By Inferno's Light
"By Inferno's Light" is the 113th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 15th episode of the fifth season.
| "By Inferno's Light" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 15 |
| Directed by | Les Landau |
| Written by | Ira Steven Behr Robert Hewitt Wolfe |
| Production code | 513 |
| Original air date | February 17, 1997 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
The second half of a two-part episode, it is most notable for featuring the beginning of the Dominion invasion of the Alpha Quadrant. It features the return of several familiar faces, drawing on plot lines from the third-season's "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast", the body of the fourth season, and fifth-season opener "Apocalypse Rising".
The episode premiered to almost 6 million viewers.[1]
Plot
The Dominion fleet, having come through the Bajoran wormhole at the end of the previous episode, flies off toward Cardassia. Gul Dukat joins them, announcing that the Dominion has accepted Cardassia as a member, with Dukat as its new leader.
At the Dominion internment camp where Garak, Worf, Dr. Bashir, and General Martok are being held, the inmates have built an illicit transmitter inside the prison walls. Garak crawls inside the walls to modify it to signal their runabout so they can escape, triggering his severe claustrophobia. Meanwhile, Worf is selected as an opponent for Jem'Hadar guards to practice hand-to-hand combat. Worf's refusal to surrender, defeating a series of Jem'Hadar opponents, inspires Garak to overcome his fears and continue working.
The Klingon armed forces retreat from Cardassian space. Captain Sisko persuades Klingon chancellor Gowron to reinstate the alliance between the Klingons and the Federation in order to fight the Dominion. Dukat contacts Sisko, warning that he intends to conquer Deep Space Nine for the Dominion. Sisko deploys the Defiant and three runabouts to fight the incoming Cardassian/Dominion fleet; they are joined by the Klingons and a Romulan fleet. Unknown to Sisko, a Changeling impersonating Bashir is at the helm of one of the runabouts.
Back at the internment camp, the Jem'Hadar come close to discovering Garak before being overpowered by the other prisoners. Meanwhile, Worf is fighting Ikat'ika, the Jem'Hadar commander. Worf refuses to yield; Ikat'ika, impressed by Worf's determination, yields the fight. The Vorta overseer, enraged, orders Ikat'ika's immediate execution. As the troops turn their guns to Worf, Garak manages to activate the transmitter, and they are beamed away to the runabout at the last second. There, Bashir sends an urgent message to DS9.
The Changeling Bashir's runabout is carrying a bomb intended to detonate inside the sun, incinerating DS9, Bajor, and the combined Starfleet, Klingon, and Romulan forces. Receiving Bashir's message, Sisko orders that runabout destroyed. The Defiant takes the risky maneuver of engaging warp drive within the solar system in order to pull the runabout away from the sun and detonate it safely. No Cardassian/Dominion fleet arrives; the impending attack was a ruse.
Garak, Worf, Bashir, and Martok are reunited with their friends and loved ones, and Sisko finalizes the peace treaty with the Klingons. Martok is appointed to command the new permanent Klingon presence on DS9.
Reception
In 2018, CBR rated "In Purgatory's Shadow" paired with "By Inferno's Light", as the 9th best multi episode story arc of all Star Trek.[2]
In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide.[3]
References
- "Nielsen Syndicated Ratings: Season 5". users.telenet.be.
- "Star Trek's Greatest Episodic Sagas, Ranked". CBR. 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek". Geek.com. 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
