The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Episode That Changed Tony Todd's Life

Legendary genre actor Tony Todd passed away in 2024, leaving behind a legacy that includes the horror films "Candyman" and "Final Destination." His deep voice also earned him many voiceover villain roles in geek franchises: Zoom in season 2 of "The Flash" (dubbing over the man in the suit a la James Earl Jones, a perfect fit for the Darth Vader-inspired speedster), the Decepticon Dreadwing in "Transformers: Prime," Venom in Insomniac's "Spider-Man 2" video game, and many more.

Trekkies might recognize Todd too; he had a recurring role on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and then "Deep Space Nine" as Kurn, the Klingon brother of Worf (Michael Dorn). Kurn's last appearance was in "DS9" season 4, "Sons of Mogh," but Todd appeared in an even better episode earlier in that season. That would be "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" season 4, episode 2, "The Visitor," penned by the prolific "Trek" writer Michael Taylor.

"The Visitor" is set many decades (even further) in the future and stars Todd as an aged Jake Sisko (normally played as a young man by Cirroc Lofton), the son of series lead Ben Sisko (Avery Brooks). It's also one of the very best "Deep Space Nine" episodes, and Todd himself said the episode "changed his life" in a 2010 interview with StarTrek.com. "Not just in terms of convention appearances, but at the time that episode was done the Internet was just exploding and I remember sitting for hours just basking in the glow of the love that was being written about that single episode," Todd remembered.

"The Visitor" runs the typical 40-ish minutes of a "Deep Space Nine" episode, but it spans decades of Jake Sisko's life. When the episode begins, he's visited by a young woman named Melanie (Rachel Robinson). You see, in previous episodes, Jake had decided he wanted to be a writer, and even began working on a novel: "Anslem." It turns out he completed the book and it was a success — but then he stopped writing . Melanie, an aspiring writer herself, wants to know why. Cue the framing device, where Jake explains to her the story of how "[his] father died."

Back in the distant past of 2373, Ben Sisko was seemingly vaporized before his son's eyes during a warp core accident on the Defiant. Only Sisko Sr. did not die; he was cast into a different dimension ("subspace"). Every so often (sometimes years apart) and without warning, Ben returns to Jake for a few moments, only to then disappear again. You see, the title "The Visitor" is a double entendre; Jake has two visitors, both Melanie and his father.

Knowing his father is still out there makes it worse for Jake because he can't move on. He sacrifices his career, his marriage, and his life to rescue his dad — first in effect, and then literally. Against Ben's pleas, Jake poisons himself to "cut the chord," sending his father back to the moment he first vanished: "For you and for the boy that I was," Jake explains. "He needs you more than you know."

"The Visitor" truly shows the magic of longform television storytelling. It stands on its own as a powerful episode, but it gains an extra punch from us knowing how close Ben and Jake are. Their relationship is a crucial part of both characters in the first three seasons and remains so in the four that follow. By continuing on with "Deep Space Nine" after "The Visitor," we see firsthand how Jake's sacrifice, to give his father and younger self a "second chance," was worth it.

Todd's performance as the adult Jake is the episode's heart, of course, and there's a reason he played it so beautifully beyond just his talent. In the aforementioned interview, Todd explained the episode's themes of loss, grief, and moving on hit him in a personal place. When he first received the script for "The Visitor," his aunt (the woman who had raised him) had recently passed away at age 82. In his own words:

"I'd just finished 'Candyman 2' and it devastated me because she was a person I talked to every day. Fortunately, she was able to see some of the beginnings of my success. But I was in a state of shock and I wasn't able to work for four months. They sent me the script for 'The Visitor.' It wasn't a complete offer, but they sent it for my consideration and wanted me to come in and see them. So it was the role that got me up off the bed, out of the house, and into the producers' office."

Todd got the part, and to play Jake's sadness at losing his father, all he had to do was channel his own feelings. He described acting in "The Visitor" as "sort of my homage to the parental figure in my life that I loved and cherished."

If you're in need of a good cry this coming Father's Day, pay a visit to "The Visitor."