Past Prologue
"Past Prologue" | |
---|---|
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
Directed by | Winrich Kolbe |
Written by | Katharyn Powers |
Featured music | Jay Chattaway |
Production code | 404 |
Original air date | January 11, 1993 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Past Prologue" is the third episode of the American
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on
The episode introduces the character of
Plot
The crew of
Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), thanks to his new-found friend Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson), overhears the Duras sisters planning to rendezvous with the Bajoran to give him a vial of bilitrium, a crystalline compound that can release a tremendous amount of power, but only if connected to an antimatter converter. Garak reveals why the Cardassians were chasing Tahna: he stole one from them, meaning he will have the component materials required to build a bomb.
With no solid evidence to act currently, the crew allow him to take a runabout and intend to arrest him after the transaction. Kira finds herself confused about her own past with the Bajoran resistance and where her current loyalties stand, and offers to go with Tahna in the runabout. Commander Sisko and Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) wait in a second runabout nearby while Tahna and Kira complete the transaction. When the second runabout appears, Tahna realizes he has been set up; matters are further complicated by the arrival of the Cardassian warship.
Tahna orders Kira at gunpoint to return to the station, intending to collapse the
Production
Although it was shown second in broadcast order, following the
Katharyn Powers received the sole writing credit on the episode, although elements such as Garak were created by co-producer Peter Allan Fields.[2] Powers had previously written "Code of Honor", a first season episode of The Next Generation.[6] An initial version of her script featured Kira and Tahna as lovers, which was rejected by executive producer Michael Piller. The ending originally showed the terrorist giving up his violent ways and seeking peace with the Cardassians before being killed by the Bajorans.[7] The episode was named after the line from William Shakespeare's The Tempest; "what's past is prologue."[8]
Guest appearances
Following a suggestion by Piller, the
The episode is best known for the introduction of the recurring character Elim Garak. Fields said of the character at the time, "we didn't want to make him an out and out spy, because then what would you do with him after the episode? You'd have to put him in jail on Bajor. So we tread a pretty thin line."[2] Fields had decided when creating the character that the station needed a Cardassian on-board and when no-one objected to his suggestion to put him in a tailor shop, that became Garak's profession. This was a reference to The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which used a tailor shop as a front, as Fields had begun his writing career on that series.[2] Andrew Robinson had originally been considered for the part of Odo, and was one of the final three actors vying for the part alongside Gerrit Graham and René Auberjonois.[13] Robinson was invited back to audition for Garak,[14] while Graham was cast as the Hunter in "Captive Pursuit".[15]
Kolbe thought at first that casting Robinson was "really off-the-way", but he felt the actor made the episode "bloom".[2] He gave general guidelines to Robinson about how he could approach the character, but it was Robinson who developed the traits of the character. Kolbe also praised the writing, saying: "I wish there was more writing like this for television. I think we'd have a much healthier industry."[2] Robinson said that Garak was a complicated character which required the use of subtext, adding that it wasn't a simple way to portray a character "but when you do it well, you really get people's attention".[2] He was told by the producers that they intended to bring him back onto the show, but in a later interview, he said that this was commonplace in the industry and doesn't usually occur. When he was brought back for the second-season episode "Cardassians", executive producer Ira Steven Behr apologized for not bringing him back sooner.[16]
Reception
"Past Prologue" was first released in
In 2012, Zack Handlen wrote for The A.V. Club that Garak was "striking" from his first appearance,[18] and it was immediately apparent that he was an important character. He compared Kira's problem of loyalty to those experienced by Ro Laren in The Next Generation episode "Preemptive Strike", however it didn't work as well since the show would have to maintain the status quo by the end of the episode, since Kira was a main character. He summarized, saying that it was a good episode but not great.[18]
In 2013, Keith DeCandido wrote for Tor.com that Garak could have been a "walking, talking cliché", but that Robinson "imbues him with such charm that it’s impossible not to love the character". He said that it was an excellent episode, due in part to the way that the character's dynamics are formed. He gave it a rating of eight out of ten.[8]
Home video releases
The first home media release of the episode was on
"Past Prologue" was released with "A Man Alone" on September 24, 1996 on LaserDisc in the United States.[20]
On February 8, 1997 this episode was released on LaserDisc in Japan as part of the half-season box set 1st Season vol.1.[21] This included episodes from "Emissary" to "Move Along Home" with both English and Japanese audio tracks.[21]
It was released on DVD as part of the season one box set on June 3, 2003.[22] This episode was released in 2017 on DVD with the complete series box set, which had 176 episodes on 48 discs.[23]
Watch guides
In 2018, SyFy recommend "Past Prologue" for its abbreviated watch for the Bajoran character Kira Nerys.[24] They explain that the episode helps establish Kira's backstory, as she encounters a previous relation from the days of the occupation; as the story unfolds her relationship with the Federation is also established.[24]
Notes
- ^ Erdmann & Block (2000): p. 21
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Erdmann & Block (2000): p. 22
- ^ Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens (1994): p. 212
- ^ a b Nemecek (2003): p. 298
- ^ "Remembering Winrich Kolbe, 1940–2012". StarTrek.com. October 27, 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ Nemecek (2003): p. 33
- ^ Gross & Altman (1996): p. 41
- ^ a b DeCandido, Keith (April 26, 2013). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Past Prologue"". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ Nemecek (2003): p. 168
- ^ Nemecek (2003): p. 314
- ^ Garcia & Phillips (2009): p. 279
- ^ "Production Sneak Peak: Mirroring History". StarTrek.com. January 27, 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ "First Person: Andrew Robinson". Star Trek.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ "Andrew Robinson Interview". Sci-Fi-Online.com. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ Erdmann & Block (2000): p. 27
- ^ Erdmann & Block (2000): p. 90
- ^ "Season 1 Ratings". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 3, 2000. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
- ^ a b Handlen, Zack (January 26, 2012). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Past Prologue"/"A Man Alone"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ Spelling, Ian (August 25, 1996). "Trek Specs". The Washington Times.[dead link]
- ^ "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek DS9 #003/4: A Man Alone/Past Prologue [LV 40510-403]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ a b "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Deep Space 9: 1st Season vol.1 [PILF-2321]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ Ordway, Holly E. (June 9, 2003). "Star Trek Deep Space Nine – Season 1". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- ^ Staff, TrekNews net (2017-02-10). "[REVIEW] Deep Space Nine Complete Series DVD Box Set". TREKNEWS.NET | Your daily dose of Star Trek news and opinion. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ a b Krishna, Swapna (2018-01-16). "A binge-watching guide to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Kira Nerys". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
References
- Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-50106-8– via Google Books.
- Garcia, Frank; Phillips, Mark (2009). Science Fiction Television Series, 1990–2004. McFarland & Co.: Jefferson, N.C. ISBN 9780786452705.
- Gross, Edward; Altman, Mark A. (1996). Captain's Log Supplemental. Boston: Little Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-32920-0.
- Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.
- ISBN 978-0-671-87430-8.
External links
- "Past Prologue" at IMDb
- "Past Prologue" at Wayback Machine (archived from the original at StarTrek.com)
- "Past Prologue" at Memory Alpha