There are many reasons why I love Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and why it remains my favorite of the Star Trek franchise.
Reason #51: Shadowplay
While exploring the Gamma Quadrant Dax (Terry Farrell) and Odo (Rene Auberjonois) detect an unusual particle field emanating from a planet and discover a small village where an alarming number of people have disappeared over the past few days. Odo befriends a shy girl named Taya (Noley Thornton) whose mother has just disappeared.
As the mystery deepens Odo and Dax discover that none of the villagers ever leave the safety of the valley, and when Taya attempts to do so they learn why. It turns out only one member of the entire colony is real. An old man named Rurigan (Kenneth Tobey) has been living this illusion for over 30 years after the real members of his village were killed by the Dominion.
“Shadowplay” is an intriguing episode that takes the idea presented in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Survivors” and expands it to include a world where one man has created an entire village of people who no longer exist.
Where the STNG episode moved onto the reasons behind the man’s (John Anderson) actions in recreating his wife (Anne Haney), this one spends some time discussing the idea of whether or not these holographically created individuals are real people or not. And what’s even more interesting, it’s Odo – the cynic (not Dax), who argues that the villagers are real because of how Rurigan feels about them.
Aside from the concept (which works well) and the reveal (which works even better), the show is also memorable for further exploring the brutality of the Dominion, for Jake (Cirroc Lofton) admitting for the first time he doesn’t want to join Starfleet, and for Odo making a friend (and even changing shape for her enjoyment – a very unusual occurrence). It also marks the beginning of Kira (Nana Visitor) and Bareil‘s (Philip Anglim) relationship in the episode’s B-story.
