The opposite of Bashir

I’m reminded of something my old Chinese teacher said in Taipei, when I had said how it was my responsibility to learn how to fit in in Taiwan. And she said it was just as much everyone else’s opportunity to learn about my culture and way of being, the same way it was an opportunity — not a responsibility — for me to learn about their culture. Subconsciously I’m always seeking to fit in, even as on the surface I seem fiercely independent. I’m the opposite of Dr. Bashir on DS9, who on the surface is about doing what’s right, about ethics, but underneath he secretly does what he needs to do for himself. A little bit like __ ___ _______, who love to please others and do things for others, but underneath can be quite manipulative and out for themselves.

Back to DS9. The show is getting so rich. First the episode [sc., “Inquisition”] about Julian being recruited for “Section 33” [sic] of the Federation. The writing was original and surprising, how it kept on jumping from one setting to another until you realized that the whole thing, back to when Julian first woke up at 7AM feeling extra tired, all took place in a holodeck and was all about trying to recruit him. Also that thing about his own personality. How he prides himself on his medical ethics but has a dark side of looking out only for himself.

Then the second episode [sc., “In the Pale Moonlight”] with how Benjaminbrought the Romulans into the war against the Dominion. Benjamin basically got what’s his name the Cardassian tailor to fake a terrorist attack against the Romulans as if it had been done by the Dominion. And this is so similar to what O’Brien had seen the Dominion trying to do with the Klingons, fake a terrorist attack against the Klingons to get them to change their affiliation. Add to that the thing about Section 33 [sic], and how they say that every great power has an organization like that, why should the Federation be any different? Very deep moral issues going on in DS9, I love it.

I also started to think about personality types and “shadows” for the various characters. Dax is ENTP, she is curious, outgoing, likes to try new things, likes to provoke people. And Worf also pointed out her own dark side to her: how she can be so routine, brushing her hair 50 times every night before going to sleep, how she can only sleep on her side of the bed. Worf might even be ISFJ, the degree to which he seeks to preserve Klingon culture, and how rigid he can be. And then he can be surprisingly whimsical and humorous. Kira is a bit of an ENTJ, she’s got perhaps even more authority than Benjamin. Her weak point is her feelings, as we see in the episode with her mother. Benjamin — perhaps INFJ or INTJ? Odo? INTP or INFP. Quark — ESTP.