Trollheart

Ten things I hate about you

Unlike the original series and even its successor, DS9 is not people with characters who like each other. Quite the opposite in fact, and there are rivalries, jealousies and agendas going on all the time. This is not surprising, given the shaky nature of most of the relationships. The Federation is seen as an intruder, perhaps an unwelcome guest, and many of the people there would rather be somewhere else. In this section I'll be looking at the more negative aspects of the relationships between characters, how they fit in to the overall storylines, how they change (if at all) over time and how enemies become allies and sometimes allies can become enemies. It's one of the great strengths of the series that nothing is black and white, and that the good guys are sometimes hard to distinguish from the bad. It's much more realistic in a characterisation kind of way, where people have flaws and failings, and nobody is lily white.

Sisko and Picard

This is the first real conflict we come across, and though it doesn't last --- by the end of the episode it's resolved --- it's important as it speaks to the reasons Sisko thinks he might not even any longer wish to be part of Starfleet. Nobody could blame him for hating Picard on sight: the last time he saw the man was as Locutus, directing the Borg offensive against Starfleet at Wolf 359, and being directly responsible for the death of his wife. Logic says he should realise this is a different man now, and that Picard had no choice in the transformation: he did not ask to be assimilated nor willingly serve the Borg, but a man who is hurting inside from pain he believes will never lessen is not a man to listen to logic. Sisko also possibly blames Starfleet itself for Jennifer's death, and thinks he should have died with her, but left with their son to bring up on his own he does not consider the space station the best environment in which to accomplish that. By the end of the episode he has been shown by the Prophets that it is his own guilt and sense of loss that is keeping him where he is, and once he breaks that tie, says goodbye to his wife, he is able to move on, even able to shake Picard's hand. The past is the past, and let it stay there.

Sisko and Kira
A much more tempestuous relationship, which will not be as easily or quickly resolved. This too is understandable. Kira Nerys comes from a background of fighting an implacable oppressor for the freedom of her home planet, and now, with that finally accomplished, she groans as the newly elected provisional government bows and scrapes to the Federation and invites them to run Terak Nor. To her mind, the Bajorans have beaten one master only to fasten the chains again and hand them to a new one. She believes too that the government will soon fall, and then Starfleet will pull out as her planet descends into bloody civil war.

She is, therefore, most impressed when the spiritual leader of her people sends for Sisko and tasks him with finding the “Celestial Temple”, and even more so when he does find it, precipitating a shift of historical proportions as suddenly Bajor finds itself the gateway to a whole new quadrant of the galaxy, assuring it of revenue, fame and indeed protection. The Federation will now jealously guard Bajor, which has just become the shining jewel in their strategic and propaganda crown. And she sees too how Sisko deals with Quark, the Ferengi who wishes to leave but who is convinced to stay. She also finds new admiration and respect for Starfleet through O'Brien, whose technical wizardry helps her save the station. Perhaps having the Federation here is not such a bad idea after all.

Sisko and Dukat
By far the greatest rivalry though will be between the erstwhile oppressor of Bajor and the new commander of Deep Space Nine. Dukat makes it quite plain that he is not happy to have been forced off Terak Nor and makes veiled threats that Sisko, while not in the least cowed by them, knows are not quite so empty. They are a long way from home, with no starship to protect them, and Cardassia is much closer than any Federation world. This of course changes once the wormhole is discovered; now, Starfleet and other vessels will be regularly visiting the once-poor planet and its orbiting space station, and it will become a hive of activity, leaving Dukat little opportunity to carry out any reprisals he had intended.

But it is more than just Federation versus Cardassia here. Dukat has taken an instant dislike to Sisko, and vice versa. The two will cross swords regularly over the course of the next seven seasons, and will remain bitter enemies right to the end.

Faith

Deep Space Nine succeeded in bringing one thing to the Star Trek universe that its two predecessors had rarely if ever touched, and certainly never focussed upon: religion. There is a strong theme of spirituality and religion running through this series, and it informs much of the overall plot. Many viewers found this a little boring, a little preachy, and in some cases a little unnecessary, and I would not disagree with that. Had the wormhole aliens just been treated as such there might not have needed to be such focus on gods and religion, but the writers decided that was the way they were going to go, and it was a brave decision, if not always a good one. But it certainly made DS9 stand out from its fellows, and perhaps drew in some more casual viewers who had not really seen the concept of religion explored so thoroughly and so openly in a TV drama series, especially a science-fiction one.

Bajor exists on its religion. Its leaders are called vedeks and its spiritual leader in chief is the Kai. In some ways, it could be said to be a theocracy, and likened to perhaps Iran or other countries where there is no separation of church and state, but without the hardline repression practiced by at least Iran on its people. The Bajoran religious rule of law is more harmonious, more relaxed, less concerned with a vengeful god breathing fire and brimstone than in trying to get everyone to live in peace. Almost Utopian, it would seem. And pretty much defenceless in that regard, leaving them open to attack, subjugation and conquest and occupation by a militaristic race like the Cardassians. Religion is what sustained the Bajorans throughout the occupation, and now that they are free they hope it will bless their new lives.

But as in any government, theocratic or not, factions rise and squabble, disputes break out, family feuds resurface, and all the petty little jealousies and grievances that were put on hold while the planet fought as one against their oppressors now come bubbling back to the surface, rising inexorably like a genii who has been let out of the bottle. Bajor is in danger of fragmenting and tearing itself apart, and only Kai Opaka can bring them together. But to do that, she needs to seek the guidance of the Prophets, the mythical beings her people worship and whom Sisko finds living in the wormhole. With this sign in the heavens (could there be a more direct indication of the favour of the Prophets towards their people?) tensions will ease, for a time, on the planet and Opaka will be able to calm her people and bring about a cessation to any talk of civil war.

But there are doubts about the chosen emissary of the Prophets. An unbeliever? An infidel? An outworlder? Such questions will continue to plague Ben Sisko as he tries to juggle his position of commander of a Starfleet base with that of messiah and messenger to a people who, a few short weeks ago, he didn't even know existed.

Lies, damn lies and politics

The other main theme explored in this series is politics, and of course as ever this is inextricably linked with religion, especially when dealing with a theocracy. It's politically expedient that the Federation and Starfleet take control of the wormhole, as it will become perhaps the single most important fixture in the quadrant, affording as it does the only way to travel to the Gamma Quadrant, and indeed welcoming strange alien races from 70,000 light years away to their part of space. As a military outpost it could not be more significant, which perhaps makes it odd that Starfleet does not berth a number of starships there from the outset, though perhaps they want to avoid showing too heavy a hand. After all, nobody is at war with anyone ... yet. They probably prefer to offer the hand of friendship before revealing that the other hand may hold a sword.

But throughout the series, politics will play a huge part in the sprawling story to unfold once the second season comes to a close, and Sisko will find himself enmeshed in affairs he could not have dreamed of as he and his son headed disconsolately towards their new home at the beginning of the episode. He will find himself making decisions that will keep him awake at night, and struggling in the end not only for survival of the Federation, his species and Bajor, but for his very soul itself.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018