"The Quickening"
Whenever the Defiant or a Runabout goes into the Gamma Quadrant, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep wondering why they would want to go back there after the Dominion threatened them all the way back in "The Jem'Hadar" for doing so. But that's only a nitpick. When Kira, Dax, and Bashir take a Runabout into the Gamma Quadrant, they're conducting surveyance outside of Dominion Space and receive a distress call from a planet that's been sending said distress call for 200 years. The people on this planet have been suffering from a disease inflicted upon them by the Dominion for defying them. It's not a surprise that the Dominion would use biowarfare rather than simply eradicate everyone. If they were all wiped out 200 years ago, no one would remember them. But, constantly suffering, they serve as a constant example of anyone who defies the Dominion.
I love that they shot "The Quickening" on location. It looks like a real planet with a real society and a real plight that these people are suffering from. In their own way, even if it's through biowarfare instead of Occupation, these people are suffering just as much as the Bajorans once did and have been ravaged by their enemy even worse.
Having a faded memory of this episode came in handy when watching it again because all the surprises came off as genuine surprises. When Bashir tries to find a cure, of course there's the one establishment type, Trevean, who's against Bashir trying to cure them. He's the one who provides euthanasia to the suffering, making Travean the polar opposite of Bashir when it comes to how they want to help. Then, there's Epran, the who young guy who looks more physically imposing but is really just burned out from having any hope. And last but certainly not least, there's a pregnant woman, Ekoria, who hopes to be cured and believes in Bashir. Unfortunately, Bashir has an uphill battle and his first attempt to cure people ends in failure, taking Epran down amongst others.
If the episode ended with Bashir not being able to cure anyone I would've said, "This is a Star Trek episode that could only be done on DS9. Bashir tried to cure everyone, and ended up not being able to at all, despite his best efforts. Just like with illnesses in Real Life that haven't yet been cured." I was forming those words in my head as I was watching... and then Bashir decides to stay on the planet!
He's not leaving until he finds a cure. He even admits it was arrogant of himself to think that he could cure the disease in a week. The point made could've stopped there, then Dax takes it a step further. She says that it's arrogant of him to say that just because he couldn't find a cure doesn't mean that there isn't a cure. I read that as a signal of, "This is Star Trek, we still have hope at least on some level!" Then after an extended period, Bashir manages to find a cure, except it's only a cure for newborns meaning that the next generation will be cured even if the current one isn't. But, even when back on DS9, Bashir doesn't give up. He's still trying to find a better cure, that can help everyone, even as the episode ends. Which is the best message: Bashir is still trying to find a way to help, even if the problem can't be solved quickly in-universe or within 45 minutes on TV. Classic Deep Space Nine.
The highlight of the episode was watching Bashir find a way to help Ekoria, and her managing to live just long enough to see her son be born. Then to have Trevean, who was previously the skeptic, holding up the baby high as a sign of hope. I give it a 10.
There's nowhere else to fit this other bit except afterwards, so I'll say I remembered the "Come to Quark's, Quark's is fun!" ad that Quark tried to plug all over DS9 and the Defiant, but I completely forgot that it was in this episode. Worf's reaction was priceless. And so was Kira's when she told Quark he better have all those ads taken down or she'd go to Quark's and she would have fun!
COMING TONIGHT: Both parts of Babylon 5's "The War Without End"!
Whenever the Defiant or a Runabout goes into the Gamma Quadrant, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep wondering why they would want to go back there after the Dominion threatened them all the way back in "The Jem'Hadar" for doing so. But that's only a nitpick. When Kira, Dax, and Bashir take a Runabout into the Gamma Quadrant, they're conducting surveyance outside of Dominion Space and receive a distress call from a planet that's been sending said distress call for 200 years. The people on this planet have been suffering from a disease inflicted upon them by the Dominion for defying them. It's not a surprise that the Dominion would use biowarfare rather than simply eradicate everyone. If they were all wiped out 200 years ago, no one would remember them. But, constantly suffering, they serve as a constant example of anyone who defies the Dominion.
I love that they shot "The Quickening" on location. It looks like a real planet with a real society and a real plight that these people are suffering from. In their own way, even if it's through biowarfare instead of Occupation, these people are suffering just as much as the Bajorans once did and have been ravaged by their enemy even worse.
Having a faded memory of this episode came in handy when watching it again because all the surprises came off as genuine surprises. When Bashir tries to find a cure, of course there's the one establishment type, Trevean, who's against Bashir trying to cure them. He's the one who provides euthanasia to the suffering, making Travean the polar opposite of Bashir when it comes to how they want to help. Then, there's Epran, the who young guy who looks more physically imposing but is really just burned out from having any hope. And last but certainly not least, there's a pregnant woman, Ekoria, who hopes to be cured and believes in Bashir. Unfortunately, Bashir has an uphill battle and his first attempt to cure people ends in failure, taking Epran down amongst others.
If the episode ended with Bashir not being able to cure anyone I would've said, "This is a Star Trek episode that could only be done on DS9. Bashir tried to cure everyone, and ended up not being able to at all, despite his best efforts. Just like with illnesses in Real Life that haven't yet been cured." I was forming those words in my head as I was watching... and then Bashir decides to stay on the planet!
He's not leaving until he finds a cure. He even admits it was arrogant of himself to think that he could cure the disease in a week. The point made could've stopped there, then Dax takes it a step further. She says that it's arrogant of him to say that just because he couldn't find a cure doesn't mean that there isn't a cure. I read that as a signal of, "This is Star Trek, we still have hope at least on some level!" Then after an extended period, Bashir manages to find a cure, except it's only a cure for newborns meaning that the next generation will be cured even if the current one isn't. But, even when back on DS9, Bashir doesn't give up. He's still trying to find a better cure, that can help everyone, even as the episode ends. Which is the best message: Bashir is still trying to find a way to help, even if the problem can't be solved quickly in-universe or within 45 minutes on TV. Classic Deep Space Nine.
The highlight of the episode was watching Bashir find a way to help Ekoria, and her managing to live just long enough to see her son be born. Then to have Trevean, who was previously the skeptic, holding up the baby high as a sign of hope. I give it a 10.
There's nowhere else to fit this other bit except afterwards, so I'll say I remembered the "Come to Quark's, Quark's is fun!" ad that Quark tried to plug all over DS9 and the Defiant, but I completely forgot that it was in this episode. Worf's reaction was priceless. And so was Kira's when she told Quark he better have all those ads taken down or she'd go to Quark's and she would have fun!
COMING TONIGHT: Both parts of Babylon 5's "The War Without End"!
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