Sunday 14 February 2021

DS9 – Change of Heart



Plot – Accidentally taking fire from a Jem H’adar weapon or accidentally being mowed down by a P’ah Wraith possessed Dukat…it would seem that whatever route the writers had taken, Jadzia Dax was doomed for an unintentional death. How strange that one of the most vital and alive characters of the franchise is taken out not in glorious battle but as a side issue to the main action. Sometimes life is humbling and cruel like that.

Tongo does look rather fun and the actors certainly make it look like it is an involved game.

Character – The ways in which Worf is desperately romantic and cute in this episode; betting a wager on Jadzia even though she will probably lose to Quark and stating that he would rather lose on her than win on him, telling Jadzia to go faster through the asteroid field because it will get their hearts racing, affectionately taking care of the wounds that the jungle inflicts on his wife despite the fact that she lashes out at him for it,

Ways in which Jadzia is the most sensational woman in all of Star Trek here; snogging Worf over the Tongo table with no fear of people watching, respecting Worf’s religion enough to be quiet whilst he prays, tossing her night dress on Worf’s head and climbing into bed naked and claiming that she is done talking, refusing to go hiking for their honeymoon and instead staking a claim to be pampered…and winning the argument, putting the shawl around Worf and hugging him at night because Klingons don’t like the cold, trying to make light of the fact that she is clearly dying,

The truth is that they are both highly competent officers and physically very capable. Being sent on a mission which is this physically punishing makes perfect sense.

Performance – Dorn and Farrell in the moment when she sends Worf away to complete the mission. They are heartbreakingly good.

Great Dialogue – ‘On the Enterprise I was considered to be quite amusing’ ‘Well, that must have been one dull ship.’

‘Think of it as a challenge’ ‘That’s your obsession, Miles. Not mine’ ‘Do it for the latinum’ ‘Nice try’ ‘Do it for the satisfaction of the look on Quark’s face when he’s beaten at a game of Tongo by a lowly hew-mon’ ‘Deal the cards.’

‘Just kiss me and go’ should be agonisingly twee but it breaks my heart.

Production – That’s one of the better studio jungles that Star Trek has pulled together. They often look artificial and plasticky but David Livingston goes to some lengths to make it misty and atmospheric, full of exotic creatures and with a light that falls down behind the trees as the day goes on. It goes to show that with a little effort these studio sets can really feel like they are outside. It feels like a huge spot when it is probably the same set being shot from different angles and there are a number of crane shots that really help sell the environment.

Best moment – The whole sequence in the runabout between Dax and Worf where the show basically becomes a sitcom for five minutes. The dialogue is absolutely on point, and so are the performances.

The whole episode is predictably leading up to the moment when Worf has to choose between his wife or the mission but it is when we get to that moment that this simple character story really pays off. The Worf of old would have done anything rather than fail in his duty and behave dishonourably in the eyes of Starfleet. But the Worf of DS9 has built a life for himself, made friends, found a lover and gotten married and has a completely different set of priorities. The tension in the moment is whether this is still the old Worf or absolutely the new Worf, and whether Jadzia will be sacrificed or not for his principles. I’m pleased at the answer, and I love the payoff. Sisko chews him out in the best scene of the episode and tells him that he will be punished professionally for his actions…but admits that had he been in his shoes and that had been Jennifer that he would have made the same call. It’s precisely that reason (probing character questions and real consequences) that I love this show so much.

I wish they hadn’t done that – The subplot is cute and has its moments but it is one of those DS9 b stories that is completely disposable, which means you could really do without it. Bashir is about to have a year long flirtation match with Jadzia’s successor so this our pre-reminder of his feelings for her before she goes to set that up. Alongside that is a reminder that Quark is a savage gambler and manipulator and isn’t afraid to throw in some wicked psychology in order to win some money. Like I said, it’s fair material and it’s certainly not anything I didn’t enjoy watching but all the gold is found in the A plot this week. And this B-Plot mostly takes place in the middle of this episode, which means that the central plot can’t pick up much momentum.  I thought that Julian was going to be playing along and win out against Quark all along despite his blatant manipulation, but it turns out he truly is a schmucky hew-mon. It is a nice reminder that everybody on DS9 is either fucking or gambling though, so it is still the best post in the galaxy.

A reason to watch this episode again – Not an episode for your average Star Trek fan (I seem to say that a lot about DS9 a lot) but definitely one if you enjoy character work and some real emotion in your drama. Honestly, this would have been a more realistic episode for Jadzia to have gone out on and it would have left Worf with some serious hang ups about the conflict between duty and love that would have been fascinating to follow up on. It also would have served to have been entirely about their relationship and as an endorsement of the Dax/Worf marriage there is no finer episode and the chemistry between Farrell and Dorn is extraordinarily fun. Dax’s death was ultimately rather arbitrary and caught up in the arc machinations of this show…but then it was never going to be a quiet and intimate decision like this. And I actually rather like how she is dispatched in such a callous way because life is sometimes unpredictable and cruel like that. This would have been the easier path to take, but also the more touching. This my way of saying that the episode serves as a healthy reminder of why Starfleet officers in relationships should not go on missions together and the decision that Worf makes at the end is entirely the right with absolutely the right consequences for his career. It’s pretty slight in the plot department although there are still attempts to tie this into the Dominion War and there is an amusing but absolutely throwaway sub plot about Bashir and his feelings for Dax, which I thought had been dealt with but needed to be brough up again because of developments soon to come in season seven. Change of Heart isn’t going to top anyone’s list of top DS9 episodes but in its own quiet, subtle way it is telling a universal story that anyone in a relationship can relate to. Dax and Worf are the best relationship on DS9, and episodes like this prove why.

***1/2 out of *****

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