Day 150: DS9, Shadows and Symbols

Show: Star Trek; Deep Space Nine

Episode Particulars: S7EP2, “Shadows and Symbols”

 Summary: After stumbling around for so long, all of the characters now have a goal to work towards. Worf, Bashir, O’Brien, and Quark have all teamed up with Martok to take down a Dominion shipyard both to bolster the war effort and to get Dax’s spirit into Sto-Vo-Kor (Klingon Valhalla). Kira, having learned that the Romulans have put torpedoes on a Bajoran planet that was meant to be used for a hospital, has gathered together what ships she can and has set up a blockade to prevent the last necessary torpedo part from reaching its destination. Most importantly, Sisko has found evidence that a secret Orb of the Prophets exists that may be able to open up the wormhole again, and he’s traveling to the planet of Tyree (which suspiciously is a very deserty planet with two suns) to try to find it. He’s joined on his quest by his father, his son…and a sort of ghost. It seems that the Dax symbiote took a turn for the worse on the way back to Trill and needed to be placed in a host immediately. The only one available was Ezri (Nicole de Boer), an assistant ship’s counselor and a Trill who had never wanted to be joined. Still trying to make sense of her new existence, Ezri went looking for Sisko, since two of her previous lives had some familiarity with him. Confused as she is, though, Sisko will take all the help he can get. And who knows, maybe the two of them will be able to help each other.

Standalone Thoughts: The payoff we were missing from yesterday’s episode comes in full force today, which is both a good and bad thing. At its best, it’s doing the Star Wars or Lord of the Rings thing where the editing jumps us between stories to keep the tension and pacing up. At its worst, it feels like there’s too much going on and that we need to slow down a little. All of the stories have good moments (although I think the Kira vs. the Romulans plot gets the least amount of attention and is wrapped up too quickly and conveniently), but sometimes it feels like we aren’t getting a chance to fully appreciate them. Giving the Worf plot its own episode might have been the way to go; then this episode would only have two stories to juggle, and all three of them might have been fleshed out better.

Digging into specifics, three things stand out about this episode, which I will address in no particular order. First, the episode features a surprise callback to “Far Beyond the Stars”, which seems a bit arbitrary at first but is eventually explained in a way that makes sense. Plus, it’s unexpected enough that you have no idea where everything’s going, which at least keeps the tension up. So while it’s not a perfect fit, it does work on the whole, and is just one more sign that the writers were trying to pull all their threads together.

Secondly, the whole thing about Sisko and the Prophets may rub some people the wrong way, for various reasons. While it was lightly foreshadowed in some of the middle seasons, the relationship Sisko has with the Prophets now is very clearly being modeled after an actual religion, and some people might not appreciate that (I for one think it’s an interesting development, albeit one that’s a bit rushed). Others may have a problem with the fact that the Prophets are messing with ordinary people’s lives for the sake of furthering their own ends. That argument I’m a little more on board with, but at the same time, it was established in the very first episode that the Prophets don’t perceive things the way we mere mortals do, so their concept of morality is no doubt very different from ours. We don’t have to like it, but at least we can understand it.

Finally, and most importantly, this episode serves as our official introduction to Ezri Dax. From what little poking around I’ve done, opinions on Ezri seem to be mixed, but personally, I liked her when I first watched it, and I like her now. Her first scene is a fantastic piece of writing and acting, giving us a quick, clear impression of what’s going on with her and, by extension, the arc she’ll be on for the rest of the season/show. Furthermore, Nicole de Boer just looks young and out of her depth, which sells the material even more. Everything surrounding the character this episode clicks, because while she mostly seems to be completely lost, there are moments when she pulls herself together and shows she’d be a good addition to the crew. It’s a great start for the character, and I’m looking forward to reseeing how it plays out from here.

How it Relates to the Whole: We learn way more about Sisko’s connection to the Prophets, which will tie in to the ending of the show if nothing else, Ezri obviously gets properly established, the wormhole situation gets resolved, and we finally learn the significance of the episode “Far Beyond the Stars”. Not a bad day’s work.

Other: *I did love the exchange between Kira and Admiral Ross over the Romulan torpedoes. Kira demands that Starfleet do something about it, and Ross basically responds that they sent a strongly worded letter asking the Romulans to stop. Bureaucracy at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. No wonder Kira took matters into her own hands.

*Since I believe this is the last time we see anything related to “Far Beyond the Stars”, now’s the time to say it; I really wish they could have found a place for Andrew Robinson in that universe. Given that he was one of the first supporting characters introduced in the show, it seems odd to leave him out. And I really want to know what he’d be. An actual tailor? A Russian-American that nobody fully trusts? Someone that the characters always see around but have no idea what he actually does for a living? There’s so much potential there, and I regret the missed opportunity.

Best Line/Exchange: Remember how I said Ezri’s introduction is well done? You don’t have to just take my word for it;

Ezri (talking a mile a minute): You’re probably asking yourself “Who is this person, how did she get the symbiont, do I even want another Dax in my life, does she always talk this much…?” These are all very good questions, and I wish I had good answers for you.

Sisko: The answers can wait. (smiles) Right now I’m just glad to see you.

Ezri: Really? (voice starts cracking) That is so nice of you to say. (Blinks rapidly) I’m not usually this emotional. It must be the Emony in me. (looks confused) At least I…I think it’s Emony.

In one scene, Ezri displays more flaws and personality quirks than Jadzia did in pretty much the entire show. That’s hyperbole, but not by much; this version of Dax is so much more relatable and realistic, and you sympathize with her situation almost immediately. She pretty much says she’s as lost and confused as the rest of the characters (and the audience) are, and it’s hard not to respond to that, even if it’s only a little. In my case, I see it as a positive sign of things to come.