Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Past Tense, Part II (1995) User Reviews

2024?

[Jackbv123 · 7/10 · 3 June 2023]

It is interesting to see the writers' vision of our society 29 years in their future. It is especially so to see how close they came in some ways. In the news I follow there are frequent stories of homeless problems in many cities with San Francisco being a major one matching this episode. How different is today's reality to the Sanctuary zones of the story? There are similarities. Despite measured unemployment numbers being apparently low today, there is a shortage of jobs that provide a living wage which has resulted in a trend that masks the picture provide by official numbers. Many people aren't seeking jobs because they don't live up to the seekers' expectations. The "dims" of the story fit the reality of high rates of mental illness among the homeless.

There is a picture in Federation data banks of Sisko as Hill despite the fact they left Hill's ID on someone else's body. I suppose his image was caught during the negotiations.

Fixing the past

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 21 April 2010]

The second part if this story starts there the previous episode left off; Sisko and Bashir are still in the Sanctuary processing centre where Sisko is calling himself Bell and trying to make sure none of the hostages get harmed so the time line won't be damaged. Back in the Defiant Kira and O'Brien have decided that since Star Fleet no longer exists they aren't bound by its orders not to return to Earth's past to search for the missing crew members. They only have enough chronoton do check a handful of possible times and when they are down to their last attempt they must make an educated guess as to which it the most likely time to find them.

This episode was a decent conclusion to the story with plenty of tense moments and rather more deaths than I'd come to expect in the later series of Star Trek, these were justified as the event had to be significant enough for us to believe it could change the policy of the day. It wasn't all gloom and doom; the scene where Kira and O'Brien beam up in front of a couple of hippies was pretty funny.

For whom the bell tolls.

[thevacinstaller · 7/10 · 30 March 2020]

I enjoy this two part episode ---- sure it's a bit heavy handed with the social message about inequality but sometimes you need to pound that message home to some thick headed people. I don't think the message is getting out because as a society it's the same as it's always been ----- 90 percent of the wealth in 1 percent of the populations hands. That's partially on us as a society but we are not exactly on our way to a Federation like utopia society.

It's a twist on the quantum leap tv show premise. Having to assume the role of a person of historical importance to maintain the sanctity of the timeline.

I would call this episode star trek comfort food. You know where this episode is going and you know the message but it's still fun to get to the end point.

I love the picture of Sisko as 'Bell' at the end of the episode. In a perfect world I would have liked them to play with the idea of a miscalculation in the past actually having a lasting impact in the current universe of the show and those who are on the defiant are the only ones who actually know that something is not what it should be.

Overall a solid episode. It didn't move me emotionally or truly engage me with a philosophical question. The statement is pretty clear ---- We are kind of capitalist self interest first jerks at this point in history.

Trek has no problem with digging right into sociological problems

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 1 May 2015]

I talked briefly about the politics beneath this pair of episodes, it was something that almost happened in Los Angeles. Actually, the "Riot" portion of it did occur there, in 1992, and in 1995, the aftermath of those riots were still visible. Writer Ira Steven Behr took something basically from his newspaper and wrote it into what we have here. What I will say is I love that guy, he was not afraid to hit the nail right on the head and he is even a fan of Iggy Pop, who was supposed to be in this episode. Iggy of course appears as the Vorta "Yelgun" later in "The Magnificent Ferengi".

Mainly, nobody wants a "forced welfare" state, but they don't want a "No Welfare State" either. In the 24th Century, Earth is an alleged Paradise: There is no need for money, people work for pleasure. It occurs to me that this is not explored much in any of the Trek series, we get a small glimpse of how Life on Earth was in the 2nd Season Voyager Episode "Non-Sequitor", but we've never had a good long look at how this "Perfect Society" will appear.

But this episode sits in the aftermath of those 1992 Riots, and can be revisited today with the Baltimore Riots. Which makes this a difficult episode to talk about, The Sisko is basically holding several people Hostage and incites a full scale riot, even one that will be named after him in a way.

The ingredients of the Riot are already mixed. There is always that one incident that pushes people over the edge. The Sisko, Bashir and Dax had landed on Earth right at the moment one of these incidents was about to ignite. The Sisko tries to avoid becoming involved in it, but in true Trek fashion, he becomes practically the central figure of the whole incident.

Mostly this episode deals with the issues of Homelessness and Repression, several characters are shown who "don't care" - As long as "they don't have to see it". Jadzia confronts several of these people at a 2024 "Party" in her rich savior "Chris Brynner's" Office (Played by Jim Metzler who was, appropriately, the City Councilman in LA Confidential). She is able to show Chris Brynner *why* he should care and this becomes an important plot point later.

On a humorous note, O'Brien and Major Kira (with a "Broken Nose") have to visit a San Fransisco Alleyway through several historical periods as they search for what era the Away Team had been spirited off to, in one era, it's the entrance to a Speakeasy, in another, they confront stoned Hippies, in each case the decor is perfect, especially the 60's- Ironically, I used to work in the Print Shop on Dore Alley where those 60's Rock Posters for The Fillmore were printed.

Regardless of how I feel about Trek Time Travel episodes, this pair of episodes are a nice mid 3rd season distraction from the upcoming and developing Dominion storyline. One thing I liked about these 90's Trek series, was that most of the seasons had a full 26-episode contingent, which gave plenty of time per season for all kinds of tangential stories. Most series these days are only allotted 22 episodes per season.

Sad but Necessary Conclusion

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 12 October 2018]

I'm writing in 2018, which is six years before events take place in this episode. Unfortunately, there are a lot indications that our current situation could easily lead to the kind of nastiness we see here. Sisko and Bashir are faced with having to recorrect historical events that they damaged in the first place. The whole second half involves a hostage situation where it is absolutely necessary that these people be kept alive. One trigger happy young man is a loose cannon. This class war is evolving as I write. This is a pretty well done episode with good writing and some sincere effort to make a statement.

Poignant and Powerful

[gassydabber · 10/10 · 9 September 2019]

Anyone seeing this episode in today's late-stage capitalist society can really connect the haunting parallels between what this episode predicts and where society is headed. Sadly, even this dystopian depiction of where things lead us to may have too optimist of an idea as to how we'll ever get kicked out of our mindset (if ever). Things have already been in the state they are in this episode with refugee camps and homelessness reaching epidemic levels, and nobody's been galvanized into doing anything about it.

Regardless, this episode and the one before it touch upon classicism and the lack of empathy between the lower and upper class divide, worsened by the upper class making themselves as remote from the lower class as possible. This is a real concept that exists, and what this episode does better than most others is it doesn't depict all of the homeless people as sideshows in a circus with a human interior-- but rather humans first, and their downfalls next.

Anyone who says this episode is "preachy" is either likely not in the demographic the message is intended for, or sadly is lacking the empathy to consider the message delivered (which, frankly, I'm surprised they're watching Deep Space Nine at all, as it's all about considering things from other points of view).

Once this message is delivered and taken home to the heart of society, only then can we ever hope to get anywhere near what Star Trek as a whole hopes to take us to.

A solid conclusion

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 26 April 2022]

Sisko and Bashir find themselves caught up in a volatile hostage situation.

This is a pretty good conclusion for DS9's answer to 'City On The Edge Of Forever', but is rather heavy handed in its approach.

It feels written like other movies showing the tension and relationships between captors and captives. There is a good mix of characters that not only keep the audience on edge, but do not place pure goodies or baddies on either side of the conflict. It shows that a mixture of personality types can cause moments of violent escalation that can turn a situation bad, as well as result in moments of sensibility and compromise. Above all the characters with the best intentions do not lose sight of the bigger picture. Avery Brooks, Alexander Siddig, Dick Miller, Bill Simitrovich, and Frank Military do a great job.

Major themes explored are the economic plight of poorer classes, apathy, and the potential for violent protest, and these are still relevant today, keeping the story interesting. These are not tackled in the most subtle ways, as there are some rather obvious exchanges of dialogue between characters relating to the social issues. Personally, I think the writers should have focussed on telling a good sci-fi story first and let the themes come out of what we see, as opposed to characters commenting on everything. However, not everything can be a masterpiece of allegory.

There are some amusing time-travel related scenes involving Kira and O'Brien in the subplot.

Visually it is good, particularly towards the end of the episode when some of the more action focussed scenes happen.

For me it is a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.

OK, the time line is preserved

[Paularoc · 6/10 · 18 October 2012]

Bashir and Sisko are still in the Sanctuary and Sisko pretends to be Bell in order to save hostages taken in a riot of the residents and thereby preserve the time line. While this going on, Kira and O'Brien try to find out which time period their colleagues have traveled to. There was an amusing meeting with a couple of hippies but otherwise their efforts are pretty uninteresting. The best part of the episode is Bashir' interaction with the hostages, especially with the scared and ill social worker; I'm finally getting to like the Bashir character who has fortunately finally outgrown his gee whiz adolescent character. Also good was the brief scene where one of the residents relates how he happened to end up in the Sanctuary - it was a powerful scene. The final resolution is logical and satisfying, particularly the former hostage security officer's assistance in helping Bashir and Sisko get away and preserve the myth of Bell's heroism. A good episode but not one I found particularly entertaining or riveting.

Preachy but worth seeing.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 December 2014]

In part one, Dr. Bashir, Commander Sisko and Jadzia Dax all became stuck in the Earth's past, back in 2024. Dax was very smart and managed to find a place to stay in the posh side of town. The other two not only manage to get stuck in a hellish 'sanctuary zone' but they also manage to have a part in killing someone who is an important figure in the timeline. In other words, because the guy dies, the Federation appears to be gone. Oddly, and COMPLETELY inexplicably, the Defiant continues to exist and they try to work on retrieving the lost crew.

Here in part two, there is a riot in the sanctuary zone and Dr. Bashir and Commander Sisko get involved in the middle of it--taking some hostages in order to fulfill the requirements of the timeline. Can they manage to avoid killing anyone ELSE who is important to history and make everything work out peachy?

Like part one, this one is a bit preachy and the homeless folks look way too 'nice' to be realistic. But it also is entertaining nevertheless.

Not too realistic. Here's giving some advice to the writers

[Sermell_Sino · 7/10 · 20 September 2019]

I just watched this episode and felt obliged to write sth. I must say this episode has a very good premise and good set (though the 2020s tech looked too primitive lol) but what troubled me is the characterization of BC, a scoundrel who does not hesitate in killing in the first part but gives in too easily to Sisko in the second. He seems to have too much "reason" in him. The riots and him all seem a bit too civilized. (budget limitations I presume) Perhaps a more violent riot would not fit in the Star Trek persona of the show. And I think the result that no history except Bell's face was changed is really unconvincing. Won't some minor events be altered and trigger bigger changes? I would like the reset button of history finally be pressed, but the characters uncovered some new truths to history that nobody has known so they deepen their comprehension on history, and the time trip would still be worthwhile without tampering with temporal paradoxes. If you don't understand what I am suggesting, you can refer to how Discovery dealt with the tragic fate of Capt. Pike.

No One Cares !!

[GoldenGooner04 · 14 May 2023]

So in the writers room, we have this great idea for a Time Travel story, its going to be in 2 parts. Gabriel Bell is the hero, But wait we need Sisko to be the star, and he must become Gabriel Bell, so how do we do that?

I know this geezer with the hat stabs Gabriel in the stomach runs off with his mates like a coward but we will forget about that in part 2, we will turn him into a funny character who even gives his hat to a kid.

But we will kill him off at the end, so that should be ok The bloke stabbed am innocent man in the chest, but it seems no one cares, no one mentions it.

As for the story, bland boring, 2 bob acting. The actors in DS9 are average, to make a story like this work you need "chemistry" as we had with TOS there is only ONE Time Travel episode in Trek and we all know what it is.

It's funny DS9 tried it again, and guess what it become one of the Best Ever Trek Episodes EVER, cause it had TOS actors in it :-), maybe.

What a Dreadful pair of episodes.

[davidhiggins-89756 · 3/10 · 15 April 2021]

**Does contain spoilers** **Does contain spoilers**.

Just what were the writers even thinking of. All that money, time & effort thrown at this two part episode and the result was GARBAGE, near total Dross.

All those number of on set Extras in it, if anyone ever says they were in Deep Space Nine just you believe it!, it is most probably true, they will likely have been in those two rotten episodes.

It was Corny, Cheesy, Slow, Dull, Predictable, Uneventful, call a spade a spade it was rubbish. Barely a thing in it of any merit at all, plot & action wise.

We even had Daxy Trilli Al-Jazera with the most STUPID looking hair-do you could ever imagine. MOP HEAD!, one of the Fab Four.

Some sort of Red Dwarf Duane Dibbley hair cut. She looked like Moe from the Three Stooges. Jim Carey from Dumb & Dumber, AND even looked like Wacko Jacko, It made her look a right PRAT.

Her getting out and getting back in a sewer cover & sewerage system, emerging with no stains at all and no torch either, at both ends. Like no one would have attempted to escape in this way beforehand. With these streets seen to be PACKED out with people, except when Trilli Mop Head Dax was getting in & out of the sewer hole unseen by the Extra's.

With some weird creep nicking Mop Heads com badge and making off with it. She could have tackled him on all her own without the subsequent non event 'padding' of that tracking down & confrontation scene.

I bet Frakes insisted as part of his visual appearance in an episode almost directly prior to this pair of garbage, episode 9 in "Defiant", that he got to direct a two-parter episode shortly after it. Conditions of his appearance.

It was HAMMY all the way through. Hammy acting from many of the supporting cast. Dreadful to sit there and put ourselves through watching it.

All that effort & expense and the result was a steaming pile at the end of it all. It was bad, very bad!. It has to be said.

Can't see how anyone could praise these two episodes, it had nothing. Just some woke sociopolitical message buried in there somewhere that some may attempt to adapt & apply to our modern day life.

A wide difference between the two-parter at the start of Season 3 and this load of tripe. Even the eye candy Terry Farrell was outclassed by Major Kira in her elfin type clothing, looked attractive in her clothing, especially in her close up facial shots, sticky plaster on her nose or not, she had a way of drawing in our gaze to her face.

Mop Head on the other hand looked like an uptight librarian balancing imaginary books on her head in an episode of Little House on the Prairie, that was occasionally set in a nearby large Town.

Right, so no more than 3 stars for this two-parter, a grandiose effort but for me not one that payed off. Frakes directing it or not, the script was dull & lifeless, dragging on & on, just never inspired or got anything out any of the actors involved.

The DS9 series itself is worth far more than 3 stars, but these two episodes were not. I'd have given it 2 stars were it not for close up facial shots of Nana Visitor, in nice attractive clothing WITH a nice hair-do.

The DS9 Version of The City on the Edge of Forever

[markbyrn-1 · 6/10 · 24 December 2023]

Past Tense is essentially the DS9 version of The City on the Edge of Forever in Star Trek TOS. In both episodes, the Trek characters go back in time (1930 and 2024 respectively) and due to their interaction with just one person (both social activists), change the timeline to where their future doesn't exist. I thought the TOS version was more credible in the sense that the crew had to avoid saving the activist from a lethal accident to preserve the timeline. In DS9, the activist died due to the presence of Sisko and the others. As a result, Sisko decided to assume the identity of the activist and accomplish whatever he did to save the timeline. The TOS version was more subtle and thought-provoking in its social commentary plus it was moving emotionally. DS9 was heavy-handed with the commentary and rather convoluted in having to achieve the saving the timeline outcome. It is interesting though that this episode made in 1995 was unfortunately more accurate than not with respect to rampant homelessness and social-political upheaval that we're facing as 2024 arrives.