‘STATISTICAL PROBABILITIES’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Now this ‘DS9’ episode could’ve easily been one of those average episodes where Bashir helped a group of genetically augmented individuals to overcome their grievances and to provide for society.
But I give credit to the episode. It does try and do something different by involving the Dominion at some level. It’s established by Casey Biggs as Damar and Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun appearing in this.
It’s also good that the show didn’t forget that Bashir was recently discovered as being genetically engineered, as established in ‘Doctor Bashir, I Presume?’. There’s a lot more to explore on that angle.
In the episode, Bashir helps to treat four genetically augmented who are unable to function in society. This is due to the unintended neurological side effects of their augmentation over the years.
The four individuals include Tim Ransom as the hyperactive, paranoid Jack; Hilary Shepard as the hypersexual Lauren, Michael Keenan as childlike Patrick and Faith Salie as silent and catatonic Sarina.
Bashir gets to know these four and sees that the primary problem to their predicament is boredom. They’re forbidden to pursue any profession where they can put their enhanced brain power to work.
Eventually, the four individuals see a transmission of Damar, the new leader of Cardassia, proposing peace talks with the Federation. The four individuals are able to deduce how Damar came to power.
Impressed by their abilities, Bashir convinces Sisko to allow the four individuals to review the peace negotiations between the Federation and the Dominion. This is so to deduce the Dominion’s plan. 🙂
The four (or should I say three due to Sarina being silent a lot) are able to deduce, based on subtle clues in Damar and Weyoun’s speech and behaviour, that the Dominion wants to draw the border. 😐
This is so they can secure a planet that has the raw materials needed to make ketracel white, the drug that is used to control the Dominion’s Jem’Hadar soldiers. It gives the Federation an advantage.
However, the deductions made by the individuals lead to the celebrations being short-lived. It turns out the statistics state that the Federation is doomed to lose the war and suffer billions of casualties.
The conclusion therefore is that it is recommended the Federation surrenders to the Dominion. This is something Sisko isn’t willing to accept. Bashir seems convinced that the four individuals are right.
It all leads to some moral dilemmas as Bashir argues with Sisko and O’Brien about the possibility of surrendering to the Dominion to save many lives. It’s a tough struggle for Bashir to overcome in this.
When Bashir eventually decides to not go along with the individuals’ plans to leak Starfleet’s strategy to the Dominion, he gets knocked out for the count. The individuals decide to go and do it instead. 😐
Bashir is bound hand and foot before he wakes up to find himself alone with Sarina who stays behind. Jack, Lauren and Patrick go off in the hope to shorten the war and minimize the casualties. 😐
Whilst bound, Bashir persuades Sarina to hear him out, saying that her friends’ actions will result in their imprisonment and separation. This is something Sarina comes to understand once hearing him.
Bashir is freed in the nick of time. He intercepts Jack, Lauren and Patrick before they meet up with Damar and Weyoun. Damar and Weyoun are met by Odo who tells them their clients aren’t coming.
After what he’s experienced, Bashir comes to realise that the individuals’ superior intellect can’t match to the outcome of one person altering history. The person which happened to be Sarina here!
At the episode’s conclusion, the four individuals return to their institution in the hopes of coming up with a plan for defeating the Dominion. Bashir is willing to hear it as the four individuals beam out. 🙂
I can’t say ‘Statistical Probabilities’ has been a great episode to watch in the ‘DS9’ series, but it’s nice how Bashir’s genetically engineered background gets touched upon by meeting others like him here.
There is a future episode where Bashir meets up with these four individuals, Jack, Lauren, Patrick and Sarina again. It’ll also be interesting to see how Bashir handles the Section 31 storyline for ‘DS9’.
‘Statistical Probabilities’ (DS9) rating – 7/10
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