Sorry, I'm late. I
did watch “A Man Alone” on Saturday, but didn't find time to actually make up my mind about it. Until now ...
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
- The Bashir/Dax scene at the beginning is odd. Did it merely serve the purpose of (re-)introducing the concept of the holosuite, because the murder was going to take place there later?
- The whole “Is Sisko interested in Jadzia?” thing is funny in how absurd it is. At first I thought it would only be Odo who was too alien to realize Sisko would never fall for what's essentially his mentor, but then we have Julian who also sees them as lovers!
- Inadvertent Foreshadowing™ (this should really be a drinking game with this show): Odo tells Quark he “doesn't couple”. Well, let's see, Constable!
- I might as well come out now as a big fan of the Keiko/O'Brien relationship. For some reason most Niners view her as a nuisance, but I love Keiko and think their marriage is probably the most realistic of all the series. Their problems seem very understandable and real. (Although I must say, that it stretches credibility, that a botanist could assume the role of a school teacher.)
- I just wanna know what a Jumja stick tastes like. They look so delicious!
- In contrast to TNG the producers seem to have made the conscious decision to rely more on real on-set CRT monitors instead of CG inserts or animated backlight effects. I must say I like that aesthetic, both in Bashir's infirmary and in Ibudan's quarters. It gives the show a unique look and subconsciously reminds us that this is older, Cardassian technology. I wonder, though, how they would hold up if the show eventually did get the HD treatment.
- In parallel with last week's “Past Prologue”, this time Odo rather than Kira seems to be the one whose loyalty is put to the test. It's interesting that they put these episodes back-to-back. The only thing missing is an episode with a loyalty test for Quark – the third “outsider” in the main cast.
- Just like last week's episode, this one really suffers from poor casting when it comes to the Bajoran roles. Both Ibudan and Zayra (whose name I've taken from MA, do we learn his name in the actual episode?) remain rather bland. Also: What kind of name is “Lamonay S.”?
THINGS I NOTICED FOR THE FIRST TIME
- Is the episode's title an allusion to something? “A Man Alone” sounds like the title of a Film Noir detective thriller, which it certainly could have been, but obviously chose not to.
- Sisko calls the Bajorans “Bajora” in this episode. Interesting.
- Do we ever see that set of Ibudan's quarters again? It looks like it was build especially for this, but I can't remember if we're ever going to see it again.
- In the end when Bashir has uncovered the truth about Ibudan's cloning, why does he exclaim it loudly on the promenade in front of everyone? Isn't he afraid the murderer (or an accomplice) could be alerted?
FAVORITE MOMENTS
- Quark defending Odo when the Bajorans badmouth him at the bar.
- Odo offering his services to Quark after he has been suspended.
There's something very "stagey" about the mob outside Odo's office, as if they're standing on one side of some invisible line.
Yes, that scene is blocked in an odd way. I guess it's because they had to make do with so few extras.
Whoops ... I didn't read closely enough, and went in Netflix order instead!
Which should mostly be fine, shouldn't it? Off the top of my head I can only think of two cases where they shuffled episodes around. There could be more, though.
Re: Bajoran names, I kind of like it when they sound unnatural to an English-speaking ear.
To me, this actually is kind of the problem: to my ears “Tahna Los” sounds almost too natural, too familiar. I can't think of a German name that is exactly like it, but the overall sound
could be German. I guess it just doesn't sound alien enough.
"Nerys" is a good example -- almost every two-syllable English name has the accent on the first syllable.
Funnily enough, in the German dub her name is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable.
Things ate different for every language. You can bet that there are languages in which either Kira or Nerys are actual names.
“Kira” is actually a pretty common girl's name. In fact, I know several Kira's personally.
I agree, though he did give me the creeps being so touchy feely and flirty with Bashir in this episode. He came across as a dirty old man or something, even though he's not really "old." I don't know, I just found it creepy. I'm glad they didn't continue with that vibe because it wasn't working for me.
Really? I liked that vibe. He positively came across as a creep who is just playing with Bashir. I think it kinda helped his characterization. I have to watch out for his next appearance; maybe I can see what you mean about them dialing it back.
Absolutely! And I had forgotten how early in the series this started happening. So cool that it's only the second episode!
True. And if you think about it, all the wonderful character constellations that would make up the later seasons were already evident in these first episodes:
- Quark and Odo
- Odo and Kira
- Kira and Sisko
- Sisko and Jake
- Jake and Nog
- Sisko and Dax
And all of this in the first season! When I rewatched the series the last time a few years ago I was actually rather surprised when I realized how much of the Jake and Nog friendship is in the first season, when in the later years it sometimes seemed like Cirroc Lofton wasn't even part of the cast anymore.
