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The Storyteller (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Storyteller" is the 14th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
is recruited to save a Bajoran
village from destruction. Back on the station, Commander Sisko arbitrates a land dispute between two factions of Bajorans, the Paqu and the Navot, while the adolescent leader of the Paqu (who Nog develops a crush for) learns the art of compromise.
O'Brien and Bashir
are sent on a relief mission to Bajor in response to a medical emergency, the nature of which is unknown. O'Brien approaches Sisko
before their departure, noting that his role in the mission is little more than a chauffeur, and requests that someone else go with Bashir. Although he gives no specific reason for his request, it becomes clear when a gung-ho Bashir enters the room that O'Brien considers Bashir a pest. Sisko ignores O'Brien's request and tends to a conflict between two rival Bajoran factions, the Paqu and the Navot.
Bashir attempts to make small talk during the trip to Bajor, but O'Brien gives him the cold shoulder. They beam to the surface and find no signs of disease; a man called the Sirah is dying, and the village leader believes the entire village will die with him. The Sirah awakens and proclaims that the Prophets
have sent O'Brien to the village; he then asks O'Brien and Bashir to leave. Outside, Bashir informs the village leader that the Sirah is dying of natural causes. The man warns the "Dal'Rok" will destroy the village if the Sirah is not able to fend it off, but he does not reveal just what it is.
That night, against Bashir's wishes, the Sirah's apprentice helps him outside amidst a strong wind. There he speaks to the entire village, announcing the Dal'Rok's awakening as a threatening cloudlike apparition appears in the sky above him. The villagers cheer him on as he tells of how the village will resist the Dal Rok, but O'Brien's tricorder
picks up nothing. He and Bashir observe as the Sirah gives a narrative about the village defeating the Dal'Rok, and as he speaks, a beam of light seems to make the apparition disappear.
The Sirah collapses in the middle of his narrative and the villagers panic as the Dal'Rok returns to destroy several buildings. He ignores his apprentice and whispers the rest of the story to O'Brien, who repeats it verbatim to the village. The light reappears, eventually causing the apparition to dissipate. By the time the Dal'Rok is gone, however, the Sirah has died. The village leader announces the Sirah's death and informs the villagers that O'Brien is his successor.
The villagers treat O'Brien like a king; he is visibly agitated by his new status but Bashir is fascinated. The village leader is adamant about the Sirah's choice when O'Brien tries to tell him he is not the Sirah's successor. He and the other villagers insist on treating O'Brien as the new Sirah. O'Brien searches for whatever caused the Dal'Rok, knowing he is now expected to fend it off that night, he and Bashir are unable to explain it.
The Sirah's apprentice visits O'Brien, who inquires about the Sirah. He brandishes a dagger and tries to kill O'Brien, claiming he is the true Sirah, but Bashir stops him. O'Brien tells the apprentice he is glad to relinquish the post, but the apprentice reveals he had a chance to tell the story and failed. The Sirah's choice of O'Brien was a way of punishing his apprentice. He shows Bashir and O'Brien a rock, supposedly a fragment of an Orb of the Prophets, which harnesses the villagers' thoughts and creates the Dal'Rok. Only by uniting can they stop it.
O'Brien encourages the apprentice to try telling the story again, but the village leader rejects the apprentice. He orders him to take the Sirah's robe off, leaving O'Brien little choice in the matter. O'Brien goes in front of the village that night and attempts to tell the story. "Once upon a time, there was a little Dal'Rok," he begins, unable to come up with a coherent narrative. The dissatisfied villagers see the Dal'Rok return in full force and begin to panic. At Bashir's suggestion, the apprentice takes the stage and, speaking eloquently as the Sirah did, tells of a new voice challenging the Dal'Rok. The villagers follow his lead and defeat the Dal'Rok, embracing him as the new Sirah and relieving O'Brien of the post.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
.
Overview
Two simultaneous plotlines unfold. O'BrienMiles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
is recruited to save a Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
village from destruction. Back on the station, Commander Sisko arbitrates a land dispute between two factions of Bajorans, the Paqu and the Navot, while the adolescent leader of the Paqu (who Nog develops a crush for) learns the art of compromise.
Plot
O'Brien and Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
are sent on a relief mission to Bajor in response to a medical emergency, the nature of which is unknown. O'Brien approaches Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
before their departure, noting that his role in the mission is little more than a chauffeur, and requests that someone else go with Bashir. Although he gives no specific reason for his request, it becomes clear when a gung-ho Bashir enters the room that O'Brien considers Bashir a pest. Sisko ignores O'Brien's request and tends to a conflict between two rival Bajoran factions, the Paqu and the Navot.
Bashir attempts to make small talk during the trip to Bajor, but O'Brien gives him the cold shoulder. They beam to the surface and find no signs of disease; a man called the Sirah is dying, and the village leader believes the entire village will die with him. The Sirah awakens and proclaims that the Prophets
Prophet (Star Trek)
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Prophets, also known as Wormhole Aliens, are non-corporeal beings who inhabit the artificially constructed Bajoran wormhole which connects a distant point in the Gamma Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant, near the planet of Bajor and the space station Deep Space...
have sent O'Brien to the village; he then asks O'Brien and Bashir to leave. Outside, Bashir informs the village leader that the Sirah is dying of natural causes. The man warns the "Dal'Rok" will destroy the village if the Sirah is not able to fend it off, but he does not reveal just what it is.
That night, against Bashir's wishes, the Sirah's apprentice helps him outside amidst a strong wind. There he speaks to the entire village, announcing the Dal'Rok's awakening as a threatening cloudlike apparition appears in the sky above him. The villagers cheer him on as he tells of how the village will resist the Dal Rok, but O'Brien's tricorder
Tricorder
In the fictional Star Trek universe, a tricorder is a multifunction handheld device used for sensor scanning, data analysis, and recording data.Three primary variants of the tricorder are issued in Star Trek's Starfleet...
picks up nothing. He and Bashir observe as the Sirah gives a narrative about the village defeating the Dal'Rok, and as he speaks, a beam of light seems to make the apparition disappear.
The Sirah collapses in the middle of his narrative and the villagers panic as the Dal'Rok returns to destroy several buildings. He ignores his apprentice and whispers the rest of the story to O'Brien, who repeats it verbatim to the village. The light reappears, eventually causing the apparition to dissipate. By the time the Dal'Rok is gone, however, the Sirah has died. The village leader announces the Sirah's death and informs the villagers that O'Brien is his successor.
The villagers treat O'Brien like a king; he is visibly agitated by his new status but Bashir is fascinated. The village leader is adamant about the Sirah's choice when O'Brien tries to tell him he is not the Sirah's successor. He and the other villagers insist on treating O'Brien as the new Sirah. O'Brien searches for whatever caused the Dal'Rok, knowing he is now expected to fend it off that night, he and Bashir are unable to explain it.
The Sirah's apprentice visits O'Brien, who inquires about the Sirah. He brandishes a dagger and tries to kill O'Brien, claiming he is the true Sirah, but Bashir stops him. O'Brien tells the apprentice he is glad to relinquish the post, but the apprentice reveals he had a chance to tell the story and failed. The Sirah's choice of O'Brien was a way of punishing his apprentice. He shows Bashir and O'Brien a rock, supposedly a fragment of an Orb of the Prophets, which harnesses the villagers' thoughts and creates the Dal'Rok. Only by uniting can they stop it.
O'Brien encourages the apprentice to try telling the story again, but the village leader rejects the apprentice. He orders him to take the Sirah's robe off, leaving O'Brien little choice in the matter. O'Brien goes in front of the village that night and attempts to tell the story. "Once upon a time, there was a little Dal'Rok," he begins, unable to come up with a coherent narrative. The dissatisfied villagers see the Dal'Rok return in full force and begin to panic. At Bashir's suggestion, the apprentice takes the stage and, speaking eloquently as the Sirah did, tells of a new voice challenging the Dal'Rok. The villagers follow his lead and defeat the Dal'Rok, embracing him as the new Sirah and relieving O'Brien of the post.
Arc significance
- O'Brien and Bashir go on their first mission together, though O'Brien barely tolerates the Doctor's arrogance and enthusiasm.
See also
- "The Man Who Would Be KingThe Man Who Would Be KingFor the 1975 film based on this story, see The Man Who Would Be King "The Man Who Would Be King" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling. It is about two British adventurers in British India who become kings of Kafiristan, a remote part of Afghanistan...
", the 1888 Rudyard KiplingRudyard KiplingJoseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
story upon which the episode was based