Today I continued my screening of multipart episodes of Star Trek DS9 by viewing In and By Inferno’s Light (Season 5, 1997).
In these episodes Garak and Worf are captured and interned by the Dominion where they meet Dr Bashir. There is no escape outside the prison dome of the asteroid. Meanwhile Sisko assembles a fleet to await an attack from the Dominion. Garak faces his claustrophobia in his prison cell to reprogram computer circuitry that allows them to beam to their ship and escape. The changeling that replaced Bashir at DS9 fails in his attempt to blow up a star in order to destroy Sisko’s fleet.
Garak’s internment reminded me of my own experience of being homeless this year and stuck living in a psychiatric hospital. Garak was surrounded by J’em hdar soldiers and I too had hospital staff treat me with contempt and sub-human. Access to everything was behind a locked door or cupboard. Like Garak I had to confront my own helplessness and accept this environment as home.
Worf meanwhile continued to fight the prison guards even when in his Klingon culture it is custom to commit suicide as there is deemed to be no honour left once imprisoned. Worf showed me their is a badge of honour when all is lost even when others see dishonour. I would like to share this side of my journey one day in the future.
Overall, this episode showed the ferociousness of the Dominion and that they will use any means to conquer the Alpha Quadrant. Genocide, torture and subterfuge are untold levels of immortality they will use to win. The Federation as the largest democracy in the galaxy is about to fight their greatest war.