Watching Season 4 through a newcomer's lens

[setacourse]

I've been rewatching season 4, not my favourite because of how Worf and the Klingon conflict had to be inserted (nothing against Worf). This time I'm appreciating how the writers got new viewers up to speed on backstories in a way that didn't feel shoehorned in for old hands. Like Kira and Odo's long, close friendship in the opening of Indiscretion with a brief exchange over the crime reports and a lead on her friend MIA. What was learned from the Jem Ha'dar adolescent in Hippocratic Oath. And Kira and Dukat's complex, evolving relationship in Indiscretion.

I like their genuine bonding while Dukat chases Kira and never truly understands her view of him, and wish his shades of grey could've continued into the Dominion invasion. He was still great and credible but lost surprising layers I admired all the way back to his talking about his family (we didn't get to see them, did we?) to Sisko in the runabout in The Maquis Part II and the command centre in Defiant.

 

[UnknownSample]

I like their genuine bonding while Dukat chases Kira and never truly understands her view of him, and wish his shades of grey could've continued into the Dominion invasion. He was still great and credible but lost surprising layers I admired all the way back to his talking about his family (we didn't get to see them, did we?) to Sisko in the runabout in The Maquis Part II and the command centre in Defiant.

Three-dimensionality does not automatically mean revealing that an antagonist is really "nice" under the surface. Sometimes we look under the "nice" surface image they like to project, to find that his deeper layers, his shades of grey, are nastier than we suspected.
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Sure, Dukat talked about his family in the Tom Riker episode. He used his family to guilt Sisko and make himself sound like some innocent, wounded party. He wouldn't make his daughter's birthday because of a Federation officer. Boo hoo, Dukat. He may even have made up that daughter.
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Kira maintained her bitterness toward Dukat, but circumstances made her put it on hold, or put it on the shelf for awhile. All you have to do is watch the response when Dukat tries to push the idea onto Kira that they're bonding. She sets him straight.
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We get under the surface of ducat more, as time goes on . As we dig deeper, though, the twistedness is revealed. That's how many people are.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I think around that part of the story, Kira was genuinely starting to be taken in by Dukat's sociopath charm. Not so much that she could forget what he did during the occupation but enough to believe that there's a spark of decency in him and form an amicable working relationship.

I don't know if he really cared for Ziyal or if in his mind he convinced himself he did because she was his angle to prove to Kira and symbolically all of Bajor that he really was a great man. But she was the only person he ever made any kind of personal sacrifices for.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I don't know if he really cared for Ziyal or if in his mind he convinced himself he did because she was his angle to prove to Kira and symbolically all of Bajor that he really was a great man. But she was the only person he ever made any kind of personal sacrifices for.

I think he did, but only as far as the dysfunctional paternalism of the Cardassian family would allow. Too many times the obedience of children to fathers was not only shown to be expected, but extremely political. Ghemor was the only exception.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

But wouldn't the dysfunctional paternalism of Cardassian family law require him to pick his legitimate family over his Bajoran lovechild?

My theory is the reason he didn't kill Ziyal is that the fact of Kira watching made him subconsciously become the kind of person he thought Kira would consider 'great'.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

But wouldn't the dysfunctional paternalism of Cardassian family law require him to pick his legitimate family over his Bajoran lovechild?

My theory is the reason he didn't kill Ziyal is that the fact of Kira watching made him subconsciously become the kind of person he thought Kira would consider 'great'.

No, it requires the father who loses control of his family to be publicly shamed, like Kotan Pa'dar