Jim’s Take: Episode 4 “Babel”
Locomotive wiggles green pajamas. Scandinavia? Canterbury socks fly blueberry pumpernickel! Candle skies…alright, I’ll stop. But I’m not going to lie to you, part of me is REALLY tempted to just fill a page with “Babel” virus inspired nonsense. It’s fun throwing random words together on the page, but that joke would probably wear thin really quickly. Instead, let’s talk about some of the other important stuff going on in this episode.
We are only a few episodes into DS9 and I’ve already had reason to discuss how eerily prescient many of the ideas being addressed by this show, that’s almost three decades old, have been. Here we are again, hitting powerfully close to home during the age of COVID with an episode where the chief threat is a virus. A virus that starts with food products and quickly becomes airborne. A virus that affects some people much more quickly than others and that proceeds to take most of the essential personnel out of play so there aren’t enough people to keep vitally important services running. Restaurants and shops all have to be closed, much to the dismay of business owners and at least one hard-headed freighter captain refuses to acknowledge quarantine and causes problems for everyone around him.That all sounds terribly familiar and I continue to be impressed by how accurately DS9’s writers envisioned the way this scenario could play out.
The other aspect of this episode that really stands out is that both the writers and the cast have really locked-on to our ensemble of characters. There were a few early wobbles, but every character feels very clearly defined and the actors have obviously worked out exactly who they are and how to play their part.
O’Brien is a lovable, overworked, indispensable, slightly grumpy, everyman/genius. He feels like the heart of the station already and also the heart of the show.
Bashir has grown up and settled in. He gets to shine as a competent and caring physician, even if he is a little bit too enthusiastic about meeting the “brilliant” creator of this awful virus. He is also humbled a little when he succumbs to the virus before he can finish his search for a cure.
Odo is so clearly a great big softie behind all of his gruff, grumbly, tough-guy act. He dearly loves antagonizing Quark, but he is also quick to defend him when the need arises. The look of conflicted terror in his eyes when he realizes that he has to essentially run the station and save the day from an exploding cargo ship is very telling! This episode makes clear that he has a deep desire to help others and to be accepted, but also a real fear of being rejected or seen as the very kind being he really is.
Kira gets to be a detective, but also a legit badass who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I’m pretty sure Starfleet would not approve of the approach she uses to force Dr. Surmak Ren to help her cure the virus, but you can’t deny that she gets results! When Odo says, “Let her go, Sisko. She’s all we’ve got,” he’s correct in more ways than one. Give Kira a chance and she will make things happen, for sure.
And Quark, as he will continue to do, just jumps right in and steals the show. He, of course, considers himself an essential service during quarantine, and just goes ahead and makes everything so much worse! We learn never to underestimate the Ferengi immune system, never to underestimate Quark’s desire to turn a profit, and that he always gets all the best lines. Armin Shimerman brings so much enthusiasm to everything Quark does, you just can’t help but love him. When he realizes that Odo needs him to help save the station, he is so beside himself with smug glee that you can’t help but love the little rascal.
In the end, this is a fun episode with an all-too-relatable central threat and a ton of great character moments that build the relationships of the main cast. One excellent little final touch is the (probably) intentionally cheesy closing moment after the tense and doom-laden depths of despair, where Sisko sips his replicated coffee, does a hilarious spit-take, and shouts “O’Brien” threateningly at our poor beleaguered Chief. I love it so fluorescent. Dimples? Calibrated Wednesday christening implant! Krampus nickels.
Return to Episode 4 Guide
Continue to Rhonda’s Take
Ponderings from the Promenade: A Journey through Star Trek Deep Space Nine 
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