Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Matt’s Take on Episode 15: “If Wishes Were Horses”

A Shapeshifter Walks Into a Bar

These opening scenes with Odo and Quark are always comedy gold. I especially enjoyed this one because of these lines:

Odo: “You’re still disgusting.” 
Quark: “Till the day I die.”

Quark is really, as I mentioned in a previous post, the “id” of the relationship, whereas Odo is the “superego.” Now, I do not subscribe to Freudian psychology in a number of instances, but it really helps to explain the dynamic between these two in this scene.

Fantasy Meets Sci-Fi

I have always loved both of these genres, although I generally tend more toward fantasy in most ways other than in the case of Star Trek. I do not think that this episode is a classic, but I do enjoy seeing the blending together of the two in this unusual form of wish fulfillment (there’s more Freud for you). The “fantasy” Jadzia finally giving Julian some attention was nice to see, as I always felt bad for him in his pursuit of her. Unfortunately, it is not to last!

In a similar scene, Quark seems to have imagined a scenario where he is surrounded by beautiful women as well! I would have thought that his fantasies would have revolved around gold-pressed latinum, but I suppose he is a Ferengi of many desires! But of course, his distraction causes him not to notice that everyone is currently winning at dabo, until Odo “helpfully” points it out to him. Great stuff once again from Quark here, who is rivaling Jadzia as my favorite character in the series.

I also love the fact that Odo’s wish is to have Quark in a holding cell! At least now we know that he has an imagination. 

Rumpelstiltskin Gets Rid of Keiko?

Unfortunately. Rumpelstiltskin wants Molly rather than Keiko, so O’Brien is forced to refuse the deal! So close! 

The realization on Sisko’s part that all of this is the product of imagination and expectations is a simple ending, but it works well here. Once again, I sense a lot of psychological undertones. In real life, our brains will perceive events very differently than reality sometimes, even against actual physical sensation. This normally happens if we are convinced that we want things to be a certain way, and then our brain simply presents those expectations to us. Often, our brain will do this unconsciously without our knowledge at all! It is kind of a strange thing to say, but two different people often perceive the same reality quite differently.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

This is a pretty unique concept for the episode, and we get to see a little more of what makes our characters tick. Most of the main characters get a moment to shine; I just wish we could see what Morn dreams about!

Return to Jim’s Take: “Proving imagination helps us create and achieve”

Return to Rhonda’s Take: “What our dreams say about our reality”

Return to Ray’s Take: “Imagination of Biochemistry?”

Return to Episode Logs or Episode 15 Guide