Deep Space Nine | Season 1

Past Prologue

Rating:

Reviewed on: 4 April 2003
Reviewed by: Michael Axe

In Brief:

Review: (Contains Spoilers)

The central theme of this episode is loyalty and betrayal, and coming so soon in DS9’s run, the viewer really can’t be sure of where people’s loyalties lie.

The first and main example is in the battle between Tahna Los and Sisko for Kira’s loyalty. Sisko is Kira’s commanding officer – but he’s also an unwanted outside influence as far as she’s concerned. She expands on what she said in Emissary about not believing that the Federation will stay – even going so far as to say she doesn’t believe they should be here at all. Making Kira so against the Federation’s presence really gives a sense that the Federation have a lot to prove to the Bajorans, and the tension between Sisko and his “Number One” is a world away from what we were used to in the Next Generation.

Tahna Los meanwhile is, in Kira’s eyes, a true Bajoran hero. Yes, he did some questionable acts as part of the terrorist organisation, the Khon-Ma, but what he did, he did for the good of the Bajoran people. And when he claims that he’s now renounced violence, Kira is ready to welcome him back to Bajor with open arms.

So much so that even before her loyalty is really tested, she’s willing to ignore the chain of command and attempt to go over Sisko’s head to an admiral. Although the attempt is unsuccessful, the mere fact she tried is humiliating for Sisko, and he chews Kira out accordingly. But such an inappropriate action at such an early stage in the episode really highlights how little Kira respects or trusts Sisko at this point, and how far they still have to go to just develop a professional working relationship, let alone anything further.

The real test for Kira obviously comes when she finds out that Tahna Los is still a terrorist and is planning another attack. Although she does the right thing and tells Sisko, that fact that she takes it so badly when Tahna Los calls her a traitor at the end of the episode just shows that despite everything, she’s not actually sure that she didn’t betray Bajor by stopping him. The fact that characters have to struggle through such grey areas is part of what makes DS9 such a fresh and intelligent show.

One final note on the Kira storyline, is the wonderfully played scene where Kira comes to Odo for advice. The pair didn’t get much time together in Emissary but this scene really illustrates the deep connection they already have at this stage. Kira is able to open up to Odo is a way she can’t do with anyone else, and Odo refuses to be judgemental or shocked by anything she has to say. Kira uses Odo as her moral compass, knowing that he’ll set her on the right course – and that in itself is a sign of a close bond between the two of them.

The other joy in this episode is seeing the start of the complex relationship between Bashir and Garak. Garak really is one of the best written characters on the show, and this episode gives him plenty of opportunity to shine – being both witty and frightening, friendly and suspicious. You never know where his loyalties lie, or what he really wants – or even who he really is … despite his claims to just be “plain, simple, Garak”. And although I know early-Bashir grated on some viewers, here his fresh-faced enthusiasm and armchair-spy work are the perfect foil for Garak’s devious mind games.

All in all, this is a damn fine episode. Refreshingly, the writers decided not to rely on a flashy danger or big special effects to keep viewers watching after the pilot. Instead they wrote a character-driven, complex episode, that nicely highlights just how different this world and this crew is from Starfleet’s finest, and how grey some issues can really be. Sisko and Kira both discover that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”, and Kira also finds that things are not as clear cut now as they once were.

Michael Axe is the author of a number of novellas and screenplays, and is a main reviewer for ST Universe. All his reviews are copyright © Michael Axe and are used here exclusively with his permission.