History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS02E09SecondSight

* PsychicPowers: Halanans like Nidell are capable of "psycho-projective telepathy". In Nidell's case, this manifests as a fully tangible doppelganger, Fenna, who only appears while Nidell is asleep; Fenna has no awareness of Nidell, and Nidell wasn't aware she was doing it at first, and has no control over it. Such occurrences are said to be the product of great mental stress, for Nidell the unhappiness of her marriage.

* RedOniBlueOni: Fenna is warm and open and falls head-over-heels for Sisko, while Nidell is closed off and clearly weighted down by her thoughts. This even extends to their clothes for most of the episode: Fenna [[LadyInRed in red]], Nidell [[TrueBlueFemininity in blue]].

* BigEgoHiddenDepths: Seyetik is a self-described "raging egomaniac", but in moments of reflection, it's clear that he's very aware of the limits of building his identity on his accomplishments and fame: he understands that his personality can wear on people, and he worries about reaching a point where he can no longer outdo himself. He also genuinely loves his wife, becomes desperate when she's in danger, and [[spoiler: is ultimately willing to sacrifice his own life to give her a chance at happiness.]]

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Seyetik goes out like a scientific badass, granting a dead star new life -- and saving his wife from being stuck with him forever. (And -- in a final act of egotism -- he writes his own eulogy.)

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: When Seyetik stops bragging and putting on a show for a crowd, signs of insecurity and even self-loathing start to show through the cracks in his InsufferableGenius exterior. He tries to act as if he believes he deserves all the accolades that are showered upon him, even as he is perceptive enough to notice the distaste his egotism fosters. In particular, he is well aware of how his personality wears on others over time, including his wives -- not least of all Nidell, who for some reason is the only one not to have "the good sense to leave [him]." It's later revealed that she can't -- Halanans [[DivorceRequiresDeath mate for life]].
-->'''Seyetik:''' She loves me. Don't ask me why.
* InsufferableGenius: Seyetik is an insufferable braggart, is fully aware that he's an insufferable braggart, and enjoys being an insufferable braggart. But his accomplishments in his field make his ego well warranted, turning barren worlds into paradises, and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold he really does love his wife]].

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seyetik is a raging egomaniac, but he's self-aware enough to know it. He really does love his wife and wants her to be happy, and he says of his past wives that they tended to sour on him after a few years and then "had the good sense to leave him." In the end, he's happy to go out with a bang knowing that his legacy is secure -- and Nidell will finally be able to go on with her life without him.

Gazing out a window yet again, Sisko is visited by Fenna again. When Sisko inquires about Fenna, she panics and makes for the nearest turbolift. Concerned, Sisko visits Odo to ask for help finding her, but he realizes that he knows nothing about her background and can only provide a vague description of her appearance.

Returning to ops, Odo arrives with startling news. No one but Professor Seyetik has left the ''Prometheus'' since it arrived. That means Nidell couldn't have been with Sisko. Returning to his quarters, he's surprised to find Fenna waiting for him there. After a brief talk and a kiss, she vanishes again. This time ''literally''. Fading into nothing right in front of Sisko's eyes. Determined to get answers, Sisko joins the expedition to reignite Epsilon 119.

As the ship journeys to the dead star, Seyetik talks about his favorite thing: himself. Namely how he met Nidell. After breathing life into her planet, she became infatuated with him. The two got married and Seyetik took her off-world. During this story, Seyetik seems almost somber. His life has been an escalating chain of accomplishments and breakthroughs. He seems worried that Epsilon 119 will be the one achievement he can never top, and his drive to always do something better will be at an end. He quotes a Klingon epic poem, "Pity the warrior who slays all his foes."

Returning to his quarters on the ship, Sisko yet again finds Fenna waiting for him. He calls Dax to his quarters, but Dax is baffled when she scans Fenna. She reads as nothing but pure energy. Taking Fenna with them, they head for Nidell's quarters for answers. When they arrive, they find Nidell passed out and in shock. She appears to be dying, but there's nothing they can do. Then Seyetik spots Fenna. He is outraged that she dares show her face there. Wanting an answer to this question, Dax takes Fenna with her while Seyetik explains the situation.

Seyetik has had a ''lot'' of wives. Most found him fun for a time, but eventually grew tired of his self-obsessed nature and left him. Nidell wants to leave him as well, but there's a hitch: Her species mate for life. Even though deep down she ''wants'' to end their marriage, she can't bring herself to do it. In addition to this, her species is telepathic. And due to her swirling emotions, Fenna came to be: a projection of what she wishes she could have. But Fenna's existence is killing her.

Talking with Sisko over the com as he draws near, he makes sure to leave his obituary with him. With a jovial cry of "Let there be light!" the shuttlepod impacts and Epsilon 119 is born anew. After this event, Fenna vanishes. For good.

Back aboard [=DS9=], Nidell inquires about Fenna. What she was like. Sisko's responds, "She was just like you."

* BrutalHonesty: Of the regulars that interact with him, only Kira is entirely unswayed by Seyetik's supposed charms, finding him instantly unbearable. Mitigated by the fact that though she admits this to her crewmates, she doesn't reveal it to Seyetik himself.

It's a somber anniversary for an insomniac Sisko. Four years since the Borg assault on Wolf-359. And the fourth anniversary of his wife dying during the attack. Wandering the promenade late at night, he meets a mysterious woman named Fenna. As the two discuss the stars, Sisko offers to show her around the station. Only for her to mysteriously vanish when he turns around.

The next morning, Sisko is oddly peppy. Drinking tea and striking up conversation with the ops crew. Kira finds this unusual morning mood quite unnerving. But business calls. Sisko is meeting noted terraform scientist Professor Gideon Seyetik...who is poking around inside a flux reactor.

Seyetik is a boasting, self-obsessed braggart. With good reason. His work has turned dead planets into lush, habitable paradises. His latest work is set to be his crowning achievement. Breathing life back into a dead sun called Epsilon 119.

Gazing out a window yet again, Sisko is visited by Fenna again. When Sisko inquires about Fenna, she panics and makes for the nearest turbolift. And vanishes yet again. Concerned, Sisko visits Odo to ask for help finding her, but can only provide a ''very'' vague and unhelpful description of her.
->'''Sisko:''' She was wearing... ''[[LadyInRed red]]''.

Sisko then heads with the rest of the crew to the ''Prometheus'' for dinner with Professor Seyetik. After regaling them with yet more stories of his lauded accomplishments, and admitting that he knows full-well that he's egotistical and braggadocious, Seyetik introduces his latest wife. A Halanan named Nidell. Sisko and Dax are shocked to find she looks ''exactly'' like Fenna. After finishing dinner, Sisko hangs back and grills Nidell about pretending to be someone else. But she insists she's never met Sisko before.

Returning to ops, Odo arrives with startling news. No one but Professor Seyetik has left the ''Prometheus'' since it arrived. Which means Nidell couldn't have been with Sisko. Returning to his quarters, he's surprised to find Fenna waiting for him there.

After a brief talk and a kiss, she vanishes again. This time ''literally''. Fading into nothing right in front of Sisko's eyes. Determined to get answers, Sisko joins the expedition to reignite Epsilon 119.

As the ship journeys to the dead star, Seyetik talks about his favorite thing: himself. Namely how he met Nidell. After breathing life into her planet, she became infatuated with him. The two got married and Seyetik took her off-world.

In between this story, Seyetik seems almost somber. His life has been an escalating chain of accomplishments and breakthroughs. He seems worried that Epsilon 119 will be the one achievement he can never top, and his drive to always do something better will be at an end. He quotes a Klingon epic poem - "Pity the warrior who slays all his foes."

Returning to his quarters on the ship, Sisko yet again finds Fenna waiting for him. He calls Dax to his quarters, but Dax is baffled when she scans Fenna. She reads as nothing but pure energy. Taking Fenna with them, they head for Nidell's quarters for answers.

When they arrive, they find Nidell passed out and in shock. She appears to be dying, but there's nothing they can do. Then Seyetik spots Fenna. He is outraged that she dares show her face there. Wanting an answer to this question, Dax takes Fenna with her while Seyetik explains the situation.

Seyetik has had a ''lot'' of wives. Most found him fun for a time, but eventually grew tired of his self-obsessed nature and left him. Nidell wants to leave him as well, but there's a hitch: Her species mate for life. Even though deep down she ''wants'' to end their marriage, she can't bring herself to do it.

In addition to this, her species are telepathic. And due to her swirling emotions, Fenna came to be. A projection of what she wishes she could have. But Fenna's existence is killing her.

Sisko tries explaining this to Fenna, but she just can't believe it. But other issues arise. Namely, their arrival at Epsilon 119. And the launch of the shuttlepod that will reignite the sun. ''With Seyetik inside''.

The crazy old fool has found a way to set his wife free ''and'' ensure Epsilon 119 will be his greatest and ''final'' scientific accomplishment. He compares himself to the warrior from the poem he quoted earlier, and says that this star is his very last foe. He's going to ride the shuttlepod into the dead star.

Back aboard [=DS9=], Nidell inquires about Fenna. What she was like. Sisko's response?

->'''Sisko:''' She was just like you.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: In reality, the universe is too young to have dead stars, as it takes trillions of years for red or white dwarfs to turn into dead stars and the universe is only 13.8 billion years old or so.

->'''Sisko:''' "She was wearing... ''[[LadyInRed red]]''."

->'''Sisko:''' "She was just like you."

-->'''Sisko:''' "She was wearing... ''[[LadyInRed red]]''."

-->'''Sisko:''' "She was just like you."

* AGoodWayToDie: Seyetik doesn't ''need'' to kill himself to complete his experiment, but he believes it will be the greatest accomplishment he could hope to achieve that will cap off a career of impressive accomplishments, and if he gives his life to do it, then what a way to go.

* {{Hallucinations}}: Subverted. During the first act, the viewer is lead to believe that Fenna is merely a hallucination. Whether brought on by Sisko's sense of loneliness on the anniversary of Jennifer's death or this week's phlebotinum or alien. But then Dax mentions [[YouCanSeeThatRight she has seen Fenna too]]... It's still the alien of the week, but Fenna is a psychokinetic projection of Nidell's unconscious mind, not just in Sisko's head.

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: When Seyetik stops bragging and putting on a show for a crowd, signs of insecurity and even self-loathing start to show through the cracks in his InsufferableGenius exterior. He tries to act as if he believes he deserves all the accolades that are showered upon him, even as he is perceptive enough to notice the distaste his egotism fosters. In particular, he is well aware of how his personality wears on others over time, including his wives -- not least of all Nidell, who for some reason is the only one not to have "the good sense to leave [him]." It's later revealed that she can't -- Halanans [[DivorceMeansDeath mate for life]].