The suspicious Star Trek character modeled after the Renaissance gentleman

The author Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 second ago

Star Trek is a franchise set in the distant future, but many of its best moments are inspired by the distant past. For example, Captain Picard's Enterprise in The next generation is a ship on which people relax, playing classical music or experiencing literary adventures (from Shakespeare to Sherlock) on the holodeck.

Things were very different Deep Space Ninebut this Star Trek spinoff still draws inspiration from the past. For example, in the episode “The Derelict”, writer Jim Trombetta deliberately modeled Odo after the archetypal idea of ​​the Renaissance gentleman.

Even if you've watched this episode of Star Trek countless times, you probably haven't noticed any references to the Renaissance because nothing about the time period is explicitly mentioned. Instead, Trombetta used the era's idea of ​​the gentleman to clarify Odo's very unique position.

In the episode, the shapeshifter is stuck in a broken turbolift with a very cute Lwaxana Troi. Odo is ashamed at the thought that she will be the first person to see him return to his liquid form.

Like Troy herself, we can hear what everything Star Trek fans reading this ask: what does Odo being stuck in an elevator with crazy Betazed have to do with the Renaissance? According to Jim Trombett (who wrote the story but not the screenplay), Odo's plight reflects that of Renaissance 'gentlemen' who 'had to be solid warriors with a solid form like armour'. The metaphor here is very direct, as Odo's solid form breaks down in the turbolift and he is in danger of melting down, which he is desperate to hide from Lwaxana Troi.

Star Trek writers tend to be history nerds, and as Trombetta helpfully points out, there was a “fear” during the Renaissance that gentlemen would “grow soft.” Men at the time worried that they might turn from fierce warriors to someone who was “helpless” and “baby-like”. Odo had to return to the liquid state every day and after he stubbornly tried to hide his pain. After Troy's kind gesture of pulling off her wig and showing the constable a vulnerable side of himself no one else had ever seen, he turned into a pool of liquid stored in the hem of her dress.

While some of Star Trek's metaphors tend to be a bit tortured, Trombetta is convinced that the Renaissance gentleman angle in The Forsaken “works very vividly.” As he said: “Odo is a constable and a very tough guy, but he has to go through this process and let someone else help him.” Odo learned a valuable lesson that, frankly, many fans watching at home could have learned: ironically, it takes a lot of strength to be vulnerable in front of others, even those (perhaps especially those) you care about.

It's fun to see Lwaxana Troi in all her glory, but some had a hard time seeing her scenes with Odo as much more than equally mediocre comedy. Now that we know that even their sillier moments were inspired by the Renaissance, we can't help but look at this episode with a new respect. In addition, we are always happy to have real conversations any an excuse to watch again Deep Space Ninewhich remains the best performance in Gene Roddenberry's long-running franchise.