Children of Time (DS9 episode)

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Children of Time is a fifth-season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space 9.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The starship Defiant is caught in a type of "time-bubble" above an inhabited planet. When they investigate, it is discovered that the inhabitants are the descendants of the Defiant's crew. The inhabitants have lived on the planet for many years and their own history began when the Defiant crashed with no hope of contacting the Federation or repairing the ship. Faced with that reality, the small crew of the Defiant (including Dax, Sisko, O'Brien, etc) decide to remain and establish a society.

The society presented to the crew of the Defiant includes only the descendants of the original inhabitants. The only original "colonists" are Odo, whose Changeling physiology gives him longer longevity than the rest, and the Trill symbiont Dax, in a new host, Yedrin Dax, descendant of Lt. Cmdr. Worf and Jadzia Dax.

The crew is forced to choose between repairing the Defiant and escaping the situation (and wiping out their descendants and everything they've built), and remaining, allowing the Defiant to crash and letting things evolve as they have been presented to them. After much discussion, they choose the latter. Unbeknownst to them, however, the future Odo, wishing to prevent Major Kira from dying, changed their flight plan. Instead of flying through the spot in the atmosphere that will cause them to be flung back in time, they escape the atmosphere, and wipe out their descendants and the colony they had built.

[edit] Notable occurrences in the episode

  • An alarmingly happy and handsome (because of much more practice with shape-shifting) future-Odo professes his feelings for the present day Kira, who would have died in the Defiant crash (the "regular" Odo is "regenerating" during this whole episode).
  • O'Brien feels awful after discovering his future self consummated a relationship with a woman besides his wife Keiko.
  • The children are educated in math via an interactive representation of Quark
  • The newest, male host of Dax is presented as the leader of the colony.
  • Some members have formed a tribe called "Sons of Mogh" modelled on Klingon ideals.


Preceded by:
"Soldiers of the Empire"		 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes Followed by:
"Blaze of Glory"
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