| Series: | DS9 |
| Season: | 4 |
| Original Airdate: | 1996-08-01 |
| Production Number: | 484 |
| Year: | 2372 |
| Stardate: | Unknown |
| Story by: | Ronald D. Moore |
| Teleplay by: | Ira Steven Behr & Robert Hewitt Wolfe |
| Directed by: | Reza Badiyi |
A state of emergency has been declared on Earth, and armed Starfleet security officers are on the streets. But the activities of an elite cadre of Academy cadets on the night of the power outage arouse Sisko’s suspicions. He and Odo investigate, and learn that the sabotage was caused not by Changelings but by Red Squad under orders from Admiral Leyton, whose goal is to oust the President and take over Earth to fortify it against the Dominion. And Leyton is willing to do anything — even order one Starfleet ship to destroy another — to carry out his plans. (Part 2 of 2)
Summary
SUMMARY
Memorable Quotes
Joseph Sisko: “I’ve got plenty of customers. Just look outside.”
Jake Sisko: “All I see are security officers.”
Joseph Sisko: “And I bet not one of them’s had a good meal in four days. Now do your grandfather a favor… and start chopping the okra.”
Captain Sisko: “That’s the bottom line, isn’t it? What am I going to do about it? These people aren’t evil, Odo. They’re people I’ve worked with… they’re my friends… people I respect. How can I turn against them?”
Odo: “It seems to me, if they have committed treason against the Federation, the Federation you swore to protect, then you won’t be turning against them… they’ll have turned against you.”
Jaresh-Inyo: “Captain, I have been in politics for seventy years. I’m no stranger to overstatement and exaggeration. But the idea that Starfleet would plot to overthrow the government of the Federation is the single most astonishing accusation I’ve ever heard.”
Admiral Leyton: “I’m afraid I owe you an apology, Ben.”
Captain Sisko: “The way I see it, you owe a lot of people an apology.”
Admiral Leyton: “You always had a strong sense of duty.”
Captain Sisko: “My duty is to protect the Federation.”
Admiral Leyton: “Which is what we’re trying to do.”
Captain Sisko: “What you’re trying to do is seize control of Earth and place it under military rule!”
Admiral Leyton: “If that’s what it takes to stop the Dominion.”
Captain Sisko: “You’re willing to destroy paradise in order to save it?”
Changeling (as O'Brien): “What if I told you there are only four on this entire planet, eh? Not counting Constable Odo of course. Think of it; only four of us, and look at the havoc we’ve wrought.”
Captain Sisko: “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Changeling (as O'Brien): “Four’s more than enough. We’re smarter than solids… we’re better than you… and most importantly, we don’t fear you the way you fear us. In the end, it’s your fear that will destroy you.”
Captain Benteen: “I thought Admiral Leyton ordered you back to Deep Space Nine.”
Captain Sisko: “He did. But I’ve got some leave coming, and I’ve decided to take it. After all, I don’t get to spend much time on Earth. And it’s so pleasant here; with a Starfleet officer on every corner, Paradise has never seemed so… well-armed.”
Captain Sisko: “I assume you’ll be explaining to the public why it’s necessary for Starfleet to seize control of Earth.”
Admiral Leyton: “Temporarily, of course. Until the changeling threat has been neutralized.”
Captain Sisko: “And how long will that be? Months? Years? Decades?”
Admiral Leyton: “However long it takes. The people deserve strong leadership. Someone who can protect them.”
Captain Sisko: “In other words… you.”
Captain Sisko: “Do you think the other Federation worlds are going to sit back and let their President be replaced by a military dictatorship?”
Admiral Leyton: “Hardly a dictatorship, Ben.”
Captain Sisko: “Overthrowing a legitimately elected President and giving Starfleet direct control over the government? Sounds like a dictatorship to me. And I’m sure I won’t be the only one who thinks so.”
Admiral Leyton: “There’ll be some dissenters at first. But they’ll fall in line once they realize strengthening Earth is the first step toward strengthening the Federation.”
Captain Sisko: “And if they don’t agree, what then? Are you willing to risk civil war? If the Lakota fires on the Defiant, you’ll be opening a Pandora's Box that may never be closed.”
Admiral Leyton: “I wish I’d taught you more about the importance of loyalty.”
Captain Sisko: “You want to talk to me about loyalty? After you broke your oath to the Federation, lied to the people of Earth, and ordered one of our starships to fire on another? You don't have the right.”
Odo: “Am I the only one worried that there are still changelings here on Earth?”
Joseph Sisko: “Worried? I’m scared to death. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them change the way I live my life.”
Captain Sisko: “If the changelings want to destroy what we’ve built here they’re going to have to do it themselves; we will not do it for them.”
Background Information
- The events of this episode (a Starfleet admiral attempting a military coup) are similar to the plot of Pocket TOS: Dreadnought!, a novel by Diane Carey, written about a decade prior to DS9’s production.
- The title of this episode, much like the graffitti on the entrance to Paradise City, both take their name from a 17th Century poem written by the English poet, John Milton.
- This is the last episode directed by Reza Badiyi.
- Rene Echevarria, via the Deep Space Nine Companion, describes the episode as “an attempt to make the audience complicit in believing that a threat is imminent, and that by any means necessary it must be dealt with… Martial law — yes! Clamp down on rights — yes! Blood tests — yes! No civil rights — yes! And then in Part II we find out that the real point of the story is how dangerous this feeling is.”
Links and References
Guest Stars
- Brock Peters as Joseph Sisko
- David Drew Gallagher as Riley Aldrin Shepard
- Susan Gibney as Erika Benteen
- Herschel Sparber as Jaresh-Inyo
- Robert Foxworth as Admiral Leyton
References
Sisko's; Excelsior class; USS Lakota
| Previous Episode: Homefront | Episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Next Episode: Crossfire |