Return to Grace

Last updated
"Return to Grace"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 14
Directed byJonathan West
Story byTom Benko
Teleplay by Hans Beimler
Featured music Jay Chattaway
Production code486
Original air dateFebruary 5, 1996 (1996-02-05)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Crossfire"		Next →
"Sons of Mogh"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4
List of episodes

"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. [1]

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on the space station Deep Space Nine near the planet Bajor, as the Bajorans recover from a brutal, decades-long occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. By the fourth season, the Cardassians have made peace with the Bajorans, but are fighting a difficult war with the Klingons. In this episode, the Cardassian officer Gul Dukat, in disgrace after acknowledging his half-Bajoran daughter Ziyal, strikes back against the Klingons over the objections of his government.

This episode marks the first appearance of the recurring character Damar (played by Casey Biggs), Dukat's second in command, and the second appearance of Ziyal, played by Cyia Batten. It is a followup to the episode "Indiscretion" from earlier in the season, in which Bajoran officer Kira Nerys persuaded Dukat to spare his daughter's life.

Plot

Major Kira is shocked to find out that Dukat will be captaining the freighter transporting her to a conference regarding the Klingon threat. Dukat was recently demoted when it became publicly known that he has a half-Bajoran daughter Ziyal, and he now works in a dreary job flying an unremarkable trading ship.

When they arrive they find the conference site obliterated, and a Klingon Bird of Prey warship leaving the area, not even bothering to attack what it considers a lowly freighter. Kira suggests that they adapt the planet's weapons for use by the freighter, effectively turning it into a Q-ship, and then they head after the Bird of Prey. They soon find it, and after tricking the Bird of Prey into thinking they are carrying valuable cargo, use their new weaponry to cripple the Klingon vessel. After commandeering the Bird of Prey and transporting the Klingons to the freighter, Dukat mercilessly destroys the freighter. Dukat notifies his superiors of his capture of the Klingon ship, hoping to regain some respect and spur the Cardassians into fighting the Klingons; they offer him his old job back, but order him to take no further offensive actions against the Klingons.

Disgusted, Dukat vows to fight the whole Klingon Empire himself if he has to. He offers Kira a place on his crew, saying her experience as a resistance fighter would be valuable. She declines, taking Ziyal back to Deep Space Nine with her until Dukat's personal war is over.

Reception

The A.V. Club praised Marc Alaimo for his "ability to make Dukat charismatic, slimy, and yet weirdly sympathetic [which] has helped make the character one of the best villains in Trek history." [2] Tor.com rated the episode 7 out of 10. [3]

In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide. [4]

In 2018, SyFy recommended this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the character Kira Nerys. [5]

Related Research Articles

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.

"Emissary" is the series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It was aired as a single two-hour episode on its initial broadcast, but was divided into two one-hour episodes when it aired in reruns.

"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.

"Necessary Evil" is the 28th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the eighth 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.

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

"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.

"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.

"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.

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

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

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

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

"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. ↑ "WebTrek - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine * SEASON 4 NIELSEN RATINGS". users.telenet.be. Archived from the original on 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
  2. ↑ Zack Handlen (2013). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Return To Grace"/"Sons Of Mogh"". The A.V. Club .
  3. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (11 March 2014). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Return to Grace"". Tor.com .
  4. ↑ Ryan Whitwam (2015-01-19). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek". Geek.com. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  5. ↑ 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.
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.