“Treachery, Faith and the Great River” is one of those solid episodes of Deep Space Nine which focuses on character, against the backdrop of larger story issues. Even the subplot is successfully entertaining. If there’s a drawback, though, it’s in that the quiet scenes are just a bit too quiet and the silly scenes are just a bit too silly. It’s a classic, but it’s not exceptional.

Odo receives a message from a Cardassian operative, but when he arrives, he discovers that it’s actually Weyoun … who wants to defect. It would seem to be a thoroughly perplexing and implausible direction to head in, if not for the very plausible explanation provided in the episode, thanks to a bit of continuity back to the notion that the Vorta are cloned — and that this version of Weyoun is somehow “defective” and openly disagrees with the Founders.

Of course, Weyoun’s defection cannot be allowed to continue, so Damar, and a newer (more effective) version of Weyoun send their forces after Odo’s shuttle. This brings the short amount of time between Odo and the Weyoun defector into very sharp focus. Weyoun sees Odo as a God, even though Odo protests such a characterization. This gives the episode some nice commentary on the nature of faith.

As far as Odo is concerned, Weyoun’s presence forces him to admit that he still is greatly concerned about his people, despite being estranged from them. And when Weyoun delivers the news that the Founders have contracted a potentially lethal (and seemingly incurable) virus, Odo is clearly torn in his heart. It’s not that he suddenly will switch sides, but his empathy for his people means that, as he says in the end, that “no matter which side wins, I lose.”

Of course, it seems very unlikely that the defecting Weyoun, with his vast wealth of knowledge about the Dominion battle plans, will be allowed to survive. So it’s hardly any surprise that he ends up sacrificing himself to save Odo. And that saps the episode of much of it’s emotional pull. But it’s the sacrifice itself that is important. It’s a final act of blind faith on Weyoun’s part and nicely reinforces the episode’s central message.

The subplot focuses on O’Brien’s desperate attempt to procure needed parts to fix the Defiant. But even here, the idea of faith plays a prominent role. O’Brien is forced to put his faith in Nog’s wheeling and dealing in order to get the parts they need. Along the way, Nog “borrows” such items as General Martok’s blood wine and Sisko’s desk. There are some moments when matters get a bit too campy (and don’t jibe all that well with the serious, quiet scenes between Weyoun and Odo).

Still, Nog’s escapades are harmless and entertaining enough. They prove to be a decent enough diversion to the rest of the episode. And his comments about believing in the Great Material Continuum, nicely dovetail into Weyoun’s faith, and even that of Kira, whose coda with Odo is a strong reinforcement of the episode’s theme.

“Treachery, Faith and the Great River” does quite a few things right. But the overall uneven pace and odd juxtaposition of story moods is a detriment. It never quite finds its footing and the result is an installment which is good, but could have been much better.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine