#90 - The Jem'Hadar
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Airdate: June 12, 1994
Stardate Unknown

Sisko's plans for father-son bonding are ruined when Jake invites Nog to accompany them on a trip to the Gamma Quadrant. Quark insists on coming to escort his nephew, and the not-so-happy foursome wind up camping out on a primitive, uninhabited planet. Quark and Sisko argue, sending an embarrassed Nog off into the woods, with Jake chasing after him. Then, a terrified alien woman runs out of the forest, telling Sisko and Quark that she is running from a group of alien soldiers called the Jem'Hadar, who then suddenly appear and take the trio prisoner.

Returning to camp to find Sisko and Quark gone, Jake and Nog set out in search of them. Meanwhile, Sisko, Quark and the woman, Eris, are taken to a cave where they are imprisoned by a force field. Eris is unable to disable the field telekinetically because of a collar the Jem'Hadar have placed around her neck. She tells Sisko that the Jem'Hadar are soldiers of the Dominion, who rule the Gamma Quadrant, and is resigned to the fact that they are doomed. Sisko, however, is sure they can outsmart the four guards stationed to watch them, and decides to start by removing Eris' collar. While he works on it, Jake and Nog find the cave where Sisko and Quark are being held, but cannot get past the guards to save them.

Third Talak'talan, leader of the Jem'Hadar group, tells Sisko, Quark and Eris that the Dominion will no longer tolerate the presence of ships from the other side of the wormhole. Meanwhile, Jake and Nog return to the runabout and try to beam Sisko and Quark aboard. When this fails, Jake realizes he'll have to get help, but can't disengage the ship's autopilot to escape orbit. Later, Talak'talan materializes on DS9 and tells the crew that Sisko is being detained by the Dominion, then transports away before he can be caught.

After several hours, Sisko is finally able to remove part of Eris' collar, and enlists Quark to pick the lock. Meanwhile, Jake is finally able to disengage the autopilot. Back at the station, Captain Keogh of the starship Odyssey arrives and informs the crew of his plans to rescue Sisko. Kira, Dax, Bashir, Odo and O'Brien take off in two runabouts, following the Odyssey through the wormhole and eventually finding Jake and Nog. O'Brien beams aboard their ship and promises to take them back to rescue Sisko and Quark.

Quark manages to remove Eris' collar, then she disengages the force field, and the three escape. Meanwhile, the Odyssey and the runabouts are attacked, while O'Brien beams aboard Sisko, Quark and Eris. One of the Jem'Hadar ships then flies directly into the Odyssey and destroys it in a suicide run. Back at the station, Quark discovers Eris' collar is a fake, and they deduce that she is a spy for the Dominion. But, before they can arrest her, she disappears — leaving the crew with the realization that their dealings with this new enemy have only begun.

What makes this episode great:

The Dominion had been a year-long cock tease for fans of DS9 and when Sisko and his crew finally crossed paths with them, they arrived in a big way. Balancing the introduction of a vicious and superior new enemy with a natural and humorous side story and culminating in the destruction of a Galaxy-class starship (hitting a little below the belt considering that TNG just went off the air), The Jem'Hadar is an episode that packs a one-two punch of excitement and drama.

Quote:

"You have no idea what's begun here."
- Eris, the Dominion spy.

#89 - Waltz
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Airdate: January 8, 1998
Stardate 51413.6

En route to Gul Dukat's war crimes investigation, Sisko meets with the former Cardassian leader, now a prisoner. Dukat, who suffered a nervous breakdown over the death of his daughter, assures Sisko that he has recovered. Suddenly, the starship transporting them is destroyed by Cardassian troops. Sisko is seriously injured, but Dukat escapes with him to a nearby planet and tends to his wounds. When Sisko regains consciousness, Dukat informs him that they are stranded and he is sending out a distress signal.

Unbeknownst to Sisko, Dukat hallucinates encounters with Weyoun and Damar, who advise him to kill the Starfleet captain. Dukat reveals that he intends to — after Sisko shows him the respect he deserves. While Dukat "talks" with his colleagues, Sisko notices that the communications system is, in fact, not sending out a signal. When Dukat returns, Sisko tests him by asking him to check the system. He does, telling Sisko the unit is working fine.

Meanwhile, Worf searches for Sisko in the Defiant, but has limited time before he must leave to escort a convoy of Federation ships. Sisko adjusts the communications system while Dukat is out, but must stop when he returns and "play along" while Dukat defends his treatment of the Bajorans. When Dukat starts "arguing" with Kira, Sisko realizes something is very wrong. He pretends to agree with Dukat, and the ruse almost works until Dukat notices that the distress signal is now on-line. He destroys the com system and attacks the defenseless Sisko.

On the Defiant, Worf runs out of time and must leave to escort the convoy, but continues searching a bit longer. Meanwhile, Dukat continues to push Sisko for his approval. Bruised and battered after Dukat's attack, Sisko invites him to talk about his experience with the Bajorans. While Dukat screams about wanting to kill them all, Sisko knocks him out with a metal bar and, despite his weakened condition, escapes to the shuttle.

Dukat recovers and follows Sisko outside, tackling him to prevent his escape. But when Sisko challenges his enemy to kill him, Dukat instead leaves Sisko behind and takes off in the shuttle, vowing to destroy Bajor. The Defiant crew then picks up Dukat's signal and finds Sisko. Dukat, however, escapes, leaving Sisko grimly aware of the battle over Bajor that is sure to come.

What makes this episode great:

Gul Dukat seemed to be walking a thin line between evil and slightly less evil during DS9's run. With this episode, which at first seems like a lame hurt/comfort episode, he marches proudly into the "evil" category, setting up a coming confrontation with Sisko and establishing himself as someone completely unredeemable.

Quote:

"I'm so glad we had this time together, Benjamin, because we won't be seeing each other for a while. I have unfinished business on Bajor! They thought I was their enemy. They don't know what it is to be my enemy, but they will. From this day forward, Bajor is dead! All of Bajor! And this time, even their Emissary won't be able to save them!"
- Dukat.

#88 - The Defector
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Airdate: January 1, 1990
Stardate 43462.5

Answering a request for asylum from a Romulan scout ship, the crew beams aboard. Although he claims to be a low-ranking logistics officer, the vessel's pilot, Setal, shares a startling revelation: the Romulans have established a base on Nelvana III, from which they plan to launch a major offensive to reclaim the Neutral Zone. Informing Picard that the assault against the Federation will begin in 48 hours, the Romulan defector begs the captain to destroy the base to prevent a catastrophic war.

Without firm evidence supporting Setal's claims, Picard fears that Setal's story may be a Romulan ploy to trick the U.S.S. Enterprise into initiating war. His suspicions are heightened when Setal informs Picard that he is really a Romulan Admiral named Jarok, who once led a massacre of Federation outposts. Although Jarok now claims that he only wants to keep the peace, Worf alerts Picard that Klingon ships in the area have warned him not to trust the Romulan, since his race had once tricked a great Klingon commander into appearing the aggressor in a war.

With time running out on a volatile situation, Picard meets with his security officer, Worf, and then leads the U.S.S. Enterprise through the Neutral Zone to Nelvana III. When a closer probe of the planet reveals no Romulan power base, Jarok is dumbfounded.

Suddenly, the U.S.S. Enterprise is surrounded by three Romulan warships and ordered to surrender by Tomalak, a commander who once confronted Picard over a skirmish in the Galorndon Core. Picard realizes that Jarok, who had recently been reassigned to a position of lower rank, was used by the Romulans to lure the U.S.S. Enterprise into a trap. The information about the base was all just a ruse to test Jarok's loyalty to his leaders.

Picard refuses Tomalak's demands that the crew surrender and, at a prearranged moment, three Klingon warships uncloak, surrounding the Romulan ships. The odds stacked against him, Tomalak backs down and retreats, promising Picard that they will meet again. Knowing that his defection has cost him his family and his homeland, a despondent Jarok commits suicide.

What makes this episode great:

Instead of insisting that aliens be either good or evil, The Defector showed a Romulan officer - usually considered automatically evil - as a good man who loved his empire and would give up anything to stop bloodshed. This is an incredibly emotional story with a terrific score, deep characterizations, and a sickeningly unhappy ending.

Quote:

"I will never see my child smile again. She will grow up believing that her father is a traitor, but she will grow up, if you act, Picard, if we stop this war before it begins."
- Jerok

#87 - The Enterprise Incident
Star Trek
Airdate: September 22, 1968
Stardate 5031.3

Seeming tense and erratic, Captain Kirk takes the U.S.S. Enterprise into Romulan space and the ship is immediately surrounded by Romulan warships. Kirk and Spock beam aboard the Romulan flag-ship and confront the Romulan Commander, a woman. Kirk explains that his ship entered Romulan territory because of equipment malfunction. Spock, however, denounces this explanation, saying Kirk ordered them here, due to his reduced mental stability. This, not surprisingly, enrages the Captain. The Romulan Commander orders the U.S.S. Enterprise be taken to the Romulan base. Scotty, placed in command of the starship, refuses. McCoy is beamed aboard the flag-ship to tend Kirk, who has become irrational to the point of violence. When he arrives, Kirk attacks Spock who reacts, without thinking, by using the Vulcan death grip, killing Kirk.

McCoy returns to the U.S.S. Enterprise with Kirk's body, while Spock remains on the Romulan ship. Unknown to the Romulan Commander, this has all been a ploy to sneak the officers on board and steal the Romulan cloaking device. After Kirk's body has been removed to his ship, the Romulan Commander begins to try and entice Spock into defecting to the Romulan side.

Disguised as a Romulan, Kirk returns to the Romulan ship and steals the vessel's cloaking device and returns with it to the U.S.S. Enterprise. When the Commander discovers the theft, she feels betrayed and in retaliation decides to execute Spock. The Vulcan pretends to confess to her and ultimately stalls until Scotty is able to install the cloaking device on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. Spock is beamed back aboard the starship, but since the Romulan Commander was standing near him, she is also beamed aboard.

The Romulan Subcommander, now in charge of the flag-ship, gives chase, ordered by his commander to destroy the Federation ship. Fortunately, the newly-installed cloaking device works and the U.S.S. Enterprise makes good her escape, with the Romulan Commander on board a their prisoner.

What makes this episode great:

It was fun watching Kirk and company dispense with a good screwing instead of being the pillars of morality that most people think that they are.

Quote:

"Well, are you comming Jim, or do you want to go through life looking like your first officer?"
- McCoy ready to take Kirk's ears off.

#86 - Cause and Effect
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Airdate: March 23, 1992
Stardate 45652.1

While playing poker with Riker, Data and Worf, a strange feeling of déjà vu helps Dr. Crusher successfully call Riker's bluff. She is then summoned to sickbay to examine a dizzy Geordi, and once again experiences this sensation. When she goes to bed that evening, she is haunted by strange voices in her quarters. The ship continues to chart the Typhon Expanse, a previously unexplored region of space, until the distortion field suddenly fluctuates, the main propulsion systems collapse, and the Enterprise is thrown into red alert on a collision course with an older starship. Riker recommends decompressing the main shuttlebay, but Picard follows Data's advice and uses the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory. Unfortunately, this course fails, the ships collide and the Enterprise explodes and is completely destroyed.

Later, Riker, Data, Worf and Beverly are playing cards again, and both Riker and Beverly realize they know what is coming next. Beverly is again summoned to Sickbay, where she and Geordi both experience feelings of déjà vu. When she hears the voices in her room, she immediately goes to Picard and tells him that something strange is going on. He decides to run a diagnostic. The next morning, while discussing the results of that diagnostic, the older ship mysteriously appears and the Enterprise is again destroyed.

The card game is in full swing again, but this time, all four players realize they know what cards are coming next. Beverly anticipates being called to Sickbay, and when Geordi again shows up feeling dizzy, she goes to Picard and repeats their previous exchange. She hears the voices in her room again, but this time Beverly turns on her tape recorder. The recording is studied, and Data deduces that the strange voices are the voices of the crew.

Beverly and Geordi realize that they are trapped in a causality loop — a time warp that dooms them to endlessly repeat the same fragment of time. This phenomenon is causing Geordi's dizziness, and Data discovers that it also explains the voices on the tape, which are "echoes" from a previous loop. He isolates pieces of dialogue that indicate that the Enterprise collided with another ship, exploded, and got stuck in the time warp. Realizing that whatever they do to avoid the collision will probably be the same thing they have done before, Data decides the only hope is to send a deliberate message into the next loop. They prepare to send the message, the red alert begins again, and the ship is destroyed.

Another card game is in progress, but this time, the cards are different, with everything occurring in threes. Things continue to happen in sets of three, and the number three is seen everywhere for no explicable reason. Other than this difference everything occurs as before. When the red alert begins, Picard again chooses Data's advice over Riker's. At the last minute, however, Data notices the three pips on Riker's uniform and, realizing "three" was the message he planted for himself, takes Riker's advice and leads the ship to safety. The collision avoided, the crew is hailed by the older ship, the U.S.S. Bozeman. The Enterprise contacts Starfleet Command, who reports that they have been caught in a time warp for 17 days, while the other ship has been stuck for 90 years.

What makes this episode great:

Aside from watching the Enterprise blow up five times in one episode, this hour of television was fun because of its weirdness and insane sense of doom. It's even a little disturbing in places.

Quote:

"In deja-vu, you only think you're repeating events. We actually are."
- Dr. Crusher

#85 - Yesteryear
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Airdate: September 15, 1973
Stardate 5373.4

By using the Guardian of Forever, Kirk, Spock, and the historian Erikson explore the planet Orion's past. However, upon returning to the present, no one seems to recognize Mr. Spock — the U.S.S. Enterprise first officer for the past five years has been an Andorian named Thelin. A search of the U.S.S. Enterprise's memory bank reveals that Spock, the son of Sarek and Amanda died while still a child and his death caused the couple to breakup.

Spock recalls that during his "kahs-wan" — a Vulcan coming-of-age ritual — Selek, Spock's distant cousin, had saved his life. Spock realizes that to put the present right again he must return to the past and become his own cousin to save himself.

Returning to the Vulcan of his childhood through the Guardian, Spock presents himself to his younger self as Selek, and subsequently saves the boy's life. In the process young Spock's pet "sehlat" is mortally injured. The boy chooses to compassionately end his pet's suffering and in doing so sets the young half-human, half-Vulcan on a path toward embracing Vulcan traditions. Upon returning to the present, Spock finds the timeline and his place on the U.S.S. Enterprise restored.

What makes this episode great:

For the animated series, which was primarally drivel, this is a suprisingly imaginative and mature story about time travel and death. It's a plesant suprise if you seek it out.

Quote:

"Infinite diversity in infinite combinations... symbolizing the elements that create truth and beauty. "
- Spock

#84 - Treachery, Faith, and the Great River
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Airdate: November 4, 1998
Stardate Unknown

Odo is lured to a secret meeting site, where he finds himself face to face with Weyoun, the Vorta leader of the enemy Dominion. Weyoun announces that he's decided to defect and, in exchange for asylum, he promises to provide valuable information that could help the Federation win the war. After the two board Odo's runabout, the ship is hailed by the Cardassians. Odo is shocked when the monitor displays Weyoun standing beside Damar.

The Weyoun Odo has taken aboard the runabout is actually a clone known as WV-Six, while the "real" Weyoun — the seventh clone — is still loyal to the Dominion cause. When WV-Six defies Weyoun's order to activate his termination implant, and Odo refuses to turn him over, Damar and Weyoun vow to destroy the Federation ship. But WV-Six doubts the verity of Weyoun's threat — for Odo is a Founder, the race worshipped by the Vorta. Nonetheless, Damar summons the Jem'Hadar, and they besiege the Federation craft with gunfire.

WV-Six informs Odo of the attacking ship's weakness, and Odo destroys it. While awaiting the enemy's next move, WV-Six explains why his people worship Odo's race: the Founders transformed WV-Six's ape-like ancestors into powerful beings. Odo responds by pointing out that the Founders are also responsible for a war that has killed millions. WV-Six reveals a stunning fact: the Founders are dying from a sickness that is spreading rapidly through their ranks.

Weyoun explains that because Odo left his people long ago, he is the only Changeling not infected by the virulent disease. WV-Six expresses his hope that Odo will use the opportunity to build a new, more peaceful Dominion. After Odo hides the runabout inside a frozen comet, four more Jem'Hadar ships attack and blast their way through the icy field.

Odo tries to outrace the ships, but the runabout is subjected to constant pounding. To call off the attackers and save Odo, WV-Six contacts Weyoun and Damar, then activates the termination implant. Before WV-Six dies, he asks for, and receives, Odo's reluctant blessing. Back at the space station, Odo worries about the future: though his people are dying, they are still the enemy. Regardless of the war's winner, Odo is destined to lose.

What makes this episode great:

What doesn't make this episode great? There's drama in the A plot and comedy in the B plot that takes a look inside Ferengi culture and religious beliefs. This is a great episode all around.

Quote:

Odo: "Did it ever occur to you that you worship the Founders because that's exactly what they wanted? That they programmed it into your DNA?"
Weyoun: "Of course they did - that's what gods do! Why be a god if there's no one to worship you?"

#83 - Year of Hell
Star Trek: Voyager
Airdate: November 5 & 12, 1997
Stardate 51268.4

Voyager christens its new Astrometrics Lab, which has mapping technology far more accurate than their old system. It projects a course that will cut years off their trip, taking them through Zahl territory, which a species called the Krenim also lay claim to. The Zahl tell Voyager not to worry about the Krenim, who once dominated the region with deadly temporal weapons; the Zahl defeated them years ago. Suddenly, Voyager's sensors detect a build-up of temporal energy, and the ship is hit by a space-time shockwave. The Zahl disappear, along with the crew's memory of them, and they find themselves facing the powerful Krenim. Chronoton-based Krenim torpedoes, which exist in a state of temporal flux, penetrate Voyager's shields, badly damaging the ship.

In another part of the region, Annorax, the Krenim captain of the ship that annihilated the Zahl, evaluates his efforts and learns he has almost completely restored the Krenim Imperium. But Annorax will not rest until every colony is back. On Voyager, Janeway manages to destroy the Krenim ship attacking her, but the damage is done. The ship is incapable of continuing its journey. Seven of Nine finds an active warhead lodged in the hull. Tuvok surmises it will explode in minutes, but Seven is intent on learning its temporal variance and using that knowledge to perfect shielding against it. She makes a determination just before the torpedo blows up.

Seven's new temporal shields hold against Krenim torpedoes. In another part of space, Annorax fires his temporal weapon, and the space-time continuum is again altered. This time, Voyager's shields protect it from time disruption. Suddenly, they find that the big Krenim warship they were battling has become a much smaller ship. Annorax's weapon has caused the Krenim Imperium to revert to a pre-warp state. Annorax realizes that Voyager's temporal shields were responsible for throwing off his calculations. He approaches Voyager and transports Chakotay and Paris to his ship for study. He then unleashes a chronoton energy beam to erase Voyager from history, but the starship is able to escape, albeit with major structural damage. Janeway is forced to evacuate the crew, but she and the senior staff stay with the ship to rescue Chakotay and Paris, and hopefully reunite with the escape pods.

Badly damaged, the U.S.S. Voyager takes refuge in a nebula as a skeleton crew attempts to repair the ship. On Annorax's ship, Chakotay and Paris are summoned to meet with him. He has a proposal for them. He'll send Voyager back in time, restoring it to its original state, if they fill him in on the extent of Voyager's presence in Krenim space so he can complete calculations that will allow him to restore the Krenim Imperium. Paris balks at helping Annorax, but Chakotay believes the chance to continue their voyage home may be worth the risk of trusting Annorax.

As Chakotay helps Annorax chart Voyager's journey, Annorax shares a story about a mistake he made after he first created his time-weapon ship. He destroyed the Krenim's greatest enemy, but in the process, he also destroyed an important antibody in the Krenim genetic structure, and 50 million Krenim died of disease as a result. He has been trying to undo his mistake ever since.

Paris finds a weakness in the Krenim ship that could be exploited, but Chakotay refuses to go against Annorax. However, when Annorax eradicates another species in order to partially restore the Krenim timeline, Chakotay is dismayed to see him turn once again to destruction as an answer to his problems. Chakotay takes Annorax to task for the destruction of innocent lives and Annorax reveals the driving force behind his actions. His wife died as a result of his time incursions, and he hopes to undo her death.

Chakotay and Paris secretly contact Voyager, giving Janeway their coordinates. She arranges a coalition with other species, which will attack when Paris takes the temporal core off-line. The remaining members of Voyager's crew disperse to prepare the other ships for battle, but Janeway stays with Voyager.

Chakotay and Paris take the temporal core off-line, making the ship vulnerable to traditional weapons. Annorax orders his men to fire at the approaching vessels and soon the coalition is almost destroyed. Janeway does a kamikaze run at the Krenim ship and the impact destabilizes the core, causing a temporal incursion within Annorax's ship. With the destruction of the Krenim vessel, the timeline is restored, Voyager never makes its fateful entry into Krenim space, and Annorax is at last reunited with his beloved wife.

What makes this episode great:

Year of Hell may not be a deep episode, but it is an exciting and scary look at the ultimate worst case scenario as Voyager essentially gets her ass handed to her time and time again. There are also great moments all through these episodes from the awesome special effects to little moments between the crew and, perhaps, Janeway's greatest moment as she describes to Tuvok why Voyager is more than just a starship.

Quote:

"Time's up!"
- Janeway trying to come up with a good one-liner.

#82 - The Offspring
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Airdate: March 12, 1990
Stardate 43657.0

Hoping to further his creator's work and perpetuate his species, Data creates an android named Lal, who receives Data's programming through neural transfers. Although Picard is apprehensive about Starfleet's reaction to the unauthorized experiment, he allows Data to continue his research.

Allowed to select its own appearance, Lal chooses the form of a human female. As she becomes increasingly capable of perception and feeling, Data enrolls Lal in school so that she can assimilate human behavior. When the android has difficulty fitting in with the children, Guinan agrees to let her work in Ten Forward, where she can supervise Lal's socialization process, and where Lal can study many different kinds of people.

Meanwhile, Starfleet Admiral Haftel learns of Data's creation and informs Picard that he wants to transfer Lal to a research station where he can more closely monitor her progress. When Picard refuses, citing Lal and Data's mutual need to remain together for full developmental growth, Haftel gets permission to come aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to observe Lal and is empowered to remove her from the ship if he is dissatisfied by what he sees.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Haftel is convinced that a bar is an unacceptable environment for Lal and orders her removed from Ten Forward. He then meets with Lal in the hopes of convincing her to leave the Enterprise, but she firmly states her desire to remain with her "father" Data and the crew. Upset by her meeting with the Admiral, Lal seeks out Troi, who is stunned to sense the emotion of fear emanating from the android.

After Haftel informs Data that Lal will be taken from the starship, Picard states his intention to defy the admiral's orders, but their face-off is interrupted by an emergency call from Troi. Data and Haftel rush to Lal's side, only to find that she is dying. Troi tells them that Lal's functions broke down after experiencing an extraordinary range of feelings in the counselor's presence.

In a valiant effort to save Lal, Haftel joins Data in repairing the android's malfunction, but her neural pathways shut down faster than they can fix them. After Lal thanks Data for her life and tells him that she loves him, her neural system fails and she expires. Unable to experience the grief and emotion the crew feels at Lal's loss, Data must be content with Lal's memories of life, which he transfers to his brain.

What makes this episode great:

This episode goes from being great comedy to becoming a devestating tragedy in one fell swoop. The score that punctuates Lal's growth and learning in an incredible piece and the young woman who plays the new andriod really sells the part.

Quote:

Picard: "I fail to understand how a five-foot android with heuristic learning systems and the strength of ten men can be called a child."
Troi: "You've never been a parent."

#81 - Starship Down
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Airdate: November 18, 1995
Stardate 49263.5

Sisko and his officers take the Defiant to a remote system in the Gamma Quadrant for a trade discussion with the Karemma representative, Hanok. During the talks, two approaching Jem'Hadar warships are detected. The enemy vessels target the Karemma ship, which flees into the gaseous, volatile atmosphere of a nearby planet. Sisko enters the dangerous area in pursuit, and the Defiant is blinded and buffeted by high turbulence. They employ an echo-location technique to find the other ships. But the pulse gives them away to the Jem'Hadar, who attack and cripple the Defiant. Dax goes below to help get the engines on-line, but a hull breach develops, endangering her and others on that deck.

After evacuating Sickbay, Bashir notices Dax trying to escape. Just then, the forcefield that protects her collapses, allowing the deadly atmosphere to enter. Sisko orders Bashir to seal off the area, but just as he does, the doctor steps inside to rescue Dax and drags her into the turbolift, trapping both of them. Meanwhile, on the Bridge, the engines come to life, indicating that Dax was successful. O'Brien arms two atmospheric probes with quantum torpedoes and the crew resumes its search for the Karemma vessel. However, a Jem'Hadar ship finds the Defiant and opens fire, damaging it severely before the Defiant destroys it.

The Bridge is on emergency power only, while Sisko is seriously injured. Kira discovers that he has a concussion, meaning she must keep him from losing consciousness or risk having him slip into a coma. In the turbolift, Dax and Bashir have only limited air remaining; while, in the Mess Hall, Quark is trapped with Hanok. Worf makes it from the Bridge to the Engine Room, where O'Brien and his engineers are working to restore the ship's systems. Then, the echo-location scanner picks up torpedoes heading for the Defiant. The ship manages to elude one, but the other embeds itself into the Mess Hall bulkhead — still primed to detonate — and surprising Quark and Hanok.

Quark and Hanok realize they must work together to diffuse the torpedo before it blows. Meanwhile, the engineers come up with a new plan to fire phasers through the Deflector Array — which will only be good for one shot. And as Sisko slowly slips out of consciousness, Kira risks killing him by injecting a stimulant.

In the Mess Hall, Quark and Hanok manage to remove the torpedo casing and deactivate the warhead. On the Bridge, Sisko awakens, indicating to Kira that she did the right thing. In Engineering, O'Brien locates the Jem'Hadar ship, which is lured to a decoy using the remaining atmospheric probe. Worf's team destroys the enemy ship with the Deflector Array and rescues the Karemma crew. Bashir and Dax are freed, and the repaired Defiant returns to Deep Space Nine.

What makes this episode great:

Star Trek is suddenly turned into a submarine drama the likes of which hadn't been seen since Star Trek II. The drama between characters and the tales of survival, both of the ship and inside the ship make this episode worth watching.

Quote:

Dax: "It's funny... if you'd done something like this a year ago, I would've thought you were trying to be a hero."
Bashir: "And now?"
Dax: "Now that I know you better... I realize it was just a stupid thing to do."

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