3.13 — “Life Support”

3.13 — “Life Support”

Plot: A Bajoran transport carrying Vedek Bareil suffers an accident, injuring Bareil as he is on his way to conduct secret peace treaty negotiations with the Cardassians in the company of Kai Winn. Dr. Bashir must attempt to save his life, but will it be at the cost of peace? Meanwhile, Jake and Nog go on a double date.

Thoughts: I don’t want to harp on this, but it’s so great to watch DS9 after the first three hours of VOY. Here is a mature show with great characters, great actors, great writing, great sets. It’s an episode with a lot of medical technobabble, but the episode isn’t about the technobabble, it’s about characters making moral choices. This is how you do it.

According to Bashir, you can completely replace the brain of a living person with a machine that will allow them to continue to walk and talk at the cost of destroying their personality. Cool! I want to see that horror movie. Is he referring to the tech from TOS 1.7, “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

The medical story is pure soap opera, but even hospital melodrama is enjoyable with the right setup and performances. A momentous treaty to change the relationship of Bajorans and Cardassians forever is a good backdrop. All the actors are terrific, but I will remember Kira’s tearful final scene the longest.

I’m pleased to see continuity honored with the return of the red surgical garb from TNG 2.17, “Samaritan Snare.” To me it looks like the naughty nuns who want spankings in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). The gowns cover everything, except the nose and mouth of course. There must be a force field for that?

The B plot with Jake and Nog I find as interesting as the main story. Memory Alpha suggests the producers thought it was a mistake to marry such a light story with a heavy one, but I didn’t perceive that at all. Confronting sexism and reexamining cultural difference actually seems to be the more Star Trek story of the two, and ripped right out of today’s headlines.

I don’t agree with Sisko dismissing Nog’s behavior as “Sounds like he was behaving like a Ferengi,” however. Nog’s behavior is disgraceful not because it’s unfamiliar (as if he was eating with his hands instead of using silverware), but because it demeans their female companions and denies their personhood and autonomy. It’s not just cultural difference, it’s a moral difference. Let’s not forget that the basis of these differences was invented by first season TNG writers who seemed to think imagining a culture that demeans and subjugates women would be a funny joke for male Trek nerds. So there’s that.

I like the sweet expressions on Jake and Leanne’s faces as she asks him out to dinner in the opening teaser. Good acting.

RIP Bareil. 4 out of 5 awkward double dates.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Life_Support