Mora Pol, the Bajoran scientist who studied Odo's first efforts to shapeshift, arrives on Deep Space Nine. He's discovered evidence of a planet in the Gamma Quadrant that may point to Odo's origins, but a survey of the world turns up only a mysterious obelisk and a deadly gas that nearly kills the away team. The obelisk is taken to the station for study, but it turns out not to be the only thing brought back -- a less-evolved shapeshifter seems to have tagged along. Soon, dangerous attacks are occurring all over the station. But Doctor Mora suspects the attacks are in fact very much connected to Odo.
There's an intriguing gap between where the idea of this episode originated and where it ended up. Writer Jim Trombetta thought it would be fun to explore what would happen if a shapeshifter suffered from multiple personality disorder. A very literal take on this, exploring what happens when someone actually and completely becomes a different person, could have been quite compelling. The final product feels rather watered down from that, a simple take on Jekyll and Hyde.
The episode does have a bit of fun along the way, though, in setting up red herrings. You're made to think that a rogue shapeshifter is loose on the station, taking the form of people we know. Odo's story about the first time he shifted, to copy something he saw, hints at this possibility. The title of the episode itself, "The Alternate," suggests it. Dax's inexplicably weird behavior toward the alien obelisk in one key scene practically screams it.
But the most effective material in the episode is the family drama. While Odo contends in this episode that Doctor Mora is not his father, the relationship we see between the two feels very much like one of father and son. Mora expresses a very fatherly pride in Odo's accomplishments. He can't let Odo tell a story without jumping in enthusiastically to finish it (without picking up on Odo's annoyance at being interrupted). He wants to know everything about Odo's "adult" life. He speaks of the day "Odo moved out" with wistful regret.
In the end, Mora's instincts as a scientist give way to his instincts as a parent. When he figures out that the rogue shifter on the station is really an alter ego of Odo, he tries using fear to corral Odo back into the lab for experimentation. But when he sees firsthand how far gone Odo really is, and reflects on how repressed anger might have played a big role in that, Mora is suddenly willing to sacrifice himself for his "son." There may not be a blood relationship here, but it feels like a nuanced and realistic adoptive relationship.
Much of what makes this relationship work is the solid performance from guest star James Sloyan. He was a reliable, veteran Star Trek player, having already portrayed the Romulan Jarok on The Next Generation. (He would also play the future version of Worf's son Alexander in an episode made not long after this one.) Casting Sloyan wasn't the first thought, though. When the script was developed, it was imagined that Rene Auberjonois would have a dual role in the episode, playing his own "father" (much as Brent Spiner played Noonien Soong). The Odo makeup was a time-consuming application, however, too much to produce the episode on schedule with Auberjonois in both roles. The one nod to the dual-casting that survived was the styling of Mora's hair to match Odo's, suggesting the constable modeled his appearance on the doctor's.
Though Odo and Mora are the focus of the episode, we get a little bit of another father/son relationship: more quality parenting by Benjamin Sisko of Jake. They have a fun and timeless debate over the value of learning things in school that don't seem important -- Klingon opera, in this case. Jake challenges his father as teenagers will, and Benjamin is essentially cornered into whipping out "because I said so" as parents so often will.
Other relationships in the episode don't compare too favorably to the father/son stuff. Miles O'Brien admits to frequently lying to his wife, as he believes she wouldn't want to know the truth of how dangerous his work sometimes is. It doesn't feel like a model spousal relationship to me. Elsewhere, Bashir is again trying to land a date with Dax. We haven't really seen Bashir be this smarmy in season two, but suddenly it seems we aren't quite over this rather unlikable season one character trait of him endlessly pursuing someone who has rejected him.
Other observations:
- In one more angle on fatherhood, Sisko mentions his own dad in a story he tells Odo. The strong implication is that Sisko's father fell ill and died -- though this isn't made totally explicit, and the writers would end up going another way in future seasons.
- Special effects supervisor Glenn Neufeld was displeased with the episode overall, arguing (somewhat accurately) that too much of the "monster" was shown to the audience, deflating the tension and scariness.
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