I got to talk to Mr. Todd about this episode at a convention. He thinks it's some of his best acting because his mother had just passed unexpectedly the week before he got this script. He says he just channeled all the pain he was feeling into that performance.
I was first introduced to the career of Tony Todd as a kid; Tom Savini's "Night Of The Living Dead" remake, which probably still holds up. To me, he shines in his "Star Trek" stuff. I swear he's played another character in TNG, I could be wrong
This and TNG's "Inner Light" are the only two episodes I regularly skip not because they're bad, but because they're too good. I need to be 'ready' to watch those ones, not just have them in my comfort food playlist with the other eps.
I would skip it sometimes because of how heavy it was... Now, after losing both of my parents unexpectedly within a couple years of each other, it's just too much.
I've routinely called The Inner Light one of the best ever television episodes and I stand by it. I used to watch it so much when I was sad (to sum it into one word), and it'd make me more sad but also always warm my heart.
The Visitor is single handedly one of the best most profound pieces of art I have experienced in my life. The episode originally aired months after I lost my estranged, formerly homeless, father to cancer. I was 17, the exact same age as Jake and my dream job was to become a writer. Even with out it resembling my own life and struggles watching The Visitor was and still is the most cathartic experience I’ve ever had. It’s a masterpiece of storytelling AND just happens to be an episode of my favorite Star Trek series of all time! ❤🖖🏾🥺
The father/son portrayal between Sisko and Jake is so believable because of the physical interaction. How many other shows have the parent and child physically interact as often? Anytime Avery has a scene with Cirroc, you can see a genuine chemistry between characters/actors. Their relationship is one of the best things of DS9, a show that focuses on relationships and character development. It's easier to ask what my least favorite episodes of DS9 are. Having to narrow down my favorites is a task that would take too much effort and today is my lazy day.
When I first saw this episode as a teenager, it hit me really hard. I saw it a couple more times as an adult, and again as a father, and it really hit me even harder. Then I watched it again after I got back from Afghanistan, and I thought about what could've been if I'd died over there, leaving my kids without me. The Visitor really cuts deep. Just beautiful all around.
Your explanation of "The Visitor" brought to my attention the ending of "What we leave behind" where Jake is again left with a father who has gone off into some unknown future and "maybe or maybe not" ever coming back both offer the viewer the sadness Jake feels so profoundly. It is the excellence of the writers who can bring us back to this precious feeling and so hook us permanently to Deep Space Nine. Unlike in "the Visitor" it is the end of the series and there will be no coming back this time at least within this context. Since then, many years later, we have heard rumors of Sisko finally coming back to the screen in a non-Deep Space Nine venue. I sincerely hope they can find writers with a similar skill for whatever venue he does come back.
Hands down one of the best episodes of Star Trek, of anything. From the amazing guest performances to the heartbreaking glimpses into Jake’s life. I watch this episode in tears every time asking myself if I am a good dad, if I am a good son. Beautiful episode that single handedly demonstrates why DS9 is the best of all Star Treks. I adore this story, and I am heartbroken that only a few years later Jake lost his dad again in the series finale.
I have been waiting for your Tony Todd tribute. I have been thinking you were taking your time, trying to get it right. Rewatching this I realize, you already did it.
The Ascent. That’s my favourite episode of DS9. Quark and Odo stuck together, bickering & sniping their way up a mountain? Yes please. And I adore the final scene. “Odo, what I said down there, I just want you to know - I meant every word of it” “So did I” Honourable mention to “In Purgatory’s Shadow/By Inferno’s Light”, especially for Garak in the wall talking to himself.
I don't even have to watch the episode, just talking about it like this is enough for me to get the teary eyes. Something with that much impact deserves to be recognized as the outstanding achievement that it is.
I love The Visitor, but I still think that Duet comes out on top for me. The way that Harris Yulin shifts from reserved to bombastic to grief-stricken and deeply regretful is probably my favourite performance in the show. That it came out in DS9's overall good but unremarkable first season makes it shine all the brighter as well. Kind of interesting that, between The Visitor, Duet, Children of Time, and (of course) In the Pale Moonlight, a lot of DS9's best episodes dealt with grief and regret. I don't know if it's just particularly fertile ground for storytelling, but the writers really make the most of it.
My favourite episode is similar to The Visitor in that it hits emotionally in a way that has little to do with it being Star Trek. It is "It's Only A Paper Moon", where Nog returns to the Station wounded from battle. Physically healed but so beat, so hurt he is not able to speak about it. And he hides in the holosuite with Vic Fontaine, walking that fine line between addiction and therapy. And in the end he turns out sort of okay. Equally beautiful and painful. A great moment for Nog. It's like Nog was created for this story. It hits harder with him than any other character I could think of. They often write him like comic relief, but Aron Eisenberg plays real af.
This is one of my all time favorite episodes of not only Star Trek but tv in general. One thing that gets me though is its place in the season is kind of a sinister gut punch. The episode right before this is when Worf joins the show so you're all excited and happy that good ol' Worf is back then BAM next episode is full unbelievable heartbreak!!!
I came to this video becuase when I was going through a difficult seperation with my spouse, I remembered this episode and broke down; I imagined a future where I wasn't in my sons life and how he'd always have a blank space in his heart if I were to not be there for him. It really made my think of my job as a father and how short my time with him is in comparison to his future.
For me, “The Inner Light” barely edges out “The Visitor.” I would say that Visitor is actually the better episode (since Light’s b-plot detracts from it, imo). But the fate of that lost civilization, which is barely a metaphor for our own, hits me harder when it comes to existential melancholy. Plus that last shot of Picard, sadly playing his flute as he travels through endless, uncaring space, will always slay me deeply.
I re-watched “The Visitor” and then watched this episode of your channel in honor of Tony Todd’s passing. Like you, this is my favorite episode of Star Trek. It is so good. And I cried and I cried thank you for sharing your love of this episode with me. Melanie was perfect as well as Cirroc Lofton and other cast members.
Thank you. It was a sharp-inhalation surprise when your video showed up in my recommendations. I knew from its title that I had to watch it. I COMPLETELY agree with you. It's the best episode in the ENTIRE franchise, and I'm including Alex Kurtzman's recent work (which is AMAZING!). I don't just cry when I watch it; I bawl. (I re-watched it for the umpteenth time within the last month!) And my eyes were leaking as I watched your video. Thank you for the analysis. And I'd also like to thank other commenters. The extra tidbits there about Tony Todd greatly added to my appreciation of this incomparable masterpiece.
I watched this episode when it first aired, soon after the birth of my first son. It reflected how I wanted to be as a father - totally dedicated to his success and happiness no matter what happened to me. I watched it again tonight, after three more children and almost three decades. I know my kids would have given up anything to fix me when I was critically ill this past year. And I would have told them the same thing Ben told Jake. Don't waste your life on mine. Prosper. Find your happiness. Live for me.
Of all the hundreds of Star Trek series and episodes DS9 is the single one with a nurturing healthy father son relationship, which by itself enables "The Visitor" to make connections for us no other Star Trek could do. Thanks for bringing this to us again.
This was always in my top 5 episodes of all Star Trek ever. It has been since the first time I saw it. I recently watched it again for the first time in a very long time, and the first time since my daughter was born. It went from somewhere in the mix for the best, to #1 by a WIDE margin. Everyone's lost someone they love by the time they reach adulthood, so it absolutely stands out in that context, but seeing it through the eyes of a parent makes it even more heartbreaking. I don't cry often, but I had to pause MULTIPLE times to wipe my eyes for this one, it just hits you like a ton of bricks when you switch from empathizing with Jake to empathizing with Ben. Purely soul crushing, in the best kind of way, that only world class art can do.
Yes, an amazing episode. It feels believable as the really good ones often do. The perception of time and the occasional appearance of Ben is...heart-rending! Tony Todd was the perfect older Jake. Fun to watch but, no matter how many times you see it, you have to be ready for the emotions this one brings to bear.
I've always loved "The Seige of AR-558" & "It's Only a Paper Moon". It deals with the trauma of war and PTSD head on. The acting by the soldiers stationed at the listening post is some of the best buy one off characters as they pull you into the story. Each person is dealing with their trauma in their own way and you feel nothing but sympathy for them. Then Nog, dealing with PTSD is so relatable to so many people. From those who have gone through the rigor of war to anybody who was a victim of abuse or survived tragedy, you can understand exactly how Nog is feeling and why he's retreated to somewhere he is comfortable. Aron Eisenberg's performance in both its outstanding! Gone too soon and may be rest peace.
Oof... hard to pick a favorite DS9 episode. All the ones you mentioned as candidates here are excellent and can I leave it at that? The Thaw has a weird reputation in that I've seen a lot of places list it as among the worst of Voyager, but I'm with you; it's close to the best. Embodiment of fear: "I'm afraid." Janeway: "I know!" Just perfect.
Something that I like about this episode is that there is that Sisko remembers the timeline. He only got glimpses of it but he remembers. Time travel episodes like Year of Hell or Timeless do a hard reset where no one knows what happened. In Timeless, alternate Kim does send himself a message. It is a common trope to reset the whole thing in time travel eps. But in The Visitor, Ben Sisko carries with him both the knowledge and the emotional weight of the events he witnessed.
It’s not usually at the top of best episodes lists, though it is well reviewed - but I have a soft spot for Necessary Evil. Doing a straight up crime noir story with Odo, with Kira as the femme fatale who (spoiler) actually is the original killer - and pull it off not with a holodeck contrivance but completely in-continuity story with the characters as 100% themselves was masterful.
The elusive nature of closure after a loss... this is sci-fi at its best. I agree with you almost completely. Although this one makes me cry every time I watch it, far beyond the stars is my favorite. Of any show. Of all time.
I wouldn't try to make the argument that Duet is best episode but it is special to me. I was on the fence about DS9 until that episode. That hit was so hard it carried me through the rest of the series. A home run. Not bad for a bottle episode.
It's a great episode because it's not just a Star Trek episode, like you eluded to in the video people can relate. It is a really beautiful story of a parent and child.
Between reviews like this and the Best Superman/Batman Ever series, I've really come to appreciate how good a job Steve Shives does at talking about media he loves and why he loves it. It's a small thing, and this admittedly extends beyond his positive reviews of things, but he really seems to have a strong grasp on how powerful something as simple as a pause between words can be. It adds a great cadence to his scripts, and really lets his points sink in just long enough to marinate without feeling like dead space in the video.
This episode of DS9, will always be my favorite Trek Episode. A masterpiece of acting" If you have lost a parent. Who meant the world to you" Then you will understand" the true meaning of lost. Heartfelt & Emotional ! ❤❤❤
My favourite episode of DS9 is 'Progress'. It really works for me to establish the kind of character Kira is by letting Nana Visitor do all the lifting for the primary cast. It also works well on rewatch, when you know more about her and you can appreciate the father-like figure Mullibok becomes, and then she has to give that comfort up (again) for the 'greater good.' It also leaves plenty of room to take his side too; not every new project is black or white.
I do really like this episode. No matter how much I watch it, I cry. Another one that does that (crying) to me is Hard Time. I'd love to see a review of that.
Ok...look Steve,I was literally cutting onions earlier today. And there were nowhere near as many tears then,as there are now while I am watching this REVIEW of the episode The Visitor. I gotta call my son.
I love this one. But my favorite falls to a four-way tie. Duet. Trials and Tribble-ations. In the Pale Moonlight and Far Beyond The Stars. Though It's only a paper moon has grown on me since my assault last January and I watch it periodically to find myself that I will be okay one day.
You have so perfectly encapsulated why this is the best episode of DS9, and my personal favourite too. Though I would go further than saying its the best episode of Star Trek and say in my opinion its the best episode of television ever. The story of loss, selfless love and second chances is universal, and would work in any genre. Every time I watch this episode I cry like a baby, remembering all my lost loved ones - my grandparents, my son - and wish I could get a second chance like Ben and Jake.
"In the Pale Moonlight" takes it for me but damned if you don't make an unassailable case for this one. EDIT: So of the four episodes Michael Taylor wrote, two were essentially tied for Best Episode Ever, the third was "Things Past," a damned fine episode and the fourth was... "Resurrection."
Yeah, "Things Past" might not be quite on the level of "The Visitor" or "In the Pale Moonlight," but it's maybe one rung below. Just a great episode. And "Resurrection" is an attempt to wring another episode out of the mirror universe, which was beyond "dead horse" territory by then. So, three outta four ain't bad at all!
I have come very late to watching DS9. When I was younger I used to watch the odd episode of TNG and then I happened to be given all episodes, I binged over a few years. I loved TNG very muchI just couldn't get into the odd episodes of DS9 that I came across. The characters, the feel of the show it was so very different that it put me off initially. Now DS9 is available on Prime, I've been watching the show back to back gradually and I am enjoying it so much. Comparing the visitor to TNG The Inner Light, the visitor just blows the TNG episode right out of the water. Patrick Stewart is an awesome actor but the Visitor wow Tod 👌. I'm glad that I started to watch DS9 from the beginning. Thank you for review of the visitor 😊
Pretty much says it all about what is also my favourite Trek episode. Beautifully written and acted, with an emotional punch that still knocks me sideways after all these years. And an sf premise that works in service of character, story and theme, rather than the other way around, which lesser Trek episodes are often guilty of.
This is my favorite also... I sob every time I see it, watching Jake's pain play out, Cisco trying to get him to move on with his life, Jake's final sacrifice to save his father. I sobbed just listening to you talk of it! I didn't really think of it in that manner, but when you said Best Star Trek Episode - Period. I thought of this one, and my other favorites, from the other series in the franchise -- and you're right. The Best ST episode. Period.
I first watched DS9 in 2017, and I was blown away. Then I watched it again in 2018, after becoming a dad. And I cried. Then I watched it again last year after my own dad died. And I cried again. It will forever be my favorite Trek episode.
One of the really impressive things about this episode is the impossible foreshadowing of Jakes experience in season 2, episode 9 "Second Sight" where he has a nightmare about this exact thing. Blows my mind everytime that I rewatch the series. Also the ground work laid in advance of this episode in the relationship between father and son is incredible. The episode just nails it.
I was actually thinking of the potential contrasts (not that we really got to see them) with how Jake then handles it at the end of the series finale, after Sisko tells him he's going to be away with the Prophets for who knows how long. Maybe it's "easier" because you know he's not dead at that point and that he probably can be sent back at any point by the Prophets, or because Jake's a little older and a little more experienced by then, or maybe even because he's got Cassidy there with his unborn half-sibling to be family to.
There are almost too many to count, but s3ep5 "Second Skin" is one of the episodes that will always come to mind. Or literally any episode with Garak as a lead character.
"The Visitor" is one of a handful of TREK episodes I can recommend to someone who's never watched any ST. You don't have to have seen any episodes or know ANYthing about ST to appreciate this beautiful story. Just listening to you talk about it got me a little misty-eyed. I don't need to rewatch it to remember how it made - and still makes - me feel. But I'm definitely gonna. Probably immediately after hitting the COMMENT button.
Just for the record: DS9 had four episodes that are that are told in flashback format: "Whispers", "The Visitor", "Trials and Tribble-ations" and "In the Pale Moonlight".
I have to say that "The Vistor" and "Duet" are tied in my mind as the two best Ds9 episodes. But, like someone else in the comments said, I need to be in a specific mood to watch the "Visitor" because of how powerful Todd's performance is. Also up there for me is "Once More Unto the Breach". JG Hertzler is great in that episode, but damn...what a send off for Collicos' Kor that episode is.
This episode hits you differently as you grow up, which makes it all the more remarkable. It's got a real 'Three Ages of Man' thing going for it. I liked it well enough as a kid when I first watched it, a little light on action for my 12 year old tastes, but I still recognised it for what it was, a great exploration of loss and grief But when I became a parent myself it just hit so much harder, and finally when I watched it for the first time with those kids not long after my own father passed away it absolutely broke me. Even just thinking about it now gets me.
Melanie was played by Andrew Robinson's (Garak) daughter. Tony Todd also had a memorable part in Stargate SG-1, where he played the leader of some Jaffa that broke away from the Goa'uld and started worshipping the Ancients. They started out as not so much antagonistic but not wanting anything to do with outsiders, but they slowly warmed up and became uneasy allies of Earth and the rebel Jaffa later on. I wouldn't say this is my absolute favorite DS9 episode. But it is a really good one, definitely in the top 10. I've narrowed down my favorites to Past Tense, Homefront/Paradise Lost, Honor Among Thieves, In the Pale Moonlight, and The Siege of AR-558. It's so hard to choose between those.
If you've ever met Tony Todd, you'd realize this character isn't much a stretch for him: it's probably the closest to his actual personality of all the roles he's played.
I love this one. It feels on par, emotionally, with Inner Light, but so much more personal because it’s interpersonal between two cast members. ItPM is probably my favorite. But one of the ones I most *enjoy* is “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. I think it’s just about the funniest and funnest episode of sci fi out there.
I lost my dad in 2017 and I'd spend the rest of my life in the same spot if it meant 90 more seconds with him here and there. But then, I'd act as Jake did if it would bring him back to us. Great episode. Them and you. 🙂❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Excellent review! As multiple quantum states can exist in the same space at the same time, I take the position that both "The Visitor" and "In the Pale Moonlight" are both my favorite episodes of DS9. They are very different stories and in my opinion do not directly compete for the top spot, but rather occupy it simultaneously. Notably J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5 series was also broadcasting at that time as a sort of rival show to DS9. Despite the adversarial situation, JMS went out of his way to heap praise upon "The Visitor." Great writers recognize and appreciate great writing.
This is a bit tardy, but I think it comes to mind especially when Steve talks about Avery's and Ciroc's relationship off screen. During an interview, Ciroc talked about how during the show Avery essentially, but unofficially, adopted Ciroc into the Brooks family. He talked about spending time with Avery's family in public as well as at their home. Ciroc recalled how even in the presence of Avery's children Avery would introduce him to people as though Ciroc was his own actual son. He recalled Avery actually telling people that Ciroc was his son in an unironic manner. For all intents and purposes, Ciroc was just as much Avery's child as those children he had genetic relationships with. This struck me as an incredibly special and wonderful thing to do for Ciroc whose own father, as I understand it, wasn't really close to Ciroc. As I understand it, the love between the two is real still, and most likely aided them both in developing the relationship between Ben and Jake on the show to a closeness you rarely see between actors playing parent-child relationships out on screen. Their affection for one another is palatable through the series, growing more so as the show progressed. "The Visitor" is one of the best for this, even considering Ciroc's limited screen time.
I would have guessed that "Far Beyond the Stars" was your favorite DS9 episode, but that just shows that I know you only through your RUclips persona. I'm in the "Far Beyond the Stars" camp myself, although I've seen only a few DS9 episodes since they were originally broadcast. I do have some favorable memories of "The Visitor." But your review has convinced me that I have to get a copy of the series (my favorite ST series) on DVD/Blu-ray/whatever and do a total rewatch. Thanks.
I agree with you totally on this being the best Star Trek episode. How could this have been topped? It made all of the other stories, epic and sweeping as they were seem trivial by comparison. This was one of the most moving episodes of episodic science fiction ever.
My favorite DS9 episode, and yes, also my favorite Star Trek episode period. I remember that DS9 was pitched to Avery Brooks as a father and son story, and if that is true, then this episode perhaps best lived up to that premise. For those who followed the entire series, this episode is also heavily mirrored in the series finale, making the finale even more powerful for those who catches the subtle references through score, framing and camera angles.
Thanks for this. My dad’s on a bit of a knife edge, and this episode really speaks to me right now - the pain of loss, the limbo, the relationship, his dad looking at his grown son as still his beloved child despite his age. It’s like the writers took the Dylan Thomas poem “do not go gentle into that good night” and just went wild riffing on it in the most heartbreaking and beautiful way.
yeah, one of the two DS9 episodes i cherish. Watched it in its original run. On the surface, science fiction. But actually a story about how to deal with the loss of a loved one, with grief.
These are great episodes. I suppose In the Pale Moonlight is my favorite intense episode, since I love Garak. But my favorite episode HANDS DOWN of DS9 is and forever will be Trials and Tribble-ations. That Worf scene about Klingons is just too funny! Besides, I love tribbles.
I don't know what my favourite is. Tough call. But I will say the visitor used to make me emotional when I watched it and I, perhaps, thought what it would be like to lose my father. Years and life experience mean that now listening to other people talk about it in the background while I work out makes me emotional when I think about what it was like losing my father. Some things hit harder as you age. What can I say? Great episode
I couldn't agree with you more!!!! BEST EPISODE EVER!!! I lost my father ... well ... doesn't matter. This episode helps me cope. I cry every time I watch. I cried when I watched your review. Star Trek at its best. Why I love Avery Brooks. Why I love Tony Todd. Why I love DS9. MIKE DROP!
i saw this episode the night it aired. i just cried and cried and cried. I thought it was the best thing that was ever made for TV since Twilight Zone. It made me a HUGE DS9 fan
I got to talk to Mr. Todd about this episode at a convention. He thinks it's some of his best acting because his mother had just passed unexpectedly the week before he got this script. He says he just channeled all the pain he was feeling into that performance.
Dude that's very deep and hard.
I was first introduced to the career of Tony Todd as a kid; Tom Savini's "Night Of The Living Dead" remake, which probably still holds up.
To me, he shines in his "Star Trek" stuff. I swear he's played another character in TNG, I could be wrong
What an amazing and heartwrenching bit of context to this amazing performance. He was simply incredible in this episode.
That makes the episode even more heart wrenching.😢
I believe it was actually his aunt that passed, but since she raised him all his life, she was effectively his mother.
Also this is proof you don’t need an evil antagonist to have a great story.
"death" IS the evil antagonist.
@@Cupofnoodlesoup not even that because Sisko didn't die, and as a result the antagonist is just being unable to let go of grief.
The horrible power of grief becomes the antagonist... and believe me its worse than any Romulan, Breen or Borg.
I saw this episode when it aired. As a son then, and a father now....Jake my sweet boy....this is a reward twice over.
This and TNG's "Inner Light" are the only two episodes I regularly skip not because they're bad, but because they're too good. I need to be 'ready' to watch those ones, not just have them in my comfort food playlist with the other eps.
Same.
I would skip it sometimes because of how heavy it was... Now, after losing both of my parents unexpectedly within a couple years of each other, it's just too much.
I hear you. For me, it's Ghibli movies.
I've routinely called The Inner Light one of the best ever television episodes and I stand by it.
I used to watch it so much when I was sad (to sum it into one word), and it'd make me more sad but also always warm my heart.
The Visitor is single handedly one of the best most profound pieces of art I have experienced in my life. The episode originally aired months after I lost my estranged, formerly homeless, father to cancer. I was 17, the exact same age as Jake and my dream job was to become a writer. Even with out it resembling my own life and struggles watching The Visitor was and still is the most cathartic experience I’ve ever had. It’s a masterpiece of storytelling AND just happens to be an episode of my favorite Star Trek series of all time! ❤🖖🏾🥺
Thank you for sharing that with us. I can relate to some of the complex feelings it brings out in relation to my own family.
I hope you're doing well friend. Thank you for sharing your story with us❤️
The father/son portrayal between Sisko and Jake is so believable because of the physical interaction.
How many other shows have the parent and child physically interact as often?
Anytime Avery has a scene with Cirroc, you can see a genuine chemistry between characters/actors.
Their relationship is one of the best things of DS9, a show that focuses on relationships and character development.
It's easier to ask what my least favorite episodes of DS9 are.
Having to narrow down my favorites is a task that would take too much effort and today is my lazy day.
When I first saw this episode as a teenager, it hit me really hard. I saw it a couple more times as an adult, and again as a father, and it really hit me even harder. Then I watched it again after I got back from Afghanistan, and I thought about what could've been if I'd died over there, leaving my kids without me. The Visitor really cuts deep. Just beautiful all around.
When a review of an episode is enough to be tear jerker, the episode did everything right. A beautiful work of art.
Your explanation of "The Visitor" brought to my attention the ending of "What we leave behind" where Jake is again left with a father who has gone off into some unknown future and "maybe or maybe not" ever coming back both offer the viewer the sadness Jake feels so profoundly. It is the excellence of the writers who can bring us back to this precious feeling and so hook us permanently to Deep Space Nine.
Unlike in "the Visitor" it is the end of the series and there will be no coming back this time at least within this context. Since then, many years later, we have heard rumors of Sisko finally coming back to the screen in a non-Deep Space Nine venue. I sincerely hope they can find writers with a similar skill for whatever venue he does come back.
Hands down one of the best episodes of Star Trek, of anything. From the amazing guest performances to the heartbreaking glimpses into Jake’s life. I watch this episode in tears every time asking myself if I am a good dad, if I am a good son. Beautiful episode that single handedly demonstrates why DS9 is the best of all Star Treks. I adore this story, and I am heartbroken that only a few years later Jake lost his dad again in the series finale.
But the IMPORTANT difference is that Jake knows his father is OK (in the celestial temple) and will be back.
@@hmrhuang That only happened because Brooks demanded it.
I have been waiting for your Tony Todd tribute. I have been thinking you were taking your time, trying to get it right. Rewatching this I realize, you already did it.
The Ascent. That’s my favourite episode of DS9. Quark and Odo stuck together, bickering & sniping their way up a mountain? Yes please. And I adore the final scene. “Odo, what I said down there, I just want you to know - I meant every word of it” “So did I”
Honourable mention to “In Purgatory’s Shadow/By Inferno’s Light”, especially for Garak in the wall talking to himself.
'The Ascent'-lovers, unite!
Oh suuuuch a great episode!
I don't even have to watch the episode, just talking about it like this is enough for me to get the teary eyes. Something with that much impact deserves to be recognized as the outstanding achievement that it is.
In my opinion, 'The Visitor' isn't just one of the best Trek episodes ever but one of the best episodes of any TV show ever made!
I love The Visitor, but I still think that Duet comes out on top for me. The way that Harris Yulin shifts from reserved to bombastic to grief-stricken and deeply regretful is probably my favourite performance in the show. That it came out in DS9's overall good but unremarkable first season makes it shine all the brighter as well.
Kind of interesting that, between The Visitor, Duet, Children of Time, and (of course) In the Pale Moonlight, a lot of DS9's best episodes dealt with grief and regret. I don't know if it's just particularly fertile ground for storytelling, but the writers really make the most of it.
Duet is an amazing episode! It guts me every time.
Hard to compare, but easy to remember just how hard these episodes slap
My favourite episode is similar to The Visitor in that it hits emotionally in a way that has little to do with it being Star Trek. It is "It's Only A Paper Moon", where Nog returns to the Station wounded from battle. Physically healed but so beat, so hurt he is not able to speak about it. And he hides in the holosuite with Vic Fontaine, walking that fine line between addiction and therapy. And in the end he turns out sort of okay. Equally beautiful and painful. A great moment for Nog. It's like Nog was created for this story. It hits harder with him than any other character I could think of. They often write him like comic relief, but Aron Eisenberg plays real af.
As a father when Jake goes to sleep an Ben is just watching him, that's a gut punch
I have a teen. I get goosebumps from that bit.
Gets" me every time. A father's love for his son. ❤❤❤
In the Pale Moonlight. The way Garek and Sisko play off each is brilliant
Two best episodes here. Please don’t make me choose.
This is one of my all time favorite episodes of not only Star Trek but tv in general. One thing that gets me though is its place in the season is kind of a sinister gut punch. The episode right before this is when Worf joins the show so you're all excited and happy that good ol' Worf is back then BAM next episode is full unbelievable heartbreak!!!
Your review of The Visitor made me cry just like the actual episode.
Excellent review!
I came to this video becuase when I was going through a difficult seperation with my spouse, I remembered this episode and broke down; I imagined a future where I wasn't in my sons life and how he'd always have a blank space in his heart if I were to not be there for him. It really made my think of my job as a father and how short my time with him is in comparison to his future.
I lost my father when I was 19 and this episode gets me every time, despite the many times I've watched it. ❤️
For me, “The Inner Light” barely edges out “The Visitor.” I would say that Visitor is actually the better episode (since Light’s b-plot detracts from it, imo).
But the fate of that lost civilization, which is barely a metaphor for our own, hits me harder when it comes to existential melancholy.
Plus that last shot of Picard, sadly playing his flute as he travels through endless, uncaring space, will always slay me deeply.
I re-watched “The Visitor” and then watched this episode of your channel in honor of Tony Todd’s passing.
Like you, this is my favorite episode of Star Trek. It is so good. And I cried and I cried thank you for sharing your love of this episode with me. Melanie was perfect as well as Cirroc Lofton and other cast members.
He's watching him sleep like a father watching his baby boy sleep.
I do the same thing with my son but I saw Sisco do it first.
I absolutely love that. The golden lighting on Sisko is beautiful and shows his emotion without saying anything.
After all these years and countless rewatches, it makes me tear up every time I see it. It's just a beautiful masterpiece.
Now even reviews of this episode make me cry 😥. Definitely the best episode of the best Trek show. It's always going to get me. ✌️
Thank you. It was a sharp-inhalation surprise when your video showed up in my recommendations. I knew from its title that I had to watch it. I COMPLETELY agree with you. It's the best episode in the ENTIRE franchise, and I'm including Alex Kurtzman's recent work (which is AMAZING!). I don't just cry when I watch it; I bawl. (I re-watched it for the umpteenth time within the last month!) And my eyes were leaking as I watched your video. Thank you for the analysis. And I'd also like to thank other commenters. The extra tidbits there about Tony Todd greatly added to my appreciation of this incomparable masterpiece.
I watched this episode when it first aired, soon after the birth of my first son. It reflected how I wanted to be as a father - totally dedicated to his success and happiness no matter what happened to me. I watched it again tonight, after three more children and almost three decades. I know my kids would have given up anything to fix me when I was critically ill this past year. And I would have told them the same thing Ben told Jake. Don't waste your life on mine. Prosper. Find your happiness. Live for me.
Of all the hundreds of Star Trek series and episodes DS9 is the single one with a nurturing healthy father son relationship, which by itself enables "The Visitor" to make connections for us no other Star Trek could do. Thanks for bringing this to us again.
This was always in my top 5 episodes of all Star Trek ever. It has been since the first time I saw it. I recently watched it again for the first time in a very long time, and the first time since my daughter was born. It went from somewhere in the mix for the best, to #1 by a WIDE margin. Everyone's lost someone they love by the time they reach adulthood, so it absolutely stands out in that context, but seeing it through the eyes of a parent makes it even more heartbreaking. I don't cry often, but I had to pause MULTIPLE times to wipe my eyes for this one, it just hits you like a ton of bricks when you switch from empathizing with Jake to empathizing with Ben. Purely soul crushing, in the best kind of way, that only world class art can do.
Yes, an amazing episode. It feels believable as the really good ones often do. The perception of time and the occasional appearance of Ben is...heart-rending! Tony Todd was the perfect older Jake. Fun to watch but, no matter how many times you see it, you have to be ready for the emotions this one brings to bear.
When Sisko whispers "My sweet boy ...", I lost it.
I've always loved "The Seige of AR-558" & "It's Only a Paper Moon". It deals with the trauma of war and PTSD head on. The acting by the soldiers stationed at the listening post is some of the best buy one off characters as they pull you into the story. Each person is dealing with their trauma in their own way and you feel nothing but sympathy for them.
Then Nog, dealing with PTSD is so relatable to so many people. From those who have gone through the rigor of war to anybody who was a victim of abuse or survived tragedy, you can understand exactly how Nog is feeling and why he's retreated to somewhere he is comfortable.
Aron Eisenberg's performance in both its outstanding! Gone too soon and may be rest peace.
It makes me teary-eyed just remembering the episode
Me too
Oof... hard to pick a favorite DS9 episode. All the ones you mentioned as candidates here are excellent and can I leave it at that?
The Thaw has a weird reputation in that I've seen a lot of places list it as among the worst of Voyager, but I'm with you; it's close to the best.
Embodiment of fear:
"I'm afraid."
Janeway:
"I know!"
Just perfect.
came back to this for tony.
sto'vo'kor just got another great warrior.
Happy, enthusiastic, passionate Steve makes me smile ☺️ 🖖
Goddammit. I promised myself I wouldn't get emotional. Just talking about this episode brought tears to my eyes
Something that I like about this episode is that there is that Sisko remembers the timeline. He only got glimpses of it but he remembers. Time travel episodes like Year of Hell or Timeless do a hard reset where no one knows what happened. In Timeless, alternate Kim does send himself a message. It is a common trope to reset the whole thing in time travel eps. But in The Visitor, Ben Sisko carries with him both the knowledge and the emotional weight of the events he witnessed.
Aw, man. Even a review of "The Visitor" makes me cry. Great job, Steve.
It’s not usually at the top of best episodes lists, though it is well reviewed - but I have a soft spot for Necessary Evil. Doing a straight up crime noir story with Odo, with Kira as the femme fatale who (spoiler) actually is the original killer - and pull it off not with a holodeck contrivance but completely in-continuity story with the characters as 100% themselves was masterful.
The elusive nature of closure after a loss... this is sci-fi at its best. I agree with you almost completely. Although this one makes me cry every time I watch it, far beyond the stars is my favorite. Of any show. Of all time.
The DS9 episode that most tugs on my heartstrings is Duet. But yes, all the ones you named are so good. SO GOOD!
I love Tony Todd, he and John Billingsley were both in 'The Man From Earth' which is one of my favorite movies.
Oh god I remembered which episode this is within one second of clicking and teared up almost immediately
Thank you, Tony Todd. I love this episode, it's my favourite also. Rest in Peace...
I just watched this episode for the first time... I cried real tears.
I wouldn't try to make the argument that Duet is best episode but it is special to me. I was on the fence about DS9 until that episode. That hit was so hard it carried me through the rest of the series. A home run. Not bad for a bottle episode.
It's a great episode because it's not just a Star Trek episode, like you eluded to in the video people can relate. It is a really beautiful story of a parent and child.
Between reviews like this and the Best Superman/Batman Ever series, I've really come to appreciate how good a job Steve Shives does at talking about media he loves and why he loves it. It's a small thing, and this admittedly extends beyond his positive reviews of things, but he really seems to have a strong grasp on how powerful something as simple as a pause between words can be. It adds a great cadence to his scripts, and really lets his points sink in just long enough to marinate without feeling like dead space in the video.
This episode of DS9, will always be my favorite Trek Episode. A masterpiece of acting" If you have lost a parent. Who meant the world to you" Then you will understand" the true meaning of lost. Heartfelt & Emotional ! ❤❤❤
My favourite episode of DS9 is 'Progress'. It really works for me to establish the kind of character Kira is by letting Nana Visitor do all the lifting for the primary cast. It also works well on rewatch, when you know more about her and you can appreciate the father-like figure Mullibok becomes, and then she has to give that comfort up (again) for the 'greater good.' It also leaves plenty of room to take his side too; not every new project is black or white.
I do really like this episode. No matter how much I watch it, I cry. Another one that does that (crying) to me is Hard Time. I'd love to see a review of that.
Ok...look Steve,I was literally cutting onions earlier today. And there were nowhere near as many tears then,as there are now while I am watching this REVIEW of the episode The Visitor. I gotta call my son.
I love this one. But my favorite falls to a four-way tie. Duet. Trials and Tribble-ations. In the Pale Moonlight and Far Beyond The Stars.
Though It's only a paper moon has grown on me since my assault last January and I watch it periodically to find myself that I will be okay one day.
Wishing you strength and healing, my fellow Niner.
This episode was heartbreaking. Still one of the best episodes not just of DS9 but all of Star Trek. Tony Todd absolutely crushed it.
RIP Tony Todd
Best DS9 Episode BY FAR, hands down, Move Along Home. No question about it.
Allamaraine, count to four,
Allamaraine, then three more,
Allamaraine, if you can see,
Allamaraine, you'll come with me…
Excellent review of an excellent episode. Tony Todd is one of my favorite actors. He was so amazing in this.
You have so perfectly encapsulated why this is the best episode of DS9, and my personal favourite too.
Though I would go further than saying its the best episode of Star Trek and say in my opinion its the best episode of television ever. The story of loss, selfless love and second chances is universal, and would work in any genre.
Every time I watch this episode I cry like a baby, remembering all my lost loved ones - my grandparents, my son - and wish I could get a second chance like Ben and Jake.
Great video! Missed opportunity to say, "....owes itself to Livingstone, I presume."
"In the Pale Moonlight" takes it for me but damned if you don't make an unassailable case for this one.
EDIT: So of the four episodes Michael Taylor wrote, two were essentially tied for Best Episode Ever, the third was "Things Past," a damned fine episode and the fourth was... "Resurrection."
Yeah, "Things Past" might not be quite on the level of "The Visitor" or "In the Pale Moonlight," but it's maybe one rung below. Just a great episode. And "Resurrection" is an attempt to wring another episode out of the mirror universe, which was beyond "dead horse" territory by then. So, three outta four ain't bad at all!
I have come very late to watching DS9. When I was younger I used to watch the odd episode of TNG and then I happened to be given all episodes, I binged over a few years. I loved TNG very muchI just couldn't get into the odd episodes of DS9 that I came across. The characters, the feel of the show it was so very different that it put me off initially.
Now DS9 is available on Prime, I've been watching the show back to back gradually and I am enjoying it so much. Comparing the visitor to TNG The Inner Light, the visitor just blows the TNG episode right out of the water. Patrick Stewart is an awesome actor but the Visitor wow Tod 👌.
I'm glad that I started to watch DS9 from the beginning.
Thank you for review of the visitor 😊
Pretty much says it all about what is also my favourite Trek episode. Beautifully written and acted, with an emotional punch that still knocks me sideways after all these years. And an sf premise that works in service of character, story and theme, rather than the other way around, which lesser Trek episodes are often guilty of.
This is my favorite also... I sob every time I see it, watching Jake's pain play out, Cisco trying to get him to move on with his life, Jake's final sacrifice to save his father. I sobbed just listening to you talk of it!
I didn't really think of it in that manner, but when you said Best Star Trek Episode - Period. I thought of this one, and my other favorites, from the other series in the franchise -- and you're right. The Best ST episode. Period.
I first watched DS9 in 2017, and I was blown away.
Then I watched it again in 2018, after becoming a dad. And I cried.
Then I watched it again last year after my own dad died. And I cried again.
It will forever be my favorite Trek episode.
One of the really impressive things about this episode is the impossible foreshadowing of Jakes experience in season 2, episode 9 "Second Sight" where he has a nightmare about this exact thing. Blows my mind everytime that I rewatch the series. Also the ground work laid in advance of this episode in the relationship between father and son is incredible. The episode just nails it.
I was actually thinking of the potential contrasts (not that we really got to see them) with how Jake then handles it at the end of the series finale, after Sisko tells him he's going to be away with the Prophets for who knows how long. Maybe it's "easier" because you know he's not dead at that point and that he probably can be sent back at any point by the Prophets, or because Jake's a little older and a little more experienced by then, or maybe even because he's got Cassidy there with his unborn half-sibling to be family to.
@@matthewryan8463 I’ve always felt he was going to fall into similar patterns, since there’s similar shots of brooding out the window in both.
There are almost too many to count, but s3ep5 "Second Skin" is one of the episodes that will always come to mind. Or literally any episode with Garak as a lead character.
The Vistor" was a hands down Masterpiece! It also won several awards" Best episode ever! Pure Excellence! ❤❤❤❤
Damnit, Steve. Just you talking about The Visitor is making me cry at my desk!
This episode is at the top of my open sobbing episodes but I'd have to pick Duet and it's crazy that something so good happens in a first season
"The Visitor" is one of a handful of TREK episodes I can recommend to someone who's never watched any ST. You don't have to have seen any episodes or know ANYthing about ST to appreciate this beautiful story.
Just listening to you talk about it got me a little misty-eyed. I don't need to rewatch it to remember how it made - and still makes - me feel. But I'm definitely gonna. Probably immediately after hitting the COMMENT button.
Just for the record: DS9 had four episodes that are that are told in flashback format: "Whispers", "The Visitor", "Trials and Tribble-ations" and "In the Pale Moonlight".
I have to say that "The Vistor" and "Duet" are tied in my mind as the two best Ds9 episodes. But, like someone else in the comments said, I need to be in a specific mood to watch the "Visitor" because of how powerful Todd's performance is. Also up there for me is "Once More Unto the Breach". JG Hertzler is great in that episode, but damn...what a send off for Collicos' Kor that episode is.
This episode hits you differently as you grow up, which makes it all the more remarkable. It's got a real 'Three Ages of Man' thing going for it.
I liked it well enough as a kid when I first watched it, a little light on action for my 12 year old tastes, but I still recognised it for what it was, a great exploration of loss and grief
But when I became a parent myself it just hit so much harder, and finally when I watched it for the first time with those kids not long after my own father passed away it absolutely broke me. Even just thinking about it now gets me.
For me, it's 'Far Beyond the Stars' - it's a great DS9 episode and a love letter to the golden age sci-fi authors and magazines I grew up on.
Melanie was played by Andrew Robinson's (Garak) daughter. Tony Todd also had a memorable part in Stargate SG-1, where he played the leader of some Jaffa that broke away from the Goa'uld and started worshipping the Ancients. They started out as not so much antagonistic but not wanting anything to do with outsiders, but they slowly warmed up and became uneasy allies of Earth and the rebel Jaffa later on. I wouldn't say this is my absolute favorite DS9 episode. But it is a really good one, definitely in the top 10. I've narrowed down my favorites to Past Tense, Homefront/Paradise Lost, Honor Among Thieves, In the Pale Moonlight, and The Siege of AR-558. It's so hard to choose between those.
If you've ever met Tony Todd, you'd realize this character isn't much a stretch for him: it's probably the closest to his actual personality of all the roles he's played.
I love this one. It feels on par, emotionally, with Inner Light, but so much more personal because it’s interpersonal between two cast members.
ItPM is probably my favorite.
But one of the ones I most *enjoy* is “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. I think it’s just about the funniest and funnest episode of sci fi out there.
I'm in the "In the Pale Moonlight" camp as far as favorite DS9 episode.
I lost my dad in 2017 and I'd spend the rest of my life in the same spot if it meant 90 more seconds with him here and there. But then, I'd act as Jake did if it would bring him back to us. Great episode. Them and you. 🙂❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Excellent review! As multiple quantum states can exist in the same space at the same time, I take the position that both "The Visitor" and "In the Pale Moonlight" are both my favorite episodes of DS9. They are very different stories and in my opinion do not directly compete for the top spot, but rather occupy it simultaneously.
Notably J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5 series was also broadcasting at that time as a sort of rival show to DS9. Despite the adversarial situation, JMS went out of his way to heap praise upon "The Visitor." Great writers recognize and appreciate great writing.
This is a bit tardy, but I think it comes to mind especially when Steve talks about Avery's and Ciroc's relationship off screen. During an interview, Ciroc talked about how during the show Avery essentially, but unofficially, adopted Ciroc into the Brooks family. He talked about spending time with Avery's family in public as well as at their home. Ciroc recalled how even in the presence of Avery's children Avery would introduce him to people as though Ciroc was his own actual son. He recalled Avery actually telling people that Ciroc was his son in an unironic manner. For all intents and purposes, Ciroc was just as much Avery's child as those children he had genetic relationships with. This struck me as an incredibly special and wonderful thing to do for Ciroc whose own father, as I understand it, wasn't really close to Ciroc. As I understand it, the love between the two is real still, and most likely aided them both in developing the relationship between Ben and Jake on the show to a closeness you rarely see between actors playing parent-child relationships out on screen. Their affection for one another is palatable through the series, growing more so as the show progressed. "The Visitor" is one of the best for this, even considering Ciroc's limited screen time.
I would have guessed that "Far Beyond the Stars" was your favorite DS9 episode, but that just shows that I know you only through your RUclips persona. I'm in the "Far Beyond the Stars" camp myself, although I've seen only a few DS9 episodes since they were originally broadcast. I do have some favorable memories of "The Visitor." But your review has convinced me that I have to get a copy of the series (my favorite ST series) on DVD/Blu-ray/whatever and do a total rewatch. Thanks.
Heard the first line of your script, and immediately liked the video. Because it's so very true.
Steve, we have much in common. This is also my favorite of all Star Trek.
I agree with you totally on this being the best Star Trek episode. How could this have been topped? It made all of the other stories, epic and sweeping as they were seem trivial by comparison. This was one of the most moving episodes of episodic science fiction ever.
My favorite DS9 episode, and yes, also my favorite Star Trek episode period. I remember that DS9 was pitched to Avery Brooks as a father and son story, and if that is true, then this episode perhaps best lived up to that premise. For those who followed the entire series, this episode is also heavily mirrored in the series finale, making the finale even more powerful for those who catches the subtle references through score, framing and camera angles.
thank you. DS9 is my favourite Sci-Fi show. 🙏💖🖖
Thanks for this.
My dad’s on a bit of a knife edge, and this episode really speaks to me right now - the pain of loss, the limbo, the relationship, his dad looking at his grown son as still his beloved child despite his age.
It’s like the writers took the Dylan Thomas poem “do not go gentle into that good night” and just went wild riffing on it in the most heartbreaking and beautiful way.
Makes you cry for 30 years. That sums it up well.
I love this episode so much, i watched it like 7 or 8 times and i cried my balls out every time. What an exquisite piece of art
yeah, one of the two DS9 episodes i cherish. Watched it in its original run. On the surface, science fiction. But actually a story about how to deal with the loss of a loved one, with grief.
This is your best review no silliness just your thoughts which I agree with. Good job
The Siege of AR-588. Quark hearing Nog’s shrill scream of pain was haunting for me.
These are great episodes. I suppose In the Pale Moonlight is my favorite intense episode, since I love Garak. But my favorite episode HANDS DOWN of DS9 is and forever will be Trials and Tribble-ations. That Worf scene about Klingons is just too funny! Besides, I love tribbles.
I don't know what my favourite is. Tough call. But I will say the visitor used to make me emotional when I watched it and I, perhaps, thought what it would be like to lose my father. Years and life experience mean that now listening to other people talk about it in the background while I work out makes me emotional when I think about what it was like losing my father. Some things hit harder as you age.
What can I say? Great episode
I couldn't agree with you more!!!! BEST EPISODE EVER!!! I lost my father ... well ... doesn't matter. This episode helps me cope. I cry every time I watch. I cried when I watched your review. Star Trek at its best. Why I love Avery Brooks. Why I love Tony Todd. Why I love DS9. MIKE DROP!
i saw this episode the night it aired. i just cried and cried and cried. I thought it was the best thing that was ever made for TV since Twilight Zone. It made me a HUGE DS9 fan