Trek month carries on as we *ahem*... trek into Deep Space Nine. I know that I’ve already covered this show once, but I want to cover a number of different aspects of the show with thisarticle. What makes this show so unique in the Trek universe is that it departs so heavily from the typical Trek formula, and yet it doesn’t. What i mean is that instead of gallivanting across the cosmos in a starship, DS9 takes place on a space station. Instead of exploring how humanity might become better in the future, that aspect takes a back seat to how prejudice and mistrust will probably still exist no matter how much we evolve. Instead of technology being this almighty saving grace like in Next Generation, it often betrays our heroes. The entire focus of the show is war and politics. It’s a very different take on Star Trek and as such, there are very few people that I’ve met that are indifferent to it. You either really enjoy it, or you don’t. Still, it’s legacy has managed to endure this long in such shows as Battlestar Galactica, Firefly,and quite a few other shows that I’m drawing a blank on at the moment. That said, let’s look at our episodes for this week!
Our most Trek-y episode from this series is one that I think might get overlooked far too often. It’s a quiet and unassuming episode that has a lot to say, but isn’t all up in your face about it. It’s a fourth season episode titled “Hard Time”. In the episode, O’Brien gets too curious about some alien technology and subsequently gets convicted of espionage. As punishment, the aliens put him through a simulated sentence of 20 years hard time. Get it? This all takes place over the course of just a few hours in real life, but MIles experiences it as if it all really happened. He comes out of the experience believing that he spent 20 years in prison, and as such, he has to readjust to his previous life. I love this episode because it’s a brilliant example of DS9 going places that Trek really hadn’t been able to effectively go before. The entire episode is a PSA about PTSD. Remember that this was at a time when PTSD was really only starting to become understood, and we were dealing with the ‘damaged’ combat veterans who were coming back after Operation Desert Storm. We knew that vets had been suffering for decades, but this was really the first time in human history that we as a species were actually able to put a name to what was going on, and that we were able to start helping these fine men and women to get the help that they desperately needed. This sort of story couldn’t have happened in a Next Generation episode, and we weren’t self-aware enough for the writers on TOS to even fathom such a notion. Because DS9 focused so heavily on war, it could tell these sorts of stories and they could make sense within the series framework.
This episode poignantly, and sensitively shows the viewer what it’s like to suffer from the demons of PTSD in a way that sticks and that really makes the viewer feel it. As the episode is unfolding, we’re seeing flashbacks of O’Brien’s time in prison. We see that he had a cellmate who taught him methods of coping with the prolonged periods of isolation, and who looked out for his physical well being. The episode flawlessly balances the flashbacks with the present day as we see Miles struggling to get back to being the man that he was before. The more he tries, the more depression and guilt take over and make him bitter and hard. I love that this episode takes time to show the issue not only from the side of the person suffering from PTSD, or really any mental illness, but it shows the issue from the side of the loved ones who care about the person as well. It’s actually pretty heart wrenching to put one’s self in either place as you watch. But we get to see the worry and the anguish that O’Brien’s friends and family experience as they try to understand what he’s going through. There are a lot of text book PTSD indicators portrayed throughout the episode. We’re show grief. We see Miles clinging to those anxious habits that kept him alive during his trauma. There’s stubborn and unbridled anger towards everything, but especially those who are trying to help, and of course, there’s the guilt and anguish that we later find out is a result of Miles killing his cellmate over food. That’s the moment when the entire episode clicks. Once we find out the source of O’Brien’s feelings, we’re able to better understand the reason he’s been on such a harrowing journey. It all makes for a really emotionally weighted episode. As the episode gets to the end and Miles is sitting in a cargo bay getting ready to commit suicide, I can’t help but shed a tear as a fellow sufferer from depression. And seeing Bashir give everything he is to try and pull Miles back from the abyss just hits me like a freight train.
The best aspect of this episode is the ending. It’s not a certain ending. O’Brien doesn’t miraculously overcome his feelings and carry on like nothing happened, but it ends on a hopeful note as MIles realizes the extent to which his demons have gained control over his life, and as he begins to accept the people around him who are desperate to help. That realization that he doesn’t have to go it alone ends the episode on a high note and gives insight into the ideal outcome for anyone in his situation. This is an episode that really drives a point home in a tasteful and enlightening way, and I can’t say enough about it, except that if you haven’t ever seen it, watch it now. There are several people I can think of in my own life who could use the message, and I’m certain that there are more than seems fair our there who need it as well.
Now our anvil episode is probably going to incite hate spew once again so let me point out, again, that these episodes are not necessarily bad, just heavy handed. Now that the disclaimer has been disclaimed again, our anvil episode from DS9 is “Far Beyond the Stars”.Go ahead and get it out of your system… Done yet? Good. Okay, so I was shocked to find that this episode scored an 8.7 on IMDb. Most good episodes of Trek score in the mid 7 range, but this one really kicks things up a notch. This episode is really unique both to DS9 and to Trek in general for a lot of different reasons that we’ll get into in a moment, but let me just preface our discussion with this: There is so much going on with this episode that it could very easily have imploded on itself and just been a mess, but I am really glad that it didn’t do that because it is great!
If you haven’t actually seen this episode, Sisko learns that an old and dear friend was killed by enemy forces during a space battle. This revelation starts him wondering if he’s actually doing any good in the galaxy, which in turn, gets him thinking about throwing in the towel so to speak. As he begins his introspective grapple with his feelings, he sees Odo walk by in 1950s attire. We find out that he’s essentially having a vision from the Bajoran prophets, and it’s a doozy! He finds himself back in 1950s New York I guess, and he’s working as a speculative fiction writer. This aspect of the episode is equal parts fascinating and fun as we get to see alternate counterparts to our beloved cast sans makeup. The relationships between these characters is a sight to behold. You got Quark arguing with Odo over the freshness of donuts, and you got Dax playing the ditzy secretary. Kira is the oppressed woman writer who has to use an alias. Worf plays major league baseball, Jake is a criminal, Nog sells newspapers, and Dukat and Weyoun are police officers. There’s just enough tightness in the parallels to give each alternate character a meaningful identity, but there’s also enough divergence that the entire exercise is fun and exciting.
In this mental reality, Sisko finds himself writing a short story about Deep Space Nine, and Captain Benjamin Sisko. He attempts to get the story published, but the magazine for which he works won’t have any of that because Captain Sisko is black. There are a lot of twists and turns during this journey as mental universe Sisko starts to blur the lines between ‘reality’ and ‘fantasy’. The underlying motivation though is Sisko getting his work published. I’d probably delve more into the story, but honestly, there’s so much going on that I’d probably need a full article just to cover that aspect of things so consider this the Reader’s Digest version. There are highs as when Sisko gets word that his story will finally be published, and there are lows as when Jake is shot and murdered by the police and Sisko himself gets beaten to within an inch of his life. The ultimate low point is when Sisko finds out that his publisher had the magazine shredded because he didn’t like the Deep Space Nine story. It’s all incredibly dramatic and thoroughly engaging!
There’s a ton to love about this episode, so much so that I needed to do a little research in preparation. First, it reminds me a great deal of literary classics like “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” because of the entire story taking place in the mind of the protagonist. Sisko finds himself going down the rabbit hole as it were, and everyone he encounters in his mind state represents an aspect of his real life. His father is the Bajoran prophets, Dukat and Weyoun are the sources of his struggles in real life, Worf is his potential replacement and competition, Dax is his cheerleader, Kira is one of an ensemble of people in his life that ground him and help him to stay true to himself. And so on. The atmosphere and setting of the mindscape are totally engrossing. The anachronistic details are wonderful, but be warned, they really committed to the period. If you’re easily offended by use of the ‘N’ word, cover your ears. The characters are a joy to watch as the story progresses and each stands out in their own way. There are some heavy hitting moments emotionally, and by the end of the episode, there’s some good old fashioned mind boggery. Really, this episode has it all, and it balances all of it exceptionally well.
“Then why is this your anvil episode,” you may be asking. Well remember that this whole ordeal starts with Sisko grappling with the stresses of leadership. He’s feeling down on himself and wondering about his effectiveness in the galaxy. He’s having a wee bit of a pity party. In response to this, the Bajoran prophets ‘bless’ him with this vision and this exercise. They’re essentially saying, “Remember that this thing that we’re showing you is your heritage, and that the people of this era had things way worse than you!” There’s a moment right after Jake is killed where Dukat and Weyoun beat on Sisko in the street, quite mercilessly I might add. He literally figuratively gets beaten down by his problems. It’s a moment that pretty much had to happen, but it’s the one moment where the metaphor just goes too far to maintain that balance well, and if the whole episode had ended up like that one 30 second scene, the entire episode probably would have been a disaster. I may seem to be grasping at straws, but if you feel that way, please reference Day Zero post where I kindly explain that I can be a contrarian simply for the sake of it. I do think that this is a brilliant episode, and I love it more and more every time I watch it, but in context of the things could be worse mentality, it does push things a bit too far to me. I don’t intend to be insensitive to the material, or any of the meaning behind it, I only point out that one particular aspect as a very minor blemish in an otherwise brilliant diamond of television history. Take it, or leave it. It’s a fantastic episode and highly recommend that you give it a watch! And stick around! We’re rounding the home stretch for our Star Trek 50th anniversary celebration, and next week is Voyager. What could possibly be in store? Who knows?! No really, I have no idea/ Okay,I might have a couple things percolating, but it’s still a surprise even to me so see me next week to find out what I finally came up with!
No comments:
Post a Comment