“Playing God”
Jadzia’s morning routine is a whole lot more interesting than mine.
This is one of those episodes that’s not without its issues, but each time I watch it I’m struck by just how downright enjoyable it is. What I especially love is that it feels like a snapshot of daily life on the station, and the characters are all in superb form, making it a particularly amiable, fun and refreshing episode.
It also does a superb job of cementing the changes to Dax that we’ve already seen scattered throughout the season. Gone is the detached, stoic wallflower of season one, and in its place we find a Jadzia who is bursting with life, charisma and an infectious sense of joy and fun. Terry Farrell is clearly relishing the opportunity to revitalise the character and she shines from beginning to end. It’s worth noting that this is the first Dax episode where she is actually treated as a character rather than just a plot device (see “Dax” and “Invasive Procedures”). We actually get some interesting background on Jadzia’s experiences as an initiate and her troubled relationship with Curzon—something that will be expanded upon considerably in the following season’s “Facets”.
The only real problem with the Jadzia plot is that Arjin isn’t as likeable as he ought to be, and that may be a combination of the way the role was written and acted. The character ought to be sympathetic—because we’ve all been in his position, whether it’s being assessed at school or college, or going through the paces of a particularly agonising job interview upon which our entire future seems to hinge. Unfortunately, he comes across as rather bratty and sanctimonious; and the scene where he rips into Dax was particularly egregious. We later learn that his motivation for getting joined is less his own and more a deathbed promise to his father, but even knowing that, I still wasn’t particularly rooting for him. Still, Terry Farrell is strong enough to carry the plot for both of them, and the conflict leads to a couple of dramatically satisfying scenes.
Like “Shadowplay”, this episode has an A/B/C-plot structure; something that Michael Piller wanted to introduce as a new template for each episode, but which he deemed a failed experiment. The three plots have greater thematic cohesion this time around, and they all interface at some point. The vole sub-plot is pretty much a throwaway, but it’s fun and allows for some nice moments of humour—and a great conversation between O’Brien and Gul Evek, whose slightly sneering “yes, they can be a problem, can’t they?” is a low key highlight of the episode.
Of course, it’s the episode’s B-plot that tends to get everyone talking. I love the concept of a proto-universe and it’s handled reasonably well...to begin with, at least. I’m generally NOT a fan of Star Trek space anomaly episodes: they’re based on inescapably abstract concepts, and apart from the obligatory visual effect shots, there’s not much to really sink your teeth into aside from copious technobabble (“we have to <tech> the <tech tech> or the <tech> will <tech> and the ship will explode!”) and the crew acting worriedly.
But what this episode does well is present a fairly stark dilemma (if this proto-universe continues to expand it will wipe out this universe) and lets the crew discuss the various options in a way that’s in keeping with each of their characters. I love the way parallels are drawn to the way we unhesitatingly kill bacteria without a thought—“and that’s to say nothing of the voles,” Kira adds. These scenes are nicely done, which makes the eventual resolution an inevitable disappointment.
First of all, Sisko matter of factly says that he will deliver his answer in an hour. Huh? Wouldn’t this actually be one of the biggest moral decisions in the history of humanity? How is Sisko even qualified to make such a decision himself? Shouldn’t he, at the very least, be consulting with Starfleet Command?
For many years I was perplexed by his decision to simply return the proto-universe to where they found it. How on earth would that solve anything, I wondered? Isn’t that just shifting the problem for someone else to deal with—kinda like getting rid of a ticking bomb by tossing it across to your neighbour? After carefully re-watching the scenes and paying full attention to the dialogue, the implication would seem to be that the proto-universe wouldn’t be a threat if it were returned to the spot they inadvertently ripped it away from. We can therefore assume that, returned to the hole it was taken from, it would continue to grow, only outside the confines of our universe, perhaps interfacing with subspace or some such thing. This is only implied, and really needed to be more fully established in dialogue, because it makes the big debate seem a little pointless in retrospect (“well, actually, if we return it to where it is meant to be, there will be no consequences for anyone”). I mean, if returning it to the Gamma Quadrant was the solution, why’s there even a need for debate? The real difficulty, it transpires, is that it won’t be easy transporting it through the wormhole. Cue something of redemption for whiny Arjin, who fortunately happens to be an even better pilot than Jadzia.
Ultimately, the resolution is a tad anticlimactic after such an apocalyptic buildup. But it does just about work, if you can accept that the script doesn’t quite spell things out as well as it ought to have done. We really needed to learn a little more about the proto-universe and why returning it is a solution, although it is possible to join the dots. Overall, though, I did find this a highly enjoyable and entertaining episode, and particularly love it for being such a turning point for Jadzia, who at this point officially became one of my favourite characters in not only the series, but the franchise.
Rating: 7
