Rapture

[Orac]

So throughout this episode Captain Sisko wears his Starfleet badge incorrectly.

None of the other regular characters do this, only Sisko.

Was this scripted symbolism, or was Avery Brooks just fucking with the continuity people that week?

 

[Farscape One]

It was the first produced DS9 episode using the new uniforms. It was a simple costume error.

 

[Orac]

In every shot Sisko appears in?

There are many other Starfleet characters in this episode, all of them wear their badges correctly.

Sisko even appears in scenes with other characters who are wearing the badge correctly..

I'm speculating that perhaps Mr. Brooks didn't like the new uniform and wore it incorrectly in protest?

By the next episode our Captain appears to have given into the peer pressure of social norms and is wearing his badge correctly:

 

[shivkala]

I had the same question on a recent re-watch and Memory Alpha has the answer:

This was the first episode of Deep Space Nine to feature the grey-on-black Starfleet uniform} with the division color undershirts created for Star Trek: First Contact, which was used for the remainder of the series. Sisko also wears a captain's vest/waistcoat, as worn by Jean-Luc Picard in that movie. The uniforms had been held back in production so that they were not seen until an episode that aired after the official release of the movie. Noticeably, Avery Brooks' tunic does not appear to fit him correctly, making correct positioning of his combadge difficult. For the duration of this episode and part of the following one (DS9: "The Darkness and the Light") he wears the combadge on the grey portion of the tunic instead of the black; the combadge was positioned correctly in all subsequent episodes. Furthermore, Sisko does not have the red stripe around his cuffs that all the other uniforms do. Bashir's "Does my uniform look brighter?" line was a not-so-subtle way of drawing the audience's attention to the new costumes. Besides all the admirals' (and Whatley's aide's) uniform which had not been changed yet, some officers of the lower ranking staff are still wearing the previous uniforms.

TL;DR Avery Brook's uniform tunic didn't fit him, so he wore the combadge on the grey portion, since that must have felt like where it should have gone, naturally, according to position on his body.

Kind of funny considering the DS9 uniforms were what the TNG cast wore in Generations (I think Frakes got Brooks' uniforms).

 

[Farscape One]

That's what I meant by a costume error... size of uniform for Brooks.

Particularly if you look at Brooks' uniform against the others, the gray goes down much more than everyone else's.

 

[Orac]

So Avery Brooks was wearing a hand-me-down jacket from one of the TNG movies in Rapture and had a bespoke jacket afterwards?

ETA:
Was Sisko actually obeying the Starfleet regulation that the badge must always be worn above the nipple and never below?

 

[Dee1891]

I think it's one of the best episodes of the series and of the franchise.

 

[Orac]

Agreed. But this incorrectly worn badge just can't be ignored.

At the end of the day I think this costume malfunction helped the episode as it made Sisko visually 'a little bit different' than the rest of Starfleet.

 

[Farscape One]

Intetesting thought. I can see that, given the episode.

 

[at Quark's]

Never even noticed until now.

I guess I should be less relaxed when watching Star Trek and start paying more attention.

 

[Trekker09]

After rewatching this episode yesterday, I was surprised to read in Memory Alpha that Bashir had most likely been replaced by a changeling at this point, so the surgery he recommended and performed that prevented more of Sisko’s visions, was by their hands.

 

[Farscape One]

Definitely, as he wore the older uniform when he was found in "IN PURGATORY'S SHADOW".

My big question there is... how did the Dominion bring him from the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma?

We know he was grabbed while going to a medical conference, but it wasn't like ships were going through the wormhole on a regular basis anymore by that point. So how did the Changelings accomplish this?

(Unless this was a favor exchange by Dukat and his cloaked ship going through the wormhole while negotiating with them. Someone suggested this in my question thread, and if this is true, that would explain Bashir.)

 

[shivkala]

On a recent re-watch I did find it interesting to figure out when Bashir was replaced. The only thing we know for sure was that it was prior to "Rapture" because of the uniform.

Bashir and Jake are on their way back from a medical conference in "...Nor the Battle to the Strong." That would be the likeliest point at which he was replaced. That timing would make his flirting with a potential relative in "Trials and Tribbleations" a little less...gross. On the other hand, it would also mean the Founder broke up with Leeta (including all of the break-up sex).

Regardless of that, the facts are that Changeling Bashir did the operation in "Rapture" (arguably more to take away the advantage of the visions than for Siko's health. It was also Changeling Bashir who was there when the baby Changeling was found and restored Odo's ability to shapeshift. I've long believed that the entire set-up from the Yridian deal "finding" and selling Quark the baby to Odo being restored were due to the Changeling Bashir.

I do like the idea of Dukat transporting Bashir in the cloaked Bird of Prey, however, it would have to be while Bashir was sedated, or I would think non-Changeling Bashir would have been either more privy to Dukat's machinations or thinking the Klingons were involved with the Dominion.

 

[Mage]

Agreed. But this incorrectly worn badge just can't be ignored.
.

Yes it can be ignored. You just NEED to insist that there is an in universe reason for it. Or a 'conspiracy level kinda thing' behind the scenes reason. We have literally known for years that Brooks's costume had an ill fit. Someone mentioned that Frakes was wearing Brooks's DS9 costume during Generations, I seem to recall that during this episode Brooks was wearing Frakes's FC uniform.

Long story short.... stop looking for some weird reason why a costume didn't fit properly and why the badge was at a weird place. It's not a real place and they're just actors wearing costumes that sometimes don't work and silly shit happens.

 

[at Quark's]

After rewatching this episode yesterday, I was surprised to read in Memory Alpha that Bashir had most likely been replaced by a changeling at this point, so the surgery he recommended and performed that prevented more of Sisko’s visions, was by their hands.

Always wondered how that changeling managed to impersonate Bashir for weeks or even months without falling through. Given that he always could expect the unexpected emergency surgery or other medical procedure, he must pretty much have had the equivalent of a medical degree himself. Or perhaps that kind of knowledge/skills can also be distributed simply by joining the Great Link.

 

[Farscape One]

On a recent re-watch I did find it interesting to figure out when Bashir was replaced. The only thing we know for sure was that it was prior to "Rapture" because of the uniform.

Bashir and Jake are on their way back from a medical conference in "...Nor the Battle to the Strong." That would be the likeliest point at which he was replaced. That timing would make his flirting with a potential relative in "Trials and Tribbleations" a little less...gross. On the other hand, it would also mean the Founder broke up with Leeta (including all of the break-up sex).

Regardless of that, the facts are that Changeling Bashir did the operation in "Rapture" (arguably more to take away the advantage of the visions than for Siko's health. It was also Changeling Bashir who was there when the baby Changeling was found and restored Odo's ability to shapeshift. I've long believed that the entire set-up from the Yridian deal "finding" and selling Quark the baby to Odo being restored were due to the Changeling Bashir.

I do like the idea of Dukat transporting Bashir in the cloaked Bird of Prey, however, it would have to be while Bashir was sedated, or I would think non-Changeling Bashir would have been either more privy to Dukat's machinations or thinking the Klingons were involved with the Dominion.

I have also thought for many years that it was Bashireling who orchestrated the baby Changeling appearing, particularly given the Female Changeling's line to Odo in "BEHIND THE LINES" that 'we have forgiven you.'

I seriously doubt Bashir was replaced that far in advance. "INQUISITION" states he was held captive for about 5 weeks. That's roughly, with stardates given, about the time of the uniform change in "RAPTURE". The timeline fits that. Even the airdates fit that.

 

[Farscape One]

Always wondered how that changeling managed to impersonate Bashir for weeks or even months without falling through. Given that he always could expect the unexpected emergency surgery or other medical procedure, he must pretty much have had the equivalent of a medical degree himself. Or perhaps that kind of knowledge/skills can also be distributed simply by joining the Great Link.

Considering they created the Vorta and Jem'Hadar, I don't find it surprising that Bashireling can pass off as a doctor.

 

[at Quark's]

Considering they created the Vorta and Jem'Hadar, I don't find it surprising that Bashireling can pass off as a doctor.

We don't know if they personally did so or they just made one of their subjugate races create / 'lift' them. I find it interesting that they don't even seem to do research into the section 31 disease that is threatening to eliminate them, but seem to leave that to their Vorta doctors. If I were a Founder, finding such a cure would be foremost on my mind if I actually had the knowledge and skills myself.

 

[Farscape One]

That's a fair point.

However, given the Changelings' ability to mimic everyone, I don't think it's hard to imagine they can access whatever knowledge they need for whoever they impersonate.

Plus, Bashir is the Chief Medical Officer. He was probably able to delegate a lot of things as CMO. Plus, it was pretty quiet on the station, medically speaking, from "RAPTURE" to the the two-parter.

 

[at Quark's]

That's a fair point.

However, given the Changelings' ability to mimic everyone, I don't think it's hard to imagine they can access whatever knowledge they need for whoever they impersonate.

Plus, Bashir is the Chief Medical Officer. He was probably able to delegate a lot of things as CMO. Plus, it was pretty quiet on the station, medically speaking, from "RAPTURE" to the the two-parter.

Possibly he could delegate the more routine stuff, but not the doctor-level stuff; I doubt there was even another doctor on the staff, just nurses. At least I can't recall any being mentioned and I suppose there weren't, since this was his very first posting as a doctor even if he was a salutatorian.

I don't imagine that in Rapture, behind the doors it went like this:

Bashireling: Ah, nurse, Could you perform the brain surgery please? I have, erm, other things to do. You simply need to <looks at PADD> repolarise his neural sheaths.
Nurse: But I never learned anything about brain surgery, that's your department!
Bashireling: Just ask the computer for the procedure on repolarising neural sheaths and follow the steps it gives. How difficult could it be? ... eurm... I mean, trust me, it's not really that difficult.

In universe, of course they would have sent in a changeling with the required skills. Out of universe, I wonder whether at the time of Rapture, they had worked out the Bashireling story arc, or that the episode writers simply supposed it was the 'real' Bashir.