Fascination (S3E10)
Airdate: 28 November 1994
Written by: Philip Lazebnik Directed by: Avery Brooks
Running Time: 46 minutes
By the midpoint of its third season, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had carved out a reputation as the franchise's most sombre and morally complex offering. While its siblings The Next Generation and the then-imminent Voyager cruised through space encountering strange new worlds with a certain philosophical detachment, DS9 had planted its feet firmly in the mud of galactic politics, religious fundamentalism, and interstellar warfare. It was, by any measure, the darkest Star Trek had ever ventured. And yet, occasionally, the producers would yank the handbrake on all that gravitas and serve up something altogether frothier. Fascination, the tenth episode of Season Three, is precisely such a confection—a light-hearted, occasionally daft sex comedy that feels beamed in from an entirely different series.
The episode unfolds on the eve of the Bajoran Gratitude Festival, a ceremony that Major Kira is due to preside over. Her mind, however, is not entirely on her duties; her lover, Vedek Bareil, has arrived on the station, and she is understandably distracted by his presence. Meanwhile, Chief Miles O'Brien is eagerly anticipating the return of his wife Keiko and their daughter Molly, following Keiko's brief sojourn from her research posting on Bajor. Sharing their transport is Lwaxana Troi, the Betazoid ambassador whose previous visit to DS9 left her rather smitten with a certain shapeshifting constable.
No sooner has Lwaxana disembarked than she begins her pursuit of Odo with characteristic determination, declaring that her romantic feelings have only intensified since her last stay. As the Festival gets underway, however, something peculiar begins to occur. Lwaxana suffers sudden, brief headaches, and each time she does, those in her vicinity find themselves gripped by an inexplicable—and largely unwelcome—surge of amorous desire. Jake Sisko, still nursing a bruised heart after his girlfriend Mardah departed for university some three hundred light years away, suddenly finds himself besotted with Major Kira. Vedek Bareil, meanwhile, develops an inexplicable passion for Jadzia Dax, who in turn sets her sights on Captain Sisko. The only pair whose affections align are Kira and Doctor Bashir, who discover their long-buried attraction is, for once, entirely mutual.
Amidst this chaos, the O'Briens' reunion takes a rather sour turn. Over a meal at Quark's, Keiko informs Miles that her work will require her to remain on Bajor for an additional seven months. Miles is devastated, and in a moment of frustration, he tells her he regrets ever finding her the position. Keiko storms off to their quarters, leaving Miles to stew in his own foolishness. He eventually follows, apologises profusely, and makes the rather drastic promise that he will resign from Starfleet and follow her anywhere if necessary. By the time Sisko hosts his evening party, the couple have reconciled—though the festivities offer little respite from the pandemonium.
At the gathering, Dax becomes so irritated by Bareil's persistent advances that she punches him. When Quark arrives with the catering, he too crosses Lwaxana's path during one of her telepathic episodes and suddenly finds himself chasing Keiko about the room with uncharacteristic ardour. Eventually, the crew deduce that Lwaxana's Betazoid abilities are the culprit behind this mass outbreak of misplaced passion.
Bashir hauls her to the infirmary and diagnoses Zanthi fever, a condition that causes Betazoids to project their own romantic impulses onto everyone around them. With treatment underway, he assures the station that normalcy will soon be restored. The episode concludes with the O'Briens finally enjoying some genuine, un-manipulated time together—their love, as it happens, having required no telepathic prompting whatsoever.
Fascination was a deliberate attempt to inject some simple, sex-farce energy into DS9's increasingly weighty narrative. The production team openly acknowledged that they were cribbing from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, going so far as to screen the 1935 Hollywood adaptation for the cast as inspiration. The results, however, proved rather mixed, and the episode has never ranked among the series' most beloved instalments. Lwaxana's return, whilst literally driving the entire plot, feels perfunctory—a box-ticking exercise rather than a meaningful development of her character. Though certain cast members clearly relished the opportunity to play uncharacteristically amorous versions of themselves, many performances stray into the realm of the overwrought. Armin Shimerman, who taught Shakespeare in his civilian life, was reportedly quite scathing in his assessment of the finished product.
That said, the episode is not without its merits. Avery Brooks received considerable praise for his direction, particularly his collaboration with cinematographer Jonathan West in crafting a genuinely surreal, dreamlike atmosphere that befits the material. And there is an additional layer of entertainment to be found in the scenes between Kira and Bashir—viewed with the knowledge that life would soon imitate art, as Nana Visitor and Alexander Siddig embarked upon a real-life romance that would eventually lead to marriage and a son.
Ultimately, Fascination is a solid enough piece of television—amusing, undemanding, and competently executed. But coming as it does after a remarkable run of nine consecutive strong episodes, it represents a noticeable step down in quality. Sometimes even the darkest of Star Trek shows needs to let its hair down; one simply wishes this particular dalliance had landed with slightly more grace.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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