Handling of Augments as Autism-Coded in DS9
This is a post analyzing plot elements that don't start until late into season 5 of Deep Space Nine, and discusses episodes all the way up through season 7, so watch out:
In Deep Space Nine, they HEAVILY code the genetically enhanced people as neurodivergent (imo they all read quite clearly as autistic coded specifically, but most of them also seem to have other neurodivergency going on on top of that), and on one hand it kind of really sucks and is one of the biggest fuckups in the show in terms of representation, because it's sometimes played for some sort of shitty comedy and also plays into the autistic savant stereotype which nobody likes.
However, also with that big "THIS KINDA SUCKS" disclaimer out of the way, there's also some other things about how it's handled that I want to also discuss because they're either interesting or actually good or just fucking weird and the combination of "this is good" and "this sucks" and "what the absolute hell were they even trying to do here" has resulted in me not being able to stop thinking about it.
So, the first part of this post is going to address the episodes "Doctor Bashir, I Presume" and "Statistical Probabilities," because they are the only ones I had watched so far when I originally wrote it. However, an asterisk is included where there is going to need to be an added note later because of the later episode "Chrysalis." I'm not including a ton of exposition here - the assumption is kind of that you've watched them - but I think the post is still interesting even if you don't know the background.
First of all, the number one thing that I think is actually really good about it is the very blatant and obvious "we need neurodivergent doctors for neurodivergent people" subtext that I'm not even sure it's accurate to call subtext, it may just be text. NEVER have I seen that as a message in any show, the closest I have seen are shows where there's a neurodivergent doctor but the reason the show considers that great is that the doctor in question can come up with novel ideas for helping neurotypical patients with unrelated issues. But it is really important - we do need neurodivergent doctors!!!! It makes a MASSIVE difference in pretty much the exact way depicted in the episode - neurodivergent doctors treat neurodivergent patients like people and engage with them on their own level and can relate to them and understand what they're going through. Star Trek really said "maybe some of these patients who are ~difficult cases~ aren't actually difficult cases and don't need some kind of novel special procedure or whatever, they just need someone to fucking respect them for once,"* and it extended that compassionate and humanizing perspective to neurodivergent people who had extremely visible and debilitating symptoms. Brilliant, incredible, ahead of its time; I just wish that it wasn't weighed down by other Problems In The Episodes. And since I figure I ought to throw in my two cents, I think this is a valuable enough message that it makes up for the flaws of the episodes overall even though they are so glaring.
Second of all, the other thing I think is Actually Really Good about it is Bashir being neurodivergent already before augmentation (they pretty much explicitly state he had some sort of learning disability) and how his parents' attempt to "fix" him was NOT a good parenting move but instead, even though it DID make him fit in more with society and "fix" his symptoms, was a massive violation of his personhood that severely damaged his sense of self and pretty much destroyed his relationship with his parents. They weren't evil or hateful parents - they really did want what was best for their son - but because of their ableism they couldn't understand that what he really needed was to be accepted and respected for who he was, and to have his needs accommodated, not to be changed. Neurodivergent kids get put through traumatizing and harmful "therapies" by parents who really do love them and would never intentionally harm them just like this all the time in real life. I really liked that his parents were dealt with sympathetically and it was made clear that they really did mean well, but despite that, he didn't have to accept any justifications for what they'd done and his father ended up facing real consequences for it and accepting that it had been wrong.
This is a continuation of the bit about Bashir being neurodivergent already, but I felt it needed a paragraph break - the other thing about the way being augmented by his parents in an attempt to stop him from being neurodivergent impacted Bashir as a character that worked really well is that it DIDN'T stop him from being neurodivergent, it stopped him from outwardly appearing neurodivergent super obviously. It's made very clear that even though he doesn't have the same symptoms he had as a child, he's still neurodivergent and instead of freeing him from any kind of burden, the treatments he was subjected to have condemned him to a life of masking forever. Once again this is something that is the actual goal of many "therapies" for developmentally disabled people (fuck you ABA), AND it's something that a lot of neurodivergent people end up self-enforcing even if they've never been through these abusive therapies. Bashir has to hide his neurodivergency to avoid making others uncomfortable and to protect his career, and it takes a clear and painful toll on his wellbeing even though it allows him to become a successful doctor. He makes it very clear he’d have rather lived his life without being forced into this box in the first place, even though now that he's in the box he doesn't want to get back out of it since being his authentic self now, after all the years of hiding, would put everything he has at risk. A lot of us do grapple with that and I don't often see it portrayed at all. Also interesting is that, although he still can't drop the act entirely, he acts somewhat freer around the other augmented people. This is very similar to what it's like finding other people who share your neurodivergency in real life.
Now onto stuff I cannot slot neatly into "This is great" or "This sucks."
On an actual serious level, it is not good, but I personally find it extremely hilarious, like as a concept, that in the sci-fi future of Star Trek, they invented a procedure to give your kid autism and then banned it because it makes your kid smarter and stronger than all the other kids and maybe he'll take over the world. I'm drafting my world domination plan right now as we speak so watch out, I will destroy the government with my autism beam attack.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about Lauren. On one hand, the way she's written is often very flat and sometimes kind of creepy, and I wish she was dealt with with more nuance and depth. On the other hand, having a character who is not only disabled but institutionalized and nevertheless presenting her as beautiful, sexy, and capable of wanting and having romantic and sexual interactions is kind of nice in the face of the rampant desexualization experienced by disabled people.
The Federation's broad anti-augment stance is interesting in a show that generally presents the Federation as being over most other types of discrimination. I think it's intended to be up for audience interpretation whether the Federation policies about augments are good or bad. Personally, I think that it's FLAGRANTLY bad - it isn't the choice of a child whether to be augmented! It certainly makes sense for the procedure to be illegal considering both the risk of it being used for eugenics and the nature of it as a horribly violating procedure, but the consequences should not fall on the genetically enhanced person, but rather on whoever did that to them. I wish we'd seen more pushback against the Federation's policies and more examination of what they meant for augmented people.
The treason plotline being connected to all this was baffling to me. I am not necessarily against it on a principle level - "neurodivergent people will engage in high stakes treason and espionage in order to solve the world's most fucked trolley problem" is so silly that it isn't really a message I'm worried about - but I felt like it wasted the potential of the episode to go in plenty of other, more impactful directions. I would've much rather seen it end with the augments and the Federation coming up with a better arrangement for their treatment and living situation - either to integrate into mainstream society or to find a way to improve the way they're treated at the institution so that they are respected, listened to, and have their needs met better. Ideally I would've really liked if we saw them all end up with different solutions, like maybe some of them would want to leave the institution and make a life for themselves outside it but others would want to stay, but with more autonomy and respect within the institution.
So, let's get this out of the way first: note where necessary about the original post in the context of "Chrysalis."
* Tragically, this great message was almost completely thrown out the window in "Chrysalis," an episode in which Bashir finds a way to make Sarina appear more typical with a novel procedure. Way to fuck it up, guys.
So anyway, on the topic of "Chrysalis." This episode, as many have said before, was not great. However, I actually want to argue that it wasn't quite as bad as it often gets portrayed as (but, like, it still wasn't good). Furthermore, I don't think the whole episode was doomed from the concept stage - this episode, in my opinion, could've been fine with a few simple fixes.
So, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: the medical ethics of what happens in this unfortunate episode. Sarina has demonstrated, in "Statistical Probabilities," that she is able to respond to people talking to her - not verbally, but she listens to Bashir and rescues him from being tied up. Based on this, it is easy to infer that Sarina, an adult woman, is probably capable of providing or revoking consent to a medical procedure, perhaps by nodding or shaking her head. However, in this episode, instead of attempting to get her to provide her opinion about the major procedure they are planning to have her undergo, nobody consults Sarina at all and instead her psychiatrist gives the go-ahead. This is not good. So much of this episode could have been fixed by just simply including a scene where somebody asks, "Sarina, do you want this procedure?" and she nods or otherwise signals her consent. Why they didn't do that is beyond me.
It's worth noting that Sarina's issue - difficulty processing her surroundings quickly enough to react to them - is something that would be harder to accommodate for than simply being nonverbal, even in a sci-fi setting. This does seem like the sort of symptom that I could see being troubling enough that someone would want it treated if a treatment was available, similar to how I am glad I'm autistic and wouldn't want a "cure for autism" (in quotes because anyone who knows shit about autism knows it isn't even really possible), but if there was a treatment for specifically the sensory processing issues that prevent me from eating normal food, I'd jump right on that. Therefore, I actually do think the core concept of this episode could've worked if it was executed much, much better. Sadly, though, it wasn't.
Aside from the glaring medical ethics violation of proceeding with the treatment without obtaining Sarina's consent at all (why!!!! why would you do this!!!), the other major issue I have with the episode is the way that the other augmented people get shafted. Instead of appreciating her friends, who were largely responsible for getting her the treatment she was so happy with in the first place, Sarina essentially decides that they are below her now that she can pass as typical. This sucks so bad. It is very clear from every single one of their appearances that the other augments could probably do just fine if they were properly accommodated, and the issue is a lack of accommodations. I would have liked to see Sarina and/or Bashir advocate for them to be treated better and provided the accommodations that they need to live in society or to enjoy their lives in the institution more. It is really flagrantly bad that they're instead thrown by the wayside.
I don't like the romantic subplot either, but I never like those, so I'm not necessarily willing to take the leap of trying to analyze it as something wrong with the episode. Maybe that was fine and just a trope I get annoyed with every time.