Second Skin
- Episode aired Oct 24, 1994
- TV-PG
- 46m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
2.3K
YOUR RATING
Kira finds herself on Cardassia as a Cardassian. She is told she is called Iliana Ghemor and was a Cardassian spy.Kira finds herself on Cardassia as a Cardassian. She is told she is called Iliana Ghemor and was a Cardassian spy.Kira finds herself on Cardassia as a Cardassian. She is told she is called Iliana Ghemor and was a Cardassian spy.
Alexander Siddig
- Doctor Julian Bashir
- (as Siddig El Fadil)
Cirroc Lofton
- Jake Sisko
- (credit only)
Colm Meaney
- Chief Miles O'Brien
- (credit only)
Norman Large
- Viterian
- (archive footage)
Judi M. Durand
- Cardassian Computer
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRobert Hewitt Wolfe's original idea for this episode revolved around O'Brien discovering that he was a deep-cover Cardassian operative who had replaced the 'real' O'Brien twenty years previously and had had O'Brien's real memories implanted into his own mind. This would have meant that the O'Brien seen throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and this series was actually a Cardassian spy. Wolfe ran into trouble with this idea when he had to try to explain how a Cardassian and a human woman (Keiko) could have a fully human child (Molly). At this point, Wolfe modified the idea so that it revolved around Kira instead of O'Brien.
- GoofsWhen Kira/Iliana smashes the mirror with her hand, it shatters just before her hand hits it.
- ConnectionsEdited from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Duet (1993)
- SoundtracksStar Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title
(uncredited)
Written by Dennis McCarthy
Performed by Dennis McCarthy
Featured review
Duet Part II: Another fantastic episode
I don't understand why episodes like this get so much flak; they're what made DS9 a great show (and why it was so painful when the Dominion War arc took over in the later seasons). The core mystery and its resolution bring many classic Trek themes into play, such as how identity affects a person and how decisions reflect what truly matters to a person, but we also get the deep personal significance for Major Kira that's possible due to the ongoing development of her character and the Bajoran & Cardassian cultures throughout DS9's early seasons (TOS and TNG could almost never do an episode like this because the characters don't have the history and every week they'd move onto a new culture; the only comparable sequences I'd argue are from Worf's character arc in TNG).
Another reviewer criticized how this is similar to TNG's "Face of the Enemy"; that entirely misses the point of the episode. "Face of the Enemy" was an espionage suspense thriller - there were no personal stakes for Troi really, it was much more a "will they succeed or won't they?" type of story. This episode is entirely about the character - what would it mean for Major Kira if her entire life was a lie, if she really was part of the enemy that destroyed her culture, the enemy for which she'd given everything up to help defeat? And how do the events of the episode complicate her (and the viewer's) view of Cardassians? The central uncertainty of the plot perfectly mirrors the moral uncertainty of the DS9 universe, and really harkens back to the brilliant first season episode "Duet" (the central plot device in fact is practically the exact inverse of the central plot device from "Duet").
If you're looking for suspenseful action you'll find this episode dull; but then again if that's the case, why are you watching Star Trek at all?
Another reviewer criticized how this is similar to TNG's "Face of the Enemy"; that entirely misses the point of the episode. "Face of the Enemy" was an espionage suspense thriller - there were no personal stakes for Troi really, it was much more a "will they succeed or won't they?" type of story. This episode is entirely about the character - what would it mean for Major Kira if her entire life was a lie, if she really was part of the enemy that destroyed her culture, the enemy for which she'd given everything up to help defeat? And how do the events of the episode complicate her (and the viewer's) view of Cardassians? The central uncertainty of the plot perfectly mirrors the moral uncertainty of the DS9 universe, and really harkens back to the brilliant first season episode "Duet" (the central plot device in fact is practically the exact inverse of the central plot device from "Duet").
If you're looking for suspenseful action you'll find this episode dull; but then again if that's the case, why are you watching Star Trek at all?
helpful•323
- michaeljimmcdonald
- Aug 8, 2019
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