Star Trek 368: Our Man Bashir

368. Our Man Bashir

FORMULA: The Big Goodbye + James Bond 007

WHY WE LIKE IT: Stylish, witty and sexy.

WHY WE DON'T: That old chestnut, a holodeck - sorry - holoSUITE malfunction episode.

REVIEW: On the surface, Our Man Bashir is just fluff, but pretty entertaining fluff using the (still preposterous) holodeck malfunction idea with an original twist that gives each actor the chance to have some fun in genre roles. Bashir's James Bond fantasy is so close to the fun of the original Connery movies as to be actionable, right down to double entendre names like Mona Lovsitt and Honey Bare. Despite the real danger to the characters, the episode doesn't take itself too seriously, taking pokes at both James Bond and itself ("what could possibly go wrong?").

Bashir is paired up with Garak, who's the perfect commentator since he's an actual spy. Obviously, the fantasy and reality don't match. The eventual confrontation between them is a good serious moment, but there's enough sassiness between them to keep it a light romp otherwise. There are fun scenes for everyone: Kira/Anastasia lying back to get a file, Worf/Duchamps's baccarat game, O'Brien as Falcon, Dax/Honey being seduced by Bashir... even the people topside (Odo, Eddington, Quark and Rom) get a few good lines and crisis-acting in. Sisko as Dr. Noah, however, takes the cake. Avery Brooks has already proven he can play fun lunatics, and Noah is definitely that (nice name too, at once evoking Dr. No and the guy with the flood). The point where he somehow didn't expect to win is great fun (and reminded me of certain role-playing sessions). Bashir's solution to his Kobayashi Maru scenario is certainly an inventive one.

But here's what a rewatcher should be on the look-out for, in my opinion. At what point does Bashir become a mutant? It's fuzzy, but I think Our Man Bashir is full of clues that say "as early as here". Garak makes a point of asking Bashir what his secrets are, and the program is meant to be revealing of his inner psyche. Beyond the idea that he might like spy games (as already evidenced by his attraction to Garak), you'll note that he doesn't play with anyone else, not even O'Brien, and that he has locked himself into the holosuites for days. What is he hiding? Well, look at what he's able to do in the game. While I can totally accept that a computer would allow you to aim unerringly and give you great strength or seductive charms, or whatever your character should be able to do, it can't possibly give you the geological knowledge Bashir exhibits here. Or how about spotting Falcon in the champagne bottle? Of course I can justify all of this with holodeck reasoning if I put my mind to it, but it's very likely that the program allowed Bashir to cut loose with his enhanced competence. Who's with me?

LESSON: Bashir definitely has secrets.

REWATCHABILITY - Medium-High: DS9's first holosuite story (oh Worf, see what you brought with you?), but it's more fun and inventive than most.