S02.E08: Necessary Evil

[ShadowDenizen]

SUMMARY: When Quark is shot, Odo re-opens a five-year-old murder case of Mr. Vaatrik who was a Cardassian collaborator.

[blueray]

This is one of my favorite episodes. I love that we get to see how Odo, Kira and Quark met. Plus Odo's log about how we have to many records is great.

[The Crazed Spruce]

It's too bad that Netflix in Canada doesn't carry DS9.  This is one of my favourite episodes, and I'd love to be able to rewatch it with you all.

[Ailianna]

One of the things I liked about this episode, and which remained true about the series throughout its run, is that this episode allowed our protagonists to have done bad things, to have made mistakes that had real costs, and which had reprecussions into the future.  There's not a lot of end-of-episode reset, which makes even "filler" episodes matter more.

[John Potts]

While I do like the "Yeah, Kira was a terrorist and killed people during the Occupation" angle (bad people, for sure, but she was a terrorist) the Fridge Logoc kicks in when you remember Dukat promised to execute 10 random Bajorans if Odo didn't turn up the real killer (I have to credit Phil Farrand, Nitpicker No. 1, with that one). Since Kira is obviously not dead, did Dukat go through with his threat? Did Odo finger somebody else? Once you start thinking about these things they can really bug you!

[ShadowDenizen]

Curse you!

That never actually occured to me....

 

Though, to be fair, my one nitpick of DS9 is that (Right from the beginning), they often wrap episodes with a neat little bow, while not addressing some of the niggling issues they bring up. (To be fair, DS9 is one of the best serialiezed show perhaps ever, so I cut them some slack in that regard.

 

[legaleagle53]

While I do like the "Yeah, Kira was a terrorist and killed people during the Occupation" angle (bad people, for sure, but she was a terrorist)

 

 

As the saying goes, one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter."  Were the Bajorans just supposed to passively roll over and hope that the Cardassians would eventually get tired of torturing and murdering them on a whim during the Occupation?

[HalcyonDays]

That's what I love about DS9 - the many layers and "shades of grey". Next Generation, though I did like most of the episodes, was too "perfect" for me. Too clean and pristine and conflict free and just...not realistic.

 

The fact that you have principle characters that are not perfect, that have done some shady things in the past, speaks volumes to me. Because it's real and honest and what would truly happen (from my human outlook!) in reality. "War is Hell" and people do nasty things to survive. Kira doing terrorist activities - to survive. And I like that the viewer is in a way forced to see a main character in this light.

[Meushell]

While I do like the "Yeah, Kira was a terrorist and killed people during the Occupation" angle (bad people, for sure, but she was a terrorist) the Fridge Logoc kicks in when you remember Dukat promised to execute 10 random Bajorans if Odo didn't turn up the real killer (I have to credit Phil Farrand, Nitpicker No. 1, with that one). Since Kira is obviously not dead, did Dukat go through with his threat? Did Odo finger somebody else? Once you start thinking about these things they can really bug you!

I love the Nitpicker's Guide. Stuff like this would probably never have occurred to me.

Anyway, I assume 10 random Bajorans were not killed. Otherwise, I can't picture Odo having stuck around. I didn't get the impression that someone else was blamed either.

Funny though, as the Nitpicker's Guide points out, Dukat hired Odo to solve this case. Odo failed. Dukat still keeps him as chief of security. Shouldn't he have been fired?

[ShadowDenizen]

I got the impression that Dukhat genuinely respects Odo and his commitment to fair-play and morality, and I think he also likes the fact that Odo doesn't know-tow to him. (Much in the same way that Kira doesn't.)

 

As we rewatch, I'll have to see if there are any scenes in future episodes that back that up more concretely.

[Bryce Lynch]

As the saying goes, one man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter."  Were the Bajorans just supposed to passively roll over and hope that the Cardassians would eventually get tired of torturing and murdering them on a whim during the Occupation?

I agree. Calling the Bajorans who fought the Cardassians "terrorists"  is sort of like calling those who resisted the Nazi's in France and elsewhere "terrorists". 

 

That said, pre-9/11/2001 the term "terrorist" didn't have as much of a universally negative connotation.  Nelson Mandela was considered a terrorist and many Americans supported IRA terrorists back then as well.