Indiscretion (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Last updated
"Indiscretion"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 4
Directed by LeVar Burton
Story by Nicholas Corea
Teleplay by
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code477
Original air dateOctober 23, 1995 (1995-10-23)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Hippocratic Oath"		Next →
"Rejoined"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4
List of episodes

"Indiscretion" is the 77th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the fourth episode of the fourth season.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station near the planet Bajor, as Bajor recovers from a long and brutal occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. In this episode, Major Kira Nerys, a Bajoran, goes on a mission with Gul Dukat, the Cardassian former overseer of Bajor, to look for survivors of a destroyed ship.

This episode expands on the backstories of Dukat, the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, and the resistance cell Kira was involved with during the occupation. This episode also introduces the character Tora Ziyal, Dukat's half-Bajoran daughter, and marks the first appearance of the alien race known as the Breen.

This episode was written by Nicholas Corea, from a story by Toni Marberry and Jack Tevino and directed by LeVar Burton. It aired in broadcast syndication on October 23, 1995.

Plot

A Bajoran smuggler tells Major Kira that he has recovered a piece of metal that might be from the Ravinok, a Cardassian ship that disappeared six years before with a group of Bajoran prisoners onboard, including a friend of Kira's. She makes plans to investigate, but the Cardassian government insists on sending Gul Dukat to accompany her. The two travel to a desert planet near where the fragment was found, and they find the wreckage of the Ravinok.

Kira and Dukat discover twelve graves near the wreckage, but since several more people were on the ship, they conclude that some survivors may still be alive. First, however, Dukat opens the graves in order to identify the bodies and is overcome with grief when he finds the remains of a Bajoran woman who was his mistress. They soon set off on foot, scanning the planet for survivors. While setting up camp, Dukat reveals that he and his mistress had a daughter, Tora Ziyal, who may be among the survivors. Unfortunately, if he finds her alive, he plans to kill her to avoid a scandal that would endanger his Cardassian family and career. Kira tells Dukat she will not allow him to kill Ziyal.

Kira and Dukat discover a mining operation of Bajoran and Cardassian prisoners, supervised by the Breen. Dukat sees his half-Cardassian, half-Bajoran daughter among the prisoners. Disguised as Breen, Kira and Dukat infiltrate the mine, overcome the guards, and free the prisoners. Kira is sad to learn that her friend died two years earlier, but Dukat is only interested in finding his daughter. When he finds her, she instantly recognizes her father and is thrilled to see him, despite the fact he is aiming a phaser rifle at her. Kira arrives and tries to stop him. Ziyal realizes what is happening and tells her father she would rather die if she cannot go with him. She hugs him affectionately, and Dukat, shaken with emotion, decides to take Ziyal home — even if it costs him everything he has.

Meanwhile, in a side plot on Deep Space Nine, Captain Benjamin Sisko learns that his girlfriend, Kasidy Yates, has been offered a job on Bajor and is considering moving to the station. Instead of congratulating her, Sisko can only express his anxiety about escalating their relationship; but Sisko's friends and his son Jake convince him to apologize to her.

Production

The story about how Dukat and Kira track down Dukat's half-Bajoran child was pitched by two freelance writers, and it was very appealing to the show's producers. It was said to be reminiscent of the 1956 Western film The Searchers . Director LeVar Burton liked the story, as well, because of how the two adversaries had to re-examine themselves over the course of the episode. [1]

This was the first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine directed by LeVar Burton, who had previously directed some episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and was part of the main cast as the character Geordi. [2]

The outdoor scene was filmed at Soledad Canyon in southern California. [3]

The guest stars included: [2]

Reception

In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the Bajoran character Kira Nerys. [4] They called it "a treat" to see the fiery acting performances of Visitor and Alaimo (playing Kira and Dukat, respectively). [4]

Writing for Tor.com in 2014, Keith R.A. DeCandido gave the episode a favorable review with a rating of 8 out of 10. He praised the acting performances of Visitor, Alaimo, and Brooks, and commended the episode for creating a more humanized portrait of Dukat without making him seem sympathetic to Kira or the viewer. [2]

In 2020, io9 listed this episode as one of the "must-watch" episodes of the series. [5]

Releases

On August 5, 1998, "Indiscretion" was released in LaserDisc format in Japan, as part of the 4th season (vol.1) box set. [6]

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">Bajoran</span> Fictional extraterrestrial species from Star Trek

The Bajorans are a fictional species in the science-fiction Star Trek franchise. They are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor, who have a long-standing enmity with the Cardassians, owing to decades of subjugation under a military dictatorship which saw many of their species enslaved or forced into exile away from their homeworld. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and subsequently were a pivotal element of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and also appeared in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard.

Dukat (<i>Star Trek</i>) Fictional character from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Dukat is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. A member of the fictional Cardassian species, he is introduced as the former overseer of the series' namesake space station but goes on to become the leader of his species' governing body, the Cardassian Union. At times an enemy, while at others an ally of Benjamin Sisko, Dukat appears in 35 of the series' 176 episodes. He was portrayed by Marc Alaimo throughout. Dukat became a fan favorite among Star Trek fans and he is widely considered to be one of the most iconic villains in the Star Trek franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kira Nerys</span> Fictional humanoid in the TV Series Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Kira Nerys is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has recently emerged from a brutal foreign occupation. She was a member of the resistance, and the decades-long conflict has left her tough and uncompromising, but she is sustained by her strong faith in traditional Bajoran religion. She has been assigned to Deep Space Nine, a space station jointly operated by the United Federation of Planets and the new provisional Bajoran government, where she serves as second in command as well as the ranking representative of her people.

"The Homecoming" is the 21st episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the first of the franchise-first three-part episode story arc, and the first 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.

"Covenant" is the 159th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the ninth episode of the seventh season. This episode first aired the week of November 23, 1998.

"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.

"'Til Death Do Us Part" is the 168th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This episode first aired the week of April 12, 1999 on syndicated television.

"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.

"Waltz" is the 11th episode of the sixth season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 135th episode overall.

"For the Cause" is the 94th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 21st of the fourth season. It was first broadcast on May 6, 1996.

"Return to Grace" is the 86th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 14th episode of the fourth season. "Return to Grace" had a Nielsen rating of 6.5 when it was broadcast on television in 1996.

"Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night" is the 141st episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 17th episode of the sixth season.

"Accession" is the 89th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 17th episode of the fourth season.

"Ties of Blood and Water" is an episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the nineteenth episode of the fifth season.

"Sons and Daughters" is the third episode in the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the 127th episode overall.

"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.

References

  1. ↑ Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Deep Space Nine Companion. Simon and Schuster. p. 274. ISBN   978-0-671-50106-8.
  2. 1 2 3 DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2014-02-07). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Indiscretion"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  3. ↑ Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Deep Space Nine Companion. Simon and Schuster. p. 275. ISBN   978-0-671-50106-8.
  4. 1 2 Krishna, Swapna (2018-01-16). "A binge-watching guide to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Kira Nerys". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  5. ↑ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Must-Watch Episodes". Gizmodo. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  6. ↑ "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Deep Space 9: 4th Season vol.1 [PILF-2442]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
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.