Although we are done with DS9 and have travelled back to the past with The Original Series!, that doesn’t mean you can’t go back and catch up on the episodes you missed. You can find the rest here!
The enigmatic Odo, a patron of justice and the keeper of the peace, but does this shape-shifting lawman long for more? Find out in the episode that originally aired on March 31,1997. This is A Simple Investigation.
The Episode:
Station Log Stardate Undetermined: A Simple Investigation
Odo falls in love with a woman who is in danger of being murdered but things are not as they appear.
The Breakdown:
We open to a scene in someone’s quarters where a man finds himself under attack by two ruffians. They claim to know why he is on the station and who he is mean to meet. Just as the man is about to retaliate, they vaporize him leaving nothing but scorch marks. They comment that they will now wait until the lady arrives.
At the replimat, Julian informs his friends of the new holosuite spy game program he has acquired and asks who wants to participate. Everyone agrees to join him except for Odo who does not seem to be interested in playing along. Odo departs and runs into a woman who is dealing with Quark in his bar. Odo becomes impressed when she deflects Quark with news that one of his patrons has a graviton emitter and was swindling the bartender out of money. The lady instantly assumes that Odo is interested in her but Odo makes it clear he is simply there to help out even though he comes across rather awkwardly. At the bar, the two men from the opening watch the woman.
Inspecting a new shipment of goods, Odo tells Kira about his encounter with the woman in the bar. She encourages Odo to consider pursuing the woman and, upon his return to his office, he finds her in the custody of one of his deputies. She explains that she broke into the computer in order to find some information and soon finds that she has a data port installed in her head. After a brief discussion, he learns that her name is Arrisa and she is there to find a man named Tauvid Rem who has information about her daughter. He agrees to help her find this Tauvid and are surprised to find his quarters empty. It is then that Odo realizes that Tauvid has been murdered.
Odo launches an investigation into the murder and he soon drops the charges against the Arrisa to allow her to continue to search for her daughter. Later that night, Odo finds Arrisa breaking into the Assay Office investigating Tauvid’s locker. Instead of arresting her, he works with her to find out what is on the device she has found. She soon comes clean that she does not have a daughter and if she does not find out what is on the device, she will be killed. She admits that she works for a man named Draim who is part of the Orion Syndicate. She wants to quit the Syndicate and planned to meet Tauvid in order to obtain information to help her escape. Odo agrees to help her and places Arrisa into protective custody as he works on accessing the crystal device they have acquired. She is shocked at his offer to help but accepts it anyhow. Meanwhile, the two killers meet and discuss their plans to kill Arrisa in order to prevent the crystal from being accessed.
Odo allows Arrisa to stay with him in his quarters in order to better protect her. He allows her to use his bed and informs her that he will be sleeping in the living room in his gelatinous state. They soon discuss her past where she reveals that she received her data port when she became a ‘net girl’ or basically an internet prostitute. She met Draim there and soon found herself involved with the Orion Syndicate. Arrisa tells Odo that she trusts him and hopes she can free herself of this life with whatever is on the crystal. Odo swears to take personal responsibility for her safety if she is willing to testify against Draim and, after she agrees, he heads out to complete his shift.
Much to his dismay, Bashir’s holo-program is interrupted by Odo who needs advice from the Doctor. Bashir is shocked when he learns that Odo needs advice about women and finds that Odo is scared of another heartbreak. Their conversation is interrupted when O’Brien makes a drop on them and uses the opportunity to ‘capture’ Bashir’s character. Odo returns to his quarters where he finds Arrisa still awake. It is clear there is chemistry between them and the two begin a romance together.
The next day everyone in ops find themselves discussing Odo’s guest. Sisko is shocked that Odo is late for their meeting and is impressed that the Constable had an overnight visitor. As Odo begins his conference with Starfleet Intelligence, Arrisa makes contact with the two assassins who still plan to kill her even though she is offering the crystal for her life.
In his office, Odo comes in contact with an Idanian man who claims that Arrisa is an agent working for the Idanians. In fact she has no clue that she is in fact an agent and her true identity is stored on the very crystal that she is protecting. The Idanian and Odo soon discover that Arissa has stolen the crystal to give to the two assassins. As she makes contact with the assassins, Odo and the Idanian man hunt her down through the station.
Convinced that her contacts are safe, she hands over the crystal only to discover that this is a double cross. Just as she is about to be shot, Odo drops from above and wrestles the crystal away from them while subduing them both. Retrieving the crystal, Julian uses it to allow her to recover her memories. The Idanian indicates that Arissa has been an agent for them for years and now has enough information on Draim to take him down. Their mission was a success and now Arissa can be returned to her normal form.
That night, Arrisa visits Odo to say goodbye. He learns that she is no longer the Arrisa he knew but someone else entirely. She tells him that she is married and she can not be with him, he fell in love with a woman who no longer really exists. He is devastated that, even though she still has feelings for him, she has to go back to her old life. Odo is left alone to once again face heartbreak, but this time he has gained more than he lost.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
While this is a stand alone episode with little to do with the over arcing narrative, it is one of the finest Odo-centric episodes this season. Having already come face to face with heartbreak over Kira, Odo has deliberately kept himself distant in order to avoid the pain again. Putting up emotional walls and boudaries, Odo has since focused on his job on the station while spending time with his friends as they need him. Finally letting himself fall in love again, he once again faces the pain of heartbreak but this time it is different. This time the feelings were mutual and, had circumstances been different, Odo would have found happiness in his life with Arissa. While this heavily implies that Odo has moved on from his love for Kira, we will find out later that he, in fact, still harbors deep emotions for the Bajoran Major.
Rene Auberjonois is simply perfect in this episode. I mean, honestly, he is in nearly every episode he appears in but this one, Rene, really manages to capture the longing that Odo has to belong to someone or something. After Odo’s brief encounter with the great link, it seems that experience has left Odo quite lonely and it is with Arrisa that he finally felt whole even for such a brief time. This singular experience will certainly change our favorite Constable but only in the best ways possible. In this case, through heartbreak comes the motivation to no longer be alone.
All in all, this was a great Odo episode that managed to pull off a good romantic story without coming across as contrived or unbelievable.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- We never seen nor hear from Arrisa again.
- We never see the assassins again either, I would assume they are serving time on some Federation or Bajoran penal colony somewhere.
- We get another glimpse of Julian’s spy holo program although this one is only briefly touched on.
- We learn that ‘humans’ get augmentations such as data ports. I am shocked that this isn’t a more common practice in the 23rd century.
- Odo has nipples. I really found this an odd detail for Odo to replicate especially since he has ‘never bean able to get the nose’ down. If he can’t get the facial features down how the hell does he manage to get the intricacies of nipples down. This guy is an enigma!
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: Business As Usual
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Late To The Game 12/12/2021 (Originally published 11/13/2019)
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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