gdog243 0 Posted June 3, 2004 I just watched this episode again tonight, and it is probably one of the best social commentary episodes in all of trek. Brooks was outstanding as usual in this one, once he took over the role as Gabrial Bell, and I liked the other characters, such as Lee, Webb, and BC. One thing that always makes me to think after watching an episode like this, is what is going on in our society, and how close we are to what was portrayed here. Living here in San Francisco Bay Area, homelessness is a big problem, and it does seem like we have forgotten how to care. True, there are those who fake homelessness, but there are those homeless people who are just as normal who probably became that way by loosing thier jobs. I was also struck by the whole thing with the "Budget Cuts" that were mentioned in this episode, and it reminded me of California's current budget problem and our federal economy. On one of the special features, Ira Behr said that during the time they were filming this episode, the LA times was reporting special "Havens" to block off a part of the city from the "normal" public. Will we see the concept of sactuary districts in the very future. 2024 will be in my life time (I'll be 40) and it may not be the same, but it seems like our social problems will get worse before they get better. I don't even know if anyone cares about this problem in our society and will all the lay-offs, it seems like we are heading into the realm of courting people off who can't afford to make a living. I really do like the final scene between Sisko and Bashir. "How could things have gotten so Bad" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike 5 Posted June 3, 2004 Yeah, another fantastic DS9 episode..Brooks turned in another stellar performance..This was certainly a scary look into our future..I can see the possibility of jobless/homelessness going in that direction and that depresses me..I too like that line; "How could we let things get so bad ?" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ILIKESEVEN 0 Posted June 3, 2004 Exept for some good episodes(war with the Dominium) i find DS9 a little to static, or say boring. they realy should have come up with better episodes, but this is just an opinium from a dutchman, however i did like the caracter Garak, he had something sinister over him, and alway managed to get out off trubbel ,and then be the innosent taylor again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NordicBearskin 0 Posted June 3, 2004 As has already been said this was a great episode, again showing how DS9 can really push the envelope of story telling. I espeacily liked this episode because it illustrated just how far Julian Bashir's character had come from the pilot. He commanded just as much respect as Brooks and he didn't have a gun! ILIKESEVEN: Out of interest, roughly how many DS9 episodes have you seen? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gdog243 0 Posted June 4, 2004 It's good that you like it, but what do you think of a possibilities of sactuary districts becoming a reality. ILIKESEVEN, I could understand if you don't like it, however, how many have you seen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VaBeachGuy 12 Posted June 4, 2004 Past Tense was a really good episode on several different levels. I loved the part with Miles and Kira beaming through time looking for them, they beam into the 60's with hippies lol The meat of the episode though is something that I could envision happening, though I doubt ever will. If the government is allowed to get too strong though we would be more likely to see it come to pass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ussacclaim 0 Posted June 5, 2004 True, there are those who fake homelessness Yeah. Ever read "The Man with the Twisted Lip" or something like that? It was a Sherlock Holmes story. The character said he made more money begging than getting a real job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ddillard 2 Posted June 6, 2004 This was definitely a great episode. As for the santuary districts, I could see it happening. I am sure that it would start out as an area for the homeless to take refuge and have someplace to sleep, and they would probably be free to leave the area if they so chose, but I could almost forsee it developing into them being restricted to the area "for thier own safety." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Madam Captain 0 Posted June 9, 2004 I just watched this episode again tonight, and it is probably one of the best social commentary episodes in all of trek. Brooks was outstanding as usual in this one, once he took over the role as Gabrial Bell, and I liked the other characters, such as Lee, Webb, and BC. One thing that always makes me to think after watching an episode like this, is what is going on in our society, and how close we are to what was portrayed here. Living here in San Francisco Bay Area, homelessness is a big problem, and it does seem like we have forgotten how to care. True, there are those who fake homelessness, but there are those homeless people who are just as normal who probably became that way by loosing thier jobs. I was also struck by the whole thing with the "Budget Cuts" that were mentioned in this episode, and it reminded me of California's current budget problem and our federal economy. On one of the special features, Ira Behr said that during the time they were filming this episode, the LA times was reporting special "Havens" to block off a part of the city from the "normal" public. Will we see the concept of sactuary districts in the very future. 2024 will be in my life time (I'll be 40) and it may not be the same, but it seems like our social problems will get worse before they get better. I don't even know if anyone cares about this problem in our society and will all the lay-offs, it seems like we are heading into the realm of courting people off who can't afford to make a living. I really do like the final scene between Sisko and Bashir. "How could things have gotten so Bad" Hi there Past Tense was a great DS9 two parter. I found it very ironic that Sisko and Julian ended up in the Sanctuary District, where thousands of homeless people were living and Jadzia wound up in the rich part of town. The Santuary Districts were over crowded and the people living there made up the majority of the population but there was also still a handful of 'wealthy' people living in the city. It seemed to me that there were too many homeless people without jobs and the situation was only going to get worse before it got better. I wonder how many people just 'got lost' in the system?? The facility that dealt with the 'ghosts' and other homeless people of varying degrees, reminded me so much of the Centrelink offices here in Australia. Centrelink deals with the unemployed, single parents, disability pensions etc. I really hope that society doesn't turn into the situation being portrayed in Past Tense but realistically, I think things have to get worse before they get better. We watch DS9 and other Trek series and think "The 24th century will be a great time to be alive, the technology is fantastic and people are accepted, regardless of their gender, religion or race. People are able to live in peace". However, these things didn't happen over night. Madam Captain out!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
