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The Search (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Search" is the title of a two-part episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, the first episode of the third season. It marks the first appearance of the starship USS Defiant, which plays a large role throughout the rest of the series. It also marks the first appearance of the redesigned communicator badge
.
and lived to tell the tale, as the Dominion made a very blunt demonstration of their intentions - chiefly by destroying a Galaxy-class starship making its way out of the Gamma Quadrant.
This episode starts with Major Kira
leading a discussion in Ops about how best to prepare should the Dominion
launch an attack through the wormhole. While the team comes to the depressing conclusion that Deep Space Nine
could only hope to resist being taken over for at best two hours, an unusual starship decloaks 300m from the docking ring. Commander Sisko
has returned from Earth in the newly commissioned USS Defiant.
The Commander tells the crew all about the new ship in the conference room. An overpowered prototype originally designed to combat the Borg
, the Defiant has been brought out of the warehouse and fitted with a Romulan
cloaking device
. Sisko introduces two new officers: a Romulan sub-commander, there to supervise the proper use of the cloaking device, and a Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington, from Starfleet Security. Odo is immediately suspicious of the high ranking security officer. As the briefing concludes he confronts Sisko and after an antagonistic conversation promises Sisko his resignation as Head of Station Security within the hour.
The entire command crew, including Doctor Bashir
, Chief O'Brien
and Lieutenant Dax, as well as Odo and Quark
(but curiously not Lt Cdr Eddington) set out in the Defiant the next morning on a mission to find the Founders, leaders of the Dominion, to establish peaceful terms for the Federation's exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. During this mission, Odo develops an apparently inexplicable fascination with the Omarion Nebula. The crew are at first successful with the new cloaking device in evading Dominion patrols, although Jem'Hadar
vessels seem capable of detecting something while the Defiant travels at warp speed
.
The investigations of the crew lead them to an isolated and apparently undefended communications relay. Chief O'Brien and Lt Dax are sent on an away mission to learn what they can from the relay's memory banks. As they transmit coordinates of where the relay station sends on 80% of its communications traffic, the pair are assaulted and communications jammed. With three Jem'Hadar ships also on course to intercept, Commander Sisko makes the hard decision to keep the Defiant cloaked and leave his two officers to their fate.
While the crew adjust to this loss, and as Odo's obsession with the Omarion Nebula deepens, a Jem'Hadar patrol manages to detect the Defiant through its cloak, and launch an attack. The crew manage to destroy one of the Dominion vessels before main power is forced offline and the Defiant loses shields. Dozens of Jem'Hadar troops then board the ship. In the ensuing combat, the Romulan Sub-commander is knocked unconscious and Major Kira apparently shot by a Jem'Hadar beam weapon.
Odo rescues Kira, escaping in a small shuttlecraft. Cinematographically
, the audience learns of this at the same time Kira does: Kira was unconscious, and when Odo informs her of the escape when she awakens, he is in effect
informing the audience, as well. During the same scene, Odo informs Kira that they are currently en route to the Omarion Nebula. She is dismayed, claiming she did not consent to being placed in her current situation, and arguing that they should have headed straight back to the Alpha Quadrant. Using the vessel's sensors, Kira detects a rogue class-M planet
. Odo resolves to land on the planet. There, Odo and Kira encounter an apparent lake of shapeshifters
, as a group of them solidify and welcome Odo home.
When Sisko finds out that the Romulans have been excluded from the peace talks, he expresses his concern to Admiral Nechayev, but she dismisses his fears. On the other side of the wormhole, Kira is unable to contact Sisko because of interference from a hidden power source, while Odo struggles with his "lessons" at shapeshifting. Later, the Female Shapeshifter tells Odo that they came to this secret planet a long time ago, as a result of persecution at the hands of the Solids, then reveals he was sent as an infant to explore the galaxy, then return home.
While looking for Odo, Kira discovers a locked door — something for which shapeshifters would have no use. This arouses her curiosity. Back on the space station, a fight erupts between O'Brien and a Jem'Hadar soldier because the newcomers have been given free rein. Sisko then discovers that the Federation has signed the treaty, agreeing to give control of the Bajoran sector — including the station and the wormhole — to the Dominion. Over Sisko's objections, he and his crew will be reassigned.
A happy Odo tells Kira he has decided to remain with his people, but Kira asks him to help her get to the hidden power source before she departs. He is intrigued when Kira reveals it is behind the locked door she has found. Meanwhile, Jem'Hadar soldiers shoot Romulan officer T'Rul in cold blood, then attack an outraged Sisko. Deciding that matters have gotten out-of-hand, Sisko then bands with Garak
, Dax, Bashir, and O'Brien on a suicide mission to steal a Runabout, collapse the wormhole, and keep the Dominion on its side of the galaxy forever.
Garak is killed while Sisko and the others escape. Once aboard the Runabout, they fire on the wormhole, collapsing it in a blinding explosion. Meanwhile, Odo unlocks the mysterious door, where he and Kira find Jem'Hadar soldiers waiting. The two are taken to an interrogation room where Sisko and the Defiant crew sit with their eyes closed, devices attached to their heads. Borath is there, revealing that he is really a Vorta, experimenting on the crew to determine how much they will sacrifice to avoid war with the Dominion. The Female Shapeshifter then arrives, disclosing that her people are the mysterious Founders. Saddened that his own race is responsible for so much death and misery, Odo demands that his friends be released, then chooses to return with them. Surprised that their experiences since the Defiant attack didn't really happen, Sisko and the crew head back to the station. Knowing the truth about his people, Odo realizes now that, even though he may feel like an outsider, his place is with his friends.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, the first episode of the third season. It marks the first appearance of the starship USS Defiant, which plays a large role throughout the rest of the series. It also marks the first appearance of the redesigned communicator badge
Communicator (Star Trek)
Communicators are devices used for voice communication in the fictional universe of Star Trek. They allow direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system....
.
Part 1
The previous episode marked the first occasion that anyone from the Alpha Quadrant had met the Jem'HadarJem'Hadar
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Jem'Hadar are the shock troops of the powerful Dominion located in the Gamma Quadrant. Genetically engineered for strength and resolve, they are also short-lived and believe that "victory is life." They are bred to perceive the Founders, enigmatic...
and lived to tell the tale, as the Dominion made a very blunt demonstration of their intentions - chiefly by destroying a Galaxy-class starship making its way out of the Gamma Quadrant.
This episode starts with 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...
leading a discussion in Ops about how best to prepare should the Dominion
Dominion (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek universe, the Dominion is a ruthless and militaristic Gamma Quadrant state consisting of many different races. The Dominion wages war on the United Federation of Planets and its allies in the late 24th century, acting as an antagonist in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space...
launch an attack through the wormhole. While the team comes to the depressing conclusion that 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...
could only hope to resist being taken over for at best two hours, an unusual starship decloaks 300m from the docking ring. 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:...
has returned from Earth in the newly commissioned USS Defiant.
The Commander tells the crew all about the new ship in the conference room. An overpowered prototype originally designed to combat the Borg
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
, the Defiant has been brought out of the warehouse and fitted with a 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...
cloaking device
Cloaking device
Cloaking devices are advanced stealth technologies still in development that will cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum...
. Sisko introduces two new officers: a Romulan sub-commander, there to supervise the proper use of the cloaking device, and a Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington, from Starfleet Security. Odo is immediately suspicious of the high ranking security officer. As the briefing concludes he confronts Sisko and after an antagonistic conversation promises Sisko his resignation as Head of Station Security within the hour.
The entire command crew, including Doctor 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:...
, Chief O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)
Miles Edward O'Brien, played by Colm Meaney, is Chief of Operations in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before DS9, he appeared as a recurring transporter chief in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
and Lieutenant Dax, as well as Odo and 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...
(but curiously not Lt Cdr Eddington) set out in the Defiant the next morning on a mission to find the Founders, leaders of the Dominion, to establish peaceful terms for the Federation's exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. During this mission, Odo develops an apparently inexplicable fascination with the Omarion Nebula. The crew are at first successful with the new cloaking device in evading Dominion patrols, although Jem'Hadar
Jem'Hadar
In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Jem'Hadar are the shock troops of the powerful Dominion located in the Gamma Quadrant. Genetically engineered for strength and resolve, they are also short-lived and believe that "victory is life." They are bred to perceive the Founders, enigmatic...
vessels seem capable of detecting something while the Defiant travels at warp speed
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
.
The investigations of the crew lead them to an isolated and apparently undefended communications relay. Chief O'Brien and Lt Dax are sent on an away mission to learn what they can from the relay's memory banks. As they transmit coordinates of where the relay station sends on 80% of its communications traffic, the pair are assaulted and communications jammed. With three Jem'Hadar ships also on course to intercept, Commander Sisko makes the hard decision to keep the Defiant cloaked and leave his two officers to their fate.
While the crew adjust to this loss, and as Odo's obsession with the Omarion Nebula deepens, a Jem'Hadar patrol manages to detect the Defiant through its cloak, and launch an attack. The crew manage to destroy one of the Dominion vessels before main power is forced offline and the Defiant loses shields. Dozens of Jem'Hadar troops then board the ship. In the ensuing combat, the Romulan Sub-commander is knocked unconscious and Major Kira apparently shot by a Jem'Hadar beam weapon.
Odo rescues Kira, escaping in a small shuttlecraft. Cinematographically
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
, the audience learns of this at the same time Kira does: Kira was unconscious, and when Odo informs her of the escape when she awakens, he is in effect
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
informing the audience, as well. During the same scene, Odo informs Kira that they are currently en route to the Omarion Nebula. She is dismayed, claiming she did not consent to being placed in her current situation, and arguing that they should have headed straight back to the Alpha Quadrant. Using the vessel's sensors, Kira detects a rogue class-M planet
Rogue Planet
- Literature :* "Rogue Planet" , a Dan Dare story that ran in the original Eagle comic from Volume 6, Issue 48 to Volume 8, Issue 7* Rogue Planet , a 2000 novel set in the Star Wars galaxy- Other :...
. Odo resolves to land on the planet. There, Odo and Kira encounter an apparent lake of shapeshifters
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
, as a group of them solidify and welcome Odo home.
Part 2
Odo and Kira have landed on a lone planet in the Omarion Nebula, which they have discovered is Odo's homeworld. A Female Shapeshifter encourages him to begin the slow process of learning who he is, and discovering the bond they share, known as the "great link." Odo is pleased to be reunited with his people, but they don't like Kira because she is a "solid" lifeform. Meanwhile, forced to abandon the Defiant during the Jem'Hadar attack days before, Sisko and Bashir are traveling alone in a shuttle when O'Brien and Dax, who have met the Founders, rescue them. Upon returning to the space station, Sisko learns that the Federation is negotiating a peace treaty with the Dominion, represented by one of the Founders, Borath.When Sisko finds out that the Romulans have been excluded from the peace talks, he expresses his concern to Admiral Nechayev, but she dismisses his fears. On the other side of the wormhole, Kira is unable to contact Sisko because of interference from a hidden power source, while Odo struggles with his "lessons" at shapeshifting. Later, the Female Shapeshifter tells Odo that they came to this secret planet a long time ago, as a result of persecution at the hands of the Solids, then reveals he was sent as an infant to explore the galaxy, then return home.
While looking for Odo, Kira discovers a locked door — something for which shapeshifters would have no use. This arouses her curiosity. Back on the space station, a fight erupts between O'Brien and a Jem'Hadar soldier because the newcomers have been given free rein. Sisko then discovers that the Federation has signed the treaty, agreeing to give control of the Bajoran sector — including the station and the wormhole — to the Dominion. Over Sisko's objections, he and his crew will be reassigned.
A happy Odo tells Kira he has decided to remain with his people, but Kira asks him to help her get to the hidden power source before she departs. He is intrigued when Kira reveals it is behind the locked door she has found. Meanwhile, Jem'Hadar soldiers shoot Romulan officer T'Rul in cold blood, then attack an outraged Sisko. Deciding that matters have gotten out-of-hand, Sisko then bands with 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...
, Dax, Bashir, and O'Brien on a suicide mission to steal a Runabout, collapse the wormhole, and keep the Dominion on its side of the galaxy forever.
Garak is killed while Sisko and the others escape. Once aboard the Runabout, they fire on the wormhole, collapsing it in a blinding explosion. Meanwhile, Odo unlocks the mysterious door, where he and Kira find Jem'Hadar soldiers waiting. The two are taken to an interrogation room where Sisko and the Defiant crew sit with their eyes closed, devices attached to their heads. Borath is there, revealing that he is really a Vorta, experimenting on the crew to determine how much they will sacrifice to avoid war with the Dominion. The Female Shapeshifter then arrives, disclosing that her people are the mysterious Founders. Saddened that his own race is responsible for so much death and misery, Odo demands that his friends be released, then chooses to return with them. Surprised that their experiences since the Defiant attack didn't really happen, Sisko and the crew head back to the station. Knowing the truth about his people, Odo realizes now that, even though he may feel like an outsider, his place is with his friends.
Arc significance
- Due to the Dominion threat, Sisko is given command of a Federation warship, the U.S.S. Defiant, which is equipped with a cloaking device borrowed from the Romulans in exchange for the intelligence they gather.
- The Defiant is taken to the Gamma Quadrant searching for the "founders" of the Dominion and convince them that they have peaceful intentions.
- Odo is reunited with his people, only to discover that they are the Founders of the Dominion and that they intend to bring 'order' to the Alpha Quadrant "when the time is right".
- This is the first appearance of Lt. Michael Eddington.