Whacky Plot, Awesome Character Dynamics

Matt’s Take on Episode 3: “A Man Alone”

The most striking point about “A Man Alone” is that it starts to establish character dynamics so much faster than I remembered. The plot is a bit whacky, but I’m willing to forgive that thanks to the interesting character coupling here; although Quark would be disappointed that it was not that kind of coupling. What I’m referring to is that there are a number of duos established or strengthened in this episode that will endure throughout the series.

Playing games in the holosuite (and with Julian’s emotions):

Jadzia and Bashir are a couple that I really root for even though I might be alone in this. For whatever reason, I have read that many people found Bashir to be incredibly annoying early on in the series, but he never seemed that way to me. I tend to prefer characters who have a little bit of a high opinion of themselves, whether it’s deserved or not. In his case, I would argue that it is, despite the fact that he is clearly out of his depth with Jadzia. He fails miserably to impress her here, and I can’t help but feel bad for him! I am a Bashir apologist at heart, and he will become one of the more intriguing characters as things progress; mark my words!

Coupling at Quark’s:

One of my favorite relationships in the series, that of Quark and Odo, gets off to a very strong start here as Quark ogles Dax and Odo launches into a monologue about his mistrust of “coupling.” This scene made me realize that, in a Freudian sense, Quark is very much representative of the id, whereas Odo is the superego. Quark wants cheap and dirty profit, he is often intrigued by the women of Starfleet, and he’s always willing to take a calculated risk. Odo, on the other hand, is the living embodiment of justice on the station. Although after watching this episode, we will see the distinction in his mind regarding justice versus legality!

We also see Dax and Sisko working out the details of their new/old friendship as they grapple over what it means for Dax to be Jadzia and Curzon at the same time. This is a fascinating aspect of the Trill, and it will continue to develop from here. I wish that I could benefit from the knowledge and skills of past lifetimes!

However, Miles and Keiko are the ones really causing the scene in this scene. Their very public fight is the catalyst of Quark and Odo’s conversation about coupling, and also the genesis of my enduring dislike of Keiko O’Brien. It is a terrible shame that the one major character who is married has to be part of such a thankless and grating relationship. Miles deserved better! And Keiko did too (from the writers, anyway).

Meanwhile on the Promenade …

Jake and Nog begin their friendship on the Promenade after the scene in Quark’s bar, and I have to say that the relationship between these two is my favorite involving children on any Star Trek series. The prank that they play here is the first of many adventures, and I’m looking forward to reliving them. Cirroc Lofton has the rare gift of being a child actor that one can actually enjoy watching!

Investigating in Odo’s Office:

Quark and Odo get a second moment as Quark brings in some information, and I can’t help but wonder if a part of Odo was sincere when he asked Quark if he could use a shape-shifter in his organization. Regardless, we see the begrudging and deep respect that is developing between the two and how they are able to work together despite their supposed dislike of each other. There’s a really fun cat and mouse dynamic to their friendship. Enemyship? Frenemyship??

Differentiated instruction in Keiko’s one-room schoolhouse:

As a teacher, I’m a little annoyed with Keiko’s school. She is not a teacher! She doesn’t have a teaching degree; she’s a botanist! Surely Starfleet can find someone who is actually qualified to do this job? We have enough trouble with people who aren’t teachers thinking that they understand the profession in the current day; we don’t need that problem to persist to the 24th century!

In the end:

I am not terribly interested in the plot for this episode, as it is a little far-fetched and full of questions at the end … like what’s the deal with the clone and him simply being released to live on Bajor? There are a lot of risks and unanswered questions there! This episode’s real strengths are the character relationships and the audience’s growing familiarity and comfort with the various parts of the station, especially Quark’s bar. We are starting to make this space station our home!

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