DS9 Flashback: Return to Grace

Actions have consequences in the Deep Space Nine universe -- even for characters who aren't part of the main cast. The consequences of Dukat's decision from "Indiscretion," to publicly acknowledge his half-Bajoran daughter, are shown in "Return to Grace."

Ostracized by his family and demoted from his position of authority, Gul Dukat now commands a lowly freighter tasked with ferrying Major Kira to a conference. When a Klingon ship attacks the conference, Dukat is determined to seek revenge despite being vastly outgunned. Kira must educate him in guerilla tactics to give them any chance of success... all while rebuffing his amorous advances.

I wrote of "Indiscretion," the previous episode in Dukat's story arc, that it marked the apex of the series treating Dukat as "maybe not such a bad guy after all." He's definitely less of a good guy here. Sure, he is given sympathetic qualities in this episode, and he really milks them to play the sad sack. We're told how important family is to Cardassians, and he's lost all of his in disgrace. Another Gul who "collects" his rivals' wives is now together with his. He displays real affection for his daughter, Ziyal -- and in the end, does right-ish by her, by not dragging her along to live the same dangerous life he plans to lead.

But largely, Dukat is just plain creepy in this episode. All his posturing at morality seems disingenuous, aimed at Kira in a vain effort to make her like him. He can't help but "neg" her as he tries to win her, mocking her taste for "powerful men" (first Bareil, then especially Shakaar -- a "lumbering field hand" who he says was a womanizer in days past). And while Dukat drapes his actions throughout this episode in patriotism, it seems equally driven by bloodlust. He's been running combat drills in anticipation of such a confrontation. When offered the chance to again become a military advisor, he turns it down as he's not interested in advising a military that's pursuing peace.

Kira's role in the story is interesting too. Sure, there's the strong and overt part of it -- never for one moment entertaining any kind of relationship with a man that to her is Hitler. But the subtleties are more compelling. She can compartmentalize, being friendly with Ziyal while hating her father, helping a man she loathes for the greater good. Most interesting of all is the demonstration of how much she has changed in recent years. She spends the whole episode telling Dukat he needs to think more like a terrorist. But when he needlessly slaughters dozens of Klingons at the end of the episode, she realizes she's no longer the sort of person who could go that far.

Ziyal completes the unusual relationship triangle of this story. She acts as intermediary between Kira and Dukat, trying to convince the Major of her father's better qualities. (There are almost moments where it feels like she's riding to set them up romantically!) Kira gets a big win in ultimately separating Ziyal from his toxic influence. I can't help but wonder if Kira expects (or even secretly hopes) that Dukat's new life as a marauding terrorist on a stolen Klingon ship will get him killed, and thus permanently remove him from Ziyal's life.

Other observations:

• The episode opens with Kira receiving a battery of vaccinations -- notable not just for the explicit endorsement of science, but for implying the existence of a nearby bathroom when she heads off to be sick.

• This is the first appearance of Damar. He's really a nothing character here, and actor Casey Biggs noted that he felt anyone could have played the part. But he also says director Jonathan West made a point of telling them he'd heard the writers were already planning to bring back the character later and do more -- so West gave him plenty of reaction shots and close-ups that a typical minor character wouldn't have.

• According to writer Ira Steven Behr, Dukat's angry declaration that "I am the only Cardassian left" was inspired by a real-life statement from Sioux leader Sitting Bull. (In refusing to sign a treaty that had already been signed by 'every other Indian,' Sitting Bull scoffed: "What other Indians? There are no other Indians but me.")

• The boarding of the Klingon ship was originally planned as a much more elaborate hand-to-hand combat sequence. But Jonathan West argued to the writers that it would strain credibility to have Kira and Dukat overpower an entire ship of Klingons. He lobbied for a suggestion by assistant director B.C. Cameron to use the transporter to swap crews, and the writers agreed, reducing the combat to just the Klingons in one part of the ship.

Again, I'm less than enthusiastic about giving Dukat the main character treatment. (The title makes it clear: it's his story.) Nevertheless, I'm intrigued enough by Kira's role in this story to give "Return to Grace" a B.