The Alternate (9 Jan. 1994)

Odo and Dr. Mora Pol, Odo's 'father', discover a life form similar to Odo on a Gamma Quadrant planet.

Director:

David Carson

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman (creator),

Stars:

Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Avery Brooks	...	Commander Sisko
Rene Auberjonois	...	Odo
Alexander Siddig	...	Doctor Bashir (as Siddig El Fadil)
Terry Farrell	...	Lieutenant Jadzia Dax
Cirroc Lofton	...	Jake Sisko
Colm Meaney	...	Chief O'Brien
Armin Shimerman	...	Quark
Nana Visitor	...	Major Kira
James Sloyan	...	Dr. Mora
Matt McKenzie	...	Dr. Weld Ram

Storyline

Odo gets a visit from Dr. Mora Pol, the scientist who researched him in a laboratory on Bajor. Mora still seems to be unhappy with Odo's decision to leave for Deep Space Nine and Odo is still not happy with the way the scientist treated him. Mora gets him interested to resume work on finding his origins when he tells him a Bajoran science probe recently scanned a planet in the Gamma Quadrant and found DNA patterns looking just like Odo's. Sisko agrees to let Odo, Mora, Dax and the Bajoran doctor Weld take a runabout. On the planet they find a mysterious pillar and Dr. Weld finds the life-form the team is looking for. They decide to beam the pillar and the life-form on board and take them to DS9.

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Plot Keywords:

24th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 1994 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

While trying to console Odo when the the researcher who first was assigned to work with Odo falls ill, Sisko speaks about how difficult it was to see his own father get sick and grow frail, and how helpless he felt. Sisko concludes, "But, in the end, I knew there was nothing I could do," suggesting that his father died. However, as we learn later, Sisko's father is very much alive.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Quark: I am merely a businessman. It would take an orator with the skills of the late, great Plegg himself to sing the praises of the late, great Plegg.

User Reviews

A possible home world for Odo

When Dr. Mora, the scientist, who discovered Odo turns up on DS9 he is more pleased to see Odo than Odo is to see him although when he says a planet has been discovered in the Gamma Quadrant which scans indicate may have a life form similar to him he is keen to help investigate. On the planet they find a life form although preliminary scans suggest it isn't the same as Odo. Before they have been there long there is an Earthquake which releases a gas which has a negative effect on the Bajoran scientists and to a lesser expect Dax; it appears that Odo is unaffected as unlike the others he doesn't breath. The sample of the life form evolves at an amazing rate but disappears over night; either it escaped or somebody released it from the lab, either way the lab is heavily damaged. As they search the station it appears that Chief O'Brien has found it but what he has found is dead. When Dr, Bashir is attacked by a large shape-shifting creature it is clear that whatever destroyed the lab isn't dead. At this point Dr. Mora comes up with a shocking theory about what the dangerous creature is.

This was a decent episode with some nicely humorous moments and a good mystery although the CGI looked somewhat dated by todays standards. The interaction between Odo and Dr. Mora was interesting, they clearly had very different opinions of their time together but by the end of the episode understood each other's positions better.