Product Details

• Actors: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Cirroc Lofton, Alexander Siddig, Colm Meaney
• Directors: Paul Lynch
• Writers: Gene Roddenberry, Michael Piller, Morgan Gendel, Rick Berman, Robert Hewitt Wolfe
• Producers: David Livingston, Ira Steven Behr
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: November 5, 1996
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304209428
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #527,783 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Original airdate: 2-23-93. Stardate: Unknown. There's more than a hint of Hannibal Lecter-like cleverness in the nefarious plot of Rao Vantika (James Harper), a murderous Kobliad criminal who's brought aboard DS9 after being retrieved by Bashir and Kira in a runabout rescue mission. It only appears that Vantika is dead on arrival; Kobliad security officer Ty Kajada (Caitlin Bloom)--obsessed with capturing Vantika for over 20 years--is convinced that Vantika is still alive, and preparing to hijack a freighter loaded with deuridium, a rare substance that promises the Kobliad equivalent of a fountain of youth. Tightly plotted and briskly paced, this DS9 mystery is ultimately more Hardy Boys than Agatha Christie (if only because Fadil is an unconvincing bad guy), but the long-brewing feud between the Kobliad enemies allows guest star Bloom to anchor the story with ruthless tenacity. Given her singular focus, the episode ends on a dark but delicious note of satisfaction. --Jeff Shannon

From the Back Cover

While traveling in a runabout, Bashir (Siddig El Fadil) and Kira (Nana Visitor) respond to a distress call from a disabled Kobliad ship. When they beam over, Bashir is attacked by an injured passenger-a murderer named Rao Vantika (James Harper), who suddenly dies.

Back aboard Deep Space Nine, the Kobliad security officer Ty Kajada (Caitlin Bloom) insists on an autopsy to prove Vantika, who has a history of faking his own demise, is truly dead. Meanwhile, the crew determines that Vantika was probably coming to the station to hi-jack a freighter carrying deuridium, a rare substance that prolongs Kobliad life.

When Odo (Rene Auberjonois) tries to implement a security plan to protect the shipment, he discovers that the station computer's memory has been purged. The crew is now convinced that Vantika may be hiding in someone else's brain-and so the hunt for the passenger begins.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Episode, June 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 9: The Passenger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This was an Okay episode, We meet the new Federation Security officer who clashes with Constable Odo, This episode had a sneaking feeling to it. It had a great Plot to it. I would give this episode an 3 and 1/2

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars been there, done that, October 22, 2004

By 

Shelley Gammon "Geek" (Kaufman, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 9: The Passenger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Bashir and Kira are on the Rio Grande and respond to a distress call. A Kobliad ship is losing life support and the ship's occupants are in danger. Instead of beaming the passengers to the Rio Grande, these two idiots beam themselves (leaving the Rio Grande unmanned) over to a smoke-filled ship without breathing gear. They find the pilot dead, a security officer injured and her prisoner near death. Despite her pleas to let the prisoner die, trapped in his cell, Julian rushes to the rescue, knowing nothing about the species or their capabilities. Dr. Bashir has to be one of the stupidest "geniuses" in Star Trek lore. All Star Trek doctors have a flair for the dramatic - jumping through fire to save a single-cell creature if need-be, but we continue to put up with them because only a Starfleet doctor can discover a never-before-seen virus and develop a cure for it before the end of the episode.

Bashir sees the prisoner, Rao Vantika, is dying quickly - life signs are fading. As he scans him, the prisoner puts a death-vice grip on Bashir's neck for several seconds before he gives his death rattle.

Ty Kajada, the Kobliad security officer, has spent her entire adult life persuing Rao Vantika - more than just a murderer - a sick fiend who has committed countless crimes on their world - a scientist that kidnapped innocents and used prisoners in experiments to extend his own life. Kajada is convinced that Vanntika is still alive and the crew just rolls their eyes. This is not the first time (nor the last - we see this same re-hashed story on Voyager, too) this same theme of "he's dead, Jim" turns out to be wrong. This story has been re-hashed into several episodes over the years and you just have to roll your eyes and cross your fingers that you will somehow be mildly entertained.

When things start going wrong on the station, Kajada tells Sisko, "I told you so" over and over until they finally pull their collective heads out of their butts and listen to her. Dax investigates as she is always the backup when Julian is out of pocket - and he appears to be missing. She discovers that among Vantika's belongings, he had maps of the humanoid brain and what portions of another's brain it would be safe to "hide." He clearly planned on transferring his consciousness to another person - but how? As a prisoner, he would have been scanned for any devices and Dax knows he would have had to penetrate the skin of whoever he was going to "infect" with his consciousness. She searches under his fingernails and finds a microscopic "nano" generator that contained glial cells of his consciousness. I honestly don't know how the actors keep a straight face with these kinds of stories.

Even though Vantika's body is clearly and most certainly long dead, his consciousness is somewhere in DS9 - but where? In whom? Quark is dealing with dark figures in his bar, in an attempt to steal a valuable Deuridium shipment, which were the last known plans of Vantika.

To even the casual viewer, it is abundantly obvious from the first few minutes of the show that Julian is the one carrying Vantika around in his head, but the crew must run around like ants trying to pick up the bread crumbs. Bashir's pompous character was one of the most annoying of any Trek series, in my opinion - and the most expendable. Siddig El Fadil's wooden acting is rarely believable unless he's laughing in the bar or throwing a tantrum - as a villain, he is about as believable as my dog.

Dax figures out a genius way to excise the bad mojo out of Julian and wrap up everything in a little bow before the last commercial. The story is so predictable from beginning to end and there are so many idiotic holes to make the story even plausible - I wonder if there was a writer's strike that week, or what. Definitely one of the episodes that could be flushed without any damage to Trek lore whatsoever.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's my BRAIN!, August 19, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 9: The Passenger [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a great episode that moves the spotlight away from Sisko to Bashir and Odo who take the ball and run with it. You see, someone has an evil criminal in their mind, controlling them, manipulating them and the station, with Bashir, Odo and Kira acting strangely... where is HE?