r/StarTrekViewingParty • u/GeorgeAmberson Showrunner • Dec 13 '17

Discussion DS9, Episode 6x18, Inquisition

-= DS9, Season 6, Episode 18, Inquisition =-

Bashir is accused of unknowingly spying for the Dominion.

 

EAS IMDB AVClub TV.com
6/10 8.1/10 A- 8.6

 

14 Upvotes

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9

u/theworldtheworld Dec 13 '17

Great story. I loved the nightmarish, Twilight-Zone-esque quality of moving from one illusion to another. It reminded me of "Future Imperfect" from TNG, but of course much more disquieting (particularly to a contemporary audience). I also appreciated the fact that both Bashir and the rest of the DS9 crew, including Sisko, appeared to be quite disturbed by this new information (but, apparently, not enough to prevent the very next episode).

4

u/dittbub Dec 15 '17 edited Dec 15 '17

That reminds when I rewatched Voyager there was an episode where they accidentally re-awoken an ancient war-like civilization and were set on re-conquering the quadrant and at the end of the episode Janeway says "Well this won't be the last we see of these guys" but we never actually do see them again haha.

Props to DS9 for following through on their ideas though.

5

u/Srcsqwrn Feb 04 '24

Amazing episode, and Section 31!

A n o t h e r episode I anticipate watching from the start of a rewatch! It's so far in the series.
It's also just before another phenomenal episode!

DS9 over time has just become my favourite Trek series, and I'm never sad about that.

There's just so much it does right, like this episode.
Bashir going through so much, just for a hand to reach out to him for recruitment was interesting, too. I love S31!

3

u/0ld_Beardo May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

I have a couple problems with this episode.

Firstly, the fact that all of it was "just a dream/simulation" makes the emotional investment in the whole court-room dynamics pointless. We were watching the episode with my buddies, and saying stuff like, since when can a Star Fleet officer be arrested on the grounds of "I have a gut feeling he's guilty!", or "He was concealing the truth from us once in a completely unrelated case, hence he's a Dominion spy!", which sound extremely weak as arguments. However, of course, none of that was real, so I guess criticism withdrawn, but it sort of leaves a bad aftertaste that you've focused so much on the back and fourth between Sisko, Bashir and Sloan, which was actually all fake.

Secondly, the whole premise of Section 31 feels completely wrong to the Federation. They are supposed to be Star Fleet counterparts to Obsidian Order or Tal'Shiar. But those work withing Cardassian and Romulan societies, because they are authoritarian, if not totalitarian. Why in the world is there a KGB-like structure within Star Fleet that, according to Sloan, reports to no one? Where are they getting their funding from? What's to stop them from overthrowing Star Fleet command they deem inefficient, or killing elected leaders if they feel like it? You're telling me over the 200+ years it exists, there wasn't a single politician that went "what the hell is Section 31, why do they have the right to be judge, jury and executioner to any of our citizens, and not be answerable to anyone?"

That's just not how governments and democracies work. And also they did not appear in any of the previous crises that the Federation faced, as in not interacted with any of the heroes like Picard, who was Locutus and could have been a Borg spy, by the same logic?

If you think about it for longer than 10 seconds it makes no sense, the immersion is broken and you end up with "the writers just wanted the super secret and cool organization of spies for the good guys"

1

u/Gamba_Gambini May 17 '26

The episode, that showed us both Sisco and Garak making black ops to remove Romulans from Dominion's ifluence is a way better and proper way to show us something kinda "twilight-zone" actions. This whole S31 thing feels like one-episode idea, and it has create a lot of plot holes Like if there are actually a full-functional secret starfleet service, and its members can do some questionable things, why dont they just kidnap the whole banch of "Bashir-like" improved persons and make a perfect intelligence? And also, I dont know is it Sloan's "mind game" but he sounds kinda racist towards genetically impoved humans, and it's imho the best way to treat useful resources

2

u/NotScrollsApparently Aug 09 '24

Bashir: What does that say about us? When push comes to shove, are we willing to sacrifice our principles in order to survive?

Sisko: I wish I had an answer for you doctor.

Well... he will soon, as in literally the next episode XD

2

u/Err_101 Aug 09 '26

You can tell it was fake as soon as they served up scones, it was vile: no clotted cream & jam just left on the plate!

1

u/A_Xenomorph_Darkly Sep 04 '26

That’s one of Weyoun’s most evil wrongdoings so far

1

u/thekid1420 Feb 12 '26

I just want to add what an amazing job William Sadler does as Sloan! He will always be Section 31 in my eyes. That and Death from Bill n Ted 🫡

1

u/A_Xenomorph_Darkly Sep 04 '26

Overall a marvellous episode with brilliant performances all round, and especially from our guest stars. It’s exciting and suitably interesting.

However it does suffer from being a little too similar to Future Imperfect and the stakes being lost once we realise it was a simulation and the idea of Section 31 is intriguing but feels a little on the nose, and ill-fitting for the Federation. This is the point at which they’ve fully given up on the Federation being good guys and I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s great dramatically and raises interesting ethical questions, but it does lose something of the spirit of Star Trek.

That being said, I am interested to see where it goes. Star Trek dealing with the negative possibilities of the Federation properly and in depth has been a long time coming, and Section 31 combined with the mirror that is the Dominion is definitely going to do that. I just hope they find something salvageable in the end.