1x15 Masquerade

[7.5/10] The Dal reveal here is a good one. I’ll admit, I haven't had much investment in the question of who Dal’s parents were or what species he is, because I’m not much for mystery boxes anymore. I care about the character, not the rote, mechanical aspects of his origin. Sure, maybe he’s the child of some gods or a variation of a species fans already know. But if so, what then? The Next Generation made hay with Data’s origins, and Deep Space Nine did the same for Odo, but I’m a little over the “Where did this mysterious lifeform come from?” game.

So color me mostly unmoved by the reveal that Dal is, in fact, an augment. I gotta admit, between Enterprise and Star Trek: Picard and Strange New Worlds, I’m already a little tired of the whole augment thing. Does every genetically engineered being in the universe need to be connected to a Soong somehow? Given that genetic engineering is illegal in the Federation, it has the practical effect of complicating Dal’s already dicey prospects to enlist in Starfleet, but otherwise, the truth about Dal’s origins doesn’t do much for me narratively.

And yet, I love it for what it means to Dal as a character. All his life, he’s been looking for his parents, striving to find out where he came from, because as an orphan, he thought the answer to such essential questions would give his life meaning. He feels as though some part of his personal history is missing, some piece of the puzzle that would give him a renewed sense of purpose and help him understand his place in the universe. Instead, he discovers that he has no parents, no people to return to, no answer that gives him a place of pride among a noble society of aliens. Instead, he is a mix of things, belonging to none and all of them at the same time.

There’s something truly powerful about that. The show plays the answer to that key question for its peak emotional impact on a young man who’s still trying to find himself. Especially with the presence of Okona on the Protostar, who Dal views as usurping him as the leader of the ship’s makeshift crew, the young hero is down in the dumps. He worries that he’s not enough, and the reveal of his source, the thing that was supposed to complete him, instead leaves him feeling rootless and unworthy.

How can you do anything but sympathize? As with Guardians of the Galaxy 2, this episode subverts the orphan fantasy, with a reveal that is more troubling than it is satisfying. As much as I don’t care about the plot implications of where Dal comes from, I care about how it affects him psychologically, and Star Trek: Prodigy plays that idea to the hilt.

Granted, I don’t necessarily love how they dramatize that idea. Don’t get me wrong, Dal choosing to take a shortcut via genetic engineering to try to make himself more “special” at a tough emotional moment is sympathetic as all get out. Especially when he feels upstaged by Okona, him trying to do something to fill that void the truth about where he came from was supposed to fill makes all sorts of sense. The idea of him using the genetic cocktail within himself to unlock new abilities and hopefully raise his esteem in the eyes of his fellow crew members is, well, logical from the perspective of a teenage boy.

But man, “Masquerade” goes broad with the realization of that idea. Him becoming instantly brainy, or flexible, or psychic comes too rapid-fire for anything to land. And him being a grunty Klingon or a staid logical Vulcan plays as kind of a cheat since who those species are genetically differs from who they are culturally. And all the facial hair and voice changes and new appendages work fine as a metaphor for puberty and the broader ideas of a desire to “grow up” and become more respected, but comes off pretty cheesy in how the show depicts them. The goofy, cheap seats style of the whole thing left me cold.

Still, I like where the show lands, where it matters who Dal is more than what he is. Even though Dal’s worried about Okona outshining him, the smuggler bails while the going gets tough, while Dal sticks around to protect his friends even when he’s going through something tough. Gwyn affirming that’s why he’s already better than Okona, and why he’s great just how he is, is a wonderful, vindicating reassurance for Dal after he receives some tough news. The execution is a little rocky, but I admire what Prodigy is trying to do with Dal here, and how it resolves his personal difficulties with support for who he is now, regardless of where he came from.

Otherwise, the narrative threats here are a little corny, but mainly solid. The kids being chased by, and yet escaping, the Romulan Tal Shiar seems a little much from a pure canon standpoint, but by god, this is a kids show and deserves a little leeway for resourceful kid heroes. To that end, I didn’t necessarily need Murf as a swiss army knife security officer who can suddenly kick butt, but the animation of him blasting the baddies is good at least.

And I like what they do with Janeway too. She’s in an unenviable position (if not necessarily a full blown Kobayashi Maru, despite her protestations.) She wants to protect those kids, bring them to justice, and also prevent the Protostar and its weaponry from falling into Romulan hands. All the while, she too is emotionally affected by her desire to recover Chakotay. That’s a lot too, and the way she manages command decisions, trying to balance Starfleet protocol, with practical realities, and emotional connections to old friends, is encouraging as ever.

Otherwise, we get the reveal that Ensign Ascencia is another member of the Diviner species, which, sure. I’ll confess, I’m also kind of tired of the “that Starfleet ally is actually a mole!” trope, but the double agent nature does open up some possibilities, and more Jameela Jamil is a good thing. Plus hey, the return of frickin’ Captain (now Admiral) Jellico! It’s a boon to get Ronny Cox reprising the role, and I appreciate the fact that he’s as cantankerous and stubborn as ever. True to form, he values the immediate mission and the broader geopolitical necessities of the moment more than he values the lives of the officers involved. I still hate it, but it’s true to form.

Overall, this is a big deal episode for Dal, and despite some rockiness, Prodigy delivers on that front. It uses the returns of Okona and Jellico well, and even though the plot twist with Ascencia plays as unnecessary, the challenging decisions of Vice Admiral Janeway feel like classic Trek. A good mid-season climax for this batch of episodes.