4.10 — “Our Man Bashir”

4.10 — “Our Man Bashir”

Plot: Bashir and Garak are playing together in a holonovel version of James Bond, or perhaps the Bond knockoff Our Man Flint (1966), when a transporter accident traps the patterns of Kira, Dax, O”Brien, Sisko, and Worf inside the Holoprogram. Bashir and Garak must continue the scenario or their crewmates will die. Outlandish hijinks ensue.

Thoughts: I used to play the James Bond RPG in high school, and I blogged all the James Bond movies back in the day on LiveJournal (https://krblack.livejournal.com/), so I love this. The stylings, especially early on, are reminiscent of the over the top Flint franchise starring James Coburn which was directly parodied by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers films. There are a number of specific tributes to the James Bond franchise, however, especially Dr. No. The camera shoots Bashir during the baccarat scene just like Sean Connery in the original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLXoZ69ce-I

Avery Brooks and Nana Visitor especially throw themselves into their roles. Memory Alpha quotes Visitor, “ “it was so much fun, that show was a joy to do. How many times, you know, is it a necessity to do a bad Russian accent? I was in heaven. It was ideal for me. And to come out of a wall in a round bed? It just doesn’t get better than that.”

It’s a great parody, rich with detail, extras, and fabulous sets. While I don’t love the trope of the holodeck malfunction, it receives its most elaborate justification for happening seen in the franchise so far. It almost feels like a Mirror Universe episode. Moreover, Bashir and Garak’s dialogue is true to their characters and elevates the proceedings.

Interesting to see another episode full of smoking, so soon after DS9 4.8, “Little Green Men.”

I can’t give a malfunctioning holodeck episode a perfect score–sorry!–but…

4.5 out of 5 trick cigars.

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