Not the most interesting episode, but I guess that is partly because I already knew a lot about the Jem'Hadar including their addiction to ketracel white. This is really a followup episode to the season finale/opener that got us to where we are right now in the overall story. It is clear that Odo's role is going to change since discovering he is of the race that runs to Dominion. But also knowing that he isn't some abnormality has him a bit more comfortable with who he is. Instead of resting in his bucket he now has his own quarters where he can practice shape changing with some privacy. Also it is clear that Kira is still interested in him, and he in her, but he is clearly unsure how to handle it.
We begin with Mardah working at the dabo table and convincing a man to bet one more time after a streak of wins and of course he loses. She heads over to Jake's table and mentions that Ben invited her for dinner that night which floors Jake. In the back of the bar Quark is negotiating the purchase of a wrecked ship from the gamma quadrant. He agrees to the price and is soon inspecting his goods. He seems pleased with his purchase until he hears a child crying. Quark returns to the infirmary with the child and Julian has never seen anything like him. The boy is growing at an unheard of rate. That night Sisko is relaxing in his quarters when Jake comes in mortified that he invited Mardah over without warning him. Ben is having a good time though and Jake is both excited and a bit scared.
Not long after Sisko returns to the infirmary to visit the baby, but he isn't a baby any more. He now appears to be at least 8 or 9 years old and can talk without any training or practice. Sisko stops by to talk to O'Brien who has been studying the contents of Quark's acquisition. It appears the child was being held in a stasis chamber to prevent him maturing before it was time, but the chamber was damaged when the ship crashed. Before he leaves O'Brien mentions the dinner with Mardah and Jake. Ben is surprised he knew about it and admits he may have to intervene between the two of them since she is 20 and Jake is 16. Finally we get to the C story where Kira stops by Odo's new quarters with some flowers. He explains he no longer rests in his bucket and even puts the flowers in it after realizing he doesn't have any other appropriate containers.
Bashir and Dax are having lunch together discussing the boy. It seems he has been engineered to lack a key enzyme without which he can't function. Bashir gets called away to the infirmary and when he gets close he sees the boy charging out and gets knocked over. They call Odo who rushes to stop him and the boy runs right through Odo before realizing what he has done. It is then that everyone recognizes what he is, Jem'Hadar. The senior staff have a meeting about the situation. It seems Starfleet has ordered the boy taken to a starbase for study which obviously alarms Odo. Sisko pulls him aside for a private meeting and Odo expresses his desire to try and integrate the boy as an intelligent lifeform before he gets treated like a lab sample as Odo himself was treated. The boy is clearly super stressed out, especially since he has already gone into withdrawal from the missing enzyme. However Odo manages to calm him down enough to let Bashir run some tests.
That night is the big dinner visit. At first Sisko doesn't seem all that impressed with Mardah, but she clearly grows on him with time. More importantly he learns Jake has been writing poetry and playing dom-jot. O'Brien has found what seems to be a container of the enzyme in the cargo and Bashir manages to get it into an injector for the boy. As soon as he has his injections he calms down, well as much as a Jem'Hadar can be calm. Odo takes him to the holosuite and he practices fighting which he enjoys greatly, but Kira stops by and warns Odo he may not be able to control him much longer. Afterward Odo talks to the boy and learns he has literally no desires but to kill which disturbs Odo. Sisko calls Odo to his office and gives him the news that a ship is on its way now for the boy, which leads to the boy appearing beside Odo with a gun. Odo realizes he has to get him to his people and makes for a runabout. Sisko tries to talk him out of it, but also realizes he is right. Starfleet will be pissed, but there is nothing much they can do. When Odo returns he walks up to Kira at the replimat and tells her she was right.
Review: A lot happened for an episode that seemed a bit too much like a middle of the story episode. It does contain at least one complete story though and works pretty well overall. It is really nice to see them treating a young man better than Wesley, Jake is turning into an actually interesting character.
6 out of 10
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