Poll Rugal Pa'Dar

[Kilana2]

Rugal was born and raised on Bajor, by Bajoran adoptive parents. People thought of him as a Cardassian, but he felt more Bajoran. He learnt to hate the Cardassians. Keiko offered him Cardassian food instead of something from Bajor and went against his wishes.
Sisko finally ruled that he belongs to Kotan Pa'Dar, his Cardassian biological father. Was Sisko's decision wise?

 

[Tosk]

I think Sisko made the wrong call when it comes to the specific case of Rugal, but there is a long history of similar bad decisions. That's what happens when you treat a child as a possession instead of a loved one. If it means more to you to have them than it does to know they're happy, then I just straight up disagree.

 

[Kilana2]

Rugal's wishes were disregarded. He wasn't asked where he wanted to be.

 

[Timo]

Sisko may have made the right choice politically. Sometimes correct political choices kill heaps of people, though. Rugal's wishes or happiness may not have carried much weight in the decision. Does that make it wrong?

Sisko's choice may also have maximized happiness overall, if Rugal's biological parents (or them and Rugal put together) gain more from the reunion than his foster parents (and Rugal) lose. Indeed, this is rather likely in the circumstances given, and considering the social stigma in the two respective cultures (the Cardassian one condemns Rugal's absence, the Bajoran one condemns his presence). Again, Rugal himself may end up short there. But he's in a minority in more ways than one!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Relayer1]

At a slight tangent, if you were interested by Rugal, you really should read Una McCormack's beautiful and moving 'The Never Ending Sacrifice'.

It was a Trek novel that didn't really appeal to me that I adored when I actually read it.

 

[Kilana2]

At a slight tangent, if you were interested by Rugal, you really should read Una McCormack's beautiful and moving 'The Never Ending Sacrifice'.

It was a Trek novel that didn't really appeal to me that I adored when I actually read it.

Yes, I loved it, too. I posted this thread here because the people here know the episode, but not everyone read The Neverending Sacrifice. But it is really a must-read. It explains how Rugal struggled to adapt to life on Cardassia and how he fared during the Dominion War.

 

[JonVP]

I voted “yes”.

His biological parents thought he died in a terrorist attack. Now that they’ve found out that their son is still alive, of course they want him back. I can understand that.
And maybe Rugal wants to stay with his adoptive family, but we all know that he’ll never get a fair chance in Bajoran society (him being Cardassian).

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Generally speaking, yes. Rugal was separated from his parents because of corruption and malevolence. As much as the Bajoran parents were commendable for taking in Rugal and caring for him in the context of recent Bajoran history, a firm line should be drawn under and practices that would allow other people to misuse issues of migration to drive an adoption industry.

 

[Kilana2]

It's a shame that Ziyal was killed. She could relate to Rugal. Did they meet in The Neverending Sacrifice?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Rugal's wishes were disregarded. He wasn't asked where he wanted to be.

A classic no-win situation, really. Either disregard Rugal's wishes or his father's.

I mean, doesn't Kotan (hey, it's the guy from SOAP! ) deserve a chance to get to know his son?

 

[Tosk]

I mean, doesn't Kotan deserve a chance to get to know his son?

Sure. The question is, does his right to get to know his son trump Rugal's right to not have his whole life exploded?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I’m not sure. It’s a murky case. Yeah, his life was uprooted. But (Not knowing what happened later) wouldn’t his life be better on Carsassia than living as a second class citizen taught to hate himself?

Does Rugal’s freedom extend to having the right to grow up somewhere he’s seen as an equal, who can form normal relationships with people who don’t resent him by default?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Rugal's wishes were disregarded. He wasn't asked where he wanted to be.

He's not capable of making his own decisions regarding that, because he's been indoctrinated to hate his own people. He should be "deprogrammed" first.

 

[bigglesworth]

I'm honestly not sure. On one hand I do sympathize with Rugal's Bajoran family, but on the other, Rugal and his father were victims of Dukat's (and maybe others) political machinations. I can understand Sisko's decision though; What I don't understand is why Rugal was taken away from his parents, by the DS9 crew, due to some complete stranger's allegation that he was abused. I can understand beginning an investigation, but yanking someone's kids away should require a bit more than hearsay by some guy.

 

[DonIago]

It's hard to say. I loathe the idea of taking a child away from adoptive parents whom he loves and who love him, but at the same time I think Rugal was being brought up to hate his own biological people (not necessarily intentionally) and himself, and that's not right either. And I do think he should have exposure to the Cardassians so he can make up his own mind, even though I also find their society at this point in history...questionable.

Ideally I suppose some sort of "joint custody" arrangement should have been developed, but I think we all know that never would have worked on a practical level.

And yes, "The Never-Ending Sacrifice" is a great novel, though not quite your typical Trek yarn. I recommend keeping a box of Kleenex nearby.

 

[Kilana2]

It's hard to say. I loathe the idea of taking a child away from adoptive parents whom he loves and who love him, but at the same time I think Rugal was being brought up to hate his own biological people (not necessarily intentionally) and himself, and that's not right either. And I do think he should have exposure to the Cardassians so he can make up his own mind, even though I also find their society at this point in history...questionable.

Ideally I suppose some sort of "joint custody" arrangement should have been developed, but I think we all know that never would have worked on a practical level.

And yes, "The Never-Ending Sacrifice" is a great novel, though not quite your typical Trek yarn. I recommend keeping a box of Kleenex nearby.

I'd like to have seen Rugal again in a later episode, together with Ziyal. Essentially they are both Children of Two Worlds.

 

[DonIago]

I do feel there was a missed opportunity there, though NES was such a good novel that I'd kind of hate to miss out on it.

 

[TribbleFeeder]

It should have been Rugal’s choice.

I understand why Sisko did what he did, but it was very unfair.

 

[Kilana2]

And Keiko should have asked Rugal what he wanted to eat instead of offering him Cardassian dishes. Offering him both Cardassian and Bajoran dishes from which he could have chosen would have been the best solution in case there wasn't time for asking the guest what he wants to eat.

 

[DonIago]

Should Janeway have honored 7 of 9's original request to rejoin the Collective?

I'm just saying, when someone's been indoctrinated to believe certain things, it's reasonable to question whether their judgment should be considered compromised.