The classic work that inspired the most surprising episode of Deep Space Nine

By Chris Snellgrove | Published 28 seconds ago

If you are a fan of Star Trek: Deep Space NineThen you know that the program had a first rocky season, but the “Duet” episode highlighted the program’s complete potential. This was an episode in which we learned more about the atrocities of the Cardasians against the Bajorians and more about how Kira has sailed his transition from Freedom Fighter to military officer. More Deep space nine admirers No However, knowing about this episode is that it was directly inspired by The man in the glass cabinA famous work by Robert Shaw.

The man in the glass cabin

If you have never seen the work of 1967, The man in the glass cabin It is a Jewish man who is arrested by Israeli authorities for being a Nazi war criminal. The trial against him seems to go well until the surprise revealed that he deliberately altered medical records to impersonate his former Nazi torturer. In it Deep space nine Episode “Duet”, we obtain similar revelation when a Cardassian who passes through an important war criminal is revealed as an official of the minor government who altered his own records with the hope that his prosecution would shed light on the brutalities that the Cardssians inflicted the Bajorans.

Originally, the story was released Deep space nine Showrunner Michael Piller for two of their interns, and had a very different idea of ​​how “Duet” should be. They conceived an episode in which the Cartassian really was A war criminal and that Kira would put himself in the unbalanceable position to defend him. There was an obvious dramatic potential in such premise, but Piller did not love the initial idea because he thought it was too similar to Judgment in NurembergA 1961 film that has just passed the Star Future Star Trek William Shatner icon.

According to Piller, it was Deep space nine The producer and future showrunner Ira Steven Behr, who “gave us the turn that gave him The man in the glass cabin Some of the feelings, where the guy is not the one who says it is, but he is doing it for more noble reasons. “This turn caused the episode premise to feel fresh because we could rarely see any cardás that seemed repentant to their war crimes against the bass. surprising compassionate depth.

While The man in the glass cabin It is a classic work that adapted to an equally classical film, it could be argued that Deep space nine Improves your formula with “Duet”. Something frustrating, the previous story never explains exactly why its Jewish protagonist would do everything possible to be caught and judged as his Nazi torturer. In “Duet”, we know that the Casessian who passes through a war criminal has a fair cause … namely, to spread the galactic consciousness of the bad actions of his people, even when he helped to achieve the closure to the people of Bajoran.

We are great believers who Deep space nine It is the best Star Trek program, and “Duet” is still one of its most impressive episodes. He is fleshy, full of monologues and develops the world of franchise while giving us a look at Kira’s interior depths, one of the most convincing characters in the program. Looking back, however, it is quite alert to realize that without Robert Shaw’s The man in the glass cabinDS9’s first masterpiece can never have reached air.