Baby on Board

Story: The Abandoned
Written By: D. Thomas Maio and Steve Warnek
Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Year: 1994

Another great episode dealing with our Dominion foes. Quark buys some salvage, and within the wreckage he finds something he didn’t want…a baby. The baby isn’t any ordinary baby though, as it grows up a little too quickly…and turns out to be a Jem’Hadar.
The episode showcases that unlike past villains like Klingons, Romulans, and even the Cardassians…the Jem’Hadar reall are all bad…they are bred to do nothing but fight…they can’t be reasoned with, they can’t calm down…they are genetically engineered by the Founders to do only one thing, kill at their bidding.

They makes them a totally effective villain, and the Founders are shown to be even more brilliant in their tactics in the revelation that they designed the Jem’Hadar wit ha missing enzyme, of which only a drug can keep them alive and well…the Founders provide the drug, thus keeping the Jem’Hadar always loyal to the Founders. What a crazy good concept.

The episode is solid, and gives Odo a good deal to do, and really deals with his conflicts between his allegiance to his friends on DS9…and his longing to be with his people.

NEXT TIME: DS9’s Disaster