The Abandoned

DVD, DS9 S3 (The Abandoned)

With a few episodes having passed we come to a Dominion-themed story at last, but rather than all out war or some mission into the Gamma Quadrant, a smaller, station-centred episode revolves around a child Jem'Hadar. We get to find out more about the species without having to engage them in battle, and through the meeting we learn more about Odo. He's made it very clear which side of the Wormhole he's pitching his tent, and by taking up quarters and ditching the bucket he confirms he's settling down now his quest is over, but we also discover a new quest has begun to form in the formless man: to undo some of the damage his people have caused. He also shows that the encounter with his people hasn't been all bad, it's given him the confidence and notion of pursuing shapeshifting, to learn new forms, where before he saw his abilities as a convenience to be exploited, and knew from experience to keep them to himself.

That Kira should be the first visitor to Odo's quarters is fitting, and telling that he should be relatively happy for her to see his private space. I'm not sure she realises what a privilege she's been granted and assumes he would let any of their mutual friends in, but I think that's unlikely. It is symbolic that her flowers should be put in the bucket that used to be all Odo really owned, as if his past has really become the past and he's at a new stage of life, without leaving Kira behind, which would become an important point in their futures and even the future of the Alpha Quadrant itself.

Watching 'The Jem'Hadar' who would have thought that a mere six episodes down the line Odo would be trying to teach one of them to smile! As he would later do with the infant changeling Odo sees the alien as being in the same situation he went through, not understanding that choice isn't the thing for a child to have - children don't know what's best for them, they need to be told by those who have experienced life, even though it can be uncomfortable or seemingly unfair. Only Dr. Mora could explain that Odo wouldn't have grown if he hadn't been pushed, and it's the same for the Jem'Hadar. They deliberately don't give him a name, because then he would become a character, but he doesn't want to be like that, his genetic programming is too strong, and Odo's passivity is anathema to his being. Early on the hint is there that this child will become a Jem'Hadar - the clothing he wears is the black and grey we've always seen the race wearing before. It would be fascinating to know what became of him, whether he died in battle, was trapped on either side of the Wormhole or simply interrogated and killed by those he returned to? Unless someone writes a book (like the one about Rugal) we'll never know.

Odo freely taking the boy back isn't going to help his case with Starfleet. They were already a bit suspicious of him, and now, knowing that he's related to the biggest threat since the Borg can't be a good sign. The problem with Eddington still hasn't been revisited, but there are a lot of balls in the air at this time. Risa and Admiral Nechayev are both mentioned, though not in the same sentence - the mind boggles at such a thought! Risa is just the sort of place you'd expect Mardah to come from, and at first seeing Jake with this girl that's almost bursting out of her Dabo costume is a bit odd, but thankfully we learn there is much more to the pair, just as Commander Sisko does.

Sisko is surprisingly well involved for an episode that actor Avery Brooks directed. It's unusual for an actor-director, usually they appear fleetingly, but as usual he did a good job and experimented with some different shots, such as the handheld POV from the adolescent Jem'Hadar, or the shot into the Wardroom from a window that Odo stands by. The Holosuite fight program was good too, (and has moved on a bit since Tasha Yar showed Yutan what a holodeck opponent could do in the first season 'TNG' episode 'Code of Honor'!). I wonder what race the computer opponent was. The large man with circular temples at the Dabo table in the teaser was of a race that had been seen before - one of them (named Zolan) transported Rugal the Cardassian and his Father to the station, but it wasn't the same man.

The little-seen Wardroom set is used again, Odo's new quarters, the Holosuite, and many areas of the station show up for the first time this season, which points to the wide-reaching nature of the first batch of episodes. But now they've had some fun with the Defiant it's time to reacquaint us with the location of the title. It isn't called 'Star Trek: Defiant' after all. The episode is the first not to be fully engaging, which is a shame as it's the first real station story. Perhaps all this jetting off to foreign planets has spoilt us, or more likely, it's because it was a smaller scale of story. After so much new stuff we should allow them a few episodes before they fully get back into the swing of the station.

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