His Way

DVD, DS9 S6 (His Way) (2)

Having been away from the station for many months, almost a year, it could have been difficult to jump right back in during the middle of the Dominion War, but this proved to be the perfect jumping-in point, a triumph of the standalone format that so often gets criticised nowadays as something that couldn't possibly work today when you need to be a continuing story and you can't waste time on so-called 'filler' episodes, and if a new Trek series came out now it wouldn't be doing this kind of thing… I sincerely hope a new Trek series would make time for this kind of thing, because while I'd agree that you need driving story arcs, and that simply travelling place to place, week to week isn't enough in itself, it's essential for us to care about the characters and see into their lives, which is exactly what this gem does, 'DS9' the perfect recipe of continuing and self-contained varieties of storytelling. There's no B-story to speak of, in fact there are no other stories at all - you could easily have seen them turn Bashir's late-night boredom and design to go and wake up O'Brien for a game of Tongo (I guess they're still enjoying the game after getting so caught up on beating Quark; and it shows what life's like without the Chief's family around); or Kira's visit to First Minister Shakaar; or even Quark's interests in keeping Odo busy with romantic problems and solutions (I thought this was the one in which Odo turns a blind eye to one of Quark's schemes in gratefulness for his part in helping the Changeling, Quark thinking he's finally got one over on his nemesis, but it wasn't), as potential plot lines, but none of them are picked up and instead we're given maximum enjoyment from Bashir's new holoprogram.

His mate Felix, the guy who was referenced several times in the series as an absolute genius of a holo-programmer is like Dr. Phlox' friend Dr. Jeremy Lucas, or Doc Zimmerman - someone we hear about as an important part in someone's life, and eventually meet, though Felix is the odd one out, never appearing. No doubt if Season 8 had happened… But once again he comes up trumps with an original idea: why not have your sixties lounge singer be self-aware? Why not/why? I don't know, it was just another one of the 'DS9' writers' wacky ideas, and yet another they pulled off with aplomb thanks to expert casting, getting someone who was actually part of that scene as a youngster, who knew those people, so that when Vic's talking about spending time with Frank and Dean, it's as much the actor reminiscing about the period, as the character! Not only does Vic know what he is, but he sees it in period terms, so he knows, but doesn't fully understand, or maybe he knows and fully understands (which is why he can reprogram the computer and knows his way around the station's systems), and is also able to keep to the mores and manner of his period, just as he's perceptive enough not to step on Odo and Kira's toes when he's showing his skill at reading people. He may be a lightbulb, but he's one that's switched on! That's the key moment for me, when you realise that not only is this guy intelligent, he's also the soul of discretion and has the discernment to keep things under his hat. And you like him all the more for that.

They could have made Vic an obnoxious character prying into people's personal lives, showing off around the room, and having the knowledge of what he is make him superior, but quite the opposite, he knows he's only a 'lightbulb' and he's okay with that. You might even call him humble, in a way, though he has the ability to bring out the best in Odo. It was essential he was likeable, because in any other episode, a holographic character that understands the limits of his existence, can jump into other programs unannounced (as he does to Kira's), is devious enough to lie to two high-ranking officers in order to lure them into the Holosuite, can use the intercom to converse at will with anyone on the outside, as well as deactivate his own program, would be seen as a grave threat to the security of the station (so it's ironic that Odo, the Chief of Security, trusts him so much!). I love to see the development of the Trek universe, and the fact that it was overseen by the same people for so many years meant they were able to develop it, having detailed and specific knowledge of what had gone before, always trying to keep within the established canon while also pushing the envelope and not letting things get stale. Holographic characters could have stayed as tools or playthings to be interacted with, without the need to make them anything more than training aids or entertainment, as we saw on 'TNG,' but with 'Voyager' they chose to move deeper into the ideas of artificial life, so that by this time the EMH was a well-established personality who was finding out about his rights as well as responsibilities.

To go a step further and have an entertainment hologram be aware of his existence was a great idea, and because Vic's so easygoing and doesn't seem to want anything more than the life he experiences, he has no threatening characteristics and is a safe guy to be around, making him easier for people to confide in. He's not the sort of personality to be questioning his identity and wishing he was more than he is. The Doctor was different, he was designed to grow and learn, so it was natural for him to see himself as a legitimate life form, but Vic doesn't have those frames of reference. You could perhaps suggest it's cruel to make Vic so perceptive and yet keep him locked in a box (when he disappears, retaining the memories of his existence, does he exist in a purgatorial void as I seem to remember the EMH once describing it?), and you might have a case, since he has the potential to suffer, unlike the other characters in his program, who don't have understanding, but as long as he's happy, we're happy, pally! This is getting off-topic a bit, but it's good to set these ideas in motion and not just take everything for granted as was so often the case on 'TNG' (and look what that got them: Cyrus Redblock and Moriarty!).

Vic Fontaine isn't the only voice on Odo's side in this episode - we get one of those little scenes between him and Quark that we always wish could build to more complete episodes (like 'The Ascent'), as they do have a friendship, despite closeting it in bickering. Odo's only doing that halfheartedly this time as his mind dwells on his problem, and even allows Quark to give him advice (let's not forget that even with all his flaws, Quark can be quite a charmer sometimes - see the Cardassian Natima Lang, or the Klingon Grilka, for examples). Quark also doesn't hold back on the truth, telling him that he's cold, rigid and remote, especially for someone whose natural state is a liquid. But Odo is embarrassed to be seen having fun and being uninhibited, his dignity very important to him. Worf's much the same, but he has the outlet of his Klingon heritage and all the traditional action and violence that entails, a channel in which to let these things out. Odo has his work, and until recent years that was always enough, but now he wants more than that, and being among these Starfleet people has helped to change him. One of the main reasons I thought this was the episode where Quark gets up to his schemes while Odo's in the Holosuite was because of the sly grin on his face when he hands Odo the program - it's likely this was the moment plans began to light up in his mind for what to do when Odo was busy with Kira in future… Also I assumed the smuggling ring Odo talks to Sisko about was going to be Quark-related.

Trek always does musical numbers well, and whether it was Vic rattling off songs from his set, Odo and Sisko's impromptu, murmured duet, or 'Lola' with the main draw, it's all natural and believable - can you imagine Tuvok humming a tune while in Janeway's Ready Room, or Worf grunting out some opera while with Picard, Reed whistling in the presence of Archer, or Chekov singing a Russian ballad while Kirk reads his security report? No, not really, but then it would be hard to visualise what happens with Sisko and Odo in his office until we actually see it, which is what makes this episode so great: it's full of unexpected little character moments, and it's all so pleasant and as far from the worries of war as can be. It helps that this was a time when they were willing to spend a bit of money on Trek to get it right, which is why we have these classic songs. And because they're so integrated into the story they still exist in the episode on the DVD, unlike, say, a song playing on the radio in 'Voyager' episode 'Lifesigns,' which was changed on DVD because they didn't want to pay for the rights (or so I believe), or the TV series '7 Days' which apparently had a lot of contemporary music, and so was never deemed cost effective enough to release on the format (a real shame as I remember that as being a really good TV series!).

Rene Auberjonois is so good at selling Odo as someone usually so contained, and serious, and gruff, who then gets into the spirit of the music and of playacting on the ivories, his head bobbing along in the reflection on the piano. Odo loses himself in the moment, and after being so tentative and uncertain it's a lovely moment when we see him get into the swing of it. The same can be said of his dinner with Kira, though in reverse. To begin with he's confident and charming, like the older version of himself in 'Children of Time' who first revealed his younger self's secret to her, but when he realises he's been duped, and this is the real Kira, not a training program, he turns around completely. Again, I thought this led to Kira or him storming out and having their chat on the Promenade in full view of everyone, but in fact that came later, maybe the next day or so. It's a good job Kira wasn't horrified by the thought of Odo using her image in a holoprogram, but perhaps she'd already been surprised once by Vic when he raided her meditation cave program, plus she'd had the shock of such an invasion of privacy way back in Season 3's 'Meridian' when Jeffrey Combs first made an appearance and demanded a holo-Kira from Quark. Not to mention the whole James Bond scenario in 'Our Man Bashir,' which is where Vic apparently retrieved the template from (you'd think they'd have all been deleted!). But she's preoccupied by seeing Odo at his best, and she was probably thinking along those lines having just visited former boyfriend Shakaar, in a purely business capacity.

This could have been the series' one foray into a sixties lounge act, just as 'Our Man Bashir' was its one (main), foray into Bond-type spy drama, after all, the series didn't need a regular location to hang out in as it had the Promenade (and perhaps other places on the station too - Kira claims to know some out of the way restaurants she could take Odo to, but I'm not sure where else they'd be on the station!), and of course, Quark's Bar, but the atmosphere and style of Vic's was such a perfect fit for the characters and series, and Vic himself such a revelation as a character both new and old, that it's no surprise he became yet another recurring character - how great it is that they were still so full of creativity and brimming with ideas they wanted to do before the end that they were able to come up with a new spin on a holographic character! The only downside is that Vic's became the go-to celebration venue of choice, so much so that even to the end of the series it was the place for everyone to gather, to the detriment of Quark's - while the bar was an ideal location for smugglers conspiring in dark corners, the occasional altercation, or noisy fun and games, it was a more confining space due to its multilevel structure and uneven floor. At Vic's you could get a huge crowd together naturally, so this was another of the strings in Quark's bow to snap, with him also not being a Starfleet hero in time of war - Shimerman joked that all he did in the last season or so was serve drinks. This time he served up a Warp Core Breach, which was a beverage made for real at 'Star Trek: The Experience,' I believe.

Yet Vic's was an ideal environment for the group, and very true to Trek's style of placing the lives of our futuristic, technology-heavy Starfleet people with old-fashioned, anachronistic, but long-lasting connections to the world we know today. Shakespeare, classic books so why not classic music too? When I first saw episodes with Vic Fontaine I felt nostalgic for the period without even knowing about that time, there was just something reassuring and almost magical about the whole setup, the subdued lighting, muted colours, and rich musical tones, all wrapped up in an easygoing, relaxed atmosphere that made a perfect counterpoint to the danger and adventure of these war years. At the same time you can imagine Julian Bashir, secret agent, paying a visit, and having a stop-off at Vic's during a mission, something they would get close to by pulling the heist in 'Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang' the following season. This episode, though, feels like Christmas, full of bright lights and warm smiles, a joyful experience with meaning, a bit like 'Carols From Kings' on Christmas Eve. It's not a cold, hard adventure, where heroes are thrust into bleak dangers on an ongoing basis, arcs are plotted and the ongoing story rumbles on. This is taking time out, but is no less important, and in fact has history to it stretching back to Season 2 (when Odo first showed signs of love), and Season 4 (when they first thought of the idea of a sixties singer in the Holosuite).

About the only thing that didn't ring true was the effect of Odo morphing into his tuxedo, which looked phoney, and is the sort of thing I wouldn't mind them 'fixing' if they do release the series in High Definition (though they should keep Odo's general morphing as it was, since it has its own unique style, which never lost its reality because of that). Oh, and Dax is a little irritating, letting the cat out of the bag in various ways, though I'm not sure if she did it on purpose or without thinking - the short discussion on clarity between her and Kira gave me pause, as she used to seem to have that so strongly in the first few episodes of the series (when she was doing that Altonian brain teaser in 'A Man Alone,' is one moment that always sticks in my head). But it's easy to forget that we need to make the most of any time we have with her, and it males you wish she had more to do in these last few episodes. Any problems with Vic's ability to perform tasks outside the norm of holo-characters can be easily explained away, however: if he can reprogram the Russian Kira template, then he can do anything. I think Felix wants to take over the galaxy, myself - it's 'The Game' all over again… A very enjoyable episode, worth its position in a great season, continuing a story without stopping this episode from being self-contained, full of character, and a joy to watch.

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