The contrivances of the time travel plot are a bit forced. But then, most time travel stories have something in them that doesn't quite add up. But this episode still got to me. The scene where the crew helps their descendants plant their crop is really touching. It reminded me of a quote that is often attributed to Martin Luther. "Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."
25 Reviews
A very thoughtful episode...
planktonrules18 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Children of Time" is a very, very good episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9". It begins with the Defiant getting stuck on a distant planet. However, the folks that greet them are a HUGE surprise-- they are descendants of the crew of the Defiant! Huh? Well, it seems that when the ship will try to leave the planet, it will be knocked back in time and crash--and the people they are talking to now are their descendants! It's confusing, I know, but far weirder time accidents have happened on the show. The problem is this--if they go back some other way, the nice people and wonderful civilization they've encountered here will be undone--and will never come to exist. What actually happens to end this episode just blew my mind and it concerns Odo.
This episode sure did a lot to further the progression of the relationship between Odo and Kira. Because of that, it's very important and a must-see. It's also a terrific episode regardless.
This episode sure did a lot to further the progression of the relationship between Odo and Kira. Because of that, it's very important and a must-see. It's also a terrific episode regardless.
Great episode
Hughmanity7 September 2020
I really enjoyed the moral dilemma raised by the time travel plot device, as well as the characters being moved along in their interpersonal relationships by their two remaining time travel counterparts, Dax and Odo.
The decision ultimately made by the crew, the reason that decision doesn't hold and the loss as a result all make this episode have weight that many don't.
I've blamed writers for plenty of episodes that went wrong so I'll give credit where it's due here - this was beautifully written and one of the best of Star Trek.
The decision ultimately made by the crew, the reason that decision doesn't hold and the loss as a result all make this episode have weight that many don't.
I've blamed writers for plenty of episodes that went wrong so I'll give credit where it's due here - this was beautifully written and one of the best of Star Trek.
This is what Star Trek is all about.
KDBrown7772 March 2020
As I've been struggling to get through the sheer pessimism of Picard, I'm reminded of how thoughtful and optimistic Star Trek used to be. This episode is a shining example of that. It has heart, character, and bravery in the face of decimation. The story itself is (by 2020 standards at least) a little worn out, as grandfather paradoxes are nothing new. But I admire the show's efforts to present moral and ethical dilemmas while also developing character arcs in a sci-fi setting. Kurtzman et al. take note - this what Star Trek is supposed to be: exploration, science fiction, ethics, and most importantly, hope.
Offspring
Tweekums19 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
On their way home from a mission in the Gamma Quadrant the Defiant passes a planet surrounded by an unusual energy barrier. Dax wants to investigate as the energy barrier means if they don't investigate now they won't get a chance again. The Captain agrees and when they get to the surface they in for quite a surprise; the planet is occupied by people descended from the crew of the Defiant! They tell the crew that when they leave something in the energy barrier will cause the Defiant to be doubled; the original will continue back to DS9 and the duplicate fill crash on the planet two hundred years before. Jadzia and the new Dax host, Yedrin, work to create the correct situation while the others get to know their descendants, one person has none though... it turns out that Major Kira died shortly after the crash. Jadzia learns that Yedrin has lied to her; the Defiant was never duplicated and if they carry on as planned none of them will see home again but will be destined to create the colony. Opinions about what they should do are divided, some believe they must allow the crash to happen as 8000 people would never exist otherwise, others believe they have a duty to return to their families on DS9.
This was an good episode which left the crew facing a interesting dilemma and when they must decide what to do it is surprising which people believe they should return to DS9 and those who think they have a duty to their descendants. While it was obvious that they would ultimately return to DS9 the way the ending happened came as quite a surprise which I won't spoil here. The colony itself seemed to be a standard Star Trek colony, the people all came together to plant the crops, seeming more like a commune than a colony of 8000 people.
This was an good episode which left the crew facing a interesting dilemma and when they must decide what to do it is surprising which people believe they should return to DS9 and those who think they have a duty to their descendants. While it was obvious that they would ultimately return to DS9 the way the ending happened came as quite a surprise which I won't spoil here. The colony itself seemed to be a standard Star Trek colony, the people all came together to plant the crops, seeming more like a commune than a colony of 8000 people.
Very well done.
dougp014 February 2020
Time travel flaws once again
Paranaut30 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I actually like this episode. It has an interesting dilemma. And it's important to the Odo/ Kira story.
The problem I have with it is the usual time travel logic of Star Trek. If they go back to the station at the end then the colony would never had existed at all, in any timeline.
The problem I have with it is the usual time travel logic of Star Trek. If they go back to the station at the end then the colony would never had existed at all, in any timeline.
A Good Effort, but Why Did Have It Have to Be Time Travel?
frankelee19 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this episode a lot for its execution, the characters are all strongly characterized, they really seem like themselves here. And the premise is intriguing. As a sci-fi plot that speaks to our lives through metaphor, one sees parallels with how we wrestle in the real world about unwanted pregnancy, the undesired life changes that come with it, and with our ability to sometimes control it at the cost of a road not taken and a life not lived.
While the characters and themes are firing well, the plot threw me out of it, and I think most thoughtful people will suffer that problem as well. And that's because it's a time travel plot, and like most time travel plots it's got paradoxes and leaps in logic that don't work. Which is maybe why in the real universe you aren't allowed to time travel.
During the episode the first thing I thought of after they meet the time traveling male Dax is that he should have experienced all this before as Jadzia. I was kind of thinking maybe that's where the episode was going, that Sisko and crew just didn't think about the fact that he had total foreknowledge of how things played out... but no. Actually the first time they got to the planet there were no colonists. So this is definitively the second time history has played out. Not the third time, not the millionth time, not the trillionth trillionth time, the second time. If you ask a team of physicists about it, doubtless they'll come up with 20 paradoxes as to this form of how time works, but what really threw me was, they didn't explain this. So I was left wondering what time traveling Dax had in store, but he was out of the plot after his initial scheme was discovered, it was just about the crew then deciding they couldn't snuff out these people from existence (though why they'd HAVE to be snuffed out from existence with this form of time travel doesn't necessarily follow).
I did appreciate time traveling Odo making the smart point that by not returning to the station they would be denying the lives of all the descendants they would have while not being stranded on that planet (and all the people they save... better hope Sisko wasn't as necessary to saving the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion as the last season makes him seem!). So that no matter what they did, they were wiping somebody out from the timeline. But this is just one line, and Kira is like, "I don't care," so the thought isn't explored.
What they DIDN'T address was that since each iteration of the crew showing up on the planet was different, that means that their descendants would have to convince the crew to stay and crash land, a literally infinite number of times in order to continue to exist. Their rules, not mine. And since we know that an infinite number of times will allow for ALL possible outcomes, and the crew not staying is shown to be a definite outcome, then it doesn't matter if they choose to stay or not. Those 8,000 people are doomed to being snuffed out of existence either way, because eventually, if not on the second try (as happened on the show) then maybe on the trillionth, trillionth, trillionth try, somebody will say the wrong thing and make Sisko realize this is a bad idea, or the navigator will input the coordinates to crash wrong and they'll all die when the ship hits a mountain, or literally any of the infinite number of ways it can go wrong, will cause things not to go right and they'll all be erased from time. They're doomed no matter what by the show's own sci-fi logic.
Which if it were just an ice-box nitpick wouldn't be so bad, but because it's a science fiction show with a time travel plot, all that was brought to the fore in my mind as I was watching the show, distracting me and making me think about the meta elements of the plot.
Also I wasn't in love with the tone of the ending, the whole Odo/Kira thing felt awkward tonally, very off, and that also severely undercut the emotion the episode was building to. I can't say it deserves more than a 7 on the whole.
While the characters and themes are firing well, the plot threw me out of it, and I think most thoughtful people will suffer that problem as well. And that's because it's a time travel plot, and like most time travel plots it's got paradoxes and leaps in logic that don't work. Which is maybe why in the real universe you aren't allowed to time travel.
During the episode the first thing I thought of after they meet the time traveling male Dax is that he should have experienced all this before as Jadzia. I was kind of thinking maybe that's where the episode was going, that Sisko and crew just didn't think about the fact that he had total foreknowledge of how things played out... but no. Actually the first time they got to the planet there were no colonists. So this is definitively the second time history has played out. Not the third time, not the millionth time, not the trillionth trillionth time, the second time. If you ask a team of physicists about it, doubtless they'll come up with 20 paradoxes as to this form of how time works, but what really threw me was, they didn't explain this. So I was left wondering what time traveling Dax had in store, but he was out of the plot after his initial scheme was discovered, it was just about the crew then deciding they couldn't snuff out these people from existence (though why they'd HAVE to be snuffed out from existence with this form of time travel doesn't necessarily follow).
I did appreciate time traveling Odo making the smart point that by not returning to the station they would be denying the lives of all the descendants they would have while not being stranded on that planet (and all the people they save... better hope Sisko wasn't as necessary to saving the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion as the last season makes him seem!). So that no matter what they did, they were wiping somebody out from the timeline. But this is just one line, and Kira is like, "I don't care," so the thought isn't explored.
What they DIDN'T address was that since each iteration of the crew showing up on the planet was different, that means that their descendants would have to convince the crew to stay and crash land, a literally infinite number of times in order to continue to exist. Their rules, not mine. And since we know that an infinite number of times will allow for ALL possible outcomes, and the crew not staying is shown to be a definite outcome, then it doesn't matter if they choose to stay or not. Those 8,000 people are doomed to being snuffed out of existence either way, because eventually, if not on the second try (as happened on the show) then maybe on the trillionth, trillionth, trillionth try, somebody will say the wrong thing and make Sisko realize this is a bad idea, or the navigator will input the coordinates to crash wrong and they'll all die when the ship hits a mountain, or literally any of the infinite number of ways it can go wrong, will cause things not to go right and they'll all be erased from time. They're doomed no matter what by the show's own sci-fi logic.
Which if it were just an ice-box nitpick wouldn't be so bad, but because it's a science fiction show with a time travel plot, all that was brought to the fore in my mind as I was watching the show, distracting me and making me think about the meta elements of the plot.
Also I wasn't in love with the tone of the ending, the whole Odo/Kira thing felt awkward tonally, very off, and that also severely undercut the emotion the episode was building to. I can't say it deserves more than a 7 on the whole.
A real good sci-fi episode
chris-j-chuba30 December 2020
That deals with ethical problems created by technology.
* * technically a spoiler but * * you will figure out where they are going in the first 10 minutes. The episode focuses on their internal struggle, not on suspense.
It works because you believe the connection the crew has with the people on the planet, great chemistry. The earlier Odo and Dax, changed by their experiences, was a good touch. They chose really good extras to represent the descendants.
* * technically a spoiler but * * you will figure out where they are going in the first 10 minutes. The episode focuses on their internal struggle, not on suspense.
It works because you believe the connection the crew has with the people on the planet, great chemistry. The earlier Odo and Dax, changed by their experiences, was a good touch. They chose really good extras to represent the descendants.
Time Contrivances
Hitchcoc31 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is another convoluted time travel thing where people exist in two planes. When Dax, in her bullheaded way, talks the Captain into exploring a planet, the crew lands and finds the children of their future selves. Of course, the writers turn this into a moral tale about giving one's life so that others can go on. There is a connection with these people, who are kind and productive, and so they become the potential victims. By leaving, the crew will make it so 8,000 people will never exist. The time travel business is so far fetched and so badly explained that it just doesn't work. Again, Kira and her religious beliefs are held to a higher plane than the beliefs of the others. Odo also has an interesting role to play.
Math do not stack
pawel-czoppa9 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
If we consider that we got even split of women/men on the crew and every one have at least 3 kids in their lifetime. Additionally if average lifespan is 100years, and for each generation the split is sustained and every couple has 3 kids then after 200years (8 generations) we would have ~4500 people living on that planet :)
This is optimistic scenario 😎
Other than that - great episode!
This is optimistic scenario 😎
Other than that - great episode!
Flaws get in the way
sydney20156 July 2015
The premise and plot of this episode were very good, but the racial composition of the crew's descendants was so big of a flaw it took away from the rest of the episode. I'm willing to suspend disbelief for DS9 (as well as all the other Star Trek franchises/movies) to allow for the somewhat distinct races that still exist 300+ years into the future. But in this episode, there have been another 200 years (8-9 generations) with the full 8,000 person population all stemming from 40 or so people. There is just no way there would still be "black" & "white" people. (Don't even get me started on the redheads!) This would be one multi-racial group. And how there were still "pure" Trills, with only one to begin with, is a mystery. At the very least, the Trills would also be Klingon descendants. For one episode they could have cast a group of racially ambiguous people. (As noted in the "goofs" section, each descendant would likely have the same amount of DNA from the original crew, so racial distinctions would be minimal if any.)
Completely ignores the Dominion wars and the prophets/pah wraiths conflict
ulrichkristine29 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This episode has a lot going for it as a stand alone Star Trek episode. However it completely ignores important events going on elsewhere with the characters as central key players - like the Dominion wars and the prophets/pah wraiths conflict.
It chronicles how the crew comes to the decision to voluntarily crash land on a planet in the past in order to result in the settlement in the present day of their descendants. When the crew sees the settlement and learns of the accident that will leave them stranded - they figure out pretty quickly that now that they know what happened they can prevent the accident. They resolve to return to the future. Then there's a plot where the Dax descendant convinces them that they can create a quantum split involving doubles of the ship and crew - one returns home and the other crash lands - creating the settlement. But that is discovered as a lie. Naturally Sisco and the crew agree they can't just the stranded there and abandon their families and duties - and resolve to leave - until Kira (the only one who dies resulting from the crash) decides it's her fate to die there and have the settlement remain. Long story short - the rest of the crew eventually agrees and they decide to crash land. But the version of Odo that was left stranded sabotages their plans. He sets the ship to automatically swerve out of the way of the anomaly and the ship goes home in the present day.
I have a few issues with this episode. One - the crew keep saying that they "know their families at home are alright" - but they are at war - they actually don't know for sure and have no reason to think their families are not facing danger in the future from war.
Another thing is Kira and Sisko ignoring that Sisko is the Emissary. Kira makes her decision to stay because she reasons her fate was to die there. It's very hard to believe she would feel the same way about Sisko not making it back to bajor and the prophets. Even Sisko had come a long way towards accepting his role as emissary at this point.
They knew about the Pah Wraiths attempting to kill the prophets at this point. They were right in the middle of the war with the Dominion. It's very difficult to believe their "greater good" calculation would end up being to stay there to make sure those people exist as opposed to going back to fight.
Then the idea that this is basically in service of the romantic subplot of Odo and Kira really just kind of makes it not very good.
It was a good stand alone episode with good moral quandaries but poorly timed and way too stand alone - it just doesn't make sense in context of the rest of the season.
It chronicles how the crew comes to the decision to voluntarily crash land on a planet in the past in order to result in the settlement in the present day of their descendants. When the crew sees the settlement and learns of the accident that will leave them stranded - they figure out pretty quickly that now that they know what happened they can prevent the accident. They resolve to return to the future. Then there's a plot where the Dax descendant convinces them that they can create a quantum split involving doubles of the ship and crew - one returns home and the other crash lands - creating the settlement. But that is discovered as a lie. Naturally Sisco and the crew agree they can't just the stranded there and abandon their families and duties - and resolve to leave - until Kira (the only one who dies resulting from the crash) decides it's her fate to die there and have the settlement remain. Long story short - the rest of the crew eventually agrees and they decide to crash land. But the version of Odo that was left stranded sabotages their plans. He sets the ship to automatically swerve out of the way of the anomaly and the ship goes home in the present day.
I have a few issues with this episode. One - the crew keep saying that they "know their families at home are alright" - but they are at war - they actually don't know for sure and have no reason to think their families are not facing danger in the future from war.
Another thing is Kira and Sisko ignoring that Sisko is the Emissary. Kira makes her decision to stay because she reasons her fate was to die there. It's very hard to believe she would feel the same way about Sisko not making it back to bajor and the prophets. Even Sisko had come a long way towards accepting his role as emissary at this point.
They knew about the Pah Wraiths attempting to kill the prophets at this point. They were right in the middle of the war with the Dominion. It's very difficult to believe their "greater good" calculation would end up being to stay there to make sure those people exist as opposed to going back to fight.
Then the idea that this is basically in service of the romantic subplot of Odo and Kira really just kind of makes it not very good.
It was a good stand alone episode with good moral quandaries but poorly timed and way too stand alone - it just doesn't make sense in context of the rest of the season.
Only when I'm angry
snoozejonc9 February 2023
The Defiant goes through a temporal anomaly and crash lands on a planet to make a shocking discovery.
This is a strong episode with a good sci-fi concept and character moments.
The plot has a great "what if" time-bending premise that hooks you immediately into the situation. This leads on to an interesting dilemma that is moderately compelling when you know everything will be back to normal by the end of the episode. However, there is a very good reveal at the end that gives the resolution somewhat of a dark edge.
There are some contrived elements of the plot and some clunky dialogue sequences, but they all serve the premise, so for me this can be forgiven.
Many characters get the opportunity to shine, such as Odo, Kira, Worf and Dax. All actors are on great form, especially Rene Auberjonois.
The visuals are great, with a good mix of outdoor and studio shots.
This is a strong episode with a good sci-fi concept and character moments.
The plot has a great "what if" time-bending premise that hooks you immediately into the situation. This leads on to an interesting dilemma that is moderately compelling when you know everything will be back to normal by the end of the episode. However, there is a very good reveal at the end that gives the resolution somewhat of a dark edge.
There are some contrived elements of the plot and some clunky dialogue sequences, but they all serve the premise, so for me this can be forgiven.
Many characters get the opportunity to shine, such as Odo, Kira, Worf and Dax. All actors are on great form, especially Rene Auberjonois.
The visuals are great, with a good mix of outdoor and studio shots.
Would you sacrifice 8000 people to get your love back?
the_oak9 November 2023
I agree with those who say that Odo's action here is very unforgiving. Even if you love someone to death, would you sacrifice 8000 people for that person? I really like this episode, I especially like the scene where Worf and the klingons come to help with sowing. I do not especially care for the Odo character. He seems kind of insane. If I was Kira I would never have trusted Odo again. But who knows how we would act in similar circumstances? I have watched this episode several times, and it's always good to revisit. That's a sign of a really good episode. Wish you the very best, fellow human being, star dust creature, ape.
I dont understand why they had to not exist?
yanksa114 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
If 8,000 people exist for 200 years in a "bottle" as it were, I dont understand why they had to not exist. The creators could have had them continue and/or spring into another universe or something. The main point is the love relationship between Captain Sisco's second-in-command and the stations "constable." The end result is the worth of 8,000 souls to a couple love relationship. Odo thought it was worth it, but will "she?"
Fantastic.
stuart-smith72928 February 2021
All time travel have problems but this one even more
DiscGolfer9 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The question throughout the show is the moral question of "saving" 8000 people. No one stop to think that there never was that choice.
1. if they left the planet the 8000 would cease to exist. As they did in the show 2. If they followed the plan the 8000 would cease to exist. But get reborn and 200 years later be in the same mess... a time loop to be repeated SO either way... there would not be those 8000 people on the planet the next day.
1. if they left the planet the 8000 would cease to exist. As they did in the show 2. If they followed the plan the 8000 would cease to exist. But get reborn and 200 years later be in the same mess... a time loop to be repeated SO either way... there would not be those 8000 people on the planet the next day.
The consequences of love.
thevacinstaller31 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is quite a rollercoaster ride in terms of moral/ethical dilemma's being talked through and justified and even changed based on experiences on the planet.
What truly blew my mind was the massive set on the writers of this episode having Odo become a mass murderer. He was directly responsible for wiping 8000+ individuals from history all for the love of one woman. There's an interesting dilemma for you ---- What are you willing to sacrifice for the person you love the most in this world?!
I don't know about you but I was totally up for watching this society living life like Little House on The Prairie..... well TOUGH because they are all dead.
This is some golden age star trek type writing and should be revered for it's quality and taking huge risks in service of developing the over arcing story.
Best episode of Season 5 so far.
What truly blew my mind was the massive set on the writers of this episode having Odo become a mass murderer. He was directly responsible for wiping 8000+ individuals from history all for the love of one woman. There's an interesting dilemma for you ---- What are you willing to sacrifice for the person you love the most in this world?!
I don't know about you but I was totally up for watching this society living life like Little House on The Prairie..... well TOUGH because they are all dead.
This is some golden age star trek type writing and should be revered for it's quality and taking huge risks in service of developing the over arcing story.
Best episode of Season 5 so far.
Interesting idea, execution is flawed...
johncarson-440578 March 2020
I started out enjoying the episodes but ended with mix feelings. The main issue with the plot is presenting a moral dilemma that no one can relate to, and in reality, is way too convoluted. If you really think about it, in 2000 years there might be a billion people so oh no they just killed a billion people because they didn't go back in time. I love it when Star Trek makes you think, but there is a balance between creativity and absurdity.
One of the best episodes
Filmreader6 November 2021
Another episode which got my goat
hswasserman14 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Something about this episode really rubbed me the wrong way. The whole time I was watching I kept thinking, "This has to be one of those episodes where the characters have been taken prisoner and are merely experiencing a simulation. It would have made sense if the founders captured them and somehow were able to deceive them into thinking they had to stay there and couldn't go back to the station. I mean particularly as every one of the senior officers happened to be on the away mission. Whereas Sisko and maybe one other character wanted to go back to the station everyone else completely bought into staying there. No one was suspicious that it might be a trick. No one seemed to appreciate that it was more important they go back to the station where their friends, families, the war, and their jobs were waiting for them. What? Stay there just because 8,000 people were there due to them having gone back in time? The objective should be not to alter the flow of time and change things. If something happens because they went back in time that shouldn't matter. It's not like they killed the 8,000 people. They just stopped existing because they weren't supposed to exist. It should not have ended up that 200 year old Odo altered their flight path to save Kira's life. It should have been a decision the crew realized was right. They have no allegiance to altered history. Their allegiance should be to the reality they came from and the people and situations which were going on there, not to people who only existed due to an accident. It just seemed like there was a bigger picture that should have been explored here instead of tugging on our heartstrings by having all these children running around and descendants of Worf walking around with spears. Sure, it was easier to make the choice in City on the Edge of Forever when it was a matter of preventing Germany from winning WW2, but for me the same principle holds. You go back in time and change history your obligation is to put things back to how they were. And just as it is a soldier's duty to escape from a prison camp, it's a starfleet officer's duty to try to return from their missions.
A Big Idea, poorly executed
skinnybert5 February 2021
Sci-fi has been historically very forgiving to poorly-written stories for the sake of the Big Idea, which characterizes this episode. Think I'm too harsh? Take this test:
1. One of your crew scans a strange planet and finds it has some sort of barrier around it, but possible signs of life -- possibly only a fungus. What do you do? a) cautiously investigate as tired crew tensions rise b) declare yourself its god-emperor and exterminate any who oppose you c) plunge into the barrier, trapping ship and everyone in it
2. Your helmsperson's decision has just damaged your ship, delaying your return by several days. This becomes: a) experience toward better command decisions b) a point of contention among the crew, resenting the unwanted delay c) a plot-driven means to get into the story
3. You are face-to-face with your own direct ancestors of two centuries previous. What is your reaction? a) greet them enthusiastically b) fire phasers c) explain the plot as if reporting the minutes of last month's meeting.
Which would you prefer? If you said (c) to each one, then this episode is for you
1. One of your crew scans a strange planet and finds it has some sort of barrier around it, but possible signs of life -- possibly only a fungus. What do you do? a) cautiously investigate as tired crew tensions rise b) declare yourself its god-emperor and exterminate any who oppose you c) plunge into the barrier, trapping ship and everyone in it
2. Your helmsperson's decision has just damaged your ship, delaying your return by several days. This becomes: a) experience toward better command decisions b) a point of contention among the crew, resenting the unwanted delay c) a plot-driven means to get into the story
3. You are face-to-face with your own direct ancestors of two centuries previous. What is your reaction? a) greet them enthusiastically b) fire phasers c) explain the plot as if reporting the minutes of last month's meeting.
Which would you prefer? If you said (c) to each one, then this episode is for you
A good story spoiled by a bad ending and how to fix it
whyesit1 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
There are many nice elements in this episode, but the ending is simply awful. OK, the crew landed on a planet with an illydic community formed by their own descendants and were told that they were fated to crashed back 200 years when they depart. After a lot of argument and soul-searching the crew accepted that history must repeat and bravely flew to their fate, only to find that ... Odo (of the originally crashed crew) sabotaged the plan to let them go, essentially wiping out the community, because he didn't want Kira to be killed in the crash once more??? What the hell? Doesn't he feel any connection to all those people he knows since 200 years? How does he expect Kira to live with the knowledge that to save her life 8000 people disappeared?
However there are some very touching elements about the community - I liked the idea of Dax's guilt that she was to be blamed for the crash and lived with it for 200 years; I liked the idea that Klingon identity had become a cultural definition and one could be Klingon by birth or by choice; the cute Quark program teaching maths; and most of all the day when the settlers believed that the crew (ie their ancestors ) would not want to repeat history and calmly carried on with the last day of their existence. And I guess there could be a different way of ending the episode - the community ending up disappearing is not a problem, but it could be written as a matter of fate ?
For example, the Dax settler could have acted in good faith when he suggested that they could calibrate the departure in a specific way that creates a duplicate of the Defiant so that one could go home and the other leaves behind to preserve the community history line - after all he's had 200 years to figure it out and there was that Thomas Riker precedent. However it could turn out that the crew having gained the knowledge has already changed history (after all would you fall in love the same way with the person having already met your great great great great grand daughter?), and they could realise that something's wrong when the supposed day of the crash turns out to be sunny when according to history it should have been stormy. The crew could be anxious of racing against time to find a way to recreate the original condition before sunset so as save the settlers, even that would mean they wouldn't be going home ; but the settlers could convince them that this is all part of the Path laid out by the Prophets; and what matters is that they have existed and will be remembered by friends --something their Kira taught their ancestors before she died. Then they could spend the day together plowing and planting as in the episode... That would leave a more bittersweet ending and an experience the crew (and the audience) would want to remember rather than forget, no?
However there are some very touching elements about the community - I liked the idea of Dax's guilt that she was to be blamed for the crash and lived with it for 200 years; I liked the idea that Klingon identity had become a cultural definition and one could be Klingon by birth or by choice; the cute Quark program teaching maths; and most of all the day when the settlers believed that the crew (ie their ancestors ) would not want to repeat history and calmly carried on with the last day of their existence. And I guess there could be a different way of ending the episode - the community ending up disappearing is not a problem, but it could be written as a matter of fate ?
For example, the Dax settler could have acted in good faith when he suggested that they could calibrate the departure in a specific way that creates a duplicate of the Defiant so that one could go home and the other leaves behind to preserve the community history line - after all he's had 200 years to figure it out and there was that Thomas Riker precedent. However it could turn out that the crew having gained the knowledge has already changed history (after all would you fall in love the same way with the person having already met your great great great great grand daughter?), and they could realise that something's wrong when the supposed day of the crash turns out to be sunny when according to history it should have been stormy. The crew could be anxious of racing against time to find a way to recreate the original condition before sunset so as save the settlers, even that would mean they wouldn't be going home ; but the settlers could convince them that this is all part of the Path laid out by the Prophets; and what matters is that they have existed and will be remembered by friends --something their Kira taught their ancestors before she died. Then they could spend the day together plowing and planting as in the episode... That would leave a more bittersweet ending and an experience the crew (and the audience) would want to remember rather than forget, no?
Stupid and pointless
dunks58-615-9553167 September 2021
Nearly every time, after "City at the Edge of Forever", that ST has gone "timey-wimey", it just turns into a big, dumb, embarrassing mess. Nothing in this episode makes the slightest sense, and it does nothing to advance the main story in any way. I couldn't wait for all the people on this planet of idiot space hippies to cease to exist. I only wish that this entire episode had ceased to exist as well. Compared to even the relative lightness of the preceding episode, which was terrifically funny (I'd watch Jeffrey Combs read the phone book aloud) this is just a complete waste of time. It epitomizes everything that was wrong with DS9 -- silly, preachy, puerile, sentimental, illogical, pointless, zero emotional consquence, and utterly irrelevant to the main story arc. Remember how The Dominion is about to invade and take over the whole Alpha Quadrant? Well, that puts you several steps ahead of the writers of this nonsense. 0/10. Fail.
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