It's one of my all time favorites. It's a toss-up for me between it and TOS "The City on the Edge of Forever". Both are heartbreaking.
It's well known as one of the best DS9 episodes, and because I'm a sap, I always cry watching it. It's that one, The Inner Light, and Family that always do it to me.
The theme music from this episode also played in the finale of the series when Sisko went away. I thought it was a nice touch.
When I saw this episode, for first time, my dad was very ill (later, he recovered his health, thanks God) ....I just think how Jake, Me, or anyone must be feel about losing your own hero. Great episode, Star trek is not all about starships, its about people too.
Glad to hear you dad regained his health, your so right, we all have our hero's and will do anything not to lose them, just like Jake.
A great example of the strength of the DS9 writing team. Like Ron Moore did with In the Pale Moonlight, Rene Echevarria takes Michael Taylor's original pitch/story and completely reworks it so the family drama and moral complexity is at the fore over the (admittedly lovely) plot device. Tony Todd has always been a great "jobbing" actor and I was always saddened by the fact that, outside of the Trek/SF community, his talent, especially in this episode, was never fully recognised. Top ten Trek episode, possibly even top 5, when you realise the story and acting are so good that you have completely overlooked how horrific the outfits that Tony Todd had to endure were Hugo - It's life, Jake. You can miss it if you don't open your eyes.
Year after year I here people argue that DS9 betrayed something essentially Star Trek, losing the moral center of the series. In many ways, I think it is a canard, but no more so when it comes to family. Roddenberry's future is filled with absent fathers and bitter sons. Conversely, Sisko was a role model for all fathers. I know most people focus on how Jake feels about his father, and that relationship is undeniably powerful. What I see is the man who puts his sons well being first, asking his son to do what makes him happy and taking the little time they have to show affection toward him. Episodes like The Visitor made me a better father.
This is a great episode, I recently rewatched it for the first time yesterday and I'm blown away by it still. Tony Todd really shines, Avery Brooks really plays the fatherly role very well here, and in general. He delivers some real emotional lines.
Based on the interviews I've seen and read, Avery Brooks cared about that relationship between Ben and Jake more than anything else about the series. Each time there was an episode or scene focused on those two, you could tell Brooks really cared. Though Avery's performance was overshadowed by Todd's in this episode, I think it's definitely part of what makes the episode soar emotionally. Also, +1 on the comments about the music from this episode! So glad I picked up that DS9 CD set!
Older Jake's memories were erased by the collapse of the timeline. Kern's memories were simply erased.
If I was to make a list of things I liked about each series. The father/son relationship of Ben and Jake would be at the top of the list.