1.6 — “Captive Pursuit”
Plot: Through the Wormhole comes a one-person fighter carrying Tosk, a lizard man with a healthy sense of distrust. O’Brien befriends him, but can’t get Tosk to give up his secrets, or explain why he’s in such a hurry to repair the battle damage to his ship and leave. What new twist will inspire O’Brien to his first act of insubordination against Starfleet?
Thoughts: Great makeup and special effects in this episode! Star Trek is really stepping up its game in this area. I’m especially fond of the Hunters’ beaming effect. They look like they stepped out of a Japanese live-action science fiction show, like Inframan or the Power Rangers.
I’m getting used to the new opening credits/theme music already.
Since when, exactly, is O’Brien an engineer? Is that the same as Transporter Chief? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter.
I really like the guest star, Scott McDonald as Tosk. Amazing as the universal translator is, there are cultural differences that Star Trek glosses over too often. Of course, the first reaction upon first contact is uncertainty and fear. What else?
This episode made me like O’Brien. That’s nearly a first. I like Odo even more. He’s quite confident and self-possessed, especially in comparison to the TNG cast, especially during their first few years. It’s only episode 6!
This sharp script goes right for the subject of moral relativism. I agree with Colm Meaney (quoted on Memory Alpha) that this makes it feel like a classic Star Trek story. I think, nevertheless, that the logic is dodgy. What if the Tosk LIKE being hunted and killed like prey? We can do it then, can’t we? This is the fantasy hypothetical of an oppressor. Remember that people insisted for generations that black Americans liked being slaves, and it was for their own good, anyway.
But when O’Brien decides fuck it, I’m taking off my badge, it’s a great moment. It says that DS9 is a small station, at a crossroads, and you can go off the reservation. Justice is rough, and regulations are lax. It’s exciting. When Sisko dresses down O’Brien afterwards, we are reminded that this is the Star Trek series in which people do not say what they mean. This is layered. It keeps you on your toes. It’s more like life.
I’m not such a fan of the teaser in which the show makes light of Quark trafficking women and sexually assaulting them. While Sisko seems to mildly disapprove, this just doesn’t seem like such an important issue, compared to protecting the honor of Tosk in pursuit of adventure sports. Rape culture is alive and well in 1993. I would have liked to see how Kira would have handled this if the report was made to her.
4 of 5 force fields and access tubes.
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