DS9 Flashback: Crossfire

Science fiction in general, and Star Trek in particular, is often praised for taking modern-day social issues and examining them through a metaphorical lens. A less lofty but equally common form of sci-fi storytelling is to take an existing story and re-cast it in a futuristic setting. This was the initial inspiration for Deep Space Nine's "Crossfire."

Shakaar, the leader of Kira's former resistance cell and now First Minister of Bajor, is making an official visit to the station -- and is the target of a credible assassination threat. Taking charge of his security, Odo spends a great deal of time with Shakaar and Kira... and must watch enviously as a romance blossoms between the two, a relationship he wishes he could have with Kira.

You probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that this episode was originally inspired by the movie The Bodyguard, starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston: a security guard gets close to his charge and falls in love. Of course, with Odo's secret love for Kira already established on Deep Space Nine, the story would be tweaked a bit. Instead, Odo is run through the emotional ringer as he watches someone else takes the relationship risk he wishes he had the courage to take himself.

It's striking how little the assassination plot actually matters in this episode. It's purely a MacGuffin to facilitate a touching and sad examination of Odo's psyche. We see how much Kira means to him, from his methodical preparation for their weekly meeting to the way a casual comment from her makes him change the "clothes" he wears. Odo may look like an adult, but he's really an adolescent at best -- awkward at taking a compliment, mortified that anyone would discover his "darkest secret" (one that shouldn't really be so embarrassing), torturing himself needlessly (when he personally guards Kira's quarters all night), and in the end willing to strain any relationship with Kira when he can't have the one he wants.

Odo's relationship with Quark also shines in this episode. We see a petty side of Odo, positioning his quarters above Quark's just so he can make noise. But the closeness between the two does come out; Odo does confess his love for Kira to a sympathetic Quark, Quark helps lift his spirits, and the two acknowledge that they're "almost" behaving like friends to one another. Odo has a nice rapport with Worf too, as the two share a common outlook on the lack of order and routine on the station.

It's easy to overlook how great Rene Auberjonois is in this episode. Sure, director Les Landau helps him a lot with the camera -- in every major scene where Odo must hide his emotions, the camera remains tightly on his face as the other character in the scene (Shakaar, Sisko, Kira) unknowingly twists the knife on him off camera or out of focus. But remember, Auberjonois is having to emote through what is essentially a mask covering his entire face. He does so perfectly; we know exactly how Odo feels in each of these key scenes.

Less effective is the character of Shakaar. As is so often the case in television, the audience is asked to believe in a relationship that didn't really get much run-up. Shakaar has only appeared once before, and is suddenly meant to be a credible love interest for Kira. To get him there, the character is written much softer, trying to sell him as "boyfriend material" rather than "politician material." Show runner Ira Steven Behr was particularly harsh in critiquing this, saying that they'd made "Clint Eastwood" too "sensitive." He took pains to say that actor Duncan Regehr should not be blamed for the inconsistencies. And in my view, Shakaar was a more convincing romance for Kira than Vedek Bareil. Still, the writers clearly didn't like what they'd done here; Shakaar would be talked about a fair amount, but would only actually appear in one more episode after this.

Other observations:

• Besides the tight framing on Odo's face in the key moments, there's plenty of other good camera work in this episode. Particularly effective, I think, is the handheld technique used to underscore Shakaar's exposure to potential danger when he greets people on the Promenade.

• There are shapeshifting gags both subtle (the appearance of Odo's belt) and elaborate (when he stops the turbolift). But one interesting bit of "shifting" are the strands of his hair that hang askew after he trashes his quarters. Since Odo's "hair" is in fact him, his disheveled appearance suggests an inability to hold his regular form. This was not scripted, and indeed the producers were almost concerned enough to consider reshooting the scene when they saw the film. The "look" was improvised in the moment by Rene Auberjonois himself, who had seen an art print of a Japanese warrior in defeat and wanted to mimic it.

"Will they, won't they" is a staple trope of television. This episode is the peak of "they won't" for Kira and Odo, and effectively conjures audience sympathy. I give the episode a B+.