Synopsis: A Cardassian comes aboard the station claiming that he is the “Butcher of Gallitep,” the leader of a notorious labor camp on Bajor during the occupation.
This episode, much like the prior one, “Dramatis Personae,” examines the idea that bits of material from the collective unconscious of a society that was deeply wounded need to be acknowledged by the conscious ego.
In “Duet” a Cardassian makes his way to Deep Space Nine with the intent to be captured and tried for war crimes. He claims to be Gul Darheel, the sadistic leader of a labor camp that was notorious for atrocities perpetrated against Bajorans held there. In reality, he was there, but he was a file clerk, Aamin Marritza, and in the years that had passed since he worked there he felt the profound guilt of what he was a part of, and believed that if he, impersonating Darheel, would be put on trial and then killed, then some healing would take place.
This reflects how individuals in the present day are reliving unconscious trauma from past generations, because the wounds of the past were not allowed to become conscious. The reality of the situation is that Darheel died in his sleep years before this episode is set, and there was never an acknowledgement made by the Cardassians of what crimes were committed there by the leader of the labor camp.
To take on the challenge of trying to break the pattern of trauma is a difficult role, but it is a way to heal generational trauma. This episode shows that not only the victims of a trauma, but those who were witness to it are all wounded by atrocities that one group inflicts upon the other. Marritza is so riddled with guilt for standing by when he saw what was happening that he now wants to sacrifice his life in order to try to initiate healing. Unfortunately, he is unable to fulfill his desires to address the trauma as he is killed in an act of meaningless violence.
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