Wanderlust

2.10 — “Sanctuary”

2.10 — “Sanctuary”

Plot: A refugee ship travels through the wormhole to arrive at DS9 with members of the Skrreea, a race displaced by The Dominion. DS9’s offer of hospitality is followed by the revelation that there are 3 million more refugees following behind. Major Kira develops a special friendship with the Skrreea leader, Haneek, which becomes strained when the Skrreea ask to settle on Bajor.

Thoughts: This is a very timely episode, given current events. I feel like I’ve gone through my own wormhole. A topical episode about current events in science fiction guise in the tradition of TOS, and it completely works. I know that TNG tried that environmental parable recently with the warp drives giving off some kind of universe pollution, but I can’t remember when TNG last tried something like this and pulled it off.

Bajor is a planet that desperately needs immigration. It is in crisis, in deep depression, not meeting its own needs. The productive inputs of the Skrreea would be a godsend. Think of the benefit all the different immigrant groups brought to New York City, segregated as they were at the start of the 20th century.

The difference between DS9 and TOS is that things do not work out okay. Nobody finds the third way to satisfy everyone, the Skrreea don’t get an opportunity to prove themselves to the Bajorans in an unexpected moment of crisis that causes everyone to realize how foolish they’ve been. It ends on intolerance. What does Haneek say? “Fifty years of Cardassian rule has made you all frightened and suspicious. I feel sorry for you.“

Look around–there’s no way to argue with a straight face that this denouement is unrealistic. The writers are smart enough to layer in the ironies. The Bajoran minister explains that they can’t help the Skrreeans, because if they did it would make them want to help them too much.

The production value on display is pretty great, with a phenomenal number of extras making use of the multi-level set. DS9 is doing a great job creating an illusion of a world of blustering activity going on just out of frame, like TOS did in its first one and a half seasons. In comparison, I find it impossible to imagine ordinary life on the NCC-1701-D. Maybe that will change when we watch “Lower Decks.”

I snickered at Bashir insisting that he’s the doctor, so only he can operate the cosmic hairdryer.

My only complaint about the downer ending is that we won’t be seeing the Skrreea in future episodes. There are many more stories that could be told.

4.5 of 5 maaza stalks.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Sanctuary_(episode)

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5 responses to “2.10 — “Sanctuary””

  1. Randi Cohen Avatar
    Randi Cohen

    I loved this episode too and thought it worked.

    Honestly, I have to empathize with the Bajorans. The Skrrea are not asking so much as telling the Bajorans they want to come settle on the planet. The tone would be understandably off-putting to people that just expelled an invading force… although the Skrrea’s heart is in the right place, their leader comes off as preoccupied with her own people’s struggles, unable to empathize with the reasonable Bajoran position, and easily angered. Not to mention the ruffianly goings-on at Quark’s. Where is the gratitude for being aided in a time of great distress? Do they even consider paying back ds9 for resources expended? (Not that DS9 would accept but they don’t seem that impressed by the kindness… look how easily their leader is angry at Kira for being understandably cautious about welcoming an unknown race onto her homeworld). Would you want this group of people as neighbors? I’d think twice due to the lack of empathy in conducting negotiations. Not to mention the reverse sexism of the culture. I mean, how about sitting down to discuss in detail what the plan is if there is a famine? Or what about a small number of pioneers at first to try out the idea? The Skreea seem to not have the idea of compromise.

    I wish the Skrrea had been portrayed as more reasonable in their positions… it would have made the final outcome more meaningful as a statement on the issue at hand. That said, I love that DS9 is taking on these issues. I hope there will be more episodes like this!

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  2. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Well, honestly, they’re refugees. They don’t have a bargaining position. They have a humanitarian crisis, and in the long-run, a lot of potential. In a way the episode lets Bajor off the hook by holding out the option of this other world, Draylon II, which we never find out much about. Would Bajor’s response have been different if the other option had been just get back in your rickety spaceships and move on (I doubt it)?

    I was not surprised to see tensions, of course there are tensions. Did you see Gangs of New York?

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  3. Randi Cohen Avatar
    Randi Cohen

    That is a great question about how the episode would have been if the option of a non-occupied world had been out of the question. As it is, it seems pretty obvious the non-occupied world is the less risky choice for both races, given the Skreea are coming across as possibly good farmers but not all that tolerant or diplomatic (so, great at producing food, not so great at coexisting with another race).

    I did see Gangs of New York, although it’s been a while. It seems like perhaps it ought to take longer for tensions to arise, since the Skreeans just got here… they just come off as super-entitled to me. But maybe someone who is more of an expert on refugees might see it differently than I do!

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  4. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    There are some undeveloped questions that hang in the background and are why I should maybe think about giving this 4 stars instead of 4.5, but I’ve been generous to other episodes, so…. Like, with all the talk about Draylon II, I am mentally adding, “But there’s a catch.” Because there’s always a catch. But they never go into it, whether there are any drawbacks or dangers or other life, or whether its the land of milk and honey (but mysteriously uninhabited). Could be Ceti Alpha V. The other thing is they’re awfully circumspect about the privations suffered by the refugees. How much toll from death, famine, disease, space radiation, whatnot? In what state of severe disrepair is the fleet? My baseline assumption is pretty bad, but they don’t really go into it, besides the ship that explodes from its internal state of disrepair.

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  5. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I wouldn’t make too much over the annoying characteristics of the Skrreea–friction comes from difference, and distrust. If it wasn’t one thing it would be another.

    Reply

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