“Nor the Battle to the Strong” (5x04). Four episodes in and this one has really put me though the ringer. Why is it always the fourth episodes that take me out? Why??
I am so grateful these kinds of DS9 episodes exist, the ones that strip away any kind of sanitized spin on war, violence, and human suffering in general to show the real toll these things take. And this episode is unafraid to dwell for long stretches of time in that makeshift hospital, to dwell on Jake’s reactions to the horrors he’s experiencing for the first time.
This episode repeatedly brings up the fact that Jake is now 18 and old enough to be going off on his own, and yes, fighting in wars, but this episode is of the belief that Jake’s still a child in many respects, and that age doesn’t really have a bearing on whether you’re “old enough” to stare war, violence, and death in the face with bravery and strength. Jake compares himself a lot to the more desensitized hospital workers and Bashir, and to the soldier he meets in the trench, but what he doesn’t realize until the end of the episode is that they are all just as frightened as he is, they’ve just had more time and experience to gather their courage and keep going.
I think Jake consciously or not, clings to the idea that he’ll behave just like his dad would in this warzone, unfazed by things and with a wealth of courage to fight and do the things that need to be done, but when he’s actually in the situation, he sees himself as a massive disappointment when he fails to keep going and save Bashir in their quest for the generator. No one would ever blame him for being scared and essentially running away, not even Bashir, but the guilt practically eats Jake alive until he feels he’s redeemed himself. What becomes important when Jake saves the day and causes that cave-in to keep the Klingons out, is that he acts out of desperation and fear after the two soldiers are taken out, but he does act, and that’s what it really means to be brave.
Every detail of this episode is just so good: the grimly cheerful medical staff joking in the breakroom, the doctor worried about her husband, the young orderly who takes Jake under his wing, the soldier in the trenches, the cowardly soldier who shot his own foot, even Jake getting sick after working in the hospital and him laying on that cave floor, consumed by guilt.
Also, now I know where that gif of Bashir stroking Jake’s forehead in all that rubble came from. Excuse me while I melt into the floor.
I think this is going to be a controversial opinion, but I’m going to lay it all out there and say I think this is a hot Look™ for Bashir. Yes, I am actually a little afraid of the fact that I find just about everything related to him attractive, but there you have it. Please, I deserve to be roasted for this:
This still is literally….from the (only in my head) Trek spinoff medical drama that follows a group of doctors struggling against the odds on a remote outpost, far from the Federation’s help and always fending off hordes of invaders trying to annex their colony for their own. But not only do the medical staff persevere, they treat their patients with compassion and solve a medical mystery or three:
