Synopsis: Deep Space Nine prepares for war.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of what can happen when the Logos-driven rational conscious ego prepares to acknowledge and work with information from the Eros-driven irrational unconscious.
In “Call to Arms” the personnel of Deep Space Nine feel war is imminent, and prepare for it. Captain Benjamin Sisko orders that the wormhole be mined so that no Dominion ships can come through it, understanding that this will force war. And indeed, Gul Dukat’s forces attack Deep Space Nine causing Sisko to evacuate the station. However, he leaves behind his baseball, which Dukat understands means that Sisko intends to return.
The actions of Sisko in this episode can be analogized to how the rational ego might respond when it realizes that it will need to acknowledge bits of material from the unconscious. Much like a ship would batten down the hatches or clear the decks to prepare for a storm, or war, Sisko orders the station to prepare for what is to come. He tries to transport as many non-essential personnel to safety, and after having lost the initial skirmish, evacuates Starfleet officers to ships so that they may take on the Cardassian forces. This is also one way that the ego might initially respond to unwanted bits of material from the unconscious that it is forced to acknowledge. But it is highly unlikely that the ego will be able to successfully prepare for unconscious material. The unconscious will almost always find a way to thwart the best laid plans of the ego, much as Sisko is left without recourse when his son, Jake Sisko decides to stay behind on Deep Space Nine.
mydailysoultrek 