I need some clarification on the episode: ‘Whispers’.

[Lt.Cmdr.LaForge]

I just watched episode 'Whispers' from S2 where every acts odly towards O'Brien. Eventually it turns out he was a 'replicant', who had been programmed to assassinate some deligates at a peace talk, while the real O'Brien had be kidnapped.

I understand why everyone was treating O'Brien the way they were (because some how they new he was a replicant) the thing thats buggin' me is how they new he was a replicant in the first place. And after learning that he was, why didnt they simply lock him up in a cell to ensure the safety of the deligates? Why did they let him wander around trying to figure everything out?

 

[Jono]

I'm guessing, but it would be so that the bad guys don't know that they know. If they did they would probably just kill O'Brien on the spot so until O'Brien is safe it would be best not to show their hand.

Also it's "better the devil you know", they let the plan continue and since they know about it they can stop it when the time comes, stop it too soon and the bad guys will have time to come up with an alternative that they would have no idea about.

 

[Finn]

Kinda like when the British intelligence (I think) cracked a German code during WW2 and learned of an attack plan on a village, they didn't bother to do anything so the Germans wouldn't know the code had been cracked.

 

[Lt.Cmdr.LaForge]

Fair enough, those seem like fairly logical reasons for not doing anything about it once they found out, but how did they find out O'Brien was a replicant in the first place? I really can't think of a way the crew of DS9 would have had any reason to suspect him.

In the climax of the episode, Bashir and Sisko reveal that they had suspicions that O'Brien had been kidnapped and replaced with a replicant, hence Bashirs extensive physical exam of the replicant.

But when did their suspicions arrise?

And for what reasons?

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Kinda like when the British intelligence (I think) cracked a German code during WW2 and learned of an attack plan on a village, they didn't bother to do anything so the Germans wouldn't know the code had been cracked.

You're thinking of the attack on Coventry, I believe?

Probably a similar tactic here, yes.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

If I recall correctly there was some problem about them being unable to prove he actually was a replicant. Bashir gave him a long medical examination and couldn't find any proof. I'm not sure of all the details. Loved the episode though, one of the best in season 2 in my opinion.

 

[mattyhugh]

Fair enough, those seem like fairly logical reasons for not doing anything about it once they found out, but how did they find out O'Brien was a replicant in the first place? I really can't think of a way the crew of DS9 would have had any reason to suspect him.

In the climax of the episode, Bashir and Sisko reveal that they had suspicions that O'Brien had been kidnapped and replaced with a replicant, hence Bashirs extensive physical exam of the replicant.

But when did their suspicions arrise?

And for what reasons?

I believe the rebel faction of the planet in question had heard rumors of O'Brien's replacement and contacted DS9.

 

[Lt.Cmdr.LaForge]

Hmm now you say it 'Mattyhugh', that reason does spring to mind, perhaps that is the missing peice that completes this puzzle. Thanks. =]

 

[Bones2]

Kinda like when the British intelligence (I think) cracked a German code during WW2 and learned of an attack plan on a village, they didn't bother to do anything so the Germans wouldn't know the code had been cracked.

You're thinking of the attack on Coventry, I believe?

Probably a similar tactic here, yes.

Haha, I was going to say. Coventry's hardly a village. Though maybe it technically was until they built another cathedral...

Whispers is a really sad episode. Sadder maybe than Hard Time.

 

[Myasishchev]

Kinda like when the British intelligence (I think) cracked a German code during WW2 and learned of an attack plan on a village, they didn't bother to do anything so the Germans wouldn't know the code had been cracked.

You're thinking of the attack on Coventry, I believe?

Probably a similar tactic here, yes.

Haha, I was going to say. Coventry's hardly a village

Indeed, I was going to say the same thing--it's the 9th largest city in England. Interestingly, wikipedia say it's shrunk since World War II. Probably not because of the Blitz , but even with the Luftwaffe's lack of technology and technique in terror bombing (at least compared to what the RAF later developed), a good village's worth of people (over 500) died, and the term "coventrize" came into the English lexicon.

Apparently, the story about Churchill allowing the raid to go ahead is a myth, and the cryptology only provided enough information to know a raid was coming, not its target.

I don't think I've ever seen "Whispers," or if I have I haven't in years. I kind of ignore my Season 2 set. It sounds neat, I think I'll watch it.

 

[scorpius1701]

You're thinking of the attack on Coventry, I believe?

Probably a similar tactic here, yes.

Haha, I was going to say. Coventry's hardly a village

Indeed, I was going to say the same thing--it's the 9th largest city in England. Interestingly, wikipedia say it's shrunk since World War II. Probably not because of the Blitz , but even with the Luftwaffe's lack of technology and technique in terror bombing (at least compared to what the RAF later developed), a good village's worth of people (over 500) died, and the term "coventrize" came into the English lexicon.

Apparently, the story about Churchill allowing the raid to go ahead is a myth, and the cryptology only provided enough information to know a raid was coming, not its target.

.

That is true. Locator beams for an aerial attack were detected crossing over Coventry but through some kind of freak geography, London also happened to be directly in line with it so everyone assumed that was the target. Reportedly, at the time Coventry was bombed, Churchill was pacing back and forth on a balcony wondering where the bombers were. Thats something else we can yell at Babylon 5 about.