back. Unfortunately, said tactics lead to one complication after another, and while Bashir thinks the best course of action would be to put Bareil in stasis until they can find a solution, both Bareil and Kai Winn (who is the face of the negotiations while Bareil does all the behind the scenes work) want to see the treaty through, no matter what happens to Bareil. While Bareil’s mind is made up, everyone else has to grapple with what’s more important; the treaty, or Bareil’s condition.

Standalone Thoughts: After the mediocre at best “Past Tense”, this is exactly the antidote I needed. DS9 has returned to form, with moral dilemmas that don’t feel preachy, excellent character work, a willingness to take risks, and a little humor mixed in to keep things from getting too grim. Good to have you back, guys.

What I like about this particular moral dilemma is that pretty much all of us can relate to it, instead of the more nebulous concepts like “what political side should we support?” or “what method should we use to stop a catastrophe?” In this case, the dilemma boils down to “how far are you willing to go to keep yourself alive when you have a terminal condition?”, which also winds up applying to the loved ones of the sick person as well. I’m sure almost all of us have had to deal with that question, if not with a person, then with a pet, and while most of us will agree that we shouldn’t prolong the suffering, sometimes it’s hard to decide when to let go. When the patient themselves is able to give an opinion, that just complicates matters even further. There aren’t a lot of right answers here, and I think this episode brings up the various aspects of the dilemma and handles them very well.

Then there’s the character material. Even though it might not be obvious, since the focus is on Bareil, Winn, and the peace talks, this is Bashir’s episode, and he’s so very good in it. He doesn’t get a big “acting” moment—he’s relatively subdued in most of his scenes—but when you actually pay attention to him, you realize he’s doing a lot of heavy lifting. He has to spout a lot of technobabble to explain what’s going on, but he also has to repeatedly be the bearer of bad news, argue about the merits of the various procedures that could keep Bareil alive, and keep Kai Winn from overexerting Bareil and making the situation even worse. In other words, Siddig has to repeatedly cycle between determination, regret, quiet anger, and sympathy, and he makes it look effortless. The episode’s probably worth rewatching just to appreciate the performance.

All the other major players do good work, too. Kai Winn actually seems concerned and helpful through most of the episode, though there’s a lot of material that shows she’s got ulterior motives. Philip Anglim pretty much has to play Bareil as a determined but suffering patient, but he does it fine. And Visitor, of course, really sells Kira’s pain, especially as we near the end of the episode. No complaints from me on the acting score here.

While I do have some complaints about the episode, they’re relatively minor ones. The Jake and Nog subplot is fine (I particularly like the way Jake resolves the situation), and as I said, it provides some humor to keep the episode from getting too dark, but looking back, it is a little jarring compared to the rest of the episode. In the main plot itself, the fact that we haven’t really been talking about the Bajoran situation up till now does rob the episode of some of its impact, though the script and the acting get the point across anyway. And while it’s a minor thing, I wish we could have had one more Bareil episode before this one, because his last appearance was in “Fascination”, where he was ignoring Kira for Dax. An episode where we could see him as the good, caring man who wanted to help Bajor would probably have made this episode hit all the harder. But like I said, these are small quibbles in the face of a very strong story, and I’ve mostly got nothing but praise for all involved.

How it Relates to the Whole: While I’m not sure if the treaty the entire episode revolves around winds up becoming relevant later on, it does give us more of a look at Kai Winn and how she operates, which will become relevant. The episode also takes Bareil out of the picture, which doesn’t change any dynamics but will allow for later plot developments. We’re just going to have to wait awhile for these developments to materialize.

Other: *While I do like the Nog and Jake subplot on the whole, the way it starts has its problems. Jake runs into a girl named Leanne (Lark Voorhies) on the Promenade, they talk as if they’ve known each other for a while, then they set up a date. However, we’ve never seen or heard of this girl before, which makes this feel like a bad retcon. I suppose they had to have known each other for the subplot to work, but I wish the writers could have found some way to make this seem less out of the blue.

*In an unexpected move, Kira has changed her hairstyle midway through the season. In yesterday’s episode, it looked like this;

 

…and today, it looks like this;

It’s very similar, but also unquestionably softer and more styled. I’ll have to see if it sticks around (unlike Dax’s bun from the start of the season), but on the whole, I’d say it’s not a bad change. It shows that Kira’s starting to loosen up a little, though she still has a practical, easy to care for hairstyle (the DS9 Companion once said that she’d have a hairstyle that required almost no care, one that would be ready to go even if she just rolled out of bed). Like I said, it’s an odd choice to make this change in the middle of the season, but I don’t object to it.

*This one’s an out of universe tidbit that I forgot to mention yesterday in my haste to put “Past Tense” behind me. The Next Generation’s last episode, “All Good Things…” aired on May 23^rd, 1994, leaving DS9 the only new Star Trek on the air, with two more episodes to go to close out Season Two. On January 16^th, 1995, Voyager debuted with “Caretaker”. Which means that DS9 only got fourteen episodes to itself before it once again had to share time with another Star Trek. And even worse, its last solo outing was “Past Tense, Part 2”. There’s a reason I sometimes think of DS9 as the forgotten middle child, and this is very much a part of why.

Best Line/Exchange: There wasn’t much of a contest this time around. In fact, I’d kind of picked my choice out before I even started watching the episode;

(Bashir is attempting to get Kai Winn to ease up on Bareil for the sake of Bareil’s health)

Bashir: Eminence…You’re the Kai. These are your negotiations. Let this be your moment in history. Finish the talks on your own, and you won’t have to share the credit with anyone.

Winn: You say that as though success is guaranteed.

Bashir: Of course. If the talks fail, you need someone to accept the blame. A scapegoat. You’re a coward. You’re afraid to stand alone.

Winn: Bareil’s already made his decision, Doctor. I won’t interfere. (Bashir starts to leave) And Doctor? (Bashir turns to look at her) I won’t forget what you said here.

Bashir: Neither will I.

The reason why I was so sure of my choice is because I remember adoring the entire scene where Bashir confronts Kai Winn when I first watched it, and my opinion hasn’t changed that much. As I’ve said before, Bashir being authoritative (but not cruel) is very attractive to me, so his tone in this scene is already enough to make me like it. What makes this even better, though, is that he’s brave enough to stand up to Kai Winn and tell her to her face that he knows her game. That last line shows that he’s willing to accept the consequences of doing this, and isn’t going to back down. Perceptive, strong morals, and just a hint of manipulation…it’s no wonder I’m attracted to the guy. I honestly think this is Bashir’s best moment in the entire series, and while I’ll be happy to be proven wrong, honoring it here and now seems entirely appropriate.