In the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of Deep Space Nine, Kira is sent on a bizarre mission that morphs into something even more bizarre. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of warfare and genocide.
I love when this show takes me on a journey, and y’all, this was a journey. Remember when it was just about the awkward diplomatic mission that Kira had to go on??? WHEW, THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT WHERE THIS ENDS UP. I expected that maybe Dukat would end up being a distracting force for Kira while she negotiated with the Cardassians and the Bajorans concerning the war with the Klingon Empire. Here he is, a disgraced former military leader, forced to work as nothing more than the captain of a freighter vessel. So I thought that’s what the show was setting up: Kira would keep trying to do her job, and Dukat would keep butting in and making it hard for her to do so.
Yeah, that theory didn’t last at all because the show kills off LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE PERSON AT THE CONFERENCE OFF-SCREEN. Just like that! So, in an instant, as the Klingon Bird of Prey doesn’t even bother to destroy Dukat’s freighter, “Return to Grace†transforms into a much different story. Admittedly, it’s so surreal to watch Dukat do ANYTHING he does in this episode because, like Kira, I view him as a slightly charming mass murderer. So I started to worry as I watched Dukat hit on Kira and try to charm her. Or when the show gave us multiple scenes where he spoke highly and lovingly of his daughter. Or when he APOLOGIZED TO KIRA FOR SNAPPING AT HER. He’s got an ulterior motive, sure, but I’m really not a fan of the whole “I used to oppress your people, let’s date now†trope. AT ALL. It’s one of my least favorite relationship dynamics.
Thankfully, “Return to Grace†finds a balance between each of these things, building a portrait of Dukat that is more sad and pathetic than anything else. I don’t doubt that he loves his daughter, nor do I doubt his attraction to Kira. (I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE TO TYPE THAT.) But everything he does is layered, and there’s a slippery self-interest that guides his behavior. When Kira suggests modifying one of the disruptor guns on the planet, it’s not long before Dukat frames this possible success in terms of his return to grace. When they go after the Klingon ship that briefly attacked them, Dukat starts planning out his future after he’s been re-instated.
On the one hand, I get it. He’s in disgrace. Pulling off a maneuver like the one Kira organizes is going to make him look good. But note that Kira is the one who does the vast majority of planning and work throughout this episode. She never does it for glory or attention, and hell, she doesn’t even care about getting credit. She just wants to get the job done. So yeah, it’s clear which one of the two has experience being the underdog. That kind of thinking doesn’t come natural to Dukat because he’s never been anywhere but at the top!
But he’s just so creepy and ruthless about the whole thing. He’s the polar opposite of both Kira and his daughter, Ziyal. (Especially his daughter, but more on that at the end.) He doesn’t really understand boundaries; he views the world as his personal playground; murder and genocide is just part of an “uncomfortable†past. So as he pushes Kira joyously towards that confrontation with the Klingon ship, he can’t stop. It doesn’t matter that Kira found a way to cleverly swap ships with the Klingons, leaving them stranded on the very freighter they nearly destroyed. Dukat’s desires trump all, so he BLOWS UP THE KLINGON SHIP ANYWAY. I think that single scene is proof that no amount of charm or niceness or awareness has changed Dukat. He’s still the power-hungry asshole who doesn’t respect the life of others.
Thus, I was shocked by the ending of “Return to Grace†for a number of reasons. First of all, I didn’t anticipate the Cardassian government deciding to pursue a diplomatic option with the Klingons. Obviously, Dukat didn’t either, so what’s his response? To lead an attack on the Klingon Empire. By himself. Did he really think Kira would go for that??? Apparently so, but that’s a sign of how misguided he is. Again, Dukat has never lost; he’s never been on the bottom; he’s never had to fight for respect.
But you know who has fought for a great deal of her life? Kira. Kira, who joined a resistance movement to survive, to protect her people, to dream of a Bajor free from Cardassian occupation. Thus, her relationship with Ziyal makes a lot of sense. Of course, the show doesn’t ignore the fact that these two women view Dukat very differently. God, I’m so appreciative that the writers didn’t back away from how DEEPLY UNCOMFORTABLE that conversation needed to be. Throughout this episode, though, we never get the sense that Kira has to be nice to Dukat or that she needs to forgive him. Even though his daughter loves him and doesn’t understand how others can view him negatively, that doesn’t mean Kira should suddenly capitulate and treat Dukat differently.
Still, she decides to take Ziyal under her wing because she doesn’t want her to live life in war. NOW IF THAT DOESN’T FILL YOU WITH EMOTIONS, I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE DOES. My god, it’s such a satisfying twist! I mean, booooo to Dukat being SO CREEPY in this episode, but I would totally be down to have Ziyal in another episode of the show. GIVE IT TO ME.
The video for “Return to Grace†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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