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Improbable Cause (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Improbable Cause" is an episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, the 20th episode of the third season. It maintains a fan rating of 4.2 out of 5 on the official Star Trek Website. The story concludes in the following episode, "The Die is Cast".
Quick Overview: Garak's tailor shop is bombed, and Odo launches an investigation.
's tailor shop explodes, Odo finds that it was destroyed by a bomb but set up to make it look accidental. He tracks down a possible suspect but before he can catch up with him, the suspect is killed when his ship blows up.
Odo studies the case further and discovers that the Romulan
s are behind it. They probably hired the dead suspect, and then killed him to help bury evidence. Odo digs up more information about the incident and finds that it is much more complicated than an assassination attempt on Garak
. It seems the Romulan
s are planning to invade Cardassia
and several members of the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian secret police
, have been killed in mysterious mishaps recently.
Odo tries to get Garak to admit that he blew up his own shop in order to get Odo to begin an investigation. All of the Cardassians recently killed were close to Enabran Tain, Garak's mentor. Now that all of his associates are being targeted, Tain may be in danger. Odo and Garak set off to locate him.
En route they are caught by a Romulan warbird. When they are brought aboard they find that Tain is there. He tells them he ordered Garak
's assassination, as well as those of the rest of his former associates. He is wiping his history clean in preparation for a power play. The Romulan Tal Shiar have formed an alliance with the Obsidian Order, and they are planning an attack on the Founders in the Gamma Quadrant. Once the Dominion is taken out, Tain plans to take control of the Obsidian Order. Since his attempt on Garak's life failed, he asks the tailor to join him. Odo is puzzled when Garak immediately agrees.
The story continues with the following episode, "The Die is Cast".
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, the 20th episode of the third season. It maintains a fan rating of 4.2 out of 5 on the official Star Trek Website. The story concludes in the following episode, "The Die is Cast".
Quick Overview: Garak's tailor shop is bombed, and Odo launches an investigation.
Plot
When GarakElim 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...
's tailor shop explodes, Odo finds that it was destroyed by a bomb but set up to make it look accidental. He tracks down a possible suspect but before he can catch up with him, the suspect is killed when his ship blows up.
Odo studies the case further and discovers that the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
s are behind it. They probably hired the dead suspect, and then killed him to help bury evidence. Odo digs up more information about the incident and finds that it is much more complicated than an assassination attempt on 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...
. It seems the Romulan
Romulan
The Romulans are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek universe. First appearing in the original Star Trek series in the 1966 episode "Balance of Terror", they have since made appearances in all the main later Star Trek series: The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager...
s are planning to invade Cardassia
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...
and several members of the Obsidian Order, the Cardassian secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
, have been killed in mysterious mishaps recently.
Odo tries to get Garak to admit that he blew up his own shop in order to get Odo to begin an investigation. All of the Cardassians recently killed were close to Enabran Tain, Garak's mentor. Now that all of his associates are being targeted, Tain may be in danger. Odo and Garak set off to locate him.
En route they are caught by a Romulan warbird. When they are brought aboard they find that Tain is there. He tells them he ordered 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...
's assassination, as well as those of the rest of his former associates. He is wiping his history clean in preparation for a power play. The Romulan Tal Shiar have formed an alliance with the Obsidian Order, and they are planning an attack on the Founders in the Gamma Quadrant. Once the Dominion is taken out, Tain plans to take control of the Obsidian Order. Since his attempt on Garak's life failed, he asks the tailor to join him. Odo is puzzled when Garak immediately agrees.
The story continues with the following episode, "The Die is Cast".
Arc significance
- Enabran Tain, the former head of the Obsidian Order (cf. "The Wire"), has made a secret alliance with the Romulan Tal Shiar to stage a first strike against the Dominion. Both the Cardassian Central Commmand and the Romulan government are unaware of this (cf. "Visionary").
- If the attack is successful, Tain plans to return to the Order, and thus felt the need to have his former associates eliminated. Garak is the only one to survive, and Tain offers him the chance to end his exile by accompanying him to the Gamma Quadrant.
- This is the first appearance of Mila, Tain's housekeeper.