Once again the station is under threat, but this time, the threat comes from within. Originally airing on November 7,1994, this is Civil Defense.
The Episode:
Station Log Stardate Undetermined: Civil Defense
The crew has only a short time to react as a station lockdown is accidentally triggered when an old Cardassian program mistakenly takes repairs from O’Brien as a Bajoran worker revolt. If they can not shut down or convince the system the Occupation of Bajor has ended, the crew may be killed.
The Breakdown:
Jake and O’Brien are working on the refinery when the Commander stops by to check on their progress. Just as Ben is about to leave, the system notifies them that the workers have eight minutes to end their revolt, sealing them in to the refinery. With constant notifications from a prerecorded Gul Dukat.
As the rest of the crew attempt to find a way to get the three out of the refinery, the program informs them that it will release a poisonous gas if Ben and his companions do not give up. Just as the three escape, the system engages a counter insurgency program that locks down ops, the security office and kills all internal com-badge communications.
With Odo and Quark stuck in Security, Bashir, Dax and Kira stuck in ops and the remaining three attempting to find their way out of the refinery, they now must find ways to overcome the Cardassian security systems. Soon, after Dax is injured, Garak arrives, giving them an option to save the crew and the occupants of DS9 by destroying life support in order to prevent poisonous gas from killing everyone. Just when they think they have won, the Counter Insurgency System kicks in a self destruct sequence that threatens to destroy the entire station.
Garak decides to activate Gul Dukat’s command codes only to cause the system to believe Garak is a dissident attempting to try to shut the system down. Replicating a phaser device, the crew in Ops is pinned down until they receive an unexpected visitor. Gul Dukat himself arrives informing them that he can help, but at a cost. Shutting down the system temporarily, Dukat tells Kira that his requirement is that he be allowed to deploy a small garrison aboard the station. She refuses his offer, telling Dukat that she would destroy the station before she would ever give it back to the Cardassians. Trying to call her bluff, he attempts to beam back to his ship when a message from his former commander is broadcast informing Dukat that he will not be allowed to abandon his post.
Now stuck on the station with the crew, Dukat is forced to help prevent the destruction of the station. Using the stations main reactor’s stabilizers the Ops team manage to short out the power to the force fields resulting in the restoration of the comm systems. With everyone free to move about, with the exception of Odo and Quark, Sisko and team must find a way to shut down the fusion reactor in order to prevent the destruction of the station. Facing a deadly jefferies tube filled with Gas, Ben manages to get to the system just in time to send the fusion reactor discharge out of the station through the shield. The station is safe, once again.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
This is pretty much a filler episode and, while not bad, it is really pretty pointless overall. You would think that, upon taking the station, the crew would work on clearing the system from any and every trap placed by the former Cardassian occupants. I mean, after the events of Babel in season one, the first thing Sisko should have done is have O’Brien scour the system for anything like this, preventing this very thing.
That being said there is a really great interaction between Odo and Quark as they are trapped in the security office together. We really get more character development between the two and frankly, I think they are both beginning to admire each other more than they want to admit.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- Jake saves O’Brien from death by poison gas.
- This marks the beginning of an odd romantic interest from Dukat toward Kira. This will not be the last time this is seen.
- We see even more of the hate between Dukat and Garak. It seems there is a deep past here.
- New Rule of Acquisition! Rule #75 ‘Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum’.
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Late To The Game 6/24/2019
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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