Summary[]
While a Romulan delegation is reviewing the Defiant's sensor logs of the Gamma Quadrant, O'Brien is recovering from a slight radiation poisoning. All of a sudden the chief engineer seems to hallucinate how another O'Brien is talking to Quark. Five hours later, however, this conversation really takes place. Dax theorizes that the radiation exposure makes O'Brien shift forward in time. The second time shift occurs, and O'Brien finds himself in a brawl between Romulans and Klingons in Quark's bar, which actually happens five hours later. In the third time travel O'Brien witnesses how he is killed when opening a wall panel in a corridor. The Klingons will place a device there to spy on the Romulan delegates. His fourth time shift leads O'Brien to sickbay to find his dead body. Future Bashir sends him back with the advice for present Bashir to care about O'Brien's basilar arteries to save him.
After Dax has found out that a quantum singularity triggers the frequent time shifts, O'Brien shifts once again and finds himself on a crowded runabout from where he sees how Deep Space 9 explodes and the wormhole collapses. In order to arrive at an earlier date to find out what destroyed the station, Dr. Bashir gives O'Brien a device that floods his body with delta isotopes to trigger the time shift, although it could be too much for him. In the future it becomes clear that a cloaked Romulan Warbird, which uses a quantum singularity as its power source, is responsible for the attack. The weakened time-traveling O'Brien hands over the device to his future self who travels back to warn Sisko. The commander locks torpedoes onto the quantum singularity, and the Romulans choose to retreat.
Errors and Explanations[]
The Nitpickers Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers[]
Plot Oversights[]
- Near the beginning of the episode, Kira informs Sisko that the Romulans have arrived. Sisko tells her to bring them into Cargo Bay 12 and, in short order, the pair leave Ops in a turbolift. The next scene shows them wandering through the Promenade, evidently still on their way to Cargo Bay 12. This is very fortunate, because it gives Sisko a chance to discover that Klingons have just arrived on the station as well, but it raises a question – do they really have to go through the Promenade to get from Ops to Cargo Bay 12, or was Sisko just taking the scenic route? They may not have been a direct turbolift between Ops and Cargo Bay 12.
Nit Central[]
- Keith Alan Morgan on Friday, July 16, 1999 - 1:09 am: When trying to explain to the Romulans why Odo isn't a Founder and doesn't have information on their ships and intent and stuff, they should have asked the Romulans if every Romulan citizen knows information on Romulan ships and stuff. That could have caused a diplomatic incident.
- Earlier, Sisko said the Romulans were going to be there for 2 days, but later Sisko says the Romulans should be there for the next 3 days. The Romulans may have decided to stay an extra day.
- I wonder what excuse Quark would give to keep the Klingons out of the bar? ("Sorry, but we have a tribble infestation." "Q has cast a spell which causes everyone entering the bar to take a bath." "It's Robanakah and Bender has drunk all the Bloodwine.") dotter31 on Saturday, April 08, 2006 - 6:40 am: Why would he need to give an excuse (assuming he was serious about doing it, which he was not)? It's his bar and he can keep out whoever he wants to. SeniramUK 17:56, January 30, 2019 (UTC) I can't see the Klingons leaving it at that!
- Bashir can fix a fatal health problem in just 4 hours? Mike Nuss on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 6:05 pm: Presumably it was something that was easy to fix but wasn't easy to detect. Also, he's a supergenius.
- Anonymous on Friday, March 03, 2000 - 9:03 pm: O'Brien said he didn't know when the fight took place. Yet he saw the Romulans involved in the fight... That would imply that it happened within the next two days, wouldn't it? Yes, but he doesn’t know exactly when during those two days.
- Dave on Thursday, November 29, 2001 - 7:11 pm: Doesn't the Romulans attempt to destroy the station and the wormhole constitute an act of war against the Federation and Bajor? Mike Nuss on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 6:05 pm: Unfortunately you can't convict them for something they haven't done yet. And I'm sure the Federation doesn't want to spend all their resources fighting the Romulans and allow the Dominion to waltz in and take over.
Notes[]
- ↑ According to the startrek.com episode list, the provisional stardate for this episode is 48616.
| Deep Space Nine Season 3 |
| The Search Part 1 I The Search Part 2 I The House of Quark I Equilibrium I Second Skin I The Abandoned I Civil Defense I Meridian I Defiant I Fascination I Past Tense Part 1 I Past Tense Part 2 I Life Support I Heart of Stone I Destiny I Prophet Motive I Visionary I Distant Voices I Through the Looking Glass I Improbable Cause I The Die is Cast I Explorers I Family Business I Shakaar I Facets I The Adversary |