“The Quickening,” like “Hippocratic Oath,” is an attempt to grow the character of Bashir from a cocky annoyance to a mature doctor. Unlike ’Hippocratic Oath,” the episode deals with the heart of the problem--Bashir is unappealing because he is obnoxiously arrogant. In ’The Quickening,” he is placed in the middle of a situation well beyond his control, so he is forced to grow up and realize his limitations.Bashir tries to find a cure for an incredibly gruesome plague engineered by the Dominion as a punishment on a rebelling planet’s population. The plague has similar effects to leprosy. Bashir struggles to save everyone within the week’s survival odds, but he cannot. He laments his arrogance in thinking he could find a cure within a week when there is not one. Dax reminds him he is being even more arrogant by assuming there is no cure just because he could not find one.
“The Quickening” was originally intended to serve as an AIDS allegory I memory of a production staffer who had recently passed on from the disease. It was decided to rewrite the story to remove any elements of the disease carrying aliens being pariahs after becoming infected to the more Bashir-centric plot. I can only guess, but the change feels like it was for the better. I say that as one who still does not like Bashir. His receives a much needed dose of humility here, but still not enough to make him a multidimensional character.,
Once again, I found the B-story out of place. The plot involves around quark’s intrusive advertising campaign disrupting life on DS9. While an episode as tragic as this needed a comic relief element, this was too over the top and uncomplimentary to the main story. A B-story probably should have skipped altogether.
“The Quickening” continues the shift back towards the Dominion as the central villains of DS9 after a meandering season in which the supposed Federation/Klingon conflict never materialized. I also liked the scorched Earth feel of the surroudings. The burnt look added a desperate atmosphere. For this, I am glad. There are not many Bashir episodes I like, either, but this is one of them.
Rating: *** (out of 5)
