The Good: Great idea, Wonderful acting, Nice direction
The Bad: Inconsistent execution of idea.
The Basics: When Dr. Bashir is struck down by an alien, he awakens to find himself inside his own mind fighting for survival.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine does an excellent job of using its ensemble cast and keeping the characters that are involved in the series moving forward. All of them seem to have issues, progressions and character arcs and they always are in motion. The character of Dr. Bashir has always been one that has something going on: a few episodes back, he was trapped in the past with Captain Sisko and more recently, he was nominated for a prestigious medical award. In "Distant Voices," the camera is entirely on Dr. Bashir.
As his thirtieth birthday approaches, Dr. Bashir finds himself having lunch with Garak and being quite depressed. He returns to work where he is assaulted by a Lethian, an alien with telepathic powers that usually kill the victim. Bashir awakens to find the station abandoned and on minimal power. He begins to age at an unnatural rate as he explores the critically wounded space station. He soon comes to realize that Deep Space Nine is a metaphor for his dying body and the people he meets, for he soon meets strangely inconsistent versions of Quark, Garak, Dax, Odo and Kira, are aspects of his personality. He is forced to watch as he is robbed of faculties and health as he nears ever closer to death.
This is a great idea with an often ill-executed result. What a wonderful idea that Bashir would waken on Deep Space Nine and recast his friends as aspects of his own personality! But in that same symbology, Bashir himself must either be his consciousness or his greatest sense of self. Either way, as the Lethian in Bashir's mind - which symbolizes the malaise that is killing his physical body - kills off the other parts of his personality, Bashir ought to, by necessity, lose that aspect. For example, Bashir quickly determines that Dax represents his determination and aggressive instincts. When the Lethian carries Dax off, Bashir ought to, having lost his determination and confidence, become completely worrisome and be plagued by that until he finally dies. The discrepancy between the idea and the execution of it is mismanaged in "Distant Voices."
What does work is the character work and the acting. Dr. Bashir has been enigmatic and while it is easy for the viewer to be astounded at the inner strength Bashir has in the resolution of the story, it come to make sense in the larger context of the series. All of the characters on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine have a secret and Bashir's is not revealed until late in the fifth season. Here near the end of the third season, Bashir is still subject to the occasional extraordinary act.
But who Bashir pegs for what in his mind makes a whole lot of sense. Recognizing Dax as a confident individual makes sense. That Odo is Bashir's paranoia says almost as much about Odo as it does about Bashir. For the sense of professionalism, Commander Sisko makes a great deal of sense as well. But within Bashir's character as well, the whole scenario reads as very real. We easily believe in Bashir and this place he finds himself in. As the landscape becomes more surreal, we are able to suspend our disbelief because of what we do know about Bashir.
And the episode would not have been successful had it not been for Siddig El Fadil's acting. While the entire cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine gives its all, Siddig carries the show. Almost the entire episode is focused on him and Siddig creates a very real sense of menace and danger surrounding his character. He does this especially in his body language as he ages. As Bashir ages, Siddig carries his frame completely differently and in the final scenes of the episode, it's impossible to look at the character on screen and believe him to be anything younger than ninety years old.
A lot of the credit goes to the make-up department after Siddig El Fadil. "Distant Voices" has some of the most elaborate make-up in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and it's quite convincing. Looking more like wrinkles and liverspots than latex, the make-up department manages to age the actor effectively. The hair department worked wonders with making Bashir's hair go subtly from black to white as well.
In the end, the episode works because of the fine direction from Alexander Singer. Singer keeps the focus tight on Bashir and while that instantly reveals to the viewer that all things are related to him and his weakened state, it does not ruin the piece. Instead, it gives the viewer a sense of real dread and there are many moments in this episode where the outcome is very much up in the air. Especially considering that on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we've seen important characters die.
If you're not a fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, this episode should still be accessible, though if you're not into psychology or science fiction, I doubt you would find much to like here. While fans will appreciate the return of the infamous "post-ganglionic nerve," those who are unfamiliar with the series will not be lost without the allusion.
"Distant Voices" is very much a bottle episode and it manages to pull off the feeling of being insular and creepy and convey a real sense of jeopardy within it. While not a part of the essential Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, this is a worthwhile episode that uses the full ensemble (and recurring guest Garak) quite well and may be enjoyed by anyone who likes psychological thrillers and/or science fiction.
[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Third Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the breakout season by clicking here!
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6.5/10
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© 2011, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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