Sfdebris.net

https://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/d442.php

Surprised there wasn't a thread for this old episode, but it probably got lost sometime during board restructurings.

The big thing about this episode is that I think this is the episode where Bashir finally turns the corner. Armageddon Game was the episode where Bashir saves O'Brien's life and Miles start to get past his disdain for Julian, but Bashir was still pretty damned annoying (IMO) in that episode. For me, this is the first episode where Julian has a lot to do and isn't annoying or overbearing.

One thing I really wanted to point out were some delightfully subtle allusions to the fact that Bajor has a 26 hour day, instead of 24. At one point, Julian asks the computer to go through every analysis of Garak's blood chemistry performed within the last 39 hours...which is a day and a half on the station, or the equivalent of saying 36 hours on earth. And later, he tells his assistant to keep Garak resting comfortably, and that he'll be back within 52 hours.

There's some good subtle references like that about the time difference on DS9.

I always found it irritating that Chuck acts as if "the writers needed to fix their annoying character." No, it was a deliberate journey of growth. The wiki makes it quite clear, via words from interviews, that they wanted him to be green as hell, and grow out of it. The difference between Bashir and Neelix is writers had a vision of Bashir in their heads. With Neelix, what they saw was always either sabotaged because Voyager fears continuity, or because it didn't match up with reality. Seeing Neelix as a dashing rogue or whatever. Then again, Voyager was hell to work because of all the differing creative control battles. What a mess...

There's also a performance element to it.

When Bashir has grown as a character, Siddig's voice is a touch lower, and he speaks a bit softer, compared to his earlier overenthusiasm. In his early days, Bashir was loud and obnoxious, which added to the idea that he has an overbearing personality. I'm not sure how much was intentional, and how much of that was simply Siddig growing into the character.

The wiki makes it clear, man. They wanted him to be green. And I'd argue it makes it more effective, because he's a young officer, forced to hide his enormous gifts and yet wanting to burst it all out, let everyone know, but can't. They were very competent writers, and clearly playing the long game. So it's weird that seemed to burn out near late Season 6. I guess franchise fatigue.

The "forced to hide enormous gifts" part is clearly a retcon, because that was a very late addition to the character in "Doctor Bashir, I Presume", before that the character was very proud and open about his talent in medicine. He was a green, too green for someone who has had to go through medical school and Starfleet Academy, officer who needed knocked down a peg or two.

I don't care what the intended journey was or wasn't. He was too 'green' in the beginning. He wasn't just green, he was a creep! He was too annoying.

Ds9 was good with having their characters grow with a few exceptions.

They kinda got too set into their character archetypes at the end. Such a shame.

CrypticMirror wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 8:53 pm The "forced to hide enormous gifts" part is clearly a retcon, because that was a very late addition to the character in "Doctor Bashir, I Presume", before that the character was very proud and open about his talent in medicine. He was a green, too green for someone who has had to go through medical school and Starfleet Academy, officer who needed knocked down a peg or two.

Its a retcon that fits beautifully though. You've got to hand it to them.

Sir Will wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2019 12:14 am I don't care what the intended journey was or wasn't. He was too 'green' in the beginning. He wasn't just green, he was a creep! He was too annoying.

Yeah. You know what I think to myself? If all of his actions originally were an act to hide his superhuman abilities, did he consciously try to be a creep towards women?

His constant pursuit of Jadzia after she had clearly said no makes him a right dick if that was deliberate.