Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: March 15, 1997
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304342373
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,849 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Original airdate: 5-3-93. Stardate: 46729.1. While following the two-plot structure that is de rigueur in the Star Trek universe, this was the first episode of DS9 to establish playful rancor between Chief O'Brien (Colm Meaney) and Dr. Bashir (Siddig El Fadil), who beam down to a Bajoran village to save its citizens from the Dal'Rok, a powerful creature (seen as an ominous energy cloud) that attacks five nights a year after the annual harvest. The Dal'Rok is held back by the mythic storytelling of the elder Sirah, but when the Sirah dies, O'Brien assumes the role with great reluctance and precious little skill. A parallel plot involves Sisko's mediation between two rival Bajoran factions, but it's the O'Brien-Bashir adventure--the DS9 equivalent of The Man Who Would Be King--that makes "The Storyteller" both comedic and suspenseful, and the mock-abrasive banter between the two intolerant crewmates would be cleverly developed in subsequent episodes. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third Best, October 2, 2005

By 

Deep Space Nine Rocks (Bridgeport, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 14: The Storyteller [VHS] (VHS Tape)

ANYONE WHO REALLY KNOWS TREK WOULD NOT DOWNRATE THIS EPISODE. TREK IS AT ITS BEST HERE ONCE MORE. THIS IS THE EPISODE AND THE SHOW TO WATCH. DEEP SPACE NINE THE INNOVATIVE AND SOPHISTOCATED MARVEL OF ALL THINGS SCI FI.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Miles O'Brien, the next great Storyteller of Bajor?, July 12, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 14: The Storyteller [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Bashir and O'Brien, in their first real adventure together as the Mutt and Jeff of DS9, are sent to a Bajoran village to deal with a medical emergency. They discover that "the sirah," the village storyteller, is ill. Faren Kag, the magistrate warns that if the sirah dies, the village will be destroyed. That night, the Dal'Rok, a giant threatening cloud, forms over the village but shrinks as the sirah speaks of the unity of the village. However, before the Dal'Rok completely disappears, the sirah collapses. The Dal'Rok then begins blasting the village. The sirah's apprentice, Hovarth, wants to try and stop the Dal'Rok, but the sirah insists on making O'Brien the new sirah. After helping O'Brien dispatch the Dal'Rok, the sirah dies. However, the next time the Dal'Rok visits, O'Brien will be on his own.

One thing about those Bajorans, they do not seem to be particularly xenophobic. After all, Sisko is proclaimed the emissary (he's back on DS9 playing King Solomon for a land dispute between two clans) and O'Brien gets to become the sirah of this village. Of course, it is too bad that O'Brien cannot handle the job. "The Storyteller" is a below average DS9 offering that might remind some viewers of "Forbidden Planet" for reasons that will be clear by the end of the episode. As a general rule I tend not to like Star Trek "monster" stories, especially when they involve the prime directive (as in "would stopping that creature from killing us constitute 'interference'?"). The main value of this episode is to get Miles and Julian on their way to their eventual friendship.

2.0 out of 5 stars Storyteller, MIA, August 20, 2003

By 

Andrew McCaffrey "The Grumpy Young Man" (Satellite of Love, Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 14: The Storyteller [VHS] (VHS Tape)

THE STORYTELLER is an episode made up of two parts, which is not an unusual feature for modern-day Star Trek. However, in this case, I couldn't stomach either of the plots, making this a painful experience. Every time when what I was currently watching would get overwhelming, I'd pray for the episode to switch to its backup plot. Only then would I remember that the second plot wasn't any better.

The A plot involves Miles O'Brien being appointed the spiritual defender of a small town on Bajor. The old defender is an elderly man, and has spurned the original replacement, preferring O'Brien to take over the role. The story isn't terribly original, and neither is it terribly interesting.

The B plot is even sillier. Sisko has to mediate a land dispute, and one of the sides is represented by the daughter of a dead leader. The only problem is that she's a mere child. Which means that she spends her time hanging out with Jake Sisko and Nog. Naturally, the two boys attempt to impress the young woman and the results are not exactly entertaining to watch. (Okay, I'll admit that I was amused by Nog's line: "We know the best spot on the station for worm-hole watching!" However, I'm not sure if the writer expected me to smirk at that one.)

When there are two separate stories running through a Star Trek episode, sometimes the plots can play off of each other's strengths. Other times, one poor story will drag down an otherwise exciting episode. Here, the whole manages to be even less than the sum of its parts. The only thing I enjoyed was seeing O'Brien getting progressively more annoyed as the story continues. He starts off miffed at being stuck on a boring mission with Julian Bashir, and gets increasingly cranky as the villagers expect their defender to protect their village. Unfortunately, as entertaining an actor as Colm Meaney is, he can't save this one.