The Dominion and Cardassians are involved in an all-out war with the Romulans, Klingons and the Federation. Life seems tenuous, that's for sure and at any minute the station could be attacked. So, in light of all this, "Afterimage" is a particularly frustrating and misplaced episode. Instead of deep and important topics, the main one explored here is that Ezri Dax feels unloved and unwanted by her fellow crew members as well as VERY uncertain about herself or whether she should remain on DS9. In addition, she talks about feeling space sick...which is a bit annoying. Although someone MUST have thought this would make her an endearing or interesting character, it just makes you wish that Terry Farrell had not left the show! Perhaps in a few episodes this won't be the case, but for now Nicole de Boer (Ezri) has a tough job winning over fans based on the character which was written for her. I know I sure felt frustrated by what I'd seen so far.
Apart from listening to Ezri whine and act like a little girl*, Ezri does manage to help Garak a bit using her counselor skills. Poor Garak was an abused child and she helps him gain control over his fears. Plus, his bluntness enables him to say what most fans of the show were feeling--that Ezri should 'man up', so to speak. Also, Worf continues his quest to be the most annoying and grouchy member of the crew...and he's doing a great job!
*One thing I LOVED about "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" over previous Trek shows is its female characters. In the original "Star Trek", women were mostly decorations for sexy outfits. In "Star Trek: The Next Generation", they were just annoying--with Tasha Yar being a one-dimensional angry lady who goes on and on about rape gangs, the Doctor being very inconsistently written and Counselor Troi being too, too 'touchy feely' (though she did improve a bit over time). On the other hand, Major/Colonel Kira definitely came into her own as the show progressed and Jadzia Dax was one of the best characters. Let's hope Ezri can grow into something more...but her sitting and crying in this episode is NOT a good sign for the future!
Apart from listening to Ezri whine and act like a little girl*, Ezri does manage to help Garak a bit using her counselor skills. Poor Garak was an abused child and she helps him gain control over his fears. Plus, his bluntness enables him to say what most fans of the show were feeling--that Ezri should 'man up', so to speak. Also, Worf continues his quest to be the most annoying and grouchy member of the crew...and he's doing a great job!
*One thing I LOVED about "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" over previous Trek shows is its female characters. In the original "Star Trek", women were mostly decorations for sexy outfits. In "Star Trek: The Next Generation", they were just annoying--with Tasha Yar being a one-dimensional angry lady who goes on and on about rape gangs, the Doctor being very inconsistently written and Counselor Troi being too, too 'touchy feely' (though she did improve a bit over time). On the other hand, Major/Colonel Kira definitely came into her own as the show progressed and Jadzia Dax was one of the best characters. Let's hope Ezri can grow into something more...but her sitting and crying in this episode is NOT a good sign for the future!