Emerging Life-Forms

"Playing God" Plot Summary:

The same week she's supposed to be evaluating a Trill initiate who wishes to be joined with a symbiont, Dax accidentally brings home a proto-universe from the Gamma Quadrant. The mini-universe, which expands exponentially and breaks out of its containment fields, threatens to destroy DS9's habitat rings; it would be simplest to eradicate it, but the crew has qualms about aborting an entire new universe.

Meanwhile, Argin, the initiate, attacks her character and seems unprepared and callous to Jadzia, until she remembers that Curzon initially felt the same way about her. Working with the young Trill, she gets the tiny universe off the station and out of harm's way, and recommends him for advancement to the commission which decides who should get symbionts. While all this is going on, Kira and O'Brien try to eradicate Cardassian voles that are wrecking the machinery...with mixed results.

Analysis:

Considering that this was an episode about Dax - both the A plot and B plot concerned her ethical decisions - she seemed awfully dull. I found her behavior with the young Trill ridiculously rigid no matter how badly her own experiences with joining went...and can't she access Curzon's memories from Dax, anyway?

Poor Kira got the unpleasant task of giving the losing pro-choice argument about the right not to have baby universes; the writing made her sound unduly nasty, and suggested insidiously that a woman who would have an abortion is selfish and insensitive. Odo's comment, "I don't step on bugs, Major," sounded like a post-"Necessary Evil" constable snapping at a known murderer; nice evolution of their relationship, but I'm confused by the politics. If Odo wouldn't step on bugs, why didn't he defend the voles?

That comic plot clashed with the serious issues. The Dax plots worked well together although she seemed awfully rude during her discussions with Sisko about Argin. Either Curzon was dominating Jadzia's personality, or the stress of decision-making had gotten to her. I didn't understand why the brat attacked her personally, and I still don't know why she didn't give him the boot.