Synopsis: Major Kira is abducted by the Cardassian Obsidian Order in an attempt to trap a high ranking Cardassian dissident.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of James Hillman’s acorn theory. The idea that we all have an internal daimon that has all the information that we need to become who we are destined to become inside us, even before birth. It also is an illustration of how the character Garak continues to physically manifest the energy of the Trickster, Hermes to the ancient Greeks, and Mercury to the ancient Romans.
In “Second Skin” Major Kira Nerys is abducted by the Obsidian Order, an all-powerful security institute on Cardassia, which seems to be comparable to the former KGB of the Soviet Union or the CIA of the United States. She is physically altered to look like a Cardassian and told that she in fact is a Cardassian who was physically altered to look like a Bajoran and had been imbedded into that planet’s resistance a decade earlier in order to infiltrate them. Kira maintains true to herself that she is not Cardassian, and eventually figures out that this whole scheme is not about her at all but instead is aimed at trapping a high ranking Cardassian dissident. Her holding true to herself, while being a part of the Obsidian Order plot, also presented her with the opportunity to save herself and the dissident.
Also, in “Second Skin” a sub-plot concerns the character of Garak. Garak is the one Cardassian who remained on Deep Space Nine after the occupation ended. Although he is a tailor and shopkeeper it is rumored that he has been exiled from Cardassia and some believe he is a spy. Because of his mercurial nature, and his obvious ability to send and receive messages from the station and Cardassia, he does embody Trickster energy. This episode only deepens the paradox surrounding him. He is enlisted by Commander Benjamin Sisko to go with him to Cardassia to try to rescue Kira, which he does, killing an Obsidian Order operative in the process. En route to Cardassia, he is also able to command a Cardassian vessel to allow the Defiant to pass, citing a Central Command priority code which cannot be questioned. Yet, when the Cardassian dissident that was rescued with Kira is safely on Deep Space Nine, he warns Kira just how dangerous an individual Garak is. This is another element of the Trickster persona, and seems to cement Garak’s place as the holder of this energy on the station.
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