Extreme Measures (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Last updated
"Extreme Measures"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 23
Directed bySteve Posey
Written by Bradley Thompson
David Weddle
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code573
Original air dateMay 17, 1999 (1999-05-17)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Tacking Into the Wind"		Next →
"The Dogs of War"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7
List of episodes

"Extreme Measures" is the 173rd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The episode had over 4.3 million viewers when it first aired on television in May 1999, with a Nielsen rating of 4.3 points. [1]

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet-managed space station Deep Space Nine near the planet Bajor, as the Bajorans recover from a decades-long occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. The later seasons of the series follow a war between the United Federation of Planets and an expansionist empire known as the Dominion, ruled by the shapeshifting Changelings, which has already absorbed Cardassia.

This is the seventh episode of the concluding nine-episode story arc of the series, which brings the Dominion War and other story elements to a close. In episodes preceding this one, the Changelings have fallen victim to a mysterious disease, including Deep Space Nine's security chief Odo, a rogue Changeling who opposes the Dominion. The station physician Julian Bashir has inferred that the Federation's shadowy black ops agency, Section 31, infected Odo deliberately to transmit the disease to the Dominion's Founders. In this episode, Bashir and Chief Miles O'Brien invade the mind of a dying Section 31 agent to find a cure for the disease.

This episode was written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle and it was directed by Steve Posey. William Sadler returns to play Sloan for third and final time. [2]

Plot

The Changeling infection has taken its toll on Odo; Bashir estimates he has no more than two weeks to live. Odo asks his lover, Colonel Kira Nerys, to return to her mission aiding the Cardassian rebellion against Dominion rule, rather than stay to watch him die.

Bashir falsely announces that he has discovered a cure, aiming to lure a Section 31 agent to the station. Agent Sloan takes the bait, and Bashir captures him and prepares to interrogate him with a memory-scanning device to learn the cure for the Changeling disease. When Sloan sees no way to get out of Bashir's interrogation, he kills himself. Bashir and O'Brien construct a device that will allow them to infiltrate Sloan's dying mind. They only have a short time to find the information they seek; when Sloan's brain shuts down, they'll die with him if they're still connected.

Upon entering Sloan's mind, they are greeted by a personification of his subconscious. This Sloan apologizes to his family for choosing Section 31 over them, and is about to give Bashir the cure when it is killed by a personification of Sloan's loyalty to Section 31. Bashir and O'Brien are seemingly shot by a figure defending Sloan's secrets, and discuss their friendship before attempting to continue the search.

They seemingly awaken back in Bashir's lab, their mission a failure. In fact, they are still inside Sloan's mind, as Bashir realizes when he sits down in his quarters to read: his book ends where he stopped reading the previous night, and then starts over from the beginning on the next page. Realizing they have fallen for a stalling tactic, the two resume the search.

They find Sloan in a representation of his office, which is filled with secret data about Section 31, including the formula for the cure for the Changeling disease. Sloan taunts Bashir with the information in his mind – information that would allow Bashir to dismantle Section 31 once and for all. Bashir is tempted, and begins to read. With seconds left before Sloan's brain shuts down, O'Brien recognizes the trap and tells Bashir to get them out of Sloan's mind. Having obtained the chemical formula for the cure, Bashir administers the drug to Odo, curing him.

Reception

The episode first aired on television May 17, 1999. It had Nielsen ratings of 4.3 points, and had over 4.3 million viewers. [1]

Keith R.A. DeCandido, reviewing the episode in 2015 for Tor.com , gave it a rating of 4 out 10. He criticized the episode's slow pace and its focus on the Section 31 storyline at the expense of other plot lines in the concluding story arc. [2]

In 2014, Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club , called the episode "pretty clever", with well acted scenes; he enjoyed the relationship between O'Brien and Bashir. [3]

In their book Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction, Nathan Shedroff and Christopher Noessel note that this episode illustrates a common theme among virtual worlds in science fiction, in which characters have a hard time knowing when they have "woken up" or if they are still in the illusion. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is an interstellar state and military superpower from the Gamma Quadrant, composed of hundreds of dominated alien species. The Dominion is commanded by The Founders, a race of shapeshifters, responsible for both the creation of the Dominion and all strategic decisions undertaken through its history. The Dominion is administered by the Vorta, clones specifically genetically engineered by the Founders to act as field commanders, administrators, scientists and diplomats. The Jem'Hadar, also engineered by the Founders, are the military arm of the Dominion and one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy during the Dominion's height.

The Dominion War is an extended plot concept developed in several story arcs of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, an American science-fiction television series produced by Paramount Pictures. In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Dominion War is a conflict between the forces of the Dominion, the Cardassian Union, and, eventually, the Breen Confederacy against the Alpha Quadrant alliance of the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire and, later, the Romulan Star Empire. The war takes place in the final two seasons of the series, but is gradually built up to over the course of the five preceding seasons.

"A Man Alone" is the fourth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Tribunal (<i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i>) 25th episode of the 2nd season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"Tribunal" is the 25th and penultimate episode of the second season of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 45th episode overall. It was the first episode of the series to air after the conclusion of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series of which Deep Space Nine was a spinoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What You Leave Behind</span> 25th and 26th episodes of the 7th season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"What You Leave Behind" is the series finale of the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 175th and 176th episodes, the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. The episode was written by showrunner Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler and directed by Allan Kroeker. It originally aired the week of May 31, 1999.

"Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" is the 156th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sixth episode of the seventh season. It was first aired the week of November 2, 1998. The teleplay was written by David Weddle and Bradley Thompson, based on a story by Philip Kim, and directed by Steve Posey. When it was aired on television in November 1998, the episode received Nielsen ratings of 4.8 points corresponding to over 4.7 million viewers.

"Chimera" is the 14th episode of the seventh season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 164th episode overall.

"The Adversary" is the 72nd episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the season finale of the third season.

"The Dogs of War" is the 174th and penultimate episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 24th of the seventh season. It is the eighth of the nine-episode story arc concluding the series. This episode was written by René Echevarria and Ronald D. Moore, based on a story by Peter Allan Fields, and was directed by Avery Brooks, who also played the role of Captain Benjamin Sisko.

"When it Rains..." is the 171st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth of the final nine-episode arc of the series. This episode was directed by Michael Dorn and written by Rene Echevarria. It was first aired in broadcast syndication on May 3, 1999.

"Tacking Into the Wind" is the 172nd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The episode was written by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Mike Vejar.

"Strange Bedfellows" is the 169th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is one of eight episodes of Deep Space Nine directed by Rene Auberjonois, who also played the role of Odo on the series.

"By Inferno's Light" is the 113th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 15th episode of the fifth season.

"Broken Link" is the 98th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 26th and final episode of the fourth season.

"Inquisition" is the 142nd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the 18th episode of the sixth season. This episode introduces Starfleet's secretive intelligence agency, Section 31, which would go on to be featured in future Star Trek television series and films.

"Crossfire" is the 85th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 13th episode of the fourth season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Begotten</span> 12th episode of the 5th season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"The Begotten" is the 110th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 12th episode of the fifth season.

"A Time to Stand" is the first episode of the sixth season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the 125th episode overall. This episode was broadcast on television starting on September 29, 1997.

"Behind the Lines" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 128th episode in the science fiction show.

References

  1. 1 2 "WebTrek - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine * SEASON 7 NIELSEN RATINGS". users.telenet.be. Archived from the original on 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  2. 1 2 DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2015-02-13). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Extreme Measures"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  3. ↑ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Tacking Into The Wind"/"Extreme Measures"". The A.V. Club . 24 April 2014. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
  4. ↑ Shedroff, Nathan; Noessel, Christopher (2012-09-17). Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction. Rosenfeld Media. ISBN   978-1-933820-76-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.