Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 120: Children of Time [VHS]

Star Trek - Deep Space Nine, Episode 120: Children of Time [VHS] Review

The lives of 8,000 colonists, and the ultimate fate of Kira Nerys, hang in the balance in this exceptional fifth-season episode of DS9. The trouble begins when the Defiant investigates a mysterious planet in the Gamma quadrant, penetrating an energy barrier and causing conflicting timelines that must be resolved. In one timeline, Sisko and his crew encounter the Gaian villagers, who are the descendants of... Sisko and his crew! In the other timeline, 200 years earlier, the ship crashes and its survivors--including the dying Nerys--become the progenitors of the thriving Gaian colony. While the time-travel dilemma may seem routine, René Echevarria's thoughtful teleplay--a hybrid of two freelance story submissions--places noteworthy emphasis on Odo's unspoken love for Nerys, which is finally expressed when circumstances call for intimate disclosure. Echevarria also deserves praise for not compromising the devastating outcome of the Gaian timeline; for Nerys and Odo alike, it's a hard-hitting consequence that gives the entire episode an emotional and thought-provoking spin. --Jeff Shannon