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/).
Dax has a drink at the replimat. She stirs the liquid in the mug as Quark comes over and asks her to tell “uncle Quark” all about it. He says that she’s 15 minute late for an appointment in the holosuites and has obviously been drinking for a while, so she’s been stood up.
Quark is wearing an upholstery jacket. Not my favorite, but hey, he doesn’t have a large role here.
Dax says she’s waiting for Kira so they can go anti-grav sailing. As she’s speaking, Kira runs in, in time to hear Dax say that they know how Kira feels about holosuites. Kira finishes, saying that they’re a waste of time – anything worth doing in a holosuite can be done better in the real world.
Quark says she hasn’t been in the right program and offers something else, but Kira cuts him off and says he’d regret it. Quark wisely backs off and leaves them. Kira apologizes for her tardiness, saying that she and Sisko had some work to do, and she’s kind of looking forward to their excursion except for crashing. Dax says they’ll start with an easy simulation and there will be no crashing.
They start to head out to fun, when a random someone in Ops (the captions identify the voice as “Crewman” so I guess they couldn’t get any of the stars to read this line) calls Kira to say that she has a communication from the Bajoran Central Archives. Kira goes to the nearest screen to answer, telling Dax it will take only a minute.
A woman pops up on the screen and identifies herself as Alenis Grem. She says she’s doing a study on the Elemspur Detention Center and wants to ask Kira some questions.
Alenis Grem is kind of boringly dressed, with some sort of lumpy brown jacket. Her hair is mildly interesting, kind of slightly curled. I’m sure it’s a more complicated updo in the back, even though we can’t even see it.
Kira is confused as to why, since she was never there. Grem says that Cardassian records have her name on the list of detainees and was there for seven days. Kira says it must be the wrong person.
Grem reads out the information from the records, which has the province and the resistance cell Kira was in. She displays a photo, which is of Kira. Dax helpfully says “it’s you!”
I mean, I’m not a thousand percent sure I’d be able to tell that was Kira, since the image is kind of small, but I assume Kira knows what she looked like.
Above them, on an upper level, a young woman watches Kira and Dax.
I don’t hate her outfit. I mean, I don’t love it, either – it’s kind of dour and dark, and the sleeves are either exceptionally baggy or too big for her, there’s a turtleneck (which I hate) and I’m not a fan of matching tights/leggings. But the dress itself is pretty cute, with a subtle belt and some pleats in the skirt. Change up the top and the leggings and I might wear it. Anyway, it looks good on this lady.
CUE THEME
Kira has gone to discuss things with Odo. He says that if her memory and the records don’t agree, one of them must be wrong, because Odo is nothing if not logical.
Some interesting camera angles in this scene. I approve. I also like that Odo is leaning on the desk rather than just sitting in the chair. I feel like Season 1 Odo was very stiff and would never lean on a desk, but now he’s relaxed a bit.
Kira says her memory is fine and she knows exactly where she was during the week the records say she was imprisoned. She spent the winter with her resistance group in the Dahkur Hills with no power cells, very little food, and hid in caves, so it was memorable.
She concludes the records are fake, and the only question is who faked them, and why. Odo says that she shared a cell with three other inmates – maybe one of them can help.
Kira first a man, who says he hasn’t thought about Elemspur in a long time. She asks if he can answer some questions about the other prisoners. He says he’ll try. Then says he remembers her and guesses her name is Kiri.
This dude is wearing layers of sweaters, and what I assume is a vest. I can’t quite tell what’s going on there – beading? Lace? Just some colors? – but it brings some visual interest into what’s otherwise a bland outfit.
He then says he almost didn’t recognize her – did she used to wear her hair differently – longer? She is surprised he remembers her. He says he gave her up for dead after the Cardassians dragged her out of their cell and is glad to see he was wrong.
Kira then talks to Sisko about this. Sisko says maybe the man is lying. Kira says it’s possible, but he confirms the records saying she was there, and she needs to find the truth. He understands.
She says she’ll be on Bajor for only a few days. He says they’ll manage without her. She leaves for the airlock, and Sisko goes back to work.
The same young lady who was watching Kira earlier when she was with Dax follows Kira now to the transport.
Bashir finds Garak in the replimat. Garak’s shop was closed, and he says business has been slow – living under the threat of Dominion invasion has left people less likely to want to buy new clothing. He asks about Bashir’s recent trip to Klaestron IV.
Garak has on my favorite outfit of his – patterned dark sleeves and a green vest like outfit. We get a rare view of his shoes here, which look to be plain black boots, and his pants are not tucked in, so he wins style points over Quark there.
Bashir says the trip was good – they’ve developed a new burn treatment technology. Garak says he’s envious – traveling was a passion for him when he was younger – it was a thrill to visit an alien world and immerse oneself in the culture of the place. But aside from their brief trip to Bajor, he hasn’t been off the station in almost 3 years.
Bashir says he could go somewhere, and says ships leave DS9 almost every day. Garak says space is dangerous and you never know what might happen. Bashir says he’s being paranoid. He asks if the Cardassians would have Garak killed if he left. Garak just says that Bashir has a vivid imagination.
In Ops, Dax tells Sisko they’re getting a transmission from Bajoran Central Archives. Sisko answers on a random screen. It’s Alenis Grem again. Sisko tells her that Kira isn’t on the station and has gone to Bajor.
Grem says she knows and that’s why she called – Kira was supposed to meet with her to review the records, but Kira never came. Grem tried contacting her but wasn’t able to get in touch. As far as she can tell, no one has seen Kira since she left for Elemspur.
The mysterious young woman is with a man in the dark, who says “Wake her.”
Kira asks where she is. The woman says she’s safe. She sits up in the bed she’s been lying on, and sees herself in a mirror in front of her. She’s a Cardassian now. She asks what’s been done to her.
The man says that they’ve brought her home to Cardassia.
Kira backs up away from them both. The man says they’re trying to help her. She says she doesn’t know who they are or what they’re trying to do but it won’t work.
Eh, this isn’t a terrible outfit for a Cardassian. Dark sleeves, lighter chest, interesting pattern on the lower part of the top. The wrinkling sort of fabric on the lighter colored sections is interesting.
The artwork behind her is interesting – kind of reminds me of a giant eyeball, or maybe a hand holding a glowing golden ball. There’s also what looks like a clear screen with bubbles and lights in it.
He says that if all they wanted was information, they’d have it already. She asks what’s stopping him. He says he’s not going to hurt her as she’s one of them. She says she’ll never be convinced she’s a Cardassian. He says that he questions the wisdom of altering the memories of their long-term operatives, as this ensures they’ll never be discovered, but makes reintegrating them into Cardassian society more difficult.
The dude here is wearing a kind of boring gray outfit, but with two different shades to make it at least slightly less than totally boring. There’s a weird oval cutout at the bottom which is mirrored by an oval cutout at the top, which is then filled in so we don’t see his bare chest. Side question – do Cardassian men have chest hair? They don’t seem to ever grow facial hair, so I’m guessing not. Either way, I guess it’s nice that they covered that up. There’s also an interesting collar that’s taller behind him than in front.
He also tells Kira she’s gotten some medication to reverse memory loss, but it will take some time to become effective. Until then, he doesn’t expect her to believe anything he says, but it’s difficult watching someone he cares about suffer, and says that he supervised her training.
He then says that she’s an undercover operative of the Obsidian Order named Iliana Ghemor. Ten years ago, she volunteered to go undercover on Bajor. They kidnapped a Bajoran terrorist, gave Iliana her memories, appearance, and put her back on Bajor to infiltrate the resistance.
Kira says nothing. He says she’ll remember in time, and being her should help. She laughs and says it’s a Cardassian prison. He says it’s her room in the house where she was born. She says her home is in the Dahkur Province of Bajor.
He gives her a data thing that has a personal statement she recorded before being sent to Bajor and implores her to watch it. She doesn’t reply. He leaves it on a table and leaves, along with the woman, who hasn’t said anything.
Sisko , Odo, and Dax meet to discuss Kira’s disappearance. Odo says that they interviewed people who lived near the detention center. One says he thinks he saw Kira walking up the road toward the center.
Dax says that they scanned the area and found some technology stuff that might be a transporter trace. He asks if Kira was beamed away. Neither Dax nor Odo has an answer. He says he wants to know every ship that was in the area at the time.
He then tells Odo to talk to his friends in the Bajoran militia and tell the they need to see activity logs of all ground-based transporters in the area.
Dax says the science stuff might have been left by a disruptor or a phaser set to kill. Sisko says he knows.
Back on Cardassia, we see the same guy talking about children on the side of the building that we saw when O’Brien was brought her for trial. I’m pretty sure it’s the same exact clip.
Cardassian Kira is just hanging out in the room. She goes to touch the window but there’s a force field. She finally decides to pick up the data thing, but then the door chimes and she puts it back down. She goes to sulk on a couch instead and then commands the visitor to enter.
The window is a pretty funky design. I like it.
The same dude from before comes in and says there’s someone who wants to see her. It’s an old Cardassian, who calls the dude Entek and yells at him for keeping him waiting in his own house. Entek calls the old guy Legate and says the initial debriefings can be difficult and they couldn’t have any interruptions. The Legate just makes a frustrated noise at him.
We’ve seen Legates before, and like them, this guy wears a traditional Cardassian military uniform, but with some shiny accents, like a big badge on his chest and a bit of random orange markings as well. Now that I think about it, why doesn’t Entek have a military uniform as well?
He then sees Kira and stops complaining then goes to look at her. He says “it really is you.” Entek says her memory hasn’t returned. He says he understands, then says something about how much this means to him.
Kira, still playing the disaffected teen, asks if she’s supposed to know him. Entek says he is Legate Tekeny Ghemor, her father. Kira stands up and tells them that her father died on Bajor fighting Cardassians. Ghemor says that’s not true. He apologizes as she doesn’t remember but again says he’s been waiting for so long.
He then commands Entek to leave them and says that his daughter isn’t going to hurt him. Entek is reluctant but obeys. Then Ghemor says he’s missed her and calls her Iliana. Kira says not to call her that. She goes back to sulking on the couch.
She says it’s not her name and she’s not her daughter. Ghemor says he’ll let her rest and she should consider herself a guest in the house. Kira doesn’t respond. He leaves.
Kira: I am not talking to you. Also, that couch has a purple floral pattern. I thought it was just plain purple. That is cool.
Back on DS9, Bashir is shutting things down for the evening and leaving the infirmary when Garak comes by. He asks if Bashir would join him for a snack. Bashir says that he’s tired and wants to sleep, so Garak gets to the point and says it’s about Kira.
Back on Cardassia, Kira is exploring the room and looking under a table when Ghemor comes in. He says “in the left corner, above the window.” He’s referring to the Obsidian Order surveillance devices, but don’t worry, they’re not on. He’s a member of Central Command so they only get activated at his request.
The layout of this room is interesting. I guess Iliana used it as an office and sitting room? I don’t see a bed anywhere, but maybe it’s off in the back near a bathroom of some sort. I kind of like the orange-red walls – a nice change from the gray that’s ubiquitous on DS9. Also, what is up with that ottoman/coffee table thing between those armchairs – it looks like the grid of a holodeck or something.
Ghemor has got a tray of food and says he thought she might like some breakfast. He’s also brought Bajoran food, specifically some hasperat. Kira says she’s not hungry and pretends to be interested in a random item on the table.
I googled hasperat and it’s apparently a spicy food resembling a burrito. Maybe she just doesn’t want anything spicy at the moment.
Ghemor asks if she recognizes it and says that it’s a bone carving she made when he was promoted to Legate. Kira says his daughter was talented. He said he thought she should have been an artist but she was determined to join the Order, thinking it was her duty to Cardassia. He says he thinks Cardassia could use a few more artists.
He again offers her some food and she declines. He says she’s as stubborn as her mother, who could never do anything the easy way.
Kira says her mother was an icon painter from Dahkur Province. She died of malnutrition at a refugee camp when she was three.
Ghemor says her mother was an Inquisitor at the Central University. He says it’s his fault for letting her go on the mission – he could have prevented it and she wouldn’t have known. But she was determined and proud that he didn’t have the heart to stop it. Her mother never forgave him.
Kira says he’s very good with the house and the stories – it’s all convincing but she doesn’t believe a word of it. She walks away from him. He says he’s sorry.
Garak and Sisko are in Odo’s office. Garak says there’s nothing they can do and he doesn’t see the point to telling the story again, but Sisko wants to hear it.
Garak is wearing his ugly mustard yellow and purple outfit. I did not notice in prior instances, but there’s a wide purple belt – perhaps with a bow? – and that does not make the outfit look any better. C’mon Garak – you should know better.
Garak says that if his friend is correct and Kira is being held by the Obsidian Order, retrieving her would be impossible. Odo says not impossible for Garak. Garak says they’re overestimating his abilities.
Sisko says he’s going to put Garak’s abilities to the test – the three of them are going to Cardassia. Garak is appalled and says he can’t be serious. He says if he were allowed on Cardassia he wouldn’t be living there. Sisko says there are some Bajoran ministers concerned about Garak on the station and want him removed – he sees no reason not to honor that request – unless they can prove that Garak is useful to them.
Odo says that rescuing Kira would improve his standing with the Bajoran government. Garak asks why he should care what they think of him. Sisko says that if he were in trouble with Cardassian Central Command, a Bajoran space station under Federation control might be the safest place.
Garak says this is extortion. Sisko considers and says “Yes it is.”
He then says they’ll travel under assumed identities provided by Starfleet Intelligence. O’Brien has reconfigured the Defiant so they’ll look like a freighter on long-range sensors. They’ll leave in three hours.
Garak says he’ll go on this fool’s errand, but he’s not going to sacrifice his life to save theirs. If they’re in danger of capture or there’s a sign of danger, they’re on their own. Sisko says this is the first honest thing Garak has said to him. Garak says this is perceptive.
On Cardassia, Entek seems surprised to learn from Ghemor that “Iliana” doesn’t remember anything. He says this is unfortunate. They are talking across the room from Kira. Entek says he’ll have to ask her some questions.
Ghemor is upset, saying that he thought she’d be given time to regain her memory. Entek says she had time and the injections should have worked by now – it’s been two days and memories usually resurface after a few hours. Ghemor asks what if they never work. Entek says that she has information that they need and she’ll see the wisdom of cooperating.
He wants Ghemor to leave the room. Ghemor says that he’ll be in the next room if he’s needed. Entek says Ghemor’s concerns are baseless and they have no reason to harm her. Ghemor says he’ll be nearby as a reminder.
Entek asks Kira about her duties as first officer on DS9. She says that the Federation runs the station and she wasn’t allowed into Ops. He asks how many Starfleet personnel are thre. She says 30-40,000 and then says not to tell them she told them. She’s grinning. He’s upset that she’s not taking the questions seriously.
Kira is still the teenager here, putting her feet on the furniture. We get a great view of her pants and shoes here. Boring brown-ish boots, in almost the same shade as the chair she’s sitting on. Again, not tucked into the boots, though, so an improvement over the Bajoran uniform.
Entek sighs, gets up, and says he’s trying to give her a chance – she’s still one of his operatives and he doesn’t want to hurt her but if she doesn’t cooperate…. Then he stops and says he thinks he has a way to get her to take him seriously. He touches a communicator on his wrist and asks to be sent an exhibit.
Kira says that nothing they can show her will make a difference. He says that the Obsidian Order saves everything that comes into its possession, as you never know what might be useful. Libraries, vaults, biological specimens.
An item is transported in, covered with a sheet. Kira pulls back the sheet and sees her dead self there. She says it’s impossible. He says nothing is impossible when it comes to the Obsidian Order.
Dead Kira has pretty nice hair considering she must have been dead for a while now. Her sweater looks like it might be velour, but she’s got the usual Bajoran lacy crocheted sweater as a vest. I don’t think it would add much in the way of warmth so I assume it’s a stylistic choice entirely.
Kira insists it’s a fake – a clone or hologram, and maybe the whole place is a holosuite. He asks if she remembers a situation where she thought she saw a Cardassian situation in the distance and killed a hara cat instead – a mother nursing her young. She asks how he knows that, as she never told the story to anyone.
He says they put the story in her memories, just like they gave every other memory. If they couldn’t get it from the real Kira, they got from other prisoners or invented themselves. He tells her to ask herself two things – is there anything he’s said they’ve done that’s beyond the capabilities of the Obsidian Order? He assumes she knows there isn’t.
Second– if she’s not his operative and she’s not who he says she is, why would he play this game? If he wanted information from her, he’d have it already. He doesn’t want to – he cares about her and she was one of his best students. He tells her to watch the recording and think because the order won’t wait much longer.
Kira plays around with some buttons and manages to open the window. As she’s about to climb out, Ghemor discovers her, saying she hasn’t forgotten her Obsidian Order training. She says she learned it in the resistance.
He gives her some advice about leaving a contact wire, as she tripped the silent alarm. She says she’ll keep that in mind, and if she walks out he’ll try to stop her. He says there’s no need – she wouldn’t get half a kilometer before the Obsidian Order detected her. She says she wants to take that chance.
She tells him to stop calling her Iliana – she’s not his daughter and never was. She’s leaving.
He says she won’t get off Cardassia and it’ll only make things worse. He can only do so much to help her. She says if he wants to help her, get her off the planet. She won’t cooperate the Order. Eventually they’ll realize that, interrogate her, and she won’t survive. He says he won’t allow that. He asks her to watch the recording so she’ll know the truth. Then he leaves the room.
She plugs the recording into a computer to watch.
Iliana comes on screen in what looks like a black and white video.
Oh, it’s not actually black and white, since we can see some red and green from her shirt. But it’s otherwise kind of grayscale.
Iliana explains that she’s making the video to help herself. She also says that she’s having surgery the next day, and she’ll miss Cardassia, but she knows what she’s doing is right. The terrorism on Bajor has to be stopped. She says her parents don’t want her to go but she hopes one day they understand.
On the Defiant, Sisko asks how O’Brien’s modifications are holding up. Dax confirms that they look like a Kobheerian freighter. They’re in Cardassian space so they need to keep an eye on it and make sure it’s working right.
Odo comes in with Garak and says that he’s caught the Cardassian snooping around the access corridor near the phaser banks. Garak says he was just taking a stroll to escape his claustrophobic quarters. Sisko tells Odo to confine Garak to his cabin for the rest of the trip and post a guard.
Garak protests. Sisko starts to argue, but an alarm interrupts them and Dax reports that two warships are heading toward them. The shield harmonics are holding up. Garak thinks it’s a routine security check.
Garak’s clothing choices have improved – he’s now wearing a more boring combination of brown on brown on brown in a tunic style with a wide belt. He looks so similar to Odo here that I wonder if he modeled the outfit off of the constable’s uniform.
Meanwhile, Sisko has lost the fashion wars in this shot. The upper part of his outfit is not terrible – gray shirt with reddish-brown vest thing – but the bottom part involves green pants with a wide center brown stripe. Yuck.
Sisko has them drop out of warp so they don’t get too close, and asks about the communications holo-filter. It’s good.
Gul Benil of the Eighth Order comes on the screen and asks them to identify themselves. Sisko in Kobheerian disguise, says they’re a freighter called Rak-Minunis and calls himself Captain Viterian. He says they’re headed to Cardassia Prime with a shipment of toranium for military use. Benil wants to board them.
Kobheerian Sisko has bolder but more sensible fashion choices. The purple and gray pattern is slightly risk, but looks like a better combination of colors than Human Sisko is wearing. Since Dax created the filter, I assume this is her doing.
Sisko tells him the toranium is urgent and he doesn’t want him to explain the delay. Benil says that it can wait. Maquis activity is on the rise in the sector and all incoming ships are ordered to be stopped and searched.
Garak reaches over to stop the transmission and tells Sisko to drop the holo-filter, saying he can get them out of this if he talks to them. Sisko tells Benil to stand by. He checks with Dax that they’re not within weapons range, then agrees to Garak’s plan as long as they’re prepared to run away fast if it doesn’t work.
They drop the filter and pop up on screen as themselves. Benil says they’re not Kobheerians. “Very observant of you,” Garak says harshly, and orders him to turn around. He says it’s an Alpha-Red priority mission and gives some clearance verification and orders that Benil erase all record of the encounter.
Benil puts the code into his computer. It’s verified. He apologizes. Garak says he was doing his duty and ends the transmission. Then he sighs with relief. Sisko says he’s impressed. Garak says he overheard it sewing someone’s trousers and suggests they leave quickly in case Benil decides to show some initiative.
On Cardassia, Entek is interrogating Kira about the names of the Starfleet ships in the demilitarized zone. She says she doesn’t know. He’s not happy with this answer and asks the question again.
Ghemor interrupts, saying he’s asked enough questions. Entek says he can’t come in. Ghemor yells back that he’s a member of the Central Command and this is his own home. Entek argues that the Order is autonomous. Ghemor says the autonomy is a privilege granted by the Central Command and is revocable at any time.
Entek backs down and says the next talk will be at the Order’s facilities. He leaves.
Ghemor asks if she’s okay. She doesn’t answer, just, gets up, and walks over to the mirror, where she stares at herself for a while. Upset, she starts to cry, and then punches the mirror, breaking it. She collapses on the ground, crying, while he tries to comfort her.
He says he can’t keep her there and Entek will break her, so he needs to get her away from Cardassia. She asks why he’d do that. He says she’s his daughter and he’d do anything even if it means losing her again.
Kira looks over the carving that Iliana made. Ghemor comes in and gives her some jewelry. He says it was her mother’s and he wants her to have it to remember her. Kira refuses it at once. He says there’s no point to arguing – he’s as stubborn as she is and it runs in the family.
A young Cardassian man comes in and Ghemor introduces him as Ari, a friend, and says he’ll help get her off Cardassia. Kira is skeptical this will be possible without the Order’s knowledge, but Ghemor says he has friends who think as he does. Ari says that the Obsidian Order and the Central Command have too much power over their lives and they’re going to change that.
I have nothing to say about Ari right now. He seems like an okay guy, but he has no creativity with his uniform.
Kira is astonished that Ghemor is a dissident. Ari says that Ghemor is a great man who has anything any Cardassian could want but is willing to risk his life for what he believes. Ghemor disagrees, saying that his position protects him and people like Ari are the real heroes.
Ari says he has to get Kira to the next contact. Ghemor agrees and says good-bye to her and he loves her. She says this is wrong and tells them that it can’t be a coincidence that Ghemor is a dissident and wants to help her. Ghemor wants her to trust him.
She says she doesn’t trust Entek – why did he go through the trouble of making her a Cardassian and sending her to Ghemor. She realizes that Entek is not after her, but Ghemor. Ghemor doesn’t get it yet. She asks what if the Order suspects he’s a dissident, but he thinks that’s impossible and he’s too well protected and there’s no evidence.
Kira points out that they still could suspect him, but without evidence they wouldn’t interrogate him. Ari agrees Central Command wouldn’t allow that. She says this is why they kidnapped her, because she resembles his daughter and they knew Ghemor wouldn’t stand by and watch him be tortured – they wanted Ghemor to try to rescue her.
Entek comes in with some henchpeople (I was going to say henchmen but I realized one of them is a woman) and says that Kira is very astute and couldn’t have done better if she were one of them.
It’s too dark (sigh) to get a good view of the henchpeople’s clothing. The guy might be wearing red and the woman might be wearing purple. That’s really all I can say.
Ghemor uses the communicator on his wrist to request a beam-out, but nothing happens. Entek says there’s a transporter suppression field over the whole area and it won’t work.
Ari says “no!” and steps forward, and they immediately shoot him.
Entek says they don’t know how long he’s waited for that day. In one stroke, the Obsidian Order will unmask a traitor in Central Command and shatter the dissident movement. Ghemor says the movement will survive without him, but Entek thinks he underestimates his importance and says they’ll eradicate dissent and destroy the enemies of Cardassia.
Ghemor says he means the enemies of the Order. Entek says the Obsidian Order is Cardassia and his henchmen come forward to grab him. They throw him into a chair. He asks what they’re doing. Entek says he knows.
He then says that Kira’s testimony would make for a dramatic trial, but he’d dispense with it if she gives them any trouble.
The door opens and Garak and Sisko comes in. Garak says that the major is the least of Entek’s problems. Sisko throws a bag on the ground and suggests they lower their weapons. Entek isn’t impressed.
But then Odo, who was of course disguised as the bag, appears from behind Entek and disarms him easily. Kira grabs the weapons of his associates.
Entek asks what Garak is doing there. Garak says he got homesick, but they’d better get going. Kira tells Ghemor that he’s on their side…she thinks. He goes along with them.
Garak compliments Kira’s Cardassian looks and says that he has friends on Cardassia in answer to Kira’s question of how they found her. He also says that Entek will derive years of enjoyment trying to figure out who they are.
Sisko says they have a ship waiting and Ghemor ought to come with them. Ghemor agrees and they both head out.
Entek appeals to Garak – why is he helping these traitors who are enemies of the order? “Treason, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder,” Garak replies. Entek says he’s making a mistake as the Order was content to let him live in exile, but now…
Kira cuts him off, saying he and Odo ought to get going. Garak says it was a joy to be with Cardassians, and he would love to listen to Entek bluster, but he doesn’t have the time. They start to head out.
Entek pulls a small weapon from his waist and starts to aim it, but Garak sees the motion as they are leaving and shoots him, vaporizing him instantly.
“A pity,” he says, “I rather liked him.”
Odo and Kira exchange surprised glances and then leave.
On DS9, Kira, once again a Bajoran, speaks with Ghemor. It was all a lie.
According to Bashir, her genetic structure is entirely Bajoran and the alterations were surgical. What about the man who said he was with her at Elemspur? Gone. They suspect he was a Cardassian agent. He probably changed the records in the first place.
Ghemor says he thought she’d be happy. She says she is, but she’s confused – if Iliana really was disguised as a Bajoran, then why did Entek have her kidnapped? Why not bring her back. Ghemor says the drugs would have worked on her – her memories would have returned, and she would have cooperated with Entek, but they knew Kira would resist and he’d be forced to try to get her off Cardassia.
She wonders if Iliana is still alive. He says he has to believe that because he’s her father. She might still be on Bajor, and he’ll find her some day.
Kira offers to let him stay on the station, but he says there’s no place for him there, but the Mathenite government has offered him political sanctuary and he’ll be safe there.
He asks if he can give some fatherly advice. She agrees. He says that she should never trust Garak, ever. He’s dangerous and he’d betray her and all her friends in an instant if he thought it would help him. Kira says she’ll keep her eye on him.
Kira tries to give him back his dead wife’s jewelry, but he refuses, and says that she can keep it. She might not be his daughter, but until he finds Iliana, she’s the closest thing he has to family. Kira tears up and says that despite whatever else she said, she realizes that he’s an honorable man and she thinks his daughter must have loved him very much.
He nods and then turns and walks into the airlock to leave.
Stray Thoughts
* I have to start off this week with a brief tribute to Rene Auberjonois, best known in Trek for playing Odo. While he played many other roles, my best knowledge of him is as Odo, a role he excelled at. Several people in the Open Threads spoke about his distinctive “harrumph” and how it was not scripted, but a thing that he would throw in when he felt the character needed it. This article on Trek Core has a nice summary of tweets from fellow Trek actors and others, and I’d like to quote Alan Sepinwall’s tweet, where he says: “Odo could’ve been one of the more thankless roles in all of Star Trek. Rene Auberjenois’s face was buried under latex that much of its expressiveness, and often he was swapped out for CGI. But what he could do with his eyes, voice & posture… wow. RIP.”
* This particular episode kind of dragged in the middle for me, but the ending, when the entirety of the plot was revealed (and some action happened), kind of redeemed the rest in retrospect. The attempts by Ghemor to woo Kira, her continual teenaged-angst style grumpiness in response… I really just wanted to get back to Sisko and company as their investigation proceeded.
* This is the second mention of dissidents in Cardassia, the first being Quark’s old flame Professor Natima Lang in Season 2, episode 18, “Profit and Loss.” I always appreciate any effort to bring more depth to a culture, and combining this with Kira’s usual dislike of Cardassians (she practically spits the word out most of the time) was interesting, although the dissident part was sort of thrown on at the end.
* Almost everyone comes off well here. Kira obviously has the most sympathetic role, but Odo, Sisko, and Ghemor get to do some heroic things. Only Garak is left in a less flattering light, although surely he gets some bonus points for bringing the plot to Bashir.
* The mysterious lady in the beginning, who was following Kira – she doesn’t look Cardassian. Does the Obsidian Order recruit other species now, or is she also surgically altered?
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