Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

Sloan recruits Bashir for a medical opinion about a person of interest, but is there an ulterior motive?

This is another quintessentially Deep Space Nine episode as we see the Roddenberry idealism challenged in a similar way to the episode 'In the Pale Moonlight'. There are no plot details I can reveal without spoiling, but it is safe to say that if you love Star Trek for the positive take on future societies it is one of those DS9 instances where the writers apply real world cynicism to the mix. I think what you make of this will impact how feel about the episode generally and (much like Pale Moonlight) the overarching narrative of the series.

I think the story is complex, with a liberal amount of suspension of disbelief required to make certain details plausible. However, it is very well thought out by the the writers nonetheless, who take some inspiration from stories like 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold'. There is a lot of telling rather than showing, but the actors elevate the dialogue significantly with their performances.

Alexander Siddig, Adrienne Barbeau, John Fleck, Hal Landon Jr. And in particular William Sadler are all on great form.

I guess espionage never left the block here. Julian, who is going to a medical conference, is told by the Section 31 guy that he must do some spying on the Romulans. There is this whole scenario laid out where war will be perpetual. It is based on the assumption that the only ones left standing at the conclusion of this war will be the Federation and the Romulans; and we all know what will happen next. The problem with the episode is the convoluted mess of who is in charge and who are the bad guys from one scene to the next. It's rather tense, but too confusing for us to be engaged.

Interestingly, a different style from the usual Star Trek episode, and science fiction in general, but still good.

DS9 struggles with weighty, and here they fail once again. The story is melodramatic in the extreme, and unfortunately Dr. Bashir is just not the right character for this. He's too goofy, too simple in his "moral sensibilities," not that he believes in right too much, or doing the moral thing too much, but rather that he comprehends these notions simplistically, again, melodramatically.

And of course the actor is playing it so bombastically that he's nearly making it camp. I can see how some people would like it if they really like the show, but it's middling without grading on a curve.

When the episode begins, the representative from the ultra-secret Section 31 (William Sadler) appears in Dr. Bashir's quarters while the Doctor is sleeping. It seems he wants Dr. Bashir to do some spying for them during his upcoming conference on Romulus. Naturally the Doctor is horrified, as he wants nothing to do with Section 31 but goes along with it to find out what these folks are up to. What follows is a whole lot of spy stuff--and the viewers are left wondering what the $%@@ they are watching. By the time the show is over, it isn't much more clear and you may just feel that the entire effort was a bit of a waste of time.

This episode is very unusual because it is all Dr. Bashir all the time. You don't get to see the rest of the DS9 crew and how much you enjoy all this might have a lot to do with how much you enjoy Dr. Bashir as a character and if you enjoy all this spy stuff. I didn't on both accounts.