The Good: Character development, Acting
The Bad: Occasionally unfulfilling plot
The Basics: Recommended for fans of DS9 and parental dramas, more than fans of science fiction as it truly is a father/son drama about the consequences of parenting.
"The Alternate" is another one of those episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine that is oft-neglected on lists of favorite Trek episodes. Why? Most fans of science fiction and Star Trek in particular are intimidated by the fact that this episode glosses over the scientific element and instead focuses strongly on the character aspects.
"The Alternate" focuses on Odo and a journey he never thought he'd take or at least not so soon in the series. A hint to Odo's origins are revealed in both the biological and psychological levels. The latter comes to light when Dr. Mora Pol, the Bajoran scientist who studied Odo before he was sentient, arrives on the station to see Odo. In simplest terms, Dr. Mora is analogous to Odo's father. He reveals that a planet has been discovered in the Gamma Quadrant that contains DNA similar to Odo's. They predict it is a distant cousin to Odo. Mora and Odo go to the planet, take a biological sample and return to the station. Rather quickly, there are outbreaks on the station of violence from an unknown source and it becomes clear that the sample is not the only thing that returned from the Gamma Quadrant with the pair.
The episode glosses over the scientific problem, which is almost completely neglected. In fact, it's easy to miss the resolution to the action part of the plot.
Instead "The Alternate" instead focuses on the character aspects. Dr. Mora, who always believed that Odo would return to his laboratory, broken by his experiences, is forced to acknowledge that Odo has done far better than he predicted the shapeshifter would. In conversations with Odo, Quark and Dax, he comes to see that Odo has become a valued, efficient, expert law enforcement officer.
Odo, for his part, is forced by Mora to make a journey of his own. His notion of his colleagues is challenged when Mora suggests they can become friends. Odo is further challenged by Mora's insistence that a lot of what he did in raising Odo was necessary, not just keeping Odo prisoner.
The strength of the characters is brought out by the power of the acting. Rene Auberjonois plays Odo with great anger and wrenching pain. The omnipresent Star Trek guest star James Sloyan is introduced in Deep Space Nine as Dr. Mora. He's incredible. His performance lends depth and breathes life into an occasionally listless script. His determination and heartbreak balance well with the feelings of parental necessity clearly overshadowing the scientific incidents.
The episode, while largely unsatisfying in the resolution, is a character study about the tribulations of parenting and the eventual point where the parent must evaluate how they parented. It's a good episode and excellent for continuing the character arc of Odo.
[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season by clicking here!
Thanks!]
7/10
For other Star Trek reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011, 2007, 2001 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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