Customer Reviews

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 76: The Visitor [VHS]

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Through three seasons, Deep Space Nine had struggled to find it's footing. Season one was uneven and mostly uneventful. Season two was, surprisingly, strong. In season three, the producers and writers almost dropped the ball -- it was a difficult year, to say the least. With season four, Deep Space Nine had found itself.

With the fourth season premiere, "The Way of the Warrior", DS9 had re-introduced us to Worf and dropped intriguing bombshell after bombshell into the faithful viewers' collective laps. DS9 fans were eagerly awaiting the season opener's promise of Klingon politics and station intrigue. Instead, without warning, we get "The Visitor", an episode that strayed from the interstellar war and galactic conflict that the premiere had hinted at. We weren't expecting "The Visitor" and had no idea that this episode would not only become the most popular DS9 episode ever but one of the most popular episodes of any Trek series.

"The Visitor" gives us a glimpse at an alternate future where Jake Sisko had lost his father to a mishap right after the events of "The Way of the Warrior". We discover through an old Jake that his father wasn't dead but was "suspended out of time", never aging, never dying yet forever alone. Jake, obsessed with rescuing his father, sacrifices his marriage, his career as a successful writer and, ultimately, his very life all to save his father, Ben Sisko. This episode is powerful and tragic. We understand Jake's sacrifice but at what cost? In the end, we see a lonely old man, who could never move on, attempt to alter the past so he can be with his dad again.

I challenge anyone to NOT cry at the ending. This episode is an emotional triumph, DS9's best indeed.

If I could, I would rate this episode as 6 stars out of 5, because it's so good.
The episode "The Visitor" deals with the relationship between Jake Sisko and his father, Captain Benjamin Sisko. What happens is Jake, who is an old man who's about 80, tells the story of his father's death to a young, aspiring, and attractive woman named Melanie (played by Andrew J. "Garak" Robinson's lovely daughter Rachel). In the end, when the musical suite plays, we see Ben Sisko, sitting in front of his elderly, napping son, who shows him a draft of a book he dedicated "To my father, whose coming home", which he won't be able to publish, but he reveals to his father what he realized, and why he has taken the path he has. If you're interested, and haven't seen this episode, I won't ruin it for you. But if you either have it, or have seen it, you understand why I would rate this a 6 out of 5.

Episode title: The Visitor

Written by: Michael Piller

Directed by: David Livingston

A retarted writer, Jake Sisko, gets a visitor to his home on Earth.

He desides to tell to that visitor a story of his life never told, a story that has hunted him throughout that long life, a story he wishes yet to change...

At the age of seventeen Jake Sisko was a witness as his father was lost in an accident that involved a lot of technobabble.

He was hunted by that accident by random hallucinations about his father who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, disappearing as suddenly.

As more time passed, Jake learned the trutht behind these appearances and began a fanatic quest to change history to the way it was before his father left him alone...

Sounds like the biggest Star Trek cliché turned into a predictable episode to increase the ratings? That's exactly what "The Visitor" seems to be at first glance, but it turns out to be also something else.

It's a story about the character of Jake Sisko, the hugely ignored character who always behaves immaturely for his age and is only given horrible sub-plots that are taken straight from Sweet Valley High.

But this time, Michael Piller has created a story that reveals him to us in a way never seen before. As Jake journeys through the years, first interpered by the not so talented Cirroc Lofton and later the strong and insightfull acting performance of Tony Todd, the character resieves new depht and dimension.

The pacing of the story is exellent and David Livingston's directing brings the story to life with amazing color and freshness, resulting into a truly mature and emotional combination of exellent drama and insightfull plotting.

"The Visitor" is surprisingly good considering the unoriginality of the story, and offers forty minutes of TNG style drama that gives new insights and approaches to the whole show, even if it's as calculated as it can only be.

Tony Todd turns in an outstanding performance portraying Jake Sisko as an old man. The story takes place about 50 years after Benjamin Sisko disappears aboard the Defiant. A young aspiring writer visits jake to question him why he quit writing so long ago. He proceeds to tell her about the day his father disappeared. The story is told in flashbacks as we learn that although Jake was haunted by Ben's death, he nonetheless married and became a famous writer. But when Ben starts appearing to Jake for brief periods of time, Jake thinks his father may be alive in some kind of alternate dimension or universe. He spends most of the next 50 years trying to figure out a way to retrieve his beloved father. He sacrifices his marriage and career to this end. But in order to get his father back, he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

You will need a box of kleenex to watch this heartfelt episode. The bond that exists between father and son is showcased here. On a lesser note, we also get to see Jadzia and Dr. Bashir aged 20-30 years (decent makeup work). Nog also makes an appearance as a captain, having risen in the Federation ranks over the years.

This episode is, by far, one of the absolute best of the entire DS9 series. In my opinion, it is a "must see" for DS9 fans, and for Trek fans in general.

In this episode, an accident on board the Defiant separates Captain Sisko from his young son Jake, and the balance of the episode tells the story of what Jake does with that separation over the course of his lifetime.

In the timeline presented, Ben occasionally appears to Jake...but only for a few seconds before disappearing again. The brief, frantic, interchanges between this father and son over the course of many years is heartwrenching...and valuable lessons can be learned from them. Lessons about dealing with loss, regret, and the instinct to hang on to hope.

Avery Brooks gives a stunning performance as Ben Sisko, and the actors that play Jake Sisko during various periods of his life do an excellent job as well. I give this episode 5 stars, but it really deserves more than that! A "must see".

This ranks as one of my all time favorite Star Trek episodes. It is one of those rare ones which set aside adventure and special effects in favor of focusing on relationships and emotions.

Right from the start one can tell that this episode is different. Instead of the typical DS9 environment, one is shown a Louisiana swamp on a dark and stormy night. A young writer is making her way through the swamp to find the home of her favorite writer, Jake Sisko. It is through her interview of Jake that one of the most heartwrenching stories I have ever heard is told.

A freak accident on some mission traps Ben Sisko is a time trap. He experiences no passage of time, but the world he had once lived in continues on. This is very hard on his son Jake. Eventually Jake realizes that every few years, his father will appear in the real world. So as Jake grows up, publishes, and starts a family, he gets to visit with his father for only a few short minutes every few years. Finally, Jake discovers that there is a way to bring his father back into life, and so he devotes his whole life to making that happen. That quest of his forces him to sacrifice everything. Sisko sees the result of that every few years and begs Jake not to waste his life for his sake. The emotional pull is heartbreaking.

This is a very well done episode. The build-up and passage of years makes the relationship between father and son very emotional. I cried and appreciated Star Trek for making such a drama.

I rate this as great as Next Generation's "The Inner Light". I was moved to tears many times in this episode. It was worthy of an emmy. I have always loved Tony Dodd, but have never seen him reach such deep emotions. The young "Jake Sisko" gave an equally great performance. The emotions here are incredible and will help anyone deal with the loss of a parent - no matter how long it's been. If you only own a couple of Star Trek videos, I highly recommend TNG:The Inner Light and DSN:The Visitor. But do have kleenex handy. No action - just pure emotion.

If you are ever having trouble finding a gift for a Star Trek fan, buy them this episode! THE VISITOR is probably the best hour of television ever produced by the Star Trek franchise. My wife, who does not like Star Trek, was moved to tears.

Amazingly, there are no epic battles, no dazzling special effects, no mega guest appearances, and I am sure the budget was small. However, the story is very rich, the acting is superb, and the music is a wealth of emotions. Tony Todd should have won an Emmy for his portrayal of a growing man who misses his father, and will sacrifice everything to have a second chance at saving his father's life (To a non-Trekker the best comparison is the movie "Field of Dreams").

There have been some amazing stories told by Star Trek over the years, but to me this is the best. If I could have only one episode to watch for the rest of my life, this would be it.

I don't understand why this episode didn't get the Emmy and I never will. I have never been moved to tears by any tv show I've ever seen. This was a great break from normal Star Trek episode content and was too great for words to describe. Something about it just makes you break down. It was even made my sister cry at the end and she absolutely hates Star Trek. Just buy it and watch some of the best television ever made.

Arguably DS9's finest hour, THE VISITOR mixes the thematic elements of the exceptional TOS episode CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER and TNG's THE INNER LIGHT. The performances are, without question, the finest ever seen in an hour of Trek, and Tony Todd in a cameo as Jake Sisko carries to the episode to unexpected greatness. What elevates THE VISITOR to unexplored heights in the Trek universe is the level of sacrifice that the young character of Jake Sisko has to endure in order to underscore the importance of love between a father and a son. In simpler terms, the fact that this episode did not receive an Emmy speaks volumes about where the academy viewers fall short in their responsibilities to effectively quantify quality television.