EPISODES 5-3

# 5. WHISPERS

Deep Space Nine, Season 2

Episode Number 34

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Info and General Credits

Directed by  Les Landau

Written by  Paul Robert Coyle

Aired  1994

Stardate  47552

Guest Cast

Keiko O'Brien  Rosalind Chao

En. DeCurtis  Todd Waring

Ad. Rollman  Susan Bay

Coutu  Philip LeStrange

Molly O'Brien  Hana Hatae

Premise

After returning to the station from a sensitive mission involving the security for the Parada peace talks O'Brien notices that something suspicious is afoot, as all is not as it seems on DS9. Things have changed, people have changed, and he's the only one who seems to notice, and this turns out to be no paranoid delusion. So, seemingly surrounded by impostors that are out to get him O'Brien escapes from the station and makes a dash through the wormhole to confront the Paradas.

Comments

I don't know if this deserves to be in the Top Ten greatest Star Trek episodes ever, but this happens to be one of my favourites, anyway... 'Whispers' was one's standard, run of the mill, mid-season, stand alone bottle show. But what a great and effective episode it was. The principal plot device was an old favourite -conspiracy, and the crew you know and love so well acting very strangely and most out of character, except O'Brien who'd just returned to the station after overseeing security preparations for the Parada peace talks. Were everyone on the station alien impostors? Had there been a mass take over whilst he was away? The paranoia we see O'Brien go through is tangible and not at all misplaced, there is something definitely awry on Deep Space Nine.

It is a superbly crafted story, as we are guided through the twists and turns with O'Brien's narration, by way of his personal logs, as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on and why, and his attempts to undermine them and escape whilst ensuring the safety of the Parada delegation. But he constantly finds himself blocked at every turn, being diverted and reassigned, in a fashion that belies rationale. Even Keiko's acting strangely (doesn't she always? ;o), and to his horror he later discovers Starfleet seems to be in on it. Finally he finds an ally in Odo when he returns to the station, and sanity returns for a while. But he soon 'turns' also. Had he been replaced as well!? This is a totally fascinating episode, and all is explained in the last two minutes in an awesome twist that could not possibly be guessed. I definitely recommend you check this one out again and again.

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# 4. THE INNER LIGHT

The Next Generation, Season 5

Episode Number 125

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Info and General Credits

Directed by Peter Lauritson

Teleplay by Morgan Gendel and Peter Allan Fields

Story by Morgan Gendel

Aired  June 1992

Stardate  45944

Guest Cast

Eline  Margot Rose

Batai  Richard Riehle

Administrator  Scott Jaeck

Meribor  Jennifer Nash

Young Batai  Daniel Stewart

Nurse Ogawa  Patti Yasutake

Premise

Picard is targeted by a mind altering device from an alien probe. Falling unconscious he awakes to find himself on a long lost alien world. With his former life and the Enterprise gone, but not forgotten, he goes on to live a lifetime of experiences in what seems to be someone else's life.

Comments

The bizarre plot of this Fifth Season outing involves the Enterprise encountering a mysterious alien craft of unknown origin. The craft then proceeds to inexplicably link itself to Picard telepathically. Picard wakes to find himself on an unknown world as another man, and goes on to live a lifetime there... That's it in a nutshell. It's original, innovative and very high concept for mainstream sci-fi, but the resulting episode is breathtaking, little more can said in the way of superlatives. It is a slickly constructed and moving hour of television. It's difficult in fact to fully embrace the shear magnitude of what happened to Picard. In a little under half an hour he lived 30 to 40 years worth of experience. He had a wife, two children, and a home, everything he could not have as a Starship captain. He ends up an old man, a Grandfather, perhaps dying along with the planet that may soon follow him due to its sun on the verge of a tragic supernova. And then, bang, he's a middle aged man again, back on the Enterprise as Captain Picard, and his home of thirty years, Kataan, is but a thousand year old memory having been destroyed by a supernova, a memory which encompasses the entire world, the people, its science and its culture. Thanks to the probe it is Picard who possesses the information no other living person has, information about the existence of Kataan, brought back to a galaxy that long forgot them. This is an episode which is both mind boggling, and enlightening. I reckon no other show on television could even conceive, no matter deliver, stories such as these!

All the seemingly out door scenes of Ressick were shot inside on a regular soundstage. It is to the credit of the quality of the lighting (by Marvin Rush) that conveys the very realistic illusion that it was shot somewhere on location - with slight overexposure, to portray a planet in the path of a dying sun.

Batai, Kamin/Picard's son is played by Patrick Stewart's real son, Daniel Stewart.

As an afterward, Picard's experience here is in a small measure revisited in the sixth season episode 'Lessons'.

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# 3. DUET

Deep Space Nine, Season 1

Episode Number 19

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Info and General Credits

Directed by James L Conway

Teleplay by Peter Allan Fields

Story by Lisa Rich & Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci

Aired  1993

Stardate  Unknown

Guest Cast

Aamin Marritza  Harris Yulin

Gul Dukat  Marc Alaimo

Neela  Robin Christopher

Kainon  Tony Rizzoli

Kaval  Ted Sorel

Premise

A sick Cardassian is taken to the infirmary on the station whilst passing through on a freighter. Whilst seeking treatment he is abruptly arrested on suspicion of committing war crimes against the Bajoran people, as his illness can only be attributed to his presence at a notorious Bajoran forced labour Camp during the occupation. 

Comments

The nature of the illness (Kalla-Nohra Syndrome) and how it works is not explained in great depth, but is not at all important as the drama and interaction between the Cardassian, Marritza, and the interrogating Kira takes off, and ends up being deeply evocative, and even explosive. The scenes between the two in the cells are reminiscent of Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling (Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster) in 'Silence of The Lambs', and to their credit, Nana Visitor and Harris Yulin are truly miraculous in this episode. It begins as a standard interrogation to determine Marritza's story that he was simply a 'filing clerk' at the notorious and savage Gallitep labour camp. When it turns out he may in fact be the terrible Gul Darhe'el, the 'Butcher of Gallitep' no less, he faces a fate of certain execution. There are many twists that occur in this episode, and when you think you've found a straight and narrow passage for the plot to follow you're suddenly pulled down unexpected adjacent side streets, so you don't know what the end result will be, until it is reached. It is chilling and bold, and you can't help but be moved by Marritza's extraordinary courage and sacrifice. It is indeed a superbly provocative story of this forlorn Cardassian patriot perhaps seeking his own personal absolution.

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