One of the many virtues of DS9 is that its stories generally would not fit well into other trek series. Grated, this is not always a virtue. Some of the more lighthearted, slice of life episodes are pretty bad. Every now and then, the series slides in an episode that could easily fit into another Trek series. They are not necessarily bad, but they do stand out as not being particularly DS9.“Visionary” is a case in point. The only element that makes it a Ds9 episode is that it is the annual O’Brien Must Suffer installment.
The episode begins with O’Brien being treated for radiation poisoning after an accident. He is said to recover, but the effects of the accident are mixing in with a cloaked Romulan Warbird ready to destroy DS9 and the wormhole if the visiting delegation, there to gather intelligence on the Dominion as part of the agreement for allowing a cloaking device on the Defiant, decides that is the only way to protect their empire from the Dominion. The result is that O’Brien is bouncing through time. At one point, he sees the Romulans destroy DS9 and that is how the mystery is unraveled.
It is not a bad episode, but for some reason it feels bland. I think it is because the story could have just as easily featured Scotty in TOS or La Forge in TNG without missing a beat. As one who believes in an immortal soul, I am wary of how dismissive the death of one of the time displaced O’Brienes was treated. I understand trek has an atheistic philosophy, so no big deal, but I do not buy into it. It is a big deal to me. Certainly something not to be taken so lightly.
A couple points: the dartboard makes its first appearance at quark’s. We learn O’Brien likes to play darts, which counts as character development by Trek standards. The Romulans also inform Kira Odo is warm for her form. She does not believe it. Odo is in incredulous at the idea, but it is obvious her attitude about it twists the knife even further than “Heart of Stone.”
Rating: *** (out of 5)
