A powerful season opener

Matt’s Take on Season 2, Episode 1: “The Homecoming”

This is quite an episode as it not only kicks off the season, but it also begins a several episode story arc involving a lot of political intrigue. We get our closest look into the messy world of Bajoran politics so far, and we see that the Cardassians are not the only threat to the fragile Bajoran state. And, of course, the extremist group known as the Circle, with their philosophy of “Bajor for Bajorans,” draws more disturbing parallels to our current historical circumstances. It is both impressive and distressing that Deep Space Nine’s writers proved to be so prescient. I suppose they were also drawing from the historical past which has a nasty habit of repeating.

The Seventy-Sixth Rule of Acquisition 

I absolutely love hearing the Rules of Acquisition, and it is a tragedy that we never get to find out all of them! This one seems to be purpose made to throw Odo for a loop:

“Every once in a while, declare peace – it confuses the hell out of your enemies.”

Odo seems suspicious that Quark would provide him with a tip, in this case about some smuggling of isolinear rods, and Rom is equally perplexed. Quark is able to flex his Ferengi muscles by quoting the above rule at Rom, once again flaunting his superior lobes over his poor brother. While I can’t help but feel bad for Rom in these earlier episodes as he is constantly beaten down by Quark, I must admit that Quark’s business acumen is impressive.

When Quark delivers Li Nalas’s earring to Kira, he seems disappointed that she rushes out immediately. Maybe he was expecting a lobe rub for his trouble?

Political Chaos and a Prison Break

One of the show’s major strengths is the sense of escalation and clear repercussions from the events of earlier episodes as we move forward. This is extremely rewarding for the audience, especially in an era where series often did not use serialized storytelling. It’s the major reason that DS9 is my favorite Star Trek series. Planet/alien of the week stories can be excellent as well, but the continuity here is addictive. 

Thanks to the loss of Opaka in a previous episode, Bajor is in turmoil. Li Nalas, a leader of the Bajoran Resistance, could bring stability to the planet, and this encourages Kira to get permission to take a runabout to save Li Nalas from a work camp on Cardassia IV. The pairing of O’Brien and Kira works remarkably well here. They both are willing to risk it all in order to complete this extremely dangerous mission which is interesting in light of O’Brien not having any personal allegiance to Bajor. The ruse that they come up with is very adult and believable, as O’Brien essentially poses as Kira’s pimp. The unwitting Cardassian overseer is lured in and, before we know it, Li Nalas is on his way home. Kira is especially cool in this entire sequence, and we get a look at her cunning and willingness to do whatever it takes to save Bajor from instability. She is the most driven of characters, and her intense religious faith matches her extreme patriotism. She holds dearly to everything Bajoran because she spent, and continues to spend, her life defending it.

Division of Labor

The scene at Quark’s where he is counting out profits with Rom and giving Rom only 1 of every 6 bars of latinum is priceless. I enjoy the economic and social labor themes that are at work here, as Rom starts to complain about this wealth distribution inequality. Of course Quark squashes this immediately by giving Rom only 1 out of every 7 from this point on. He is attacked by the Circle at this point, but I find this glimpse into Ferengi pure capitalism to be more compelling. It isn’t difficult to imagine Quark as a robber-baron in the Gilded Age, or in our current age, for that matter.

Those Who Seek Power …

There is an old quote that is attributed to Plato that goes something like “Those who seek power are not worthy of that power.” Li Nalas gives us a glimpse at what makes a great leader. He recognizes that the myth of who he is has eclipsed his actual self, and this rightfully causes his confidence to falter. He is exactly the type of man who should hold power; he does not seek it directly and recognizes his own failings. Imagine a leader like that.

Anyway, Sisko is able to convince him that the legend of Li Nalas is what the Bajorans really need at this historical moment, and so Li agrees to press forward. We get an end of episode shocker that Kira is being removed from her position at the station and replaced with Li Nalas, leading to a very tense “to be continued …” 

Overall, this is an impressive season opener, and I can’t wait to see what happens next week!

Return to Episode 2.1 Guide