Yeah, the core of it is that question of what Odo's "humanoid" body actually consists of. In a later episode Bashir mentions that his density is normally consistent throughout his body — meaning he's definitely not simulating anything internal. He's just a big meat puppet.

I don't think Bajor wants to be in the arms-dealer-haven business explicitly — it's more a "look the other way" situation than an actual endorsement.

I really don't understand how humanoid sex, to a changeling, would be anything other than a curious and possibly bizarre mechanical exercise. But I guess Odo's just a big ol' softy (triple entendre!)

And they wear hats on their feet, and hamburgers eat people

Ever since Tywin dressed down Cersei for not doing nearly as good a job as she thought at manipulating everyone, I've seen all her actions through that lens: they are stupid, and she is constantly overplaying her hand. At this point, she really has no position or power or relevance to anyone, except as the daughter of…

@Automocar:disqus awesome — will have to check that out

"There can be no justice so long as laws are absolute" - Jean Luc Picard, saving a sketchy episode (as usual)

@avclub-d80126524c1e9641333502c664fc6ca1:disqus Aha! I was trying to recall the name of that one, and it didn't jump out at me during a quick scan of the episode list. Definitely a good guilty pleasure episode — and, agreed, Jeri Ryan's impression is a joy.

It would have been better if there were a bunch of derelict captured ships in orbit, and for whatever reason they had to nab some jalopi instead of the runabout. Wouldn't have changed anything, but would have made it feel a bit more real and challenging, and a bit less "hey guys we left you an escape route just in…

The only reason I think it *might* be worthwhile is that after all this time spent breaking down Star Trek, especially what makes it work like magic and what makes it fail, a look at a show that does a hell of a lot more of the latter than the former could provide some interesting contrast. Voyager's few successes are…

It definitely seems like the older Jem'Hadar accumulate whatever wisdom they can in their short time, and benefit from it.

If you feel like exploring some doctor episodes that stand reasonably well alone, here are some I recall as at least entertaining (though I can't recall the quality level overall)

It has to be said: the Jem'Hadar captain doesn't just refuse to pull the trigger, he *yields the fight to Worf* with one of the best lines in the episode (and beyond).

Hahaha. Yeah you may be right, and yeah that is hilariously stupid. I'm gonna start claiming every number is easy to remember because it's a part of Pi :)

@avclub-299b29bd1a150927a69e3e562b87d231:disqus  I'm not sure I'd say the the concept was *awful* but, it's true that without DeLancie's performance it probably would have been really hard to stomach.

Points for honesty. The fact is, most of us would probably do the same — and if we don't *know*, if we haven't been *tested*, then the only humble choice is to assume you would protect your own hide and not risk it for others. A lot of people would say "I'd be leader of the resistence!" — well, it's all well and good…

Thinking more about this: there's also a really interesting social studies sort of aspect to it from the Bajoran side.

Agreed. As a general area for exploration, I like it. Unfortunately to make it philosophically satisfying you have to fill in a lot of blanks for the show, and ignore a lot of mishandled details, but somewhere at the core they were going for (and occasionally achieved) a very interesting look at the question of what a…

Definitely need to give it a re-watch. Hopefully it will turn out to be one of those times where I've been avoiding an episode that left a bad taste in my mouth, but find myself loving it the next time around. Those are always a treat :)

As someone who doesn't know much about bipolar disorder, I found it pretty informative. I didn't know that kind of mounting sense of urgent clarity you describe was part of a manic state