DS9 Season 1, Episode 5 (Netflix: S1 E4): Babel
Rating: 2
This episode concerns problems getting the station up and running. The crew having to deal with old traps could have been cool (and will be done better in a later episode), but in “Babel” it’s mostly a wasted theme. I know aphasia is real and similar to this disease but the portrayal feels preposterous. There are some mildly funny parts and some good character moments, but not enough to get it anywhere past a 2.
This episode originally aired the same week as the TNG episode “Ship In A Bottle” (TNG 6.12)
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Notes:
Having everything not functioning properly is an appropriate problem at this point in the show…
… so is dealing with old traps
“Rom is an idiot, he couldn’t fix a straw if it was bent” Ha! A lot of characters are different in the start of a series, but Rom going from not being able to fix anything, to being able to fix everything is a big switch.
In most Star Trek episodes where the crew slowly succumbs to a disease we simply patiently await the doctor to fix everything. There is never really any suspense or fear that everyone will die. Deep Space Nine tries their hardest putting the whole crew’s fate in Kira’s hands, but there still isn’t much suspense.
File under: The crew is losing it!
Sisko: “Bread the arrive seen earlier.” Constable: “Oh, I see.” Ha, Odo has the best reaction to disease. On a more irrelevant note, since this type of aphasia makes it so you can’t understand speech as well as speak understandably, wouldn’t Odo and Sisko not be able to tell which one of them had been showing the signs of the disease?
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