Statistical Probabilities

Reminded me of the scene in Community where Abed makes fun of shows for using a social disorder as a procedural device - the stereotypes in this episode were painful to watch.

The reality is that if one day we manage to engineer our genetic makeup to improve our cognitive abilities we will look more like bashir and not at all like those mentally ill patients. Simply because we will have removed genetic predisposition for diseases as we manage to actually improve on cognitive abilities.

But that's not acceptable to some people who think man is already perfect as he is. They have to write episodes like this to say Eugenics are bad.

Instead of actually finding arguments that stand the trial of logical eximation, they'd rather create monsters and moralise. As if it was an argument.

I always thought Star Trek writers had a courageous vision of the future, but everything related to eugenics and genetic advancements is plagued with short sighteness and half baked moral arguments.

After a great start of season 6, with only sons and daughters as a filler episode, it's seriously going down hill now...episode 7,8 and this one as number 9 all rank among the worst Star Trek episodes in my opinion. they left the main plot line to bore us with these uninteresting side steps with horrible new characters. I had to watch this one in 3 steps because I couldn't handle more than 15 minutes at a time without getting too annoyed.

(I only write this review because of the 7,7 rating it has...I was expecting at least a decent episode after the previous 2)

My favourite DS9 episode. Of all DS9 episodes. Dr Bashir finds out that he got genetically altered as a baby, and starts bonding with fellow sufferers. Genetic engineering had been there in the original Star Trek show, see Khan Noonien Singh. But DS9's take is even better. The characters we see here are good people. Including a very sexy lady. Another fellow is hyper-intelligent. Apart from the interesting character, I felt the acting was stellar. I felt I had seen none of this before. In fact, I would watch an entire Star Trek spin-off with only that band of inspiring people. I'm not sure if everyone agrees with my favourite-episode-pick, but those 45 minutes are absolutely unique in the entire 1,000-episode Star Trek franchise, and feel fresh forever. --- Search "Trek Greenspace" on Google Play Books and join my Star Trek Fan Project!

The most annoying thing about this episode isn't even the annoying characters. It's that we've seen it all before.

In 1990, Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah starred in "Crazy People." Emory Leeson (Moore) is an advertising executive who experiences a nervous breakdown. He designs a series of "truthful" advertisements, blunt and bawdy and of no use to his boss Drucker's firm. The ads were thought up by the honest but bright patients Leeson is now staying with, and when they're accidentally printed, they prove to be a huge hit with the public. (Their best was, Volvo: they're boxy, but they're good." The basic theme of "crazy" people who use their special abilities to see things others can't is identical to the theme of this episode.

Even worse is Tim Ransom's portrayal of Jack, the hyperactive genetically enhanced man whose constant "Hm? Hm?" makes him über-punchable. His mannerisms were lifted directly from Brad Pitt's insane man-child, "Jeffrey Goines," in "12 Monkeys" only a couple of years before this episode aired.

Of course, with Potsy (Anton Williams) directing, we can't expect "Becket."