ShadowDenizen November 17, 2014 Share November 17, 2014 SUMMARY: A transporter accident sends Sisko, Bashir, and Dax three centuries into Earth's dark past to a time just before the Bell riots, a violent civil disturbance in opposition to Sanctuaries which are controlled ghettos for the dispossessed. Link to comment
Maverick November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 I really liked this one. Despite how inconsistent they are, I like a lot of the time travel stories. One of the best things about this one was a first for the series, going to the near future Earth. Other stories went to "our" past or present day. It was a tad on the preachy side, but overall it was well executed and in many ways prescient. The Dax plot was definitely the weaker of the two tracks (no surprise). 2 Link to comment
Ailianna November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 I think you needed the Dax plot though, and not just for the network hack at the end of Part II, but to contrast in two ways. One is to show that there are resources and that the entire world isn't at that level of financial desperation. The more important, of course, is to show the difference in treatment between a pretty white woman and two men of color when discovered in almost identical situations. Of course the cops found the men and a wealthy man found the woman, but do you think the two cops would have reacted to Dax the way they did to Sisco and Bashir? 4 Link to comment
ShadowDenizen November 18, 2014 Author Share November 18, 2014 I agree this episode was a tad on the preachy side, but it also holds up shockingly well (as does DS9 as a whole.) And Avery Brooks really lends some crdibility to ANY episode he is in. (And I"ll once again recommend the "Captain Sisko yells at everyone" video montage you can find on YOuTube or any other video site.) While TNG and Voyager seem dated now for me (TNG has a few episdoes that stand the test of time, there were MORE than a few throw-away clunker episdoes), DS9 really still seems relevant and modern still (perhaps even more so now than when they first aired! 1 Link to comment
Maverick November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 My problem was less with the Dax plot, and more with Dax being the only character in it. I don't have as much dislike for the character as some, but she was definitely better when paired with someone else, particularly Sisko, Worf or Bashir. 1 Link to comment
legaleagle53 November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 I've been waiting for this pair of episodes to come up in the viewing rotation. Here we are less than ten years removed from the date during which they are set (September 2024), and there is so much that rings true even now that it's scary. Some cities (Atlanta, for example), actually have toyed with the idea of creating real Sanctuary districts, and given the recent events of this year and this decade (Ferguson, Occupy Wall Street, the corporate takeover of the government that is pushing for deregulation and more power for the one percent at the expense of the poor, the sick, and minorities, just to name a few), I can readily see this kind of nightmare happening in 2024 for real, if not sooner. Preachy though this pair of episodes may be, they should also serve as a wake-up call to do something now to make sure that something like the Bell Riots never happens in reality -- or has a reason to. 3 Link to comment
HalcyonDays November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 I've been waiting for this pair of episodes to come up in the viewing rotation. Here we are less than ten years removed from the date during which they are set (September 2024), and there is so much that rings true even now that it's scary. Some cities (Atlanta, for example), actually have toyed with the idea of creating real Sanctuary districts, and given the recent events of this year and this decade (Ferguson, Occupy Wall Street, the corporate takeover of the government that is pushing for deregulation and more power for the one percent at the expense of the poor, the sick, and minorities, just to name a few), I can readily see this kind of nightmare happening in 2024 for real, if not sooner. Preachy though this pair of episodes may be, they should also serve as a wake-up call to do something now to make sure that something like the Bell Riots never happens in reality -- or has a reason to. I really like this two part episode and will rewatched it every one in a while, and as time goes on, the story becomes closer and closer to reality. The line that BC yells out "There are no Jobs!" Welcome to 2014. As time goes on, this episode gets closer and closer to reality. The huge divide between rich and poor, and the fact that the poor has little choice, because of lack of jobs, and laws made by rich people, etc. Again, welcome to 2014. It's scary how reflective Past Tense is of our modern day. 3 Link to comment
legaleagle53 November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 I really like this two part episode and will rewatched it every one in a while, and as time goes on, the story becomes closer and closer to reality. The line that BC yells out "There are no Jobs!" Welcome to 2014. As time goes on, this episode gets closer and closer to reality. The huge divide between rich and poor, and the fact that the poor has little choice, because of lack of jobs, and laws made by rich people, etc. Again, welcome to 2014. It's scary how reflective Past Tense is of our modern day. No kidding. I sometimes look at what's going on in this country nowadays and I think that 2024 just got here a little early. 3 Link to comment
Lebanna November 18, 2014 Share November 18, 2014 (edited) Exactly. I remember watching this as a kid when it aired and thinking that it was a good two-parter, but the idea of such things happening in 2024 was ridiculous, because everything was just getting better and better wasn't it? And our generation were going to be so well educated that we'd have all these wonderful opportunities to do such amazing things... that's what all the grown-ups told us back then. And now I look at these episodes and they remind me of when I was still so hopeful about our future. It just makes me really sad. Edited November 18, 2014 by Lebanna 5 Link to comment
Meushell November 25, 2014 Share November 25, 2014 Nice episode, and is good they did not try to squeeze both parts into one. I will write more in the next part. Link to comment
Pippin December 5, 2014 Share December 5, 2014 Another favourite, and scary how close it is to what-could-be. We're in marginally better shape here in Canada, but if our PM had his way, there'd be no minimum wage, union protection, etc. etc. I won't get too political except to say that the psychopaths who are running the corporations (and I use that word deliberately, understanding exactly what a psychopath is) are poisoning the world and society's worldview with their attitudes and actions. It's spooky -- almost like Moore & Co. had a crystal ball... 2 Link to comment
John Potts March 7, 2017 Share March 7, 2017 On 18/11/2014 at 6:58 PM, HalcyonDays said: Again, welcome to 2014. It's scary how reflective Past Tense is of our modern day. What I like about it is, while I don't think it will happen in reality (well, I hope not!), they resisted the temptation to make the officers in the Sanctuary District evil: the rich were uncaring, the grizzled cop was somewhat hostile but mostly just cynical, the young cop was sympathetic but naïve and the young black social worker(?) was pretty sympathetic. Only the thug could be characterised as actually a bad person and even he gets some character development next episode (and is more a product of his circumstances than outright evil). All too many MESSAGE shows tend to assume that the people defending the status quo are doing it because they are BAD PEOPLE rather than just oblivious or uncaring. 1 Link to comment
legaleagle53 March 7, 2017 Share March 7, 2017 2 hours ago, John Potts said: What I like about it is, while I don't think it will happen in reality (well, I hope not!), they resisted the temptation to make the officers in the Sanctuary District evil: the rich were uncaring, the grizzled cop was somewhat hostile but mostly just cynical, the young cop was sympathetic but naïve and the young black social worker(?) was pretty sympathetic. Only the thug could be characterised as actually a bad person and even he gets some character development next episode (and is more a product of his circumstances than outright evil). All too many MESSAGE shows tend to assume that the people defending the status quo are doing it because they are BAD PEOPLE rather than just oblivious or uncaring. Considering the current attitude of certain groups, cabinet members, and other holders of political office (not naming names, mind you!), I'd say that Sanctuary Districts could arrive in the US well before 2024. And not just here -- I can easily see a post-Brexit UK toying with the idea as well. Link to comment
iMonrey April 21, 2017 Share April 21, 2017 (edited) While the idea behind it does seem relevant, I don't feel these time travel stories hold up particularly well the older they get. I'm sure 2024 seemed so far into the future back in 1994, but now it's only seven years away and I find myself laughing at the "technology." The computer Jadzia was using was a ridiculous monstrosity. Nobody has cell phones or iPads or laptops or big screens. Their idea of what tech would look like 30 years in the future is, well - way off. It's kind of hard to ignore. I also feel like "Idiocracy" is a more accurate representation of our near future than this episode. Edited April 21, 2017 by iMonrey 1 Link to comment
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