‘A MAN ALONE’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This ‘DS9’ episode has a murder mystery in it. I enjoyed this episode and it showcases Odo’s character in a good light as he gets accused by a despondent group of Bajorans for murdering a Bajoran criminal.
In the episode, Odo becomes concerned about the number of people who are arriving on DS9, due to the newly found Bajoran wormhole. He shares his concerns over these newcomers to Quark in his bar.
One of the newcomers to DS9 happens to be a man Odo recognises. This is Stephen James Carver as Ibudan, a Bajoran man who was once a goods smuggler to Bajorans during the Cardassian occupation.
Odo demands the man to leave the station. Ibudan refuses. Very soon, Odo and Ibudan get into a fight which gets broken up by Sisko. Odo informs Ibudan he has twenty-six hours to leave the space station.
Later on in Sisko’s office, Odo tells him who Ibudan is. Although considered a hero by some Bajorans, Odo witnessed Ibudan letting a young girl die when her parents couldn’t afford some smuggled goods.
Odo also saw Ibudan kill a Cardassian officer during the occupation. Ibudan was sent to prison before he was freed by the Bajoran provisional government after the occupation ended. Odo was not pleased.
Sisko tells Odo not to take any action against Ibudan without any evidence that he committed a crime. Odo is determined to get rid of Ibudan, but Sisko warns him that he can replace him as security officer.
A short while later, Ibudan is found dead in one of Quark’s holosuites. It seems he was killed with a knife wound to his back. No-one could have got in and it seems no-one got out either in that holosuite.
As the investigation proceeds into Ibudan’s death, trouble is stirred. One of Ibudan’s friends, Edward Laurence Albert as Zayra, reports to Sisko and Kira that Ibudan was very afraid Odo would murder him.
Odo discovers that one of the diary entries made by Ibudan in his quarters aboard the passenger ship he was on has the word ‘Odo’ in it. It seems Odo may have been framed in committing Ibudan’s death.
Dr. Bashir also discovers something in Ibudan’s quarters aboard the ship he was on. It seems Ibudan was conducting a kind of experiment involving his DNA. Dr. Bashir investigates further in the infirmary.
But whilst questions get answered in this case, the station’s populace gets roused when they suspect Odo of committing Ibudan’s death. They do not trust him since he is a shapeshifter of unknown origin.
The rabble gets roused outside Odo’s security office where he is forced to hide. I like how Sisko, Kira and the DS9 team defend Odo when the rabble outside his security office becomes pretty hostile indeed.
Sisko tries to calm the crowd down and tells them not to condemn Odo simply because he’s different from them. It seems that the rabble was caused by Zayra and the friends Ibudan had made in the episode.
I’m not sure if Zayra and Ibudan’s other friends were in on Ibudan’s plan to frame Odo in the episode. It’s made clear they didn’t apologise for accusing Odo of being the murderer. It’s open to speculation.
Anyway, Bashir discovers that the DNA sample that Ibudan had been experimenting on was a clone of himself. It turns out it wasn’t the real Ibudan who got murdered in the holosuite. It was a clone of him.
Odo soon finds the real Ibudan when he’s disguised as Tom Klunis as Lamonay S, an elderly Bajoran man. Odo exposes Ibudan, taking off his mask and informs him that killing his own clone is still murder.
The episode features Bashir continuing to have growing feelings for Jadzia Dax in the series. He assumes there’s something going on between Sisko and Jadzia whereas they’re actually good friends.
Rosalind Chao makes her first guest appearance as Keiko, Chief O’Brien’s wife in ‘DS9’ from ‘TNG’. In this, she starts a school for the kids aboard the station. There’s also Hana Hatae as Molly, O’Brien’s daughter.
Jake Sisko makes friends with Aron Eisenberg as Nog, the Ferengi boy. They play a prank on two civilians on board the station and get into trouble. There’s also Max Grodénchik as Rom, Nog’s father.
‘A Man Alone’ is very good episode in Season 1 of the ‘DS9’ series. I enjoyed the murder mystery plot and how Odo was cleared of being framed for murder. Even my Dad stayed awake for this episode. 😀
‘A Man Alone’ (DS9) rating – 9/10
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