“Extreme Measures” is a likable, meaningful episode. Presented almost anywhere else in the series, it almost certainly would have had a much more profound impact than it does, so close to the finale. But the problem isn’t really with intent, it’s with execution. This is an episode designed to focus on friendship and camaraderie, as well as mystery and morality. But it’s unable to weave these elements together into a coherent tapestry.

Odo’s sickness has progressed to the point where he now only has a few weeks to live. Bashir and O’Brien have hatched their plot to try and lure Section 31 to the station, in the remote hope that by doing so, they will elicit a cure from whomever Section 31 sends. The first half of the episode deals strongly with issues of morality — from Section 31’s decision to infect Odo and the Founders in an deliberate attempt at genocide to Bashir’s use of illegal Romulan mind probes as a means of extracting information.

In fact, the episode seems to be firmly on its way to exploring these “extreme measures” when Sloan arrives and, in short order, is taken prisoner by Bashir and placed on hospital bed. Sloan says, “I misread you. I thought you were just a misguided idealist. But you’re a dangerous man. People like you would destroy the Federation if given a chance,” which points to a fascinating duel of ideologies and moralities. Heck, even Sloan’s decision to commit suicide fits — right down to the “extreme measure” of such a course of action.

Unfortunately for the episode, from here it shifts gears into a long technobabble sequence to get us from Sloan’s suicide attempt to Bashir’s last-ditch effort to retrieve the information by going into Sloan’s dying mind. It’s a distraction and it takes critical time away from the episode’s story. The subsequent pairing of O’Brien and Bashir in Sloan’s mind is a good way pay homage to the friendship shared between them, but it’s also awkwardly placed within the episode itself.

Or to put it another way, changing course away from a morality play and into a “buddy” story is difficult at best to manage. Using the technobabble approach dooms the episode to an uneven and uncoordinated result.

It’s unfortunate because there are some moments between Bashir and O’Brien which are genuinely enjoyable. After Sloan’s mind wounds both of them, they share a long, heartfelt conversation about their friendship — about their love for the women in their lives (Keiko and Ezri) but their genuine happiness at spending time with one another. It’s a wonderfully personal moment tucked into an otherwise epic story arc. It’s unfortunate, then, that it isn’t presented with a bit more craft.

Ultimately, it’s the friendship that saves both O’Brien and Bashir … and results in a cure for Odo. After the requisite twists and turns of the plot, Sloan has one final trap for Bashir: hoping to play on Bashir’s intense desire to eradicate Section 31, Sloan distracts Bashir from his true purpose (saving Odo) by offering a wealth of information on Section 31. But O’Brien manages to cut through the ploy and get Bashir out in time to save their lives … and Odo’s.

The final scene between O’Brien and Bashir is nicely handled as they reflect on their friendship over a drink.

“Extreme Measures” does a number of things right, from the moral implications of the actions by both Section 31 and Bashir, to the friendship between Bashir and O’Brien. But the two halves are awkwardly juxtaposed, and clumsily connected.

Filed under: Deep Space Nine