Commentary: One ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ Episode Predicted M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Village’
by Frank Martin
It’s strange how different ideas and themes can take so many different forms in terms of a story. This is doubly true of cerebral dramas that challenge viewers and force them to think in new and interesting ways. Star Trek is more prone to this than other kinds of stories, mainly because it has so many different episodes that cover a wide range of topics. One particular episode touches upon thoughts of building a simpler society where humans can thrive. It approached this concept by having a figure forcibly fabricate the society. It’s an approach that was also surprisingly taken in an M. Night Shyamalan movie.
In an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine titled “Paradise,” Commander Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) investigate a strange signal. They soon discover there is a weird energy field at its source preventing any technology from operating, including their transporters. The pair meet a small group of people who were stranded there after crashing. Unable to leave or call for help, the group forsake the technology that doesn’t work and chooses to live a life of simplicity. It’s eventually uncovered that the leader of the group created a device that caused the technology to falter, thus trapping everyone there because of her radical philosophy in believing it would lead to a better civilization.
The idea that forsaking technology can bring civilization to something more “perfect” was an idea portrayed in The Village. SPOILERS AHEAD: The huge twist at the end of the film: it does not take place in colonial times, which is what the viewer is led to believe. Instead, high-ranking members of the colonial village founded it in modern times as an experiment to see if they can prevent crime. Although these two concepts were presented in two very different ways, the core theme of both is the same. It involves individuals trying to remake society for the better. What makes this situation so interesting is that although both stories are so strongly linked in tone. The plots, characters, and settings are widely different, thus creating unique experiences in the process.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is now streaming on Paramount+.