10 Times Star Trek Broke The Fourth Wall

If we’re being completely honest it may be a bit of a stretch to call this episode a fourth wall break, but it means I get to talk about ‘In The Pale Moonlight’ so I’m going to accept it. Set in the midst of the brutal Dominion War, the episode is told in flashback as a tired and dejected Captain Sisko relays his personal log of the depths to which he will sink in order to win the war.

The Federation is on the back foot, and the only way out would seem to be forming an alliance with the Romulans, who maintain a non aggression treaty with The Dominion. Throughout the episode, the narrative occasionally pans back to the present, as Sisko recounts his tale to his personal log. Knowing full well that Starfleet is supposed to be a paragon of morality, Sisko winces at every red line he has to cross, including bribery, forgery, trafficking restricted goods and even accessory to two separate murders.

As the tale unfolds, actor Avery Brooks increasingly delivers his monologue straight to the camera, as if he is looking for validation or forgiveness from fans who had just spent seven years enjoying the ethical purity of Jean-Luc Picard. After questioning if he can live with himself, and deciding he can, Sisko deletes the log, but we’re all left knowing, as much an accessory as he is.