Time ' s Orphan ( episode ) An accident on the planet Golana sends Molly O ' Brien through a time portal three hundred years into the past into an uninhabited world . Beamed back too late , Molly returns to the present eighteen years old with no immediate recollection of her life or her family . Summary . Teaser . Miles O ' Brien wakes up with his wife Keiko one morning , happy that his wife and two children have returned to Deep Space 9 ( having left when the Dominion War was inevitable ) . The two talk about what he ' s been up to while they ' ve been away , as Keiko warns she intends to get Miles back in shape . Later that morning the couple get ready for a family picnic on Golana , a planet in the Bajoran sector . Their daughter Molly is very excited as she tells her baby brother Kirayoshi that the last time they went was when Keiko was pregnant with him . Later , as Keiko brushes Molly ' s hair , Molly tells her father that she wants to be an exobologist " [ sic ] " when she grows up and asks if they can take Chester ( the family ' s pet cat ) if they have to be sent away again . Miles , living a moment of true happiness , promises he won ' t send them away again . Molly goes to play and begins doing cartwheels in the meadow . Keiko tells Miles he made Molly a big promise , as the war might heat up again and the station won ' t be safe . Miles tells her that he ' ll put in for a transfer if that happens ; he doesn ' t intend for the family to be separated any more . As he plays with Kirayoshi , Molly drifts closer to a nearby cavern . The picnic is cut short when they hear Molly screaming not far away . When Miles arrives in the cavern she was playing in , he finds his daughter hanging from a cliff over a mysterious device , which is active and producing a strange mist . He is not able to get her up , and the little girl falls into the phenomenon and vanishes . Act One . A science and engineering team is called from Deep Space 9 to investigate the device . They establish that the device is some kind of time portal left by an ancient civilization that may have transported Molly centuries into the past . Unfortunately , as Bajoran settlers only arrived less than a century ago , wherever or whenever Molly is , she ' s going to be all alone . Soon the crew makes a plan to open the portal and try to lock on to Molly ' s DNA to beam her back . Although the plan initially works , to everyone ' s surprise the Molly that materializes in front of them is ten years older . She becomes frightened and bites O ' Brien and starts to run wild before Bashir sedates her as her parents watch horrified . Act Two . In sickbay on the , Bashir confirms through medical scans that the DNA matches and the girl they have is indeed Molly . Miles wants to try again , to get young Molly back . Bashir points out that if they do , the 18 - year - old Molly will disappear . Keiko says this girl is their Molly ; even if they haven ' t spent the last ten years with her , they don ' t have the right to take those years away from her . Bashir says it will not be easy for her to re assimilate ; she may even have blocked out all memories of her early life to cope with her prolonged isolation . He believes time with the O ' Briens will be her best hope for recovering . They plan to return to Deep Space 9 where a cargo bay is being converted to provide a safe environment for her . Bashir says they ' ll just have to " feel their way through " her recovery process . Back on the station , Worf returns to his and Dax ' s quarters and is surprised to find that she has offered to watch Yoshi while Miles and Keiko spend time with Molly . Worf recalls that Dax has been eagerly waiting to run spectral scans on a comet that will pass through the Denorios belt that night , but Dax tells him that she ' s decided to miss it because if she leaves there would be no one to watch Yoshi . Suddenly eager to prove himself , Worf offers to watch the baby so she can work her shift . Dax mentions that she has had nine children ( five as a mother , four as a father ) . She ' s not sure Worf understands how much work babies are , since he did not begin caring for his own son until Alexander was 4 . Worf says they will be fine and tells Dax to go to work , only for Yoshi to start crying as soon as she leaves leaving the Klington trying to settle him down . Molly wakes up in a grassy area which has been set up in the middle of the cargo bay . When the O ' Briens enter , she becomes frightened and climbs the tree in the grassy area . Miles shows her a plate of fruit from Golana and tries to tempt her . Wary , she comes down and begins eating at a distance from them . Molly tries saying " mommy " , but is still afraid . Keiko shows Molly her doll , Lupi . Molly takes the doll and stares at it intently . Act Three . As time passes , the O ' Briens continue working with Molly on language skills and socialization . They try playing games with balls . Molly likes the balls , but each time Miles tosses one to her , instead of tossing it back , she takes it and hoards it . Finally they achieve a breakthrough when Molly is just about to hide another ball and Miles says , " " Please " " and she rolls the ball back to him . All three O ' Briens smile . In Worf and Dax ' s quarters , the couple are trying to sleep , but Yoshi is crying continuously . Worf complains that nothing he does helps Yoshi fall asleep . Dax offers to take over , but Worf makes an impassioned speech saying that after all he has accomplished in his life and career , he will succeed in helping a crying baby to sleep . Dax asks him why " " this babysitting thing is so important all of a sudden ? " " Worf replies that Dax is judging him on his fitness to parent her future children . He tells her to go back to sleep , " " I have work to do . " " In the cargo bay , Molly is asleep in the tree and O ' Brien is asleep on a nearby couch . Keiko enters and says Dax has agreed to watch Yoshi so Miles can get some work done . While she is sitting next to O ' Brien on the couch , Keiko begins brushing her hair . Molly wakes and watched her , then comes close , hand out for the brush . Keiko starts to give her the brush , but Molly leaves Keiko ' s hand on it and kneels down , pushing Keiko ' s hand to brush Molly ' s hair as she used to do when Molly was little . As O ' Brien and Bashir walk through a corridor , Bashir asks several questions about Molly . O ' Brien says she ' s not talking yet , but she clearly understands what they ' re saying to her and responds to her name . More and more she reminds him of the little girl she used to be . He shows Bashir a picture she drew and says she ' s started to eat with a spoon . Bashir mentions how Molly has " anthropomorphized the environment " and cautions O ' Brien against pushing her too hard , but O ' Brien says she ' s doing great . They reach the O ' Brien quarters , where Worf is seated on the floor speaking Klingon to Yoshi and playing with a rattle . Worf is saying , " " gung , gung , gung " " and Yoshi is laughing . Worf explains that he was instructing Yoshi in a Klingon hand eye exercise designed to build a foundation for future warriors . Bashir is amused . O ' Brien asks seriously how Yoshi did in the exercise , and Worf says , " " He acquitted himself well . " " When O ' Brien returns to the cargo bay , Molly is in a panic , grunting and running from one side to the other . Keiko says she has been like this for over an hour . Keiko has to leave to pick up Yoshi and take him home . . . upon which Molly has another language breakthrough , saying her first actual word since being rescued as she repeats " " Home " , " clearly understanding its meaning as well as saying her name . The O ' Briens are delighted , responding yes , they will take her home . They take her to their quarters . Molly looks around timidly , responding to the " starry stars " outside the view port . But when they take her to her room she becomes agitated . She grabs a picture of them all on a picnic , and keeps saying " " Molly home . " " The O ' Briens realize that to her ' home ' is Golana . The planet is off - limits , but Miles realizes there is a way to take her there . Miles and Keiko decide to take Molly to a holosuite which is simulating Golana to cheer her up and the idea proves to be a good one . Molly calls them " mommy " and " daddy " and begins doing cartwheels as she did on their picnic . Miles thinks they can probably schedule the holosuite for an hour or two every day , as Molly continues to play happily . Then a call comes in from Quark , as a couple of Klingon s have reserved the holosuite and refuse to have O ' Brien pay for their time . Miles tries to tell Molly the bad news , but when she completely ignores him , he is forced to end the program . The planet disappears , and Molly is stunned to find herself now in the small , confined room but the confusion soon gives way to anger , and Molly leaves the holosuite in a feral rage , and starts to tear Quark ' s apart . After assaulting a few people , a Tarkalean approaches her , to which she responds by stabbing him in the gut with a broken bottle . Just then , Odo and his deputies arrive and stun Molly , but the damage is done . Act Four . The Tarkalean survives but presses assault with a deadly weapon charges . Captain Sisko tells Miles that the Federation magistrate has decided that Molly should be taken to a special care center on Davos Prime for evaluation ; Miles is certain they ' ll end up keeping her there . Miles argues that Molly needs to stay with their family to make progress . Sisko tells Miles he ' s sorry as there ' s no other way . Down in the holding cell , as Molly paces , Bashir reports that her body is flooded with adrenaline due to her confinement , and that there ' s a risk of her going into shock . Molly then notices her parents and starts to continually throw herself into the force field to reach her father , regardless of the pain . The deputy is forced to turn the force field off , after which Molly starts to get wild again and is sedated . Bashir gives Miles a simple fact ; Molly needs open spaces all the time . Bashir will recommend she be put into a holosuite for the time being , but this is just a short - term solution as eventually they ' ll have to put her on a transport . In Worf ' s quarters , Dax arrives to find Bashir has just finished examining Yoshi , who has fallen and has a small bump on his head . The doctor assures Dax and Worf that it ' s nothing serious and that it happens all the time with toddlers . He leaves to return to the infirmary . Worf explains to Dax what happened . He had been pretending to be a beast and chased Yoshi . The baby was laughing so hard he didn ' t look where he was going and fell against the table . Worf berates himself for playing too rough , but Dax says it was just an accident . Worf says Dax was right to question his fitness as a father ; Dax protests she never said anything like that . He says he failed Alexander , he failed Yoshi , and he would have failed their children as well . Depressed , Worf leaves . Later , the O ' Briens debate what to do , knowing Molly will never cope at a special care center . Keiko realizes Miles is up to something , and he finally admits he is planning to steal a runabout and take Molly back to Golana . Keiko says that ' s the first place they ' ll look for her , but then realizes he also plans to send her back through the portal . He says he ' ll destroy the portal after they send her through . He wishes there were some other way , but he believes she can survive there and be happy . Keiko reluctantly agrees . Miles goes to security , where Molly is sedated in a holding cell . The deputy tells him Bashir plans to move her to a holosuite before she wakes up . Miles tells him plans have changed , there are no holosuites available and Odo wants her moved to the cargo bay instead . The deputy says he wasn ' t notified of any change . Miles tells him to check the log and then when the deputy turns away , sedates him . Miles takes Molly to a runabout , where Keiko has everything prepared . Before they can board , security officer Lieutenant finds them and calls Odo . Act Five . Molly is still asleep . Odo sends Jones to go check on the deputy that Miles sedated and take a statement . The O ' Briens beg Odo for help , saying Molly will die if she ' s returned to the holding cell . Odo says he ' s very disappointed because he thought that if anyone could break a prisoner out of a cell and get them off the station it would be Miles . He then opens the door and tells them to get on their way . Keiko hugs him . Odo watches as they board . In the cavern , Keiko has packed a bag with a knife , a blanket , and Molly ' s doll . O ' Brien reactivates the portal , and Molly smiles . Her parents , happy she ' s going to survive but still devastated that they ' re losing their daughter , hug her and then tell her to go home . Molly looks up and says that the stars are the O ' Briens ' home . They tell her they will be watching her from the stars . She says " " Molly loves you " " and goes through the portal , holding the bag Keiko gave her . Miles draws his phaser and prepares to destroy the portal . Once Molly is through , she finds a little girl crying . . . it is herself as a little girl , just minutes after she ' d originally fell through the portal . Older Molly takes her by the hand and tells her " " Mommy , Daddy , there , " " pointing to the portal . She gives little girl Molly the doll from the bag , and urges her through . Then she smiles and says , " " Molly , home " " and disappears as her younger self returns to her own time . A moment before Miles fires his phaser at the device , Molly emerges from the portal and is reunited with her overjoyed parents . Back on DS9 , Worf re - enters his quarters . Dax says it ' s safe to come in ; she dropped Yoshi off at the O ' Briens a few minutes ago . She says he was really happy to see his sister . Dax tells Worf they understand the head bump was an accident and they invited Dax and Worf to dinner to thank them for all the babysitting . Worf nervously asks what she replied and she said she told them she ' d have to check with him . Then she asks Worf , " " What does ' gung , gung , gung ' mean ? " " She says Yoshi kept shaking his rattle and saying it . Worf is pleased . Dax tells him he obviously made a big impression on the toddler . " " Maybe you ' re not as bad with children as you thought , " " she tells him . Worf says not as bad as she thought , and she admits that she had doubts but has never been so glad to be proven wrong and they hug . Worf says they had better get to dinner with the O ' Briens . Later that night , Keiko and Miles are talking while Molly is drawing a picture . Miles says Captain Sisko is going to represent him at the Starfleet inquiry , and Keiko says if anyone can make them understand , Sisko can . Molly asks if she can see the girl who found her again . Keiko says not for a while . Miles says Dax explained the recalibration didn ' t hold , which is why older Molly ended up going through to the same point in time . Keiko wonders if she realized the little girl was herself . Miles says he hopes so . Molly shows them her picture ; it is strikingly similar as the one older Molly drew . Molly says it ' s where they had the picnic . The O ' Briens are startled , but then tell her it ' s lovely . Memorable quotes . " " Oh , bollocks ! " " " " And what exactly is this infant doing in my home ? " " " " By the way , what does . . . " gung - gung - gung " mean ? " " " " Why do you ask ? " " " " Well , it was the strangest thing . I was taking Yoshi home , and he kept shaking his rattle and saying " gung - gung - gung " ! " " " " He did ? " " " " He seemed to get a big kick out of it . So what does it mean ? " " " " That is between Yoshi and me . " " " " I can handle a fourteen month - old child . " " " " I am a Klingon warrior and a Starfleet officer . I have piloted starships through Dominion minefields . I have stood in battle against Kelvans twice my size . I courted and won the heart of the magnificent Jadzia Dax . If I can do these things , I can make this child go to sleep . " " " " Talk about losing perspective . " " " " I wonder if she realized that the little girl she was looking at was herself . " " " " I ' m disappointed in you , chief . . . If anyone could break a prisoner out of a holding cell and get them off the station I ' d have thought it would have been you . On your way . " " Links and references . References . adrenaline ; babysitter ; Bajoran s ; Bajoran Archaeological Institute ; " bat ' leth " ; bracelet ; cartwheel ; Chester ; chroniton ; comet ; Constable ; ; ; Dalvos Prime ; Denorios belt ; drawing ; Federation ; Golana ; Golana melon ; Golanan ; hairbrush ; hand - eye coordination ; " hehh - duHpp " ; " Hey ! Hey ! Little Ship ! " ; holosuite ; ; Kelvan ; Lupi ; magistrate ; " Mr . Froggy " ; minefield ; picnic ; picnic basket ; Quark ' s ; rattle ; ; runabout ; sausage s ; shock ; spoon ; sunscreen ; Tarkalean ; temporal field ; temporal field generator ; therapist ; time portal ; time travel Unreferenced material . " Child ' s Garden of Lifeforms in Our Galaxy , A "