The Siege (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Last updated
"The Siege"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Written by Michael Piller
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code423
Original air dateOctober 11, 1993 (1993-10-11)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Circle"		Next →
"Invasive Procedures"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2
List of episodes

"The Siege" is the 23rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It is the third in a three-part story arc, and the third episode of the second season.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located near the planet Bajor and managed by the Starfleet, as the Bajorans recover from a decades-long, brutal occupation by the imperialistic Cardassians. This episode concludes the three-episode story arc that began the second season of the series, following "The Homecoming" and "The Circle". In the previous episodes, Li Nalas, a hero of the Bajoran resistance against the Cardassian occupation, was appointed liaison to Deep Space Nine, but as the Bajoran nationalist movement known as the Circle gained influence, the Bajoran government ordered Starfleet to evacuate DS9. In this episode, Li and Starfleet commander Benjamin Sisko help stop DS9 from being commandeered by the Circle, while Major Kira and Lt. Dax try to discredit the Circle to the Bajoran government.

Plot

Bajoran assault vessels approach Deep Space Nine as part of a military coup against the Bajoran government led by the xenophobic movement "The Circle". Sisko announces that he is evacuating the station's civilian population and anyone who wishes to leave; the entire crew volunteers to stay with him and fight. Li Nalas calms the flood of civilian passengers by inspiring courage in his fellow Bajorans. Quark ends up left on the station when a scheme to make money buying and selling seats on the evacuation ships backfires.

Once the Bajoran forces arrive, there is no sign of Federation presence; however, General Krim suspects Federation personnel are still aboard. Coup leader Jaro Essa orders Krim to capture Li Nalas alive, convinced that he can bribe Li into joining the Circle. Krim's soldiers begin a search of the station; security chief Odo uses his shape-shifting abilities to help the crew avoid detection, while Sisko and his crew launch a guerrilla campaign to harass and disrupt the Bajoran militia.

Kira and Dax are sent to bring evidence that the Cardassians are backing the Circle to Bajor. Dropped off on a moon where the Bajorans stored a number of small starfighters during the occupation, they manage to get one of the craft working and fly to Bajor. Their ship is shot down by Bajoran fighters, necessitating a crash landing.

Sisko and the crew trap a group led by Krim's second-in-command, Colonel Day, in a holosuite. Sisko informs the soldiers about Cardassian involvement with the Circle and releases Day to pass the information to Krim, but the colonel instead tells Krim that the Federation is attempting to wrest control of DS9 from the Bajorans. A scan for Federation communicator signals reveals that they are hiding in the conduits, and Odo informs Sisko that the soldiers intend to flood the conduits with gas. Part of the crew distracts the bulk of the Bajoran forces, after which Li and Sisko capture Krim in an attempt to reason with him.

Although Kira was injured in the crash, Dax gets her to Vedek Bareil's monastery. She and Kira disguise themselves as clerics to travel to the Chamber of Ministers. Once there, Kira confronts the ministers with proof of Cardassian involvement; exposed, Jaro yields without a fight. Upon learning of the Cardassian involvement, Krim returns control of DS9 back to Sisko before departing for Bajor to resign his commission. However, Colonel Day attempts to assassinate Sisko in revenge; Li Nalas steps in the way of Day's weapon blast and is killed; Day is arrested, and the combined backlash over their Cardassian support and having killed a beloved national figure utterly discredits the Circle.

In the aftermath, as Kira mourns Li, Sisko tells Chief O'Brien that Li was a hero of the resistance and that is the way he will remember him.

Casting

The episode includes many guest stars, in addition to the regular Deep Space Nine cast. [1] This includes Rosalind Chao, Max Grodenchik, Aron Eisenberg, Hana Hatae, Philip Anglim and Louise Fletcher appear in their recurring DS9 roles; guest actors include Steven Weber as Day, Richard Beymer as Li, Stephen Macht as Krim, and Katrina Carlson as a Bajoran officer. [1] Frank Langella makes an uncredited guest appearance as Jaro in this and the preceding episodes, according to Winrich Kolbe, he requested to be uncredited because he was appearing on the show as a gift to his children, rather than for money or exposure. [1]

Reception

In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide, they noted that this episode is part of a trilogy that includes the first three episodes of the second season, [2] ("The Homecoming", "The Circle", and "The Siege").

In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the Bajoran character Kira Nerys, as a trilogy with the preceding two episodes. [3]

Releases

"The Siege" and "Invasive Procedures" were released on VHS together in the U.K. on one cassette tape (catalog number VHR 2719). [4]

On September 17, 1997, "The Siege" and "Invasive Procedures" were released on LaserDisc in the United States. [5] Released by Paramount Home Video, the 12 inch optical disc used both sides for a runtime of 92 minutes with the shows. [5]

It was released on LaserDisc in Japan on June 6, 1997 as part of the half season collection 2nd Season Vol. 1, which had seven doubled sided 12" discs. [6] The discs had English and Japanese audio tracks. [6]

On April 1, 2003 Season 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was released on DVD video discs, with 26 episodes on seven discs. [7]

This episode was released in 2017 on DVD with the complete series box set, which had 176 episodes on 48 discs. [8] [9]

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 within 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 Maquis" is a two-part episode from the second season of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

"Cardassians" is the 25th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the fifth episode of the second season.

"A Man Alone" is the fourth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

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.

"Babel" is the fifth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The episode aired on television on January 25, 1993.

"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.

"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.

"Battle Lines" is the 13th episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series 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.

"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.

"Defiant" is the 55th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the ninth episode of the third season. This episode guest stars actor Jonathan Frakes, in the role he had originated on Deep Space Nine's predecessor series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode aired in broadcast syndication on November 21, 1994.

"Destiny" is the 61st episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 15th episode of the third season.

"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.

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

<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. 1 2 3 Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2000). Deep Space Nine Companion. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-0-671-50106-8.
  2. ↑ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek". Geek.com. 2015-01-19. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Vol. 12 - The Siege/Invasive Procedure". www.videocollector.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  5. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek DS9 #025/26: Cardassians/Melora [LV 40510-425]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  6. 1 2 "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Deep Space 9: 2nd Season vol.1 [PILF-2323]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  7. ↑ Holly E. Ordway (April 20, 2003). "Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Season 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  8. ↑ Staff, TrekNews net (2017-02-10). "[REVIEW] Deep Space Nine Complete Series DVD Box Set". TREKNEWS.NET | Your daily dose of Star Trek news and opinion. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  9. ↑ Lipp, Chaz (2017-02-16). "DVD Review: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Series". The Morton Report. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
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.