To Boldly Sew is a recap of DS9 episodes, with a specific focus on the fashions of the many aliens and other characters that make up the series. Feel free to discuss matters of plot and general Star Trek things in the comments.
I’m getting all these screenshots from trekcore.com, which is the same place as the original TNG fashion blog (http://sttngfashion.tumblr.com/).
Kira and Dax are talking about childhood while working in Ops when they are hailed by an incoming freighter. Kira welcomes them to DS9.
This alien dude, who is never named, has a fairly generic uniform type shirt with some sort of purplish swirly pattern on it, and dark grey underarms. Nothing exciting.
The alien says they are the Kobheerian Freighter Rak-Miunis and they would like to dock. Kira says to come on to docking port 6. The guy says they have a passenger requiring medical assistance. Sisko emerges from his office at the right time to ask what’s wrong with the passenger.
The guy says it’s a chronic condition called Kalla-Nohra, and he doesn’t have his medication, so Sisko tells him to beam him right to the infirmary. Kira looks a bit alarmed.
Dax calls Bashir to let him know the patient is coming. Bashir says he’s not aware of the condition but he’ll look into it.
Kira says she wants to go to the infirmary and meet the patient. Sisko says okay, but why? She says the only cases of Kalla-Nohra that she’s heard of were the result of a mining accident at a labor camp she helped liberate, and the Bajorans who were there are like heroes. Sisko approves.
Kira heads to the infirmary, where Bashir is finishing up with his patient. To Kira’s surprise, it’s a Cardassian. She immediately calls Odo.
CUE THEME
Bashir is confused. Kira tells him the patient is a criminal. The Cardassian immediately gets up and lopes (it’s not really running, but it’s faster than walking) into the promenade, where a security guy immediately finds him.
Kira demands that Odo lock up the Cardassian at once.
The Cardassian defends himself and demands to know the charges. Bashir also wants to know what’s going on, as the Cardassian needs medical care. Kira says to give it to him in his cell.
The Cardassian says he hasn’t done anything. Odo asks why he ran. He says it’s because he wanted to get away from Kira, whom he describes as a Bajoran fanatic with hate in her eyes. Odo wonders why Kira might want to kill the guy. He says it’s because he’s a Cardassian. Kira says it’s because he’s a war criminal.
Sisko meets with Odo and Kira and learns the Cardassian’s name is Aamin Marritza. Apparently he’s on the Bajorans’ list of Cardassians wanted for war crimes. Odo says no, he’s not on any of the lists he’s got, and he has them all.
Kira says she doesn’t care about the lists; the guy is a war criminal.
Sisko points out that he was traveling on a Federation ship and came there for a medical emergency and they threw him in a security cell? He’d better be listed!
Kira says she doesn’t care if it’s legal or policy, but it’s right. She wants to charge him with having contracted Kalla-Nohra. She explains the only way to contract that particular condition is to have served at the Gallitep labor camp at the time of the mining accident.
Sisko asks if just his presence makes him a war criminal? Kira says that the Bajorans there were starved and brutalized, and humiliated, with rapes and beaten, and old people buried alive because they couldn’t work anymore. She’s obviously upset, and her voice sounds on the brink of tears. She turns away.
Sisko and Odo exchange glances. Sisko says he’s going to talk with their guest. When Kira offers to join him, he says it’d be better if he spoke to the man alone.
Nothing exciting about Marritza’s clothing. Pretty much solid gray pants and shirt (though different shades of gray) and some random purple color blocking on his shirt.
Sisko asks Marritza how he feels and introduces himself. He asks how he contracted Kalla-Nohra, and Marritza says he has Pottrik syndrome. Sisko says that the freighter captain said it was Kalla-Nohra. Marritza says they are similar conditions and they take the same medications.
So he didn’t serve at the Gallitep labor camp? Marritza chuckles and says no, he was a military file clerk and has never been to Bajor; he lives on Kora II, where he boarded a freighter that came DS9.
Another prisoner, a Bajoran, takes note of the situation. He asks if he is still drunk or in jail with a Cardassian. He starts yelling for Odo, saying he doesn’t want to be in there with a Cardassian.
I kind of dig his shirt; I’m a sucker for teal type colors. The brown leather-type vest goes pretty well with the shirt also.
Sisko speaks to Bashir, who says that Marritza definitely does have Kalla-Nohra, and all the tests he’s done confirm this. He’s certain he doesn’t have Pottrick, and he must have been at the labor camp. Bashir confirms there’s no other way Marritza could have contracted the syndrome.
Kira calls in to tell Sisko there’s a transmission for him from Bajor. It’s the minister of State. Bashir leaves so Sisko can take the call with Minister Kaval.
The minister is a typical boring bureaucrat type guy. His shirt/jacket/whatever looks like it was made from your grandfather’s old easy chair.
After some small talk, the minister says he’s been told that Sisko has performed a service for Bajor and congratulates him. Sisko is confused.
The minister says he’s heard they are holding a certain Cardassian for them. Sisko confirms they have a Cardassian, temporarily. “Until you are satisfied a verified identification has been made?” the minister asks.
Sisko says he’s not sure they have the grounds to hold him that long. The minister says he understands the concern, but since Major Kira has accepted responsibility, the burden is off his shoulders. He says that if Marritza was at Gallitep he wants him and they’ll have him.
Sisko finds Kira sitting at a table having a drink and asks if he can join her. Kira says she is about to visit Marritza.
Sisko says he wants Odo to handle the investigation as he is Chief of Security. Kira says that Minister Kaval put her in charge. Sisko points out the minister doesn’t run the station. She says the Federation has no right to tell them how to deal with their criminals. Sisko says that if he is a criminal, then the Bajorans can have him, but until then he’s just a traveler under suspicion.
Kira sighs and asks if he thinks it’s a personal vendetta. He admits she is too close to be objective. She agrees but says she is his first officer and will conduct herself accordingly. She asks him, as a friend, to let her conduct the investigation. She owes it to the victims. She can’t even speak about it without almost breaking into tears. She wants a Bajoran to be in charge of the investigation.
Sisko relents. He calls Odo and tells him that Kira will be in charge.
Kira heads to security. The drunk Bajoran is being released from his cell, apparently having dried out. He tells Odo to let him know when he hangs the Cardassian. Then he leaves.
Odo tells Kira he has started a background check on Marritza, and so far he is who he says he is. He boarded the freighter at Kora II where he’s worked as an instructor at a military academy for the last 5 years. Kira says to keep looking and he says he intends to.
She goes in to speak with Marritza.
Marritza compliments her on their replicators, but laments that the stew he is eating doesn’t have enough yamok sauce.
She says she hopes she is not disturbing his dinner by asking questions, but he says he doubts that. She says she is doing her job, but he says that her desire to persecute Cardassians is more than a job – it’s a passion.
She tells him that the doctor confirms that he has Kalla-Nohra and so he was at Gallitep. She asks his rank and duties at Gallitep.
He says he was in the exalted position of filing clerk. He would have preferred to have avoided military service entirely, but he turned out to be an exemplary file clerk. He recalls some compliments he received on his work from his superiors.
Kira seems skeptical. She says she never heard of a filing clerk becoming an instructor at a military academy. What did he teach? He says filing. She says she can verify that. He says to be his guest.
She says she thinks he’s a liar. She notes he admitted to working under Gul Darhe’el and so he witnessed atrocities. He asks what atrocities. He says he heard a scream from time to time.
Kira disbelieves that he did not witness atrocities. Did he not see bodies? He says yes, people died all the time from mining accidents, illnesses, feuds. Kira asks if Bajorans killed one another. He says yes, over food, a blanket, a woman. The conditions were harsh.
She says she liberated the camp and saw the bodies. He says she saw what they wanted them to see. Who does she think started the rumors about brutality at Gallitep? Gul Darhe’el did. He knew that to rule by fear was to rule completely. Why bother with actual mass murders when the reports of such incidents had the same effect – to keep Bajorans thinking of themselves as victims, and to keep them afraid and helpless.
Kira points out they did get rid of him. He says it was a political decision to go.
He says he enjoyed reminiscing with her but he’d like to leave now. She says she can’t let him out. He says she’s lying – she’s not interested in the truth – she only wants vengeance.
Sisko is speaking with a Cardassian who is unhappy that a Cardassian citizen has been detained.
They never identify this Cardassian by name, but he might be Gul Dukat (who appears later in the episode). He says they’re just trying to verify the man’s identity while he’s being given medical assistance. The Cardassian says if Marritza says he’s Marritza, than he’s who he says he is. Are they not trusting him because he’s Cardassian?
Sisko says he doesn’t trust Marritza because he’s already lied about being at Gallitep, but admits they haven’t charged him with anything. The Cardassian says he appreciates Sisko’s position between himself and the Bajorans, who are obsessed with alleged Cardassian improprieties. He would hate the bitterness of Bajor to cause issues between the Cardassians and the Federation.
He then says that he’ll hold Sisko personally responsible if any Bajoran hate mongers get their hands on Marritza and ends the transmission.
Kira looks out at space, thinking. Dax asks what she’s looking for. She says answers.
She says that Marritza says she only wants vengeance and doesn’t care about the truth. Dax asks if she’s worrying that he’s right. Kira says she just wants to see him punished. Even if he is a file clerk?
Kira says she wants him to be something worse. Dax says she wants him to be guilty. Kira says if he was at Gallitep, he is guilty. They all are. Him being punished will let Bajor feel…satisfaction.
Dax says it sounds like she’s trying hard to believe what she’s saying. And that Kira already knows vengeance isn’t enough.
O’Brien is working with a Bajoran on some technobabble at Ops.
In the background, Odo reports to Sisko that the Bajoran archives do have a Marritza as being a filing clerk at Gallitep. The military academy on Kora II also confirms he’s been teaching filing there, as he claims.
Kira says that the archives sent a single photo – the only one they could find with Marritza in it, as the Cardassians tried to destroy all records of the occupation. Sisko asks, what if it confirms he is a file clerk – what then? Kira says she supposes they’ll let him go. Sisko is glad they understand each other.
They bring up the photo. They isolate the guy who is supposed to be Marritza, and then enhance and magnify. The photo is blurry at first but then gets clearer.
It’s not the same guy. Everyone agrees, although that’s what the caption says.
If that’s Marritza, Sisko asks, who are we holding here?
He asks Dax to zoom in on the other Cardassians in the photo. They zoom in on another guy.
This is the guy they have. Dax says that according to the caption, that man is Gul Darhe’el.
Kira goes back to talk to “Marritza.” She asks if he killed the real Marritza and took his place. He’ll pay for that death and all of them.
Darhe’el says that they can only execute him once, and there were so many deaths, so he can’t pay for them all. She says that’s her only regret.
He asks if she figured this out on her own, or with the help of her Federation masters. She says she’ll let him think on that while the Provisional Government convenes a war crimes tribunal. He says there was no war. No glory. He understands that she wants there to have been a war, but there was no war.
She says the Bajorans were peaceful before they came and they never understood why the Cardassians had to be so brutal. He says they can feel free to discuss the truth now. She says she’s had enough of his lies.
What lies, he asks. His identity? He yearned to tell her but knew she would have satisfaction from figuring it out on her own. That was his only deception. Marritza was a magnificent file clerk, and he, Gul Darhe’el, was a magnificent leader. He brags about how great Gallitep was.
Kira says he’s insane. He says he did what had to be done and talks about how great a leader he was. He admits everything. He says all her resistance did was annoy Cardassians while he murdered all the Bajorans.
She says they will execute him; he says to go ahead, it won’t undo what he’s accomplished and the dead will still be dead. She leaves.
Kira sits in the Security office, thinking. Odo comes in, bringing her a drink. It’s something from Quark’s private stock.
It’s also bright blue, so I’m not sure if I’d want it, but okay.
Kira wonders how many people like Darhe’el are still out there. He says probably many, but at least now they’ve taken care of one. She relates Darhe’el’s insanity to Odo, his bragging about torture and murders.
Odo suggests she go and lie down, and they’ll leave him alone with his pride. She refuses, thinking that this is what Darhe’el would want. She reminisces about how she used to lie awake at night and fantasize about killing men like him, and now he’s belittling the Shakaar.
Odo says maybe she shouldn’t talk about her personal history with the crazy prisoner. She says she didn’t. How did he know she was with the Shakaar? If he was in charge of quelling Bajoran resistance, he might have had her name on file, but he just commanded a forced labor camp. Odo says something is not right.
Kira wants to chat with Darhe’el again.
Odo asks the computer to review all off-station requests for information about Kira in the last 8 months.
Kira confronts Darhe’el and asks the question. He credits Marritza’s great filing systems and says that he liked to read reports of Bajorans being killed so that he knew he was not alone in the fight.
Kira is skeptical that he remembered her name from a report. He says he didn’t remember her name at all until he saw her. HE says he’d like to ask her some questions. She says she’s not interested in his questions, but then relents and has a seat.
Odo leaves his office to find a few people hanging out outside. Quark asks who they are.
Quark is wearing his dark green upholstery jacket and usual orange shirt. Odo says they are survivors of Gallitep who came to await justice.
All the survivors are wearing scarves over their faces and clothese suggesting that they are not well off. Marritza/Darhe’el was not, so I wonder if the disease causes disfigurement to Bajorans that it doesn’t cause to Cardassians, or if these people were injured in some other manner unrelated to the disease (like from the torture or other harsh conditions in the labor camp).
Quark seems to show some empathy for a few moments, and then wonders if they’d like to gamble. Sigh, Quark.
Odo goes to see Bashir. He says that 3 months ago a request came from Kora II for information about Kira. The name on the request was Marritza. Odo says he’s established a link to Kora II and he’d like Bashir to access Marritza’s medical information there.
Dax calls Odo to say that Gul Dukat is responding to his subspace transmission. He asks to have it routed to his office, and leaves.
Odo takes the call on a tiny screen, giving us a view only of Dukat’s head. Oh well, Cardassians usually don’t wear anything interesting anyway.
Dukat says he misses working with Odo, and misses their games of Kalevian montar. Odo says they played one game and Dukat cheated. Dukat laughs.
Dukat says he cannot give him access to any of the files pertaining to Gul Darhe’el. But he says the files would only tell him what he is saying, which is that Darhe’el is dead. Dukat attended his funeral; he is buried under one of the largest military monuments on Cardassia.
Odo wonders who they are holding. Dukat says it is some innocent citizen, and they want him released. Odo says he’s admitted he is Darhe’el. Dukat is confused.
Dukat says the man must be lying. Odo says it’s the stupidest lie ever, as it’s likely to get him executed. Why would anyone do that? Dukat doesn’t know, but he’s sure that Darhe’el is dead. Half of Cardassia saw his body. Odo says that he saw a photo of Darhe’el taken at the labor camp and it looks like the guy they have on DS9. Dukat says he’s mistaken, this must be some plot to embarrass the Cardassians.
Odo says maybe; give him access to the files and he’ll find proof. Dukat reluctantly agrees to limited access.
Kira, still speaking to Marritza Darhe’el the Cardassian prisoner, says that she was 12 when she started fighting, but there were some who were younger than that. The prisoner asks how many Cardassians did she kill personally.
She says she didn’t keep count. He says she certainly did, and her total probably wasn’t limited to military personnel, as the most effective terrorist weapon was random violence.
She says she regrets a lot of what she had to do, but she was fighting for survival. He says they were also – fighting for resources for his homeland, and if the Bajorans had to be ground to the ground, so much the better as all that mattered to him was Cardassia. That justified his actions. Kira says nothing justifies genocide.
Odo comes in and asks for a word.
He tells her that he and Bashir have done some checking. They don’t know why yet, but the prisoner wanted to be caught.
Odo shows Sisko a death certificate that Gul Dukat sent, confirming Gul Darhe’el’s death six years prior, in his sleep. Kira thinks it’s a forged document and the Cardassians are trying to trick them.
Odo points out that their prisoner has Kalla-Nohra syndrome, but Gul Darhe’el never had that condition. Kira is skeptical as the evidence is from Dukat. Odo says that when the mining accident occurred, Darhe’el was on Cardassia getting a medal; he couldn’t have gotten the disease. However, their prisoner definitely does have it.
Odo says he also asked about the man’s last few weeks on Kora II. He says that he resigned the military academy, put all his affairs in order, even provided handsomely for his housekeeper. Kira thinks he wanted to move on before someone traced his whereabouts. Odo says he requested passage on a vessel that was scheduled to stop at a Bajoran station – rather unusual for a Cardassian war criminal.
Unless he wanted to be captured, Sisko concludes.
Kira says that Darhe’el will be sent back to Bajor for a tribunal. Sisko says this is not certain. She says to go and talk to the prisoner – he’ll tell you about it!
Bashir comes in. He says that he’s checked on Marritza’s medical records. He’s under treatment for Kalla-Nohra syndrome, of course, and a few other minor ailments relating to age. Also, 5 years ago, when he arrived on Kora II, he started taking massive doses of some drug that’s supposed to maintain skin resilience after cosmetic alteration.
He changed his face to look like Gul Darhe’el.
Kira goes back to talk to Marritza or whoever he is now.
She asks how he got the syndrome. He confirms he was at Gallitep when the mining accident occurred – why are they going over this again?
She points out that his own progress reports indicate Darhe’el was on Cardassia when the accident occurred – getting a medal. He says the reports are wrong.
She asks why he was taking a dermal regenerative. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She asks why he’s pretending to be Gul Darhe’el. He asks why she doesn’t ask something intelligent.
He says to ask him about how he felt when they were withdrawing – he was furious. While his useless file clerks were packing precious files, he had the overseers slaughtering the laborers. The idea of leaving Bajoran survivors was repulsive to him.
She asks him why he took Marrtiza’s name if he felt that way about the file clerks? Kira concludes that he is actually Marritza.
He goes on a long rant about how weak and pathetic Marritza was, and then dissolves into crying, ashamed of himself for being weak and covering his ears to the screams. He says she doesn’t know what it was like to be a coward – to see these horrors and do nothing.
She lowers the force field and says she is letting him go.
She says he didn’t commit the crimes and he couldn’t stop them, as he was only one man. He disagrees and says they all have to be punished. He wants her to say that he is Gul Darhe’el.
Kira doesn’t understand why he’s doing this. He says that his trial will force Cardassia to acknowledge its guilt, as they are all guilty and his death is necessary.
She says this will be murder – enough good people have already died, and she won’t help kill another. He sighs and puts his head back in defeat.
Leaving security, Kira tells Marritza that he’ll be back on Kora II in three days, and they’ve contacted officials there who can help him. She says that his actions were very honorable, and if Cardassia is going to change it will need more people like him.
They pass by Quark’s (or maybe just a random gathering place?) and the drunk Bajoran from before draws a knife and runs out into the promenade.
He’s wearing the same shirt from before, but now it looks like his vest is green instead of brown/leather colored. (Or maybe it’s just that the lighting in Security was terrible). He’s got brown pants and brown boots that look kind of shiny.
He stabs Marritza from behind before Odo or Kira can stop him. Kira asks the Bajoran why. He says he was a Cardassian, and that was reason enough. She says it is not.
A crowd gathers around the body.
Stray Thoughts:
* The acting in this episode from both Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin (“Marritza”) was just spectacular. Kira is such an intense person that I really admire Visitor’s willingness to dive straight into the emotions of Kira’s experience and just emote the shit out everything.
* I’m confused about how the drunk Bajoran man was able to run up and stab Marritza so easily, considering that Odo was walking behind Marritza and Kira. Did he not see the guy? Did he run in at an angle? Was he just not expecting a threat so much that he let down his guard?
* There’s a lot of deeper ethical questions involved her, like is Marritza really culpable for crimes if he was just a file clerk? What about janitors, or other low-level people at the camp? At what point can people be held responsible, and at what point are they just following orders and doing their jobs? If they are in a situation like Marritza, what is the ethical thing to do? The episode, perhaps wisely, doesn’t quite touch on these, but I wonder if the Bajoran Provisional Government (particularly the minister of State) would agree with Kira’s conclusion that Marritza could have done nothing.
* One more episode left in Season 1, and then I think I’m going to do a retrospective of the best and worst clothing and episodes of Season 1 before diving on in to Season 2.
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