Season finale reaches greatness with examination of facts vs beliefs

Jim’s Take: Episode 19 “In the Hands of the Prophets”

Ugh. Vedek Winn is the actual worst!

There is a lot going on in Deep Space Nine’s first season finale, “In the Hands of the Prophets.” In many ways, it is very unusual territory for Star Trek, and it speaks to issues that are very powerful for me personally, particularly the ideas of “facts vs beliefs” in education and hypocritical religious leaders and politicians using belief and fear as paths to personal power. This episode also introduces DS9’s most despicable, horrifying, and hateful villain: the unctuous Vedek Winn. I literally cannot write her name without a little shudder and a sneer of disgust. She is the absolute, utter, worst, while also being all too representative of some very real “leaders” in our world today.

Things start off innocently enough with a little gentle teasing between the O’Briens and Miles dropping some knowledge about delicious (?) Jumja Sticks, but it all goes wrong fast when Vedek Winn shows up at Keiko’s school to question her teaching about the wormhole, and the aliens who reside within it, as scientific phenomena rather than religious doctrine. Now, maybe Keiko could do more to include the Bajoran view of The Prophets than she does here, but this is an issue that hits home hard for me. As a teacher, I walk a constant tightrope between opening the minds of students to new ideas and ways of looking at things and crossing a line that conflicts with someone’s strongly held beliefs. Sometimes I can anticipate what may be a concern for a student or their family, and sometimes, because I can really only know my own truth, I completely miss something that offends or upsets someone. Experience has definitely shown me that we can’t learn from each other or expand our understanding in any way, if we can’t sometimes discuss divisive and uncomfortable subjects. No (good) teacher ever sets out to dismiss another’s beliefs or values, but it is almost inevitable that someone will feel that way about something you are teaching at some time. 

I feel that it should always be okay to challenge, think, and question everything. That doesn’t mean you tell people what to think, but you give them the tools to ask questions, confront new ideas, challenge existing notions, and arrive at their own, hopefully thoughtfully considered, way of seeing the world. As Commander Sisko wisely points out to Jake, dismissing anyone else’s feelings and beliefs out of hand is always the wrong way and leads to hate and intolerance, no matter which side of an issue you are on. Of course, that is exactly what the awful Vedek Winn is doing here.

If we had a lot more Siskos and a lot less Winns, we’d be living in a much better world.

You know a story, play, poem, or other work of literature is deserving of greatness when its themes and ideas have a universal appeal. They have meaning and relevance in any time or place, outside of the context of their creation. That’s why we still read Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, and To Kill a Mockingbird. DS9 has repeatedly hit that mark, even in the first season. We see in Winn a politician and leader who uses religion and fear of “the other” to rile up her people to acts of violence and hatred. Why? Because she hypocritically wants to harness their fear to empower herself. She sweetly smarms her insults at everyone, while assuring them that she is so sorry to have to threaten them with the most terrible consequences. If only everyone could be as “reasonable and helpful” as she’s trying to be, she wouldn’t have to have you murdered or your school bombed. Such a shame. The use of fear and hate as tools to manipulate people and aggrandize yourself is as old as human history, yet it still works all too often, even today. If we had a lot more Siskos and a lot less Winns, we’d be living in a much better world.

There is a lot of other great stuff going on in this episode, too. The (seemingly) unrelated mystery of poor, vaporized, Ensign Aquino. Watching Dax and O’Brien team up to use their technical genius to save the day yet again. The 7th Rule of Acquisition: Keep your ears open. Vedek Bareil’s much cooler and wiser approach to Bajoran politics. (Quit grabbing people’s ears!) Sisko gives an awesome speech. And Kira, despite her bias, quickly sees through Winn’s manipulative garbage to the awful, sneaky, horrible woman underneath that very impressive hat!

Though the political and religious discord on the station may feel all-too-familiar to us, at least Kira and Sisko show that Federation and Bajoran interests can come together through mutual respect in the end. Maybe there is hope for us too. 

Kira: “I don’t think you’re the devil.”

Sisko: “Maybe we have made progress, afterall!” 

Continue to Rhonda’s Take: “A meditation on faith and politics rounds out first season”

Skip to Ray’s Take: “It’s a Matter of Faith in Science”

Skip to Matt’s Take: “Vedek Winn: Truly the worst!”

Skip to Adam’s Take: “Finale cautions against building cathedrals of fear and ignorance”

Return to Episode Logs or Episode 19 Guide