Chimera (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Last updated
"Chimera"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 14
Directed bySteve Posey
Written by René Echevarria
Featured music Jay Chattaway
Production code564
Original air dateFebruary 15, 1999 (1999-02-15)
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Field of Fire"		Next →
"Badda-Bing Badda-Bang"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7
List of episodes

"Chimera" is the 14th episode of the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the 164th episode overall.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet-managed Bajoran space station Deep Space Nine . The later seasons of the series follow a war between the United Federation of Planets and an expansionist empire known as the Dominion, ruled by the shape-shifting Changelings. Deep Space Nine's security chief, Odo (played by René Auberjonois), is a Changeling who grew up ignorant of his people, and turned his back on them once he learned they were the Founders of the Dominion. In this episode, Odo meets another Changeling, Laas (played by J. G. Hertzler), who is also ignorant of the Founders and tries to persuade Odo to leave Deep Space Nine and travel the galaxy with him.

Plot

While returning to Deep Space Nine, a runabout carrying Odo and Chief Miles O'Brien is boarded by an unfamiliar Changeling. This Changeling, who calls himself Laas, has no knowledge of the Dominion or its Founders, but is eager to learn from Odo about his kind. Odo infers that Laas, like himself, is one of 100 Changelings the Founders sent into the galaxy as infants in order to learn about the universe.

On DS9, the two Changelings discuss their past. Laas tells Odo that although he does not support the Founders' agenda of conquest, he does not trust humanoids and just wishes to avoid them. Odo introduces Laas to the practice of "linking": physically joining their liquid bodies, a very fulfilling experience for Changelings. Laas guesses that Odo would have returned to join the Founders and experience their Great Link had he not fallen in love with Bajoran officer Kira Nerys.

Laas attempts to convince Odo to embrace his potential as a Changeling rather than trying to blend in with humanoids, and behaves rudely and condescendingly toward Odo's humanoid friends. He suggests that Odo join him to travel the galaxy in order to find more of the Hundred and form their own Great Link. Odo is tempted, especially when Laas demonstrates his skill at shapeshifting into unusual forms.

Laas causes a disturbance when he transforms into a fog in the station's Promenade district, drawing the attention of two Klingon officers. Seeing what they assume is a Founder, they confront Laas violently; by shapeshifting he is able to escape the attack and kill one of the Klingons.

Laas is arrested for killing the Klingon, although Odo protests that he acted in self-defense. Laas doubts he will receive a fair trial, given humanoids' inherent mistrust of Changelings. Kira, who loves Odo and wants to give him the opportunity to travel with his own kind, frees Laas and tells everyone that he escaped. Privately, she lets Odo know that Laas is waiting on Koralis III. Odo meets Laas on Koralis, but tells him that he is wrong to believe that "solids" cannot be trusted, and that he is staying with Kira. Back on DS9, Kira tells Odo that he doesn't have to pretend to be a humanoid with her. He shows his love for her by transforming into a glowing golden mist, surrounding her.

Casting

Actor J. G. Hertzler, who played Laas, also played the recurring role of the Klingon General Martok on Deep Space Nine. [1] Hertzler was surprised they hired him for the role, and he attempted to disguise his voice but many people still recognized it. [2] According to showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Hertzler was cast because the producers needed an actor of a caliber to match Auberjonois's performance as Odo, and felt most comfortable trusting the role to an actor they already knew. Since he plays a different role than usual in this episode, Hertzler opted to be credited onscreen as "Garman Hertzler", using his middle name, to ensure Laas was regarded as distinct from Martok. [3]

Reception

Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club in 2014, gave the episode a mixed review; he appreciated the depth of Odo's characterization and the conclusion of the episode, but criticized the episode as repetitive in the context of other episodes about Odo's conflicted relationship with other Changelings. [4] Writing for Tor.com in 2015, Keith R.A. DeCandido gave the episode a rating of 7/10, singling out for praise both the writing and the performance of the character Laas, but argued that the humanoids' mistrust of Laas should have been taken more seriously in the context of the war against the Dominion. [5]

In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the character of Kira Nerys, noting that although the episode is mainly focused on Odo and Laas, it also illuminates Kira through her love for Odo. [6]

Related Research Articles

Odo (<i>Star Trek</i>) Character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Odo, played by René Auberjonois, is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is a member of a shape-shifting species called Changelings and serves as the head of security for the space station Deep Space Nine on which the show is set. Intelligent, observant, and taciturn, Odo uses his unique abilities throughout the show to maintain security on the DS9 station and later aids the Bajoran people and the Federation throughout the Dominion War against his own people, the Founders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martok</span> Fictional character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, played by J. G. Hertzler

Martok, son of Urthog is a recurring character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, played by actor J. G. Hertzler. Martok is a high-ranking Klingon leader at the Federation-Bajoran space station in the late 2300s. Martok figures prominently in many of the show's long running story arcs, and also is an important relationship for Worf.

In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is an interstellar state and military superpower from the Gamma Quadrant, composed of hundreds of dominated alien species. The Dominion is commanded by The Founders, a race of shapeshifters, responsible for both the creation of the Dominion and all strategic decisions undertaken through its history. The Dominion is administered by the Vorta, clones specifically genetically engineered by the Founders to act as field commanders, administrators, scientists and diplomats. The Jem'Hadar, also engineered by the Founders, are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy during the Dominion's height.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kira Nerys</span> Fictional humanoid in the TV Series Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Kira Nerys is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has recently emerged from a brutal foreign occupation. She was a member of the resistance, and the decades-long conflict has left her tough and uncompromising, but she is sustained by her strong faith in traditional Bajoran religion. She has been assigned to Deep Space Nine, a space station jointly operated by the United Federation of Planets and the new provisional Bajoran government, where she serves as second in command as well as the ranking representative of her people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. G. Hertzler</span> American actor (b. 1950)

John Garman Hertzler Jr. is an American actor, author, screenwriter, and activist best known for his role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Klingon General Martok, whom he portrayed from 1995 until the series' end in 1999.

"Call to Arms" is the 26th and final episode of the fifth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 124th episode overall. This episode marks the start of the show's celebrated Dominion war story arc.

"Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" is the 156th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sixth episode of the seventh season. It was first aired the week of November 2, 1998. The teleplay was written by David Weddle and Bradley Thompson, based on a story by Philip Kim, and directed by Steve Posey. When it was aired on television in November 1998, the episode received Nielsen ratings of 4.8 points corresponding to over 4.7 million viewers.

"Sacrifice of Angels" is the sixth episode from the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 130th episode overall. The episode's plot details the efforts of the United Federation of Planets to retake space station Deep Space Nine from the forces of the Dominion. This is the second half of a two-part episode, continuing the story immediately from the end of the previous episode, "Favor the Bold". The episode features a large guest cast and numerous VFX scenes with spacecraft.

"When it Rains..." is the 171st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth of the final nine-episode arc of the series. This episode was directed by Michael Dorn and written by Rene Echevarria. It was first aired in broadcast syndication on May 3, 1999.

"Tacking Into the Wind" is the 172nd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The episode was written by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Mike Vejar.

"Image in the Sand" is the 151st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the opening episode for the series' seventh and final season. It was first aired the week of September 28, 1998.

"By Inferno's Light" is the 113th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 15th episode of the fifth season.

"Shadows and Symbols" is the second episode of the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 152nd overall, premiering the week of October 5, 1998. The episode's premiere received Nielsen ratings of 4.2 points corresponding to over 4.1 million viewers. This episode was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and directed by Allan Kroeker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Begotten</span> 12th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"The Begotten" is the 110th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 12th episode of the fifth season.

"A Time to Stand" is the first episode of the sixth season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the 125th episode overall. This episode was broadcast on television starting on September 29, 1997.

"Behind the Lines" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 128th episode in the science fiction show.

"Favor the Bold" is the 129th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth episode of the sixth season, first broadcast on October 27, 1997. This episode had Nielsen ratings of 6.0 points, which equaled about 5.9 million viewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Space Nine (fictional space station)</span> Fictional space station in Star Trek

Deep Space Nine is a fictional space station, the eponymous primary setting of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine which aired from 1993 to 1999. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens. It is run by a joint crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers and it is the home port of a number of Starfleet runabouts, as well as the starship USS Defiant.

References

  1. ↑ "Star Trek: All 7 Characters Played By JG Hertzler". ScreenRant. 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  2. ↑ STARTREK.COM STAFF (June 29, 2019). "J.G. Hertzler Reflects on His Many 'Trek' Roles". StarTrek.com.
  3. ↑ Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion. Pocket Books. p. 657.
  4. ↑ Handlen, Zack (March 20, 2014). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Chimera"/"Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  5. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R.A. (January 13, 2015). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Chimera"". Tor.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  6. ↑ Krishna, Swapna (2018-01-16). "A binge-watching guide to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Kira Nerys". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.