DS9 Season III Episode #61 Prophet Motive
Background and Inside Information
The origins of the teleplay for this episode are to be found in Ira Steven Behr's early career. When he was trying to make it in Hollywood, he wrote a teleplay for the TV show Taxi, entitled "Uncle Sylvester", to try to demonstrate his writing abilities. The plot revolved around Sylvester, uncle to the main character Louie. Sylvester had built up a reputation for being a shameless womanizer and an altogether unpleasant individual, and he was Louie's hero. Louie was dying to meet him to impress him with his own womanizing abilities, but when Sylvester arrives he no longer enjoys womanizing, and now just wants to get back with his wife. Louie is heartbroken and becomes convinced that Sylvester has undergone some kind of deep psychological trauma. The teleplay was not purchased by the producers of Taxi. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
The origins of the plot line involving Bashir's nomination for the Carrington Award are to be found in real life, with this plot actually being something of an in-joke. During its seventh year, The Next Generation was nominated for Best Dramatic Series at the Emmy Awards. Nobody gave it the slightest chance to win, because generally speaking, science fiction shows didn't win awards like that. Everyone expected NYPD Blue to win. However, despite the unlikely event of a victory, some members of the TNG team became convinced that they were actually going to win. As it turned out, they didn't, but neither did NYPD Blue. Instead, the award went to the unexpected Picket Fences. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
William N. Stape, who concocted the TNG episode "Homeward", was an uncredited story source for this episode.
This is the first episode to be directed by Rene Auberjonois.
To recreate the same visual style for Quark's scenes in the wormhole as had been seen in the pilot episode, "Emissary", director Rene Auberjonois and director of photography Jonathan West went back to the original shooting method as developed by "Emissary" director David Carson and then director of photography, Marvin Rush. As had Rush in the pilot, West overexposed the images and used diffusion filters to create the dazzling white which seems to 'bleed' onto the actors' faces. However, while the white is the same as in "Emissary", there is a subtle difference to the rest of the wormhole footage. Visual Effects Coordinator David Takemura used two versions of every shot: a slightly out-of-focus version, and a clean version. He layered the clean version on top of the out-of-focus version to create an effect that is not quite out-of-focus, but is not quite focused correctly either. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
Referenced Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: #10 ("Greed is eternal")
For brief time, a new set of Rules of Acquisition replaces the old one, some of them are:
1: If they want their money back give it to them.
10: Greed is dead.
21: Never place profit before friendship.
22: Latinum tarnishes, but family is forever.
23: Money can never replace dignity.
285: A good deed is its own reward.
Bashir is the youngest of the candidates for the Carrington Prize of 2371. The others are April Wade, Senva, Henri Roget, and Ghee P'Trell.
This is the only episode where Maihar'du speaks. However, it is only when Maihar'du is a representation of a prophet.
This episode introduces the dartboard used by Bashir and O'Brien which would soon become a permanent fixture in Quark's. Originally, the producers wanted to use a pool table, but they were told that Voyager had the same plan. It was next suggested that they play cards, but that had already been done on The Next Generation. As such, darts was settled on as a game the two could play together and still engage in conversation. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
After the pilot episode "Emissary", this is only the second time we have seen the Wormhole Aliens/Prophets. They would become far more important throughout the sixth and seventh seasons.
This is the first episode where the Wormhole Aliens refer to Sisko as 'The Sisko'.
When the Wormhole Alien (in the form of Sisko) says that Zek was trying to find out who wins the game before the game begins, it is a reference to the pilot episode, "Emissary", where Sisko teaches the Aliens about linear time by using the example of a baseball game.
Background and Inside Information
The origins of the teleplay for this episode are to be found in Ira Steven Behr's early career. When he was trying to make it in Hollywood, he wrote a teleplay for the TV show Taxi, entitled "Uncle Sylvester", to try to demonstrate his writing abilities. The plot revolved around Sylvester, uncle to the main character Louie. Sylvester had built up a reputation for being a shameless womanizer and an altogether unpleasant individual, and he was Louie's hero. Louie was dying to meet him to impress him with his own womanizing abilities, but when Sylvester arrives he no longer enjoys womanizing, and now just wants to get back with his wife. Louie is heartbroken and becomes convinced that Sylvester has undergone some kind of deep psychological trauma. The teleplay was not purchased by the producers of Taxi. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
The origins of the plot line involving Bashir's nomination for the Carrington Award are to be found in real life, with this plot actually being something of an in-joke. During its seventh year, The Next Generation was nominated for Best Dramatic Series at the Emmy Awards. Nobody gave it the slightest chance to win, because generally speaking, science fiction shows didn't win awards like that. Everyone expected NYPD Blue to win. However, despite the unlikely event of a victory, some members of the TNG team became convinced that they were actually going to win. As it turned out, they didn't, but neither did NYPD Blue. Instead, the award went to the unexpected Picket Fences. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
William N. Stape, who concocted the TNG episode "Homeward", was an uncredited story source for this episode.
This is the first episode to be directed by Rene Auberjonois.
To recreate the same visual style for Quark's scenes in the wormhole as had been seen in the pilot episode, "Emissary", director Rene Auberjonois and director of photography Jonathan West went back to the original shooting method as developed by "Emissary" director David Carson and then director of photography, Marvin Rush. As had Rush in the pilot, West overexposed the images and used diffusion filters to create the dazzling white which seems to 'bleed' onto the actors' faces. However, while the white is the same as in "Emissary", there is a subtle difference to the rest of the wormhole footage. Visual Effects Coordinator David Takemura used two versions of every shot: a slightly out-of-focus version, and a clean version. He layered the clean version on top of the out-of-focus version to create an effect that is not quite out-of-focus, but is not quite focused correctly either. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
Referenced Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: #10 ("Greed is eternal")
For brief time, a new set of Rules of Acquisition replaces the old one, some of them are:
1: If they want their money back give it to them.
10: Greed is dead.
21: Never place profit before friendship.
22: Latinum tarnishes, but family is forever.
23: Money can never replace dignity.
285: A good deed is its own reward.
Bashir is the youngest of the candidates for the Carrington Prize of 2371. The others are April Wade, Senva, Henri Roget, and Ghee P'Trell.
This is the only episode where Maihar'du speaks. However, it is only when Maihar'du is a representation of a prophet.
This episode introduces the dartboard used by Bashir and O'Brien which would soon become a permanent fixture in Quark's. Originally, the producers wanted to use a pool table, but they were told that Voyager had the same plan. It was next suggested that they play cards, but that had already been done on The Next Generation. As such, darts was settled on as a game the two could play together and still engage in conversation. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
After the pilot episode "Emissary", this is only the second time we have seen the Wormhole Aliens/Prophets. They would become far more important throughout the sixth and seventh seasons.
This is the first episode where the Wormhole Aliens refer to Sisko as 'The Sisko'.
When the Wormhole Alien (in the form of Sisko) says that Zek was trying to find out who wins the game before the game begins, it is a reference to the pilot episode, "Emissary", where Sisko teaches the Aliens about linear time by using the example of a baseball game.
I enjoyed the first 1 1/2 seasons, crappy and reused CGI ad nauseum notwithstanding. Trek's Hewitt Wolfe had a vision, but it shifted to 'Hercules in Space' when they fired him. The 1st season finale is one of my fave cliffhangers along with Smallville's 1st season finale; it put everyone in jeopardy in impossible situations!
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