Star Trek: Fascination

Episode: "Fascination"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 3, Episode 10

Original Air Date: November 28, 1994

via Memory Alpha

It's Bajoran Gratitude Festival time!  Major Kira is presiding and Lwaxanna Troi is on the station to join in the fun.  Several in attendance get headaches, then fall hopelessly in love: Jake with Kira, Bareil with Dax, Dax with Benjamin, Bashir and Kira with each other.  Meanwhile, in a more meaningful B-plot, Keiko and Molly are back home from Keiko's botany field work on Bajor.  The readjustment to married life is less than smooth for the O'Briens.  

"Fascination" is DS9's take on A Midsummer Night's Dream.  It's goofy.  It was Armin Shimerman's least favorite episode.  He teaches Shakespeare.  He found the episode embarrassing.  For others, it was a fun romp, a moment of levity just ahead of a heavy story.  We get development for Odo: he admits his feeling for Kira to Lwaxanna.  Watching the doctor and major all over each other was reflective of their real world relationship.  While Alexander Siddig and Nana Visitor wouldn't be married until 1997, they were already romantically involved by '94.  The O'Brien story is more relevant: two adults weighing family needs against personal needs.  Evidently, it hit close to home for many involved with the production.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Hana Hatae played Molly O'Brien, the young daughter of Keiko and Miles.  Hatae was born in Los Angeles, July 15, 1988.  Molly didn't get a whole lot of material in "Fascination" - she rarely did - but she got to throw up all over her father.  I've been there, Chief.  Between TNG and DS9, Hatae had 12 total appearances.

Hatae only had a modest acting career beyond Star Trek.  She had appearances on Family Matters and Kitchen Nightmares.  The latter was a reality show episode featuring her family's sushi restaurant.  At the time, she was working as a hostess and waitress at the restaurant.  Films include My Suicide, 5th Passenger and The Circuit.