Let He Who Is Without Sin... (episode)

While Worf, Dax, Bashir, Leeta, and Quark vacation on Risa, Worf decides to join a radical fundamentalist group determined to start a political revolution on Risa.

Summary
Odo and Benjamin Sisko are at the station's Replimat, discussing the coming of Miles and Keiko O'Brien's second child. Odo says that "Sean," one of their name choices, means "swamp" in Bajoran. Jadzia Dax comes in nursing a pulled neck muscle, her eighth muscle pull in several weeks and one of many injuries she has sustained since she began seeing Worf. Sisko wishes they could be romantic in a less violent way, but that's unlikely since Jadzia has managed to talk Worf into going to Risa for their vacation, instead of Earth as they originally planned. Sisko is astonished that Worf agreed to it, and wonders if he's begun to loosen up. But as the Klingon enters and orders his usual prune juice, Jadzia claims that he's the same old Worf. When he arrives, Worf says he wants to speak alone with Jadzia, and they begin to mildly argue about her having lunch with Captain Boday, a Gallamite who turns out to be one of Dax' former lovers. Soon after Sisko and Odo leave, Leeta and Dr. Bashir come in to inquire about their trip, asking if they can hitch a ride on the runabout as they seek to have their own romantic leave together. Worf, although not pleased, relents and permits them to come along. In the end, a fifth person joins them on the runabout to Risa: Quark, who would not give Leeta the time off unless he was permitted to tag along.

On the way to Risa, Leeta insists on serving everybody (except for Quark, her boss) their drinks. Quark is quite impatient, even though it's a relatively short trip, and his attitude almost makes Worf abort the trip altogether. Quark gives everybody but Worf horga'hn, Risan fertility idols, which are used when achieving jamaharon, before wisely returning to his cabin on the runabout.

Once on Risa, Bashir and Leeta go off on their own as promised, and Quark immediately gets lucky with his horga'hn. Worf did not change out of his uniform, and seems uncomfortable with being on Risa, though Jadzia does her best to change his mood. She almost succeeds until they are interrupted by Arandis, one of Curzon Dax's old lovers. On his last trip to Risa, Arandis ended up sending the elderly Curzon to his death during jamaharon. Worf is getting more uncomfortable by the minute, near the point of jealousy, and it's beginning to upset Jadzia greatly. She challenges his assertion that he is not too controlling of her by having a glass of icoberry juice, which they both know she is mildly allergic to. He relents from his jealousy again, and she urges him to put a swimsuit on so they can go swimming.

Worf encounters Pascal Fullerton the leader of the radical fundamentalists group "New Essentialists". These fundamentalists are attempting to start a political revolution on Risa. Their aim is to fight against loosening morals in the Federation. Fullerton explains that morals have become degenerated and amusement has a higher priority than ever before. The event is only attended by few people.

Meanwhile Worf and Jadzia see Bashir with another woman, not Leeta. Worf is upset about that and sees this as affirmation for the thesis of Fullerton. When they meet Leeta in the massage facility with another man, Jadzia can hardly calm him down. She explains to him that Leeta and Bashir will have their own reasons for behaving the way they are, and that they should be left to sort it out themselves.

Later, Leeta and Bashir explain that they came to Risa to break up, an old Bajoran tradition. Leeta then reveals that she has developed feelings for Rom.

The group of fundamentalists attack some Risan visitors during dinner, using phasers. When Jadzia and Worf, who are at the dinner, attempt to fight back, Fullerton calls a stop to the action. It turns out that the phaser cells are empty and Fullerton arranged the event so as to demonstrate how vulnerable the Federation has become. Worf is impressed, whereas Jadzia disagrees and tells him he can't control her and should be more relaxed.

Worf sees Jadzia sculpting with Arandis and is jealous. He decides to help Fullerton make his point. With the help of the Klingon they manipulate the weather management system and make it rain, thus gaining attention.

The rain creates an unpleasant ambiance on Risa because everybody expected sunny weather. Fullerton explains his satisfaction to Worf. But when the Worf leaves the fundamentalist whispers to his assistant that all the attention will be forgotten when the weather control system restarts. He wants to take things one step further.

Meanwhile, Jadzia confronts Worf and asks him why he is so obsessed with controlling everything in his life. Worf tells her that when he was a child, he accidentally killed a classmate, Mikel, during a school soccer game when they both made a play for the ball and their heads collided. Worf saw that Humans were extremely fragile, so he decided to restrain himself so that no one else suffered.

Worf and Jadzia are alarmed by an earthquake. It doesn't take them long to realize that Fullerton has something to do with it. This time, however, he has lost the support of Worf who tells Fullerton that the Federation will persevere against the likes of the Klingons, the Dominion... and most importantly, people like him. The two then begin to fight, however Worf easily overcomes Fullerton. Worf and Jadzia manage to beat the fundamentalists and readjust the weather control system. Now even Worf sees for himself that one can relax and enjoy themselves without losing control, and he and Dax decide to make the most of their remaining vacation.

Memorable quotes
"Isn't there any way for the two of you to... you know..."

"Make love?"

"...without injuring yourselves?"

"Interspecies romance isn't without its dangers. That's part of the fun."
 * - Sisko and Jadzia Dax

"Do not hug me!"
 * - Worf to Bashir

"Tell the Ferengi to return to his cabin!"
 * - Worf, to Jadzia regarding Quark on the runabout

"Risa awaits!"
 * - Quark

"I have got to take you on vacation more often."
 * - Jadzia to Worf

"Cute!?"

"Sexy!?"

(together) "Rom?"

(handing Bashir the Horga'hn) "Here, you need this more than I do."
 * - Bashir and Quark

"I've seen drier days on Ferenginar. And we have a hundred seventy-eight different words for rain. Right now it's glebbening out there. And that's bad."
 * - Quark

"It's the humidity - it dampens the food, makes everything mushy. Trust me...there's no word for 'crisp' on Ferenginar."
 * - Quark

Story and script

 * The story for this episode originated in a discussion about 's 1947 play . The main theme of the play is the destructiveness of alcohol and sexuality, and the lives of several characters end in tragedy due to their pursuit of drink and sexual satisfaction. At the time it was written and first performed, the play was extremely controversial due to its frank depiction of alcoholic dependence and sexual obsession, and it was this controversy that the producers wished to replicate. According to Ira Steven Behr, "the idea was to do a show that would rattle the audience, that would show sexuality and push the envelope about Risa. Once you get past the titillation, is this a lifestyle that people in the 20th century can approve of?" (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)

Production

 * A number of problems occurred during the filming of "Let He Who Is Without Sin...". For example, Terry Farrell cannot be in direct sunlight for very long, which meant that for many of the exteriors, there needed to be shelter nearby. According to director Rene Auberjonois however, for the scenes on the beach, the producers forgot to organize a tent for Farrell, and Auberjonois himself had to hunt one down and set it up, putting the shoot several hours behind schedule. Another problem involved the extras. During Monte Markham's speech, Auberjonois picked out a small bank for the extras to stand on. However, when they got to the spot, they discovered it was covered in, making standing still exceptionally difficult, and prolonging the shoot considerably. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)

Deleted scene

 * In the scene where Worf walks in on Leeta and her Risian companion in the purple mesh tank top, Leeta was originally naked and in a bath tub. This is evident in the original thirty-second promotional spot, available at.

Reception

 * Robert Hewitt Wolfe regards this as his least favorite episode out of all of those that he wrote or co-wrote. Ira Steven Behr has commented that if he had to choose one episode he could go back and refine, it would be this one; "It was supposed to be a show that looked at 24th century morals and sexuality. We pretty much failed on both counts."
 * Similarly, Ronald D. Moore says "it's a show we all wish we had a second crack at." Director Rene Auberjonois comments "it was not my happiest time as a director." Even Alexander Siddig disliked the episode, particularly his own performance. Nana Visitor had given birth to their son the night before he shot the scene where he and Leeta break up, and according to Siddig, he had never been so unfocused on-set as he was when shooting that scene. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * In the eyes of Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Ira Steven Behr, the main reason the episode failed was because of restrictions placed upon how open they could be about sexuality. This was a show that was supposed to be examining sex, but it wasn't allowed to actually show any sex. As Wolfe explains, "kids watch this show, and in some markets it airs at five o'clock. That meant we couldn't show skin, so there was no sex. It became a totally asexual show, and once that happened the whole thing got flushed down the toilet because none of it made sense anymore." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * The poll run in 1999 by Sci-Fi Entertainment which saw voted as Deep Space Nine's best show, "" was voted its worst, followed by  and "Let He Who Is Without Sin...".

Continuity and trivia

 * Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys), Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko), and Colm Meaney (Miles O'Brien) do not appear in this episode. Nana Visitor's absence was due to her giving birth to Django, her son with Alexander Siddig, while the episode was in production. The reason Kira appears in but not in  or "Let He Who Is Without Sin..." is because her scenes in  were filmed before  went into production.
 * Ira Steven Behr also wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, where Risa first appeared.
 * We learn the circumstances of Curzon's death in this episode.
 * This episode is one of very few to tell a story of Worf's childhood.
 * The colony of Gault was first mentioned in.
 * Captain Boday is mentioned for the second time in this episode, having previously been referred to in the second season episode . It was revealed in that episode that he and Dax had had dinner together several times.
 * This episode is featured in the "Star Trek's Beautiful Alien Women" documentary of the Special Edition DVD. Terry Farrell talks about working with Vanessa Williams and Chase Masterson about the scene with the Risian male.
 * Quark references the rainy climate of Ferenginar, which had been seen previously in.
 * If you look closely at Dax's swimsuit you can see the Speedo logo on her right hip. It could be that Speedo is still making swimwear in the 24th century.
 * Bashir says to Worf "When in Rome", which is the second time a character has said that to Worf. The first time was in, where Riker said it to him while the Enterprise was visiting Rubicun III, also a paradise-like planet.
 * The scene with Quark and the Risian females mirrors a scene in with Doctor McCoy and several imaginary women.
 * The title contains a grammatical error. It should be, "Let Him Who Is Without Sin..." The King James Version of the Bible renders the statement as "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 5.4,
 * As part of the DS9 Season 5 DVD collection

Starring

 * Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko

Also starring

 * Rene Auberjonois as Odo
 * Michael Dorn as Lt. Commander Worf
 * Terry Farrell as Lt. Commander Dax
 * Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko
 * Armin Shimerman as Quark
 * Alexander Siddig as Doctor Bashir

Guest stars

 * Monte Markham as Pascal Fullerton
 * Chase Masterson as Leeta
 * Frank Kopyc as Bolian Aide

Special appearance by

 * Vanessa Williams as Arandis

Co-stars

 * Zora DeHorter as Risian woman #2
 * Blair Valk as a Risian woman

Uncredited co-stars

 * Karl Moseman as Risian man
 * Unknown actor as a Risian masseur
 * Unknown actress as a Female Risian lute player