DS9: For the Uniform

[Pawelk198604]

What do you think about this episode of DS9.

In this episode capitain Sisko fired bio weapon on Maquis colony, i think Sisko overstepped his authority to capture Eddington, and commit crime himself.

I does not understand why the crew listened to him at all.

After all, solider have the right and duty to refuse to perform a criminal order, i doubt that changed in future

[Trekkette]

The one is a difficult episode to justify. By Sisko's logic Eddington had cast himself as a tragic hero, and thus Sisko got the role of ruthless law enforcement in pursuit. There are parallels to Les Miserables, Which I believe is brought up in the episode itself.

For the Uniform is asking us to question to what degree "just following orders" is an excuse, and to what lengths are we willing to go to capture criminals. Make no mistake, Eddington was a criminal. He had helped engineer an attack on a Cardassian world.

This episode also gets an interesting parallel in the Voyager episode Equinox, which also looks at how far one is willing to go to achieve a goal - and the consequences thereof. Intriguingly, in both cases, the "star Captain" makes what we consider an immoral choice - Sisko to launch the biogenic weapon (? It's been awhile since I watched this one...) and Janeway to essentially torture a member of Starfleet to obtain information.

It's a good look at the idea, previously espoused in Trek, that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. It looks at how many IS a "few," really? Same idea as Insurrection, really.

But let's not forget, DS9 was written for a totally different television audience than we have now. Major Kira is a former freedom fighter - that is, a TERRORIST who won. Let's see a network executive put that on the air nowadays!

[Pawelk198604]

The one is a difficult episode to justify. By Sisko's logic Eddington had cast himself as a tragic hero, and thus Sisko got the role of ruthless law enforcement in pursuit. There are parallels to Les Miserables, Which I believe is brought up in the episode itself.

For the Uniform is asking us to question to what degree "just following orders" is an excuse, and to what lengths are we willing to go to capture criminals. Make no mistake, Eddington was a criminal. He had helped engineer an attack on a Cardassian world.

This episode also gets an interesting parallel in the Voyager episode Equinox, which also looks at how far one is willing to go to achieve a goal - and the consequences thereof. Intriguingly, in both cases, the "star Captain" makes what we consider an immoral choice - Sisko to launch the biogenic weapon (? It's been awhile since I watched this one...) and Janeway to essentially torture a member of Starfleet to obtain information.

It's a good look at the idea, previously espoused in Trek, that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. It looks at how many IS a "few," really? Same idea as Insurrection, really.

But let's not forget, DS9 was written for a totally different television audience than we have now. Major Kira is a former freedom fighter - that is, a TERRORIST who won. Let's see a network executive put that on the air nowadays!

I remember similar ethical plot in Voyager, where Tuvok an Nelix was merged together in transporter accident, and Tuvix was created but captain Janeway decided to kill him to restore Tuvok and Nelix. I hated her for that. Yet another example was "Similitude" from ENT where captain archer decided to create clone to save Trip. But Trip clone was living sentient being yet archer decided to kill him to save Trip.

As for Kira, she is without a doubt a terrorist, you right today after 9/11 bombing in London and Madrid, nobody will make tv show about noble terrorists that fights for good cause.

[Trekkette]

Right, Tuvix! I forgot about that episode. Probably in self defense. And the Trip-Clone episode... That one I haven't seen, I stopped watching Enterprise after the first season.

[Pawelk198604]

And the Trip-Clone episode... That one I haven't seen, I stopped watching Enterprise after the first season.

To bad Enterprise has cool moments too:)