Past Prologue (episode)

=== Reception ===
* Michael Piller was generally proud of this episode, commenting, "''I liked that one quite a bit ''[&hellip;.]'' I think the scenes with Kira and Odo turned out to be some of the best from the first half-season. There was a lot going on, a lot of interaction. Some of the performances were a little broad, still looking for our style, but it was a solid, exciting episode.''" ({{STDS9|3|11}}) On the subject of his performance-related complaint about the installment, Piller elaborated, "''"One of the things about 'Past Prologue' that bothered me was that Bashir's performance was in a very broad range.''" However, Piller, talking at the end of the first season, chalked this up to the show's "newness." He went on to say, "''The first ''[regular]'' episode hurt the character of Bashir because he was so broad in those scenes with Andy Robinson that he looked like the greenest recruit in the history of Starfleet. That hurt him for two or three episodes. If we were shooting it today, his performance would be much more credible. He wouldn't get the same reaction from the audience that he has now.''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 24, No. 3/4, pp. 102 & 103) Piller was, though, happy with how the episode included the Duras sisters. "''It's interesting how we used them ''[&hellip;.]'' It works out just fine to use those guys because then there's a connection and an identification,''" he stated. "''There's a backstory, there's a history, and all of these things make for a much richer series.''" Comparing this installment with {{e|A Man Alone}}, Piller commented, "''We decided that 'Past Prologue' would be more appropriate to follow the two-hour since it had a better action quotient and was a real opportunity for us to continue the themes that had been set up in the pilot and to see what happens when a terrorist comes on board.''" In addition, he opined that the post-production addition of music and visual effects "really didn't help 'Past Prologue much," whereas they seemed to improve "A Man Alone", in his opinion. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', pp. 42 & 43)
* Although he mistakenly cited the incident as being in {{e|Emissary}}, Winrich Kolbe was impressed by the confrontation between Sisko and Kira in which he warns her that, if she ever goes over his head again, he'll serve hers on a silver platter. "''I love that. That, to me, is more human, it is more contemporary ''[&hellip;.]'' It intrigued me because I felt that, yes, we are changing, but we are not necessarily becoming more advanced. There's nationalism two thousand years from now, and it will always be there, because it's something genetically inside us. Like racism, which is something that's always coming out. We only ''seemingly'' live in a better social society if we are able to combat it, but the moment we let our guard down, bingo, there's the conflict.''" (''[[The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years]]'', pp. 448-449) Kolbe also approved of Andrew Robinson's performance in this episode, commenting, "[He]'' turned out to be terrific.''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 24, No. 3/4, p. 91)
* [[Ira Steven Behr]] liked the moment when O'Brien ignores Bashir excitedly revealing, in Ops, that he has been talking with Garak. "''O'Brien just gives Bashir a look, that's like 'Get the hell away from me, kid.' It's funny, it's good, and it's character,''" said Behr. (''[[Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages]]'', p. 336)
* In ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' (Vol. 24, No. 3/4, p. 91), [[Mark A. Altman]] rated this episode two-and-a-half out of four stars and critiqued the installment as a "''routine first one-hour episode that failed to live up to the promise of the pilot. Indicative of the new ''Star Trek''{{'}}s more passionate approach to character interaction is a terrific scene between Odo and Kira and Sisko's actions with a Starfleet admiral. The real standout here is the relationship between a Cardassian spy, Garak, played by an effete Andy Robinson and Siddig El Fadil as Bashir, who brings a manic enthusiasm to his role. It instills the episode with a vibrancy that's lacking in the espionage story. Klingon refugees Lursa and Bator ''[sic]'' from ''The Next Generation'' (and their wonderful [[Robert Blackman|Bob Blackman]]-designed costumes) are welcome additions.''"
* In their book ''[[Beyond the Final Frontier]]'' (p. 183), writers [[Mark Jones]] and [[Lance Parkin]] critiqued this episode as "''a solid start to the regular series with more colour added to the Bajoran political situation. The trust between Odo and Kira is neatly established, plus we have the first appearance of fan favourite Garak. The major problem is Tahna's ploy &ndash; if the bomb is powerful enough to irradiate the system, won't Bajor be affected also?''"