The Visitor (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Visitor" is an episode from the fourth season of the television
series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
. The episode is rated 4.8/5 on the official Star Trek Website.
(Tony Todd
) is visited by an aspiring novelist Melanie (Rachel Robinson), who is curious to learn why Jake gave up writing after publishing two successful books. Jake, knowing the time in his life is short, decides to tell her his story, revealed as flashbacks in the episode.
About eighty years prior, when Jake was eighteen, he went with his father Captain Benjamin Sisko
on the USS Defiant
to observe the inversion of the Bajoran Wormhole, an event that only occurs every fifty years. The inversion causes a malfunction in the Defiants warp drive, but Sisko and his son are able to fix it. However, as they congratulate themselves, a bolt of energy discharges from the warp drive and strikes Sisko, causing him to vanish. Believing him to be dead, Jake and the rest of Deep Space Nine mourn for his loss, but a few months later, Jake catches sight of his father for a brief moment. A year after the incident, Captain Sisko appears again, remaining much longer than before, and Jake and the rest of the crew ascertain that his temporal signature is out of phase, but cannot correct it in the limited time. Before he disappears, Sisko urges his son to lead a full life and not to worry about his father.
Jake honors his father's request, returning to Earth, becoming a writer and settling down in marriage. However, Sisko appears again to him in Jake's home, and Jake decides to try to save his father, foregoing his life and relationships to study the cause. Fifty years after the incident, with the help of Dax
, Bashir
, and Nog (now a Captain in Starfleet), Jake attempts to recreate the events with the Defiant and the wormhole inversion. While Sisko successfully appears, both he and Jake shortly disappear as they hold each other. Jake finds himself with his father in a white void; Sisko is glad to see his son but begs him to give up on saving him and to live out his life. Jake returns to normality without his father, and vows to continue to search for a way to recover him.
On the night of Melanie's visit, Jake knows his father will appear again, and has injected himself with a lethal hypospray
dose, believing that he is acting as a tether that is keeping his father out of phase; by dying, his father will become unstuck and revert back before the warp core incident. After seeing Melanie off, Jake waits for his father. Sisko appears as expected, and Jake explains everything to him, telling him that his death will give them both a "second chance", and reminds him to dodge the energy discharge. Jake dies in Sisko's arms; Sisko immediately finds himself back on the Defiant, and remembers elder Jake's advice, pushing himself and his son out of the way of the energy discharge, erasing the future timeline. As they return home together, Sisko gains a greater appreciation for his son, knowing he would have given up his life for his father.
). Rachel Robinson also auditioned for the role of Ezri Dax
.
"The Visitor" was written by Michael Taylor who has gained a reputation for writing darker episodes that challenged Star Treks utopian ethos.
in 1996. It is frequently cited by the show's cast, crew and fans as their favorite episode, and, according to a reader poll in the September 21, 1996, issue of TV Guide
, was voted the best Star Trek episode of all time (although a similar poll in the April 20, 2004, issue saw it slip to fourth place). The episode has an average rating of 4.8/5 on the official Star Trek
website (as of September 15, 2007), placing it as one of the highest rated episodes of the franchise.http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/DS9/episode/68234.html
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
. The episode is rated 4.8/5 on the official Star Trek Website.
Plot
On a rainy night on Earth, the elderly Jake SiskoJake Sisko
Jacob "Jake" Sisko, played by Cirroc Lofton, is a character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is the son of Deep Space Nine's commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko.-Overview:...
(Tony Todd
Tony Todd
Anthony T. "Tony" Todd is an American actor and movie producer, known for his height of 6'5", and deep voice. He is well known for playing the Candyman in the horror movie franchise of the same name, William Bludworth in Final Destination and for guest starring roles on numerous television...
) is visited by an aspiring novelist Melanie (Rachel Robinson), who is curious to learn why Jake gave up writing after publishing two successful books. Jake, knowing the time in his life is short, decides to tell her his story, revealed as flashbacks in the episode.
About eighty years prior, when Jake was eighteen, he went with his father Captain Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
on the USS Defiant
USS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
to observe the inversion of the Bajoran Wormhole, an event that only occurs every fifty years. The inversion causes a malfunction in the Defiants warp drive, but Sisko and his son are able to fix it. However, as they congratulate themselves, a bolt of energy discharges from the warp drive and strikes Sisko, causing him to vanish. Believing him to be dead, Jake and the rest of Deep Space Nine mourn for his loss, but a few months later, Jake catches sight of his father for a brief moment. A year after the incident, Captain Sisko appears again, remaining much longer than before, and Jake and the rest of the crew ascertain that his temporal signature is out of phase, but cannot correct it in the limited time. Before he disappears, Sisko urges his son to lead a full life and not to worry about his father.
Jake honors his father's request, returning to Earth, becoming a writer and settling down in marriage. However, Sisko appears again to him in Jake's home, and Jake decides to try to save his father, foregoing his life and relationships to study the cause. Fifty years after the incident, with the help of Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
, Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
, and Nog (now a Captain in Starfleet), Jake attempts to recreate the events with the Defiant and the wormhole inversion. While Sisko successfully appears, both he and Jake shortly disappear as they hold each other. Jake finds himself with his father in a white void; Sisko is glad to see his son but begs him to give up on saving him and to live out his life. Jake returns to normality without his father, and vows to continue to search for a way to recover him.
On the night of Melanie's visit, Jake knows his father will appear again, and has injected himself with a lethal hypospray
Hypospray
A hypospray is a fictional version of a jet injector. Sometimes it is used as a verb "to hypospray" = "to use a hypospray on ".-In the Star Trek scenario:...
dose, believing that he is acting as a tether that is keeping his father out of phase; by dying, his father will become unstuck and revert back before the warp core incident. After seeing Melanie off, Jake waits for his father. Sisko appears as expected, and Jake explains everything to him, telling him that his death will give them both a "second chance", and reminds him to dodge the energy discharge. Jake dies in Sisko's arms; Sisko immediately finds himself back on the Defiant, and remembers elder Jake's advice, pushing himself and his son out of the way of the energy discharge, erasing the future timeline. As they return home together, Sisko gains a greater appreciation for his son, knowing he would have given up his life for his father.
Production
Melanie, the aspiring writer who listens to Jake's story, is played by Rachel Robinson, daughter of actor Andrew Robinson (who himself had a recurring role on the show, that of Elim GarakElim Garak
Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson. In the series, Garak is an exiled spy from the Cardassian empire and a former member of a prestigious Cardassian intelligence group called the Obsidian Order...
). Rachel Robinson also auditioned for the role of Ezri Dax
Ezri Dax
Ezri Dax , played by Nicole de Boer, is a counselor aboard Deep Space Nine in the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Casting:The role of Ezri Dax was created when Terry Farrell decided to leave the show and her character was subsequently killed by Dukat.When Nicole de Boer read for the...
.
"The Visitor" was written by Michael Taylor who has gained a reputation for writing darker episodes that challenged Star Treks utopian ethos.
Arc significance
- Although most of the events depicted in the episode are erased when the timeline is reset, there are a few hints of what is to come: Jake does begin writing Anslem before the end of the season, and tension with the Klingons continues to worsen.
Reception
"The Visitor" was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic PresentationHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
in 1996. It is frequently cited by the show's cast, crew and fans as their favorite episode, and, according to a reader poll in the September 21, 1996, issue of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, was voted the best Star Trek episode of all time (although a similar poll in the April 20, 2004, issue saw it slip to fourth place). The episode has an average rating of 4.8/5 on the official Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
website (as of September 15, 2007), placing it as one of the highest rated episodes of the franchise.http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/DS9/episode/68234.html