We all have issues

The Alternate Investigates Familial Relationships

Jim’s Take on Episode 2.12: “The Alternate”

What has the universe come to when you can’t trust the Ferengi Seal of Dismemberment? I know Odo’s just doing his job here, but it’s Quark I feel for. I mean, what’s the poor guy supposed to do with 5,000 pieces of Plegg in his stockroom that aren’t even Plegg? It’s not Quark’s fault that this great Ferengi just doesn’t happen to be dead yet. Though “The Case of the Mislabeled Dead Ferengi” does give us a chance to see just how efficient, and full of dry wit, Odo is when policing the safety and security of the station. It’s good to have this reminder, because then his “dad” has to show up to ruin everything.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that EVERYONE has parent issues. No matter how well-intentioned the parents, everyone is at least a little screwed up by the mistakes made during their upbringing. We all bear the scars of those choices, but most of us overcome them and go on to be functional members of society, despite the many ways our parents messed us up. However, even the most successful and accomplished amongst us revert to childhood and relive all the damage done when we, as adults, have to deal with our parents. Some deal better than others, because some parents did less damage than others, but those issues are always there beneath the surface. Or maybe that’s just me…

Odo’s father figure, the scientist who “discovered” Odo and spent years studying him, is a Bajoran named Mora Pol. Dr. Mora, wonderfully played by actor James Sloyan, clearly has a great deal of affection for Odo, but he also can’t stop looking at him as an experiment. Like many parents, he struggles to see Odo as a fully realized individual who doesn’t need his help and guidance any more. Odo is immediately defensive in the presence of Dr. Mora. All the anger he still feels over his treatment as a “specimen” immediately comes to the surface and he resents the way Mora treats him as if he is still a “child,” if Odo ever was actually a child in the way we understand the term. Given any opportunity to do so, he is quick to point out that Dr. Mora is NOT his father. Though his choice to look very much like Mora, right down to the hair, does seem to indicate that this is not entirely true. Parent/child relationships are very complex and confusing, for both parents and children!

Rene Auberjonois always does a fantastic job conveying so much emotion through Odo’s make-up, counterpointing just how much Odo himself is trying to hide behind his placid face. 

The discovery made on the other side of the wormhole, which hints again that Odo may not be the only one of his kind, amps up Odo’s anger and feelings of helplessness. His desire to protect another lifeform that may be related to him from Mora’s study, his repressed feelings about his “childhood,” and the weird gas they encounter at the site of the ruins, all combine to release Odo’s repressed id as a “monster” on the prowl around the station. Odo doesn’t even realize that the “creature” he’s trying to track down is himself. His utter despair at the loss of control is heart-wrenching to watch. Rene Auberjonois always does a fantastic job conveying so much emotion through Odo’s make-up, counterpointing just how much Odo himself is trying to hide behind his placid face. 

Speaking of DNA, there’s quite a bit of Alien in “The Alternate’s” DNA. From O’Brien crawling through the vents in search of the mysterious creature, to the scene where it attacks Bashir in the infirmary, to the big reveal where we see just how terrifying Odo could be if he wasn’t on the side of good, there is a definite “horror in space” vibe that is fun and different for DS9. On a couple of unrelated notes: Sisko has the best PJs in Starfleet and I’m SURE the only reason Bashir hid Jadzia’s clothes was to keep her in the infirmary. Oh, Julian, you scamp. Is “My replicator or yours?” the best pickup line in Starfleet? It just might be! Also, O’Brien wants to reverse the polarity! That HAS to be a sneaky Doctor Who reference.

We may all have some serious residual issues from our childhoods, but if Odo and Dr. Mora can overcome their issues and reach an understanding, maybe there is hope for the rest of us. We should all learn to “speak in a voice loud enough” to be heard, hopefully without lashing out, damaging property, or scaring the people around us. Hopefully.