DS9: “Honor Among Thieves” and “Change of Heart”

Date: August 17, 2020

Season 6, Episodes 15 and 16

Musical Accompaniment: Instrumental metal and hard rock because… why not?

Interstellar News: I can’t type this large enough or say it loud enough… be kind. Also, happy Black Cat Appreciation day to two of my favorites: Louie (pictured) and Kaylee (who doesn’t like me as much).

Favorite Quote from “Honor Among Thieves”:

Flith: Gentlemen, we just robbed the Bank of Bolias.

Bilby: I was thinking about opening an account there.

O’Brien: Maybe you should go with a different bank.

Bilby: One with better security.

A fun scene between thieves.

So what had happened in “Honor Among Thieves” was…: O’Brien is undercover trying to find out who the Orion Syndicate has on their payroll from Starfleet. O’Brien makes himself useful to Bilby who takes an instant liking to O’Brien. Bilby’s boss, Raimus, bring a Vorta by and the plot thickens as they want Bilby and crew to kill the Klingon ambassador but make it look like other Klingons did it. O’Brien realizes he’s been lied to by Starfleet Intelligence and tries to make it right, but either way Bilby is a dead man. Back on DS9 the crew is glad to have O’Brien back as the station was in shambles without him, but O’Brien confides in Bashir that he feels responsible.

“She works in a flower shop. Arranging flowers.”: This is a pretty typical mob story except they try to make you feel bad for the criminal. The problem with that is everyone always has a choice and, at some point, Bilby decided to turn to a life of crime to support his family, but he knew the risks. I caution to call this an “O’Brien must suffer” episode, but it kind of is. He was put undercover, lied to, and then felt compelled to help someone he came to care for and was unable to do that either. At least he got a cat out of the deal. There are a few things this episode helps set up or make clearer though. Raimus and the Syndicate were named in “A Simple Investigation“, the Vorta is the same one from “Our Little Ship“, and there’s totally a Star Wars reference in “it’s a trap”. We like O’Brien, he’s generally a good guy, so it’s hard for us to watch him have to betray Bilby… but it was terribly naive of O’Brien to believe Chadwick. Overall, though, this episode just doesn’t do it for me and earns itself three Klingon disrupters that just don’t work.

Favorite Quote from “Change of Heart”:

O’Brien: A single malt, preferably something from the Highlands.

Worf: I will need some time.

O’Brien: Oh, your credit’s good.

Worf agreeing to pay up on the bet he just lost.

So what had happened in “Change of Heart” was…: Dax is playing tongo while Worf and O’Brien look on and bet, as Quark’s won 206 straight games. Quark makes it 207 but Dax and Worf still wind up having a wonderful time in bed together that night. They are awoken early by Kira who needs them to meet with a Cardassian spy. They argue about their honeymoon and video chat with Lasaran who wants to defect. They arrive on planet and traverse the jungle but Dax is hurt by some Jem’Hadar. She makes it as long as she can but Worf has to leave her in order to rendezvous with Lasaran. Worf suddenly changes his mind, carries Dax back to the roundabout, and returns to DS9 where Bashir saves her. Worf is reprimanded by Captain Sisko but is also understood by used-to-be-husband Sisko. Worf and Dax will no longer be allowed to go on missions alone.

There’s also a side plot with O’Brien being obsessed with learning tongo and beating Quark, getting Bashir to help him, and Quark totally mind-fucking Bashir in order to make it win 208.

“I would rather lose a bet on you than win on someone else.”: I liked the side plot with Bashir, O’Brien, and Quark… especially because Quark is so, damn, good as distracting Bashir. I absolutely love married Worf. There’s a part on the shuttle where he asks Dax, “Why? Did you want to fight over it?” and he practically does an eyebrow waggle and I about lost my mind at playful and amorous Worf. They’re playful in bed, adorable in both the shuttlecraft and in the jungle at night, as well as professional after Dax gets hurt… at least up to a point. Dax does her best to soldier on and she uses humor to lighten up the situation while Worf feels super conflicted, but they both know what has to be done. Worf to the surprise of everyone, including Dax, tells Starfleet regulations to go fuck themselves and he saves his wife. He didn’t know it but when the chips are in and the cards are down, he puts her first. It’s wonderful and romantic and makes you want to cry, especially because we’ve seen Worf grow up over several seasons. He lost K’Ehleyr, has been a terrible father to Alexander, didn’t have enough time with Troi, and has finally found love in the middle of a war. He’s finally realizing he can be a Klingon and be true to himself but also be a husband and a father and all of the other things he wants to be without losing who he is. He’s found out he has different priorities than he thought and that’s totally happened to us all. My mother asked me every year on the first day of school what I wanted to be when I grew up from Kindergarten all the way to senior year of high school and “professor”, “teacher”, or “advisor” was absolutely never on the list. We never know what or who will be brought into our lives and change absolutely everything. One hopes they can hold onto it for as long as they can, and boy would a happy ending for Worf and Dax be fantastic amidst all this death and destruction. 7 bottles of young and sweet bloodwine for the happy couple.

TA Out!