Playing God (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Playing God" is the 37th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
man arrives on the station
. He is to study with Jadzia Dax
, and the prospect makes him ill-at-ease and defensive. He has heard rumors that Dax hosts have been very harsh mentors, especially Curzon. He hopes to please Jadzia, since he must get a recommendation from her if the Trill joining committee is to accept him as a host. When Arjin meets Jadzia Dax he is surprised to find her so laid-back and free-spirited.
Arjin's first job is to accompany Dax through the Wormhole in a runabout. An accident occurs and the two Trills bring the runabout back to the station damaged. There is a strange mass of matter attached to it. Chief O'Brien
removes the mass and contains it securely for further study.
Meanwhile, Dax has been getting to know Arjin. He seems aloof but preoccupied with what other people think of him, and may be applying for a symbiont to please his father and others. He seems to have few interests or goals. Dax is nervous about confronting Arjin about his motivations. When she confides in her friend Sisko
, he reminds her about her time training under the notorious Curzon. He was very hard on her, and challenged her confidence in herself.
Trouble starts when the unidentified mass in the lab is released from its containment field. O'Brien is annoyed to find that the station has a pest control problem. There is an infestation of Cardassian voles, and they are beginning to short out crucial systems, including the power source for the science lab containment fields. When Dax and Arjin find the matter, it has begun to emit an eerie glow. They run calculations and realize that the matter may actually be a tiny universe. It is expanding quickly and will soon pose a danger to the station. The crew prepares to destroy the universe, but are halted when Dax finds that it holds signs of life.
As Sisko ponders the matter, Dax speaks to Arjin about his performance. She reveals that Curzon's high expectations for her actually helped her become stronger and more ready to become a host. Before she was joined to Dax, Jadzia was shy and sensitive, and Curzon often reduced her to tears. But in the end, she got her symbiont, and she encourages Arjin to strive for more.
Sisko has weighed the options and has decided the proto-universe must be removed from Deep Space Nine. Dax and Arjin board a runabout to ferry the universe back through the Wormhole. She allows Arjin to take the helm, a challenge that he accepts.
As they rush through the Wormhole, the expanding proto-universe becomes unstable, making the runabout difficult to fly. Arjin can barely control it, and Dax offers to take over. He resolves to do the job himself, and as he safely brings them out of danger and releases the little universe out into space, he proves himself and earns his positive recommendation from Jadzia Dax.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
.
Overview
While Dax mentors her first Trill initiate, a proto-universe threatens to destroy the station and Bajor.Plot
A young TrillTrill (Star Trek)
The Trill are a fictional species of symbiotic life forms, depicted in the Star Trek media franchise. First introduced in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the species became a major part of the spin-off series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which featured a Trill named Dax as one of its...
man arrives on the station
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens...
. He is to study with Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
, and the prospect makes him ill-at-ease and defensive. He has heard rumors that Dax hosts have been very harsh mentors, especially Curzon. He hopes to please Jadzia, since he must get a recommendation from her if the Trill joining committee is to accept him as a host. When Arjin meets Jadzia Dax he is surprised to find her so laid-back and free-spirited.
Arjin's first job is to accompany Dax through the Wormhole in a runabout. An accident occurs and the two Trills bring the runabout back to the station damaged. There is a strange mass of matter attached to it. Chief O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
removes the mass and contains it securely for further study.
Meanwhile, Dax has been getting to know Arjin. He seems aloof but preoccupied with what other people think of him, and may be applying for a symbiont to please his father and others. He seems to have few interests or goals. Dax is nervous about confronting Arjin about his motivations. When she confides in her friend Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
, he reminds her about her time training under the notorious Curzon. He was very hard on her, and challenged her confidence in herself.
Trouble starts when the unidentified mass in the lab is released from its containment field. O'Brien is annoyed to find that the station has a pest control problem. There is an infestation of Cardassian voles, and they are beginning to short out crucial systems, including the power source for the science lab containment fields. When Dax and Arjin find the matter, it has begun to emit an eerie glow. They run calculations and realize that the matter may actually be a tiny universe. It is expanding quickly and will soon pose a danger to the station. The crew prepares to destroy the universe, but are halted when Dax finds that it holds signs of life.
As Sisko ponders the matter, Dax speaks to Arjin about his performance. She reveals that Curzon's high expectations for her actually helped her become stronger and more ready to become a host. Before she was joined to Dax, Jadzia was shy and sensitive, and Curzon often reduced her to tears. But in the end, she got her symbiont, and she encourages Arjin to strive for more.
Sisko has weighed the options and has decided the proto-universe must be removed from Deep Space Nine. Dax and Arjin board a runabout to ferry the universe back through the Wormhole. She allows Arjin to take the helm, a challenge that he accepts.
As they rush through the Wormhole, the expanding proto-universe becomes unstable, making the runabout difficult to fly. Arjin can barely control it, and Dax offers to take over. He resolves to do the job himself, and as he safely brings them out of danger and releases the little universe out into space, he proves himself and earns his positive recommendation from Jadzia Dax.
Arc significance
- This is the second of two appearances of the singing Klingon chef (although the restaurant would be mentioned in other episodes). The first appearance was earlier in the second season in the episode "Melora."