Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 36: Shadowplay [VHS]

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This episode takes a different twist on the old go-to-a-new-planet-and-meet-new-life-forms storyline. The idea of a holographic community was intriguing and the story was well played out. I loved watching the relationship between Odo and Taya develop, and the ending was very good. Overall, this is an episode worth watching.

Star Trek is an exceptional television series in that over the many years it has been broadcast it has managed to bring to wider public attention some of the strangest philosophical and ethical questions imaginable. Writers had been doing this for years in science fiction novels and short stories but received very little attention for their efforts. Only a handful of such publications garnered an audience of mass appeal, mainly among college students and becoming referred to as 'underground' classics, i.e. Robert A. Heinlein's 'Stranger In A Strange Land' and similar related titles that are commonly mentioned in the same breath. The episodes of the classic original series would visit some of those themes in books previously published but it was the follow-up series' that would do justice to these ideals that had been a part of a burgeoning sub-culture that was finally reaching its zenith. Utilizing plot devices and themes seen in the previous TNG episodes like 'Future Imperfect', 'Elementary, Dear Data' and it's follow-up 'Ship In A Bottle', DS9's second season show 'Shadowplay' becomes one of those multiple episodes that demonstrate this.

While returning from an exploratory mission in the Gamma Quadrant Odo and Dax pause to investigate the mysterious presence of omicron particles. Tracing it's origins to a nearby planet surface they discover a village; when they beam down to take a closer look they are immediately placed under arrest by the village 'Protector' Colyus. He informs them that 22 villagers have disappeared without a trace, the most recent one six hours prior to their appearance in the village. Odo and Dax are cleared as suspects and they offer Colyus their assistance; it isn't long before they discover the source of the conundrum...but that opens up another perplexing problem to sort out as well.

I don't want to spoil the ending for those who haven't yet seen this show so I won't give away too much. While the story itself isn't much of a mystery it's the question asked in the last act that's more confounding: What is reality? And how it is answered is what the makes the episode a memorable one. Wisely, the writers choose to have Odo make the argument and plead the case of the villagers; his character is one in transition, in a constant state of flux: Who am I? Are there any others like myself? What is my real purpose? And in using him the writers added a genuinely humane touch. Odo develops a close friendship with one of the children of the village which is what makes him so passionately debate them back into existence. He also offers a rare parting gift to the child prior to leaving the village. His character grows just a little softer around his hardened edges here.

There are two other subplots within this show as well - a rarity in Star Trek episodes. One of them involves Kira visiting Quark after hours in his bar informing him she's keeping an eye on him in Odo's absence. Another has Jake suffering from an inner conflict: how to tell his father he doesn't want to go to the academy. Both subplots utilize a storytelling device that juxtaposes what is perceived to be an obvious truth with what the truth actually is. Hence the title of the episode. Neither of these is as dramatically interesting as the main storyline but each of them has a worthy moment or two and the final revelation in Kira's suspicions about Quark leads to a great parting line from him.

Some final notes: The show's original title was 'Persistence Of Vision' before it was changed in favor of the current one; if that title sounds familiar it should - it was recycled for use as the title of a second season 'Voyager' episode. Ken Tobey, who plays the pivotal role of 'Rurigan', is better known to film buffs as the veteran actor/star of the 50's classic sci-fi movies "The Thing (From Another World)" and "It Came From Beneath The Sea". Kenneth Mars, who plays 'Colyus', is also a recognizable character actor of many feature films, most famously his comic turn in Mel Brooks's cult comedy classic "The Producers". The young girl who plays the villager 'Taya' can also be seen in the fifth season TNG episode "Imaginary Friend" as the character 'Clara Sutter'.