For the Cause (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"For the Cause" is an episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, the 22nd episode of the fourth season.
will be delivered to the station in three days before being delivered to Cardassia, as per the request of the beleaguered empire, whose industrial base has been destroyed by Klingon
attacks. Eddington also reports that with Cardassia's preoccupation with the Klingons, the Maquis
have been emboldened, and their activity in the demilitarized zone between Cardassia and the Federation has increased. Starfleet Intelligence believes the Maquis will try to stop the delivery, and possibly steal the replicators. After the briefing, Eddington and Odo also inform Captain Sisko
that there may be a Maquis smuggler on the station, and that preliminary circumstantial evidence may point to Sisko's girlfriend, freighter captain Kasidy Yates.
Meanwhile, Garak
begins to take a closer notice of Gul Dukat
's daughter, Tora Ziyal, who is now living on the station under the supervision of Major Kira
. He mulls over an invitation by her to a Cardassian sauna in one of Quark
's holosuites
, wondering if she intends to kill him in order to please her father, since it was Garak who had Dukat’s father tortured and killed years ago, when he was a member of the Obsidian Order, Cardassia’s internal security police.
Sisko sends Worf
in the Defiant
to confirm Eddington and Odo's suspicions about Kasidy Yates, and indeed, Worf witnesses Kasidy's ship, the Xhosa, transferring cargo to a Maquis raider in the Badlands.
Kira comes to Garak's tailor shop and threatens to kill him if he harms Ziyal. From this Garak actually deduces that it would be safe to meet with Ziyal, reasoning that Kira would not have threatened him if Ziyal had ill in mind for him. Quark points out to him, however, that Kira's threats may have been designed to lull him into a state of complacency to facilitate any ulterior plans on Ziyal's part.
Sisko intends to stop Kasidy’s next delivery himself and capture her Maquis contact. When Kasidy's contact fails to appear, Odo becomes suspicious, wondering if Sisko was merely lured away from the station, which may be the Maquis’ target. When Sisko boards the Xhosa and confronts Kasidy, she insists that she was merely delivering medical supplies, and that she did not knowingly lure Sisko from the station, as it seems that she was duped by the Maquis just as Sisko was.
Back at the station, Eddington orders his security team to place the replicators aboard a Vulcan
transport that is due to arrive at the station at any moment. After the security officers leave the wardroom, Kira arrives in the room. Eddington stuns her unconscious with a phaser, and steals the replicators, revealing himself to be a member of the Maquis.
Sisko returns to the station, but without arresting Kasidy or her crew, much to Odo's objections. Eddington later contacts Sisko, proclaiming his allegiance to the Maquis, excoriating the Federation for their politics in general and their treatment of the colonists that formed the Maquis in particular. He asks Sisko to leave the Maquis alone, telling him that they only consider Cardassia their enemy, and not the Federation. He also warns Sisko that there will be further conflicts if the Federation attempts to send more replicators or similar aid to Cardassia. Sisko vows to hunt Eddington down and arrest him, no matter what it takes.
Garak ultimately meets Ziyal in the holosuite, but although he is armed with a phaser to protect himself, Ziyal tells him that she has no illicit intentions toward him, explaining that as the half Bajoran
, half Cardassian
daughter of the former prefect
of Bajor during the Occupation, she is an outcast on Bajor. She says she needs no companionship, since she spent five years in a prison camp all alone, but would like to learn more about Cardassia, from the only person on the station that can tell her anything about it. Thus their relationship begins.
Kasidy returns to Deep Space Nine
, having let her crew off at a Maquis colony. She says she sensed that Sisko left her in the Badlands to see if she would willingly turn herself in. She says that she will not apologize for what she did, but felt she had a duty to aid the Maquis, just as Sisko has his duty, which he fulfills by ordering security to arrest her, after they share an emotional embrace.
to write this episode. Specifically, he recalled how in the days following the bombing, suspicion fell upon people of Middle Eastern descent as the culprits, when in fact, the true culprit was Timothy McVeigh
, a white American
. Gehred-O'Connell decided to write a story in which Deep Space Nine was the target of a terrorist attack, after which suspicion fell upon the least likely person, Kasidy Yates, as the prime suspect. As the story evolved, the attack upon the station was dispensed with, and the trust between Kasidy and Sisko became the thematic focus of the episode. The episode's story would be followed up later in a sequel episode, "For the Uniform".
After being played by Cyia Batten
in "Indiscretion" and "Return to Grace", Ziyal is played in this episode by Tracy Middendorf
. This is Middendorf's only appearance in the role, as Melanie Smith later acquires the role permanently in "In Purgatory's Shadow", playing her until the character's final appearance in "Sacrifice of Angels". Batten would go on to appear as Irina in "Drive
", a 2000 episode of Star Trek: Voyager
, and as Navaar in "Bound
", a 2005 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
.
The set of the Xhosa bridge was created from pieces previously used as the interior of the Saratoga, on which Sisko had served as First Officer, as seen in the pilot episode, "Emissary".
The mention of Tholian
punctuality by Kasidy in the second scene of Act 2 was writer Ron Moore's tribute to the original series
episode, "The Tholian Web", in which those aliens first appeared.
The reference by Jake Sisko
in Act 3 to the 1961 Yankees and the 1978 Red Sox was a tribute by producer Ira Steven Behr
to his two favorite baseball teams.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, the 22nd episode of the fourth season.
Plot
During a security briefing, Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington informs the senior staff that twelve industrial replicatorsReplicator (Star Trek)
In Star Trek a replicator is a machine capable of creating objects. Replicators were originally seen used to synthesize meals on demand, but in later series they took on many other uses.-Origins and limitations:...
will be delivered to the station in three days before being delivered to Cardassia, as per the request of the beleaguered empire, whose industrial base has been destroyed by Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
attacks. Eddington also reports that with Cardassia's preoccupation with the Klingons, the Maquis
Maquis (Star Trek)
In the American Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Maquis are a 24th Century paramilitary organization or terrorist group first introduced in the 1994 episode "The Maquis" of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who subsequently also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation and...
have been emboldened, and their activity in the demilitarized zone between Cardassia and the Federation has increased. Starfleet Intelligence believes the Maquis will try to stop the delivery, and possibly steal the replicators. After the briefing, Eddington and Odo also inform Captain Sisko
Benjamin Sisko
Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, is the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Early life and career:...
that there may be a Maquis smuggler on the station, and that preliminary circumstantial evidence may point to Sisko's girlfriend, freighter captain Kasidy Yates.
Meanwhile, Garak
Elim Garak
Elim Garak is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which he is portrayed by Andrew J. Robinson. In the series, Garak is an exiled spy from the Cardassian empire and a former member of a prestigious Cardassian intelligence group called the Obsidian Order...
begins to take a closer notice of Gul Dukat
Dukat (Star Trek)
Gul Dukat is the main antagonist of the fictional television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is a member of the fictional Cardassian species, and leader in the Cardassian Union. At times he is an enemy, whilst at others an ally of the series' protagonist Benjamin Sisko. He was played by actor...
's daughter, Tora Ziyal, who is now living on the station under the supervision of Major Kira
Kira Nerys
Kira Nerys , played by Nana Visitor, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.-Backstory:Per Bajoran custom, her family name, Kira, precedes her given name, Nerys. She has two brothers , and her parents' names are Kira Taban and Kira Meru...
. He mulls over an invitation by her to a Cardassian sauna in one of Quark
Quark (Star Trek)
Quark is a fictional character in the American television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The character, which was played by Armin Shimerman, was depicted as a member of an extraterrestrial race known as the Ferengi, who are stereotypically ultra-capitalist and only motivated by...
's holosuites
Holodeck
A holodeck, in the fictional Star Trek universe, is a simulated reality facility located on starships and starbases. The first use of a "holodeck" by that name in the Star Trek universe was in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint", although a conceptually...
, wondering if she intends to kill him in order to please her father, since it was Garak who had Dukat’s father tortured and killed years ago, when he was a member of the Obsidian Order, Cardassia’s internal security police.
Sisko sends Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
in the Defiant
USS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
to confirm Eddington and Odo's suspicions about Kasidy Yates, and indeed, Worf witnesses Kasidy's ship, the Xhosa, transferring cargo to a Maquis raider in the Badlands.
Kira comes to Garak's tailor shop and threatens to kill him if he harms Ziyal. From this Garak actually deduces that it would be safe to meet with Ziyal, reasoning that Kira would not have threatened him if Ziyal had ill in mind for him. Quark points out to him, however, that Kira's threats may have been designed to lull him into a state of complacency to facilitate any ulterior plans on Ziyal's part.
Sisko intends to stop Kasidy’s next delivery himself and capture her Maquis contact. When Kasidy's contact fails to appear, Odo becomes suspicious, wondering if Sisko was merely lured away from the station, which may be the Maquis’ target. When Sisko boards the Xhosa and confronts Kasidy, she insists that she was merely delivering medical supplies, and that she did not knowingly lure Sisko from the station, as it seems that she was duped by the Maquis just as Sisko was.
Back at the station, Eddington orders his security team to place the replicators aboard a Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
transport that is due to arrive at the station at any moment. After the security officers leave the wardroom, Kira arrives in the room. Eddington stuns her unconscious with a phaser, and steals the replicators, revealing himself to be a member of the Maquis.
Sisko returns to the station, but without arresting Kasidy or her crew, much to Odo's objections. Eddington later contacts Sisko, proclaiming his allegiance to the Maquis, excoriating the Federation for their politics in general and their treatment of the colonists that formed the Maquis in particular. He asks Sisko to leave the Maquis alone, telling him that they only consider Cardassia their enemy, and not the Federation. He also warns Sisko that there will be further conflicts if the Federation attempts to send more replicators or similar aid to Cardassia. Sisko vows to hunt Eddington down and arrest him, no matter what it takes.
Garak ultimately meets Ziyal in the holosuite, but although he is armed with a phaser to protect himself, Ziyal tells him that she has no illicit intentions toward him, explaining that as the half Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
, half Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
daughter of the former prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of Bajor during the Occupation, she is an outcast on Bajor. She says she needs no companionship, since she spent five years in a prison camp all alone, but would like to learn more about Cardassia, from the only person on the station that can tell her anything about it. Thus their relationship begins.
Kasidy returns to Deep Space Nine
Deep Space Nine (space station)
Deep Space Nine is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 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...
, having let her crew off at a Maquis colony. She says she sensed that Sisko left her in the Badlands to see if she would willingly turn herself in. She says that she will not apologize for what she did, but felt she had a duty to aid the Maquis, just as Sisko has his duty, which he fulfills by ordering security to arrest her, after they share an emotional embrace.
Production
Writer Mark Gehred-O'Connell was inspired by the Oklahoma City bombingOklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
to write this episode. Specifically, he recalled how in the days following the bombing, suspicion fell upon people of Middle Eastern descent as the culprits, when in fact, the true culprit was Timothy McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh
Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995...
, a white American
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
. Gehred-O'Connell decided to write a story in which Deep Space Nine was the target of a terrorist attack, after which suspicion fell upon the least likely person, Kasidy Yates, as the prime suspect. As the story evolved, the attack upon the station was dispensed with, and the trust between Kasidy and Sisko became the thematic focus of the episode. The episode's story would be followed up later in a sequel episode, "For the Uniform".
After being played by Cyia Batten
Cyia Batten
Cyia Batten is an American dancer, model and film/television actress as well as former Pussycat Dolls dance troupe. She has worked as a professional dancer all over the world for various projects including The Pussycat Dolls and Carmen Electra, Teatro Comunale di Firenze and others.She has had...
in "Indiscretion" and "Return to Grace", Ziyal is played in this episode by Tracy Middendorf
Tracy Middendorf
Tracy Lynn Middendorf is an American television, movie, and stage actress.-Personal life:Middendorf was born in Miami Beach, Florida. She attended Pickens High School in Jasper, Georgia. In 1987, during her senior year, she left Jasper to take drama classes in Miami, and later attended SUNY Purchase...
. This is Middendorf's only appearance in the role, as Melanie Smith later acquires the role permanently in "In Purgatory's Shadow", playing her until the character's final appearance in "Sacrifice of Angels". Batten would go on to appear as Irina in "Drive
Drive (Star Trek: Voyager)
"Drive" is an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the third episode of the seventh season.-Plot:Tom Paris and Harry Kim are out taking the new Delta Flyer, rebuilt after the destruction of the first, for a spin through an asteroid field when they are challenged to a drag race by a pilot named Irina in...
", a 2000 episode of Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, and as Navaar in "Bound
Bound (Enterprise episode)
"Bound" is the title of a Star Trek: Enterprise television episode from season four. This was the final regular standalone episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, the finale being considered part of the "Birth of the Federation" arc.-Plot outline:...
", a 2005 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
.
The set of the Xhosa bridge was created from pieces previously used as the interior of the Saratoga, on which Sisko had served as First Officer, as seen in the pilot episode, "Emissary".
The mention of Tholian
Tholian
Tholians are a fictional starfaring and extremely territorial race in the Star Trek fictional universe. The Tholian home nation is the Tholian Assembly, which inhabits an area of space in the Alpha Quadrant, near the Cardassian Union and the Badlands....
punctuality by Kasidy in the second scene of Act 2 was writer Ron Moore's tribute to the original series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode, "The Tholian Web", in which those aliens first appeared.
The reference by Jake Sisko
Jake Sisko
Jacob "Jake" Sisko, played by Cirroc Lofton, is a character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is the son of Deep Space Nine's commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko.-Overview:...
in Act 3 to the 1961 Yankees and the 1978 Red Sox was a tribute by producer Ira Steven Behr
Ira Steven Behr
Ira Steven Behr born 23 October 1953, in New York City, New York, USA is an American television producer and screenwriter, most known for his work on Star Trek, especially Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, on which he served as showrunner and executive producer...
to his two favorite baseball teams.