Home? Where is it? Some day we'll know... cousin."
Odo's response to the question "What is the most common thing spouses in Alabama say to each other in an estate agents?"
Child stardom eventually took its toll on Zak and Cody of "The Suite Life."Synopsis
Odo must escort an alien fugitive from the Gamma quadrant back to his home planet without his vengeful pursuers nailing the guys severed head to their ships hull. An alien fugitive who claims he can show Odo where he can find his lost people. What is Gamma quadrant speak for red herring?
Review
Like "The Nagus" last time, this episode sets up (well more foreshadows) exposition that would go on to form the basis of later episodes of the show. Though not quite as comprehensive as "The Nagus", it does pose the question how much of the eventual arc story was preplanned beforehand. (Unlike Babylon 5, DS9's complete story arc was not prepared before the show aired) So we kick off with Odo who is doubly concerned that Quark is dealing with a bunch of Miradorn raiders (which he denies), and about Crodin, an alien from the Gamma quadrant who appears to be worried about something or someone. Odo shapeshifts into a meeting with Quark and the Miradorn over purchasing some jewelled egg that appears to have been stolen from a looted ship nearby. Croden then walks in armed with a phaser in order to steal the expensive artifact for himself. He ends up shooting one of the twinned Miradon, Ro-Kel; dead, before Odo can apprehend him. Ah-Kel; the surviving twin, swears he will get revenge on Crodin for bumping his twin off. As this is sci-fi, it is one of those "I will not rest till I have your head.... I exist only to avenge my brother now....." revenge speeches that baddy aliens make.
Odo suspects that Quark put Crodin up to the armed robbery, and has some evidence that he had procured transport to the Gamma quadrant in secret to stash his accomplish from the hands of the law. Sisko meanwhile tells Crodin that he will have to stand trial for what he has done, and asks would he like legal representation from his homeworld, to which Crodin explains that he is estranged from his homeworld of Rakhar, and that they wouldn't send anyone anyway. He also seems to recognise Odo as a "changeling". He claims that they live in the Gamma quadrant, and that he met some at a colony once. There were also some who lived on Rakhar, but they were persecuted and driven out centuries ago. He shows an astonished Odo a pendent he has that can shapeshift, it came from the colony he mentioned.
Sisko and Dax make contact with Rakhar to say they have a Rakhari in custody. The authorities say Crodin is an enemy of the people and has committed many heinous crimes, and that they want him back to answer for what he has done. Sisko realises that they must extradite Crodin to Rakhar under the noses of the vengeful Ah-Kel and his Miradorn raider ship. Odo and Crodins runabout hides in a freighters wake to get in the wormhole without being seen by the raider. Crodin says that the secret police murdered all his family for crimes he had supposedly committed against the state, and that the fate that awaits him will be unpleasant. Ah-Kel meanwhile, threatens Quark to discover where Crodin has gone. Quark complies to save his own ass (Ah-Kel has figured out that the pair set up the robbery together and he is indirectly responsible for what happened.), but to be fair he does attempt to bullshit Ah-Kel by pretending he can't get the co-ordinates they took (it's a nice hint that the Odo-Quark relationship is a love hate one. He does try to stick his neck out for Odo, until Ah-Kel figures it out 6 seconds later!) Ah-Kel says "I'll be back" to Quark (honest to God) and storms out to blow Crodin sky high. The raider duly catches up with them and they take cover in the Chamra Vortex (which looks suspiciously like the Mutara Nebula from "Wrath of Khan". Largely because it is!) where the changeling colony is located. (how convenient!) Croden flies them there to shake off the Miradorn, because obviously an alien who lives on the other side of the galaxy can magically pilot a Federation runabout just like that. Odo instantly twigs on that this colony is bollocks, and that Crodin has come here for another reason. He owns up, but says the mythology about the changelings is true. The pendent is a key that opens up a stasis chamber, with his daughter in it (the only survivor of the massacre of his loved ones) The Miradorn find them and bomb the planetoid from orbit. Odo is knocked out (Yes; yes, see the Mistakes section!) but Crodin saves his life and helps him back to the runabout even though he could have fled the extradition flight. They manage to lure the pursuing raider into a pocket of volatile Toh-maire gas, where the weapons fire blows the Miradorn sky high. Odo in his gratitude at Crodins selflessness - and as he has a kid, allows the pair to seek asylum on a Vulcan survey ship headed back to the Alapha quadrant. Crodin says Odo can keep the pendent, in the hope that he can use it to find his long lost people.
Mistakes and Questions
Ah-Kel and Ro-Kel were played by the same actor (Randy "Degra the Xindi" Ogglesby) using the split screen technique. Watch when they first step into the bar to give Quark the nod and then walk off, you can see one "twin" walk behind the other, and he suddenly vanishes! Insert Twilight Zone theme now.
Remember in "the passenger" when Bashir says that tricorders aren't effective in deducing whether someone is dead. Well they work just fine on Ro-Kel in this episode.
The Miradorn twins are apparently so physically interconnected that they effectively act as one being. So if one dies, then they only function as half a person, or whatever. Hey guys if that is true, pick a safer job than raiding ships then! You know, not one that involves shooting, and being shot at.
The most obvious strange thing in this episode is when Odo is knocked unconscious by falling debris. Now a human is knocked out because we have skulls and brains and blood vessels etc. Odo is just made of goo, and in "Heart of Stone" we see him using his abilities to deflect falling rocks. And even if he can be knocked out, why does he keep his shape? Shouldn't he just revert back to his liquid state or something?
Odo's actions at the end are rather odd. I can understand that hew is grateful that Crodin saved his life when he could have left him to die. That Crodin has a kid, who would be orphaned and have no family, if he was put in front of a Rakhari firing squad. That Crodin is more sinned against than sinner. But the fact is Croden committed armed robbery and murder! I know Ro-Kel was a dick (if his brother is anything to go by). But he killed a man all the same. You can't even call it self defence. Crodin walked in there with a weapon, with the intent to commit armed robbery. Shouldn't there have been some consequences over this. (No I wouldn't have sent him to Rakhar, and I sure as hell wouldn't have let the little girl set foot on Rakhar. I'd have lied and said he was killed in the bombardment, which they do.) Couldn't the Vulcans have taken him into custody? If anyone would give him a fair trial, they would.
Betty's Thought for the Day.
This episode looks into the origins of Odo's people, who from the pilot episode, their origins it was established, were unknown to Odo and everyone else. We sort of learn here that they are from the gamma quadrant. They instinctively like order just like Odo, and that they got around a bit, but were persecuted and driven away from worlds. That they seemed to have been lost to legend and appear to be paranoid and isolationist these days (Well Quark speculates this for the absence of any but Odo anyway!) It was interesting how much of this would seem to be true as the show progressed, and that by driving them away, the galaxy may have learned the hard way the maxim that there is no such a worse enemy than a possible friend that was snubbed.
Summary
Vortex is the first episode to deal with the ongoing quest to find Odo's missing people. It sets up interesting threads about what happened to them and what would eventually become of this quest. As well as showing that although he may deny it to some extent, Odo still feels very much an outsider on the station. The episode is a well paced and never loses focus, and actually goes "out there" to seek the action rather than just all being set on the station. It feels a bigger and fuller episode than some of the other season 1 episodes which seemed rather contained. Although the issue of Crodin seemingly escaping Scott free from what he did may be a little bit iffy, this is a very well put together and entertaining episode.
Rating 8 /10
Next Time.
We learn, shock! That war and violence is actually a bad thing! We also learn that no-one in the 24th century has any concept of the seat belt. I'm sure it's not that big a deal, I mean when are these people ever in a position where they may be jolted around in a space ship travelling at a zillion miles an hour?
Vortex is the first episode to deal with the ongoing quest to find Odo's missing people. It sets up interesting threads about what happened to them and what would eventually become of this quest. As well as showing that although he may deny it to some extent, Odo still feels very much an outsider on the station. The episode is a well paced and never loses focus, and actually goes "out there" to seek the action rather than just all being set on the station. It feels a bigger and fuller episode than some of the other season 1 episodes which seemed rather contained. Although the issue of Crodin seemingly escaping Scott free from what he did may be a little bit iffy, this is a very well put together and entertaining episode.
Rating 8 /10
Next Time.
We learn, shock! That war and violence is actually a bad thing! We also learn that no-one in the 24th century has any concept of the seat belt. I'm sure it's not that big a deal, I mean when are these people ever in a position where they may be jolted around in a space ship travelling at a zillion miles an hour?
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