Of all the harebrained schemes and plot contrivances in Star Trek lore, this has to be one of the silliest, most ridiculous ones I can imagine. “Doctor Bashir, I Presume” is a perfect example of what can go wrong when a series takes itself too seriously and tries too hard to be edgy, or innovative or provocative. Deep Space Nine has been a fantastic series thus far, building on strong character developments and interactions to fuel some really enjoyable and thoughtful stories. But this episode can only be categorized as a mistake. In fact, even one does manage to suspend disbelief long enough to accept the premise (a tenuous proposition at best), the rest of the episode still manages to be utterly pedestrian at best and downright ludicrous at worst. It says something that the *only* noteworthy element of the episode comes from a guest star who happens to provide a bit of continuity to Star Trek: Voyager.

I’m sorry, but making Dr. Bashir into a genetically engineered human is simply a stupid, stupid idea — one that robs him of much of his character development. It would seem that Bashir isn’t just a talented guy, trying to fit in despite his initial lack of social graces. No, he’s that good because he was built that way. The worst part about this is that it was never part of his character before. It’s not like Bashir really was struggling with this secret before. It’s introduced purely as a “surprise” for the audience. It’s little more than a cheap parlor trick that does nothing to deepen or explore Bashir’s character.

That’s not to say that Bashir doesn’t have plausible feelings and emotions about his past in this episode. The issue is that it all occurs in this episode — as if this was somehow irrelevant before hand. And given how extreme this revelation is, it’s unlikely to be further explored down the road (if it is, I’ll go back and, perhaps, readjust my rating for this episode). As an example, consider O’Brien after “Hard Time.” He’s pretty much back to the “same old O’Brien” since those traumatic events. Unless Bashir is given more attention, then this episode because an isolated nonsensical narrative.

It’s not like the revelation really leads to any genuine drama or commentary. Oh, sure, O’Brien gets to stick by his friend no matter what. But it comes across as hollow and empty. It may be the performances (unlikely, given how good O’Brien usually is) or the writing. But I suspect it’s more because the premise is so silly that O’Brien’s support seems to completely miss the mark.

Worse is the confrontation between Bashir and his parents. The episode tries (really, really hard) to make Bashir’s parents sympathetic by having them explain that they had Bashir genetically altered not because they were ashamed of him but that, at the age of six, he was “falling behind” and they just wanted the best for their son. But that’s a ridiculous argument. They want the best for their son, they claim to truly love their son … so they irrevocably change him into something else? It’s all so much melodrama.

Plus, the procedure was illegal. The episode makes it clear that the father was more or less a drifter, how did they have the resources available for such a procedure? And they can’t possibly have figured it out on their own — they mindlessly blurt out the secret in one of the most painfully obvious plot-contrivance scenes in the entire series.

Speaking of that contrivance … all of this is the result of a great honor that was about to be bestowed on Bashir. Introduced in the Voyager series is the concept of a holographic doctor. The inventor of the holo-doctor, Dr. Zimmerman played by the same actor who portrays the holo-doctor (EMH) on Voyager, is on DS9 to turn Bashir into a more advanced version. To that end, he interviews friends and family of Bashir and builds a holographic duplicate; it’s to this duplicate that Bashir’s parents spill the beans.

Dr. Zimmerman turns out to be the one bright spot in the whole affair. His personality quirks are entertaining enough to give the episode some measure of value. But even his character is not immune to the horrid effects of the episode. Shortly after arriving at the station, he becomes embroiled in a putrid love triangle between himself, Leeta and Rom. I like that they give Leeta and Rom some attention, but both characters come off much, much worse for their efforts in this installment.

“Doctor Bashir, I Presume” is one amusing guest star from complete garbage. It’s got a stupid premise. The premise is horribly and ridiculously portrayed. And even the finale, of Bashir’s father accepting two years of prison so as to allow Bashir to continue in Starfleet seems hollow, empty, and worthless.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine