For Me? It Was S2e8 “necessary Evil”. That’s When I Knew Deep Space 9 Was Going To Be Different.

for me? it was s2e8 “necessary evil”. that’s when I knew deep space 9 was going to be different.

star trek has done murder mystery episodes before– yanno they’re fun, they’re a great format for a well paced forty five minutes where we can learn more about our characters and get some cheeky twists along the way.

“necessary evil” elevates that trope by setting the mystery on terok nor. it’s literally our first flashback look at the ugly political past of the space station. as an audience we’ve been learning to love and trust the warm vibes of the show’s setting– seeing a version of this place that’s dystopian, that’s horrific, that nonetheless features so many of the characters we know? it feels so fuckin visceral.

I will never forget the final twist in this episode. I will never forget learning alongside Odo what it really means for people to make the choices they must in the face of dehumanization, and the fallout that’ll haunt them for years. the realization that sometimes the most obvious truth is the profoundest one, and that sometimes all the twists in the world land you right where u started

the moment the character asks Odo if he can ever trust them again, and the shot lingers, and ends.

the episode ends there

that’s when I knew that this show wasn’t going to be like other trek. that’s when I knew this was going to be a story about the nuance, the incongruity, the unresolution and the things left hanging behind when an episode ends. that’s when I knew the writers on this show would wake up and choose artistic greatness in defiance of conventional tv wisdom.

thank you for my life, s2e8 necessary evil. we should talk about u more. xo.