Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) Whispers (1994) User Reviews

a real thriller but with questionable ending

[rotfuchs-fg · 8/10 · 30 May 2006]

This one is a real thriller. You can feel the tension rising, while you watch Miles O'Brien's environment on the station grow more and more hostile towards him. You and O'Brien really do not have a clue as to what is wrong, until the last few minutes of the episode. Colm Meaney at his best. Here is the story:

### Spoiler ###

Miles O'Brien returns from a mission in the gamma quadrant. He was supposed to bring back security information from a war torn world to prepare the station for peace treaty negotiations between the two warring factions. Having returned to DS9, he experiences only hostility and suspicion from his fellow officers. He finds himself excluded and under constant surveillance. As things tighten in around him he escapes on a runabout and returns to the gamma quadrant to find answers on the planet where everything seemed to have started. As he arrives there, Sisko and Kira are already present together with two members of the local government faction. The situation escalates and O'Brien is shot and succumbs to a fatal wound. He dies, but not without seeing the real Miles O'Brien emerging on the scene before. One government member states that the rebel faction abducted and duplicated the real O'Brien and sent the doppelganger back to the station in order to sabotage the negotiations.

I must admit, the ending shocked me. The "fake" O'Brien was just as real as the "real" O'Brien. At least he behaved like it. I do not understand how Sisko could have let him be killed, just because he was told by those aliens that he is a clone. It is very unlike Star Trek to shoot what one does not comprehend. After all there was a sentient being, not some dummy robot. Therefore only 8 out of 10 stars.

Paranoia

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 18 March 2010]

This was an interesting episode told mostly in flashback; the chief is aboard a runabout and is being pursued by other officers from DS9 for reasons not immediately apparent. As he makes a log entry we see what happened before to lead up to this strange situation. When the chief gets back to the station after arranging the security details for a peace treaty between two warring factions from the Gamma quadrant he finds that nobody is behaving normally. At first it is just little things; his daughter does not want a kiss, Sisko has got another officer working on the security details for the peace conference without telling him and he can't access all the files he should be able to. As things progress he becomes convinced that someone or something is effecting the crew. Soon he realises that he must get off the station if he is to find out just what is going on. Stealing a runabout he heads back to the Gamma Quadrant and makes a shocking discovery: it wasn't the rest of the crew of DS9 that had been changed, it was him. The Chief O'Brien we'd been watching was a replica, identical in every way but programmed to carry out unspecified orders at a given time.

Colm Meaney did a great job as Chief O'Brien getting more and more paranoid as those he considers friends shut him out from doing his job and giving him manufactured tasks to keep him out of the way. It was a shame that the replacement died at the end although it did add extra poignancy to the story.

I love paranoid episodes!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 18 December 2014]

This is one of the better episodes of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9". Much of it is because the tone is very dark and paranoid--just the sort of thing I love!!

The show begins with O'Brien alone on a runabout--fleeing from Deep Space 9! He then sits down and begins to dictate his log--at which time you see a lengthy flashback. Here in the flashback, O'Brien starts to see how strangely everyone is acting on the space station. While nothing is concrete, he KNOWS that everyone is behaving strangely and some plot is obviously brewing. But what?!

I could say more, but frankly don't want to spoil the show. The bottom line is that the answer is very inventive and the show really is creative and strange. Well worth seeing.

"Impostor"

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 29 April 2015]

This episode is reminiscent of the Philip K Dick short story put to film in the late 1990s, "impostor" starring Gary Sinese.

But that film had a gimmick, whereas this episode also uses the exact same gimmick, but that gimmick is not revealed until the very last scene, which gives this episode a more eerie landscape.

All we know here is that Ò'Brien comes back from a mission and everything is just off kilter slightly, enough to raise his alarm level. His daughter won't touch him, neither will his wife. That right there is enough.

Even so, if that had been all that happened this O'Brien might have shrugged it off eventually. But that wasn't the end of it. Miles had been put in charge of high-security preparations for an upcoming visit by some Gamma quadrant dignitaries, "The Paraden". When The Sisko pulls him off of that detail and orders him to do basically a "clean the toilets" job on Deep Space 9, that's when Miles calls all bets off.

This episode shows why Miles Edward O'Brien is just as good an engineer on Deep Space Nine as Geordie Laforge was on the Enterprise D or Scotty was on the original "Enterprise" (NX-01 does not count).

When it seems like the entire Ops crew of Deep Space 9 is about to cave in on Miles, he widgets his way out of a tough situation and escapes to the Gamma quadrant.

But why go to the Paraden home world? Why? What is there that is so damned important?

Look for Leonard Nimoy's wife as the Admiral O'Brien speaks to on his way out, seen earlier in the episode "past prologue."

The main premise of this episode is extremely similar to the main premise of the Gary Sinese character from "impostor", in fact the same thing is happening to O'Brien here that happened to the character in "impostor."

I think a lot of the reviews I have been reading lately that have just been popping up in the last year especially, are completely missing the point of Deep Space 9. Deep Space 9 was not an episodic television show. No- it was one story from start to finish. That is how I watch it, and that is how I rate it. Not one episode is more important or less important than any other episode, because the storyline is entwined into every single episode. If you miss one episode, or dismiss casually one episode, then you will definitely miss something very important that will come up later in the series. Because a lot of the small details from the so-called "filler" episodes may come back in a later episode. And because I can honestly say that I enjoy All of this epic tale.

A novel take on a somewhat common Trek theme.

[stjamesgate · 9/10 · 12 March 2022]

There have been lots of imposter episodes, going all the way back to the Original Series. In most cases, they are some of the best episodes, and this one is no different in that regard. What sets this one apart, however, is that it is presented entirely from the perspective of the doppelganger. In other episodes, it's either the perspective of the one being replaced, or of the other crew members. This one takes the side of the person who would normally act as an antagonist. Not only does it do this artfully, and effectively, but it manages to make to the O'Brian clone sympathetic. So much so, that by the end of the episode, you find yourself feeling sad about his plight. The same could not be said for Picard's jovial, singing, doppelganger in "Allegiance ", or Kirk's in "The Enemy Within". Neither of those episodes make an effort to conceal the fact that there is an imposter, either.

Another little gem that this episode reminds me of, is "Future Imperfect". Similarly, Riker finds himself suspicious of his crew mates on the Enterprise. It also has a decent twist, but that's a spoiler for another time. Where "Future Imperfect" differs, is that Riker's suspicions are correct, and thus follows the story of the only real person there, instead of the imposter.

As for whether the episode is good for a rewatch, well that entirely depends on the viewer. For me, I usually have enough distance between viewings to where I don't actually remember the twist at the end. For example, this time when I watched it, I had the twist mixed up with the episode where O'Brian serves a jail sentence in his mind.... Point is, the paranoia, and conspiracy is the part that sticks out the most in my mind, over time. The twist is excellent, but for me, isn't as powerful as seeing all of DS9 turn against it's chief engineer. Now, I did remember the twist before the end of the episode, and it didn't seem to take any enjoyment away.

Great Episode - Although I Have a Question

[mweinercats · 26 May 2020]

I very much enjoyed this episode. I love "Body Snatcher" stuff. The one question I have is this: Why would they tell Molly that her father wasn't really her father. She was too young to be given this information, which would have frightened any child her age. Keiko did the right thing by sending her someplace else for the night, but should have done so without telling Molly why. Molly's reaction to Miles would have been a gigantic give-away to "Miles." If you're trying to be subtle, never tell a child under a certain age a secret. Children that age are extremely honest. Maybe I missed something about this episode, but that really surprised me.

I agree that Colm Meaney was terrific. I'm a big fan of his.

Profound in its Simplicity

[jmbwithcats · 9/10 · 17 November 2019]

Season 2, Episode 14 of DS9 entitled "Whispers" may be a short, simplistic seeming episode from the outset, but it's actually perhaps one of the most profound up to this point as well.

This episode informs our personal, subjective importance in our own lives, the naivete of that importance, but no less the beauty and importance of the drive to survive and to perhaps reap some modicum of value from our short experience within the vastness of all things.

Cracking idea and quite well executed

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 4 March 2022]

Chief O'Brien finds himself at the heart of an apparent conspiracy.

This is a great little mystery with a strong lead performance.

It is impossible to say much about the plot without ruining the episode for those who have not seen it. However, it's safe to say that it is a good story in the spirit of such thrillers like 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', 'The Parallax View', and 'The Manchurian Candidate'. The ending is a great, original concept, but it is slightly rushed, overly explained and has minor plot holes.

When you watch it for the first time it has a tremendous sense of creepiness, paranoia, and tension. However, it is not one that can really work on a rewatch when you know how it finishes.

All actors do a great job, particularly Colm Meaney and Rosalind Chao.

The production values are very good, with great atmosphere created by the cinematography and editing from the perspective of the lead character.

Solid execution on a brilliant premise.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 18 March 2020]

What a great idea for a star trek episode. The character we are following is the ultimate villain of the episode but thinks he is the hero.

Good episode

[tasajets · 8/10 · 4 January 2019]

An episode that kept me on the edge, with a feeling of something wrong. Just could not point a finger at it. The solution was weird but only logical. The suspence is strong in this one.

It's Impostor, glad someone else caught it

[gassydabber · 7/10 · 1 May 2019]

Not sure why this episode is rated so highly over the others near it, it doesn't offer anything new, and if anything I wish they'd used it on another character as O'Brien just had his own with Bashir.

Anyone who's read Phillip K Dick's Impostor would recognize this storyline from the get-go. Unfortunately with storylines like this-- where a solitary person believes everyone else is conspiring against them-- it can only end in one of two ways: everyone IS in on it, which is often ridiculous (The Lady Vanishes, The Game, Flightplan), or the narrator is unreliable, which often feels like a cheat.

This episode had the chance to find a balance when O'Brien runs a hypothesis by Odo, and the two discuss a completely plausible reason behind O'Brien's paranoia, but diverts from course back to having him an unreliable narrator.

Almost a great episode, but winds up just being a sort of filler.

Chief O'Brien's paranoia

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 26 December 2019]

This episode of DS9 is told in flashback by Chief O'Brien as he is fleeing a posse from his fellow space station staffers. He narrates into the log of the runabout he is fleeing on how these events have come about.

Basically after he has come back from the planet Parada checking their security systems for a planned Federation sponsored peace conference, Colm Meaney is treated like a pariah by the staff and even his wife and daughter are acting strange toward him. He suspects some kind of plot to sabotage the conference.

I confess this one had me baffled. I reached a wrong conclusion here. The explanation for it all was both logical and simple. This episode belongs to Colm Meaney.

Interesting to watch, but poorly thought out, which spoils the ending

[frankelee · 7/10 · 11 September 2020]

This episode is like a poor mystery novel written with very good prose. It's engaging to watch, and leaves you wondering what's happening, but it relies on the fact that you don't know what's happening to get away with numerous cheats that don't make any sense the second you find out what's really going on. Starfleet personnel do not behave as Starfleet personnel, people do absurdly irrational things, the morality and ethics underpinning the show's entire existence as laid out by Gene Roddenberry are discarded... it's a shame. The actual playout of the story, the acting, the direction, they're actually quite good, not true of much of this season, so it's too bad they were wasted on this 'give me a break' ending. Very typical of DS9 writing through the first two seasons, lacking proper craft or attention to detail.

Almost a success: A Shallow attempt at profound plot

[skinnybert · 5/10 · 12 February 2021]

From the first (teaser) scene, we can see the warning sign: not enough story filling the scene. And then we have to wonder if there wasn't enough story to fill the episode, since O'Brien has to narrate it for us. Sure enough, there isn't. So why does everyone else rate this so high?

The premise is great, but the details don't hold up. Why does Keiko make his favorite food, but not eat any herself? Answer: to satisfy the story mechanics and no other reason. Why does O'Brien trust people and get disappointed, when he already suspects a conspiracy? Same answer. Why didn't they just thrown him in the brig until the situation was resolved? See previous answer. And then the denouement happens far too easily (a common problem in TNG-onward Trek) -- even without the final line about Keiko, which doesn't bear up to examination.

A much stronger episode would have started with the last-scene confrontation, then flashed back to the story's beginning. Keiko's behavior should have been something more subtle than straight-up acting suspicious. And Odo should not have been thrown under the plot-device bus.

Which is all too bad. O'Brien and Odo are two of our favorite characters on the show, and we are quite familiar with the Phil-Dickian storyline attempted here -- anyone who's seen Total Recall will see the similarities. But the denouement only tells us what happened, not why or how or with any sense of a larger picture. So the end result is a great portrayal of a mood and perspective which simply doesn't connect the dots to make sense. Looks great, and anyone who saw a few minutes out of the middle would definitely find themselves hooked. I just wish they'd finished the job right.

Double Strong, Double Sweet

[Nominahorn · 8/10 · 24 February 2023]

2.14 "Whispers"

O'Brien returns from a mission in the Gamma Quadrant and discovers that everyone on the station is acting very suspiciously. Fearing a hostile influence, he (and the audience) are left trying to figure out what is going on and how to avert disaster.

This ep is very similar to the previous one in that it is O'Brien focused, well-acted, and well-directed, all of which adds up to being another very good episode.

We are left wondering if the replica O'Brien (henceforth to be referred to as 'O'Brieen') ever had free will. Aside from one brief moment in the infirmary that Bashir immediately shuts down, he doesn't ever seem to question if maybe it's him that is wrong. That could be part of his programming or it could just say a lot about O'Brien's strong belief in himself and his own perceptions and judgment. I personally think it might be the former. He is too quick to let go of his questioning when Bashir gives him the all clear. But for me the line is when he contacts the Starfleet admiral and doesn't even listen to her. It definitely seems like he is programmed not to question his own authenticity.

As Will Smith asks in I, Robot, "Does believing you're the last sane man left make you crazy?" In Spooner's case, the answer was no, but I think most of the time the answer to that question would be yes, including in O'Brieen's case.

THE GOOD

-O'Brien-centered

-Strong sense of tension and mystery. Great job in particular showing every scene from O'Brieen's point of view only so you never really get a sense of what is going on, just like the character.

-Gut punch ending

-Some really good camera work with the creepy, off-kilter closeups of Keiko and O'Brieen in the dinner scene

THE BAD

-Mostly inconsequential ep

THE UGLY

-Even though it's not actually O'Brien, this feels like the start of the writers deciding that they loved to torture his character, which they end up going overboard with during the series run. It's honestly a little upsetting to think about all the awful things he goes through, and watching "him" be betrayed by everyone he loves and trusts, fight valiantly to do what's right anyway, and then be killed in cold blood is all pretty heartwrenching even when you know it's not actually O'Brien.

-Ensign DeCurtis calls O'Brieen "sir" many times despite outranking him and O'Brien not being an officer. It's amazing to me that even this late in the character's development they still have no idea how to handle his position in Starfleet.

-Runabout roster: back to 3. Mekong replaces the destroyed Ganges and chases O'Brieen through the wormhole. The runabout O'Brieen takes is the Rio Grande.

-O'Brieen is referred to as a replicant, which is the same term used in the Blade Runner franchise for artificial lifeforms. The technology seems to be very similar, as the difference between a replicant and a human is almost undetectable in both cases.

-Rules of Acquisition quoted: not exactly, but Quark says something about knowing customers before they walk in the door and then guesses it's "one of the high ones" for the rule number and says that it might be 194. I'm on the fence about whether to count it or not.

Excellent Torture ~O'Brien episode

[bgaiv · 8/10 · 5 November 2021]

DS9 made an art of torturing Miles O'Brien. The show does it well and Meaney plays it well every time. This one is a solid early entry.

That said, this one does have issues.

The main problem is that if the station reasonably suspected O'Brien is a replicant bent on a secret assassination mission, they would have isolated him and explained it. The real Miles would have accepted that.

Also, the Julian/Miles banter is excellent!

Chief O'Brien Discovers a DS9 Conspiracy and he Tries to Expose and Overcome the Infiltrators

[dand1010 · 9/10 · 5 September 2021]

1- VIEWERS CHECK THIS OUT!.......................

*CHIEF O'BRIEN AND HIS IRISH TEMPER.............. One of Chief O'Brien's most endearing qualities is when he gets testy or annoyed and begins losing that Irish temper of his. At 12:25 he is in Bashir's office for a "mandatory and routine" physical. He mentions getting poked into every "orifice" of his body. The doc asks several physical-type questions of the chief. "Have you been eating right? Do you get enough sleep at night? Have you been feeling depressed? Have you been having feelings of euphoria?" With the last....the chief goes off, "EUPHORIA! That's what I've been feeling - lots and lots of euphoria! (sarcasm dripping off his tongue)". When the chief goes over the top with sarcasm it always makes me laugh out loud!

*TIME MARCHES ON....... As the series progressed through its' 7 seasons it was fascinating to watch the youngsters mature physically and in general. When Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko) calls out to the chief and walks next to him (14:17) through the promenade, it is startling how much Lofton has grown from a little boy viewers were introduced to 2-years earlier to the young man now on the screen.

*I LOVE THESE TYPE OF STORIES IN TREK LORE.... As this episode unfurls I realize the plot and story are similar to other Trek episodes in different settings and shows. I also realize this story line is one I REALLY enjoy as a Trek fan. I'm not sure why but these type of stories always have my full and undivided attention and I'm especially intrigued how the protagonist finds out what is going on by the end. These are excellent story-telling scenarios and it allows for character development like few other stories can offer. As a viewer you realize the issue must be resolved but how the writing and actors get you there is what make these particular stories favorites of mine. Do you notice how many times I used the word "story" in my analysis? We love "stories" don't we? As children we beg our parents to read us bed-time stories. We beg our grandparents to tell us stories both real and made up. In school we enjoy the story time part of the day and often Lit class is the most interesting and favorite class of the day for high schoolers. As adults we beg or insist on creative institutions (Disney, Paramount, Fox, etc) to create and develop good stories. We are willing to pay to go watch stories in movie cinema and stage productions. I believe our love of stories follows us from the time we are barely able to understand the language we speak to the last days of our existence on earth. Fascinating isn't it??? Tell me a story!

*CREEPY ALERT!

At 16:30 of this episode is when we find out something creepy is going on. Check it out! What was a tingling up our spine, until this point, becomes a full on alert in our mind and body! Something just isn't right on DS9 baby!

*IF WE HAD NO VOCAL CHORDS...... When Colm Meaney (Chief O'Brien) does his acting schtick, he is VERY expressive with his facial expressions. Some actors are distinct with their vocal inflections (Avery Brooks as Sisko and Rene Auberjonois as Odo), some with their physical presence and movement on screen (Nana Visitor as Major Kira and Armin Shimerman as Quark). With Meaney it is all about his facial expressions. Take a look at 17:30 when O'Brien responds to a Kira question. Watch the interaction with just the voices saying the dialogue and then re-watch the moment without sound and just watching Meaney's face and expressions. COOL, isn't it?

*GRABBING AND JERKING QUARK AROUND BY THE NECK SEEMS LIKE SPACE STATION RECREATION......... I wonder if Quark ever gets tired of people grabbing him around the neck area? He should start charging for the opportunity! It seems like he is always being grabbed or thrown from around the neck. Kira, Odo, Sisko and O'Brien have all been the perpetrators of doing this to him - not to mention the plethora of guest stars who have done this as well. At 29:38 O'Brien becomes the most recent person to assault the lovable pirate.

2- Final Reflective Analysis and Final Grade: *As I stated before, I love these types of stories. I had seen enough of this genre to realize what was going on with about 15 minutes left in the episode. The only negative I can expound on for "Whispers" is the rushed ending. With only 2-3 minutes left in the episode Kira and Sisko rush through a few lines of dialogue in the script to brief the audience (through the characters in the scene) on what has happened. Other than this minor complaint, "Whispers" is one of my favorites for the first two seasons. The closing concern displayed by the "replicant" is touching and fairly unexpected and surprising. As with the previous episode, there is certainly food for thought and discussion with those who care about this science fiction principle (replicants and their use) which, in our modern era of science and medicine, may not be entirely science fiction any longer.

Final Grade: A-

OK, I Guess

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 7 October 2018]

I've watched way too much TV in my time. So I knew with four minute left and no resolution, something dramatic was going to happen. I thought, "Here comes the 'To Be Continued' notice. Nope. It was something else that ended the episode. Our friend O'Brien is in a shuttle, being pursued by members of the Federation. He feels that some alien form had taken over the bodies of the people on the Space Station and he was on to them. This has good suspense and O'Brien's character is quite good. Nevertheless, the ending was too abrupt and a little short on veracity. Still, I guess with sci fi, anything goes. This is no exception.

double strong double sweet

[iamirwar · 6/10 · 19 January 2023]

Yeah, I liked this one. Of course, I have seen the entire DS9 series before so I do have a memory of how most of these stories will pan out. Although I cannot remember whether I saw what was obvious on my very first viewing of this episode. This time around it was very quickly apparent that someone wasn't who they were supposed to be. I think the arrival of Odo back on the station and the result of his enquiry was all I needed to help me finally join the dots.

The Chief's obsession with ordering Coffee, Jamaican Blend - double strong, double sweet was perhaps the biggest give away.

I do like Mile's O'Brien stories and they are usually among the strongest of each season's run. You would think that in the 24th century there would be a way to screen all incoming visitors to the space station which would help identify intruders and imposters.

Of course, had the Cardassians still ruled the station, they would simply have shot O'Brien or whoever as soon as he stepped through the airlock.

Interesting idea but the ending is weird for Star Trek standards

[Thecuchix · 6/10 · 1 January 2024]

In this episode, O'brian start to notice everybody acts weird and he start to investigate.

This episode makes you think about what is happening, mind control? Spy aliens? Some kind of illusion? Or he is just being paranoic?

The episode ends to be a double who, as other people remark in reviews; he is almost like the true O'brian, so, it's weird they just kill it, since there is a Star Trek The Next Generation episode who Riker gets also a double who was lost for years, (Second Chances, six season) so it's weird how they act here in Whispers, since they can allow two O'brians or at least don't being that cruel.

BORING !

[Filmreader · 3/10 · 13 April 2020]

I wonder who are these that gave high ratings ! BORING episode !