S03.E05: Second Skin

[ShadowDenizen]

SUMMARY: Kira is kidnapped by Cardassians, surgically altered to look Cardassian and told she is actually an undercover Cardassian agent.

 

[Dobian]

Doing a series run-through and on season 3 now.  I loved this episode, and thought it would have been cool if it turned out in the end she really was a Cardassian.  What a twist that would have been!  I thought her "father" in the episode was great.

[Joe]

I seem to remember the writers saying that the truth was originally going to be ambiguious, maybe she's Cardassian, maybe not. But they decided that Kira couldn't live like that, so they confirmed she was Bajoran.

[Bryce Lynch]

The episode was very good, especially the interaction between Kira and her Cardassian "father", but I never bought the idea that they could pull off the imposter scheme.

Even if they could implant the real Kira's memories into the Cardy agent, and somehow restore her real ones later (dubious at best), I can't see how a species with such a different physiology could impersonate another species for so long without being discovered.

I would think that it would be obvious both to Kira and the father that is was a hoax.

[Meushell]

I seem to remember the writers saying that the truth was originally going to be ambiguious, maybe she's Cardassian, maybe not. But they decided that Kira couldn't live like that, so they confirmed she was Bajoran.

The episode was very good, especially the interaction between Kira and her Cardassian "father", but I never bought the idea that they could pull off the imposter scheme.

Even if they could implant the real Kira's memories into the Cardy agent, and somehow restore her real ones later (dubious at best), I can't see how a species with such a different physiology could impersonate another species for so long without being discovered.

I would think that it would be obvious both to Kira and the father that is was a hoax.

Glad they did not keep it ambiguious. I'll buy that a Cardassian could and personate another species for years, but I would not buy that it would be enough to fool Starfleet medical, especially with detailed scans. On Bajor, during the occupation, I could believe that because the Bajorans did not have access to great medical technology.

Still a great episode. The father was great. Poor guy really thought it was his daughter, and the truth must have been heart ripping.

The Cardassian who was going to help the father and Kira… I must admit, he is the first Cardassian I ever saw and thought "Wow, he's cute." Not saying the others aren't, but he was the first to get my attention.

[iMonrey]

TNG already did this episode, more or less, with Troy kidnapped and changed into a Romulan. 

[legaleagle53]

On 11/24/2014 at 8:26 PM, Meushell said:

Glad they did not keep it ambiguious. I'll buy that a Cardassian could and impersonate another species for years, but I would not buy that it would be enough to fool Starfleet medical, especially with detailed scans. On Bajor, during the occupation, I could believe that because the Bajorans did not have access to great medical technology.

Exactly.  That's how Seska was exposed as a Cardassian operative on Voyager.  She had been surgically altered to pass as a Bajoran in order to infiltrate the Maquis, but she got trapped aboard Voyager in the Delta Quadrant along with the Maquis she had been spying on.  A medical scan showed that she had Cardassian DNA, and the Doctor disproved her claim that she got it as the result of a transfusion from a Cardassian woman by establishing that that was medically impossible.