“Playing God” is an amusing, if uneven episode. There’s a good deal of character work being done for Dax. And there’s the obligatory sci-fi mystery of the week plot, which provides some moral commentary. Toss in some lighthearted humor and you’ve got the ingredients for an enjoyable installment. And yet, the episode never really finds a rhythm or balance between its story elements. The result is an installment that is, simply, average.

The main story of the episode involves Jadzia Dax working with a Trill “initiate” by the name of Arjin. It’s an opportunity for the initiate to work closely with a joined Trill, and an opportunity for a joined Trill to see if the initiate is ready for joining. The central conflict between these two characters is generated from the history of Dax who, with other hosts, often proved to be very, very tough on initiates, including Jadzia. Jadzia vows to be different but must realize that going too easy on an initiate is just as harmful as being too critical.

As the episode unfolds, we learn a good deal about Dax – about how her personality now is an amalgam of Jadzia, Dax, and the many hosts that preceded her. In a way, it’s fun to watch Jadzia’ joie de vivre as she gambles with the Ferengi at Quarks, sings with the Klingons at a restaurant, and tackles some serious scientific and moral issues on the station. In this sense, Arjin proves to be an effective foil, forcing Dax to more fully confront her own identity. Arjin himself becomes a fairly entertaining character, despite some early missteps.

But unfortunately, the intimacy of the Jadzi-Arjin storyline is awkwardly juxtaposed with a much more serious subplot. Actually, as the episode begins, there’s a minor plot thread about Cardassian voles which have started to wreak havoc on the station. The simply, almost silly confrontation would have worked much better than the introduction of the “proto-universe” which Jadzia and Arjin inadvertently bring back with them from a brief jaunt to the Gamma Quadrant.

The episode broaches some very interesting ideas. The proto-universe is small enough to fit inside a room, but it also expands and evolves – and shows evidence of life within it. This raises a serious dilemma: what to do with the universe? Do you destroy it to safeguard the station and, presumably, everything in and around it (including Bajor)? After some soul searching, Sisko decides to return it to “where it belongs” in the Gamma Quadrant and simply wash his hands of the matter.

There are several problems with this subplot. It’s clearly a serious and sober conflict. And yet, it’s presented as a subplot to a much more intimate and lightweight character sketch. Which means that there simply isn’t enough time devoted to the proto-universe to really delve into all of the issues that would arise from such a discovery. Think about it. An entire universe that can fit into a room? And yet it gets merely lip service from the episode.

Just as problematic is Sisko’s solution to simply dump the thing elsewhere and hope it doesn’t keep expanding to the point of destroying his own galaxy and universe. Put simply, the episode just doesn’t go far enough to explain why this course of action is any more appropriate than any other.

“Playing God” has some enjoyable and interesting elements to it. Even minor scenes, such as the brief conversation between Sisko and Jake about Jake’s infatuation with a Dabo girl, are worthwhile. But the mixture just doesn’t coalesce into a stable universe of its own.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine