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.
All screenshots come from trekcore.com, which is the same place as the original TNG fashion blog (http://sttngfashion.tumblr.com/).
In Ops, Kira, Sisko and Dax observe a damaged Cardassian vessel approaching the station. Sisko hails them and asks if they need help. There’s no answer, and Dax reports that their life support is on reserve power, so Sisko tells them to use the tractor beam to pull the ship into Cargo Bay 7.
He has O’Brien and some Starfleet and Bajoran people meet him at the Cargo Bay just as the crew is coming out of the airlock.
Sisko introduces himself and O’Brien and asks if they need medical help. A woman identifies herself as Professor Natima Lang, and introduces her students, Rekelen and Hogue, and says they’re okay.
Professor Lang is wearing what looks to be a white dress, with sort of rippled sleeves and a kind of rippled stripe across the chest. She’s got some sort of complex hairdo that culminates in a really long ponytail.
Hogue is a tall guy wearing a dark blue shirt with what looks like kind of loose threads all over the sleeves and a an apron style patch over the front of it. I can’t say it’s a great look, but it’s better than the Cardassian military outfit.
Rekelen, meanwhile, has an orange top with a cropped darker vest over the top. It reads as a little young to me, and something about her face and expression combine to remind me of an unruly teenager. I’m not sure if this was intentional.
O’Brien asks what happened to the ship. Lang says they were caught in a meteor storm and she is a decent teacher but not much of a shuttle pilot, and asks if they can repair her ship. O’Brien and an assistant go inside to check it out.
She says she’d like to be on their way as soon as possible, as they know having Cardassians on a Bajoran station might cause trouble, and she doesn’t want that.
Sisko expresses confidence in O’Brien and invites them to explore the Promenade, saying there won’t be any trouble.
Meanwhile Bashir is at Quark’s eating with Garak. They’re talking about some political matter and a guy who was executed by his own brother. Garak thinks the execution was a good idea, but Bashir is appalled. Garak says it has to do with loyalty to the state versus his brother.
Bashir thinks one has to be loyal to himself before one can be loyal to others. He fishes with Garak to try to find out if he’s an outcast or a spy, but Garak denies both while also not confirming either.
Odo comes into Quark’s. He’s heard a rumor that Quark has a small cloaking device. Quark is evasive. Odo points out that such devices are highly illegal under Bajoran law.
Quark is wearing my favorite outfit. That’s really all I have to say about Quark here.
Quark says he doesn’t have a cloaking device. Odo says he didn’t expect him to admit it, he’s just serving notice.
He catches notice of the Cardassians on the Promenade and shoves people aside and starts running. He runs on to the Promenade and greets Natima cheerfully, but she slaps him in the face and says she told him to never speak to her again.
This front view is interesting. It seems like the dress has something like a sweater over the top. The rippled sleeves only half cover her arm, and we can see a different colored sleeve (matching the skirt) beneath. The dress is kind of low cut, and the over-sweater thing tightly hugs her curves, giving an almost corset effect.
Then she walks past him, her students following.
Odo comes out and asks if Quark is okay. He says it’s the happiest day of his life, and runs after Natima.
CUE THEME
Quark runs after Natima and offers to buy her and her students a drink, and make her a Samarian Sunset. She declines and says she doesn’t drink Samarian Sunsets anymore. Why not? They remind her of him.
One of her students asks if the Ferengi is bothering her. Quark says he is an old and cherished friend and asks who the student is, so Natima tells him they are her students. Quark says he’d like to sit in on one of her classes and asks what she teaches.
Political Ethics, Hogue says, and Rekelen says she’ll change the future of Cardassia. Natima cuts her off. She turns and walks away. Quark says he wants to hear more, and grabs the students and basically forces the to a seat at a table in his bar.
He goes over to the bar to get them drinks and Odo comes up, noticing that Quark’s hands are shaking. He asks how well the woman knows Quark, enough to dislike him or to really hate him?
Quark explains that she was a correspondent who worked on the station for the Cardassian Information Service, before Odo arrived. Odo asks again if she dislikes or hates him. Quark says he was the love of her life. Odo is skeptical.
Quark brings a drink to Natima and tells her students to get their own drinks, so they depart. He has brought a Samarian Sunset. She says nothing for a moment, and then refuses. He says that she didn’t drink them because they remind her of Quark, but he’s there anyway, so she might as well have it – on the house. She slowly takes the glass and raises it and looks at it while Quark compliments her.
She sets down the drink and says he’s a liar. He says he missed her. She looks around and says he’s kept busy. He says yes, and starts to quote a Rule of Acquisition, but she stops him, saying she hasn’t heard a Rule in seven years and doesn’t want to hear one now.
He asks how long she’s going to be on the station. Before she can answer, Bashir and Garak descend the steps from an upstairs level, Garak thanking Bashir for another enjoyable lunch. Garak and Bashir see Natima but don’t comment, just walk out, Garak letting his eyes linger for a moment.
Natima’s students run over, and she’s alarmed, saying she thought there weren’t any Cardassians on the station.
A good shot to see the lower half of Rekelen’s outfit. Her top is sort of like a dress, but with a very high slit up the side, indicating that she’s definitely wearing pants beneath. Seems more practical.
Quark says Garak is the only one. She says they have to leave, thanks him for the drink (that she didn’t have), and all three of them head out of the bar immediately.
In Ops, Sisko asks O’Brien how the repairs are going on the Cardassians’ ship. O’Brien says the damage is more extensive than he thought, and they were hit by Cardassian disrupters, not meteors.
Kira wonders why Cardassians would fire on other Cardassians. Dax suggests they ask Natima, who is entering Ops at that moment.
Whoever directed this episode liked to play around with camera angles a bit more than the usual. In the beginning, there’s a shot that follows Odo into Quark’s, and now we have this odd angle from below as Natima and her students enter Ops.
It gives us a good view of the bottom half of her outfit, though. Like Rekelen, Natima is wearing pants (or leggings) under her dress, which doesn’t quite reach all the way to the ground. The white color and the layers, giving it volume, give her a more feminine air.
Hogue, meanwhile, appears like a generic male, with a tunic and perhaps an unnecessary belt (hard to tell, but maybe) and ordinary black pants.
Natima says she hates to be an imposition, but she needs her ship. Sisko says O’Brien is still working on it, and there’s more damage than they thought. He starts to say the part about the weapons, but she fills that in for him, and then says to her student that she should have told them the truth in the first place.
Kira asks why she didn’t, and Natima says that Cardassians don’t involve outsiders in internal politics, especially Bajorans.
Sisko says that being shot at by your own people goes beyond politics. She says they take politics seriously, and if she doesn’t get the students to safety they’ll be killed, and if they die, the future of Cardassia may die with them.
In Sisko’s office, Natima explains that some people believe the future of Cardassia should not remain in the hands of the military. They are among them. Rekelen and Hogue are two of the most important leaders of the movement. The military has already tried to kill them once and is sure to try again, so they need to leave the station.
Sisko says they’ll dispatch additional crews to work on their ship.
Hogue says they saw another Cardassian. Sisko asks if Garak saw them. Yes. Well, that could be a problem. Garak is a mystery. He says he’ll give them some guest quarters and they can stay there until the ship is ready.
Quark goes to see Garak.
Garak is wearing an outfit that I think we saw him in once before, back in season 2, episode 5, “The Cardassians”, so if you want a better look at it, go see that article. At the time, I wrote: “I’m not sure how to describe the pattern on his sleeves, but I like it. His jacket sort of feels to me like part apron and part Asian-influenced outfit.” I think I’ll stick with that description.
Garak is surprised as Quark is not usually a customer of his. Quark says that Garak is not usually a customer of his either, though he saw him there today.
Garak says the replimat was crowded, and how can he help. Quark says he just wanted to see what he was offering. He looks at a dress hanging and asks how much it costs. 17 strips of latinum. Quark says he’ll give him 20. Garak is surprised.
The dress in question is a bright neon green color. I can’t tell if there’s a darker patch on the front or if it’s open there, and you’re supposed to wear something else under it. I wonder if it was an actual costume designed for the show that they ended up not using. Anyway, it’s not really my style but I guess some people like it.
Quark says he’s a businessman trying to help out another. Garak says the outfit is the latest style on his home world and asks if he likes it. Quark says he’s not an expert on Cardassian fashions. Garak is also not sure as he doesn’t have a Cardassian customer often.
Quark says he’s in luck as there are Cardassians on the station right now. Garak says Quark’s lady friend might find the style appealing. Quark says he’s perceptive. Garak says it was hard to miss the way Quark was looking at her. Quark says it was hard to miss the way Garak was looking at her.
Garak takes the outfit off the hanger and says he finds the outfit radical, but Quark’s friend seems more the type to like radical things. Nothing wrong with that, is there, Quark asks. Garak says he’d be surprised how detrimental a poor choice of fashion can be.
He says that the dress might be all the rage now, but in a short time it might be tiresome and an affront to the eyes and objectionable. He rips the cloth, saying that then it’s nothing but rags. He says he’d like to offer Quark some advice – there’s nothing wrong with following the wrong trend. He suggests Quark pass this on to his lady friend, as he’d hate to see her fall victim to fashion.
Quark asks if he could explain, so Garak says that she associates with some flamboyant companions and it would be a tragedy if she got in the way when her friends go out of fashion.
Quark says that if anyone tries to harm her, they’ll have to go through him. Garak asks what he’ll do – shortchange them at the dabo table? Quark says he’ll buy the dress after all and tells him to see that it’s mended.
At Natima’s quarters, she asks Quark what he wants. He says he knows she’s in trouble and he wants to help her. She doesn’t want his help. He says he owes her and she saved his life, as if she’d turned him over to the authorities, they would have executed him.
She says she thought he was brave for selling food to the Bajorans and she thought he was a man of honor. He says he’s a Ferengi and she should have known better. She agrees.
He asks if she can say it. She says she can’t think it. He says he’ll say it – they fell in love and the month they spent together was the best month of their lives, and she knows it. She says he’s confusing lust with love. He disagrees.
She asks how he could have betrayed her. He used her access codes to authorize payments for goods he never provided. He says the Cardassian Communication Service could afford it. She says he stole it. He says he saw a chance for profit and he took it. Maybe it was wrong, but he regrets betraying her trust, and it was the worst mistake of his life.
Natima says he’d do it again in a second. She believed in him, but he was using her like he uses everyone else – for profit. He says he wants to make it up to her and help her. He wants nothing in return, except for her to stay with him. She says she can’t stay. He says he’ll follow her.
She says he doesn’t know who she is. She says she’s part of the Cardassian Underground and if he follows her he’ll get killed. He’s okay with that. What about the bar? He doesn’t care. He’ll give it to Rom, who’ll run it into the ground in a month, but he doesn’t care, he has to be with her. She says it won’t work. He says he’d doing anything for her but she knows better.
He says he loves her. She says she doesn’t love him. He asks which of them is lying. She says he should go. He agrees but says that if she needs anything, he’ll be waiting. She says it’ll be a long wait.
He leaves.
O’Brien tells Sisko that Natima’s ship should be ready to leave in about an hour. He says he’ll pass on the message.
Kira reports that a Cardassian warship is approaching. They try hailing but there’s no response. They take up an attack posture and continue to ignore the hails.
O’Brien says they’re powering up their disrupters, so Sisko orders shields up and says to prepare phasers and photon torpedos.
Garak comes into Ops and says they should talk.
Sisko and Garak go into Sisko’s office.
Sisko asks why a warship is threatening the station. Garak says no one is threatening, Central Command just wants to make sure they have his attention. Sisko says it must have something to do with Natima and her students.
Garak says they’re not students, more like terrorists, and the government wants them home. Sisko points out that they haven’t committed any crimes on DS9 and they can do what they want on the station. Garak says that they don’t want the Federation involved in this insignificant internal matter.
Sisko doesn’t think it’s insignificant, and judging by the behavior of the ship, Central Command thinks Hogue and Rekelen are extremely dangerous. Garak says no, they just think of them as annoying and inconvenient, and if they were dangerous, would Central Command entrust the situation to a simple tailor? Sisko says this just proves to him that Garak is not a simple tailor.
Garak laughs and says that’s another discussion. All Sisko needs to know is that the return of Hogue and Rekelen is in the best interest of the Cardassian Empire. Sisko clarifies it’s the best interest of the military. Garak asks if there’s a difference.
Sisko asks if he expects a Bajoran station under Federation command to turn over Cardassian political refugees on his say-so. Garak says he’s just relaying a message. Sisko says to relay a message that if they try to take Hogue and Rekellen by force he’ll respond in kind. Garak says thanks for the time, and then suggests Sisko stop by the shop.
Hogue and Rekellen are at Quark’s, and Quark brings them free drinks they didn’t order, claiming they’re the drinks he promised when they came in – sorry they took so long but things have been hectic.
He starts to sit but they refuse and say that the Professor told them not to trust him. Quark says it was a lover’s quarrel and he’s willing to let bygones be bygones. Hogue says that the professor is not willing. Quark says their loyalty is touching.
He claims he can get them off the station in one piece. They ask how. He pauses and hits the table, then steps away, then returns and tests the drink. He explains that Odo is a shape-shifter and he’s being careful.
He then sits and tells the Cardassians that he has a cloaking device that will work for 15 minutes to get them away without anyone knowing. Rekelen says it sounds expensive. Hogue says they don’t have much latinum but offers to give Quark whatever they have.
Quark starts to ask how much they have, then shakes his head and stops himself. He says it’s a gift. They’re surprised. Hogue thanks him. Quark says they can repay him by convincing Natima to stay.
Rekelen says she will never agree to stay behind. Quark says no Natima, no cloaking device and no way to leave. He points out that the Cardassians are after Rekelen and Hogue and not Natima, and they agree that it would be bad for her to suffer for their crimes.
They agree to talk to Natima, and tell Quark to meet them at their quarters in an hour.
Natima is in her quarters. Quark comes in and asks where Rekelen and Hogue are. Waiting at the ship. Quark assumes this means Natima is staying and starts talking about how he can ask for larger quarters if she’d like.
There’s a bowl of fruit on the table. Is it fake fruit? Did she replicate it to eat later? Does whoever sets up guest quarters on DS9 set out fake fruit for all the guests? And a placemat to sit it on? Is this assigned to some random ensign, or does Starfleet employ an interior designer to set up guest quarters? Or maybe the Bajorans, since it’s their station.
She says she’s not staying. He says the students had an agreement with him.
She says that if he loves her, give her the device and she’ll leave. They have basically a repeat of the previous conversation where he professes her love and she says she doesn’t love him and he doesn’t believe her and blah blah blah.
She picks up a weapon and holds it out to him as he’s about to leave. He doesn’t think she’ll shoot him so walks toward her and tells her to shoot. She hesitates, he reaches out to take the weapon, and she fires.
Natima asks if he is okay, and says she shot him by accident. He is in pain and moaning. She had it on the first setting but it still hurts.
She apologizes and rubs the spot he was shot and then says she loves him and they kiss. She says she’s missed him and being with him was a happy time.
He says they are together again and have the rest of their lives to be together. She says she wishes it was that easy. He says it can be. She says she’s not the same person. The movement is her life and she has no time for other things. He says she’s a woman and it’s not right for her to be alone.
She says she’s not alone and she has her students and dreams. He asks if those are enough? Do they make her laugh and keep her warm at night? No, but her life demands certain sacrifices. And she’s made them, but it doesn’t mean she can’t be happy.
They reminisce about holosuite picnics. There’s some romantic talk. She doesn’t want to leave her students. He says they can carry on the movement without her and they can be together forever. They embrace. He asks if she’ll stay. She says yes.
The doorbell rings, astonishing them both, and they scramble to their feet.
Odo comes in. He apologizes for the interruption and says he’s hear to arrest her and Sisko will explain. Quark starts to argue, but Natima says it’s okay and goes out with Odo.
In the security room, Natima and the students are in a cell. Sisko goes in to talk to them. Odo lowers the field. Sisko enters the cell and says that they are all going to be turned over to the government.
Natima seems to be wearing leggings beneath her dress, and some boots.
He says that Cardassia will release half a dozen Bajoran prisoners in exchange, and the Bajoran Provisional Government has agreed to it.
Rekelen asks that they let Natima leave, as she and Hogue are really who they’re after, but Sisko says that the Provisional Government has ordered they all be turned over. He says he’s fighting and not giving up, but it’s a Bajoran station so he has to abide by their decision even though he disagrees.
Garak is in his shop when a Cardassian soldier comes in.
Garak calls him Toran, and he says he is now Gul Toran. Garak says he didn’t think the situation on Cardassia was that desperate.
Gul Toran says he finds his bitterness refreshing, and is glad to see he is adjusting poorly to exile. Garak says he’s finding his time illuminating. Toran asks if he’s not interested in going home.
Garak asks if he’s to be rewarded for notifying Central Command about Hogue and Rekellen. Perhaps. But only if he sees to it they don’t leave the station alive. He says that he suggested a prisoner exchange and this was agreed to.
Toran says he got them to change their minds. Garak says killing them will create martyrs. Toran thinks he’s overestimating their importance. He leaves it to Garak to come up with a way to arrange the unfortunate accident.
Odo is in his office. Quark comes in and wants to talk. Odo says he’s busy. Quark doesn’t want to wait, so grabs the pad from his hand. Odo is reading I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane, which was loaned to him by O’Brien.
There are two random guys in the hall outside. One is clearly a Bajoran official, wearing the ugly Bajoran red uniform, but the other is wearing a bluish outfit. Is it also a Bajoran uniform, or is he wearing a sweatsuit (or jumpsuit!) of that color by choice? He’s carrying a huge bag, so maybe he’s about to leave on a journey and is saying goodbye to the other man. The red-uniformed guy is carrying what looks like a toolbox. Maybe they’re planning some work together.
Quark says it’s important. He wants Odo to let Natima and the students go as it will create a freer and more open society on Cardassia. Odo is skeptical of his interest in Cardassian politics. Quark says it will be good for business. Odo can clearly see this is about Professor Lang and not profit.
Quark agrees and says her life is in jeopardy. Why didn’t he say that before? Quark gives a speech about how he loves her and doesn’t think Odo understands what it’s like to be in love and says he has the emotions of a stone. He pauses to apologize. Odo says to continue.
He says he’ll tell Odo every underhanded deal and everything that Rom is involved in. Odo is not interested. He takes back his book and turns away. Quark tries again. He says to do it for him, for all the years they’ve been together and how they’re close even though they’re often on opposite sides.
Odo is skeptical, especially when Quark claims he’s close as he is to his brother. Quark gets on his knees and begs. Odo says he’ll do it, but not for Quark. If he turns them over to the Cardassians, they’ll be executed. He’s read their files and nothing they’ve done warrants that kind of punishment. He’ll free them in the name of Justice.
Quark gets up and says if Odo isn’t doing it for him, he doesn’t owe him anything. He hugs Odo. Odo is supremely uncomfortable and replies “Let go.” Quark apologizes and backs up.
Odo asks Quark how he expects them to get past the warship? Quark grins and Odo says he knew he had a cloaking device.
They go into the security office to the cell, and Odo opens the cell. Natima thanks Odo, who says good luck.
Quark and the other Cardassians head for their ship. He says he’s installed the cloaking device in the central engine core, and they can activate it from the bridge once the mooring clamps are released. He suggests they jump to warp 8 immediately after that, and that they make their goodbyes brief.
He opens the airlock door to find Garak standing there with a weapon. What’s the rush? Garak asks.
Rekelen thinks Quark has betrayed them. Quark points his weapon at Garak, but Garak says he’d hate to ruin such a nice suit. He takes Quark’s weapon and says he’s tired of being exiled.
Quark says to take them but leave Natima. Natima protests, but Hogue agrees. Garak says it’s not his decision to make, nor his own, but Central Command wants Natima as well.
Natima asks if killing them will change anything – the movement is already underway. Garak says he’s not going to debate.
Quark says that if Garak harms them he’ll see to it that Sisko prosecutes him. Garak says that things would have been easier if Quark hadn’t gotten involved. Quark says he was already involved. Garak is sympathetic, and says he rather liked Quark.
“You’re going to shoot me, too?” Quark asks. Garak says that before he became a tailor, he lived by a simple motto: never let sentiment get in the way of your work. Quark says he’ll keep that in mind. Garak says he must carry out the verdict of Central Command. Quark says he disagrees with them, though!
Toran appears at that moment with his own weapon and asks what Garak believes. He’s there to make sure Garak carries out his assignment. He thinks Garak is soft after living with Bajorans, and he’ll take over from here. He takes Garak’s weapon.
Garak thinks he’s going to take the credit. Toran asks if he thinks that completing one task will restore his reputation. Garak agrees no. Toran says to go back to his sewing kit.
Toran moves to shoot Rekelen, but before he can, he is vaporized by Garak (who I guess had another weapon hidden?), who quips that some people should never be promoted. He tells them all to get on their ship.
Quark says he’ll make sure every Ferengi on the station goes to his store. Garak says that makes it worthwhile. Hogue and Rekelen get on the ship. Quark runs over to hug Natima. They kiss.
Then she says she has to leave. He says they had a deal. She says she can’t stay. Maybe she’ll come back when the work is done. He says that all he has to do is wait until Cardassia is free and democratic? She says she’ll make it worth the wait.
He offers to come but she says it’s not his fight. They kiss again. She says she loves him and always will, and then goes to the ship. The airlock closes behind her.
Garak says they should go back to the Promenade.
Quark asks why he shot Toran. Garak asks why he let Professor Lang go. Quark says he has no choice – he loves her. Garak says he loves Cardassia.
Quark says he doesn’t understand. Garak says no one really understands love, do they? They walk off together.
Stray Thoughts:
* Ugh, Quark and romance. I liked Natima until about partway through the second meeting in her quarters where, after shooting him, she decides she actually loves him and then regrets shooting him. She ends up not staying with him in the end (and I knew she wouldn’t) so why did she have to admit to loving him and have this whole romantic scene with him in the middle?
* Also, if Odo thought letting the Cardassians go out of their cells was the right thing to do, then why didn’t he do it until Quark appeared to ask him to? He’s just like “okay, sure” and then lets Quark and them go free and he hangs around his office. How is he going to explain this to Sisko, or to the Cardassians, or the Bajorans, who wanted to hand them over? Are the Bajoran political prisoners now not going to be set free?
* So Garak had no intention of killing the Cardassians and was okay with letting them go free? So then why did he alert Central Command that they were there in the first place? Just so he could kill Gul Toran?
* Rekelen and Hogue didn’t have much in the way of personality. For the leaders of a movement, they didn’t seem to have much to say or do in this story, and seemed to defer to their professor, but the professor claims to be unimportant in the movement. So are they the leaders or is she?
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