The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Remco on 2008-11-21 at 4:03pm:
  Holy crap, they predicted the financial crisis! :D Let's hope this doesn't come true either. I don't particularly like the prospect of a 16 year long depression.
• From Sean Freeburn on 2009-07-15 at 10:32am:
  I was pleasantly suprised with the time travel in this episode - too often when sci-fi shows travel back in time, they end up in modern day Earth or some pivotal moment in Earth's past (TOS: The City on the Edge of Forever, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, VOY: Future's End, etc.) in an attempt to be trendy. Past Tense had a nice break on this cliche, by setting it in our not-too-distant future, yet still in DS9's past.
• From Phillip on 2009-08-06 at 6:38pm:
  As a non-American Star Trek fan I have a serious problem with this episode a lot of the 'reforms' were already in existence in European countries at the end of the 21st Century. The throwaway line 'Europe is a mess' doesn't cut it.
  
• From tigertooth on 2016-10-02 at 5:05pm:
  One nitpick: both in this two-parter and in The Search, the entire senior staff leaves the station -- taking the Defiant with them. Who is back at DS9 keeping things together? Especially in this episode, given the Dominion threat, how can they justify leaving the station without any senior officers *and* without their greatest weapon?
  
  Obviously they did it in order to get all the main characters (except Quark) onto the shows without adding a station-based B-plot. So I get it from a real world perspective. Just kind of ridiculous from the fictional world perspective.

No fan commentary yet.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From DSOmo on 2007-10-01 at 9:52am:
  - Famke Janssen plays Kamala in this episode. She later plays Jean Grey in the X-Men movies (with Patrick Stewart)
  - At the beginning of the episode, Briam asks Picard to declare Cargo Bay 1 off-limits. After the Ferengi come on board, one of them simply walks into the cargo bay. Why didn't Picard station a guard outside the cargo bay or at least lock the door?
  - Picard and Alrik have a conversation in the observation lounge. In the shots showing Picard, the stars in the observation window drift slowly from right to left. In the shots showing Alrik, the stars remain still.
  -The last scene shows the Enterprise and a smaller ship flying off in different directions. The footage comes from the end of "Suddenly Human," and the ship is Talarian, not Kriosian.
• From paul on 2010-07-19 at 2:07am:
  What's interesting, to add to DSOmo's point is that in this episode, Famke Janssen plays a mutant (her own words in the episode)! So we have another x-men relation!
• From CAlexander on 2011-03-16 at 12:16am:
  I quite liked this episode. It has a much more subtle approach than one might expect of Star Trek. Picard is trying to navigate between many conflicting demands. He wants to give her freedom. Then he finds he has to confine her. But she is a person who has done nothing wrong. He knows that she is dangerous. But to simply reject her as a threat simply because she is who she is would remove her fundamental right to interact with other sentient beings of her choice. And he's only human, and she has become the perfect woman to him, the most interesting person to talk to. It is a tricky situation with a poignant but not overdramatized resolution.
• From Mike on 2017-03-27 at 11:25pm:
  Ambassador Briam: "Captain, may I ask that the cargo bay be declared off limits to all but the most essential personnel?"
  
  Picard: "I can assure you, ambassador, that the only people allowed in that cargo bay will be authorized Starfleet personnel and one dimwitted, lustful Ferengi. Two Ferengi at the most. Beyond that, you have my guarantee that cargo is secure."
  
  Briam: "Why, that doesn't sound good at all, Picard!"
  
  Picard: "Look, ambassador, you have nothing to worry about. My security people are top-knotch. They'd never let this ship be taken over by a bunch of Ferengi. Can you imagine?"
  
  Commander William "Intergalactic Playboy" Riker comes out a bit in this episode, too...when Kamala walks past him after emerging from stasis with his "awww yeah" look. And as hinted by the webmaster review, when he goes to the holodeck after visiting Kamala to do there for free what Quark in DS9 charges his holodeck customers for.
  
  Joking aside, the concept of the episode was interesting and it explored some worthwhile themes. It does drag a bit slowly sometimes. But I like the way Federation values are once again contrasted fairly objectively with that of another culture. My sense is that most modern, Western people would react to arranged marriage much as Crusher did, with haughty ethnocentrism. It's a tough thing for post-industrial societies to tolerate. Picard is more reserved in his judgment about the marriage itself, but asks questions about her choices and preferences. In the end, he has to balance a unique challenge to his self-discipline, the interests of the peace process he is supposed to facilitate, and his own convictions about individual rights and sentient beings making their own choices. Despite the dull pacing, it's a pretty good episode. I'd give it a 6.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Sherlock on 2006-10-13 at 4:18pm:
  I just watched this episode again for the first time in years and found it better than I remember. I thought the plot centered on the same sort of argument that "The Measure of a Man" used. Do they have the right to sacrifice Hugh for the betterment of society, just as they wondered in MoaM if Data had the right to be sacrificed for the betterment of society. In that episode, Picard said that we (humans) would be judged on how we treated this new species, meaning androids. But here he lets his emotions get in the way, and doesn't care how humans will be judged.
  The dialogue between Hugh and Picard is brilliant. I love how Picard tries to verbally force Hugh to 'help him assimliate the ship' and Hugh says 'I will not.'
  This is my favorite use of the Borg other than the movie "First Contact."
  I also think that Guinan is utilized well in this episode. I loved her fencing with Picard!
• From Shashank Mayya on 2007-08-17 at 3:19am:
  At the start of the episode, when they get the distress signal from the moon, Riker oders Dr. Crusher to meet him at the transporter room with a medical away team. In the next sequence, we only see Riker, Worf and Dr. Crusher beaming on the moon's surface. It appears that Dr. Crusher choose to ignore Rikers orders or maybe Worf persuaded her that he could perform medical duties as good as any of her staff?
• From DSOmo on 2007-10-03 at 7:21am:
  - When recruiting an individual to write the "invasive" program that will destroy the Borg, Picard chooses Geordi. Wouldn't Data have been a better choice? Of course, if Data wrote the program, he would be the one to do the research with the Borg, and he wouldn't get all emotional and give the Borg a name.
  - The invasive program will NOT work! The Borg will not just "fall down" because they are thinking so hard about the picture that was created. What if one of the Borg tried to find the square root of two - a number for which there is no final solution because the digits after the decimal point appear to stretch on forever - will the entire Borg consciousness crash? Of course not! If the Borg have the ability to recognize this sort of unproductive loop, then they can recognize when they can't fully analyze a picture.
  - Picard wonders if Hugh's newfound independence might be the most invasive program of all. Haven't the Borg felt this concept of self-identity before? Every time an individual is assimilated, isn't their independence and self-identity felt by the Borg?
  - Just before beaming Hugh back to the surface, Picard tells Geordi that the Enterprise will hang close to the sun to obscure their presence from the Borg's sensors. Why is he telling Geordi this in front of Hugh? Once Hugh is back into the Borg consciousness, they'll know exactly where the Enterprise is located.
  - In this episode, Dr. Crusher balks at sending Hugh back with the invasion program. She "champions his cause." She asks for clarification on the term "total system failure," trying to make the point that they are contemplating destroying an entire race. Isn't this the same person who was shooting large phaser holes in the chests of the Borg during "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part 2"? Isn't she the same one who suggested using the nanites to invade the Borg ship and destroy them? What's the difference between using nanites and using a computer virus?
  - In "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part 2" the crew couldn't isolate Picard from all subspace signals, because Picard would die if they cut him off from the Borg collective consciousness. So why didn't Hugh die when they isolated him from the signals?
  - In "Q Who," the crew finds a world with great rips in the surface. Worf comments, "It is as though some great force just scooped all the machine elements off the face of the planet." A short time later, Q identifies the Borg as the ultimate users, seeking only new technologies to improve themselves. Q says they are interested only in the technology on the Enterprise. Then in "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part 1," the activities of the Borg change a little. Now they also assimilate people. By the time "I Borg" comes along, assimilation is the main activity of the Borg.
• From djb on 2008-04-21 at 5:08am:
  The only thing that bothered me about this episode is how much of a bleeding heart Crusher was. She gets all broken up about the idea of using this drone to attempt to destroy an entire "race". The Borg are not a "race" or a "species". In effect, the best analogy would be that they are all diseased with an aggressive, incurable, malicious illness, for which the only way to prevent it from spreading is to euthanize those infected with it. When you think of the greatest good for the greatest number, attempting to destroy the Borg by any means possible is the only acceptable course of action. Crusher should know this and stop acting like they're committing genocide: in fact, they're attempting to prevent genocide! (Or, more specifically, geno-assimilation). It's kind of in line with Crusher's character to have reservations about it, but still, come on, Beverly! You're a commander, with, hopefully, the kind of discernment necessary to make these kind of decisions!
  
  This is reflective of a tendency I find too much in Trek humans: putting themselves at too much risk to save a life, even an enemy's.
  
  Anyway, not a bad episode aside from that.
• From JRPoole on 2008-08-25 at 6:51pm:
  I think this episode is pretty strong. Although I agree in part with our host's feelings that this one is "naive," I think it does present a real conundrum, though the idea of asking Hugh to sacrifice himself seems a good alternative. This is the kind of thing Trek explores so well, and this episode is a gem, especially coming as it does in the midst of a string of less-than memorable installments. "Imaginary Friend, "Cost of Living," and "Perfect Mate" are all among the worst of the series, so this one couldn't come at a better time.
• From CAlexander on 2011-03-26 at 4:00am:
  I enjoyed this episode from beginning to end, even when rewatching it.
  - When I first saw the "invasive program", I thought just like DSOmo, that it didn't make sense. But it does make sense if you think of it as a computer virus. The Borg may be easily able to handle any unsolveable problems. But the Enterprise crew has found a bug in the Borg software, then crafted a very specific input, that would never occur by chance, which exploits the bug and causes the Borg software to operate in ways it was never intended to. Just like a real-life computer virus.
  - Nevertheless, I found it impossible to believe that they could really be absolutely sure the virus would destroy the entire Borg Collective. Is the ultimate menace really so vulnerable and so easy to understand? I prefer to think they meant, "if it works perfectly, it will destroy the Borg Collective."
  - I also, like DSOmo, thought it was odd that independence could be so disruptive to the Borg, since assimilating independence seems to be their primary purpose. But it is likely that the assimilation procedure destroys all independence before the new Borg is actually attached to the collective. For a Borg to develop independence after assimilation may be a totally different situation.
  - DSOmo complains that Dr. Crusher was willing to kill Borg, yet balks at extermining them all. Destroying an enemy in battle is not the same as total genocide. Not even close.
  - In response to the review, the fact that the wisdom of Picard's decision is debatable is part of the strength of this episode. You may not agree with the idealistic Federation philosophy, but it is a reasonable and consistent philosophy. There are many people in real life who would put morality above expedience. The episode makes you think about what you believe is best. However, I will say I found Picard's decision easier to accept if you assume that the computer virus scheme is far from certain to destroy the Borg Collective, and the "spark of independence" scheme had a reasonable shot at success.
  
• From McCoy on 2018-01-03 at 1:20pm:
  Well, if I had a trauma, Troi would be the last person I wanted to see...:) She's the most irritating character ever created.
  I'm in minority too. Didn't liked it. Aside of the sf problems - first, it's ethically ambivalent forcing someone to live another life and suffer (see Voyager episode with war memorial - which I find far more "moral" than "Inner Light" however), second - what exactly the aliens wanted to achieve? Picard is just ONE person, so when he dies, no one will remember anything (program was destroyed). Creating one-use probe to teach one random person (maybe klingon drunker for example) about our civilization is... well... stupid?

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Dave on 2009-08-03 at 6:36am:
  Not quite so sure I would dismiss the continuity problems with TNG's Borg history quite so easily. I'm sure they can be rationalised away - perhaps it would have been nice for Janeway or one of the crew to have at least expressed some curiosity about it. After all, in Scorpion, Janeway does say "from the moment Q flung the Enterprise into the path of that first cube" - meaning it was still believed Picard had first contact with the Borg.
  Besides that - having just seen The Raven again, I'm puzzled. Janeway says files from the USS Raven have been "gathering dust" in Voyager's database for a year. Really? When were these obtained? Presumably from the encounter with the Raven, of course, but how exactly? Neither Seven nor Tuvok had time to download them, as the ship was under attack from the Bomar aliens of the week. And once they left the ship, they saw the Raven fall to pieces before being beamed out by Paris. Hardly an episode breaker - but a bit annoying!
• From Spacebard on 2012-10-28 at 10:13pm:
  Not too long after the Doctor had deleted the Crell Moset hologram on ethical grounds in “Nothing Human”, he is seen enthusing over a piece of Borg medical equipment presumably derived from the forced assimilation of billions of sentient beings. Then, under Janeway’s direction, the crew formulate a plan to steal a Borg transwarp coil with seemingly no ethical qualms. A touch of double standards, methinks.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From MJ on 2011-02-05 at 10:09pm:
  The first time I watched this episode, I realized that TNG hadn't really used the acting talents of Colm Meaney to their full capacity. We got glimpses in TNG: Power Play, but in DS9, O'Brien's character really shows some dimension. He moves beyond the down-and-dirty, blue-collar Irish engineer, and this episode is a big part of that development.
  
  It was an interesting concept for an episode, and it improves with repeated viewing as you can fully absorb the significance of O'Brien's behavior with regard to his Argrathi cellmate. Speaking of the Argrathi, this is one of a couple episodes (see DS9: Whispers) where O'Brien encounters an alien race whose relationship with the Federation isn't entirely clear, but which nonetheless decides to screw with him psychologically and get away with doing so. It's hard for me to believe the Federation's complacent reaction to one of their Starfleet officers being arrested, charged, and essentially tortured (certainly by Federation standards) and do nothing about it. Maybe the protesting is off camera. But while the episode's focus is on O'Brien, this is an inconsistency that takes the episode down just a peg in terms of believability.
  
  The punishment these Argrathi inflict on their prisoners is especially harsh when you consider, as the webmaster's review does, that your family and friends will have barely noticed you're gone. I think that's the point: it's as if they want you to be psychologically scarred and unable to act normal while everyone else acts like it's just been a few hours. Your erratic behavior will then startle your loved ones so much that they will, in theory, restrain you from committing a crime again. Obviously, it doesn't always pan out that way, since we know about how institutionalization takes its toll.
  
  Yet another example of how Star Trek gets you to think about things without being preachy and encouraging you to endorse a particular value. Well done!
• From L on 2013-05-27 at 8:52am:
  A great concept, and a really good character piece.
  
  But once again the Federation lets an alien race seriously abuse, torture and violate one of their members, for just asking questions, and seem to do nothing about it.
  This treatment was an outrage and if they were ever in the federation they should be kicked out. I was thirsting for revenge or at least a shaming speech, Picard style, but no.
  This is politically correct cultural relativity gone too far. This should not be tolerated.
  
  But this was a 'real' science fiction concept, and well done.
• From AW on 2015-12-17 at 6:52am:
  You guys realize that this is a TV show where writers come up with concepts that don't always jive with overall plot. This was a great idea and I thought it was executed well and for that willing to believe that the Federation handled this situation well off camera.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Steve Mohns on 2010-08-27 at 3:20am:
  Can someone explain to me why, in this and perhaps other episodes, they have such an dilemma with sending the doctor's data somewhere? He's data - what's the problem sending a copy? At worst there'd be a delta between the experiences of him having two experiences at the same time, which could surely be merged later. Have they ever described it as being some kind of ethical issue? I'd think not, as he doesn't seem to have the same rights as, say, Data had.
  I'd have been happier if they hadn't made an issue of not wanting to sending him because Voyageur'd be without him, and it was dangerous.
• From Kethinov on 2010-08-27 at 8:09am:
  Upfront disclosure: I don't think the writers had their computer science fundamentals quite locked down when they wrote this stuff. The same problem is happening on the new BSG series Caprica right now. The writers on that show make frequent computer science errors, unfortunately. I suppose tech errors are a fact of life on science fiction shows.
  
  That said, the "copy the doctor" issue on Voyager isn't as bad as you might think. It's well established that he takes up so much computer memory that they can't have more than one copy of him on Voyager's computer at any one time. In order for two doctors to delta their experiences and merge into a single codebase, they'd have to be diffed, which requires having both copies of the doctor in computer memory at the same time.
  
  Voyager simply lacks the computer memory for this, so after they transmitted him, they must have deleted him from their computer as a safety precaution so they'd have enough room for him when he got back.
  
  You might wonder why they didn't keep a copy of the doctor around just in case of emergencies while the original was gone and then delete the copy on Voyager just before the other doctor got back, but that raises ethical issues. Should the doctor that remained on Voyager be deleted so that the other may live? Doesn't sound very Federationy.
  
  They *can* store him in a backup module, but again, in order for two doctors to diff and merge their experiences, they both have to exist in the memory of a single computer at the same time. So, on the whole, it seems like the writers accidentally managed to get this one right, just barely. Throughout Voyager's run, I was constantly worried that they would break this rationalization. But they never did! :)
• From dillingham on 2012-01-04 at 9:32am:
  This may or may not be an episode problem: Zimmerman tells the doctor, "I didn't program you for sarcasm!" But if that's true, then the doc learned it exceptionally quickly. I'm pretty sure he was sarcastic from day one, (literally). Rather than an actual episode problem, one could interpret this as a good example of Zimmerman's conflicted and somewhat myopic nature - he's conflicted about his own personality and accomplishments just as he's conflicted about the Mach One (and by extension about the doc). Sarcasm is probably one of those character traits he wasn't quite aware of when he designed the Mach One, and that slipped into the programming unintentionally (like his own arrogance and hot-headedness and all the rest).
  
  (Good epside, btw.)
• From packman_jon on 2012-06-09 at 5:23am:
  Loved this episode. Picardo is brilliant in this episode. The more I watch Voyager, the more I love Picardo
• From Jadzia Guinan Smith on 2015-07-11 at 2:00pm:
  
  It always bothered me too that they can’t copy the doctor. I can’t really accept the explanation that Voyager doesn’t have enough memory for more than one copy at a time, when they had enough to run the whole town of ‘Fair Haven’ continuously for days (or was it weeks?)!
  
  This particular episode has bigger problems, though. E.g. why in the world would 675 EMHs be used to scrub plasma conduits? There’s gotta be less resource-intensive ways to do this – like simple robotic arms or holograms designed specifically for scrubbing (that don’t require extra memory to run subroutines for “faces”). It’s not like the Mark One copies were pieces of equipment that they had to repurpose because they didn’t know what else to do with them. These are just computer files, why not just delete?
  
  Also Troi losing her cool and calling her patients “jerks” was totally absurd. She’s a veteran counselor, with a distinguished career on the federation’s flagship, and she can’t handle a couple of squabbling patients without throwing a tantrum herself? Annoyed the hell out of me.
  
• From tigertooth on 2017-01-07 at 3:57pm:
  I was going to skip this episode, but I saw our host gave it a 9, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Glad I did. They did a good job of keeping it light, adding some drama in, but not overdoing it.
  
  And of course you get Picardo vs Picardo, which I should have known would be fun. It's somewhat a shame that the plot necessitates that he couldn't play Zimmerman very differently than the Doctor (as opposed to, say, Data vs Noonian Soong or Lore), but he got some subtleties in there.
  
  I felt like Barcalay and Troi kind of got shoved in the background, which is odd for TNG characters, but I'm not wild about either of them (though I am a Dwight Schultz fan), so no major loss. That said, their role reversal plan between Zimmerman and the Doctor was pretty great.
  
  And really, Zimmerman's whole plight of his personality being deemed faulty (essentially) was a great hook for the plot.
  
  

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Jem Hadar on 2010-04-06 at 12:04am:
  "Jason Alexander does a wonderful job as Kurros, showing us the same deceitful and conniving personality she showed us as George on Seinfeld."
  
  Typo, or funny diss? ;)
  
  I thought this was a very good episode with an interesting story.
• From QuasiGiani on 2017-08-27 at 10:14am:
  Problem(s)?
  
  Okay, no we have a very problematic and frankly, therefore, boring episode:
  
  Why would such a powerful "Think Tank" ever need to bargain with anyone? For anything? They wouldn't.
  
  But let's ignore that hugely, unavoidably ridiculous mess for just a mind-numbing minute...
  
  Howzabout:
  
  Why would they ever stop monitoring Voyager and allow that silly collusion and planning session to catch-them-up-and-out? They, of course, wouldn't.
  
  Howzabout:
  
  Why would they need to have Janeway allow them access to the "databank" as Kurros requested just before or after he told Janeway he'd just then and there tapped into it? They, of course, wouldn't.
  
  Howzabout:
  
  Why would these geniuses, who apparently did just huddle-up while the plans were being attached back on Voyager, _all_ fall to utterly moronic pieces the moment they lost their ability to communicate with each other? They wouldn't.
  
  Dopey episode. Glaring.
• From Axel on 2018-06-09 at 3:13pm:
  I don't quite understand a couple of QuasiGiani's complaints. Why does this think tank bargain? Well, because they aren't some kind of non-profit research institute. Their whole purpose is to market their problem-solving services in exchange for resources, new technology, knowledge that advances them or can be used to bargain with later, and even new members. Such a group would only ever need to bargain. I think they were desperate to get Seven on board because her collective knowledge would be worth the risks they might have to take.
  
  As for what happens at the end, I guess there's a key fact to remember about think tanks: despite their genius, sometimes they get things wrong. This particular group also obviously had a lot of hubris and had also become used to working as a group; their collapse at the end didn't seem all that far-fetched to me.
  
  To me, the main drawback of this episode was that the issue of getting Voyager back to the Alpha Quadrant never comes up. Once Janeway leaves the decision up to Seven, it would've been fitting if either of them had raised the possibility with the think tank about somehow getting help so Voyager makes it home sooner.
  
  Overall, though, I liked this one. It was an interesting premise and had some nice twists even if they made the think tank a little too obviously sinister.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From JR on 2012-07-11 at 6:48am:
  I really liked this episode. To me, it seems Seasons 5 and 6, particularly this beginning of season 6, has been the best of Voyager so far.
  
  I liked seeing Troi again and it is frankly amazing how she keeps looking better with age. I had to grin a couple times though, as I think I heard an accent (Manchester?) slipping out in a few different scenes.
• From Hugo Ahlenius on 2015-04-21 at 8:42pm:
  A nice episode, great with the TNG cross-over and how it is told from outside Voyager (the ship). I have never been a fan of Barclay though, him being over the top. I guess he is more human and realistic than most other characters though - he has flaws!
• From Luke on 2022-06-21 at 9:27am:
  What really irritates me about Voyager, which generally is a show I grew up watching and always enjoy, is how they always seem to be travelling at impulse when the external view of the ship is shown.
  
  WHY?
  
  Presumably they would be going as fast as possible at all times, why, before anything happens in the episode, would they be at impulse?

No fan commentary yet.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Tallifer on 2011-03-20 at 1:18am:
  This is a terrific beginning for an epic story in two parts. There is not a single false note in this.
  
  Of course, being an historian and a lover of classic literature, I always appreciate the more grandiose episodes of Star Trek.
• From Bernard on 2011-04-03 at 11:19am:
  Strong episode. Nicely paced, explains the back story for the Maquis perfectly. This had to be solid of course as it sets up Voyager.
  
  Love the Sisko/Dukat partnership which at the time I thought was to become something akin to O'Brien/Bashir but thankfully the creators made sure that their relationship stayed more like Picard/Q.
  
  The point is the writers are using the 'unlikely pairing' angle again and it works so well.
  
  Shame we hadn't seen Hudson prior to this episode to make it more wrenching and less predictable when his revelation comes to light but that sort of continuity and almost serialisation is to come later in the series.
  
  Overall a good outting, shame about part two.
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-10-25 at 1:05pm:
  Cal Hudson was played by Bernie Casey, a very well known TV and movie actor who has many credits to his name, among them Roots, Murder She Wrote, Babylon Five, and the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Bernie Casey also played football for two NFL teams: The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. So far as I know Bernie Casey is the only actor to appear on any Star Trek episode or feature film who also played football for the NFL. Another interesting study.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Daniel on 2014-01-26 at 12:17am:
  I really like this episode for many reasons. I am partial to any Klingon story episodes. A nice feature of this episode is when K'Mtar is teaching Alexander how to fight on the holodeck. It gives us a glimpse into Klingon hand-to-hand combat strategy. Interesting factoid; James Sloyan, who played K'Mtar in this episode, also played Setal/Admiral Jarok in the STTNG episode, The Defector.
• From englanddg on 2014-08-02 at 6:00am:
  This is one of my favorite episodes of season 7.
  
  They knew the end was coming, and the writers were certainly tying up loose ends this season, and their dealing with Alexander (even though they brought him back in DS9) was masterful.
  
  When it first aired, I just thought it was an interesting show, but every few years I do a re-watch of all the Star Trek series (that's what I'm doing now)
  
  Oddly, I find that they help me center myself, as I grow older. I find that each time I watch them, as I progress through the stages of life, I find something different that I never found before (probably why ST has touched so many, especially TNG)...
  
  As a father now, decades later, rewatching this show just tonight, I think it touches on many of the feelings, challenges and fears I've faces as my daughter turns into a young woman.
  
  Rearing a child is the scariest thing I've done in my life, for all of the reasons indicated in this episode.
  
  I think that aspect alone, deserves praise. I would rate this episode an 8 out of 10, for those reasons.
• From Mike on 2017-04-23 at 6:41pm:
  Until this episode, I wasn’t a huge fan of Alexander. I found Wesley Crusher a lot more tolerable. But they finally came up with a great plot involving Alexander. The messages about children wishing in hindsight that they’d been more receptive to their parents’ teachings, and parents learning to let their children find their own destinies resonated powerfully. And I like the reappearance of the Duras sisters. It portrays these Klingon feuds as potentially lasting generations.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-12-18 at 9:27pm:
  I wonder if after "I Love Lucy", they watched "Star Trek"? ;)
  
  Perhaps Quark, Rom, and Nog were on Earth at the same time as the Vulcan(s). (DS9: Little Green Men)
• From Kethinov on 2008-08-06 at 1:17am:
  DS9: Little Green Men took place ten years prior. This episode is set circa 1957 (the launch of Sputnik 1) whereas DS9: Little Green Men is set circa 1947 (the Roswell UFO incident).
  
  Moreover, being that this episode is set circa 1957, it would have been about ten years too early for Star Trek to be on the air too. ;)
• From Edward on 2009-06-06 at 2:06pm:
  I enjoyed this episode, but I thought it had one major problem. Vulcans come from a desert planet, and it has been made rather clear that hey have a range of complexions that would all be darker on average than the citizens of Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania. With different looking hair and a darker skin tone, the stranded Vulcan crew would probably not have been very welcome in a small Pennsylvania town in the 1950's, and likely would have been treated like second class citizens. Even if there were no other minorities in the small town, they would have still noticed on television and through common discussion with the townsfolk that the humans were still primitive enough to be divided simply by skin color. This would definitely have changed their overall impression of humans by the end of the show (especially since one of them complemented the humans on how accepting of strangers they were).
• From packman_jon on 2012-11-19 at 4:42am:
  I enjoyed this one too. We've seen in Star Trek (TNG: First Contact) that humaniod warp-capable species will research pre-warp species before first contact is established. As with most non Season 4 episodes, it's not the prequel we get in Season 4, but still not bad.
• From Dstyle on 2015-09-10 at 6:09pm:
  T'Mir: "Okay, Mestral, you may stay behind and live here on Earth among the humans. Just don't ever get sick and seek out medical attention. Especially if they'll need to find your heart or even take your pulse, since our hearts beat several hundred times a minute. And try not to ever get bruised. Or get a cut. Or go to a dentist. Shit, okay, maybe this actually a really bad idea after all."
• From Zorak on 2016-09-26 at 9:26pm:
  I'm going to have to disagree with you whole heartedly on this one. This is exactly why I watch Star Trek. Star Trek does these kind of one-off stories better than any other franchise I've ever seen.
  
  This is easily my favorite episode of Enterprise so far. I love these kind of "fish out of water" stories and I can't think of anyone more entertaining to see in that role than Vulcans. I only wish this was a two-parter and didn't end so quickly. Hell, I could watch an entire series based on this premise.
  
  I only have one real complaint about it. I was floored when T'pol insinuated that it was just a story. The thought that this was all T'pol's attempt at levity brought this episode to an entirely new level for me. I was ready to call it one of my favorite episodes in all of Star Trek. Unfortunately, they decided to go with the touchy feely ending and have her pull out the purse, revealing that it wasn't just a story. Not a game changer, but it brought the episode down a peg.
  
  I do wonder if the end implied that it actually was T'pol and not her great grandmother. Just how old is she?

No fan commentary yet.

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• From Keefaz on 2017-08-05 at 9:15pm:
  I can't believe the high votes these eps have received. The concept is awful and nonsensical. The acting is dreadful. The dialogue makes me want to stab chopsticks into my ears.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From DSOmo on 2007-06-03 at 8:31pm:
  When Riker hears that the Enterprise will head toward the Neutral Zone, he suggests that they separate the saucer section. Yet, when the Klingon has a phaser pointed at the dilithium chamber, the Enterprise faces imminent destruction and no one even mentions separating the saucer.
• From a2a on 2012-02-09 at 6:41am:
  What ever happened to the "least force necessary" ethos? As soon as there are Klingons on board, its as if everyone suddenly forgets that their phasers have a stun setting... Is the thirst for glorious battle really that infectious?
  
  I can understand why Warf would want to kill the second Klingon (although I don't understand why no one gave him any flak for it, Picard included). But I completely don't understand why the security team clearly had their phasers on some "red hot, burn straight through to the opposite side of Klingon torso" setting. Not only did the first Klingon die because of this, but this recklessness with the phasers directly caused them to lose one of their own crew: during the escape, the second Klingon picks up a Starfleet phaser and shoots and kills a security officer - it was obviously already set to kill.
  
  What gives? Do we all have a bit of Klingon in us or something?
  
  In the very beginning, before the away team beams to the freighter, Riker instructs, "Set phasers to stun, and lets be ready for anything." I guess the stun setting is good enough for anything...anything except Klingons, at which point its OK to crank your boomstick up to maximum, unintended consequences be damned.
• From Cary on 2016-07-20 at 3:23pm:
  The Klingon commander is standing in front of a Federation emblem next to a Klingon emblem because of the alliance.
• From tigertooth on 2017-03-11 at 3:53am:
  So Worf shoots the Klingon, the Klingon falls face first... and crashes through the floor? Did I miss something or did that gangway shatter awfully easily?

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-06-25 at 9:40pm:
  I love how they don't allow those nasty DS9 uniforms on Earth. Cool people wear the TNG uniforms, and that includes everyone on Earth.
• From EKH on 2007-05-11 at 9:03pm:
  I was surprised to see such a low score for this one. Personally, I find this to be the best two-parter so far on DS9. I love seeing how, despite the near-perfection of the Federation, humans still have some basic flaws. They are unavoidable, since most of them can be good qualities in many situations. The story strikes me as credible and well-executed, and I like seeing some internal Federation politics, which we don't get much of.
• From JRPoole on 2009-03-25 at 8:54pm:
  It's pretty rare that I seriously disagree with our host here, but this is one of those times. I think this is one of the best DS9 episodes in existence.
  
  I love seeing Earth. I love Sisko's dad. I love the paranoia about changelings. I even like Nog's struggles at the Academy. I think the tension between the President and the Federation's ideals and Star Fleet's insistence on raising security. It's rare that Trek makes uncomfortable decisions, and it works well here. I haven't seen the conclusion yet (not since the original run, anyway) so I'm hoping this is building up to something special.
• From Tallifer on 2011-03-30 at 12:18am:
  People who complain about the mixture of uniforms clearly do not understand that every historical military has had a mixture of uniforms even within the same branch. For example, at some points in Star Trek there appear to be uniforms for stationary assignment and others for naval assignment. For a campaign and for the home front. For Monday and for Tuesday.
• From Gul Ranek on 2012-12-30 at 11:31pm:
  The thing I can never get my head around when I watch this episode is Joseph Sisko's restaurant - if, as Picard put it in First Contact, there is no money on Earth, what's the point of having a restaurant? Okay, maybe it would be fun for Sisko's dad to have a restaurant and provide free food to people just because he's a nice guy and likes to cook, but why the hell would someone be a busboy or chop onions in the kitchen the entire day without getting paid?
  
  Or maybe he charges latinum...
• From Mike D on 2017-04-06 at 5:21am:
  This story line just doesn't quite work for me. We keep hearing this is happening all over the planet, but we don't SEE it. The action is just contained to a few small sets. The scope of this story is too big for the show. They should have set this on maybe another space station, or on DS9, but not the entire planet Earth.
• From Axel on 2020-04-10 at 1:15am:
  Admiral Leyton: “What I’d like to know is, why was (the Changeling) imitating me?”
  Commander Benteen: “Well, sir, you live on a very nice bayfront property with an amazing view. You have a vacation home in the Riviera. You own one of the biggest luxury shuttlecraft in the city, and the rumors are that your wife is excellent in bed.”
  
  SERIOUSLY, Leyton? You’re an admiral in Starfleet Security and you can’t deduce why a Changeling would want to impersonate you?
  
  That boneheaded line aside, Leyton’s an excellent idea for an antagonist. When I saw this two-parter, I didn’t expect they would take the direction it did. The Changelings foment just enough chaos on Earth to plunge the planet into fear which lets paranoid, reckless people like Leyton do the rest for them. It’s as insidious as it was effective, and made for a great story.
  
  For Gul Ranek, there’s a lot out there on the economics of Star Trek. I can’t repeat it all here, but basically Earth and the Federation have a post-scarcity economy. All resources, energy, and necessities of life are either replicated or efficiently mass-produced. In this world, people no longer have to pursue something because they need to make money, they can do what they enjoy. The Picard vineyard isn’t necessary, but is something the family wants to do to give the authentic French wine experience. The Sisko restaurant is similar, offering real Cajun and Creole food as part of New Orleans life. It’s the same desire for personal fulfillment and social betterment that is the basis for Starfleet itself, just a different version. As for the currency, who knows? Maybe it’s an advanced barter system. It just isn’t for profit. I do agree it’s unlikely that in such a world, lowly jobs like busboy or prep cook wouldn’t be appealing…we can only assume “Nathan” works there out of some sense of family loyalty or is compensated in some way.

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• From Pete Miller on 2006-07-17 at 3:48am:
  Tongo is such a wonderful game! All the writers kept on adding more rules to it as the show progressed until it eventually became the most ridiculously complex game ever devised. No one on the Star Trek crew even fully understands it.
  
  However, the writers and directors always make it appear to be easy to understand and commonly played in the show, which is a kind of inside joke. For example, Bashir takes one look at the padd of the rules of Tongo and is like "oh okay, I get it now", as if it's tic tac toe. I also love how they keep on coming up with hands as the show progresses, like the "complete monopoly". What a Ferengi game!!!
• From MJ on 2011-02-17 at 5:29pm:
  The premise of this episode was a bit hard to accept. Surely Starfleet is aware of the potential problems in sending a husband and wife together on a life-and-death mission...seems like this kind of thing would've been prohibited long before Dax and Worf. And even if Starfleet didn't, I would think Sisko is aware of such problems given his own loss and wouldn't allow it.
  
  So that knocks it down a few pegs in my view. The dialogue between Worf and Dax in the shuttle about honeymoon plans, Worf's sense of humor, etc. was very funny. It was nice to see some Worf as something other than a stern warrior. And on the planet, they had some touching moments.
  
  As is typical for DS9, everything was wrapped up very quickly at the end. But it was especially bad here, because this episode completely lacks a denouement. I was hoping for some kind of encounter with Lasaran or failing that, some other climactic event, but nothing. The episode builds up to Worf's rather strange change of heart moment in the jungle, then fast forward to him on the station with Sisko and Lasaran is dead.
  
  This is a below average episode, with even the subplot accomplishing nothing.
• From Christopher Wright on 2011-12-21 at 11:24pm:
  Did anyone else notice Worf's line about being a "married man" sounded a lot like his "But, Captain, I am not a merry man!" Line from that Robin Hood TNG episode?
• From Bronn on 2013-07-22 at 6:18am:
  Those darned anti-coagulants again. They've shown up a couple of times. Jem'Hadar weapons are just about the only weapons on the show that are consistently dangerous. People sometimes get shot by phasers set on kill and end up with just second degree burns on their shoulder.
  
  It's a shame they didn't kill off Jadzia Dax here. It would have had a ton more impactful than what did end up happening. And even though Worf is often fatalistic, he spent so much time on the Enterprise that I figure he'd attempt to escape the moral dilemma-to find a way to save Jadzia AND complete the mission. He could have thought he'd be able to get back to the runabout and somehow use the transporter. It would have been quite effective for him to have been in denial until the absolute last minute, realizing he'd left his wife behind to die alone.

No fan commentary yet.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Greg Bonkowski on 2006-05-04 at 6:53pm:
  Simply the best Trek film ever!!! Khan!!!!!!!!!!
• From jaylong on 2007-04-13 at 2:59am:
  "he tasks me..."
  
  love it
• From JR on 2008-07-22 at 11:31am:
  "How could Chekov remember anything about Khan?"
  
  I don't see this as a problem. He could have read about it somewhere, or maybe the other people at the Enterprise at the time told him about it after he came onboard. I assume the events in Space Seed were logged and submitted to Starfleet, and their computers already had a file on Khan with pictures. Now, Khan knowing Chekov, that's the real problem.
• From Lennier on 2009-02-15 at 3:31am:
  "Space Seed"'s stardate is 3141.9.
  
  "Catspaw" (an episode with Chekov) has a stardate of 3018.2.
  
  I like to think that this means that "Catspaw" takes place before "Space Seed". Therefore, Chekov could very well have seen Khan, and vice versa.
• From Kevin Lopez on 2009-04-06 at 4:43am:
  it wasn't blatantly obvious that he was going to be brought back to life at the time: Nimoy was tired of playing Spock and wanted his character killed off. He later changed his mind and directed films III and IV. Your criticism is unfair.
• From Kethinov on 2009-04-06 at 9:24am:
  I stand by the critique. It's clearly a trap door. Whether or not Nimoy did or did not plan to ever play Spock again, it was clear the writers wanted the option of bringing him back conveniently. Sort of like how Data only "half" died in Nemesis. He could easily be brought back via B4.
• From S. M. Willis on 2010-01-06 at 12:54am:
  Melville, not Shakespeare. And Milton.
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-10-25 at 11:26am:
  Having reviewed all of Voyager, most of TNG, and much of DS9, I am now turning to the Star Trek movies to revisit them as well. Of course, I saw them all in theaters as they were released, and have seen them again since then.
  
  Annoyingly, Star Trek, The Motion Picture is not available on any streaming media accessible to me. If anyone knows how to find this film on the internet, please post a comment as well.
  
  Several issues on ST: TWOK:
  
  1. The Genesis device creates daunting scientific issues. First, there is the little matter of conservation of energy. In order for life to exist, energy must be inserted into the system. Living things do not live on nothing. Ultimately, the source of all energy for living things is light. Either animals eat plants (which are simply a form of light energy fixed into hydrocarbons), or animals eat other animals, who in turn eat plants. Ultimately we are all burning energy from light, in the case of Earth, the Sun. However, on Regula 1 we see a "Genesis Cave" which is filled with living things, all of whom are illuminated by a light source (which we conveniently never see). What is the source for this light? Regula 1 is an "airless, lifeless hunk of rock" according to the dialog earlier in the film. Similarly, when the Genesis device explodes in the Mutara Nebula, it forms a "Genesis Planet" which is clearly illuminated. In one shot we see a star behind the planet, a star which clearly wasn't there before. The Genesis device created a star? That would be a trick even greater than converting inorganic matter to living matter!
  2. Another daunting scientific issue has to do with the nature of biological evolution. Star Trek seems obsessed with the concept of evolution, as I have stated in other posts, and has a very unscientific view of this concept. The Genesis device has issues in this area. Specifically, evolution would require a process of billions of years for life to develop which would be adapted to the particular conditions in which it exists. The Genesis device does not seem to involve any adaptation whatsoever. Instead, life simply occurs instantly which is perfectly adapted to the aesthetic and functional requirements of humans. Given that even on Earth life adapts in incredible diversity (from the ice worms that exist in sub-zero conditions in the arctic, to the bacteria that thrive in the incredible heat and pressure of the ocean near thermal vents), it seems remarkably convenient that Genesis device life would somehow adapt the environment to human life, rather than adapting the life to the environment.
  3. Continuity issue: In TNG: Sarek, the Enterprise crew is shocked when Sarek displays emotion by weeping during a musical performance. Yet Lt. Saavik displays emotion by weeping openly during Spock's funeral, and no one seems all broken up about it. (BTW, according to iMDb, Kirstie Alley's performance as Lt. Saavik was her first appearance on screen anywhere.)
  3. Continuity issue: When Dr. Marcus (the mother) gives her presentation to the Federation in support of the Genesis Device project, she states that she is hopeful that the Federation will "fund" the project. According to numerous episodes of TNG, the Federation has eliminated the need for currency.
• From AnotherTrekFan on 2012-08-16 at 9:05pm:
  @Jeff Browning:
  
  1. Light source inside the cave is easy - Starfleet put it there. There's dialog that establishes Starfleet hollowed out the tunnels, so it's not a stretch to believe they hung some solar-analog light source inside the cavern.
  
  Now for the star that suddenly appears, I had always taken it that the star was formed from the nebula via the device (which was intended to be detonated over a planetary body) being detonated inside the nebula. The scenes immediately following the detonation clearly show the nebula changing and contracting. Granted that further pushes the bounds of believability, but we are talking about a Sci Fi franchise that posits ubiquitous faster-than-light travel and near perfectly efficient energy generation after all. ;)
  
  2. This is technobabbled-away in the next movie. There's some dialog in ST3 about the use of something caused "protomatter" which caused the quick developmental evolution of life on the planet.
  
  3. Regarding Saavik's tears, it's established off-screen (and it might be non-canon) that Saavik is half-Vulcan and half-Romulan.
  
  3(b). There are references to money throughout TOS, especially in "The Trouble With Tribbles" where the bartender, Jones, and Uhura all haggle over how much it will cost to buy a tribble. The removal of money obviously happened at some point between this movie and the TNG era, probably when replicator technology became mature and ubiquitous -- because why do you need money when you can just replicate everything?
• From Strider on 2012-08-27 at 4:33am:
  According to Nimoy, he was not at all tired of playing Spock. He simply appreciated the power of a good story, and was willing to walk away if he didn't get it. And of course, the hope implied by the Genesis planet. But he argued with writers time and time again, both in the series and the films, to make sure the stories were worth telling and that Spock's character was treated according to his character. He won some, he lost some.
• From Glenn239 on 2012-10-22 at 3:48pm:
  ‘10’. Nothing better contrasts the problems with Roddenberry’s original vision for Star Trek with the franchise running on all cylinders (by discarding elements of that vision) than in watching ‘The Motion Picture’ and ‘Wrath of Khan’ back to back. Wrath is a more militarized, ‘Horatio Hornblower’ action oriented atmosphere where plot matters because the opponent isn’t some whizz-bang super entity. It just works…better. It’s the difference between a ‘5’ and a ‘10’
  
  Some slight problems with some of the tactical elements, naturally. Enterprise should not be able to survive Reliant’s original point blank fire with the shields not fully deployed. Reliant’s fire is also not efficient – she’d have hit the warp engines and the bridge first. (Of course, that kills Kirk outright and disables the ship). When chasing Enterprise at the end, Reliant would have fired dozens of photon torpedoes to prevent it entering the nebula, not just one. And with the Genesis device, Khan has no motive to enter the nebula since he knows, with the power of that device, Kirk must come to him. Why do super-smarties never act super smartly in movies? Also, with Khan able to control Reliant’s crew there really wasn’t any need to for communications silence in the original ambush. Simply have the Reliant’s captain hail Kirk, maintaining all of Saavik’s regulations as he closed in for the kill. No yellow alert and, moments later, no Enterprise either.
  
  This movie appears to be the origin of the (annoying) tendency in sci fi to present capital ship engagements as boring affairs where massive hulks, apparently incapable of movement, fire away at each other from spitting distance. Even in Sink the Bismarck the HMS Hood and the Bismarck had the common courtesy to be firing at ten miles distance! One slight downside to an otherwise worthy SF outing.
  
  Star Trek #3 robbed Wrath of Khan of its full dramatic impact; the denial of Spock’s death would make this movie an ‘8’ and not a ‘10’. Yes, the writers were presumably leaving Nimoy the option of returning through several plot devices but at the time of Wrath of Khan Spock was dead. Leaving the theatre for the first time, the loss was real. They didn’t introduce the interesting Saavik for nothing, one assumes. (As soon as Nimoy signed on for III, Saavik was redundant and, apparently, Kirstie was sidelined by salary negotiations and replaced by a horrible substitute of the character that can only be explained by the producer’s complete indifference to Saavik if Spock were to continue). So I give it ‘10’ upon the memory of the original ending’s impact, not the campy plot of #3 that robbed Wrath of some of its power.
  
• From Scott Hearon on 2014-04-17 at 4:42pm:
  It had been probably 25 years since I last watched this. It actually holds up quite well. I give it 8/10.
  
  Not unlike the TOS episode Space Seed, this one combined some excellent action/adventure ideas with some strong characterization to create a fun film.
  
  Sure, Khan's dialogue is a bit overblown, and there are certainly things to nit-pick, in terms of the science fiction, but it's overall a good film that has plenty of interesting shifts and turns throughout.
  
  One thing that strikes me is how they story writers didn't manage to work in a face-to-face confrontation between Khan and Kirk. It probably would have felt contrived, the film may have been weakened by it, but it's something that almost seemed missing.
• From as140 on 2016-06-03 at 11:38am:
  "I only take off points for the fact that Spock's death was contrived in that it's incredibly obvious that he will be brought back to life."
  
  But you are wrong on that point. They really intended to kill of Spock. They just kept this solution in case people demanded them to bring back Spock, which they did.
• From steve mccarthy on 2018-02-10 at 11:09am:
  My favorite of all the ST movies but i have 1 continuity nitpick. All of Khans survivors on the planet in the movie seem to be young in their 20s and 30's. Check Space Seed where his crew seem to be in their 30's possibly older already. If this is 15 years after Space Seed then they should all be in their 40s and 50's . Clearly, none are. Also, his first officer ( the blond guy who gets all the speaking time ) is way younger probably about 20. There were no children seen or mentioned in Space Seed and if he is Khans and McGyvers son he shouldn't be more than 14 and hes definitely older than that.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From DSOmo on 2007-07-30 at 7:35am:
  - In "Q Who," Q sent the Enterprise seven thousand light-years through space to meet the Borg. At the end of that episode, Guinan pointed out that the Borg would be coming. Also, Data states that it would take two and a half years to get back to the Federation at maximum warp. At the beginning of "The Best Of Both Worlds," Part 1, an admiral says that the Federation knew for over a year that the Borg were coming. Picard responds that the Borg must have a source of power far superior to their own. Yet, in "TBOBW," Part 1, the Enterprise manages to stay with the Borg ship for several hours. And in this episode, even after Locutus claims the Borg ship is proceeding without further delay to Earth, the Enterprise actually catches up to the Borg ship. If the Borg ship has a superior power source, why aren't they using it and leaving the Enterprise behind?
  - Someone reworked the layout and look of the battle bridge. The last time the series showed the battle bridge was during "Arsenal Of Freedom." This battle bridge is a great improvement.
  - This episode contains a very interesting scene concerning communications on the Enterprise. At the end of the episode, Riker sends an away team to the "sleeping" Borg ship. While walking through the halls of the Enterprise, Riker discusses the Borg ship with the away team. Shelby asks Riker if they should stop the Borg's autodestruct sequence. Riker turns the corner and doors pop open. He walks into the room with Picard, and both Dr. Crusher and Data give their opinions on Shelby's question! Since Shelby asked the question while Riker was in the hall, were Data and Crusher eavesdropping on Riker's conversation? Yet, moments earlier, Riker gave orders to ram the Borg ship - just seconds after talking to Data, Crusher, and Troi. Evidently they didn't hear Riker's intention to destroy the Enterprise, because they calmly discuss the meaning of Picard's "sleep" instruction. If they did hear the order, Data simply would have implemented Picard's instruction instead of discussing it. If some protocol exists for establishing open communications among all bridge officers during a crisis, wouldn't it be more reasonable for that protocol to be in effect during the Borg attack than afterward?
• From JRPoole on 2008-04-28 at 5:35pm:
  Outstanding. This is definitely the best espisode up to this point, and there's not much to complain about here. I only wish we got to see more of Shelby in the future; what a great character she was.
• From Robert Koenn on 2011-02-23 at 2:46pm:
  Myself and my wife enjoyed this episode and the first part immensely. I liked the scene with Guinan telling Riker he must forget Picard and then Riker's follow up when he takes forceful command of the ship and executes his plan. Data had another great episode and his joining with Picard was inspired. I was wondering how they would resolve having the Federation win this one and thought this method of taking over control of the Borg was totally feasible without being hokey or just pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Very logical plot to carry the story. While I am the big scifi fan in the house this episode and most of the others has my wife enjoying the show as much or more than me. When the show was on the air family duties and work prevented us from watching it but now being able to enjoy it at our leisure on DVD is great.
• From Robert Koenn on 2011-02-24 at 4:52pm:
  Addendum to my earlier comment today:
  
  I also found the ending so perfect. I don't know where or when but I have seen a painting/picture of the boy under the tree gazing at the night sky. It may have been something to do with Isaac Newton but whatever that scene was iconic and perfect.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Remco on 2009-05-17 at 3:51pm:
  So, why is Sisko not court-marshalled? Why are Dax and Sisko joking (yes, joking!) about not getting persmission to destroy Vulcan (uh, I mean, random planet X).
  
  What the hell was this? Should we care about Sisko's actions, if the show doesn't? Whatever... I don't get the point. This episode doesn't exist. 0
• From JRPoole on 2009-06-23 at 6:48pm:
  My review lands squarely between the two previous ones. This is a great episode, partly because it makes us uncomfortable when Sisko becomes the villain. I like that the writers don't pull punches here--Sisko really does become the villain, willing to poison a planet to square things with Eddington. His plan, though, is rash and I can't believe that Star Fleet would be happy with it, especially since it makes an enemy of the Maquis, who up to this point don't consider the Federation their enemy. The fact that everyone is so flippant about his actions takes serious points off for me.
  
  Where is Cassidy Yates? She'd be a natural for this one since she, too, betrayed Sisko for the Maquis.
• From Jaap on 2010-10-01 at 2:41pm:
  Eddington is right and you have to feel sorry for him for being caught. Sisko becomes at least as wrong and perhaps worse than the maquis.
  
  Or did Sisko prevent escalation with the Cardassians with doing to a federation planet what the maquis did to a Cardassian planet?
  
  All in all, i don't feel comfortable after this episode. Eddington is right in that Sisko is betraying his uniform.
• From John on 2011-01-14 at 5:55am:
  This episode is just badass. Sisko kind of flips out and does the wrong thing for the right reason, because his back is against the wall. We will see this taken even further in season 6's "In The Pale Moonlight". Not surprising, really, because both episodes share the same writer (Peter Allan Fields) and director (Victor Lobl), which no doubt accounts for their similar look and feel.
  
  I consider this episode a sort of dress rehearsal for the gripping brilliance of "Moonlight", but it stands quite well on its own.
  
  10/10
• From MJ on 2011-01-21 at 11:12pm:
  Another Maquis episode, which makes it another one of my favorites.
  
  The episode is awesome for reasons already pointed out. But I've read a few reviews of this episode that question why Sisko was able to get away with what he did. I think it's feasible, when you consider there are admirals in Starfleet who want to take the kid gloves off when dealing with the Maquis.
  
  Star Trek is about the history of the Federation, and each series portrays the Federation following the course of a typical civilizational power: there is the rise, the honeymoon stage. This is TOS, when the Federation is clearly the principled, scientifically curious organization Gene Roddenberry intended it to be. This continues into TNG, although by this time the Federation is starting to get into the business of realpolitik, playing shrewd diplomacy with its rivals. By DS9, the Federation is starting to resemble an empire, with a seedy underbelly that accompanies its noble creed.
  
  It's a sign of the times, too. TOS was created at the height of the Cold War, when an allegorical, future America (the Federation) needed to clearly be on the side of good. By the 1990's, with no more Cold War, the more controversial aspects of US policy were being explored, and this is reflected in DS9's Federation.
• From Tallifer on 2011-04-12 at 9:39pm:
  Sisko just violated everything the Federation stands for! He attacked innocent civilians. Neither Kirk, nor Picard nor Janeway would ever have dne this. Eddington proved to be right about Sisko in the end (even though Eddington himself proved to be a monster using biogenic weapons also).
  
  I like fictional villains like Darth Vader and the Master, but I expect them to receive their just desert. I hope Sisko suffers the consequences of his action.
• From John on 2011-09-22 at 9:00pm:
  I just watched this one again, and it's still so damn good.
  
  Sisko is the baddest dude in the Federation!
• From Mario on 2012-04-20 at 7:55pm:
  Wow, what the hell was that?!!
  Sisko really became a villain here and a bully. I don't know if I can ever again route for this guy. During this episode I hoped the Maquis would win and Sisko could have overcome his petty thirst for vengeance and have some character growth. But no, he goes for revenge and the show seems to try to justify that. If the Dominion comes - or someone else - who is a bigger bully, I would not really care if they killed Sisko and his crew (allthough I know that will not happen anyway). I know that the Maquis did also poison planets, but from people who are supposed to be the "heroes" of the show I expect not to behave like the bad guys. But Sisko is even worse than them, because he does it only for himself, whereas the Maquis are fighting for a whole population.
• From Selador on 2013-06-09 at 11:00pm:
  A very interesting episode. I like and agree with MJ's analysis of what's going on with Starfleet, but I'm not clear how the audience is supposed to feel about this.
  
  If we're supposed to side with Sisko against the "terrorists", even though they have a very valid point in my opinion, then I'd be very uncomfortable.
  
  If the idea is to sort of show that good people can do awful things and that Sisko is therefore showing he is weak by attacking the Maquis colony, then that would be more acceptable.
  
  But this is a smart episode and it's clear that a lot of though has gone into it. I think that the writers have left it open for the audience to decide for itself how Sisko and Eddington's actions should be judged - which is exactly what's going on here!
  
  I'm giving it a 9, the only reason it doesn't get a 10 is because of the 'no consequences' ending - usually in Star Trek people pay a price for their decisions.
  
  On a different note, in response to Kethinov - Brooks is an adaquate actor at best and never comes close to Stewart's best performances. He is great for the part though so his lack of talent doesn't really effect my enjoyent of the show at all. I agree with you that he's most believable when he's losing his temper.
• From L on 2013-07-30 at 8:00am:
  Problem - Sisko didn't retrieve his phaser before beaming up to the Defiant at the end of the opening scene.
• From Mandeponium on 2013-08-30 at 7:06pm:
  Lots of opinions here. Keep in mind that according to Sisko, the planet will be uninhabitable to "humans" for 50 years, presumably just like Eddinton's weapon was only harmful to Cardassians.
  
  So he's not wiping out an entire planet. He's forcing an evacuation, one that leads to the capture of Eddington and deals a serious blow to the Maquis who, only hours before, essentially declared war on the Federation.
  
  His actions may not be justified, but considering the circumstances, they are excusable (if only by the narrowest of margins!)
• From bodner on 2014-03-10 at 11:26am:
  It is too bad Sisko never gets his "due" for this, escpecially when you consider that directly after this Cardassia forgets the entire treaty and announces all out war
• From McCoy on 2017-02-14 at 4:11pm:
  10? Really???
  For me it was "How to ruin reputation of main character in one episode". Sorry, Sisko is amoral jerk here, nothing more. The end never justifies the means! Blind obsession is always wrong. As was stated before - no other captain would behave like this. The worst part is - Sisko wasn't forced to do anything bad, he just WANTED to do it. For the uniform... Federation propaganda... Looks like they really aren't the good guys in Galaxy.
• From The Orb of Obampresidency on 2022-10-22 at 9:20am:
  Apart from the missing court martials...why is the Maquis still a thing? You'd think that after Cardassia was conquered by the Klingons, the Feds would sort of renegotiate that dreadful treaty?

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Jal Viewer on 2011-08-23 at 1:17am:
  There were a few seriously problematic things that really needed to be addressed.
  
  1) What ever happened to that stolen transporter module that started the whole thing? We see Chakotay in the shuttle, trying to target it with the anti-proton generator, then in the next moment we hear that the generator's been disabled. Chakotay is flustered, sends out his "I've succeeded, I'm dead, don't come here" message anyway, and there's no further mention of it! So... what's up here? Did the Voyager just accept defeat on this one? It would've been nice if that was mentioned...
  
  Janeway later calls Chakotay's mission "commendable," which suggests that maybe he actually succeeded... if so, it would've been nice if it was mentioned or explained on screen. Kind of a weird "what the" moment, if you're paying attention.
  
  2) How did the transporter render the Kazon weapons inoperable? I just don't really follow, and there's no explanation for it at all. I mean, I'm not saying it's totally unbelievable, but it would've been nice if it was explained on screen.
  
  3) Speaking of transporting, why didn't they go after Seska? If they somehow got a lock on the 4 highest ranking Kazon amidst all the other Kazon (?), it seems like small potatoes to target the only Cardassian on board. The motivation was certainly there, or should've been. She's responsible for the whole mess, and is incredibly dangerous. I can't believe they didn't try to get her...
  
  If she blocked Chakotay's signal with some kind of dampening field, maybe she blocked her own as well, but Torres explicitly states the dampening field's localized to 2 meters around Chakotay...
  
  None of this is addressed at all... somehow they just totally blank and forget that they can transport Seska...
  
  4) Speaking of Seska... How the heck did she impregnate herself with a sample of DNA from Chakotay's neck? Can you imagine the kind of advanced medical equipment it would require to create an embryo from a mixture of two different DNA sources? (And then successfully implant it?) On a Kazon ship? That doesn't even have a food replicator?
  
  It would've been a little more believable if she used simpler methods and stuck that needle somewhere else - of course, in that case much of the audience would've simultaneously winced and reached for the remote.
  
  5) Finally, all that beaming around with the shields up, as the review mentioned... I didn't even think of that...
  
  So, this episode has a few remarkable scenes for sure, and it was interesting to see the Voyager so vulnerable... A "knife stuck in its belly," Janeway having to chew out Tuvak about the security protocols, etc... Other types of good scenes as already mentioned, especially Torres defending Chakotay.
  
  But there are numerous annoying problems that stretch credibility, and are entirely skipped over, relying on the viewer to fill in the pieces.
  
  It could've been a 7, but it was more like a 5/6 b/c of problems.
• From Inga on 2013-07-30 at 10:32am:
  About problem number one - didn't Chakotay destroy it with his phaser when he was on board the Kazon ship, right before he was detained?

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-05-31 at 6:38pm:
  Factoid: This episode features Terry O'Quinn, who plays the character Locke on the show "Lost"
• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2006-06-19 at 3:28am:
  Problems:
  Pressman mentioned that the engineering section had been exposed to space for years, preserving everything. However, there is no way that the bodies stayed intact, since flesh explodes in a vacuum.
  
  Also, the view screen showed the inside of solid rock as the Enterprise exited the asteroid. How is it lit up? I have never stuck my head inside a rock, but I'm pretty sure it would be dark.
  
• From Rob on 2008-04-24 at 10:19pm:
  Just a note: When you said that the Klingons and Romulans never developed anything like the phased cloaking device, did you forget the Romulans did attempt it? Remember the episode where Geordi and Ro are accidentally phased. It's mentioned in the episode that it appeared the Romulan's were experimenting with a new system, which Geordi later realizes was involving a 'phased cloaking device'.
  
  It wouldn't surprise me to find the Klingons haven't experimented with this (that we know of) considering how they feel about scientists overall.
• From Evan on 2008-05-26 at 4:26pm:
  To the primary comment why the Romulan's just let the Enterprise leave, it's possible that they didn't expect to be able to do anything. If the Romulans attacked, the Enterprise could have just recloaked; its unlikely that the warbird would have been able to do enough damage before the Enterprise recloaked. At the same time, such an act would have very profound implications. I'm sure the warbird captain already knew what was going on.
  
  Orion Pimpdaddy: first, no, flesh won't explode if exposed to a vacuum. "2001: A Space Odyssey" as well as TNG: "Disaster" get this right. (Or mostly right; in Disaster, Crusher says that she and LaForge should hold their breath when exposed to the vacuum. This is the wrong thing to do.) Second, the Enterprise does have exterior lights.
• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2010-01-11 at 2:46pm:
  I realize now that flesh does NOT explode in space. My bad. Thank you for the correction.
• From Robert Koenn on 2011-07-05 at 5:15pm:
  I rates this episode and 8 mainly because I liked some of the technical parts and the conflict between Riker and Pressman. Obviously there are technical issues as with almost any episode of ST. But I found the ship imbedded in the asteroid believable, assuming the technology behind the phase cloak was viable. I found Pressman realistic as a power hungry military guy who wants to one up the enemy and was willing to do whatever to do that, Dr. Strangelove anyone? I liked the conundrum of his crew having mutinied against him and Riker finally challenging him. Now how the Federation got rooked into a treaty preventing them from using cloaking devices while their enemies can seems like another logic flaw in the plot used only to move the plot forward. Hardly a perfect episode but for me it was good nonetheless.
• From L on 2013-04-28 at 9:34am:
  A definite Star Wars moment entering the asteroid.
  The Romulan captain's politely threatening banter was great and well delivered.
  Terry O'Quinn has very pretty eyes.
• From Mike Chambers on 2013-11-20 at 9:02am:
  Love the episode. This one gets an 8 from me. However... problem:
  
  - If the interior of the asteroid rock wall is visible outside the Enterprise while they're phased/cloaked, why is it magically invisible from the interior of the ship as they pass through it? Shouldn't everything have been pitch black and everybody blind?
• From Axel on 2015-02-28 at 4:39pm:
  I love how Worf is always so surprised when a Romulan ship decloaks and hails the Enterprise. The idea that the Romulans would talk instead of fight never seems likely to him :)
  
  This episode made me curious about Starfleet's chain of command protocol and arrest procedures. When Pressman was commanding the Pegasus, the crew had to resort to mutiny to go against his treaty violation. But on the Enterprise, Picard, a junior officer to Pressman, formally charges a higher-ranking officer and takes him into custody for that. It's confusing unless Starfleet has delegated that kind of authority out to the ships; in the U.S. Navy, for example, I don't think it's possible for a junior-officer to charge and arrest a senior officer without permission from a higher authority. If you are given an unlawful order or deal with unlawful command influence, I believe you refuse to carry it out and when you have the chance, bring it to the attention of someone.
  
  In Starfleet, if you have a rogue captain or admiral like Pressman, what exactly do you do since mutiny is clearly not the proper alternative? The First Officer of the Pegasus couldn't have charged and arrested Pressman like Picard did, so it's not clear how this kind of thing gets handled.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From rhea on 2008-04-27 at 4:35pm:
  I am with you on that estimation. Fine fine episode. Prime examle for an episode that tells a great story without even much of a plot or huge effects, just by picking, if you will, two great minds locked in combat. yay.
• From Nadav on 2008-08-27 at 9:08am:
  I was much less enthusiastic about this episode, because frankly, much of the story sounded inconsistent, and even non-sensical, to me.
  
  The first thing that didn't make much sense was the description of the earth-romulan war, which supposedly was thought without either side seeing each other. Ahh??? This makes absolutely no sense. I can understand how in a specific battle which was fought with long-distance weapons the sides didn't see each other, but the whole war? And how was the ceasefire treaty signed without communication? And if communication was possible, wasn't it natural to also have visual communication? Also, didn't the Vulcans know who the Romulans are? I find this very strange, to say the least.
  
  The second thing is that indeed, the battle on this episodes feels like a submarine battle, without any reason. The plasma bomb the Romulans used is cool, but why not use a more conventional ship-to-ship weapon against the enterprise? Isn't it strange that Enterprise shot so many sucessful phaser shots against the invisible Rumulan ship, and the Romulans did not shoot more at the fully visible Enterprise? And isn't it strange that the Romulans have such advanced technology (like cloaking and that astroid-destroying weapon) but couldn't get the basic stuff (like a normal anti-ship weapon, and speed, for god's sake) right?
• From Kethinov on 2008-08-31 at 6:29pm:
  I couldn't disagree more.
  
  The Earth/Romulan war being fought without either side seeing each other is entirely plausible. To see how that might have been accomplished, watch Ent: Minefield, Ent: Babel One, Ent: United, and Ent: The Aenar. The recurring theme is that the Romulans did not want the Vulcans to discover their linked heritage.
  
  Moreover, there wasn't "no communication." There was plenty of audio communication. Again, the Romulans didn't want visual communications so as not to reveal to the Vulcans their linked heritage.
  
  Regarding the plasma bomb, it was obviously an experimental weapon. It's possible that other weapons had to be removed to equip their ship with it.
• From TashaFan on 2008-09-10 at 1:20am:
  It's like a submarine story because, like a sub, the Romulan can disappear from the sight of the Enterprise. Like a sub, the Romulan ship is slower, it relies on stealth not speed. Like a sub, it appears for a moment when it launches it's torpedo. If it misses, it has to try to evade the depth charges (phasers, although the episode mistakenly uses the photon torpedo visual effect, which is more like a depth charge in a way). The resemblance is intentional and, in my opinion, well done.
• From 411314 on 2009-06-16 at 12:04am:
  I found this episode disapointing. For the most part, it's just Romulans shooting at our heroes and the heroes shooting back. More characterization and less shooting would've been better. The only interesting parts were Spock explaining why he thought the Enterprise should attack the Roumulans and the crew member who was rascist against Spock. The woman who almost got married was nice eye candy, though.
• From zook on 2009-07-06 at 7:24am:
  Another factoid: the Romulan Commander is played by the wonderful Mark Lenard, who went on to play Sarek, Spock's father.
• From Arianwen on 2010-07-18 at 11:12pm:
  This is definitely one of my favourite episodes, although I was slightly irritated by the antique-speak aboard the Romulan vessel; they sounded like they were quoting from a book. But despite that I still find it dramatic and entertaining, with plenty of stuff happening - I have to disagree with 411314, all the shooting was just background to the "will they/won't they/will they start a war" theme.
  
  Lots of little scenes to enjoy as well; my favourite is Spock completely destroying the soppy moment where Stiles thanks him for rescuing him.
• From Mike Meares on 2012-03-23 at 1:04am:
  I totally agree with Kethinov that “The Balance of Terror” was indeed “the best episode of all of TOS.” And his review was very thought provoking and helped to deepen my understanding of the story. Excellent review!
  
  I would only add another comment about the significance of this episode. And that is the question of racial bigotry. The way it is dealt with in this episode is so great. I kind of wish more episodes had dealt with race relations in the future. I really think it is a little naïve of us to think racism will be non-existent in the future. Especially when you consider all the alien races we will encounter and how “earth men” will think of themselves as superior.
  
  The look on some of the Enterprise crew’s faces as they see Spock in a new light is priceless. I loved the doubt in their faces. It told a whole story without anyone saying a word.
  
  And more importantly, how Captain Kirk, the earth man, deals with the defeat of the Romulans, another race. Some aboard the Enterprise would have leveled the Romulan ship until it was completely destroyed ( hmmmmm does this remind you of Star Trek 2009? ).
  
  However, Captain Kirk doesn’t do this. Instead, He chooses to offer a helping hand to the Romulans. This demonstrated a part of Kirk’s strong character not always seen in later Star Trek episodes and movies. I always admired the ealier Kirk’s stance on the words “to seek out new life” and what those high sounding words really meant.
  
  And kudos on the acting of Mark Lenard! He really bought the Romulan character to life.
  
  I just had a couple of nipicks ( don’t I always? LOL ) on an otherwise perfect episode. I only noticed them after watching the episode for the 1,000th time.
  
  The first was when the Captain enters the chapel and Dr. McCoy says to Kirk, “Call for you from the bridge.” That seemed a little odd to me since the bridge can send out a page to the Captain thoughout the whole ship. Couldn’t the Captain have spoken to the bridge just before he entered the Chapel in the corridor?
  
  Also, when the Romulans enter the comet’s tail the Romulan Commander clearly says the comet’s “many particles will obscure their sensing device”. But a moment later he is surprised at the fact that the Enterprise is no longer showing on the Romulans sensing device. Wouldn’t the Romulans sensing device also be obscured by the comet’s many particles ?
  
  
• From Alan Feldman on 2012-09-02 at 8:00pm:
  BALANCE OF TERROR
  
  This episode well executed and is very engaging. The music goes very well with what we see. And it's fun to see each side debate, plan, execute their moves, etc. Also, just like "The Cage", there's a lot of stuff squeezed into the allotted 50 minutes -- that is, little or no filler. You never have to wait for something interesting to happen.
  
  However, I have these comments and questions:
  
  How can we still see anything from Outpost 4 after it's been destroyed? Any cameras and transmitters would have been destroyed along with it. Yet we clearly see the Romulan ship, watch it vanish, this time with the stars moving -- all *after* the asteroid has been destroyed.
  
  Furthermore, how can the Enterprise crew have seen anything at all?
  I would think that the first plasma salvo would have destroyed any surface cameras and transmitters. Look what happened to the command post 1 mile deep! And some surface equipment is going to survive? I don't think so.
  
  A fun scene, even though it's not possible.
  
  Along a similar vein, why does the picture from the Romulan ship fade out when it blows up? Being an explosion -- nuclear, no less -- you'd think it would be an abrupt cutoff. So how can we have a fade-out and enough time for the Romulan commander to fall?
  
  Comets don't have tails out in deep space. They have to be near a star. It looks pretty cool, though, and the music for it was well chosen. But why did they wait until they got out of the comet? Weren't they supposed to see the bird of prey in the comet?
  
  As to the cloaking device: What's lighting up the ships in the first place? Can they see the relatively tiny ships at fantastic distances lit up only by distant stars? I'm not sure it's possible to construct a telescope big enough, yet small enough to be on the Enterprise, that has sufficient light-gathering power and resolution. If so, why the need for the cloaking device?
  
  How did the Enterprise get a candid video of the Romulan bridge? Decius sent a message informing the "Praetor" of their "glorious mission" (in the other direction, no less) -- not a closeup of the Romulan commander in thought. It's worth going with this, though -- just to see the reactions on our heroes' faces.
  
  Don't the Romulans have phasers or the like? All they have is the cloaking device, impulse engines, the plasma weapon, and a really cramped bridge?
  
  Can't the Enterprise duck the incoming plasma ball? I guess the plasma ball is a heat-seeking weapon. Even so, it seems worth a try.
  
  Don't they have seat belts?
  
  During the last battle, the Romulan ship becomes visible in order to fire its weapon. Kirk gives the order to fire, but the phasers are inoperable due to the coolant leak knocking out the operators. It takes a while for Spock to run down the hall and press a few buttons to save the day. What in blazes are the Romulans waiting for during all this? They had about 35 seconds to fire their weapon! I guess their weapon malfunctioned too. But if it did, it should have been shown.
  
  Why can't the phasers be fired from the bridge? In which case, why is the phaser "control circuit" located on the bridge?
  
  Speaking of phasers, they repeatedly fire the luckiest shots. ". . . the wildest stroke of luck," as Stiles puts it. Kirk's not a "sorcerer", just incredibly lucky -- for this, anyway. On the other hand, the Romulans had an incredibly lucky shot with their "nuclear device of some kind". Or is it standard procedure for starships to go through debris? Note also that it detonated only 100 m away. A nuclear explosion at 100 m and the Enterprise survives? Those are some shields!
  
  Hmmm. A couple of rounds of phaser shots and the phaser control circuit overloads. They must have been using aluminum wiring. And then after a few more rounds Spock has to work on the transfer coil again! What are these, bargain basement phasers?
  
  Why do the ships tilt when damaged? There's no up and down in deep space.
  
  I can see radio contact without video. Video takes *a_lot* more bandwidth. It's sort of like Morse code being able to work where audio can't due to noise or distance.
  
  What's with the "play dead" game? If the Romulans can pick up Spock accidentally turning on something on his dashboard, why can't they detect the ship while they're still turning everything off (except the gravity, of course)?
  
  The ships at this stage are "motionless". Motionless relative to what? so the motion sensors pick up only motion relative to the galaxy? How does that work?
  
  Why didn't Spock save Tomlinson? I hope it was because he was already dead. Spock often seems to care more about other sentient life forms in other episodes -- like the cavemen in "The Galileo Seven", and the Horta in "The Devil in the Dark" -- and even expressed regrets about destroying Nomad and shutting down the M5. I prefer to think that Tomlinson was dead by the time Spock got there. In fact, Stiles is still moving while Tomlinson is lying motionless. But do we need to wrap up the bigotry bit somehow, I suppose.
  
  AEF
• From zerothis on 2012-09-22 at 2:33am:
  
  I think a remarkable scenes is when Spock accidentally breaks stealth by grabbing at his station to lift himself up. This is keeping with a perhaps coincidental theme where one of Spocks hands, perhaps subconsciously motivate, does something irrational that turns out to be beneficial (Like in Galileo 7 when he dumped and ignited the shuttle's remaining fuel)
  
  Seat belts, lol, a consistent oversight in all Trek incarnations. Second only to lack of the need for toilets (ST5 exceptionish noted).
  
  I like to think the addition of a visual signal on the Romulan ship that can be tapped into would be due to Tal Shiar (Yes, cannon does establishes it predates the Federation) wanting to make it easy to spy on their soldiers. Its there unbeknownst to the Romulan captain and crew, and made easy to use for the Tal Shiar (and unfortunately and unforeseen of them, easy for the Federation to use also).
  
  The submarine parallels and the logic of similarity between space and undersea vessels were obvious to me the first time I saw this episode. The similarity between sea-surface and space vessels is in language only, similarities are comparatively few. In fact, in ST2:ROK, Khan's mistaken thinking on this very point is fatal.
  
• From Glenn239 on 2012-12-06 at 1:56pm:
  ‘10’. It feels like a submarine story because it was adapted from one. This is one of the few episodes which takes a more technical approach to creating drama by way of the interplay of balanced (but asymmetrical) ship systems and commands. This episode also stands out for creating its dramatic tension almost exclusively from the scientific-technical elements inherent to the show’s premise. Too often Star Trek relied on some cheap gimmick, such as Godlike powers or the latest group of clowns to take over the ship, to eliminate some of the technical premises of the Star Trek world. This one stands out, along with one like the Cloud Minders, as taking special effort to avoid that narrative clique. It is also a highlight showing why episodes including the Klingons or Romulans seemed to have a ‘natural’ bump in quality..
• From Rick on 2014-08-27 at 12:52am:
  At Alan Feldman:
  
  I will show you how pretty much everyone of your "problems" isnt one:
  
  1. maybe this camera is not actually on the asteroid but was orbiting it. That would certainly be practical and make a whole lot of sense.
  
  2. same as 1
  
  3. maybe the initial explosion was not nuclear.
  
  4. i never heard any character say that they were not near a star.
  
  5. im sure 200 years from now they can build quite advanced sensors that could fit on a ship. hardly a problem that they couldnt build one now.
  
  6. great response to this question from an above poster about the tal shiar.
  
  7. Spock covers this problem when describing the power cost of the cloaking device.
  
  8. you answered this question yourself.
  
  9. both ships are heavily damaged as you stated and the romulans were already stated to be very low on power so it probably took them longer to fire their weapon. Additionally, the Romulans may have been complacent thinking the Enterprise was defenseless (like they stated, "at our mercy.")
  
  10. they got lucky...
  
  11. they got unlucky... (sometimes things go right and sometimes they dont, hardly a problem that kirk fired lucky shots and that the weapons malfunctioned)
  
  12. the ship tilts because it just got hit by a nuclear weapon (lots of force). that is obvious, and i dont understand your objection. any loss of balance or changing perspective for the actual people can be explained by gravity plating not functioning correctly...... when hit with a frickin nuclear weapon.
  
  13. the play dead game is a very real thing for submarine battles. Why cant the same be true in this situation?
  
  14. motionless relative to each other. come on, that was easy, you didnt try very hard on that problem. perfect example of fishing for problems where they dont exist.
  
  15. you answered this yourself.
• From Alan Feldman on 2014-11-26 at 5:18pm:
  At Rick about his 2014-08-27 at 12:52am post:
  
  "I will show you how pretty much everyone of your "problems" isnt one:"
  
  First of all, there's no need to be hostile. Second, you need to fix your Shift keys. Third, your lack of quoting makes parts of your post hard to follow. Even a few snippets of quoting here and there or a few contextual clues, which would have taken very little effort on your part, would have helped. OK, here's my rebuttal.
  
  1. maybe this camera is not actually on the asteroid but was orbiting it. That would certainly be practical and make a whole lot of sense. 2. same as 1"
  
  The fireball is coming straight at the camera. It fills the frame, meaning your satellite camera is directly between the ship and the asteroid, which means it would have been destroyed. No, I don't believe your satellite camera could somehow survive being enveloped by the plasma ball. Even if it did, I don't see how it could survive an asteroid underneath it being pulverized. And there _are_ problems with the idea of an orbiting camera.
  
  If the camera is in orbit around the asteroid, how does it get a radio signal through a mile of almost solid iron? Iron is conductive, which makes matters even worse! ELF is needed just to get to our submarines here on Earth. There's precious little bandwidth with ELF, so forget video. And iron is eight times as dense as water.
  
  A long-term stable orbit might well be difficult to achieve: Asteroids are very small, so their gravitational fields are very weak. They are irregular in shape, meaning the field will not be spherically symmetric. Furthermore, they are rotating, meaning the gravitational field will vary in time.
  
  Another problem: We see the bright flashing from the control room for too long. The camera there would probably have been destroyed too soon to see most, if any, of that.
  
  Yet another problem: When the Romulan ship first becomes visible, the stars are not moving. When it vanishes, the stars are moving as if the Bird of Prey were moving backwards at warp speed (and on impulse power!). Did your satellite camera, showing us this, assuming it somehow survived, also go into warp drive to follow the ship? Strangely, when the Romulan ship disappears, there is no break in the view of the moving stars. It's as if the shot of the fading ship were superimposed on the star field the Enterprise was flying through at the time, which also makes no sense.
  
  3. maybe the initial explosion was not nuclear.
  
  Maybe the Romulans just like to make some thermite fireworks before self-destruction.
  
  It was a rather long initial "explosion" -- about 8 seconds, in fact. And the picture fades out with the bridge still intact, so the nuke couldn't have gone off even then. While it does take an initial explosion to set off a nuke, it can't take 8 seconds. Actually, it was just a lot of flashing light and noise for effect. Some explosion. And why the fade-out? Don't you think if a nuke destroyed the ship the broadcast would just abruptly end? Why would anyone even expect a fade-out instead?
  
  4. i never heard any character say that they were not near a star.
  
  No one said the comet was not in the Andromeda galaxy, either. But I think it's a safe bet that it wasn't. The same goes for the comet not being near a star. Notice that there are stars zooming by when we see the comet. This would not happen if the comet were near a star. Besides, why would Spock mention just a comet if they were heading through a solar system? The comet would be only a very tiny part of it. And its sun would light up the Bird of Prey, causing the cloaking device to tax the ship's power source even more, which is clearly not in the Romulans' interest.
  
  And comets don't come in flashing colors. In fact, the earth passed right through the tail of Halley's Comet in 1910 and no one saw anything from that. A comet's tail is quite tenuous. See http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/12/science/space/rosetta-philae-comet-landing.html?ref=space for another example.
  
  5. im sure 200 years from now they can build quite advanced sensors that could fit on a ship. hardly a problem that they couldnt build one now.
  
  A totally unsupported statement. We're talking about seeing an extremely dark, relatively extremely tiny ship at an incredibly enormous distance. We can _barely_ measure the sizes of nearby humongous stars.
  
  One of those stars is Betelgeuse. It angular diameter is roughly 0.055" (with a large uncertainty), which is approx. 3x10^-7 radians. If our Bird of Prey is 100 m wide and 100,000,000 km away, its angular size would be 10^-9 radians, which is a factor of 300 smaller. Now you're going to tell me that we could measure the size of something almost totally dark with an angular size about 1/300th of an incredibly bright star Betelgeuse, and which could well be edge-on? I don't think so. And simply being able to detect it wouldn't be enough. You have to find it and identify it. That's hard. Finding Betelgeuse is easy. It's the bright red star in Orion. You can see it with the naked eye. You already know where to point your detector. That gives you an enormous head start. Yeah, you've got those motion sensors. Still. I'm amazed if even those work at "extreme range."
  
  Consider that a 100 watt light bulb emits about 10^15 photons / cm^2 / second at a distance of 1 meter (a quick fact from my _Classical Electrodynamics_ textbook by Jackson.). Let's say your detector is 10m x 10m (1000cm x 1000cm). That gives you 10^21 / d^2 photons/second in your detector, where d is the distance in meters. So at 100,000,000 km (less than the distance from the Sun to the Earth), you get 10^21/[(10^11)^2] = 0.1 photons per second. Then you have to include the inefficiency of your detector and be able able to pick out those 0.1 or fewer photons / second from those from the background stars. Add to that the noise you'll get, and you'll find it rather impossible to detect a dark extremely distant ship. Add to that you don't even know which way to point your detector. And you're telling me we can not only detect, but also _find_ and _identify_ a tiny at such a distance? I don't think so. You also have resolution problems due to the unavoidable diffraction of light. There are certain limits imposed by physical laws that you simply cannot get around.
  
  Granted, the ship isn't a 100 W bulb, but this is close enough to see how hard this is. There are no explicit distances given but we do have Sulu saying, "Something visual ahead, Captain, at extreme range." So I think 100,000,000 km is on the short side if anything. Even at 1,000,000 km, you get only 1000 photons per second.
  
  Maybe, just maybe there'll be a way to accomplish this in the future, but if so it probably would take time to collect enough photons. But I hope you can now appreciate just how hard a problem it is. I think it highly unlikely that it will ever be practicable.
  
  6. great response to this question from an above poster about the tal shiar.
  
  The Tal Shiar is a ridiculous explanation. Commenter zerothis, whom you referenced for this, says, "I like to think the addition of a visual signal on the Romulan ship that can be tapped into would be due to Tal Shiar (Yes, cannon [sic] does establishes it predates the Federation) wanting to make it easy to spy on their soldiers. Its there unbeknownst to the Romulan captain and crew, and made easy to use for the Tal Shiar (and unfortunately and unforeseen of them, easy for the Federation to use also)."
  
  OK, so you're saying that the Federation somehow knows about this Tal Shiar even though the Romulans in their own ship don't know about it? Wouldn't Romulan ships detect the Tal Shiar beams from each other? If the Federation can, then certainly other Romulan ships can. I think they'd catch on at some point. And it's kind of a dumb thing to do being that, as you yourself said, the enemy can easily pick up the video too.
  
  There's also the rule of silence that Decius broke. Tal Shiar would break that, too. And as the transmission would be aimed the other way, it's amazing the Enterprise could detect any signal at all.
  
  There is nothing in the episode to indicate that there is such a thing. In fact, the reason given was that Decius sent a signal to the Praetor. And it's quite clear from Uhura and Spock that they're getting the video from and because of the communication by Decius, not by any separate signal from a 24/7 security camera. And they lost the picture when the transmission ended. Why would Decius send a live video feed from the bridge? You could say that the Tal Shiar sneaked it in. Fine, but that takes a lot more bandwidth than a glorious message, so it wouldn't work, on top of the other problems given above.
  
  The communication was in code. Uhura made a tape of it so that Spock could decode it _later_. And the video portion certainly wasn't in some known format like NSTC or PAL or whatever they use on the Enterprise. But you would have him getting and _decoding_ a secret video in an unknown format in real time (and before analyzing the tape to decode it!) from a signal aimed away from them, only seconds after the beginning of the transmission, and somehow even know that there was video in the message in the first place?! "I have a fix on it, Captain. I believe I can lock on it, get a picture of their Bridge." I don't think so.
  
  Tal Shiar may pre-date the Federation, but it was made up _after_ TOS. That's a weakness at best.
  
  7. Spock covers this problem when describing the power cost of the cloaking device.
  
  Are you talking about having to turn off the cloaking device to fire the plasma ball weapon? I was asking about why the Romulans don't have _phasers_.
  
  8. you answered this question yourself.
  
  They could have at least tried to steer away from the plasma ball. They have done evasive maneuvers in other episodes.
  
  9. both ships are heavily damaged as you stated and the romulans were already stated to be very low on power so it probably took them longer to fire their weapon. Additionally, the Romulans may have been complacent thinking the Enterprise was defenseless (like they stated, "at our mercy.")
  
  If the ships are heavily damaged they'd be unlikely to be able to fire their weapons at all. Even so, 35 seconds is a long time. And what good are the cloaking device and the plasma weapon if the ship is so vulnerable to mere phasers during that time interval? Don't they have any decent shields? As for "very low on power": If your car is low on gas, you can still accelerate at the same rate. Only if you're running on batteries would this be a problem.
  
  Once you make your own ship visible, it is a no-brainer to fire as soon as possible.
  
  10. they got lucky...
  
  As for lucky shots, we're talking lotto-jackpot lucky here. (Remember when Stiles says, "the wildest stroke of luck"?) When they lose the Romulans in the comet, Kirk fires the weapons and somehow hits their ship, _even though they have no clue as to which way to fire_! Kirk even says, "Now, fire blind." All of the phaser shots are lotto-jackpot lucky except the last barrage when the Romulan ship is visible. Hell, if they can hit the ship even with its cloaking device on and firing blind, what good is this amazing device?
  
  11. they got unlucky... (sometimes things go right and sometimes they dont, hardly a problem that kirk fired lucky shots and that the weapons malfunctioned)
  
  Unlucky? As in the phasers crapping out three times in the same episode?! So you're saying they can get a video of their bridge, see extremely dark extremely tiny ships at extreme distances, make lotto-jackpot-lucky hits repeatedly with phasers that have a range longer than that of the plasma ball chasing the Enterprise for more than two minutes, and aim them from that same distance (!), yet these same phasers somehow crap out not just once, but three separate times? And no backup phasers? You can't have it both ways.
  
  12. the ship tilts because it just got hit by a nuclear weapon (lots of force). that is obvious, and i dont understand your objection. any loss of balance or changing perspective for the actual people can be explained by gravity plating not functioning correctly...... when hit with a frickin nuclear weapon.
  
  You seem to have totally misunderstood what I was asking. I said: "Why do the ships tilt when damaged? There's no up and down in deep space."
  
  There is no up and down in deep space. Tilting then becomes a matter of "relative to what?", not an indication of ship damage.
  
  It's clear that the "tilting" was meant to show damage. And having people falling across the bridge was meant to show that the ship has been tilted. The problem is: how do you square this with the fact that there is no up and down in space?
  
  It is very difficult or even impossible for most of us, if not all of us (aside from astronauts), to imagine what it's like to be in an environment without an up direction. (In fact, I recall one astronaut saying that to avoid disorientation, they (or he, at least) have to mentally and forcibly choose an arbitrary direction to be up.) This follows from the fact that we evolved, grow up, and live in an environment with an up direction, which is determined by the Earth's gravitational field. The up direction, along with the gravity that determines it, is of enormous consequence in our lives. That's probably another reason it's so hard to shake off.
  
  And this is why tilting and falling across the bridge are so problematic. It presumes an external up direction. But an up direction comes from gravity, and there is no external gravity here, hence no reference for absolute tilting or falling. BTW, notice that Kirk and Uhura fall "uphill" while everyone else falls "downhill". The only thing that saves this is that in the "tilted" position, they are not aimed at the enemy. I'll grant you that.
  
  So it is difficult to portray something more realistic. Also, notice that the debris in the Romulan bridge falls straight (perpendicular) to the floor, contrary to what you would get if the ship really "tilted," but exactly what you would expect from just the camera tilting. But at least the Romulans all fall "downhill", and the actors' timing is truly remarkable!
  
  I don't know enough about the gravity plating to comment on how it might malfunction. But I think your explanation is rather unlikely, and the mere existence or even possibility of such plates is very unlikely. Also, there is, AFAIK, no explanation in TOS as to how they work or that they even exist.
  
  Back to the ships: The Enterprise would have been rotating after the nuke went off. It wouldn't just rotate a little and then stop. Besides, based on the apparent tilt, the bridge crew didn't even "fall" in the right direction. Another problem is that at the end of the episode the Romulan ship appears to be rotating in a way that violates the law of conservation of angular momentum.
  
  13. the play dead game is a very real thing for submarine battles. Why cant the same be true in this situation?
  
  Fine. All I was asking is why the Romulans couldn't detect and find the Enterprise _while_ it was shutting down its non-critical systems. I'll cut you some slack here. (~_^)
  
  14. motionless relative to each other. come on, that was easy, you didnt try very hard on that problem. perfect example of fishing for problems where they dont exist.
  
  Well hell, why doesn't the Enterprise just move a little then? And it's ridiculous for other reasons. The Enterprise often "stops" in space. It seems from the series taken in totality that nothing can move without being actively propelled. Or needing continuous power just to stay in orbit. Orbits decaying in hours or less is ridiculous. And it's only once that I can recall that "coasting" was a real thing. It's as if Newton's laws of motion didn't exist.
  
  And if they have motion sensors, why not also radar? Actually, if the motion sensors work by the Doppler effect, zero relative motion would also be detectable, which basically would be the equivalent of radar.
  
  In this episode: "Captain's log - supplemental. Now motionless for . . ." Relative to what? Well, approximately to the galaxy, I'd presume. How would you measure that? BTW, the galaxy itself is moving! It seems clear to me that the writers for TOS had no conception of relativity theory, and were assuming the world of absolute time and space given in Newtonian physics (but not his laws of motion) -- and I believe even Newton realized there was a problem with that, in particular, finding which inertial reference frame is the one that is truly "at rest." Relativity solved that problem by determining that there is no such preferred inertial reference frame and more.
  
  15. you answered this yourself.
  
  I believe this is in reference to my comment: "Why didn't Spock save Tomlinson?" I still think it's a point well worth some discussion, as there is too much ambiguity with it. And especially since Spock seems so concerned about other life forms (and even entities like M5, Nomad, Landru, but then only to exploit or study) and so little about humans if they're not useful for something he deems important enough.
  
  I still love Star Trek TOS, even with all its problems.
• From Chris on 2018-02-08 at 9:29pm:
  Lots of problems with this episode but it sure was fun to watch as a kid!
  
  Like a few others, I have a problem with no side having seen the other notion. I can't imagine any treaty being signed without some kind of face-to-face meeting between belligerents.
  
  Further, the war took place before warp drive which means humans have not yet met Vulcans despite what Spock says. Further, he says that there was no ship to ship visual contact! How does Stiles know that Romulan vessels are painted like a big bird of prey?
  
  Even if warp drive had been discovered and Vulcans and humans knew each other, how would a Romulan know this, or even consider it a good idea to keep their little secret? Why would they know their roots, but Vulcans not? None of this makes sense at all to me despite the Enterprise series' explanations, which I've not seen.
  
  Not buying!
  
  Stiles should have been clapped in irons and run out of the service for his open disrespect and bigotry to a senior officer!!!
  
  I don't know if this was mentioned anywhere above ...probably... but, the Enterprise looks to be firing Photon Torpedoes and not Phasers. A glaring error and they should have fixed it with the remaster.
  
  It's better to be lucky than good!
  
  As Spock so often says throughout the series, "We were most fortunate!" or "Random chance seems to have worked in our favor!"
  
  FYI, the episode is based on the excellent movie, "The Enemy Below" which can be seen freely on YouTube. I highly recommend it!!
• From Orac on 2022-09-13 at 7:37am:
  @Alan Feldman. Your "rebuttal" is petty,contrived and rambling.Very difficult to read due to its bitter and lengthy diatribe and pseudo science.
  I dont think Rick was being hostile.
  Sometimes hardcore "fans" need to just enjoy a great story and not act like they couod write it better and that fact ruins it for them. 21st century trek culture eh!?
• From Alan Feldman on 2022-12-02 at 9:51pm:
  @Orac
  
  "I will show you how pretty much everyone of your "problems" isnt one:" [sic]
  
  Seems at least a little hostile to me. Hey, that's what emojis and emoticons are for!
  
  Contrived? I don't see how. Can you give a specific example?
  
  Rambling? Well, maybe a little. But with so many problems, it's going to be a little long. Also, it's usually the case that a rebuttal is going to be longer than the original. I still remember when Reagan said, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Like the man or not, that's a great line. It was so good, in fact, that you can see Mondale smiling and perhaps even laughing. Now, how are you going to rebut that in as many or fewer words?
  
  Sorry, but I'm borderline on this episode. In most eps (except the really bad ones) I can go with it, even though I occasionally cringe at the bad science and even the bad logic of some of the plots. But I just can't help but notice so many problems in this one. I still love the dialog on the Romulan ship, and was glad to finally find out what the Neutral Zone is all about. Also, discussion of strategy is fun, except I still don't understand the comet bit. They were going to do an end run or something like that. Instead, they go through the comet and expect to find the Romulan ship when they exit the comet. Can you explain that? (Just askin'.)
  
  Like I said, I love Star Trek TOS TV eps, even with the occasional cringe moments. And I do point out the good when others don't, like the truly excellent job they did with the large background mattes in WNMHGB, Menagerie, Armageddon, Dagger, and maybe a few others. (I'm talking the 1960s version, not the remastered stuff.) Good special effects are hard to notice, as their very purpose is to look "real" and not draw attention to themselves. But when I do notice them, I point out how good they are. And those mattes are among the best I've ever seen. I challenge anyone to find the border between the best mattes and the studio floor.
  
  Pseudoscience? Do you have any evidence for that? Look up the stuff I mentioned. Then report back.
  
  You don't need to be able to write it better to criticize or even review a TV show or movie. If that were the case, it would be the end of 99% of all reviews! I could have served as science advisor, though.
  
  Hey, even _2001: A Space Odyssey_ has a lot of problems. Still a great movie.
  
  I also understand that they're on a tight budget and a tight schedule, and that re-writes are sometimes essential, as what's written in the script doesn't always translate well into live action. They work long hours and there will be some errors. I grant that. If I couldn't deal with it, I couldn't watch _any_ of the episodes. As CinemaSins says in the "Everything Wrong with <name of movie>" series on YouTube: "No movie is without sin." And while they're just as vicious with their reviews of Star Trek as with at least one other movie they review (The Matrix), they explicitly say that they love Star Trek anyway (as do I). And their _very purpose_ is to find as many "sins" as they can. It usually numbers about a hundred and change. You might not like them. I do, as most of the sins are right on the money and enjoyable. Oh, the Nostalgia Critic also reviews movies, and for "The Matrix" they add their own side sketch. Oh, and there are problems with these reviews, too!
  

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From rpeh on 2010-07-17 at 6:43pm:
  Brilliant stuff, and good to see Spock getting the woman for once. The best exchange is with Spock and the Doctor at the end:
  McCoy: But it did happen, Spock.
  Spock: Yes it happened. But it was 5,000 years ago... and she is dead now. Dead, and buried long ago.
  Really makes you feel for Spock.
  
  The time paradox issue is obvious a pretty serious one, but it doesn't detract from a really good story.
• From Q on 2010-11-30 at 7:55pm:
  Wow! Genuine Star Trek stuff. Unlike many others TOS episodes this one can easily keep up with the standards that were later set by the successor series of the franchise. Timeless. My favorite.
• From Strider on 2012-07-03 at 6:24pm:
  After watching The Savage Curtain, which was just embarrassing, this episode was balm to my soul. Every character is at his best in this, and like the review says, this is a great and actually sensible use of a time travel setting.
  
  I wanted Spock to have more time with Zarabeth. We knew that was a very significant relationship because we saw Spock justifying why he wasn't moving heaven and earth to find Kirk. The doctor standing up to Spock was excellent and powerful, and it was SO NICE not to have to watch Kirk with some woman again. And of course, Spock's struggle with his deeply written Vulcan nature was so vivid. Why is it we like to see him suffer so?
  
  One of the best.
  
  
• From Scott Hearon on 2014-04-13 at 4:53pm:
  I guess I'm in the minority on this comment board, as I only found this episode to be "OK," and gave it 5/10.
  
  As with so many other episodes, this one has a very interesting idea that allows for some interesting situations for our main characters to deal with. And yet, there are too many unanswered (and possible unanswerable) questions:
  
  Leaving aside the entire time travel story headaches (they always exist, even with the most carefully planned time travel story), I have to wonder why the "tyrant" referred to set up this entire system? Zarabeth explains that he needed to keep them alive, but it wasn't clear as to why. Setting up a time travel system just to imprison people seems insanely elaborate. (Maybe another poster can explain this to me - it's quite possible that I might have missed it.)
  
  And of course, if this tyrant DID set up a time travel system, couldn't it be used in some way to influence the future? And whose future was it, anyway? These people were from another planet, and yet they seemed to be transported to the history of "our" Earth, including European inquisitions and duelists. Baffling.
  
  The major strength of this story, though, was Spock's struggle with his regressing nature. Seeing him go through the pain of realizing that he is both becoming more savage and experiencing more primal love was touching and heart-rending at the same time. And it was good to see McCoy finally get called out for his tiresome, bigoted antagonism of Spock. If there's one Star Trek cliche that I got tired of very early in the series, it was this one. Even if Spock was acting irrationally, McCoy deserved to be choked out at least once before the series ended.
  
  Some good. Some bad. Very much like most of the episodes I've watched.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-06-23 at 1:11am:
  I'd give this episode an 8. It is at the pinnacle of character development episodes. Before now, Nog has been seen as the annoying little ferengi friend of Jake's, not to be taken seriously. In this episode, he truly opens up his feelings to Sisko. I really liked getting to see that he has interests other than profit. I also liked how Rom expresses his pride for Nog and overrides Quark. I haven't seen further on in DS9, so I'll come back and edit this when I have, but I swear to God I'm going to be furious if I don't get to see Nog in a Starfleet uniform at some point....
• From Lt. Fitz on 2012-06-25 at 5:12pm:
  If the changeling can perfectly impersonate Kira, including the features of her face, why in the freak does she have to have an Odo-like featureless face when she transforms into a changeling attempt at humanoid form? And why is she female with the shape of breasts? None of this makes any sense. She could have just transformed into a talking monkey. Or stayed as Kira and dropped the crystal part of the form. I just don't get why they need an actress in Odo face at all. Perhaps they are limited by special effect budget or something. The way they handle changelings boggles my mind.
• From Dubhan on 2014-07-04 at 7:11am:
  I'm a big ol' softie and both of the story-lines in this episode made me tear up. That makes it a top-tier (tear?) episode by my standards.
• From Abigail on 2019-10-30 at 9:52pm:
  All through this episode, I was thinking it was ridiculous. I thought Kira was actually stuck in a crystal, and that she would magically and quickly get out at the end. And the interactions between Sisko and Nog were really annoying (with Sisko being pretty rude and just mean by the final scene).
  
  Then the ending totally redeemed it! There was an actual point to the episode! And character development ensued! Hooray!
• From Gaius Gracchus on 2021-08-16 at 11:33am:
  "Just a slip of the tongue" was a tear-jerking line, and this episode does a good job building on Odo/Kira. Taking Nog seriously, a character who has mostly been comic relief so far (though a good insight into the Ferengi through his relationship with Jake) shows a level of maturity in this show's writing.
• From Azalea Jane on 2021-12-06 at 7:16pm:
  @ Lt. Fitz - I noticed all this as well. Regarding the changeling's impersonation of Kira, my guess is that much older and experienced changelings have developed their humanoid impersonation skills to an advanced stage. (See: alternate Odo in Children of Time.) Odo is quite young, relatively inexperienced, has barely linked, and has not been in the Great Link; the other changeling is probably one of the oldest and most experienced. It's very possible that changelings have already infiltrated DS9 and have observed all the people there. Whoever did that could return to the great link and share that information with everyone.
  
  I agree this whole show handled the changelings very weirdly. "Female changeling" makes no goddamn sense. Are we supposed to believe that freaking shape-shifters evolved sexes like humans did? She should have been called the "head changeling" or something if she was the leader.
  
  So far as I know, the other changelings adopt humanoid forms similar to Odo's out of affection and/or convention. They probably don't have a default solid state, but it might be useful to have a "look" for when they want to identify themselves as shapeshifters. Why not that look, since everyone in the Alpha quadrant already associates that look with shapeshifters? That's my guess.
• From G. Host on 2022-05-17 at 11:35pm:
  IMO the primary story (Kira/Odo) was far less satisfying than the Nog one.
  
  Nog proves he can be extremely focused in episode like his father Rom where he needs help O'Brien when Keiko is taken over by Pah-wraith. Aron Eisenberg ended up being guest star with most episodes.
• From fL0reign on 2022-09-08 at 6:57am:
  Someone needs to make an episode about lowering the bar for Starfleet Academy admission between TNG and DS9.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From MJ on 2011-07-30 at 4:12pm:
  "newest and best captain in Starfleet". Well, this explains the awkward goodbye between O'Brien and Picard in the pilot. Maybe the Chief just didn't enjoy his time under Picard. It could just be an effort by the writers to cement O'Brien as a DS9 main character, which he wasn't in TNG.
  
  The episode certainly had plenty of suspense and illustrated the main problem Starfleet would have in dealing with the Founders. The main problem with this story, though, is that it seems hard to believe that an ambassador would have the power to assign a mission to a Starfleet ship without anyone at Starfleet Command knowing about it. I realize that some routine missions and actions could be decided at the station level, but something like this seems like it would've needed more communication between DS9 and Starfleet, not just an ambassador showing up and giving the green light. I guess one reasonable workaround is that Changelings infiltrating Starfleet made it possible on that end.
  
  Anyway, the episode was pretty good and I even enjoy watching it a second time despite knowing the outcome, so I give it a 6.
• From Gaius Gracchus on 2021-08-26 at 10:14pm:
  "No changeling has ever harmed another" has been repeated so much this season, it deserved this level of payoff.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-06-25 at 10:44pm:
  I still don't understand why you found the drumhead "offensive". It was a great episode, and this one continues in its spirit.
• From Pemmer Harge on 2009-11-29 at 9:28pm:
  I agree that Paradise Lost is better than Homefront. However, for me, this two-parter will always live in the shadow of Babylon 5's Messages From Earth-Point of No Return-Severed Dreams arc, which dealt with similar subject matter but did it a lot better.
• From L on 2013-05-25 at 6:25am:
  The captain of the Lakota was played by Susan Gibney, the same actress who was the designer of the new Enterpise and Geordie's unrequited true love in TNG, Dr Leah Brahms.
  
  I don't know if this Starfleet takeover plot has further consequences or developments or not. If it doesn't come up again then that's a bit disappointing - but if it is a standalone two-parter this is still pretty good. Mankind still has to be vigilant against its own corruptible nature.
• From peterwolf on 2013-11-27 at 11:11pm:
  Most Star Trek episodes set on Earth add some more realism to the whole series. Since I have visited some of the locations myself (e.g. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris), there is a certain connection of the present age with the Star Trek future, whatever unlikely it will seem. So I like these episodes very much and give at least 8 points to the two parts, regardless of nasty uniforms and recurring power hungry admirals, which are just like in real life. A remarkable scene in "Paradise Lost" is Odo doing the Vulcan nerve pinch on the female Starfleet guard. Did he ever use it on other occasions?
• From bodner on 2014-02-28 at 10:42am:
  so how did they fake the bloodtest? And how come they kept using them later...
• From Rob UK on 2015-02-27 at 3:56am:
  The blood test is easily faked by a changeling, simply kill a solid and store some of their blood inside your changeling body and move that pocket of solid blood to the surface wherever someone is taking the blood sample from you, be that with a hypo Starfleet style or cutting your palm with a blade Klingon style
• From Gaius Gracchus on 2021-10-02 at 6:04pm:
  This episode feels oddly prescient. Had it been released during the run of Enterprise, it would read as a 9/11-allegory. Blood tests and martial law for increased airport security and the PATRIOT Act. Fake-O'Brien's speech to Sisko "only four of us... in the end, it's your fear that will destroy you."
  
  Episode sits among the best of Trek, as social commentary... even before the events it speaks most directly to. Cutting to the core of our failings as a society, and yet there is hope; our hero Sisko triumphs in the end over the coup d'etat.

No fan commentary yet.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-06-12 at 1:04am:
  I absolutely despise mirror universe episodes. I couldn't hardly stand to watch this one. It's almost painful to watch.
• From EKH on 2007-05-02 at 8:30pm:
  The mirror universe episode are my own personal favourites, as they always give fascinating insight into the hidden depths of a character, and this one is no exceptions. It is interesting to see how the main cast would have turned out had things been different, and thus episode features some convincing writing and acting for these possible personalities. In particular Sisko is well acted, striking true as being the same character. I also enjoyed seeing how Kira would have ended up had her life been the opposite of what it was. Still a complete mess, but in quite a different way!
  Also, a big plus for showing Terok Nor orbiting Bajor.
  
  I give it a 10.
• From Remco on 2008-10-23 at 3:00pm:
  At the end, when Sisko asks Bashir and Kira where they have been, Kira replies: "Through the looking-glass". It's unlikely that a former Bajoran slave-turned-terrorist knows about such an ancient Earth book.
• From JRPoole on 2008-12-26 at 9:50pm:
  I must agree with Pete Miller above; I despise mirror episodes. This one is entertaining, though.
• From rpeh on 2010-07-28 at 2:48pm:
  The problem with the Mirror universe episodes is that the writers tend to spend more time coming up with clever "opposites" for the characters than writing a decent story. This one is no exception.
  
  It's worth mentioning that Quark's line "I don't stick my neck out for anybody" when asked if he has been helping Terrans escape is a reference to the famous Bogart line in Casablanca, "I don't stick my neck out for nobody" when Rick is asked something similar.
• From Bernard on 2011-07-16 at 8:12am:
  Rules for watching the mirror universe episodes:
  
  1. Suspend your disbelief completely. If you think about it for even a millisecond you realise that in an alternate universe if so much was changed (terrans being all conquering and then becoming benign for example) then none of the characters we know and love would even have been born... and even if they were they would likely not end up in the same place!
  
  2. Enjoy watching the actors having fun
  
  3. Check your brains in on the way in, don't expect any thought provoking sci-fi or heart wrenching drama.
  
  
  I really like this episode for reasons I can't explain it works very well. The actors have a blast, especially Avery Brooks. I love his performance too, you can see his talent is playing off the wall characters.
  
  The problem is that we revisit this universe in the future! I can't hold this episode responsible for that though and would give it a strong 8.
• From Spencer Miller on 2012-04-10 at 5:18pm:
  Loved Bizarro-world rogue Sisko in this episode! I was disappointed that Garak wasnt given an "altered" character aside from rank, as I was watching I was thinking how cool it would be if he behaved more like a Gul Dukat in the alternate reality.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-09-22 at 9:37pm:
  Why was Janeaway so eager to hear about the Krenim from future Kes? Uhhhhh...Prime Directive anyone?
• From Dejan on 2007-12-17 at 12:53pm:
  At Pete.
  This has nothing to do with prime directive. Maybe Temporal prime directive.
• From zooky on 2012-12-21 at 4:00am:
  Kes as a new-born baby has human ears. Not terribly plausible that the Ocampa develop their distinctive physiology later in life.
• From thaibites on 2014-04-13 at 7:18am:
  The only good thing about this episode is that Torres dies. It was awesome! I laughed, I cried, I ate salami. Then, after I thought I had found paradise, it was ripped away from me. Torres died in an alternate time-line. Now I know how Harry feels...
• From Jon C on 2017-08-04 at 3:55am:
  This all seems to be about Kes's hair in the end. A contrived way to get her to have long hair. If not then why didn't the episode reset at a time when she had short hair? And we're also left with the feeling we've missed out on a chunk of Voyager life with the jump from short to long hair. The long hair makes her look like a librarian instead of an alien. No wonder she fell out of favour.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From JRPoole on 2008-12-01 at 4:09pm:
  I give this one a 10 because it exemplifies everything that Trek is about. I love the paralells between Winn's scheming and the intelligent design debate, I love Sisko's calm mediation, and I love Keiko's resolve. Vedik Winn's character is great, and the actress (I can't remember her name to save my life) is perfect for the role.
  
  I like to contrast this one with the TNG episode "The Devil's Due." You see that DS9 is not only grittier than TNG, but it's also a little more nuanced in its approach to science vs. religion. Sisko, while uncomfortable with his role as the Emissary, at least understands the importance of the Bajorans' religion.
  
  In the end, I think this one actually works pretty well as a season finale. The Winn/Bareil feud, which heats up as the series progresses if memory serves, gets introduced here, and this one sort of functions as a capstone episode for Kira and sets the stage for the political tensions to come. Nice work.
• From Bernard on 2010-01-19 at 12:08pm:
  I was very surprised to see the fan average below 8 for this one.
  
  Perhaps like the reviewer they were rating it against what they expect of a season finale? I don't find that a particularly balanced way of looking at what is a stand alone episode whether it comes in the middle or at the end of the season.
  
  I really like this one, Louise Fletcher is brilliant as the scheming Vedek Winn. The main theme, science vs. religion is nicely highlighted and the tension is built nicely throughout. I really like the way they had Major Kira finally 'adjust' to her new life and accept Sisko. That seemed a fitting way to wrap up the season.
  Now I've come to the end of my revisit of season one I feel great optimism based on the content of the final two episodes, without which Season one comes dangerously close to being average.
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-10-18 at 4:42pm:
  To answer the question posed by JRPoole, the actress is Louise Fletcher, best known (aside from her role as Vedic Winn) as Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with Jack Nicholson.
• From Wes on 2012-11-30 at 10:21pm:
  I was so dissatisfied with the end of the episode as it relates to Winn. Who cares if girl won't admit to being in league with Winn! That has never stopped Odo before. He would be able to get to the bottom of this. It would just take some time. It makes me think to the end of the series and Winn's involvement; it's quite frustrating. If they had stopped Winn now, the series would have ended quite differently. I just hate how evil Winn is. I guess that means she is an excellent villain.
• From alphabeta on 2013-07-10 at 10:30am:
  Additional Morn sightings; in the middle of the episode during first Odo's/Quark's conversation and then Odo's/O'brien's conversation, Morn can be seen walking by in the background twice, counterclockwise, the 2nd time with what looks like a Jumja stick. Guess he's just out for a snack and a walk around the promenade!

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From djb on 2009-04-10 at 2:34am:
  Wow. This really ups the ante, doesn't it?
  
  I'm watching DS9 eps in order, so I don't know much about what comes next, except for a few spoilers I've read on Memory Alpha. So I'll try to keep this review from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about what's to come.
  
  First of all, the Defiant. Awesome. A Federation war ship! What a concept! This brings to mind a concern I've long held. I don't know if this is a problem with Roddenberry's vision, or a problem he intended there to be, or what, but basically it's this: the Federation is run by a bunch of bleeding-heart wimps. Now, I usually recoil from the term "bleeding-heart," as it implies things I don't like politically, but this is the best term. This was especially true in TNG. Examples: Season 3's premiere, "Evolution." Nanites become apparently intelligent and become a threat to the ship, and instead of eliminate them (as one character tries to do), they get all weird and act as if it has some kind of right to exist, even though it's threatening everyone on the ship.
  
  Anyway. The federation is all about exploration, but they don't seem to want to be realistic about the fact that very real threats exist out there and they have to be ready. They could be like the Swiss: peaceful yet armed to the teeth. But they're not. They didn't last half an hour against the Borg, with 39 ships (granted, the borg had Picard's knowledge on their side, but still). They start work on a warship, and once the Borg threat recedes, they abandon it? They should have a fleet of a hundred Defiants at the ready!
  
  And now, we're facing the Dominion, whose teeth (the Jem-Hadar) are even more ruthless/efficient/deadly, it would seem, than the Cardassians, who have weapons and transporters that make short work of Federation shields, and have no qualms about a suicide mission to gratuitously destroy a disabled retreating ship. Nothing to sneeze at. If I were the federation, I would re-open the Defiant project, perfect it, start building a ton of them, start training Federation-equivalents of Marines en masse, reopen development on a cloaking device, put a ton of energy in to weapons and defense development, and so on. This is all stuff they should have done long ago, but for whatever reason decided to act as if real threats like the Borg or the Dominion didn't exist out there.
  
  Anyway. I don't know what comes next, so the Federation may very well grow some balls over the next few seasons. I hope they do. But it's nice to see the Defiant and what it's capable of.
  
  Of course, a major highlight of the episode is Odo finding his own kind. I already know (spoilers ahead) that the Changelings are the Founders, but for someone who doesn't know what's to come, it's still a powerful moment. I'm still aching to find out what happens: why did the Changelings form the Dominion? What happened to Sisko and the others? Why does Odo go back to the Alpha quadrant and not stay with his own? If they all seem to occupy the same "lake" on their planet (a rogue planet?), do the Changelings have individual identities the way we do or not? What would they look like if they hadn't just matched Odo's default form? Do they have a default solid form? Why and how do they have genders?
  
  Anyway, I'm looking forward to the rest of the series immensely.
• From rpeh on 2010-07-28 at 7:39pm:
  A magnificent episode that really starts the new season with a bang.
  
  One minor problem: why is it when the Defiant is boarded by the Jem'Hadar that their first instinct is to use their guns as clubs? They were all locked and loaded and could have stunned the crew in an instant.
• From MJ on 2011-08-08 at 9:01pm:
  This episode would seem to establish that the Jem'Hadar cannot instinctively recognize Changelings unless seeing them shapeshift. In DS9: THe Adversary, the Jem'Hadar only recognizes Odo as a "Founder" after passing through him. Here, we see the Jem'Hadar attack Odo with the same ferocity as they did Kira, obviously unaware who or what he is.
  
  There is a minor annoyance in this episode...as in DS9: The Way of the Warrior, I have a very hard time believing that a bunch of humans can defeat Jem'Hadar (and Klingons) in hand to hand combat. In reality, I think the Jem-Hadar, who let's not forget are genetically engineered warriors, would likely have taken over the ship in a matter of seconds, given how accustomed they are to boarding attacks.
  
  That aside, this was one of the better starts to a DS9 season. It's got plenty of action and intrigue. The Odo subplot is very well done; Odo is already very disgruntled because of Starfleet's decision to "augment" him with Eddington, and when he sees the Omarii Nebula, it becomes a singular obsession that will reveal the most stunning discovery of his life!
  
  The Romulan assistant was in character: highly mistrustful, a bit cold, and also possessing one of the most interesting Romulan traits: that is, preferring to avoid brash, direct confrontation in favor of a strategic advantage and saving the fight for a different day. This trait will frustrate Starfleet and the Klingons during the Dominion War.
  
  The Defiant's introduction is brilliant, and it's easy to see why the ship gains the affection of Sisko from the get-go.
  
  Nicely done!
• From * on 2011-09-03 at 9:55pm:
  Dax' hair looks like a spray painted cinder block in this episode. Thank you for reassuring me that it won't last.
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-10-27 at 7:30pm:
  T'Kul was played by Martha Hackett who also plays the (somewhat) major character Seska in ST: Voyager.
  
  Fully agree with comments on the Jem'Hadar. I also noticed in the previous episode (DS9: The Jem'Hadar) that the Jem'Hadar did an astonishingly poor job of subduing Sisko and Quark after they escaped confinement. At the beginning of the altercation, one of the Jem'Hadar attacked Sisko with a phaser rifle he was using as a club, similar to the Jem'Hadar attack not the Defiant in this episode. Possible explanation in that episode was that the entire escape was designed as a ploy to allow one of the Vorta to infiltrate DS9 as a spy. Still, Sisko reasonably should have noticed that the Jem'Hadar did not simply shoot him.
  
  Also agree that Dax's hair in this episode (as well as part 2) was not that nice.
• From peterwolf on 2013-11-08 at 11:07pm:
  I like this episode very much, in particular Odo´s quest for his origins and his altered behaviour. However, some inconsistencies concerning his shape-shifter abilites were never really resolved: He could perfectly imitate the feathers of a bird or the fur and the ears of a rat, but not human ears!?!
  I take it that these imperfect ears are simply symbols indicating that Odo or the female shapeshifter belong to a different species.
  Also, my only other dislike in this great episode is that the Defiant was to easily defaeted by the Jem Hadar. After failure of the cloaking device the defiant should have had enough firepower to take out more than one Jem Hadar ship. Her shields and armour (I am not quite sure when the ablative armour was introduced?) should made her more resilient than we saw it. Whatsoever, we may blame it to the quite unexperienced crew, like Dr. Bashir being abused as weapons officer ...

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-08-11 at 5:23am:
  This episode suffers from the usual Voyager problems: Excessive technobabble and a deus ex machina ending.
  
  Voyager uses more technobabble than DS9, TNG, ENT, and TOS combined
• From mandaloril on 2011-08-17 at 4:02am:
  This episode blows.
• From g@g on 2011-09-02 at 9:02pm:
  I agree there are definitely some questionable things about the premise and its resolution.
  
  Also, Janeway & Janeway's interactions could've been better - there were some missed opportunities there. They were both a bit too casual about it, their reactions and behavior weren't proportional to the true "weirdness" (to quote Kim) of the situation. After all, she (x2) was meeting not just some double or doppelganger, not just some long lost twin, but a twin instance of herself.
  
  They did stand incredibly close, far into each others "personal space," and they did look sort of lovingly at each other, but other than that they acted exactly as if it was all perfectly normal.
  
  On the other hand, one thing I appreciated in the episode was how the viewer's attachment bounced around between the two crews. We start the day in one Voyager universe, then all goes to hell, Kim dies, and its revealed that there's another ship where everything's pretty much OK. So the viewer is guided to reattach to this "other" ship/crew, and the original one is marked for self-destruction - a kind of necessary expandability. It's a really nice twist to have the Vidians completely overrun this "new" Voyager, and for the viewer to do an about face and reattach to the "original" ship, just with the small "organ donation" of a restored Kim and a healthy baby.
  
  So, problematic but not a total loss - some definitely redeeming elements in this episode.
• From Rick on 2014-01-14 at 5:06am:
  Near the end the Doctor says to Kim, "Did my counterpart have a name," and Kim responds, "I didnt have time to ask."
  
  These comments make absolutely no sense. First, Voyager has only been "doubled" for a couple hours so I dont think the Doctor acquired a name in that time period. Second, what the hell does Kim mean he didnt have time? The Doctor is asking a question about the Doctor from Kim's ship (so he has always known that Doctor). They really didnt think this exchange out.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Jason on 2009-11-22 at 6:20am:
  The talented polynesian flamestick twirler, a lieutenant, had been given the day off by a request from Dax. Dax mentioned that "Captain Shelby owed me a favor." This seems to be a reference to the excellent and ambitious first officer, Commander Shelby, that served briefly on the Enterprise under Will Riker in TNG Episode 3x26 - The Best of Both Worlds, Part I & Part II. Evidently she's been promoted to captain. Great continuity!!
• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2010-02-22 at 6:54pm:
  I give this an 8, a higher grade than people are giving here. There's a lot of interesting one-on-one character interaction here: Martok and Sirella, Sisko and Dax, Worf and Dax, O-Brien and Bashir, Odo and Kira, Dax and Sirella, etc. There's also many comedic momements. The wedding at the end was remarkable to watch. The story told during the ceremony adds many more pages to Klingon lore.
  
  "Remarkable Scenes" I would add:
  -Dax: "Good, I like a challenge"
  Sirella: "I will not be challenged"
  -Dax reciting Sirella's family history and noting the lack of noble blood
  -Martok admitting to Worf that Sirella doesn't like him
  -Martok reciting the stages of the road to Calhia (something like "pain, death ..."). Bashir then says, "Sounds like marriage to me."
  -Dax punching Sirella
  -Worf catching the firedancer and Morn leaving Dax's quarters
  -Hungover Dax finding Odo and Kira in the closet
  -Quark: "No refunds for those on the road to Kalhia, either."
  -the hitting of the wedding party with mallets
  
• From John on 2011-12-19 at 12:46am:
  I really like this episode. It works well in the context of season 6, and serves to drive home the point that the Klingons are no longer adversaries, but allies.
  
  Also, I guess it's cause I'm sort of a romantic, but I really enjoyed the Klingon wedding. You can tell the writers spent a lot of time thinking about it -- it was very well done.
  
  Finally, I have to agree with Orion on his "remarkable scenes", particularly the one where Sirella draws a knife and then Dax clocks her across the jaw. I lol'd.
• From Christopher Wright on 2011-12-19 at 8:22pm:
  I gave this episode a 10 even though some parts of it were uncomfortably silly and forced. I agree that the writers did put a lot of effort into this episode, and the conversations between Worf and Malak and Sisko and Dax showcase the amazing talents of both the cast and crew. Was it me or did Malak's wife have normal teeth in the scene where Dax had the buckets?
• From LKell on 2012-08-14 at 9:59am:
  Dax says to the guy dancing with the fire 'Captain Shelby owes me a favor'
  
  Perhaps a reference to COMMANDER Shelby of The Best of Both Worlds - who has since been promoted?
• From Harrison on 2012-08-25 at 12:03pm:
  An elaborate episode, celebrating the Federation culture in in glorious detail. The story of the Klingon hearts recited at the wedding is simply awesome.
• From L on 2013-08-04 at 9:50am:
  Klingon culture is insane, and their women all look alike.
  
  "A concubine living outside the Imperial stables." Snap, Dax.
  
  "But the second heart beat stronger than the first, and the first was jealous of its power."
  Hooray for politically correct sexism.
  
  Still, this episode was right in coming after the previous ones, and a genuinely feel good one. Loved Odo and Kira talking in the closet all night.
• From McCoy on 2017-02-25 at 10:06am:
  Well, I don't like Jadzia at all, but this is probably the first episode in which I was on her side. I just don't buy all that Klingon "samurai-nordic-honor" bull***. They're just murderers with twisted ego. And racist. Why Jadzia should respect someone, who wants only to humiliate her? Sorry. If you want to be respected, you need to respect others. Chief and Julian should break some ribs, and not only Worf's:)

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Kenobie on 2011-04-13 at 5:22pm:
  What kind of person gives this episode a Rating of 0. I would love to hear there reason. Personally I think that if you did not enjoy this 2 parter then you can't really be a fan of Star Trek.
• From Tallifer on 2011-04-24 at 10:25pm:
  My favourite scenes were the scientific examinations of the Hansens. Like real life zoologists risking life and limb to study tigers up close. Except even more dangerous and thrilling.
  
  There were many other good things about this: the Borg harbour; Naomi Wildman; assimilation scenes; the wonderful queen.
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-09-07 at 7:31pm:
  One problem you missed: the Borg Queen states that Seven is the first Borg to become an individual. But we know that's not true. Voyager has encountered Borg individuals before, and so did Enterprise. Remember Hugh?
• From Alan on 2012-01-22 at 11:17am:
  Good point Jeff, but what about Picard in 'Best of both worlds' in TNG season3. He was assimilated by the Borg , but was saved and turned back into a human.
• From thaibites on 2015-01-02 at 10:55am:
  I thought this 2-parter was the best I've seen from Voyager yet (chronologically). The writing was crisp, the story moved at a brisk pace with very little padding, there was action, suspense, and mystery - outstanding! The scenes where the people were being assimilated were really disturbing because of the constant screams of agony in the background - very unsettling. Even the vile holodeck worked well in this episode.
  I'm a happy boy!
• From Jadzia Guinan Smith on 2015-06-22 at 5:34pm:
  I have to second the sentiments above. How can someone possibly give THIS episode a 0? How can there be THIRTEEN such people? What are they smoking?
  
  Borg queen assembly, transwarp in action, Seven's "betrayal", Seven's resistance, the Hansens, Janeway at her courageous best... the queen and Janeway fighting over Seven, Naomi (who has quickly grown into an impressively strong performer and can hold her own alongside anyone), all moving, exciting, terrifying, touching, blood roiling... amazing. But, the most poignant moment for me was when Seven received Janeway's transmission "we're searching for you, try to hang on" and involuntarily responded "Captain"... wow. It was so overwhelming, I had to hit pause!
  
  If it wasn't for a slight, continuity-related discomfort, this two-parter would be a 10. But as is, it's a 9 or 9.5, for sure.
  
  Also, a bit of a treat for me, was seeing an episode of this magnitude where the major players were all women, without gender being an issue. The hero, the villain, the prodigal (and brilliant) protégé, all smart, all bad ass, all morally and emotionally deep (and/or complicated).... it’s not often you see such robust and dynamic women characters in a story with no male leads unless sex/gender is an explicit issue and/or the women are totally androgynous. This storyline could have easily fit male “action” stars, but just happened to be female ones. These are strong and capable women, but not “masculine” ones. And the great this is, it doesn’t matter at all to the storyline whether they’re men or women! I love that! Don’t get me wrong, I love my guys (Data, Spock, Picard, Tuvok, Doctor, Giordi, Worf, Wesley, McCoy, Trip, Odo, Kirk, Sisko,... etc. etc.... all of them), but it’s really, really, great to see the girls get a fair shake too. Here is gender equality as a matter of COURSE, not a matter of “exception”! At long last!!! Thank you, Star Trek!
  
• From Dstyle on 2015-07-07 at 2:04pm:
  Do you want to know why someone would rate this episode so low? It completely defangs the Borg.
  
  So a lone, isolated Federation ship is stranded in the Delta Quadrant, cut off from the support and resources of the Federation (which incidentally lost a whole fleet of ships at Wolf 395 to a single, undamaged Borg cube), and yet somehow this lost Federation ship is able to fly a shuttlecraft undetected into the heart of Borg territory and get within transporter range of the Borg Queen? No thanks. I like my Borg terrifyingly unbeatable. Janeway, like the Hansens, got cocky: they should have been crushed like bugs.
  
  Also, you'd think the Borg would have at some point assimilated a species that could move a little quicker, wouldn't you think? The Borg move like shuffling 1930s movie monsters.
• From Jadzia Guinan Smith on 2015-07-13 at 3:03am:
  
  Two words my sibling: David. Goliath. Most of us just can NOT root for David to keep losing so that Goliath can keep terrifying us to ecstasy.
  
  Yes,the Borg are great when scary, but only cuz it's so much more awesome when our intrepid heroes find a way to best them! They were 'beaten' in Best of Both Worlds, too, and First Contact. Did you have problems with those too? Or is it just that this is a lone ship in the delta quadrant? It is the essence of heroic tales the bad guys are bigger and badder, not so that they can beat the good guys in the end but so that it's that much more satisfying when the good guys beat them!
  
  Also, a 'low score' is one thing, but a zero??
• From Rick on 2017-05-22 at 11:30pm:
  I agree with Dstyle (although its not a 0, Id give it a 5, which is really bad for me). The motivations of the Borg make no sense and the worst part for me is how the Delta Flyer got away. They are numerous cubes chasing them but none of them go to transwarp to catch and destroy them and voyager. Why not? Only one tiny ship sneaks into the Delta Flyer's transwarp conduit, but why dont all the other ships create their own? It makes absolutely no sense. The cubes shouldve followed the Delta Flyer and destroyed them all. You cant just outrun the Borg.
• From Mike on 2017-06-07 at 4:15am:
  I've just never understood why they ever had to come up with a Borg Queen. I didn't like it in First Contact, and I hated it even more in this series.
  
  The obvious answer is that they are expanding on the notion that the Borg are like bees, and giving us a villain with a face. The Hansens even say in this episode that the Borg Queen acts like the queen of an insect colony. Except that in colonies of ants or bee hives, queens don't coordinate and direct the activities of the others. They are there almost entirely for reproduction, to birth the colony's offspring. Bees and ants activities are directed by instinct and a web of communication. In other words, they act collectively, just like the Borg did when they were first conceived. They were interested only in assimilating technology and life forms. They were apolitical and amoral, with no ambitions or quest for power and resources, no cause or culture. You couldn't negotiate, make peace, or reason with them. The only way to defeat them was to somehow use their collective communication and existence against them, which is exactly what happened in TNG: Best of Both Worlds. The existence of a Queen gives the Borg a leader with almost personal, individual motives. It takes away what made them so ominous, and it also makes them much easier to defeat. THey were better when they were faceless drones.
  
  Anyway, that's my anti-Borg Queen rant. I do like this episode for what it does with Seven's character. The dilemma she faces of hearing the collective calling her back and choosing whether to remain with her family on Voyager was a great premise for the story, and it works well overall. The assimilation of Species 10026 definitely brought back that ominous dimension to the Borg. It was so brutally efficient and so unconcerned with the individuality of the people...and left you with the eerie reminder that they've done this to thousands of worlds.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From holy@crap on 2011-09-16 at 3:24am:
  Holy crap. This episode just placed in my list of (underrated) favorites. It has an excellent premise and the "mutiny simulation" is just damn cool to watch. Especially the very beginning, before Paris interrupts Torres' simulation. Somewhere in those first ambiguous minutes I started to think, "This has got to be some kind of holoprogram or something," but even with those suspicions the initial scenes have a certain undeniable "HOLY SHIT" factor. Chakotay takes over Voyager. There's a shootout on the bridge. Torres shoots Harry. Full-scale mutiny. Just awesome.
  
  It's also neat how everyone IRL is part secretive, part excited, part embarrassed about the whole thing, and I love Janeway's reaction to the matter: "I'm not just a captain of a ship. I'm the leader of a community, and communities need entertainment." Interesting to see how the crew and leadership reacts to an "inflammatory" subject matter.
  
  The twist at the end with "Seska's ghost" haunting and torturing Tuvok and Paris is satisfactory and quite plausible (a "booby-trapped" holoprogram, safeties off, makes sense to me). The insane doctor is quite amusing to watch as well. Ending is fine.
  
  IMHO, it's the basic premise that earns this episode its points, not so much the specific details.
  
  (RE whether or not Seska had better things to do than booby trap Tuvok's holonovel... hmm.. kind of a fair point. She's not really an irrational character... or at least, she's only irrational when it comes to Chakotay. At the same time, this may not have been such an irrational thing for her to do. If her intent was to eventually take control of Voyager, what better thing to do than to kill off Voyager's security officer? Tuvok would've been priority one (after Janeway) and this holo-boobytrap thing selectively targets Tuvok, as opposed to some kine of less specific form of sabotage that could kill potentially useful Maquis crewmen.)
  
  
• From Vincent on 2011-10-03 at 4:26am:
  I don't think it was a matter of Seska hoping to get retribution one day. I imagine that she thought Tuvok would activate her version of the program much sooner, probably prior to when she eventually left the ship. I figure that she was not expecting Tuvok to begin to trust the Maquis crew members and stop creating additions to the program.
• From Trekkie on 2012-07-06 at 6:00pm:
  This is perhaps my favorite star trek episode of all time. The part I liked best was in the beginning when all those Borg cubes were coming at the voyager when all of a sudden,they were destroyed by an aliens phaser(8472)
• From TheAnt on 2013-10-10 at 9:50pm:
  I just love this one, especially that everyone have the notion that they are so well fitted to contribute and improve on the revolt scenario.
  Neelix, Torres and in the end even Ceska.
  
  With just a few small changes this could have been one fantastic episode...
  
  -Someone stop me, now I am doing it too!!!!
• From L on 2013-12-22 at 7:23am:
  Some amusing ironic meta-commentary from Chakotay on the illogic of Voyager's usual episode formula...
  "Under my command, we won't let almighty Federation principles get in the way of opportunites, the way Janeway did when she destroyed the array that could have gotten us home.
  And we won't be wasting precious time stopping to investigate every insignificant anomaly that we come across.
  What we will do is use any means necessary to acquire technology that can shorten our journey home. To hell with Starfleet regulations."
  
  Seems like the writers acknowledging some of the inconsistent decisions given Voyager's prime motivation.
• From Mikael on 2014-01-28 at 10:49pm:
  The Vulcan book Dictations on Poetics surely must reference Aristotle's Poetics. A book most hollywood writers are acquainted with.
• From thaibites on 2014-05-19 at 12:13pm:
  Oh boy, what a surprise - another holodeck episode! Thank goodness we traveled all the way to the Delta quadrant just to have half the episodes from this season be about the holodeck.
  How did this show last 7 seven seasons? Does it get better? It has to, it couldn't get much worse...

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From DSOmo on 2007-07-01 at 7:10pm:
  I don't usually comment on Continuity Errors (i.e. in one camera angle someone's arms are folded and in a different angle their arms are at their side). Main reason, just too many! There are continuity problems in almost every show.
  
  But I thought I should mention the Poker Game. It is a gold mine of continuity errors. As the episode joins the game, Riker, Pulaski, and Geordi all bet "five." Data folds and Worf bets fifty. Riker then bets fifty and drops the chips into the pile in the middle. A close-up shows there are no neat stacks of chips in the middle. Pulaski beats one hundred. She puts them next to the pile of chips in two neat stacks. A long shot shows there are now four stacks of chips near the pile! Geordi folds. Worf bets one hundred, moving two stacks to the piles. There are now six stacks in the middle. Riker folds, and Pulaski calls Worf's bet. A close-up shows her moving the stack of chips to the center of the table. However, hers is now the only stack of chips! Somehow a bunch of chips just disappeared. Did Data take some with his incredible speed when no one was looking? Worf wins the hand, and Pulaski comments that she has no chips left. The next hand begins. Everyone antes up with two chips. Worf opens with fifty. An emergency message comes through breaking up the poker game. A long shot shows the ante-up pile in the center with three stacks of chips standing near it, AND Pulaski suddenly has chips again!
• From tigertooth on 2011-04-11 at 10:29pm:
  The first scene that Worf and K'Ehleyr have alone together is so, so bad. The dialogue is awful and the incidental music is supercheese. Overall the episode has merit, but they could have executed the concept much better.
  
  And I wish they would have given some reason why the Klingons would send their ship into suspended animation. It's a neat idea except for the fact that I can't think of any tactical purpose for it. If you're in a war, you don't plan for the war to last 70 more years! Plus, you would know that you would be sending a ship that's 70 years out of date into combat. Imagine if Nazi Germany did the same thing, and we suddenly noticed WWII-era planes coming across the Pacific to the US. They wouldn't stand a chance against current technology; they'd be decimated with ease. Those planes would do the Nazis much more good in 1941 than they would in 2011.
  
  I think they should have said it was a mission that was supposed to keep them in suspended animation for just a few months, but something went wrong. They had thought the ship was lost, but now they know that the system just kept them suspended for far longer than intended.
• From CAlexander on 2011-04-18 at 1:57pm:
  - I quite like this episode because I like K'Ehleyr and her clever banter with Worf, and that plot takes up most of the show. I wish she could have been appeared more often, she is a very engaging character.
  - The plot about the Klingon ship doesn't take much time, which is good, because it isn't handled well. As tigertooth points out, the idea of a sleeper ship is cool, but bizarre. In order for this idea to make sense, they needed to give us a clever explanation. We got no explanation at all.
  - The Klingons are portrayed as completely irrational beyond belief, more stupid than Ferengi. Are you really going to go to sleep for 70 years, then wake up and launch an attack without even receiving a strategic update from Klingon high command? Even Klingons understand concepts like chain of command and the difference between being at war and not being at war.
  - However, if you suspend your disbelief and accept the premise, the scene at the end was amusing.
  - Disturbing that the Federation cannot protect its colonies from the attack of a single 70-year old warship without getting warned ahead of time by the Klingons. How the heck did the Federation survive the war with the Klingons in the first place?
  
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-10-20 at 8:32pm:
  The onesie! Here it is again!
  
  For those of you who have not read my other posts, one thing I point out is the use within Star Trek of the "onesie", a form-fitting, tight, stretchy and provocative one-piece outfit for young, attractive females. In this episode we see K'Ehleyr sporting exactly such an outfit. And she looks good, too! Suzie Plakson is so dang tall! What a set of legs.
  
  Suzie appears in several other episodes of TNG, one other as K'Ehleyr, and one (TNG: The Schizoid Man) as an MD. She also appeared in Voyager as a female member of the Q Continuum.
  
  Other uses of the onesie include:
  
  1. Troi after she loses the micro mini she wore in TNG: Adventure at Farpoint is pretty much always wearing a onesie. Sometimes, it is not very flattering, unfortunately. Marina Sirtis is a bit fat.
  2. Seven (of course). Seven is the archetypal sex bomb on Star Trek. When the camera is on her moving around on Voyager wearing her onesie, we literally wear out our eyeballs staring. (At least I do.)
  3. Kira Nyres ends up wearing a onesie as her uniform, unfortunately. In her case, again, it is kind of unfortunate. Nana Visitor is just not able to pull it off that well. (But how we wish we could get Terry Farrell (Jadsia Dax) in a onesie! I personally believe that Terry Farell is the most meltingly beautiful woman to ever grace the screen on a Star Trek series.)
  4. Other guests have worn onuses. One is Fenna on DS9: Second Sight who is a love interest of Captain Benjamin Sisko. Another is Ishara Yar (sister to Tasha Yar) who shows up in TNG: Legacy and is given an electric blue onesie (with color-coordinate phaser holster!) which shows of her smoking hot body to great effect. (And the Star Trek TNG camera crew takes full advantage of this opportunity, believe me.)
  
  There are probably other examples of the use of the onesie. I will point them out as I come across them. In the end, the onesie is a reminder that, for all it pretensions, Star Trek is really a show for us horny, sexually repressed geeks.
• From Ggen on 2012-02-29 at 11:24pm:
  Not my favorite type of episode, but if I had to watch a slightly sappy romance story, I would definitely prefer it to involve conflicted Klingons like Warf and his half-human counterpart...
  
  Also, I liked seeing Warf's solution in the end. He is finally becoming a little less comical, less silly and irritating, if that isn't too harsh a word, than in the earliest episodes.
• From Arianwen on 2012-12-15 at 10:06pm:
  I'm not usually keen on love-interest stories, but I quite liked this one. It may be because it contains some actual tension instead of fluffy gooey "your eyes are the stars" situations, or it may be the depth of the characters involved. I like Worf: he always seems to be one of the more sensible people on the Enterprise ("shouldn't we send a security detail, sir?" "No, I'm sure everything will be quite all right!")
  
  The main and subplots interact quite nicely, and the whole thing holds together. I agree the reason for the Klingons' 70-year hibernation should have been given: I expected some sort of plot or battleplan, and was disappointed when neither turned up.
  
  The flute tune at the start, as tigertooth points out, is inappropriate to the situation and rather corny, but it's still good music and I think it worked better in the closing scene. The incidental music that starts when the Klingons come into range is superb.
• From Bernard on 2022-01-26 at 6:53pm:
  Can’t believe in ten years nobody has taken issue with Jeff Browning calling Marina Sirtis a bit fat! That is ridiculous! Partly because she plainly is not, and secondly because…. Well I probably can’t say on here why! Crazy.
  
  This episode though, is solid, the Worf/K’Ehleyr stuff is good, the rest is very season one ish. Like the returns of the poker game and the calisthenics program…
• From Encounter at Obamberg on 2023-04-26 at 5:01pm:
  Why is Worf still using this archaic calistenics program, has he not heard of the "ultimate evolution of martial arts"? :))
  And Jeff, the traveler also wore a onesie in the second appearance
  

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Vlad on 2006-03-31 at 9:11pm:
  When I want to introduce a non-trekker to the world of Star Trek I make them watch this episode. Isn't this a marvelous compliment? To me this is Star Trek at its best. The idea that we must find unity even if we must pay the ultimate price is extraordinary and oh so resonant in this day and age.
  
  But the philosophy of the piece is really presented through Picard. On a personal level he makes a new friend... and loses him, but in the end comes to understand his sacrifice. As a Starfleet officer, he is given a tough assignment, but he manages to do what he does best - preserve the piece and help bring about mutual understanding. On a universally human level we are left to ponder a very difficult question: Would we do the same if we were in the place of the Tamarian captain?
  
  Now, if only I could find the way to communicate to my mom just how good this episode is and make her watch it with me ;)
  
• From Pete Miller on 2006-04-14 at 7:24pm:
  Problem: If the language is based solely on reference to myth and history, then how does a child learn what happened in these myths? The language can only be spoken by referencing to something that both communicating parties are familiar with.
  
  A fine episode, but it just seems like speaking only in metaphor is an extremely improbable form of communication.
• From Bob Bracegirdle on 2006-08-04 at 10:10am:
  I could never see why Picard deciphered the language but for years previously the Federation had tried without success. Apparently they never even got the idea of metaphor. Were they stupid? I jumped to that conclusion within seconds of hearing it at the beginning of the episode - clearly a greek myth allusion.
• From benq on 2006-12-05 at 7:53pm:
  Darmok is another one of those episodes that reminds us that other races don't value life and freedom the same way we do. The language barrier is a poor excuse for the inciting incident of stranding Picard and the Tamarian captain on the planet with a disappearing beast, and even the explanation of the language barrier is dubious, given the historical overtones of every language. It has its place in the season 5 arch, but Darmok is probably one of the worst executed TNG stories that nevertheless touch us.
• From DSOmo on 2007-09-04 at 9:07am:
  Data and Troi deduce that the Tamarians speak in metaphor when they cross-reference the proper names "Darmok" and "Tenagra" to a mythological account from one of the planets nearby. After they give this information to Riker, Troi claims that communication is hopeless, since all they know is that Darmok was a hunter and Tenagra an island. If they know that Darmok is a mythological hunter, doesn't it seem likely that they would have access to some of the stories about him? Out of those stories, they might find something they could use.
• From KStrock on 2009-01-27 at 2:55pm:
  How could they have cultural stories on file about a race with whom they have no prior relationship?
• From Wes on 2010-05-07 at 7:07pm:
  You make a great point about Starfleet uniform code with Ro's earring and Worf's sash. Another interesting thing is that Mr. Mott said that he cut Commander Riker's hair a few days earlier. Look at Riker's hair. Sure doesn't look like he recently got a haircut. In fact, looks to me like he is due for one.
• From Vinny on 2010-07-29 at 8:41pm:
  Call it absurd fanboyism, but the one thing I remember clearly from seeing this episode the first time is totally falling in love with Robin Lefler, the first on-screen performace Ashley Judd ever made. Ah, the agony... I would have SO traded places with Wil Wheaton in the episode "The Game".
• From tigertooth on 2010-10-20 at 9:53pm:
  To me it seemed as if the Tamarians lacked verbs. They used nouns, prepositions, and adjectives, but I don't recall any verbs. That was kind of interesting.
  
  But as a previous commenter said, the idea that they could speak only in references seems far-fetched.
• From Quando on 2011-08-12 at 10:20pm:
  My question is this. How did a species with a language like this ever manage to develop the technology of space travel? I mean, how do you explain the technical specifications for building a warp core (or even a Model T) using only analogy to mythical figures? How would you even ask someone to hand you a tool? "Kinta, his 3/8" wrench open, his eyes red"! How do you talk about things like return on investment, varying interest rates, detailed medical procedures, etc. The whole language only seems suited to conveying basic ideas and emotions. It seems to me that a species with a language like this would never advance beyond the basic tribal hunter-gatherer stage.
• From Will on 2011-10-29 at 1:55am:
  The fact that you can rate this episode a 10 after all of the times you downrate episodes for bad science astounds me. As Quando and Pete have pointed out, the main premise of this story is scientifically implausible. I, for one, believe that the implausible is at the core of what science fiction should be, but based on your attitude toward episodes with such absurd science as this thus far, it seems unfair to be giving this episode a 10.
• From Kethinov on 2011-10-30 at 1:22am:
  Will,
  
  There's nothing fundamentally unsound about a language arising in this way. The fact that it's extremely improbable is an asset to the story in that the universal translator can translate the literal meaning of the words spoken but not the true meaning of their metaphorical basis.
  
  While I realize that it is hard to imagine a society being capable of functioning this way or developing advanced technology, I don't necessarily think it's beyond the bounds of realism, especially if you assume that the Tamarians have brains which more intuitively grasp metaphor or that there is a crucially emotive characteristic to the language.
  
  For instance, how a metaphor is stated and what body language is used may be just as important as what metaphor was used. The episode itself concludes by acknowledging that further study of the language would have to be done to fully grasp all its nuances. Just because the episode doesn't give us all the answers doesn't mean that no answer is workable.
  
  Since, in my judgement, the technical issues presented by the language aren't unworkable, the omissions of detail are not sufficiently distracting to the story, and the story itself is an outstanding piece of drama and science fiction, I stand by my classification of the episode's perfect score.
• From packman_jon on 2012-05-13 at 10:33pm:
  Very good episode. Tough to really get into, but this episode really rewards the viewer.
• From RM on 2012-08-03 at 7:33pm:
  This is one of the episodes that I like to watch even though they don't make terribly much sense. It is sufficiently suspenseful and has its good moments, definitely resulting in an entertaining episode that does more than show mindless battles.
  
  On the downside, the presented concept of the language never seemed convincing to me. I don't refute the idea that a civilization might base many of its expressions on metaphors (you could say that so do we in some respects; think of expressions like "a Valentine to all fans"). When talking about complex topics without requiring infinite time, many of the metaphor references might have to be "compressed", but possibly what we saw in the episode was sufficient for efficient communication. Likewise, the problem of how to describe the meaning of a metaphor in the first place does indeed exist, but this might indeed be achieved with a limited vocabulary.
  
  My two major gripes, however, were on the one hand how the language can possibly include references to off-world myths even for basic concepts. Does that mean the language only evolved after the Tamarians got in touch with cultures from other planets? Highly doubtful. On the other hand, I always wondered why the federation would be able to correctly translate prepositions and a few nouns when the meaning of the statements was unknown in the first place. How could a translator trying to figure out an unknown language (no matter whether it's a computer program like the universal translator or a living being doing that work) possibly know that in a sentence like "Shaka, when the walls fell." (note that what we see as English is actually incomprehensible Tamarian here) there's a proper name "Shaka" and four single words that mean "when the walls fell"? Wouldn't that translator recognize the same indicators used when deciphering other alien language that the topic is "failure" and then consider "Shakawhenthewallsfell" as one word, meaning "failure"?
  
  As much as forgotten Earth colonies are a trope that should be avoided, I'm convinced that the language trouble would have been a great deal more plausible if the Tamarians had originally been from Earth. That way, they could have used English words while the meaning of the sentences still wouldn't have been clear.
• From TheAnt on 2013-11-02 at 7:33pm:
  Cpt Picard on Forbidden planet.
  
  This is indeed one excellent episode.
  And even though Picard suspected that there would be a duel, I did assume that the alien indeed were proposing that they were going for a hunt as a means of building bridges between the two peoples.
  I've never lost a limb on a mountainside and as certain as the bear crap in the woods there had to be a monster challenge - one that had me think of the invisible beast from Forbidden planet.
  
  I found the comment by Pete Miller amusing since his name suggest he is from a culture that have a language that indeed use a lot of metaphors in daily use.
  Even so both the British and Americans are able to learn their language - also myself. So I do not see any problem in that respect.
  
  There's several examples on Earth of languages such as synesthetic ones, where the universal translator would be a lead balloon.
  So why not for one completely different species that have grown up on one isolated planet.
  
  And no actor but Patrick Stewart could have done the summary of the Gilgamesh epic as well as here. A solid 10 as certain as the pope wear a funny hat. :)
• From Axel on 2015-02-21 at 11:16pm:
  This has to be one of the most innovative episodes in sci-fi TV history. I agree with above comments about this being ST at its best. However, I think a lot of the concerns about the Tamarian language can be explained.
  
  In RM's case: consider that the Tamarian captain is best able to understand Picard when Picard is telling the tale of the Gilgamesh epic. It seems the Tamarian brain can process the language of other cultures through this narrative format, even if they don't yet know all the details of the story. This may be why Darmok, a mytho-historical hunter from Shantil 3, is part of the Tamarian linguistic database. Perhaps that legend became incorporated into Tamarian culture and language over time.
  
  There are other concerns too. For instance, how do the Tamarians handle certain basic day-to-day tasks, like "Hey, can you see if the engine coolant levels are good to go?" One explanation is that just as humans rely on metaphor in rare situations, perhaps Tamarians use literal language only when absolutely necessary, such as explaining a technical concept. Another explanation is that Tamarians may have invented their own stories that correspond to mathematical and scientific principles, in the form of music, history, and mythology.
  
  But this is all part of the fun. Star Trek presents us with an alien race that communicates through mythological and historical reference, and lets us fill in the blanks through our own imagination. Isn't that the whole point of sci-fi? A beautifully created episode, and a wonderful contribution to TV.
• From K on 2017-01-30 at 3:33pm:
  Regarding the phasers from the torpedo tube. I always thought they had purposely done that, as the modifications to do the needed damage required them to construct some sort of custom array that they mounted in the torpedo tube.
  
  Alas I noticed on the re-mastered HD version that that scene has changed to have the phasers firing from the dorsal array.
  
• From jeffenator98 on 2019-12-19 at 6:14pm:
  One of my top 5 all time star trek episodes.10/10

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Pete Miller on 2006-04-16 at 1:12am:
  The continued failure of the Romulans is due in large part to their overwhelming arrogance. Sela's arrogance and hunger for power is a little bit ridiculous, even for a Romulan. It seems as if every other episode the Romulans have devised some new scheme for bringing down the federation, but their obsession with conquest is not realistic at all.
  
  Despite the Romulan trickery cliche, I enjoyed the episode. Reminded me of Star Wars, what with the cantina scenes and all the hunting down of the rogue pilot, etc. Very starwars-esque.
• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2006-05-09 at 9:26pm:
  Problem:
  Just before Picard, Spock, and Data exit Sela's office, after putting her to sleep, you can see a cameraman's face in a glass jar in the foreground. He's chewing gum, too.
  
• From DSOmo on 2007-09-09 at 5:39am:
  - The junkyard at Qualor II serves as a depot for all types of Federation ships, including ships with weaponry. For security reasons, doesn't it seem likely that the junkyard would be in an out-of-the-way and easily defensible location? Doesn't this make strategic sense? Yet in this episode, we find that Qualor II has a bar - a place that serves as a crossroads for every sort of riffraff, including arms traders!
  - To create a diversion, Data programs holographic representations of Riker and two ensigns. Afterward, Picard comments to Data that Data didn't get Riker's hair quite right. It's a cute moment, but not believable. Data is an android. His memories are precise and accurate.
  - After Spock sends the warning about the Vulcan ships, a Romulan warship decloaks beside them and destroys them. Geordi comments that there were more than two thousand Romulan troops on the ships. Troi adds that they destroyed their own invasion force. Doesn't an invasion force of two thousand troops seem a little small to conquer an entire planet?
  - Galorndon Core seems to have changed color. When the Enterprise visits Galorndon Core in "The Enemy," every shot of the Enterprise in orbit around the planet shows a predominantly blue planet. In this episode, the planet is mostly yellow, gradually fading to blue at the very bottom. This is a case where the creators could have reused footage and yet didn't.
• From Rob on 2008-04-17 at 9:38pm:
  Just as an aside: Sela is demoted due to her Intelligence service failures, if you follow the ST Novels (and I'm not getting into Canon/Fanon/blah-blah, I'm just throwing it out there). She's given a out-of-date starship and assigned to a first contact mission in which the Romulans and Federation are attempting to sway a border-world to choose their side to sign into a treaty with... the Romulans win out on that score. I wish I could name the novel now, but with all of the fan-sites, it shouldn't be hard to locate for anyone with more obsessive-compulsive tendencies than I ;-)
• From Kevin on 2008-05-21 at 3:49am:
  Couple of things I never understood about the 'Unification' episodes. How exactly were the Romulans and Vulcans to be united? Since Vulcan is part of the Federation, was Spock planning on Romulus eventually becoming a Federation member? Or, was he looking more towards Vulcan leaving the Federation and uniting with the Romulan Empire? This was never made clear. Also, I found it highly illogical (to use a Vulcan phrase) that 2,000 Romulans could take over the entire planet of Vulcan. Even if they did, wouldn't the result be an all-out war with the Federation?
  
  Although I enjoyed the acting, Spock's cameo and the humour, the 'Unification' two parter was poorly thought out.
• From JRPoole on 2008-07-23 at 4:09pm:
  This two-parter is a fanboy dream with the presence of Spock and the Romulan Tasha Yar, but it never really comes together for the reasons mentioned in the posts above. I wish that they would have decided to further this plot idea in the movies, as it would have been nice to have some closure, and it would have explained how the takeover was planned, etc., but as it is we're left with more questions than answers.
  
  That said, this is a well-paced two parter, and the Sarek/Picard interaction was handled very well. Mark Leonard is a great actor, and it's rare when someone steals a scene from Picard, but he managed to do it.
  
  I also liked that they had the 'junkyard' run by the Zakdorn, picking up an interesting race we've seen a little of before, rather than resorting to yet another alien-of-the-week. The Zakdorn administrator was a cool character. Too bad the bar scene in which Riker confronts the Ferengi is poorly done, though.
• From CAlexander on 2011-02-26 at 2:02am:
  I agree with Kevin that this episode is filled with things that are highly illogical.
  - As he mentions, can 2000 troops really take over Vulcan? Especially when the Vulcans are prepared for them to be full of Romulans.
  - Sela acts exactly like a campy supervillain. She explains her plan in detail, says "I have duties elsewhere", and leaves the heroes alone so they can escape her deathtrap. Except that she forgets the deathtrap part. This would be OK on the 60's Batman TV show, but seems out of place on ST:TNG.
  - Sela mentions that she can't make the holo-image interactive. Romulan holo-technology must be pretty far behind the Federation. Maybe the Romulans are only humoring Sela and she can't afford sufficient troops or good technology.
  - The capabilities of the Klingon cloaking device, on the other hand, are pretty scary. How can the Romulans survive a war if the Klingons can send a ship undetected to their homeworld and transport people (bombs, armed photon torpedoes?) down undetected? And the Romulans have the cloaking device, so why the ruse? Why not just send a few cloaked ships to Vulcan and send in the troops by surprise?
• From Quando on 2011-08-15 at 3:25am:
  For me the believability of the episode was shot by the set design of the Romulan Preator's office (is that what he's called)? I mean, this guy is the leader of the whole freaking planet - indeed, the whole Romulan star empire - and he has an office about the size of an IBM middle manager. The guy doesn't even get a window! Just a cheap glass desk and two guest chairs (even Picard's ready room on a starship had a couch). In fact, it appears that Sela got an office the same (pathetic) size. I know they were trying to save money on set design, but that is really weak. We have a two-parter about the Romulan home world, and all we get to see are a few matte painings of the city, a lame interior office, the inside of some nondescript caves, and a soup shop.
• From Mike on 2016-10-27 at 4:02am:
  Yeah I agree with the issues that have been pointed out about this two-parter. Sela's boneheadedness is especially inexcusable since the writers had a built in way of getting Data, Picard and Spock free: they could've had Romulan dissidents pose as security guards, or maybe there are security guards that are secretly part of the dissident movement, perform that task. Anything would've been better than asking us to believe Sela would leave them alone in an office with access to a computer.
  
  In "Face of the Enemy" we learn the Romulans are aware that the Federation has sensors and listening posts that would make it difficult for cloaked Romulan ships to operate very long in Federation space. Are we to believe the Romulans, who invented the cloaking device, don't have a similar setup given that they've been at war with the Klingons?
  
  I think Spock should've known something was wrong when the Romulan proconsul said he'd support reunification. If the goal is for Romulus to give up its empire and become more like Vulcan, then this just seems ridiculous coming from anyone in the Romulan government. And if that's not the goal, why would most Vulcans, including Spock, ever agree to unify with anything resembling the Romulan Empire? Spock falling for all of this just makes him look extremely gullible and naive.
  
  I can buy that Data successfully hacks the Romulan information net. But why didn't the Federation and Klingon Empire try this sooner? "You guys provide the cloaked ship, we'll provide the android computer genius, and we'll never have to worry about another Romulan surprise again".
  
  All in all, a disappointing end to what began as a promising two-parter. Like the movie "Generations", I think the goal here was to dangle a TOS/TNG merger in front of us fans like a set of keys in the hopes that we wouldn't notice the gaping plot holes. They should've known better....
• From Subcommander T'Obummer on 2023-05-12 at 4:22pm:
  Romulus has a very open society to let a half-member of an enemy species into such an important position.
  Many civilized nations today don't allow members of hostile nations even into deskjobs of their military organizations, even if like Sela they have spent their entire lives there and are only one parent is foreign.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From formborg on 2011-09-18 at 10:06pm:
  This was a great little episode with a number of highlites and redeeming features.
  
  It explores the nature of the Borg and raises some interesting propositions: is a benevolent Borg collective possible? And is imposing such a collective on others - in the name of planetary peace and/or one faction's survival - morally justified?
  
  I liked also how Chakotay's skepticism and then surprisingly positive experience of being linked was portrayed.
  
  Another small thing was the good use Chakotay and (forget her name) make of the "after-effect" - the linked love scene. One can only imagine what it would be like to touch someone and simultaneously feel both sides of the experience, literally. They probably had the best sex in the galaxy, perhaps the universe.
  
  A small question mark I have about this episode is Janeway's readiness to "upgrade their security systems." Isn't that just a euphemism for arming one faction among many? Without even much deliberation or contact with the other groups in the conflict? Perhaps it doesn't fall within the prime directive because many of the "new collective" group were former Federation citizens. On the other hand... it still seems applicable. In either case, Janeway seems a little all too willing to share technology and weapons. I suppose it shows Chakotay's influence. Janeway's famous for her principles, but sleeping with her first officer can get you exclusive access, and do wonders for your cause, it would seem. (To be fair, perhaps the critical factor is *linking* with her first officer. Janeway explicitly asked if Chakotay detected any malice or ulterior motives, and he said he did not. Still iffy though.)
• From Lee on 2012-04-08 at 5:23pm:
  If some of the Borg were assimilated at Wolf 359, then how did they get back to the Delta quadrant? The Borg cube was destroyed! Maybe a sphere travelled back...
  
  But other than that I like this episode. It doesn't make the Borg look less awesome than in TNG, which happens in later Voyager episodes. The idea of a disconnencted collective is cool!
  
• From peterwolf on 2015-07-07 at 10:25pm:
  The idea of the powerful Borg collective is the deepest fear of America: Communism. However, in this episode a different type of collective is presented. Indiviuals may join sometimes for the good of the community, e.g. when it is threatened, and it seems that the link is not permanent. Overall, this approach appears to be more acceptable than the true Borg collective. The exBorg unity looks a bit like the kibbutz communities. The episode itself is very well done with many important and serious issues. High above the Voyager average until now (I know that some very good episode will follow).

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2008-09-03 at 3:01am:
  The more I watch this film, the less favorable it becomes to me. First, the actions of he Klingon commander don't make sense to me. He already had a tape with Genesis information on it. What else did he want Kirk to tell him about it? I believe he was asking, "What is the secret to Genesis?" How does Kirk answer that? Does he say "Well, the secret is peanut butter, yeah, that's right peanut butter"?
  
  My other problem with the film is the recasting of Saavik. Why, why, why!? Why not give the character a different name?
  
  Those two things are trip me up so much when I watch the film. I still watch it about once every year, so it is definitely not the worst.
• From Aaron on 2009-08-20 at 9:21pm:
  The Klingon only had the short promotional video from ST II that didn't show how the device worked, only what it did. If he knew that Kirk's kid was the main scientist, he probably wouldn't have killed him.
  
  My main beef with the movie was kiling David. It reset the characters back to their TOS setup and they ended up stuck without ever having a chance to grow. Plus, David was in Square Pegs which was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid.
• From Jeff Browning on 2011-11-05 at 5:27am:
  Logical issue: Why would Spock's body regenerate? The previous film clearly indicated that organic matter present on a planet where the Genesis device detonated would be reformed into the new matrix. In other words, total destruction of all organic matter. This is never explained adequately.
  
  Also, what's with the accelerated aging? It is too convenient. It gets Spock to exactly the same age he was at before the events of The Wrath of Khan. It is just too neat.
  
  I agree with the comment about recasting Lt. Saavik. What was so bad about Kirstie Alley? I rather liked her as Lt. Saavik. She certainly went on to great success in other films. And the person they casted in this movie (Robin Curtis) was basically never heard from again (aside from a roll on General Hospital).
  
  I did think that Christopher Lloyd was terrific as Kruge, the Klingon commander.
• From Glenn239 on 2012-10-23 at 1:41pm:
  ‘7’. Pretty good, overall. Of the original six movies, I rate this one in 4th place – but that’s only because 2, 4, and 6 are VERY good movies. The character interaction, a sense of unity and purpose towards a common goal, all this is high on the list of the appeal to this movie; more so than in any of the others, this film gives the characters’ collective sense of personal honor and duty, and shows how that relates to (and can override), professional considerations. Unrealistic perhaps, but a fun premise nonetheless.
  
  That being said, there were a few elements to this film that I did not like. First, and least importantly; Starfleet. The ‘retiring the Enterprise’ subplot (a factor from here on out) was tiresome– stop telling me your decommissioning the Enterprise. Starfleet security (at Earth and Genesis) is also notoriously bad.
  
  Second, Saavik. The replacement was terrible. Hated it. A great character is introduced in ST2, and then in ST3 it is completely ruined. Better to have left her out altogether.
  
  Last and most importantly, this movie robbed ‘Wrath of Khan’ of its dramatic power by reversing the death of Spock. It is said in the site review that this movie deals with loss and passing, but I think the opposite is actually the case. This movie is all about using a cheap gimmick to avoid dealing with what real loss is all about.
• From Captain Keogh on 2013-05-30 at 7:40am:
  This film was the first appearance of Earth Spacedock [correct me if I am wrong] the Excelsior Class and the Oberth Class starships
• From Abigail on 2019-12-26 at 3:47pm:
  I watched this movie with two friends last night. I remember it being rated as one of the poorer movies, although I didn't really remember it from last time I saw it (approximately 20 years ago). To my surprise, I quite enjoyed it. I admit I hadn't thought as deeply about it as you did in your review, but I agree with your points regarding character development in Kirk. An enjoyable film.
• From Gaius Gracchus on 2021-11-06 at 9:07pm:
  Considering the dominating adage of "only even-numbered Star Trek movies are good," I was not expecting this film to be as solid as it was.
  
  DeForest Kelley gets to absolutely shine here, no longer taking the typical backseat to Nimoy, and his scenes where he's channeling Spock's consciousness
  (doing a Spock impression) are gold - "to expect one to order poison in a bar is not logical."
  
  Kirk gets several moments to shine as he outwits Starfleet and the Klingons. The rest of the supporting cast gets ample moments, as well. Memorable scenes for Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura.
  
  Christopher Lloyd is an absolute gem as Kruge, and sets a good bar for the "new Klingon" characterization.
  
  The biggest letdown of the movie, to me, is the death of David. The character had a lot of potential but I would have loved an opportunity to see him develop more than just here and Star Trek II. Perhaps that's part of why it hits the audience hard, defies our expectation...
  
  From the destruction of the Enterprise to the fal tor pan, this movie is rife with defining scenes. Nimoy did a fantastic job directing, and I feel this film is unfairly maligned with that "odd-numbered Trek" canard. Watch it.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2006-05-07 at 5:06pm:
  Half a Life takes the euthenasia issue and stuffs it into a Lwaxana Troi episode. While it is nice to see a more rounded characterization of Lwaxana, I was not moved by the many heavy conversations between her and Timicin, or between her and her daughter. This emotional disconnection is coupled with a bit of bad science. How can you alter a massive star with photon torpedos? The Enterprise has almost become a Death Star, able to wipe out whole systems with a push of a button. While I find the moral issues intriguing, I just wanted more out of this episode.
• From Frogshortening on 2006-08-25 at 10:24pm:
  I loved the way they pu the serious issue in with Lwaxanne- showed that she really did take some things seriously... and the contrast between her normal self and the one who was upset about Timicin's decision made it all the more dramatic! They WERE very moving scenes! (so there)!
• From DSOmo on 2007-08-29 at 12:01am:
  - When Timicin first beams aboard, Picard immediately sticks out his hand to greet him. This action confuses Timicin, and then he comments that he has heard humans shake hands to greet each other. For a man as well versed in diplomacy as Picard, this seems very out of character for him. Timicin comes from an isolationist planet. Why make him feel immediately uncomfortable by forcing him to participate in a human ritual? Prior to this episode, Picard initiates a handshake only one other time, and that was only in respond to a physical greeting from the other party ("Final Mission")
  - In this episode, Lwaxana orders Oskoid from the food replicator. When Timicin asks what it is, Lwaxana says it is a Betazed delicacy. But during the picnic in "Menage a Troi," Lwaxana offers Riker an Oskoid leaf and he acts like he's never had one before. Riker offers it to Troi, as if she'd never had one before. If Oskoid leaves are a Betazed delicacy, why do Riker and Troi act like they'd never eaten them before? Troi grew up on Betazed, and Riker was stationed there for several years.
  - When Timicin and Lwaxana transport to the planet they are holding hands. Their hands are outside the confinement beam but they manage to transport OK (see "Sarek")
  - After Timicin asks for asylum, Lwaxana and Troi have a talk. The scene opens with a shot of Lwaxana leaning against a mirror. As she walks away, the pole from the boom mic can be seen in the mirror. When the scene changes and follows Lwaxana walking across the room, the boom mic shadow can be seen moving across the wall.
• From djb on 2008-03-13 at 7:17am:
  This was a valuable episode in many ways.
  
  As others pointed out, I liked how Lwaxana's character was a bit more fleshed out in this episode. Usually she's just obnoxious and insufferable, but here we get to see something really, truly bother her, and see her go through some intense emotions. Much better.
  
  At first I thought it strange that Lwaxana would become so romantically attracted to a man (an alien, at that) at first sight, but I then remember that she's a telepath, an especially talented one at that, who can basically "read" the gestalt of a person in the first few moments of knowing them. What takes us humans months or years to find out takes her minutes instead. Makes you think about what Betazoid culture must be like, with basically no one able to lie to each other...
  
  I like how this episode brings up the issue of moral relativism. Normally I'm not a moral relativist; I think that there are some standard rights we can uphold for all of humanity. But what about when other sapient species come into play? The "Resolution" concept sounds to us like euthanasia taken to an unacceptable extreme, but I actually tend to agree with Timicin's daughter when she basically tells Lwaxana she has no place to judge their people's practices. Even though it sounds abhorrent to us, we're talking about a different species, planet, culture, psychology, history; enough to determine that we have no moral jurisdiction. Plus, it sets a bad precedent: species intervening on other species' practices they find offensive can lead down a totalitarian path pretty fast.
  
  So much of Star Trek is based upon speculation. We really have no idea what other species in this galaxy are going to be like. An episode devoted (partially)to one alien's personal dilemma makes me think about what fields of study will pop up once we start making contact with extra-terrestrial species. Basically take any field we have now and add the prefix "xeno," and you have a new field: Xenobiology, xenopsychology, xenosociology. Xenoethics. Xenotheology. Xenomusicology! The possibilities are endless...
  
  Good point someone made about the star subplot... The idea that a starship can make a star go nova with just a few specially-modified photon torpedoes, in minutes, is ludicrous (at least they made the nova look semi-believable, unlike "Evolution." They still don't get that novas appear for weeks, even months). If not ludicrous, extremely scary. The power not to destroy planets a la Death Star, but to cause the devastation of an entire solar system! This system had no inhabitants, but what about systems that do? If life on any of the planets survived the radiation and solar debris, how long would life last without the primary power source? How would they react gravitationally to a white dwarf (which will be less massive than the original star)? If this kind of stellar apocalypse is possible, why didn't the Romulans send a few cloaked ships into sector 001 and just decapitate the federation as soon as it became a threat?
  
  If anything I'd say that an unsuccessful result of this experiment would be no change in the star. I also think that if the experiment were successful, we wouldn't find out for months, even years. Remember we're talking about a body that's about 1 and a half sextillion (1.5x10^21) cubic meters in volume and about 2 nonillion kilograms (that's 2x10^30) in mass. Whatever effects our special little torpedoes might have is going to take quite some time in real life.
  
  Anyway, bad sci-fi, but great character study, great themes. Also, David Ogden Stiers is such a good actor that even though I've seen him in M*A*S*H countless times, I didn't realize it was him until I looked him up! Great guest star performance. An 8.
• From JRPoole on 2008-06-26 at 4:43am:
  I don't have much to add to the commentaries here. This is about as good as stand-along episodes get: interesting (if not very plausible) science, great guest actors, interesting themes, and finally a Lwaxana episode that doesn't annoy. I give it a 9. Did the Enterprise wait for Ms. Troi? Or is she staying here until she can hitch a ride back to Betazed?
• From John on 2010-12-31 at 8:36pm:
  You have to love how good an actor David Ogden-Stiers is. He renders his part with a quiet dignity that perfectly fits the character. I can't think of anyone better suited for the role. Certainly one of the best guest-stars TNG has ever had.
• From MJ on 2011-01-05 at 7:12pm:
  I also agree with the vast majority of the webmaster’s ratings, but I would give this one a 7. The lack of explanation of Tarses fate doesn’t ruin it for me, nor does the lack of sufficient explanation for what exactly he did wrong (was it falsifying the application or the fact that his grandparent is Romulan?).
  
  The drama of the episode is irresistible, and the issues it grapples with are both complex and timely; it would’ve been interesting to see how differently this might have been written in a post-9/11 world. I also don’t think everyone is quite out of character. Worf’s paranoia at the prospect of having a Romulan spy on board seems very fitting, for example.
  
  The only other snag which knocks the episode down somewhat is that it seems strange that Admiral Satie would’ve been able to use tactics like this in all her investigations without throwing up any red flags. Sometimes it seems everyone at Starfleet are blind, despicable fools compared to Picard and crew.
• From Robert Koenn on 2011-03-17 at 1:50pm:
  Some of the other comments are very pertinent. As far as the backup story about rejuvenating a star with photon torpedoes, that is technical bunk. Stars burn based on their internal hydrogen and other element components and the fusion induced by the mass and these components makeup. If this star had burned out of hydrogen a photon torpedo barrage is not going to make it spontaneously rejuvenate. This was only a device to allow for the fundamental plot line of euthanasia.
  
  Now that part was quite interesting to watch and quite pertinent in many ways to our present conditions. While there is the prime directive to not get involved in other species culture, if there was a cultural decision years ago to go this course that is not a reason to consider changing a flawed decision. However that would have to be instigated in person by Timicin but with support of Lwaxana and/or others. I wanted that to start out of basic morality but felt in the end Timicin was only returning to accept his preordained fate rather than starting a fundamental examination of a flawed law. He should have become the catalyst but it was not in his psyche. The same is so true of so many things on our planet at present, women's rights, children's rights, etc. If one person does not start a movement or does but gets not support it is fundamentally unjust. But for no one to even try then the conditions will simply stay the same flawed way. I do enjoy these episodes that examine fundamental human rights.
• From Lee on 2012-04-25 at 4:27pm:
  Since I don't care much for technical problems (as long as they aren't as severe as in VOY: Threshold of course), I could really enjoy this episode. It's also the chronologically first Lwaxana-episode I really like!
  
  It not only has the typical TNG-themes, it's also very sad and the acting of the guest star was magnificent! And although the science of the episode is probably not the best, it has still some awesome visuals.
  
  
• From Douglas on 2016-04-21 at 12:48pm:
  I've watched this episode many times but only just saw that when Georgi is at his console, the file number for the experiment is 4077. Nice in-joke since guest star David Ogden Stiers was in M.A.S.H. and the unit he was posted to was the 4077th.
• From QuasiGiani on 2018-04-18 at 7:38am:
  Not euthanasia.
  
  Just pure bureaucratic stupidity.
  
  Irritating episode. As formulaic as the preceding episode on witch-hunts. But at least that episode was addressing its intended subject. The only problem there was that it missed the opportunity it had so worked to go beyond the ordinary and extend an understanding to the witchfinder's pitiable foundation of fear... This episode just entirely mistakes its very subject... Not euthanasia. Just pure bureaucratic stupidity.
  
  
• From RodimusBen on 2020-10-05 at 1:22pm:
  Is it just me or does Majet Barrett act the heck out of this episode? More often than not I can't stand Lwaxana, but every now and then they give her a powerhouse ep (see "Dark Page" and DS9's "The Forsaken").
  
  There are only a few episodes of Trek that move me to tears but I got close to it listening to Lwaxana talk to Deanna about the trauma of aging in the transporter room. Perhaps because it is so real. This is a universal human experience that everyone can identify with (or will, sooner or later).

No fan commentary yet.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From DSOmo on 2007-07-28 at 11:53pm:
  The writers didn't do their math for this episode:
  
  - The maximum range for safe transport is 40,000 kilometers. In this episode, Data and Tam beam over to Tin Man when the Enterprise is 18 minutes away by impulse. Traveling at full impulse is traveling just under the speed of light. The speed of light is just under 300,000 kilometers per second. In other words, Data and Tam beamed a distance of almost 324,000,000 kilometers. This is well above the maximum transporter range.
  - Wesley tells Picard that the repulser wave from Tin Man threw them 3.8 billion kilometers. However, only 50 seconds elapse from the time the repulser wave hits the Enterprise until Picard witnesses the supernova of the dying star on the main viewscreen. As noted above, light travels just under 300,000 kilometers per second. If the Enterprise was thrown 3.8 billion kilometers from the dying sun, it would take about 12,667 seconds for the light of the explosion to reach the Enterprise. That figure equals 3.5 hours. It is not possible for the light produced by a supernova to reach a distance of 3.8 billion kilometers in 50 seconds.
• From JRPoole on 2008-04-10 at 11:59pm:
  Solid all around. Math problems aside, this episode features an interesting premise, Romulan intrigue, and a solidly written and acted guest of the week.
• From Ggen on 2012-03-26 at 10:09pm:
  You know what, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, much more than most people it seems. For one thing, this is very much a psychological episode, almost a psychological profile of "Telepath guy," and a rather believable one at that. (Maybe it's the fact that I have some personal experience with intense, almost overwhelming empathy, and the resultant anti-social tendencies that almost automatically come with it...)
  
  I just love this tortured soul, unable to shield himself from other people's thoughts, "loves, hates, desires... needs," drawn to thoroughly non-human, "restful" sentience like Data's, Tin Man's, and other non-humanoid life.
  
  The connection with Data is another thing that makes this episode rather grand, because this also manages to be very much about Data... Data is used brilliantly here, both as a contrast to the crew (from a telepath's POV), and as a parallel to both Tin Man and Telepath Guy, as a unique lifeform trying to make sense of himself and his role in the universe.
  
  The whole episode is considerably more layered than I first described it - it's much more than a simple psychological profile of a single character. It's about "Telepath guy," Tin Man, and Data, all three rather fascinating beings, all three struggling to find meaning and a suitable place in the universe...
  
  And they all succeed in the end!
  
  So, quite excellent, on the whole. Makes great use of a number of elements and concepts: nearly crippling telepathic ability, a living ship, Data... all tied together into something surprisingly coherent and compelling.
  
  

No fan commentary yet.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From John on 2011-09-22 at 8:00pm:
  I love the Odo/Mora plot, but the O'Brien baby plot was boring. The only scene even remotely entertaining was the scene where Kira is waiting to deliver, and Miles, Keiko and some Bajoran midwife are playing these ridiculous instruments in order to relax her, and then Miles sneezes -- I guess the writers never get tired of coming up with absurd Bajoran customs.
  
  A better B-plot would have been to have Quark try to take advantage of Odo's preoccupation to do some shady deals on the station, only to have Changeling Odo bust him at the end.
  
  I really liked seeing the nurturing side of Odo, which is something we've only rarely seen in the past.
• From Lt. Fitz on 2012-06-29 at 12:47am:
  I was totally disappointed with the Odo losing his ability thing. And, REALLY disappointed with how he gets it back! Another shapeshifter (a very small and mostly dead one at that) simply merges into him and suddenly all his human organs are gone? No more eating? No more drinking? That's it? I don't know. It felt ridiculously over-the-top.
• From Inga on 2013-02-02 at 7:24pm:
  I agree - Odo regaining his shapeshifting WAS rushed ;/
  
  Also, I think Shakaar is a total ass. O'Brien had all the right to see Kira give birth - it was his son after all ;/ and during Kira's pregnancy, the ever-so-busy first minister didn't visit her even once...
• From Mandeponium on 2013-08-30 at 4:49pm:
  I didn't understand the ending at all.
  
  Did the changeling give its powers to Odo and then die? How? Why? If Dr. Mora had picked it up, would he now be a changeling? Was it sent by the Founders to restore Odo? Or was it random chance? Surely the Founders are aware of the possibility of this happening and would try to stop it. Where's Bashir when you need him to speculate on these bizarre events?
  
  Also I get the need not to deviate from the DS9 "formula" in which one of the characters is a shapeshifter, but I wouldn't have minded a whole season of Odo learning to be human. The writers could have teased us all season, having us ask, "maybe this really is permanent?" The way it turned out got wrapped up a little too neatly.
  
  Oh well, another case of Deus Ex Machina.
  

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From tjrt on 2010-02-10 at 12:41pm:
  According to Memory-Alpha.org, Leucon is played by Mark A. Sheppard, while Morn is played Mark Allen Shepherd. Despite the similarity in their names, they're actually different actors. So far for the Morn Appearance...
• From Dstyle on 2015-07-27 at 2:49pm:
  I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. At first I felt like the stakes were too low: here was a brand new character that we, the audience, haven't known long enough to care about, suddenly faced with the decision to leave the ship. YAWN. Who cares?
  
  But the episode actually shaped up nicely, and caused me to care about Icheb when I didn't before, which I suppose was the whole point of the episode. Captain Janeway was again faced with a difficult moral decision (a situation she finds herself in frequently, to the show's credit) and made the call to put the ship in danger to rescue Icheb. Perhaps not the decision I would have made in the same situation (needs of the many, Prime Directive, etc.), but complicated and ultimately defensible decision nonetheless.
• From parkbench on 2016-03-01 at 7:37am:
  this episode surprised me. these days i tend to leave voyager on and sort of half-watch it; i really had expected it to end when icheb beams back down to the planet, but when it kept going & getting more sinister i was suddenly gripped by it (so was my partner, who normally doesn't like such things, that probably helped).
  
  basically i like any conceivable continuity in Voyager, so that definitely biased me towards the episode. and i like that seven has a little bit more to her now than her (& the doctor's) usual data-like dilemma. hopefully they draw this out more.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

• From TashaFan on 2008-10-25 at 12:57pm:
  If you're referring to TNG, I'm not sure heart surgery is all that perfect in the 2300's - despite all the regeneration technology, Picard still ends up with an artificial heart when a Nausican stabs him as a cadet (and was that guy prosecuted?) but even so the new heart requires unexpected maintenance, (Wesley asks, naively "why would anyone use a faulty artificial heart" as though they planned it that way) and then the surgery goes so poorly that the Enterprise has to be called to the medical facility so that Dr. Pulaski can intervene (TNG "Samaritan Snare").
• From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2010-05-02 at 11:35pm:
  I just watched the Blu-Ray version of this. Despite being cleaned up for the upgrade to high def, there are some serious issues with the picture quality in some of the scenes. From time to time the screen gets blurry as if it's being filmed with a 9mm camera. This isn't anything to do with the conversion to Blu-Ray; it had issues beforehand. I guess they couldn't repair some of the images.
  
  They did do a good job with the special effects upgrades. There's a map screen that Checkov stares at a lot in this epidode, and it's been redone and looks more high tech. Also, the mysterious ship has been redone, but it's still mysterious because it's never shown up close.
  
  Very good episode.
• From JB on 2010-10-05 at 11:47am:
  This is so far the best TOS episode I have seen. I started with TNG some years ago, and have seen DS9, Voyager and all the movies. Now it's time for TOS :) And so far this is my favorite :) 10/10
• From tigertooth on 2011-01-05 at 4:09am:
  Overall it was quite good, but I was confused by one thing: early on, Spock is all for the transfusion/operation, but Bones and Spock's mom are both strongly against it. Then when Kirk is incapacitated, Spock changes his mind. So far, so good.
  
  But why did Bones and Spock's mom suddenly decide that it was imperative for Spock to undergo the transfusion? What made them change their minds?
  
  Before Kirk is hurt, Spock's mom says "I can't lose both of you" at the thought of Spock undergoing the risky procedure. Then after Spock changes his mind, suddenly his mom is slapping him for not doing it. WTF?
  
  I also found it quite odd that in one scene, Sarek is well enough to easily defend himself against the Tellarite ambassador, but soon after he's on his deathbed requiring immediate risky surgery. They could have easily explained this by saying that he was poisoned by the spy on board (everything about the transfusion and the experimental drug would have fit), but instead it was just a big coincidence that his health problems came to a head right as he was about to attend an important summit. And he didn't even bring a doctor with him.
  
  Anyway, apologies for focusing on the negatives when overall it's quite a fun episode.
• From McCoy on 2012-04-13 at 2:05pm:
  I disagree about this being better as a two-part episode. While I agree that seeing the summit would have been fun, it's really just one scene. TOS is notorious for "stretching" episodes with useless filler that bog down the excitement. I can see this as a two part episode getting a review like "why couldn't they just remove all the useless parts and make this a single episode"...
• From Ser Mosh on 2012-07-07 at 4:01am:
  I really liked this episode. Until a month ago, I had only ever seen the movies, but I decided to go through all 700+ episodes of all Star Trek series recently. Your site has been a great source of information.
  
  Also, I just wanted to say that the Vulcan salute (along with the "Live long and prosper" line) was shown at the end of Amok Time, so this isn't the first appearance.
  
  Thanks for all the work you put into these reviews!
  
  
• From Scott Hearon on 2014-04-07 at 1:02am:
  Excellent episode. The only thing that I didn't like was the hyper-fast cut to Kirk as he's right in the middle of the assassination attempt. It seemed like a really bad editing job, and the fight itself (like pretty much every TOS hand-to-hand fight), it downright silly in terms of physical action.
  
  Every thing else is solid gold. All that we learn about the various alien races, Spock, and his parents is interesting enough. When it's all blended into a gripping tale of intergalactic politics, intrigue an action, both inside and outside of the Enterprise, you have one of the most well-rounded stories of the series.
  
  I love the twist of a wounded Kirk's ruse to get Spock off of the bridge going slightly awry and forcing him to stay, tough it out, and see his ship to safety.
• From Mike on 2017-08-13 at 9:47pm:
  This was the first episode of Star Trek television I ever saw. I'd seen "Wrath of Khan" as a kid, and had heard that it was based on a TV show. At the time, the brand new TNG was only airing on Monday nights and I was usually too busy with homework to watch it, so didn't see it for its first few seasons. But TOS episodes were running in syndication on weekends.
  
  I got lucky in seeing this one first, as it kind of introduces you in a way to the Federation itself, the mission of Starfleet, the character of Spock, and the relationships between Kirk, McCoy and Spock primarily. The episode also has an exciting plot, with plenty of intrigue and action involving the delegates and the Orion ship shadowing and battling the Enterprise.
  
  I do agree it could've been a two-parter, flushing out the Babel conference plot a bit more. But the suspense of the episode was excellent. Even after we realize Thelev is involved and in contact with the unidentified ship, we still don't yet know why any of this is going on until it's reveled that Thelev is actually an Orion.
  
  We also see in this episode, to an extent, that the Federation isn't always a big happy family, and that member worlds sometimes have competing or diverging interests. It adds to the intrigue.
  
  The plot involving Spock's parents is wonderfully done, with a very interesting dynamic. It's reveled that Sarek doesn't approve of Spock's career path, a typical father-son problem. And Spock, throughout this episode, is presented with a problem: logic dictates that he fulfill his duty in Kirk's absence, but he must weigh his obligations to the ship against his father's health, a dilemma that is not made easier after Amanda's pleadings.
  
  This is a classic Trek episode that is just as enjoyable with repeated viewing.
• From Chris on 2018-01-17 at 6:12pm:
  I wish they had shown/identified the other aliens in the lounge!
  
  The dudes with the goofy women's hairdos look hilarious to me and I'd love to have learned more about them!
  
  The little gold guys, as well as the tall black guys! Who are these Federation members?
• From Chris on 2018-09-28 at 2:17am:
  Follow up... I wonder how Spock would react if it was his mother in distress?
  
  Yeah, I understand, it's not part of the story, but it's just an interesting thought experiment on Spock!
  
• From Chris on 2018-10-25 at 1:46am:
  Follow-up yet again!
  How is it that SUOER-DOC McCoy is clueless about Vulcan physiology much less every other alien on board the ship?!?!?
  Perhaps there are specialists as in the episode with the goofy gorilla, they should have given McCoy the medical know-how or assigned a specialist to do the surgery.
  
  Also, why are Vulcans the only ones able to kill 'logically, and efficiently'... whatever that means?!?!?!?
  
  This should have been a two-parter for sure!! Along with all the other arguments!
• From Q on 2023-05-10 at 9:36am:
  I think that this episode was MAJOR inspiration, or self-inspiration (you know, D.C. Fontana in both teams) for Babylon 5:
  
  Babel -> Babylon station
  Vulcans -> Minbari (both stoic and monk-like)
  Tellarites -> Centauri (both arrogant and doing illegal things)
  Andorians -> Narn (both violent, in medieval looking clothes)
  Kirk + three ambassadors -> Sheridan + three ambassadors too
  Starfleet -> WhiteStar fleet (in very Garth's-like uniforms*)
  UFP -> IA
  
  * Ok, that's from another episode of TOS, like:
  
  Medusans -> Vorlon (both hidding themselves)
  
  And we also have (that's from TNG):
  
  Betazoids -> Byron's telepaths
  Martian Independence Declaration -> Martian struggle for independence
  Galen - archeology professor -> Galen - technomage and archeologist
  
  I dare to say that B5 is unofficial TOS prequel (better than ENT), like AND and ORV are unofficial TNG/DS9/VGR sequels.