Rapture (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Last updated
"Rapture"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 10
Directed byJonathan West
Story byL. J. Strom
Teleplay by Hans Beimler
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code508
Original air dateDecember 30, 1996 (1996-12-30)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Ascent"
Next 
"The Darkness and the Light"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (season 5)
List of episodes

"Rapture" is the tenth episode of the fifth season, and the 108th episode overall, of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Its premiere was watched by 5.8 million people. [1]

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, as the Bajorans recover from a decades-long occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. The station is adjacent to a wormhole that is home to powerful alien beings worshiped by the Bajorans as the "Prophets", and who have made Benjamin Sisko, the human commanding officer of DS9, their "Emissary" to the Bajorans. In this episode, as Bajor prepares to join the United Federation of Planets, Sisko experiences visions from the Prophets that allow him to discover a lost Bajoran city; meanwhile Sisko's girlfriend Kasidy Yates is released from prison.

This episode features guest stars Penny Johnson Jerald and Louise Fletcher in their recurring roles of Kasidy Yates and Bajoran spiritual leader Kai Winn; Ernest Perry Jr. also guest stars as the Federation's Admiral Whatley. It is the first episode to feature the new design for Starfleet uniforms introduced in the film Star Trek: First Contact , which had been released a month before this episode aired.

Plot

When Sisko sees a painting depicting B'hala, Bajor's legendary lost city, he is inspired to search for the sacred site. The painting depicts an obelisk that, according to legend, marked the city's coordinates. Sisko recreates the obelisk in a holosuite to try to determine what the hidden markings might be. A short circuit in the holosuite system briefly knocks him unconscious. Dr. Bashir tells Sisko his brain has been overloaded, and his senses will be enhanced for a few days; he warns him to return to the infirmary if he experiences any side effects. At dinner, Sisko absentmindedly cuts his fruit into shapes which he realizes are the missing markings from the obelisk.

Meanwhile, Sisko receives news that Bajor has been accepted into the Federation, and the signing ceremony will be held on Deep Space Nine.

Back in the holosuite, Sisko has a vision of B'hala, during which he briefly understands all of Bajor's history and can see its future. Soon, Kasidy Yates is released from prison, and Sisko tells her he has located B'hala and invites her to accompany him to Bajor to find it. On Bajor, Sisko is stricken with a painful headache, but he soon brings Kasidy to the ruins of B'hala.

The Bajorans regard Sisko's discovery as a miracle and, for the skeptics, confirmation that he truly is the Emissary. When Sisko gets home, he seems to have psychic powers; he has a vision of a swarm of locusts passing by Bajor and attacking Cardassia. Bashir determines that Sisko's headaches are life-threatening and asks to operate immediately. Sisko refuses, unwilling to put a stop to his visions. With Kai Winn's help, he consults the mystical Orb of Prophecy.

The ceremony for Bajor's admittance to the Federation begins without Sisko. Sisko bursts in, weak and in pain, and warns that if Bajor joins the Federation now, it will be destroyed by locusts. The Bajorans vote to delay joining the Federation.

Sisko is rushed to the infirmary, where Bashir reports that he must operate immediately to save his life. Since Sisko himself refused the operation, his son Jake, as the next-of-kin, must decide his father's fate. Unwilling to let his father die, Jake permits the operation. Sisko awakens to anguish at the loss of his visions. Kasidy reminds him that while he has lost something very important to him, what he saved—his life with his son—is even more precious.

Arc significance

Reception

Tor.com gave the episode nine out of ten. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<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.

<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.

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 Circle" is the 22nd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the second in a three-part story arc, and also the second episode of the second season.

<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.

"Penumbra" is the 167th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 17th episode of the seventh season. It aired on syndicated television the week of April 5, 1999.

"'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.

"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.

"The Changing Face of Evil" is the 170th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It was first aired on syndicated television on April 26, 1999.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Space Nine (fictional space station)</span> Fictional space station in Star Trek

Deep Space Nine is a fictional space station, the eponymous primary setting of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine which aired from 1993 to 1999. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens. It is run by a joint crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers and it is the home port of a number of Starfleet runabouts, as well as the starship USS Defiant.

References

  1. "WebTrek - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine * SEASON 5 NIELSEN RATINGS". users.telenet.be. Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
  2. DeCandido, Keith R. A. (3 June 2014). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Rapture"". Tor.com.
  3. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "The Ascent"/"Rapture"". The A.V. Club . 2013.