... Bashir had finally found a "cure" to the Jem'Hadar's addiction to White. Seeing large groups of independent Jem'Hadar turn against the Dominion (or not) would have been a neat turn of events.
Would have been great if...
- Thread starter JarodRussell
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I'm glad the writers resisted the temptation to do something like this. You can tell the temptation is there from the beginning in the two episodes that deal with renegade Jem'Hadar, the one you are referring to where Bashir looks for a cure for addiction to the white and, to a lesser degree, To the Death.
Old habits die hard, and Trek writers are used to the crew encountering a problem and resolving it in the space of an hour. So, with a race like the Jem'Hadar, the immediate "Trek reaction" is to write a story where their addiction is cured and they revolt against their oppressors. At its best DS9 avoided this kind of easy resolution. Not coincidentally, the Jem'Hadar are most powerfully portrayed in episodes like Rocks and Shoals, where the attempt to subvert the Dominion conditioning fails: "Our death is glory to the Founders." Also the episode where Odo attempts to free a young Jem'Hadar from his conditioning.
Old habits die hard, and Trek writers are used to the crew encountering a problem and resolving it in the space of an hour. So, with a race like the Jem'Hadar, the immediate "Trek reaction" is to write a story where their addiction is cured and they revolt against their oppressors. At its best DS9 avoided this kind of easy resolution. Not coincidentally, the Jem'Hadar are most powerfully portrayed in episodes like Rocks and Shoals, where the attempt to subvert the Dominion conditioning fails: "Our death is glory to the Founders." Also the episode where Odo attempts to free a young Jem'Hadar from his conditioning.
I did not mean that I wanted this to be resolved in this very episode. This could have been a much longer arch spanning over a couple of seasons. A line here and there that indicated that Bashir was still wasting hours trying to solve the puzzle. There would have been at least some motivation to free them from slavery and to change the genetic code of the further produced generations so they become less agressive and hence not useful in battle.
I understand that's what you meant, my apologies for not being clearer on that point.
However, my point was: I think it's better that the writers avoided this direction entirely. It's easy to introduce intimidating adversaries, but it is hard to sustain a credible enemy in the sci-fi adventure setting, for the simple reason that they are not going to win in the end. In Trek, there is the additional problem of the Federation's values tending to impose themselves rapidly in any situation.
Overall DS9 did quite a credible job with the Dominion, largely because the Dominion as a whole remains intact throughout. Even the allied alpha quadrant powers only defeat the relatively small contingent of the Dominion's forces that remain in the alpha quadrant after the Prophets cut off their reinforcements in Sacrifice of Angels.
I much prefer the portrayal of the Jem'Hadar in Rocks and Shoals, i.e. they are not loyal only because of the white, but because they are loyal, period. It's not clear that most of the Jem'hadar would revolt even if they were cured of their addiction. "Such things have been known to happen, but they are rare, and only in units that have lost discipline."
Odo's final "conversion" of the FC makes sense given his long relationship with her, and it is a satisfying conclusion to his character arc as "one of the hundred," but even this is no guarantee that the rest of the Founders will be as easily convinced. Once Odo cures the Founders, the Dominion is still basically the Dominion at the end of DS9, and I'm happy with how that turned out. Compare this with what happened to the Borg.
I disagree with the premise in the OP. It's bad enough that DS9 had the Feds win the war; ruined the Ferengi by turning them into copies of hewmons, had Damar turn into a beloved hero etc. etc. All those cliches were overdone enough already. Turning the Jem'Hadar against the Dominion would have just added another lame cliche and made the show worse.
On the other hand, the quoted text below would have been a great idea to implement
:
On the other hand, the quoted text below would have been a great idea to implement
:
I disagree with the premise in the OP. It's bad enough that DS9 had the Feds win the war; ruined the Ferengi by turning them into copies of hewmons, had Damar turn into a beloved hero etc. etc. All those cliches were overdone enough already. Turning the Jem'Hadar against the Dominion would have just added another lame cliche and made the show worse.
On the other hand, the quoted text below would have been a great idea to implement
That's why I wrote
It might have been cool to have Odo (and Laas?) create a second Dominion, with free Jem'Hadar following them.
If Odo had grown into a leader by WYLB, his persuasion of the SS female would have been more convincing.
If Odo had grown into a leader by WYLB, his persuasion of the SS female would have been more convincing.
If Bashir had have found a cure, wouldn't that have cut the show short? One thing I love about DS9 is how the war with the Dominion seems to run throughout the series. Without the white, no war and thus no DS9 premise....
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