.gif)
Necessary Evil (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Necessary Evil" is 28th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
woman hires Quark
to retrieve a strongbox from her former husband's shop on Deep Space Nine
. Quark opens it to find a list of Bajorans. A stranger sneaks up, shoots Quark and steals the list. As Dr. Bashir
tries reviving Quark, Odo becomes suspicious of Rom
. Commander Sisko
coaxes him to divulge what was in the strongbox. All Rom knows is that the box was hidden behind a wall panel in the shop during the Cardassian Occupation.
In a flashback, Odo enters a chemist
's shop and Gul Dukat
shows him a dead body, soliciting Odo to become an investigator for the Cardassians. Although Odo detests the occupation, Dukat claims his superiors wish to "solve" the murder by executing ten random Bajorans. As Odo is neither Bajoran nor Cardassian, Dukat believes him to be an ideal investigator and convinces the shapeshifter
to help. The only witness is Vaatrick Pallra, the deceased's widow
- the same woman who has hired Quark to retrieve the strongbox. Odo notes that she has not cried. She claims her husband had been having an affair
and was murdered by his mistress
. When asked to identify the mistress, she points at Kira
.
In the present, Odo notes that he never closed the Vaatrick murder case. He resumes interrogating
Rom and tries to jog the Ferengi's memory; all Rom can remember is that the first name started with "Ches'so." Kira asks if Odo has found anything. He tells her about the name. Referring to the events of five years ago, Kira says she would have been executed but for Odo's intervention, because the Cardassians did not care about innocence or guilt.
In another flashback, Kira explains to Odo that Vaatrick obtained a type of tea
not available to most Bajorans, which he shared with her, but there was no intimate relationship between them. She also accuses Odo of being a "collaborator."
In the present, Odo asks Pallra why her husband stored a list of Bajoran names in his shop, to which she suggests someone else put it there. Hearing the name Ches'so, she asks who it is and Odo replies he does not know and would like to talk to them. Odo mentions that her electricity was recently terminated and asks where she got the money for the bill. A loan from a friend, she says, but she intimates that her "friend" is married and will not embarrass him. Kira tells Odo she has found "Ches'so," which is really "Ches'sarro". Odo realizes he is responsible for Ches'sarro's death for divulging the name to Pallra and orders security to be stationed with the still unconscious Quark.
Once more Odo remembers prior events. He asks Quark, Kira's alibi for Vaatrick's murder, what the two of them were doing. Quark suggests that Kira was showing him her "credentials," at which point Odo knows the alibi is false: Kira nearly attacked Odo when she thought he wanted sexual favors. When he confronts her about paying Quark for an alibi, Kira reveals that she was committing a terrorist
attack on the station. Gul Dukat enters Odo's office shortly thereafter and Odo tells him Kira is not the culprit in the murder.
In the present, the man who shot Quark incapacitates the officer guarding the Ferengi and begins suffocating Quark. Rom enters and saves Quark's life by screaming, gaining the attention of security forces. Brought to DS9, Pallra denies knowing the man, but Odo has confirmed that the two have been in frequent contact and she transferred a large sum of money into his bank account. Pallra has extorted
money from the people on the list- Bajorans who collaborated during the occupation, to keep their identities private. When she declares her innocence in the murder case, Odo replies, "I know."
Kira comes to Odo in his office and asks how he knew. When he heard the list consisted of Bajoran collaborators, Odo realized that was how Vaatrick had money for tea during the occupation. Kira killed Vaatrick and Ches'sarro died at the hands of former resistance members, not Pallra. Kira murdered Vaatrick for being a collaborator. She never told him before because she was afraid it would affect their friendship. She asks Odo if he will be able to trust her again and he looks down at his desk.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
.
Overview
An attack on Quark in his bar leads Odo to re-open an investigation into an unsolved murder dating back to the days of the Cardassian Occupation.Plot
A BajoranBajoran
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...
woman hires 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...
to retrieve a strongbox from her former husband's shop on 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...
. Quark opens it to find a list of Bajorans. A stranger sneaks up, shoots Quark and steals the list. As Dr. Bashir
Julian Bashir
Lieutenant Julian Subatoi Bashir, M.D., played by Alexander Siddig, is a main character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bashir is the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant.-Overview:...
tries reviving Quark, Odo becomes suspicious of Rom
Rom (Star Trek)
Rom is a recurring character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is played by Max Grodénchik.Rom is a Ferengi, the son of Keldar and Ishka. He is Quark's younger brother, and the father of Nog.-Overview:...
. Commander 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:...
coaxes him to divulge what was in the strongbox. All Rom knows is that the box was hidden behind a wall panel in the shop during the Cardassian Occupation.
In a flashback, Odo enters a chemist
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
's shop and 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...
shows him a dead body, soliciting Odo to become an investigator for the Cardassians. Although Odo detests the occupation, Dukat claims his superiors wish to "solve" the murder by executing ten random Bajorans. As Odo is neither Bajoran nor Cardassian, Dukat believes him to be an ideal investigator and convinces the shapeshifter
ShapeShifter
ShapeShifter is an Application Enhancer plugin for Mac OS X developed by Unsanity that allows the user to make system-wide modifications to the appearance of the operating system's graphical interface by applying GUI skins through “injection” into running code and without modifying system files,...
to help. The only witness is Vaatrick Pallra, the deceased's widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
- the same woman who has hired Quark to retrieve the strongbox. Odo notes that she has not cried. She claims her husband had been having an affair
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
and was murdered by his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
. When asked to identify the mistress, she points at 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...
.
In the present, Odo notes that he never closed the Vaatrick murder case. He resumes interrogating
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
Rom and tries to jog the Ferengi's memory; all Rom can remember is that the first name started with "Ches'so." Kira asks if Odo has found anything. He tells her about the name. Referring to the events of five years ago, Kira says she would have been executed but for Odo's intervention, because the Cardassians did not care about innocence or guilt.
In another flashback, Kira explains to Odo that Vaatrick obtained a type of tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
not available to most Bajorans, which he shared with her, but there was no intimate relationship between them. She also accuses Odo of being a "collaborator."
In the present, Odo asks Pallra why her husband stored a list of Bajoran names in his shop, to which she suggests someone else put it there. Hearing the name Ches'so, she asks who it is and Odo replies he does not know and would like to talk to them. Odo mentions that her electricity was recently terminated and asks where she got the money for the bill. A loan from a friend, she says, but she intimates that her "friend" is married and will not embarrass him. Kira tells Odo she has found "Ches'so," which is really "Ches'sarro". Odo realizes he is responsible for Ches'sarro's death for divulging the name to Pallra and orders security to be stationed with the still unconscious Quark.
Once more Odo remembers prior events. He asks Quark, Kira's alibi for Vaatrick's murder, what the two of them were doing. Quark suggests that Kira was showing him her "credentials," at which point Odo knows the alibi is false: Kira nearly attacked Odo when she thought he wanted sexual favors. When he confronts her about paying Quark for an alibi, Kira reveals that she was committing a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
attack on the station. Gul Dukat enters Odo's office shortly thereafter and Odo tells him Kira is not the culprit in the murder.
In the present, the man who shot Quark incapacitates the officer guarding the Ferengi and begins suffocating Quark. Rom enters and saves Quark's life by screaming, gaining the attention of security forces. Brought to DS9, Pallra denies knowing the man, but Odo has confirmed that the two have been in frequent contact and she transferred a large sum of money into his bank account. Pallra has extorted
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
money from the people on the list- Bajorans who collaborated during the occupation, to keep their identities private. When she declares her innocence in the murder case, Odo replies, "I know."
Kira comes to Odo in his office and asks how he knew. When he heard the list consisted of Bajoran collaborators, Odo realized that was how Vaatrick had money for tea during the occupation. Kira killed Vaatrick and Ches'sarro died at the hands of former resistance members, not Pallra. Kira murdered Vaatrick for being a collaborator. She never told him before because she was afraid it would affect their friendship. She asks Odo if he will be able to trust her again and he looks down at his desk.