"In 1995, during the week of November 27, just a few weeks after James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) made a massive comeback on the big screen in the film , the Star Trek franchise delivered a shaken and stirred tribute to the world of 007. Of all the Deep Space Nine episodes, "Our Man Bashir" was one of the most elaborate productions, necessitating wardrobe, sets, and props that weren't part of the usual 24th-century repertoire. And while the humor and whimsy of "Our Man Bashir" hold up today as one of the better holodeck malfunction Trek episodes, its legacy is perhaps more surprising than many fans might know."
"As a Bond spoof, "Our Man Bashir" is funnier than most, and I'd argue smarter than say, Austin Powers (which first hit theaters in 1997, outperforming an actual Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies) The point is, in addition to Spy Hard in 1996, the 1990s, for whatever reason, were a time lousy with Bond spoofs. But nobody did it better than Star Trek, and the proof lies in the fact that an actual, real-deal, canonical James Bond universe Double O agent exists today because of "Our Man Bashir.""
"By 1995, a holodeck fantasy episode, in which the simulation malfunctions and everyone is in real danger, had become a mini-Trek cliché. What "Our Man Bashir" had going that made it different was twofold; First, the entire cast was able to play different characters, thanks to a transporter accident getting mixed with the holodeck accident. (Everyone's transporter patterns got stored in the holodeck hard drive because of reasons, don't ask.) Second, the fact that this was a Bond spoof, rather than, say, something set in the Old West or Sherwood Forest (which were frequent holodeck settings due to copyright reasons), gave "Our Man Bashir" a slightly more contemporary flair."
During late November 1995, Deep Space Nine aired 'Our Man Bashir,' a James Bond–style holodeck episode that required nonstandard 24th-century wardrobe, sets, and props. The episode paired a holodeck malfunction with a transporter accident, resulting in crew transporter patterns being stored on the holodeck and enabling the entire cast to portray alternate characters. The Bond spoof tone provided a contemporary flair compared with frequent Old West or Sherwood Forest holodeck settings. The episode's humor and whimsy remain notable, and its legacy extended into Star Trek canon by inspiring a real Double-O agent within the franchise.
Read at Inverse
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]