Vic Fontaine and the Kindness of a Hologram

When Vic Fontaine sang “Here’s to the Losers” entertaining Doctor Bashir and Quark after they learned Jadzia Dax and Worf were planning on having a baby, Vic acted as Comforter-in-Chief, able to serenade away their sorrows and imagined digressions of lost love. However, his compassion was not strictly a matter of sympathy. Vic understood, from a distance, the full depth of the unnecessary complex the two persuaded themselves into. He spoke to them as an emotional adviser and confidant, stating, “I hate to break it to you, pallie, but you lost her a long time ago. You both did. But lucky for you, space is big. There are a lot of other nice girls out there, with or without spots. Capisce?” (“Tears of the Prophets” 1998). From his 1960s lounge, Vic transgressed holomorphic expectations, countering the variables attributed programming, he offered compassion, heart, experience, and friendship in a time of war.  

Vic Fontaine’s ability to express compassion and goal-oriented healing was not limited with broken hearts, he could mend love dictates as well as he did for Odo and Kira Nerys in “His Way” (1998).  

First, through the introduction of a holo-Kira, Vic lulled Odo into a state of passivity and convinced the real Kira to commit to a date with Odo without Odo catching on to what was happening. This is one of the very few occasions where Odo was not inside the masterful plot as Vic concealed one hand while showing the other. A 1960s holographic lounge singer got the best of the Changeling security guard who was typically always wise to goings and comings on of Deep Space Nine. Adroitly, Vic manipulated the staunch Odo and stubborn Nerys to assist in the forming of one of the most valued love stories of Star Trek.  

Vic would also expand his role as comforter when Nog lost his leg on AR-558 and came to live alongside him in the holoprogram as Vic helped Nog negotiate the emotional and psychological distress of PTSD in “It’s Only a Paper Moon” (1998). Nog found astute love, resourcefulness, and new purpose in the holosuite until he resurfaced having found a way to overcome and accept the trials of war, mostly thanks to Vic.  

That is Vic’s greatest earnestness of power and influence: he reunites. Vic reunites family, reunites hearts to mind, resourcefulness rises from neglect, and compassionately he bridges the tides of formerly misdirected purpose. With all these virtues Vic possess, there was no question the crew of Deep Space Nine would come to his aid when he was in need in “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang” (1999). His friends planned the master-heist to, this time, reunite Vic with his lounge and his independence. Vic’s programming is more than just the manipulation of “photons and force fields” (“His Way”), he was an altruistic, calming, and solemn voice soothing the background noises of war with the Dominion. He as more than a personal friend, though that he adamantly was, he was also a collective friend to the Deep Space Nine community; actively waiting in the holosuite for the opportunity to combine compassion and care for war-weary group of comrades. 

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