Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Episode
Particulars: S3EP15, “Destiny”
Standalone
Thoughts: While the episode is fine, I’m mostly indifferent to it. While a
large part of the plot supposedly revolves around Sisko being uncomfortable in
his role as the Emissary, I never really felt that uncomfortableness. Odo
brings it up partway through the episode, and it actually seemed to come out of
nowhere to me, which should tell you something about how it was being handled. We
get a little more mileage out of Kira being conflicted over her duties as an
officer and her devotion to her faith, but that’s only present for a few
scenes. Most of the episode just kind of goes through the motions, mixing
technobabble with some culture clash. And while I do like the culture clash,
since we learn more about Cardassian society, I don’t know if it’s enough to
carry the episode. The fact that I’m struggling to come up with more to say on
the matter probably sums it up, I think. Probably best to just cut my losses
and hope tomorrow’s episode offers me more material.
How it Relates to
the Whole: It’s hard to say at the moment. Clearly, the new treaty is being
treated as a plot point, and I suspect it will come into play when things
really kick off, but I’m not certain on that. Also, the events at the end of
the episode seem like they could be important, but I don’t know if they play a
role either. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Other: *It’s
worth noting that Kira doesn’t automatically agree that the “vipers” mentioned
in the prophecy are Cardassians. Given that “viper” has a negative connotation
and how she’s felt about Cardassians in the past, it’s interesting that she
doesn’t assume the worst. Later on, when she starts to think the prophecy is
coming true, she still doesn’t seem to suspect the Cardassians of doing
anything bad, just that there could be a risk to the wormhole. It’s fairly
subtle, but I’m pretty sure that this is intentional character development.
Well done.
*Something that occurred to me during this episode: why
is Bajor’s government still a “provisional government”? It’s been three years,
and there was an election for the new Kai. Surely things have improved enough
on the planet that they can set up a proper government? Granted, I’m not well
versed in how governments work, but based off the Wikipedia article I read,
Bajor’s probably past the point where they need a provisional government. Well,
maybe that comes into play later too.
*Apparently, most Cardassian scientists are female,
because the men don’t have a head for it. I like this subversion, partly
because I like awesome female characters in general, but also because it’s a
subtle reaction against the whole “STEM fields are men’s domain” thing. Maybe
I’m reading too much into it, but regardless, I approve of more female
characters.
*Today we learn that Cardassians consider arguing to be a
form of either flirting or foreplay, depending on how you want to interpret the
dialogue. Speaking as a human, I cannot imagine how that’s practical. Sure,
polite arguments where you disagree on something but talk it out rationally
might make sense, because you can appreciate the other’s logic, intelligence,
and passion for the subject, but starting out your relationship by angrily
snapping at each other doesn’t seem like the healthiest beginning. But like I
said, I’m human, and this probably makes perfect sense for Cardassians. I just
wish I could actually see it in action; maybe then it would make more sense.
Best
Line/Exchange: Surprisingly, while I enjoy the whole scene with Quark in
the teaser because of its humor, I’m going to go for a more serious bit this
time;
Sisko: Are you
suggesting that I’m dismissing this prophecy too easily because I don’t want to
be the Emissary?
Odo: I’m not
suggesting anything. But it’s been my experience that all humanoids have an
agenda of some sort, and that their agendas can influence them without their
even realizing it.
Odo is, of course, absolutely right. But I’m also picking
this because, a little before this moment, Sisko denied he had an agenda, since
he wanted the peace treaty to succeed. The thing is, I’m pretty sure that is an agenda, just a more positive one.
So while Odo was talking in the context of Sisko being the Emissary, it could
just as easily apply to the early moment too. Intentional or not, I appreciate
the double meaning.
After the Fact
Update: This particular update’s going to be a little different. The DS9 Companion admits this episode went
through several rewrites, but there’s another book that tells a slightly
different story. I happen to own a copy of the book Screenplays; How 25 Scripts Made it to a Theater Near You—For Better or
Worse by David S. Cohen*, and the introduction to the book contains Cohen’s
own personal experiences with screenwriting…including his work on this episode.
According to Cohen, the original draft of “Destiny” placed much more emphasis
on Sisko and his role as the Emissary, but the producers didn’t like elements
of the plot, hence the rewrites. By the time the episode actually aired, “they
mentioned the prophecy but somehow left out the information that the Emissary
had a role to play in that prophecy, so as far as I’m concerned the episode
makes no sense. Buncha guys running around trying to stop Sisko from doing
something, without ever saying why it matters whether he does it or not.” A
quick rewatch of the scene with the prophecy does indeed confirm this. So this
is a roundabout way of saying that I found a reason why the Emissary side of
this story doesn’t feel as fleshed out as it could have been.
*I swear, I got this book years before I even started
this project. When I did start the
project, I happened to remember Cohen talking about Star Trek in the introduction, and pulled it out again to confirm. Admittedly,
this may have impacted my feelings on the episode slightly before I even
watched it, but finding another source was exciting to me, and I wanted to
share it. Makes me wonder if there are other hidden tidbits out there.
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