Recap / Star Trek Deep Space Nine S 05 E 19 Ties Of Blood And Water

Tuesdays with Tekeney.

Kira is abuzz with excitement for the arrival of Tekeny Ghemor, from "Second Skin." Dax explains to Worf that the pair met when the Obsidian Order kidnapped Kira and tried to convince them both that she was Ghemor's daughter. They've kept in touch, and Ghemor's criticism of Dukat's military regime has made it too dangerous to stay on Cardassia. Ghemor and Kira greet each other warmly as surrogate daughter and father. Kira looks forward to Ghemor using his influence to become the leader of the Cardassian resistance, but Ghemor reveals that he's too ill with Yarim Fel syndrome and will die soon. Instead, he wants Kira to participate in the Shri-tal ritual, in which a dying Cardassian reveals their closest secrets to a family member. Kira is the closest thing he's got. After some consideration, Kira agrees.

As Ghemor receives treatment in sick bay, he begins dishing all the hot goss on the Cardassian bigwigs that he's got. Kira can't help but flash back to tending to her real father on his death bed in a Bajoran cave, shot by Cardassians. But their plans haven't gone unnoticed. Gul Dukat arrives in a huge Dominion warship and demands that Ghemor be turned over. Sisko refuses but allows Dukat and his attache Weyoun to meet with him. Dukat tells Ghemor that he knows where his true daughter, Iliana, is located, but Ghemor doesn't believe him and refuses all their other gambits to lure him back to Cardassia. Before leaving, Dukat gives Kira a PADD proving that Ghemor served in a military operation that killed innocent Bajorans.

Kira confronts Ghemor about his past and stops tending to him, having received all the useful info he can provide. Sisko and Odo try to defend Ghemor, but Kira won't listen. Meanwhile, Dukat tries another gambit by poisoning a shipment of Cardassian wine, but Sisko intercepts it. Even still, the end is drawing near, and Bashir pleads with Kira to show mercy on Ghemor, since no one deserves to die alone. Kira recalls how her father died alone, calling her name, after she went off to try to hunt down the Cardassians who shot him. Kira returns to Ghemor's bedside and stays with him until the end. Afterward, she admits to Bashir that she'd intentionally avoided witnessing her father's death and didn't want to make the same mistake.

Dukat asks to be given Ghemor's body so it can be given a grand funeral, during which Dukat will announce that Ghemor had repented of his rebel views before dying. Sisko smugly states that Ghemor had already been buried. On Bajor, Kira kneels beside Ghemor's grave, right beside her father's, and mourns.

Tropes

• Ambiguous Situation: Did Dukat actually have information about Ghemor's daughter? As head of the Cardassian government, he'd certainly have the resources to find out if she were still alive, but it would hardly be out of character for Dukat to lie to try and get Ghemor's cooperation (indeed, at the end of the episode, after Ghemor is dead, Dukat plans to lie about his opinion of the Dominion to the Cardassian people), and either way, neither Ghemor nor the audience is prepared to take Dukat at his word, leaving the matter (and the fate of Iliana Ghemor) unclear.
• Back from the Dead: Weyoun by way of cloning.
• Bittersweet Ending: Ghemor dies never reuniting with his daughter (or even knowing for sure if she's still alive), Kira learned he was a soldier in the occupation and probably killed Bajorans like any other Cardassian, and Dukat plans to "announce" to Cardassia that he admitted he was wrong on his deathbed and died supporting the Dominion. But Ghemor was able to die with dignity in the presence of the closest thing he had to family, Kira was able to come to terms with her grief and guilt for her father's death, and Ghemor turned over a substantial amount of intelligence on Cardassia to the Federation that will surely be useful.
• Blatant Lies:
  • At the end, Dukat says that Ghemor had a last minute change of heart and praised the new Dominion government of Cardassia. Sisko is quick to call him out on this.
  Sisko: There's just one small problem. It never happened.
  Weyoun: As you say, it's a small problem.
  • Earlier, Dukat's not even pretending that anyone in the room actually believes that he didn't know the kanar was poisoned, he's just indulging in the banter, which is clearly why he nearly loses his mind when Weyoun just takes a swig of the stuff.
• Brick Joke: Many episodes ago, Quark was worried about a lack of customers if the Dominion took over Deep Space Nine — neither the Founders nor the Jem'Hadar eat or drink. Ziyal tried to cheer him up by speculating the Vorta might be "gluttonous, alcoholic, sex maniacs." Here, Weyoun gets a good start on proving her right.
• Broken Pedestal: Kira is disgusted to learn that Ghemor was present at a massacre during the Occupation. Both Odo and Ghemor point out that the reality is more complicated than Ghemor just being another bloodthirsty Cardassian (he was 19 at the time, and, as Odo points out, there's no way to know if he ever fired a shot), and in the end, Kira decides to forgive him and be with him as he dies, even laying him to rest beside her own father.
• Captain's Log: Subverted. Sisko is about to give one when he's interrupted by Dukat.
• Comically Missing the Point: When Ghemor vehemently refuses Dukat's offer to come home, Weyoun says that they need to do some PR in order to improve Dukat's image.
• Continuity Nod: Kira wears the bracelet that Ghemor gave her at the end of "Second Skin."
• Deathbed Confession: Since Ghemor's only remaining relative is MIA, he chooses Kira for the Shri-tal (a Cardassian tradition in which a dying person will share all of their secrets with close family, so that those secrets can still be used against their enemies after their death).
• Defiant to the End: Kira tearfully describes how Ghemor fought for every last breath before he finally died.
• Dispense with the Pleasantries: Sisko pulls this on Dukat for being self-aggrandizingly talkative. Ghemor is likewise unwilling to indulge Dukat, even when tempted with word of his daughter's fate.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Kira's attempt to set up Ghemor as a figurehead of the Cardassian opposition to Dukat and the Dominion was inspired by aristocratic German officers who were opposed to Hitler. At the same time, Dukat wanting to bring Ghemor back to Cardassia and to later bury him with full state honours so that he can give Dukat's regime a veneer of legitimacy as a member of the old regime is similar to Hitler's treatment of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
• Due to the Dead:
  • After her father's death, Kira immediately digs his grave. The episode ends with her having buried Ghemor, right next to her father, under the same tree.
  • Dukat claims he's going to give Ghemor's body a hero's funeral back on Cardassia, but he's just doing it as a propaganda ploy to claim that Ghemor repented his rebellious views.
• Dying Alone: Kira's father. She's convinced to return to Ghemor's side as "No one deserves to die alone".
• Early-Installment Weirdness: The large Jem'Hadar ship that will be referred to in source materials as a battlecruiser is referred to here as a battleship. The actual, much bigger, Jem'Hadar battleship will be shown later in the episode Valiant.
• Expendable Clone: This episode establishes that the Vorta are clones. This was done because producers loved Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun, but didn't have time to rewrite "To the Death" to change Weyoun's death. It also reveals that their race, like the Jem'Hadar, are genetically manipulated.
  Weyoun: It tends to mitigate the risk involved in so much of our work.
• Enemy Mine: Downplayed, if brief variation after Weyoun downs the poisoned Kanar. Despite their mutual hostility, Sisko and Dukat are still momentarily united in shared shock and alarm at Weyoun's actions.
• The Final Temptation: Dukat offers Ghemor the whereabouts of his long-lost daughter in exchange for coming home. Ghemor is tempted and admits he wants to believe this, but he says no—saying he could've dealt in good faith with a fellow Cardassian, but dealing with Dukat now means also dealing with the Dominion. Afterwards, Dukat is done trying to sweet talk Ghemor.
• Foreshadowing: See Meaningful Background Event.
• Flashback: A few interspersed to show Kira losing her father and how she handled it. Furel (killed off in "The Darkness and the Light") also appears and still has both arms at this point.
• Government in Exile: Kira offers to help Ghemor set one up on Deep Space Nine. Unfortunately, he's too busy dying.
• Gunboat Diplomacy: When Sisko agrees to take Dukat's request for Ghemor's extradition "under advisement" (in other words, not at all likely), Dukat shows up in a Dominion warship to force the issue.
• Hard-Work Montage: Kira caring for Ghemor while listening to his intel.
• Hoist by Their Own Petard: Cardassia's long history of strained diplomatic relations with the Federation bites Dukat in the ass when he first tries to get Ghemor by legally extraditing him. Sisko cheerfully reminds Dukat that the pre-Dominion Cardassian government never formalized extradition treaties with Earth or Bajor. So, he ain't getting Ghemor back that way (not that it would've worked for Dukat anyway, as the Federation officially refuses to recognize the new Dominion-backed regime as a legitimate government).
• Hope Spot: Ghemor's arrival on the station is one for Kira. Ghemor's still one of the leaders of the Cardassian dissident movement and even on the run he's still popular and liked by the Cardassian populace. So, Kira rightly concludes he's the perfect man to lead a Cardassian government-in-exile to oppose Dukat and the Dominion occupation. It's, however, a short-lived hope once Ghemor reveals he's terminally ill.
• It's a Long Story: Kira and Jadzia give Worf a brief synopsis of "Second Skin" when explaining how Kira could be friends with a Cardassian. He remarks that Cardassian politics are complicated.
• Joker Immunity: The reason the character Weyoun was brought back.
• Just the First Citizen: Dukat insists on still being addressed as gul, finding it to be "less pretentious" than the alternatives like Legate, President, Emperor, First Minister, or Emissary. At the last one, Sisko suggests "Dominion Puppet."
• Like a Son to Me: How Ghemor feels about Kira.
• Loophole Abuse: How Sisko refuses Dukat's initial attempt to get him to hand over Ghemor. The Federation refuses to recognize the current Cardassian government — and even if they did, there's no extradition treaty between the two powers. That said, Sisko knows this isn't going to stop Dukat for long (and doesn't).
• Meaningful Background Event: When Sisko calls Dukat a "Dominion puppet", the Cardassian behind Dukat gives his Jem'Hadar counterpart a nervous look. It's an early sign of discontent within the Dominion-Cardassian alliance.
• Mood Whiplash: Security intercepted the poisoned kanar, so Sisko brings it to Dukat and confronts him about what he pulled. As the stand-off grows more and more serious, Weyoun laughs and takes a swig, shocking the hell out of Dukat and Sisko.
• My Greatest Failure: Kira couldn't face her father's death, and ran away to go on a raid. He died alone calling out for her, something that clearly still haunts her.
• My Greatest Second Chance: She gets the chance to return to Ghemor, and stay with him until the end.

  Kira: I owed to it him. I owed it to my father, to get it right this time.

• No-Sell: Weyoun demonstrates his engineered Vorta poison immunity by drinking the incredibly lethally poisoned kanar and appearing to get nothing worse than a bad case of heartburn.
  Weyoun (giddy, shuddering): Ohh, my. That is quite toxic, isn't it?
• Not So Above It All: Weyoun gets a kick out of dabo.
  Weyoun: DABO! (laughs out loud) That is dabo, isn't it? (continues laughing)
  Dukat: I don't see why you insist on playing this ridiculous game.
  Weyoun: I like games.
• Parental Substitute: Ghemor to Kira. The sentiment goes both ways; with his daughter's fate still unknown, Ghemor considers Kira close enough to family that he decides to perform the shri-tal to her.
• Pass the Popcorn: Weyoun gets a kick out of watching Sisko and Dukat with the poisoned kanar.
  "Oh-ho-ho-ho, how delightful! The mysterious plots, the subtle innuendos, the veiled threats, it's all so...entertaining."
• Pet the Dog: When Quark comes to take Kira's order, he tries to banter and flirt with her until he realizes that she is absolutely physically and emotionally drained and goes to get her a glass of warm milk so she can get a good night's sleep.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: Kira ignores this plea from her father to go on a raid, and he dies an hour before she returns. She later admits she didn't want to witness it and would've taken any excuse to leave. When it comes time for Ghemor to die, Kira stays by his side.
• Sequel Episode: Primarily to "Second Skin", but it's also a loose follow-up to "By Inferno's Light" (being the first Cardassian-centric episode since Dukat sold out his people to the Dominion).
• Smug Snake: Dukat, as always.
  Kira: You are really enjoying this, aren't you? Hm? All your sick little games.
  Dukat: I must admit, I do get a certain... perverse pleasure out of it.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Dukat's Dominion-assisted takeover of Cardassia has not received unanimous support from the Cardassian military and government. Dissidents like Ghemor are appalled and understand all too well Dukat has sold their people out.
• Tampering with Food and Drink: Dukat sends a bottle of poisoned kanar to Ghemor, but security intercepts it before anyone can drink it. Analysis finds that the kanar has enough poison in it to kill twelve healthy Cardassians, which at this point Ghemor is not.
• Time-Passes Montage: Kira caring for the dying Ghemor while recording his Deathbed Confession.
• Understatement: Dukat says that drinking kanar on an empty stomach is bad for one's digestion. Especially, as Sisko points out, when the kanar is poisoned.
• Unperson: The Federation has followed Sisko's lead from "By Inferno's Light" and formally refuses to recognize or acknowledge the new Cardassian 'government'.
• You Are Number 6: Weyoun explains that the clone Sisko met in "To the Death" was the fourth incarnation whereas he is the fifth.
• You're Insane!: Dukat's reaction when Weyoun demonstrates Vorta poison immunity by chugging the glass of poisoned Kanar.
  Dukat: Are you insane?
• You See, I'm Dying: When Ghemor first arrives, Kira is so busy enthusiastically describing her plan for Ghemor to head up a Cardassian government-in-exile from the station and inspire his people to oppose the Dominion that he can barely get a word in edgeways. He eventually manages to explain that he can't do it, because he's terminally ill and won't live long enough, shocking her into silence.