Odo most revealed as he dissembles

Rhonda’s Take on Episode 17:  “Dramatis Personae”

The title of this episode, “Dramatis Personae,” declares for us that our characters will be playing roles, not just their usual characters. The roles they play seem both against type and deeply revealing at the same time: Sisko no longer cares for the station in his obsession to build a clock; Kira turns everything into innuendo as she manipulates those around her; O’Brien chooses sides without question and is willing to play the long game; Bashir seems willing to support whichever side might win; and Dax…well, Dax’s 300 year life span turns her into a reminiscing, possibly high, goofball. However, it is Odo that is most revealed in this episode. Previously, he’s told us that he never got the hang of the humanoids’ ability to “dissemble.” Yet here, he dissembles with skill as he manipulates both sides into trusting him so that he can trap the psychic energy inhabiting them.

One thing I’ve always remembered about Deep Space Nine was the length of the pre-credits teasers. As we rewatched this season, I noted that each episode gave us three setups before the title sequence. This episode is definitely the shortest teaser so far, while there are three story beats, the entire pre-credit sequence occurs on the command deck. It opens with Kira asking Sisko to deny the Valerians docking privileges because they ran weapons for the Cardassians and she is sure they still are.  As they move from Sisko’s office into Ops, Dax announces to O’Brien that Keiko has landed safely on Bajor with her student field trip (in case we forgot that O’Brien has a wife who runs the school on the station). The action then quickly ramps up as the wormhole opens and a Klingon vessel not due for another month emerges and explodes. O’Brien and Dax demonstrate how they make such a great team as she shouts a suggestion and he shouts, “I’m already there!” They beam a Klingon aboard who dies shouting, “Victory!” and Bashir declares, “He’s dead.”

A neat little package: Kira’s request, of course, will become the basis for the intrigue to follow and the Klingon’s death shout gives us the clue of what sets the intrigue in motion.

Post credits we are only mildly curious as Sisko gives the name and rank of the Klingon and the team wonders about why the Klingon would shout “Victory” when they were only on a bio-survey. If everything is normal though, why does Dax remain seated, smiling, and laughing instead of jumping up to follow O’Brien? Immediately, we are ready to see the drama unfold!

While everything that follows between our station leaders will be dismissed by the end as part of an infection, the drama itself provides a satisfactory addition to our DS9 experience. The episode also provides a fascinating study in the machinations of power, the ability for authority to demand blind support from those in its command, and the ease with which the proletariat are convinced by false narratives. In our modern, “Post Truth,” times, this episode has added resonance.

The shorter seasons of modern television shows don’t allow for episodes like this where there is no forward momentum, which is a shame. This episode allowed our actors to really stretch their muscles and take their characters in new directions. It also provided commentary on aspects outside fictional narratives. While actually seeing any of the lower decks questioning the decisions of their commanders would have slowed the tightly wound narrative, it highlights the dangers of a hierarchical structure, even that of Starfleet. Only those on Ops were affected by the psychic energy, but those under the command of our now compromised leaders did what they were told. We don’t see the commanders convincing their underlings, but, based on the narratives they discuss with each other, we sense what narratives they spun to couch their new, and unexpected, commands.

Learning more about Avery Brooks’s acting philosophy in the years after his Star Trek tenure, I’ve always wondered why he took the job. I wonder if this episode was a script he saw when considering taking the role. It’s so Shakespearean throughout from the Klingon’s death rattle to Sisko’s own possession. As the episode reaches its climax, Brooks does some amazing fidgeting nervous finger acting that is such a perfect choice to outwardly show the character’s internal breakdown. When he and O’Brien realize Odo has tricked them, Brooks throws his arms to each side in a Jesus-on-the-cross allusion as he cries, “This is how it all ends?”

The episode provides a fascinating study in the machinations of power, the ability for authority to demand blind support from those in its command, and the ease with which the proletariat are convinced by false narratives.

This brings me back to Odo’s dissembling. He is the only one who was exposed to the psychic energy in Ops who remains unaffected. However, it seems that his body has fought and won against the energy. What else explains the weird physical split that causes him to collapse and freeze on the floor of Quark’s bar? From the details we’ve been given about Odo, it seems he should’ve returned to a liquid state. Instead, he retains his humanoid form and when he regains consciousness he stares at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time. It takes him a bit of time to piece together that the rest of the crew have been compromised. We see the breadcrumbs that Odo will follow as our characters plot against each other, but I like to think it is Kira’s hypersexualized comportment that sends up the Red Alert for Odo. I also like to think that Nana Visitor’s acting in this episode encouraged the writers to create Kira’s Mirror Universe role of the Intendant! In separate scenes, she flirts with Odo and Dax, but in both she moves with snakelike grace. The camera team, under the guidance of director Cliff Bole, obviously had fun framing these scenes, such as the moment Odo walks into the security office and we see Kira’s feet propped on his desk. The camera pans up her legs and holds onto the sexy stretch she gives before sweetly asking, “When have I had to stand on ceremony with you?”

Odo manages to convince both sides that he is on their side, even playing into the various delusions. He never quite lies to them, rather he keeps a thread of truth in what he says to each, such as telling Bashir, “What you find may determine who controls the station,” and convincing him not to reveal that his lack of humanoid brain means he remains unaffected because then the two of them can use the information.

Last episode (“The Forsaken”) allowed us to see Odo at his most vulnerable, “Dramatis Personae” brings his strength and intelligence back to the forefront while allowing him to retain the lessons of compassion he learned.

Return to Jim’s Take: “Whose Side ARE you On?”

Skip to Ray’s Take: “Telepathic field ramps up characters”

Skip to Matt’s Take: “Mirror, Mirror?”

Return to Episode Logs or Episode 17 Guide