Best and Worst of ... Reset Buttons

[Lapis Exilis]

The infamous reset button - normally reviled, but I've realized sometimes used to amazingly poignant effect, even to the point of creating some of the best Trek episodes. The most legendary of all reset button stories is probably City on the Edge of Forever, though perhaps it gets a pass since the goal of the crew in the episode is to explicitly to push said button.

However, I've recently been revisiting DS9 for the first time in many, many years and I just ran across Children of Time. This story sets up an inevitable fate for most of the beloved crew that involves being marooned 200 years in the past on a planet and leaving 8000 descendants. The reset button is pushed quite flagrantly, but in a way that is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once, making this a favorite episode of mine.

Can you think of other effective uses of the reset button. And as long as we're talking best, let's talk worst as well. Maybe we can figure out what the difference is between a great use of this inevitable story device and a terribe use of it.

 

[BillJ]

I thought a 'reset button' episode was one where no one remembered anything at the conclusion of the episode?

Episodes like: Yesterday's Enterprise or Year of Hell

 

[Lapis Exilis]

You might call that an extreme reset button. But the more general use of the term is any episode which proposes a major change in the structure of the universe or the daily life of the crew, but then rapidly resolves the issue at hand in the last few minutes of the episode so that things are restored to their normal structure.

 

[Finn]

I'm not sure I'd count yesterday's enterprise as a reset button episode.

 

[sojourner]

Based on the condition of Voyager from the first episode to the last? every episode of the show.

 

[T'Girl]

Episodes like: Yesterday's Enterprise or Year of Hell

Never really thought of Yesterday's Enterprise as a reset button episode, almost none of the episode takes place in the prime universe. The Enterprise C travels from the prime universe across into a alternate universe, most of the episode happens there, the Enterprise C then returns across into the prime universe, once it's gone the alternate universe continues without the Enterprise C.

There is no reset.

Prime >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2344~~~~~~~~~~~~~2366~~~~~~

Alternate >~~2344~~~~~~~~~~~~~2366~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[BillJ]

Episodes like: Yesterday's Enterprise or Year of Hell

Never really thought of Yesterday's Enterprise as a reset button episode, almost none of the episode takes place in the prime universe. The Enterprise C travels from the prime universe across into a alternate universe, most of the episode happens there, the Enterprise C then returns across into the prime universe, once it's gone the alternate universe continues without the Enterprise C.

There is no reset.

Prime >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2344~~~~~~~~~~~~~2366~~~~~~

Alternate >~~2344~~~~~~~~~~~~~2366~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entire timeline is predicated on the disappearance of the Enterprise - C from a particular point in time. If the event never occurs then how is there an alternate universe derived from it?

This is a case where the timeline is damaged then restored.

 

[BillJ]

Episodes like: Yesterday's Enterprise or Year of Hell

Never really thought of Yesterday's Enterprise as a reset button episode, almost none of the episode takes place in the prime universe. The Enterprise C travels from the prime universe across into a alternate universe, most of the episode happens there, the Enterprise C then returns across into the prime universe, once it's gone the alternate universe continues without the Enterprise C.

There is no reset.

Prime >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2344~~~~~~~~~~~~~2366~~~~~~

Alternate >~~2344~~~~~~~~~~~~~2366~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entire timeline is predicated on the disappearance of the Enterprise - C from a particular point in time. If the event never occurs then how is there an alternate universe derived from it?

This is a case where the timeline is damaged then restored.

From Yesterday's Enterprise:

PICARD: One more ship will make no difference in the here and now. But twenty two years ago, one ship could have stopped this war before it started.

To me it seems the writers intent was for it to be a damaged timeline that can only be repaired by the Enterprise - C going back.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Exactly, but there is no alternate universe there. It's just one universe, with a timeline being changed and then repaired.

 

[scotpens]

I'd say the TOS ep “Tomorrow is Yesterday” certainly qualifies, even though the method used to return the timeline to “normal” is questionable to say the least, and has generated more than a few lively discussions.

 

[Kertrats47]

Absolute BEST reset? "The Vistor." The look on Captain Sisko's face at the end of the episode, knowing that his son sacrificed his entire life to save him is absolutely heartbreaking.

 

[jgdst]

Best: It's a toss up between The Visitor and Children of Time. The former because as Kertrats47 said, there are some genuinely heartbreaking moments in there.

The latter sees the main characters split with what to do. Sisko and O'Brien both have families they want to get back and see, but know their duty, whether they like it or not. We get to see a difference of opinion between various characters on who believes what is right. In the end, it's Odo who ultimately goes behind everyone's back to save the woman he loves, only for her to not be all that impressed with the decision.

Worst: Year of Hell, without a doubt. Such promise and two whole episodes wasted. Having said that, I still find it a highly enjoyable story, which is what makes the disappointment so hard to take.

Also, I've never been as much of a fan of Twilight as most people seem to be. I didn't see the point in the 'Earth gets pwned' story. We all pretty much knew how such a situation would play out, and we all knew for a fact it was never going to happen. It's just personal preference though, I like my epic stories to have lasting effects.

 

[jamestyler]

Agreed with the above. Though I've never thought of Children of Time as a reset, it does bring up some dissent in the crew in terms of where they feel they should go after encountering their descendants.

And Year of Hell... it might be too popular an opinion to repeat, but to me it was a two parter which showed the extremes of Voyagers lost potential. A less extreme way would have been the route BSG took with it's algie eating and general misery.

 

[SPCTRE]

Year of Hell and Course: Oblivion come to mind as worst examples. Loads of interesting stuff happening to ship and crew, none of it of any consequence to the series. Terrible.

 

[Pauln6]

Times Arrow, Yesterday's Enterprise, and the Visitor are my favorites. Year of Hell was a bit silly. It might have worked better if Kes' absence hadn't caused a paradox and it would have been a more fitting exit for her character if she had been involved in breaking the time loop somehow.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I remember my absolute shock at the end of ST:XI that there had been no reset button. I was thinking "WHERE IS MY GODDAMN RESET BUTTON?!?!"

I guess I had grown accustomed to them.

 

[Anwar]

Agreed with the above. Though I've never thought of Children of Time as a reset, it does bring up some dissent in the crew in terms of where they feel they should go after encountering their descendants.

And Year of Hell... it might be too popular an opinion to repeat, but to me it was a two parter which showed the extremes of Voyagers lost potential. A less extreme way would have been the route BSG took with it's algie eating and general misery.

Year of Hell was supposed to last a whole season, but UPN ordered Braga to make it a two-parter and reset it in the end. They didn't want to confuse viewers with serial storytelling, or spend the extra money on changing the ship design and interior sets.

 

[Pauln6]

Agreed with the above. Though I've never thought of Children of Time as a reset, it does bring up some dissent in the crew in terms of where they feel they should go after encountering their descendants.

And Year of Hell... it might be too popular an opinion to repeat, but to me it was a two parter which showed the extremes of Voyagers lost potential. A less extreme way would have been the route BSG took with it's algie eating and general misery.

Year of Hell was supposed to last a whole season, but UPN ordered Braga to make it a two-parter and reset it in the end. They didn't want to confuse viewers with serial storytelling, or spend the extra money on changing the ship design and interior sets.

A whole season might have been a bit much but maybe a six episode arc that could have been spread over the first half of the season. They could have kept Jennifer Lien on as a guest star and have her do a couple of appearances in key episodes before saving their backsides in the finale. It's a shame they couldn't have found some middle ground.

 

[Anwar]

I agree, full season arcs work best when the season is 13 episodes long because it can be tighter plotted. For 22 episode seasons every single episode being an immediate carry-over from the last just gets annoying after a while.

 

[Captrek]

On smaller scales, some poorly done resets are Uhura’s reeducation in The Changeling and Spock’s inner eyelids in Operation —— Annihilate! The latter gets bonus points for resetting one of the worst subplots in the franchise.