Paradise

DVD, DS9 S2 (Paradise)

Alixus' views and ideals are a topic of much debate and the issues make it a thoroughly thought-provoking episode that you find yourself pondering long after the episode has ended. It seems clear to me that her lies were a great evil, and anything based on such deceit can't survive. But at the same time, although it's taken ten years for the community to realise the truth, they are a community and they're doing what they set out to do. To leave, even after the surprising revelation of Alixus' secrets, would be to abandon the colony, the community and the dream that they've built.

The story leaves them now at a crossroads, with the choice of continuing rigidly to the teachings of their leader, or to accept the use of technology to some degree. I'd like to think they improved their lives with the use of devices occasionally, but probably stayed true to working with their bodies and taming the land. The changes are that they're no longer alone, have the freedom to leave if they choose, and the means to meet impossible challenges if they arise. Joseph seems like a good, dependable man who will be able to organise the colony, although I would expect some divisions to creep in, and maybe another colony would be started up by those unhappy with the rules. As with many episodes that end a little unresolved, it is fascinating to speculate, and would be great to revisit.

The final shot of the small boy staring, after Sisko, O'Brien, Alixus and her son have beamed away, could be interpreted in a number of ways - the simple surprise this lad experienced at seeing people vanish into thin air, since he would never have seen anything like it; perhaps sadness that their leader, and comforter, Alixus was taken away; could be desire to leave as well; or maybe he was actually staring at the punishment box, and wondering if it will no longer be a threat. I love those kinds of endings, because your imagination is left to grow the fertile seeds that were laid.

O'Brien has come to the forefront in recent stories, balancing out his period of mainly background in the first half of the season. He always shows great respect for authority with his commanding officers, and Sisko is no exception - it's clear he trusts him and they have a bond through their experiences of bringing up children. The little conversations are part of the joy of the unfolding series, and here we get the Chief and Sisko, and Kira and Dax interacting nicely. You almost don't notice the complete lack of Quark, Odo, Bashir and Jake (though his steadily increasing height is commented upon).

The paradise of the planet is a welcome visual change to familiar station-bound sights, and the lush woods, soil and plants work well with Starfleet uniforms and equipment. The colony has an olde worlde look in some ways, almost Hobbit-like; rustic, charming; candles and books and natural objects. The two officers show their ability to survive without technology, O'Brien in particular presents his practical ingenuity. Sisko embodies the powerful passive resistance in the great scene where he returns to the punishment box (an idea they might have got from the film 'The Bridge on The River Kwai'). The Runabouts get a workout, good wins out, and everything is pleasing on the eyes, and plays out like a proper drama, with ideas and arguments, not phasers and flashy effects. Paradise!

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