Deep Space Nine 1x13 -- Battle Lines; 1x14 -- The Storyteller

[butterfly]

So, Sisko decides to take the Kai (and Kira) through the wormhole. One expectant look later, and Bashir gets himself invited along. Sisko and Bashir have an interesting dynamic here -- this is the second time when Sisko has done something with Bashir because he was present when Sisko was tendering an invitation to someone else, and Julian just assumes that the invitation will extend to himself as well.

And because this has happened before, Sisko isn't even surprised this time.

The necklace that the Kai gives to O'Brien to give to his daughter provokes thoughts. Why did she do that, exactly? Did she see something that showed her that Molly would be an appropriate owner for the necklace?

Oh, Sisko is good in emergency situations. Which is why he's a Commander, one would assume. But it's great to see how calm he is. Kira gets frantic in her movements, but Sisko stays smooth.

Here we see how deep Kira's religious conviction goes, as she tearfully mourns the death of her spiritual leader.

Again, we see Doctor Bashir, who will walk into a gun in order to demand that he be allowed to help treat Kira (seriously, he bumps right into the gun as he gets in the guy's face).

Did Dax really need lipstick that dark on a search and rescue?

Chief O'Brien is smart.

*nods*

I mean, I can't understand what he's saying, because it's all in technobabble, but it sounds smart.

And, of course, Bashir gets the runabout computer working. Because he's genetically enhanced taken an engineering extension course.

The Kira/Opaka scene made me get a little teary. Very touching.

Hmm. Sisko mentions that "they've been altered somehow", that the Federation would recognize them as "separate and unique" and Julian cannot get back to the runabout fast enough. Man, it's amazing how well that works with the Julian retcon.

O'Brien's good. Smart, smart guy.

And the second that the leader mentions why he wants to have Bashir go through with his idea, Julian gives up. They have done nothing on this moon but try to help, but as the Kai realizes, it takes much more than a couple of days to take away years and years of hate and death.

From what Kira says, Opaka was the person who kept Bajor's hope alive during the last few years of the conflict with Cardassians. If anyone can help these people, it would be someone like her.



Ah, this is actually the first time that we get to have Bashir and O'Brien thrown together. And O'Brien tries to weasel out of it, while Julian is thrilled (I wonder if Julian actually requested that the Chief take him, it seems to play that way).

Ooo, I'd actually forgotten that Julian outranks Miles. "Yes, sir," indeed.

Julian is very honest and open about liking O'Brien. He pretty much likes him from the first episode and goes on liking him until the last episode.

"I'm really looking forward to this mission."
"And why is that?"
"Well, I see it as a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know each other."

And this episode also shows a hint of the total coolness that is Sisko and Kira working together. The way that their relationship changes over the years is pretty cool. He starts out as her irritating new 'commander' but becomes, basically, a living symbol of her faith.

Mna, Julian is so... almost desperate for affection here. He asks Miles if he annoys him. Julian is starved for attention, possibly because he feels that he can't trust any attention that he does get, because it isn't for the real him. The real him wasn't good enough. And now, he's constantly afraid that even this better him isn't good enough.

And he's just so fascinated by certain characters -- he wants to know all about Dax, not just Jadzia. He's curious about 'plain, simple' Garak, the spy-tailor.

And Miles O'Brien, who appears to be 'just' an engineer, was also the 'hero of Setlik III'. He wants to know all about them (as opposed to the women that he dates, wherein he's all about telling them about him).

Gah!

"The only reason I'm asking is because your opinion means a lot to me and I'm aware I have a tendency to run off at the mouth sometimes."

I love the assessing, almost cagey look he has when he asks O'Brien to call him 'Julian'. He'd 'simply prefer it' if Miles would call him by his first name. Gah. And he's so happy when Miles does call him Julian.

Hee. The Jack-Nog plotline is adorable.

The 'Julian' here is only for this episode. At the end, Bashir relents, seeing that O'Brien isn't comfortable with it. And he doesn't break from using 'Chief' himself.