I think it's a pretty well-known fact that after almost 20 years of airing dozens of Star Trek episodes each year, the writers sometimes reused some ideas. Sometimes they reused only minor themes, sometimes later episodes are nearly identical to older ones, and sometimes you're writing Enterprise season 3 and realize you need several more plots to round things out. This isn't about episodes like Naked Now and Naked Time which are explicitly calling out their connections to the audience, but examples of completely unrelated episodes that have completely identical events.
- Mistaken Identity: Face of the Enemy (TNG) vs. Second Skin (DS9)
Both Troi and Kira are kidnapped against their knowledge and made to look like a Romulan and Cardassian, respectively, and forced to play along with their captors in order to escape. Unlike later examples, there are some significant differences here. While some members of the Romulan crew believe Troi to be a Romulan, her true identity as a Starfleet officer is never in question. Instead she is forced to play a cat and mouse game with the Enterprise on the other side. Kira on the other hand is explicitly told that she was a Cardassian agent all along, and that they have finally extracted her and want to incorporate her back into Cardassian society.
I really like both of these episodes, but I think I'm going to have to give it to Second Skin. I think the added personal connection between Kira and her Cardassian "father" is a nice touch, and one that continues to be referenced later in the series. Face of the Enemy also would factor into Troi's development though, as she shows increased knowledge about the Romulans from then on.
- Lover's Quarrel: A Matter of Perspective (TNG) vs Ex Post Facto (VOY)
The two ladies men of the Enterprise and Voyager are accused of murdering a husband to make advances on the wife -- both featuring virtual recreations of the crimes. In A Matter of Perspective, it is Riker who is accused of blowing up a space station to murder an old scientist, and his wife and Riker recreate their experiences in the holodeck for the hearing. Ex Post Facto focuses on Paris accused of stabbing an old scientist, where his memories are displayed via alien mind technology and good ole fashioned Vulcan mind meld.
Both of these episodes are fine. There's a bit more nuance to Ex Post Facto in my opinion, such as Paris constantly reliving the crime, which gives it a slight edge for me. I also like the sets in both.
- Enemy of my enemy: The Enemy (TNG) vs Dawn (ENT)
Both episodes feature a Starfleet officer and an alien pilot forced to work together in order to notify their ships of their location. In The Enemy, it's Geordi and a wounded Romulan officer dealing with Geordi's blindness, and in Dawn it's Trip and a checks notes Arkonian who do not speak each other's languages. Both cannot solve their situation on their own and must resort to working and bonding with their enemy to survive. Dawn isn't a straight adaptation of The Enemy as it incorporates new elements like the language barrier to spice things up. I think personally The Enemy is the better of the two, but I'm honestly not a huge fan of either.
- Back to the Future: Children of Time (DS9) vs E2 (ENT)
If I had a nickel for every time a Starfleet crew accidentally found themselves stranded back in time, settled down and founded families over the decades, then those descendants met the original crew in the future, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it's happened twice. Children of Time features the crew of the Defiant struggling between condemning their descendants to non-existence and the imminent death of Major Kira, while the NX-01 Enterprise struggling between the same dilemma and finally saving Earth from the Xindi threat. This pairing is actually why I came up with this thread, as these two episodes are shockingly similar, down to the scenario, showing one crew member still alive, showing the crew learning about their romantic futures, and the resolution. That being said, I actually really like this premise, with Children of Time being one of my favorite DS9 episodes. I like E2 a lot too, but the fact it's a straight rip-off knocks it down a little.
- There Can Only Be One: One (VOY) vs Doctor's Orders (ENT)
Along with the previous example, these two are another pairing that motivated this thread. Both episodes have the ships entering a region of space inhospitable to most of the crew, with only two crew members immune to its effects. In the case of Voyager that's Seven and the Doctor, while for Enterprise that's T'Pol and Phlox. Both pairings must deal with the struggles of running the ship by themselves, as well as dealing with external threats as they come. I actually much prefer Doctor's Orders here. I think the twist ending is done effectively and has a better sense of isolation than One, which I find to be a bit of a mess.
These certainly aren't the only examples of this type of plot reuse (I very nearly included Tuvix and Similitude but figured five was enough). Which of these pairings do you think is better? Are there better examples than these? Why does being a borg make Seven immune to everything? Let me know what you think.
- Mistaken Identity: Face of the Enemy (TNG) vs. Second Skin (DS9)
Both Troi and Kira are kidnapped against their knowledge and made to look like a Romulan and Cardassian, respectively, and forced to play along with their captors in order to escape. Unlike later examples, there are some significant differences here. While some members of the Romulan crew believe Troi to be a Romulan, her true identity as a Starfleet officer is never in question. Instead she is forced to play a cat and mouse game with the Enterprise on the other side. Kira on the other hand is explicitly told that she was a Cardassian agent all along, and that they have finally extracted her and want to incorporate her back into Cardassian society.
I really like both of these episodes, but I think I'm going to have to give it to Second Skin. I think the added personal connection between Kira and her Cardassian "father" is a nice touch, and one that continues to be referenced later in the series. Face of the Enemy also would factor into Troi's development though, as she shows increased knowledge about the Romulans from then on.
- Lover's Quarrel: A Matter of Perspective (TNG) vs Ex Post Facto (VOY)
The two ladies men of the Enterprise and Voyager are accused of murdering a husband to make advances on the wife -- both featuring virtual recreations of the crimes. In A Matter of Perspective, it is Riker who is accused of blowing up a space station to murder an old scientist, and his wife and Riker recreate their experiences in the holodeck for the hearing. Ex Post Facto focuses on Paris accused of stabbing an old scientist, where his memories are displayed via alien mind technology and good ole fashioned Vulcan mind meld.
Both of these episodes are fine. There's a bit more nuance to Ex Post Facto in my opinion, such as Paris constantly reliving the crime, which gives it a slight edge for me. I also like the sets in both.
- Enemy of my enemy: The Enemy (TNG) vs Dawn (ENT)
Both episodes feature a Starfleet officer and an alien pilot forced to work together in order to notify their ships of their location. In The Enemy, it's Geordi and a wounded Romulan officer dealing with Geordi's blindness, and in Dawn it's Trip and a checks notes Arkonian who do not speak each other's languages. Both cannot solve their situation on their own and must resort to working and bonding with their enemy to survive. Dawn isn't a straight adaptation of The Enemy as it incorporates new elements like the language barrier to spice things up. I think personally The Enemy is the better of the two, but I'm honestly not a huge fan of either.
- Back to the Future: Children of Time (DS9) vs E2 (ENT)
If I had a nickel for every time a Starfleet crew accidentally found themselves stranded back in time, settled down and founded families over the decades, then those descendants met the original crew in the future, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it's happened twice. Children of Time features the crew of the Defiant struggling between condemning their descendants to non-existence and the imminent death of Major Kira, while the NX-01 Enterprise struggling between the same dilemma and finally saving Earth from the Xindi threat. This pairing is actually why I came up with this thread, as these two episodes are shockingly similar, down to the scenario, showing one crew member still alive, showing the crew learning about their romantic futures, and the resolution. That being said, I actually really like this premise, with Children of Time being one of my favorite DS9 episodes. I like E2 a lot too, but the fact it's a straight rip-off knocks it down a little.
- There Can Only Be One: One (VOY) vs Doctor's Orders (ENT)
Along with the previous example, these two are another pairing that motivated this thread. Both episodes have the ships entering a region of space inhospitable to most of the crew, with only two crew members immune to its effects. In the case of Voyager that's Seven and the Doctor, while for Enterprise that's T'Pol and Phlox. Both pairings must deal with the struggles of running the ship by themselves, as well as dealing with external threats as they come. I actually much prefer Doctor's Orders here. I think the twist ending is done effectively and has a better sense of isolation than One, which I find to be a bit of a mess.
These certainly aren't the only examples of this type of plot reuse (I very nearly included Tuvix and Similitude but figured five was enough). Which of these pairings do you think is better? Are there better examples than these? Why does being a borg make Seven immune to everything? Let me know what you think.
