Improbable Cause

Last updated

"Improbable Cause"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 20
Directed by Avery Brooks
Story by
Teleplay by René Echevarria
Featured music David Bell
Production code465
Original air dateApril 24, 1995 (1995-04-24)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Through the Looking Glass"		Next →
"The Die Is Cast"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3
List of episodes

"Improbable Cause" is the 66th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the 20th episode of the third season. It is the first half of a two-part episode, concluded in the following episode, "The Die is Cast".

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the space station Deep Space Nine near the planet Bajor, adjacent to a wormhole connecting the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants of the galaxy, as the Bajorans recover from a decades-long occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. The Gamma Quadrant is home to a hostile empire known as the Dominion, ruled by the shapeshifting Founders.

In this episode, Deep Space Nine's security chief Odo investigates a bombing at the clothing shop of Cardassian spy-turned-tailor Elim Garak, leading him to discover secret Cardassian maneuvering against the Dominion.

Plot

When Garak's shop explodes, Odo finds that it was destroyed by a bomb set up to make it look accidental. He tracks down a possible suspect but before he can catch up with him, the suspect is killed when his ship blows up.

Odo studies the case further and discovers evidence that the Romulans are behind it. They probably hired the dead suspect, and then killed him to help bury evidence. Odo digs up more information about the incident and finds that it is much more complicated than an assassination attempt on Garak. It seems the Romulans are planning to invade Cardassia and several members of the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian secret police, have been killed in mysterious mishaps recently.

Odo tries to get Garak to admit that he blew up his own shop in order to get Odo to begin an investigation. All of the Cardassians recently killed were close to Enabran Tain, Garak's Obsidian Order mentor. Now that all of his associates are being targeted, Tain may be in danger. Odo and Garak set off to locate him.

En route they are captured by a Romulan starship. When they are brought aboard they find Tain is there. He tells them he ordered Garak's assassination, as well as those of the rest of his former associates. He is wiping his history clean in preparation for a power play. The Tal Shiar, the Romulan intelligence agency, have formed an alliance with the Obsidian Order, and they are planning an attack on the Founders in the Gamma Quadrant. Once the Dominion is taken out, Tain plans to take control of the Obsidian Order. Since his attempt on Garak's life failed, he asks Garak to join him, and Garak immediately agrees.

Arc significance

This episode and its successor, "The Die Is Cast", are a pivotal moment in the timeline of Deep Space Nine, one which would define the plotline for the remainder of the series. After several episodes establishing the Dominion as a threat, beginning with "The Jem'Hadar", the events of this episode make the eventual war between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant inevitable. The repercussions of the events depicted in this episode resonate throughout the remainder of the series, as the attempted preemptive invasion of the Gamma Quadrant by the joint Romulan and Cardassian fleet leads to the crippling of the Obsidian Order, a war between the Cardassians and Klingons, and the eventual absorption of Cardassia into the Dominion, which precipitates the beginning of the war between the Dominion (with the Cardassians and the Breen) and the United Federation of Planets (with the Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire), which occupies the final two seasons of Deep Space Nine.

Reception

In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide, pairing it with the following episode "The Die is Cast". [1] They note this duet of episodes is Garak-centric, and also includes special-effect scenes of space battles. [1]

The Hollywood Reporter rated "Improbable Cause" as the 71st best episode of Star Trek overall, noting its mystery and intrigue. [2] They also ranked it the 20th best episode in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 2016. [3]

In 2018, CBR rated "Improbable Cause" coupled with its second part "The Die Is Cast", as the 12th best multi episode story arc of Star Trek. [4]

As a pair with the following episode "The Die Is Cast", "Improbable Cause" was ranked as the sixth best episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine by Vulture. [5] They highlight the character of Garak, played by Andrew Robinson. [5] In 2019, Den of Geek also reviewed it paired with "The Die Is Cast", and ranked it among the best 25 (single or paired episodes) of the series. [6]

Releases

This episode was released on LaserDisc in Japan on October 2, 1998, in the half-season collection 3rd Season Vol. 2. [7] The set included episodes from "Destiny" to "The Adversary" on double sided 12 inch optical discs; the box set had a total runtime of 552 minutes and included audio tracks in English and Japanese. [7]

This episode was released on VHS paired with "Through the Looking Glass". [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardassian</span> Fictional extraterrestrial species from Star Trek

The Cardassians are a fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek. They were devised in 1991 for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation before being used in the subsequent series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.

<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 within 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 has been gradually built up to over the course of the five preceding seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elim Garak</span> Fictional character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson.

Second Skin (<i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</i>) 5th episode of the 3rd season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

"Second Skin" is the 51st episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth episode of the third season.

"The Wire" is the 42nd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 22nd episode of the second season.

"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.

<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.

"Sacrifice of Angels" is the sixth episode from the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 130th episode overall. The episode's plot details the efforts of the United Federation of Planets to retake space station Deep Space Nine from the forces of the Dominion. This is the second half of a two-part episode, continuing the story immediately from the end of the previous episode, "Favor the Bold". The episode features a large guest cast and numerous VFX scenes with spacecraft.

"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.

"In Purgatory's Shadow" is the 112th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 14th episode of the fifth season. The episode premiered on February 10, 1997 to a Nielsen rating of 6.7 points. It is the first half of a two-part episode, with the second half, "By Inferno's Light", first airing a week later.

"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.

"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.

"Favor the Bold" is the 129th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth episode of the sixth season, first broadcast on October 27, 1997. This episode had Nielsen ratings of 6.0 points, which equaled about 5.9 million viewers.

"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. 1 2 Ryan Whitwam (January 19, 2015). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek". Geek.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ ""Frame Of Mind" - 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. September 8, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  3. ↑ "'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' — The 20 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter . September 22, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Star Trek's Greatest Episodic Sagas, Ranked". CBR. November 23, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "The Best Episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ranked". www.vulture.com. January 4, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Best Star Trek Deep Space Nine Stories". Den of Geek . January 3, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Deep Space 9: 3rd Season vol.2 [PILF-2441]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Vol. 3.10 - Through The Looking Glass". www.videocollector.co.uk. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
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.