Thoughts on Dramatis Personae

[Voth commando1]

This season one episode I don't believe is the most popular but I have watched it a few times and really like it.

It kind of has a pre MU feel to it.

I like how the alien telepathic energy matrix apparently manipulates already existing divisions to recreate an apparent ancient power struggle.

I enjoyed watching Kira and O'Brien scheme, Dax wax nostalgic, and Odo try to figure out what was going on.

I can only imagine the negative consequences if Odo hadn't saved the day when he did and the Bajoran and federation crews had ended up shooting at each other.

What is everyone else's thoughts on this episode?

 

[Damian]

I actually liked it myself. I'm not sure what popular opinion is but it sort of reminded me just a bit of 'Mirror, Mirror' in the sense that the crew basically takes on their worse personality traits. It's always fun to see our good guys get to act like bad guys.

 

[STEPhon IT]

I loved this episode, the cast is experimenting with their characters in this piece. It's Deep Space Nine's own "The Naked Time" and I found it interesting how each character can ramp up a dispute. I think Brooks, and Visitor shine in this episode because of how divided their alter egos were and the narcissistic nature of the characters.

Farrell was the babeling idiot in the episode and was quite amusing through out but in every remaining act she was the unpredictable wildcard character in the episode; it was a fun show and that season continued to show this new series promise to be different than TNG.

 

[Farscape One]

Put me in the camp of loving this episode.

Joe Menosky did a great job with it. I loved the idea of the crew basically reenacting an ancient power struggle by just mentally tweaking their already underlying issues.

Reminds me of the BABYLON 5 Garibaldi arc when Bester tweaked his already paranoid tendencies to do Bester's dirty work. (Side note, that arc happened years after this episode aired.)

Another footnote... definite Menosky stamp with his love of mythology. Breaking the story down, it's exactly what the episode title says... acting out a story from long ago, most likely a myth on the Gamma side by this point.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I like Dramatic Personae. It's not the best episode but far from being the worst. I like the idea of everybody basically acting out the other side's anxieties, and I like Odo's strategy in the way he manipulated everybody into the same room.

I think cleverly written winning strategies are undervalued in a lot of people's estimation of Trek episodes. Great premises get a lot of credit but great resolutions don't.

 

[Sakonna]

I think "Dramatis Personae" is my least favorite "probe from dead civilization mind-rapes crew into reliving their apocalypse" Star Trek episode, but it's OK. I don't hate it. And I like that trope overall.

Honestly, what strikes me about it every time is how much more interested I am in that teaser throwaway scene, the dispute between Sisko and Kira about what to do with the visiting aliens who supplied weapons to the Cardassians. I would much rather have had the whole episode be about that! That's a story with actual stakes and a real connection the premise of the series.

"Dramatis Personae" is just such a tangent -- since everyone is possessed, nothing they do matters. Disconnected tangent episodes can still be good, but this one just isn't special or fun enough to justify it's existence for me.

 

[Farscape One]

One thing I always wondered is if the Klingon infected the Ops crew, how come it didn't infect everyone on the station they came in contact with?

 

[Jayson1]

I really like the episode. I too like how the virus basically took a previous alien conflict and morphed it together with real ones the crew was having or altering their personalities but still sort of being themselves. One thing though that has always bothered me though is when Kira gets the Bajoran solider to try and kill Sisko. Unless that guy was in Op's when the Virus was let out then why in the world we he go along with that kind of order? I think only the people in Op's were effected. Also you would think people not in the chain of command would notice things aren't normal and would wonder why they couldn't contact Bajor or the Federation.

Jason

 

[Lance]

It's Deep Space Nine's own "The Naked Time"

It really is. I'd come here to post exactly that. In some ways it does for DS9 what The Naked Time did for TOS, peeling back the onion layers and really seeing how these people think and react under the surface. There are certain personality traits shown here that resurface in all of the characters later on, albeit less malevolently.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

One thing I always wondered is if the Klingon infected the Ops crew, how come it didn't infect everyone on the station they came in contact with?

Maybe it did...

 

[Lynx]

I like the episode. Not an absolute favorite but a good episode.

 

[at Quark's]

Thought episode was a bit silly ("yet another alien takeover of our heroes' bodies ") but still fun to watch. Though I do agree that the idea of playing on the magnification of some underlying uncertainties that already were around was clever.

 

[UnknownSample]

A throwaway. It might have mattered, if they'd drawn a parallel with how people get drawn into conspiratorial us-and-them thinking bit by bit... especially relevant now. It isn't a cautionary tale though, because this isn't really DS9's Naked Time. The raw material of their situation on DS9 is used to build paranoid theories from, but this stuff is not at all what these characters really feel under the surface. We're not peering inside them. It's much more like they're possessed.

 

[Terok Nor]

I enjoyed it. Sisko is hilariously crazy in this episode. I also enjoyed Dax being wishy washy and sentimental, O'Brien taking charge and Kira seducing Dax over to her side. Odo being completely flabbergasted by their actions was quite funny too.

Just a fun episode. Sisko's clock is created in this one.