“Statistical Probabilities” is an uneven episode. It starts off haltingly and with a great deal of nonsensical moments. There are a fair few truly solid scenes which convey deeply meaningful commentary. But there’s an over-the-top finale which undermines the seriousness of the episode. It’s as if the episode wanted to walk a fine line between comedy and serious commentary and never really found the right balance. The result is an episode which has value — both in terms of entertainment and thoughtful discourse — but is otherwise an average overall production.

On DS9 are four “patients” — genetically engineered people who have had … difficulty … integrating with society. They are there in the hopes that Dr. Bashir (himself a genetically engineered human) can find a way to get through to them. The initial paces of the episode are spent establishing the four very distinct, but thoroughly shallow, personality traits of these four people. Jack is hyperkinetic, conceited, and sometimes violent. Lauren is an oversexed woman. Patrick is a portly elderly man, who is also a buffoon. Sarina is a mute who just wants Jack’s attention.

Granted, each of their personalities is vividly displayed on screen. But there isn’t much depth here. And what’s worse is that their introductions are played purely for humor. It’s a mistake because, as the episode unfolds, we’re meant to take these characters seriously. But their exaggerated and simplistic presentations make them to be much more caricatures than actual characters.

The other genetically engineered person, Dr. Bashir, fares just a little better, though he doesn’t make it through the episode unscathed. At first, he seems almost entirely in a daze — everything from facial expressions to voice seems to be made as though he just inhaled a bottle of ether or something. By the time he stirs to life, it’s to be as condescending and overblown as his compatriots.

The benefit to the setup, of course, is the debate about whether or not these “mutants” (as they refer to themselves) ought to be a part of society, or simply shunted off to the side. This is really where the episode finds its footing and manages to create some truly thoughtful discussion. In true Deep Space Nine fashion, both sides of the issue are fully and plausibly stated and explored. There are obvious concerns by those, like O’Brien, who wouldn’t be able to compete with those who have been genetically enhanced. While Bashir rightly points out that these people never chose their course in life, and thus deserve to live it as would anyone else.

This back-and-forth dilemma takes up much of the middle sections of the story and it’s no question why this part of the episode is the most compelling. These events are set against the backdrop of a Dominion ploy for peace. But it’s the “mutants” who quickly see the truth in the Dominion’s machinations. In one fell stroke, they prove their value and strengthen Bashir’s point of view that they deserve a chance for a life of their own.

But the story begins to spiral out of control when Bashir and his charges begin predicting long sweeps of future history (as a fan of the “psychohistory” found in the Foundation novels, I certainly enjoyed this element of the episode). The Mutants boldly predict that the Federation will lose the war with the Dominion and that vast numbers of people will die during the conflict. Their recommendation: immediate surrender.

In and of itself, this development provides some interesting thought. *If* the Mutants are correct, what does one do with their information? Do we act on the faint hope that they are wrong? Does their prediction rule out choice? The episode itself has an answer when the mute, Sarina, disrupts Jack’s plan to disclose valuable information to the Dominion. Her singular act of heroism saves day, and proves that Jack’s predictions cannot possibly be foolproof — after all, he could not even predict Sarina’s reactions.

But the whole plot of Jack having Bashir tied up and racing off to meet with the Dominion is just silly and nonsensical in its portrayal on screen. It’s part of the episode not knowing whether it wanted to be a comedy or a serious drama or an action-adventure.

“Statistical Probabilities” really does have some depth to its story and it does a good job of portraying a complex issue. But its characterizations and plot severely undermine its purposes.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine