Second Sight (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
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| "Second Sight" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Alexander Singer |
| Story by | Mark Gehred-O'Connell |
| Teleplay by |
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| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Production code | 429 |
| Original air date | November 21, 1993 |
| Guest appearances | |
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"Second Sight" is the 29th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the ninth episode of the second season.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located near a stable wormhole between the Alpha and Gamma quadrants of the Milky Way Galaxy, in orbit of the planet Bajor. In this episode, Sisko develops feelings for a woman visiting the station, but there is more to her than he first thinks.
Plot
While stargazing on the Promenade at night, Sisko meets a woman named Fenna. After a brief conversation, Sisko finds she has left him without a word. Later, when the two meet again, Sisko takes Fenna on a tour of the station, and they rapidly fall in love. It is the first spark of romance he has felt since the death of his wife Jennifer four years earlier. However, Fenna is evasive when Sisko asks her about her life. Fearing that she may be in trouble, Sisko asks Odo to check on her, but Odo can find no record of anyone meeting her description on the station.
Meanwhile, the renowned but egomaniacal terraformer Gideon Seyetik, "one of the Federation's greatest minds", is visiting Deep Space Nine en route to his next project. The project, which he considers his magnum opus, is to re-ignite a dying star so that planets orbiting it can support life; the plan is to send an unmanned vessel carrying the necessary fuel on a collision course with the star.
Seyetik invites the senior staff of Deep Space Nine for dinner on board the Prometheus, the ship escorting him on his mission. He introduces his wife, Nidell, who looks exactly like Fenna. After dinner, Sisko privately converses with Nidell; however, she acts as if she'd never met him before. Later that evening, Fenna appears at Sisko's quarters; she claims to know nothing about Nidell. As she is kissing Sisko, she suddenly vanishes into a beam of energy.
Sisko and Dax accompany Seyetik aboard the Prometheus to observe the terraforming mission. When Fenna appears again, Dax determines that Fenna is nothing more than pure energy. Meanwhile, Nidell is unconscious and dying. Seyetik explains that Fenna is a telepathic projection of Nidell's subconscious, who appears during times of emotional stress. She is no longer happy in her marriage, but since her people mate for life she cannot leave her husband. Her projected dreams of freedom have created Fenna, but are also killing her.
While Sisko and Fenna are discussing the nature of her existence, Dax calls Sisko to the command bridge: Seyetik has boarded the shuttlepod carrying the fuel directly into the star. Sisko tries to deter him, but Seyetik is determined to set his wife free. As he approaches the surface of the sun, he shouts, "Let there be light!" Later, Nidell leaves to return to her homeworld, with no memory of Fenna's romance with Sisko.
Reception
In 2019, ScreenRant ranked this episode one of the ten worst episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.[1] They note that Seyetik's "arrogance made him a frustrating character and his final sacrifice less meaningful".[1]
References
- ^ a b "Star Trek: The 10 Worst Episodes Of DS9 Ever, According To IMDb". ScreenRant. 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
Further reading
- Farrand, Phil (1996). Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers (1st ed.). New York City: Dell. pp. 121–124. ISBN 978-0440507628.