Bashir is enjoying a classic spy novel program in the holosuite when he's interrupted by a curious Garak, looking to see what fanciful notions of spycraft the doctor has. But an even bigger interruption comes when a transporter accident deposits Sisko, Dax, Kira, Worf, and O'Brien in the holosuite computer. With the program's characters now embodied by Bashir's friends, he must keep the story running -- and everyone alive -- until a rescue can be attempted.
The Star Trek producers had all but put a ban on "malfunctioning holodeck" stories when Deep Space Nine's own Assistant Script Coordinator, Robert Gillan, pitched them an unusual take. What if the transporter malfunctioned, not the holodeck, resulting in fictional characters appearing like our heroes? It was "sold in the room," as they say, even though it wasn't until later that staff writer Ronald Moore suggested that the program in question be a mashup of 1960s spy thriller fiction (earning himself the script assignment in the process).
Of course, James Bond is clearly the largest influence on the story. The references are endless: a "pre-credits sequence" that puts Julian in a one-off adventure; his introduction as "Bashir, Julian Bashir"; rooms with secret panels and rotating walls; wild, monologuing villains with eyepatches and knockout cigars and Nehru suits; ludicrous character names (Anastasia Komananov, Mona Luvsitt, Honey Bare, and Doctor Noah); killer lasers (with heroes tied to them for execution); even a closing promise that "Julian Bashir, secret agent, will return." The episode has all the camp of the Roger Moore era and all the cold hard swagger of the Sean Connery era.
It arrived on television right at the start of the Pierce Brosnan era. After several years being out of commission, the James Bond franchise returned with Goldeneye just one week before this episode aired. MGM, concerned about the reboot of their cash cow, was reportedly not pleased with what they saw here. Their lawyers contacted the Star Trek producers, feeling this episode had intruded too close for comfort (and too close for "parody"). There would be only one more appearance on Deep Space Nine of Julian's secret agent program, and it would be much more brief and far less direct in allusions to Bond.
Still, everyone clearly had fun while this lasted. Nana Visitor adopts the most hilariously fake Russian accent. Avery Brooks cuts loose with wild eyes and staccato dialogue delivery. Even the actors who don't have a dual role get plenty to do that's out of the ordinary: Alexander Siddig gets to be an action hero with unusual methods, shooting his friend and destroying the world to save the day; Andrew Robinson plays everything from amusement to umbrage to shock to admiration as he watches Bashir first play spy and then ultimately take Garak's lessons to heart.
But it may be that no one is having as much fun as composer Jay Chattaway. He noted in an interview that even on holodeck episodes, the producers didn't usually allow the music to stray too far from the norm. But he fought hard to be allowed to do a true, John Barry inspired James Bond score for this. He got his way, filling the hour with screaming brass, sultry sax, and cool electric guitar. There's even a moment where the Deep Space Nine theme itself is rendered in the Bond style. It's all perfect for this fun romp of an episode, and earned Chattaway an Emmy nomination.
Other observations:
- Bashir mentions that it's illegal to enter another person's holosuite program uninvited. A reasonable privacy consideration that the crew of the Enterprise never respected on The Next Generation.
- Speaking of The Next Generation, there are some superficial similarities between this episode and "The Big Goodbye": our heroes unable to leave the holodeck, forced to play out the scenario, and with actual death on the line. Yet for my money, this episode does a much better job of making those stakes feel real.
- The episode reportedly took longer to film than any other standard one-hour episode of the series. Seven day shoots were the norm on Deep Space Nine, with the occasional eighth day for complicated episodes. "Our Man Bashir" filmed for nine days, owing to the elaborate stunts and more complicated sets.
- According to Nana Visitor, this was the first episode filmed after she and Alexander Siddig became a couple -- and it was a timely chance for them to play around with their new love on camera. Interestingly, Visitor also says their relationship was not unlike Kira's with Odo: Siddig had feelings for her for years that she herself was not aware of.
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