“Change of Heart’ is the most ill conceived episode in terms of dealing with Starfleet procedure in all of Trek. The policy of allowing Starfleet personnel to have their families with them while o assignment has been a part of the franchise since TNG. It sounds like a startlingly dumb idea to begin with and the writers new it. The fact wives and children are aboard when the Enterprise was going to ram the Borg Cube in “Best of Both Worlds, Part II” was completely ignored, as a for instance. You just cannot justify bringing family along while exploring dangerous space.As an extension, you cannot send a husband and wife on an important mission because something like “Change of Heart” boud to happen.
Worf and Dax are assigned a clandestine mission to recover a Cardassian informant from a Dominion held world. When they reach their destination, they are ambushed by Jem’Hadar. They kill the Jem’Hadar, but not before Dax is severely wounded. She cannot go on, but urges Worf to complete the mission. Dax is not likely to survive in his absence. Worf considers completing the mission, but cannot bring himself to abandon his wife. He chooses to help her instead and the Cardassian informant undiscovered and killed.
The emotional connection between spouses was too much to overcome. Therefore, intelligence which may have saved millions of lives was lost. All this is because of Starfleet’s idiotic policy of keeping families together. No real military would have allowed spouses to o on a mission together alone. The worst part is that, after reprimanding worf for his actions, Sisko agrees he would have done the same thing for Jennifer.
At least Sisko reaffirms why “Change of Heart” is such a bad ie a for an episode. Why call attention to such a dumb policy that has certainly caused numerous difficulties in the past?
I am also a bit fuzzy on why the writers would put Dax in mortal danger here when they are going to kill her off for real in a few episodes. Perhaps it is supposed to tug at the heartstrings, but since I do not particularly care for Worf or Dax, the emotional impact is lost on me.
Meh. The whole episode is lost on me.
Rating: * (out of 5)
