Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Playing God   Rewatch 
August 26, 2015 11:39 AM - Season 2, Episode 17 - Subscribe

While hosting her first Trill initiate Dax discovers a tiny, expanding protouniverse that threatens to destroy DS9 and the Bajoran system.

Trivia
* Rule of Acquisition #112: "Never have sex with the boss's sister"
* The script describes the Klingon love song as "Sigmund Rombergesque... the sort of thing Nelson Eddy would have sung to Jeanette MacDonald if they were Klingons..."
* Terry Farrell says of Dax in this episode, "Everything she does in the beginning is an attempt to get Arjin to react to her, to shake him out of his behavior. Because somebody who's really mature enough to be a host would have handled that treatment differently than Arjin did."
* The chess game played between Sisko and Dax in this episode is recognizable as the famous game D. Byrne vs R. Fischer, 1956 (known as the game of the century). The moves shown on screen are roughly moves 14 to 18.
posted by zarq (5 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
"Um...Jadzia? Are we really just going to dump this expanding proto-universe here in the Gamma quadrant and head back?"


"Sure, why not? It's the Gamma quadrant's problem now."


"But won't it cause just as much destruction over here? Not to mention the potential risk to actual, verifiable life?"


"Gamma. Quadrant's. Problem."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:40 PM on August 26, 2015 [10 favorites]


I either missed this one the first time around, or blocked the memory in self-defense.

Here's how the recent viewing of this episode with Mr. creepygirl went:

(Boring Trill Candidate is introduced)

Me: "Maybe this is just the boring setup to a really interesting plot."

(Cardassian vole subplot introduced)

Mr. creepygirl: "Really? We're going to have a subplot about pest control?"

(Science-y plot descends into dull technobabble, Boring Trill Candidate gets abusive and mean to Jadzia)

Mr. creepygirl: "I take back what I said about the Cardassian vole subplot. It was better than I realized."

(Boring And Abusive Trill Candidate must save the day with his super-duper piloting skills)

Me: "C'mon, get back to the Cardassian voles already!"

(End credits roll without a resolution to the Cardassian vole subplot).

Mr. creepygirl: "You need to stop writing Buffy fanfic and start writing an ending to Cardassian vole subplot. I need closure."
posted by creepygirl at 5:46 PM on August 26, 2015 [6 favorites]


This may have been one of those early DS9 episodes that put me off DS9 for a regrettable number of years. At that age I was unable to tolerate dopey and off-putting characters like Arjin (and season 1 Bashir).
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:50 PM on August 27, 2015


I don't hate this episode. Lots of good character development for Jadzia.

The absolute best part, however, is Avery Brooks' delivery of the line, "Set phasers to stun, Mr. O'Brien. I want these voles taken ALIVE." You can tell Sisko is super amused with himself and maybe a little grimly pleased to have such a small problem to deal with for a change.
posted by chaiminda at 5:28 AM on September 6, 2015 [2 favorites]


(End credits roll without a resolution to the Cardassian vole subplot).

They transported all the voles to the new universe; look out for In A Mirror, Volely later in the series where a transporter accident swaps some DS9 crew with their evolved vole counterparts. They must navigate a treacherous alternate vole-dimension while back home Bashier tries to hit on vole-Dax.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:12 AM on July 17, 2019 [3 favorites]


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