Time's Orphan

A number of highly unlikely things have to go wrong for this episode to begin another amount for the ending and in the middle the seemingly worst parents ever.

Would you quit your job to be with your daughter? O'Brian thinks theres a better way..

Just watch it for how bad it is.

I wish the writers could give the O'Brien's good scripts and character developments. They just dealt with the family members as extras that can talk!

Here in this episode, the concept was great, yet the execution was kind of "bad". too many things could have happened with them, but again, writers would choose the cheapest way to do it.

Can't stand the main Molly plotline in this episode. The acting is rough around the edges by no fault of the actors. The writing is sloppy. It's honestly just stressful to watch Molly freaking out only to cut to Yoshi crying. Mollys character gets more and more irritating to watch as the episode develops.

Worfs side plot and character moments is the only redeeming part of this episode.

The premise is actually interesting, but instead of diving into the trauma, ethics, or even the sci-fi potential, the episode opts for melodrama and half-baked emotional beats.

While Rosalind Chao and Colm Meaney give it their all, even their seasoned acting can't make up for a script that treats time displacement like a bad case of summer camp. The emotional stakes feel oddly low, the pacing drags, and somehow the solution to this temporal tragedy is something that I as a parent would never ever do.

Decisions with potentially devastating consequences are made on a whim, and more often than not I completely fail to understand the characters' actions. The ending comes off as a cheap escape from the and emotional ethical dilemma. Nothing has consequences here.

Worf's sub-plot about proving himself as a dad is kinda heartwarming though. I'm giving this episode an extra star just for that.

Molly O'Brien disappears through a time portal.

This is an okay episode that includes decent character moments.

For me the plot unfolds in a mostly contrived way as it includes certain events that feel like they happen because the writers want to have their cake and eat it with painful emotional moments and happy endings. As some reviewers have correctly pointed out, the Federation is supposed to be an advanced, progressive society, which makes the treatment of Molly feel especially forced into the story to create the central dilemma.

I like the interaction between characters in various family situations. The O'Brien family, plus the likes of Worf, Jadzia and Odo are all used very well during interactions with each other. The Worf and Jadzia scenes in particular work well considering what happens in the season finale.

All actors are on good form, particularly Colm Meaney, who always impresses when the writers make his character suffer.