The Storyteller

We have in this episode the potential for civil war between 2 factions if they don't come to some sort of an agreement on the space station moderated by Commander Sisko. Wait.....didn't we just have a civil war episode?

Notice: There is a Laugh Out Loud moment here when O'Brien dons a cape and goes onto a hillside to give the natives a pep talk to dispel a monster. No, I'm not kidding.

Notice: Jake Sisko's friend (the Ferengi boy) Nog tells Jake he doesn't want to go to a holosuite and play baseball because it is so stinking boring. Nog even reminds Jake that humans have not played baseball for several hundred years. I wonder what has happened to professional football and basketball in the future?

O'Brien and Dr. Bashir are sent on a mission to assist the Sirah, a spiritual leader who controls a monster, the Dal'Rok, by sending it away as it approaches the town each year. Oddly, however, the Sirah is thrilled to see O'Brien and indicates HE is his successor...and the Sirah then dies. But O'Brien has no idea how the old man controlled the weird creation and soon he's shocked at the instant devotion the villagers have towards him.

The other plot involves some negotiations between two Bajoran tribes. It seems that their boundary was a river--and the Cardassians re- routed it. So where is this new border? Well, as for one group, their leader is an obnoxious and extremely immature young woman who seems to delight in arguing during these important negotiations--and Sisko is baffled how to deal with her. At the same time, Nog and Jake are infatuated with her and spend time lusting after her and eventually befriending her.

Both plots seem very inconsequential and rather dull--particularly the one about boundaries. Relying so much on the boys make this one particularly unimpressive and insignificant. And, as often is the case in this show, the Bajorans are an incredibly annoying race, as they are almost constantly fighting and arguing. It also didn't help that the 'monster' in the other plot was created by a special effects person who dumped cream into another liquid and played it back very slowly. All in all, there are quite a few things about this one that make it sub- par and a bit silly.

Bad, but not offensive. Just very middle of the road D-tier TNG episode. There's been an uncomfortable number of episodes this series where the cast are just.. Hating being there. Colm phones this one in so hard that Bashir's performance actually looks competent by comparison. There's a scene in particular with entirely ADR'd dialogue because of the wind machine where Colm might as well be reading from a phone book. Really cringe stuff.

Some cute stuff with Jake and Nog and Odo elevates this to a 4, but as an episode it has no linking theme between the A and B plot resulting in a disjointed mess that doesn't say anything. Trek at its best asks big moral questions. This is just community theatre and asks nothing.

Random cameo from The Punisher Jon Bernthal as an uncredited Bajoran villager.

Chief O'Brien and Dr Bashir visit Bajor.

I had low expectations of this but was pleasantly surprised as I personally think it is not as bad as it's made out to be.

The storyteller concept is silly on numerous levels, but O'Brien's awkwardness in a 'The Man Who Would Be King' tribute is quite entertaining. It lightheartedly explores themes of social control via religious figureheads. Although it's resolution leaves a lot to be desired.

The Nog/Jake shenanigans are fairly hit and miss, but they do have some fun moments.

Colm Meaney and Alexander Siddig have decent chemistry and although this episode does not have best example of their character work, it's a good starting point.

5.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

I read the other reviews and I disagree. I enjoyed how it showed character development plus the strength of friendship and compromise. And I certainly don't understand why everyone is so down on Jake and Nog. I get a kick out of them. True friends, despite all the odds against them. This was not an action driven episode. Both stories were about relationships. You don't have to blow things up to make a point. And it's alright to be a little bit lighthearted once in awhile.