Homefront (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

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"Homefront"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 11
Directed by David Livingston
Written by Ira Steven Behr
Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code483
Original air dateJanuary 1, 1996 (1996-01-01)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Our Man Bashir"
Next 
"Paradise Lost"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 4)
List of episodes

"Homefront" is the 83rd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the 11th episode of the fourth season. It is the first part of a two-part episode, continued by the following episode, "Paradise Lost." The episode was directed by David Livingston, [2] and was written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. [3]

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the fictional space station Deep Space Nine, managed by the United Federation of Planets, which lies adjacent to a wormhole connecting the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants of the galaxy. The Gamma Quadrant is home to the Dominion, a hostile empire ruled by the shape-shifting Changelings. In this episode, Deep Space Nine's captain Benjamin Sisko is brought to Earth to assist Admiral Leyton with planetary security after a terrorist attack on the planet is apparently perpetrated by Changelings; while there, he visits his father, who runs a restaurant in New Orleans.

Plot

When 27 people are killed at a diplomatic conference being held in Antwerp on Earth, and evidence implicates the Changelings, Captain Sisko travels to Earth to investigate what looks like a bold new offensive by the Dominion that could be a prelude to war. He is accompanied by security officer Odo, a renegade Changeling who opposes the Dominion. Sisko also brings along his son Jake, taking advantage of the opportunity to visit his father, a restaurateur in New Orleans. Due to Sisko's experience dealing with Changelings, Vice-Admiral Leyton puts him in charge of planetary security; together they persuade the President of the Federation to introduce new security measures on Earth, hoping to be prepared if the Changelings attack again. Meanwhile, Jake's friend Nog, a cadet at Starfleet Academy, asks Captain Sisko to help him become a member of the Red Squad, an elite and selective group of cadets.

With the Dominion threat ever looming, paranoia begins to grow, especially after Odo catches a Changeling impersonating Leyton. Even Sisko momentarily suspects his own father of being a Changeling when he is unwilling to submit to a blood test. As matters escalate, all the power on Earth is knocked out, and sabotage is believed to be the cause. Sisko and Leyton decide to prepare Earth for war, and they convince the President to declare a state of emergency on Earth. As the episode ends, Jake and his grandfather witness armed Starfleet security personnel begin patrolling the streets of New Orleans.

Critical response

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated the two-part episode consisting of "Homefront" and "Paradise Lost" as the 22nd best episode of Star Trek overall, praising how the episode "quietly drives home the scale of the danger facing humanity" and the casting of Brock Peters as Joseph Sisko. [4]

In 2017, Business Insider listed "Homefront" as one of the most underrated episodes of the Star Trek franchise at that time. They praise the episode for examining how quickly paranoia can escalate when fear of an enemy takes hold. [5]

In 2017, ScreenRant ranked this episode paired with "Paradise Lost" the 12th darkest episode(s) of the Star Trek franchise. [6]

In 2018, CBR rated "Homefront", together with following episode "Paradise Lost", as the 16th best multi episode story of Star Trek. [7]

In 2020, io9 listed this and "Paradise Lost" as "must-watch" episodes of the series, describing the plot as a "dark, moral dilemma". [8]

Related Research Articles

Odo (<i>Star Trek</i>) Character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Odo, played by René Auberjonois, is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is a member of a shape-shifting species called Changelings and serves as the head of security for the space station Deep Space Nine on which the show is set. Intelligent, observant, and taciturn, Odo uses his unique abilities throughout the show to maintain security on the DS9 station and later aids the Bajoran people and the Federation throughout the Dominion War against his own people, the Founders.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Sisko</span> Character from TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Benjamin Lafayette Sisko is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise portrayed by Avery Brooks. He was the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), which was originally broadcast between 1993 and 1999. The character has also appeared in various books, comics, and video games of the Star Trek franchise.

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.

"The Search" is the 47th and 48th episode of the science fiction television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

"Call to Arms" is the 26th and final episode of the fifth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 124th episode overall. This episode marks the start of the show's celebrated Dominion war story arc.

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"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.

"Paradise Lost" is the 84th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 12th episode of the fourth season. It is the second part of a two-part episode, following on from the preceding episode, "Homefront."

"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.

"Apocalypse Rising" is the 99th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the first episode of the fifth season. The episode was directed by James L. Conway, and written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe.

"Heart of Stone" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and originally aired on February 6, 1995 in broadcast syndication. The story was written by Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, while the episode was directed by Alexander Singer and the score was created by David Bell.

"The Die Is Cast" is the 67th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 21st episode of the third season. It is the second half of a two-part episode, concluding the story begun in the previous episode, "Improbable Cause". This episode was first televised in broadcast syndication in May 1995.

"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.

The Abandoned (<i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i>) 6th episode of the 3rd season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"The Abandoned" is the 52nd episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the sixth episode of the third season. It is directed by cast member Avery Brooks, who portrays Commander Benjamin Sisko. Brooks directed nine television episodes in this series overall. It was written by D. Thomas Maio and Steve Warnek, and aired October 31, 1994 in syndication.

"The Way of the Warrior" is the first episode from the fourth season of the American syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, counting as the 73rd and the 74th episodes overall as it is a double-length episode. Michael Dorn joins the cast of Deep Space Nine as Worf, a character originating on the preceding series, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

References

  1. "Meet The Actress Who Almost Played Janeway". Star Trek.com. March 27, 2014.
  2. Okuda, Michael; Okuda, Denise; Mirek, Debbie (2011-05-17). The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-4516-4688-7.
  3. Gregory, Chris (2000). Star trek : parallel narratives. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN   978-0-230-59840-9. OCLC   742350507.
  4. ""Homefront" and "Paradise Lost" - 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  5. Holodny, Elena (September 22, 2017). "The 31 most underrated 'Star Trek' episodes". Business Insider . Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  6. "The 15 Darkest Episodes Of Star Trek, Ranked". ScreenRant. 2017-01-16. Archived from the original on 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  7. "Star Trek's Greatest Episodic Sagas, Ranked". CBR. 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  8. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Must-Watch Episodes". Gizmodo. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-02.