Deep Space Nine | Season 1

Battle Lines

Rating:

Reviewed on: 14 October 2003
Reviewed by: Michael Axe

In Brief:

Review: (Contains Spoilers)

This is an example of the kind of story that DS9 does best. Through allegory and exaggeration, it is able to comment on prejudices and attitudes that are present all too close to home, and it shows that sometimes the only solutions available will take a lifetime to implement, not a mere 45 minutes.

The scenes with Opaka onboard DS9 are bitter-sweet on a second viewing, knowing that this is the last time she was to interact with most of the main characters. Opaka was a very well written character, and managed to be mysterious without being too weird – a thin line many other Bajoran religious characters have struggled with at times. But from a writer’s point of view, Opaka was too stable, too honest, and too popular, to remain around for long. If the writers wanted to create upheaval in Bajor, the first step was to remove Opaka.

And credit to them for doing it in such an original way. There’s a clear sense of doom as Opaka prepares to leave DS9, and sure enough, as soon as they arrive in the Gamma Quadrant, the runabout crashes and Opaka is killed. Kira’s grief is palpable, and the viewers are shocked that someone who appeared to be such an important character would be killed in such an unexpected and apparently pointless way…

But this is merely the starting point for the real story of hatred and intolerance. The tribes have literally been at war for so long that they no longer even remember what they are warring about! All that they have is their mistrust of each other that keeps them going in their endless – and completely pointless – war.

More twists and turns are presented, from Opaka’s return from the dead, to Bashir’s discovery that the “dead” can never leave the moon without dying. And at every opportunity, the writer’s avoid clichés and refuse to reach an easy solution.

This is encapsulated brilliantly in the final scenes, where Bashir realises he might have found a way to override the “immortality” the microbes provide … but instead of seeing this as giving the tribes a reason to live again, all they see is a chance to wipe out their enemies for good. It is clear at this point, that the tribe’s views will certainly not be changed overnight.

And into this chaos steps Opaka – her new purpose in life now discovered. And the truth is, you really feel that if anyone could get these tribes to see sense finally, it would be Opaka. She’s the only kind of person who could do such a thing … and she’s also the only kind of person who would be willing to attempt such a thing.

And as such, this episode proves to be a fantastic swansong for Opaka, as well as a great episode in its own right. Rather than killing her off because she was in the way, the writers treated Opaka’s character with the respect it deserved.

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.