Becca’s Take on Episode 3: “A Man Alone”
To start this out, I need you to know that I have been (affectionately) referring to Dr. Julian Bashir as “Doctor Stupid.” For example, my first note of this episode was “Dax is my favorite, I hope she shuts down Doctor Stupid.” She does, much to my delight. I reserve the right to change my mind about Julian, however for now, he is my least favorite of the main cast, if you can even call him that.
Luckily for me, the next scene hit me with a delightful insight about Klingons – namely there is such a thing as Klingon Opera. This shouldn’t have been a surprise (I knew about Klingon Poetry) but it was a delight, and I need more of it. I hope eventually I get to hear some.1 Odo on the other hand, is less enthused by the possibility.
My daydreams about Klingon Opera were interrupted by another informative segment of “Star Trek says Trans Rights!” I really resonated with a couple of lines from Dax in this episode, but specifically worth mentioning is “I suggest that you allow yourself to feel comfortable with your discomfort.” This line made me stop in my tracks and thank the creators for including a character that is so comfortable with herself and strong enough to educate others on how to deal with their own discomfort. Being part of a marginalized community is difficult, because on one hand, no one will know if you don’t educate, but on the other she doesn’t owe an explanation to anyone, it’s just part of who she is as a Trill. This resonated super strongly with me; I’ve been Dax in those situations with friends and sometimes it goes well, but sometimes “friendships don’t survive the change.” I am confident that Dax and Sisko will stay friends, and if they don’t I will be devastated. That being said, despite Odo shipping them in his conversation with Quark, I hope they don’t end up romantically involved. Only time will tell!
This ends up being an Odo-centric mystery episode, which I found delightful. I was a little bit worried that Odo had taken justice into his own hands. As a law student, his sense of justice had me raging – maybe it’s the American in me, but I am terrified of an Odo-monarchy on the promenade. I knew that he didn’t actually kill Ibudan,2 but I wasn’t expecting clones! That was pretty scary – knowing that that technology exists and could be used to frame someone for murder! Anyway, I am relieved that Odo did not kill him, and that we can keep seeing him on patrol in the promenade.
Speaking of Odo on the promenade, I need to take a little time to discuss the blossoming friendship of Odo and Quark. I really like this development, almost as much as seeing Jake get a little troublemaker friend. It gave me hope when I saw Quark defending Odo, and I can’t wait to see where their friendship goes. Listening to them spy on Sisko and Dax in the beginning of the episode sort of reminded me of a sitcom, and it was so fun to watch them try to figure out what is going on with Dax and Sisko (as we all are!).
So as it turns out, a man alone is actually a man – a clone! 😉 Stay tuned for more terrible puns!
Signing off – Becca H.
1 According to Wikipedia, there was a Klingon Opera performed in the Netherlands in 2010. I will do more research and report back, stay tuned. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BCu%CA%BC)
2 I definitely didn’t write “DID ODO KILL?!? It can’t be so!!!!” in my notes…
Return to Episode 3 Guide
Ponderings from the Promenade: A Journey through Star Trek Deep Space Nine 
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