Julian’s true abilities
I’ve always wondered just how far Julian’s augmentations extend, because the two times he’s asked the question directly, he gives what sounds like an open, honest answer. And while both answers are similar, they’re not the same:
To Miles in “Doctor Bashir, I Presume?”
Well, my mental abilities were the top priority, of course. My IQ jumped five points a day for over two weeks. Followed by improvements in my hand-eye coordination, stamina, vision, reflexes, weight, height. In the end, everything but my name was altered in some way.
To Lauren in “Statistical Probabilities”
Mental abilities, mostly. But they had my hand eye coordination, reflexes and vision improved as well.
On one occasion he voluntarily offers some further information about his abilities to Miles in “Extreme Measures”:
One of the advantages to being genetically enhanced is the ability to control my own vital signs. When I find a cure and I want to get out, I’ll send my hypothalamus a signal to raise my blood pressure forty percent, and the equipment will automatically break the link.
Then there’s Sisko’s statement in “Take me out to the Holosuite”, which Julian doesn’t challege in the slightest:
How can we beat the Logicians? They’re all Vulcans. They’re stronger and faster than any one of us, except for Worf and our genetically enhanced doctor.
So for a base understanding of Julian’s abilities I would combine all of these statements, putting the most weight behind what he’s told Miles. Why? Well it wasn’t that Miles intended to, but he kind of had to ambush Julian here to give him the heads up his secret was out. So since he was already upset from arguing with his parents, and strssed about what damage Richard and Amsha might do, he was already emotionally vulnerable. Then his best friend walks in to tell him his life is potentially in ruins and his career probably over. Julian is distraught, resigned to his fate, and probably relieved to finally be able to tell someone, having never told a single soul his big secret. When he later tells Miles about his ability to control his vital signs it’s necessary information for their mission, and by this point he’s become comfortable with Miles (and probably only Miles) knowing more about his enhancements.
But Julian’s been an augment since early childhood, he probably doesn’t even know the full scope of his abilities. What he takes as normal for himself in one area may not be close to normal in others. There’s things that medical science can’t measure, especially when it comes to the lived experience of an individual. And that’s where Sisko’s statement about him being stronger and faster than a Vulcan comes in.
By this point the truth about Julian has been out for well over a year. Julian’s no longer hiding, but still not actively flaunting his enhancements. But by this point his colleagues have had a chance to absorb the news and observe Julian a little more closely. We can see from this that Benjamin Sisko (who’s exceptionally strong by any standards!) has observed Julian enough to believe that he’s at the very least as strong and fast as a Vulcan.
We can’t say for definite that this is the case, and Julian’s probably not going to be the best judge, so he agrees and give it little thought (and canonic evidence for his strength is all over the place - sometimes he’s weak as a kitten and other times he isn’t).
Another clue for how bad Julian is at judging his abilities compared to others is in “Extreme Measures” when Julian basically finds a technological way to conduct a mind meld with Sloan. This is a solution concocted on the spot that essentially allows humans to use technology to gain Vulcan-esque mental abilities. We’ve never really seen something like this in Star Trek (at least not anthing created by humans). He explains his idea and invention to Miles thinking that Miles - an engineering genius - will understand. But Miles is thoroughly confused:
Miles: You have me re-routing so many power relays and transfer coils I can’t guarantee any of this will work without running a series of diagnostics.
Julian: I’ve already done the diagnostics, Miles, in my head. The neural interface will then provide a basic pattern to my hippocampal nuclei.
Miles: I give up. You’ve explained it to me three times and I still don’t get it.On top of Julian being a poor judge of comparing the average person to his own lived experience (he might be a doctor with all that technical knowledge of physiology but he’s not far enough removed from his own situation to be accurate here), there’s also this statement to Lauren in “Statistical Probabilities”:
I did my best not to exploit my abilities.
From the ages of 15 to 32, Julian Bashir never once spoke about his augmentation. He never once aroused suspicion, not among his friends, his peers, his instructors, his colleagues, his senior officers or the multitude of suspicious - and occasionally telepathic - aliens he encountered. To say his skills of deception put Garak’s to shame is an understatement. There’s very few moments prior to the reveal that could even point to him being anything other than a typical human Starfleet doctor.
(I’m ignoring the real world knowledge we have that the augment reveal was a last minute addition to his character cos I’m only focusing on in-universe info).
I don’t think his behaviour in covering up his augmentations would change post-reveal, at least not quickly. This is behaviour that has been ingrained in him since he was still a kid. And goodness knows what manipulation and gaslighting his parents employed to make him conceal the truth even before they told him the truth. People don’t just break habits of a lifetime.
Even post-reveal he still underplays things. We see this in “Extreme Measures”. After previously confessing to Miles that he can always hit the bullseye in darts from the oche, Miles doubles it and they go back to playing with roughly the same win/lose ratio as before. But at the end of “Extreme Measures” Julian is able to - having just downed a fair amount of whisky very quickly - lob an arrow at the bullseye from all the way across the bar without even taking time to calculate his shot.
It’s proof he’s still holding back.
There was a big change in Julian’s temperament after the reveal. There’s more genuine confidence, less bravado. He’s no longer actively concealing his secret so there’s less clowning around to deflect attention away from what he’s hiding. But he’s also more withdrawn, less talkative… less happy.
You’d think he would be happy and relieved to be living his authentic life, but he’s not, because he isn’t.
Julian is still hiding. Sure everyone on the station “accepted” that the was an augment. No-one that we know of on the station complained to Starfleet about the retention of his commission and medical licence… But Julian is very aware that his colleagues are accepting him exactly as they believe they know him. They’ll accept the regular Julian Bashir with the abstract knowledge that he’s an augment. They might not accept Julian Bashir as a demonstrable augment. They can live with knowing he’s an augment. They probably don’t want to see the proof.
So Julian’s big secret is out in the open, but he still has to keep his truth to himself. Some quotes from “Statistical Probabilities” show why that’s the case:
Worf: It is not a laughing matter. If people like them are allowed to compete freely, then parents would feel pressured to have their children enhanced so that they could keep up
Sisko, re. limiting the rights of Augments: But even so, it seemed like a good way to discourage genetic tampering.
Miles, who should know better: Besides, it’s not as if we’re trying to exclude them from anything. We’re just talking about limiting what they’re allowed to do.
Julian: Like joining Starfleet.
Worf: Exactly.
Julian: Are you saying that I shouldn’t be allowed to wear this uniform?
Worf: Well, you are an exception.From his reaction, it’s clear Julian detests being an exception. He hates it. He hates that he’s only permitted in non-augmented society because he will submit to the norms of non-augmented society.
So Julian is no longer hiding in secret, he’s hiding in plain sight.
At the end of the day it means we’ll probably never know his full capabilities, though given what we saw him do in “Extreme Measures” and his raw honestly to Miles when the truth comes out, I’d reckon he has abilities far more advanced than anything we saw during DS9’s run.
But more than that I’m sad that Julian now has to live with people knowing him and judging him for something that isn’t his fault or responsibility… and yet he still can’t fully be himself.
I hope if we do see him again we see him happy and no longer having to hide in any way shape or form. I’m going to close with a quote from “A Time to Stand” that’s qute telling (this whole conversation is to be honest), because the following is all lies, and Garak and Julian both know it:
Garak: I’m really not interested, Doctor. Ever since it’s become public knowledge that you’re genetically engineered, you’ve used every opportunity to show off.
Julian: I have nothing to hide anymore. I might as well use what I have.
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Feel free to send me asks.
I'm also on AO3 and Deviantart.
