For the Uniform
"For the Uniform" is the 111th episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 13th episode of the fifth season. Kenneth Marshall returns as Michael Eddington, a former Starfleet officer who has defected to the renegade Maquis; he is hunted by Captain Sisko, who holds a grudge against Eddington for his betrayal.
| "For the Uniform" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Victor Lobl |
| Written by | Peter Allan Fields |
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Production code | 511 |
| Original air date | February 3, 1997 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
The episode's premiere was watched by 5,680,000 viewers.[1]
Plot
Sisko encounters Michael Eddington, his former Starfleet Security Chief, who betrayed him and joined the Maquis.
Obsessed with capturing the traitor, Sisko pursues him in the Defiant. But when Sisko gives the order to fire, the Defiant experiences a massive computer failure — caused by Eddington. He leaves Sisko angry and humiliated, and facing a long trip home.
The Defiant is towed back to Deep Space Nine by the starship Malinche, and Chief O'Brien begins the massive job of bringing the ship back on-line. Adding insult to injury, Sisko learns that Captain Sanders of the Malinche has been given the assignment to apprehend Eddington, since Starfleet has lost faith in Sisko's ability to do the job. But when he learns that Eddington is attacking Cardassian colonies with a weapon that renders planets uninhabitable to Cardassians, the Malinche is to far away to intercept him. Sisko sees his chance, and although the Defiant is not yet fully repaired, he and his crew take the ship back into space.
The ship lurches out of the station and soon encounters Eddington again. Eddington taunts Sisko by sending him a copy of the novel Les Misérables and comparing Sisko to the obsessive policeman Javert. The captain realizes too late that he was baited to false coordinates. As the crew sets off to find Eddington's real location, a distress call is received from the Malinche — Maquis forces ambushed and disabled the starship.
Sisko determines Eddington's next planetary target, but is too late to stop him from releasing his weapon into the atmosphere. The Defiant chases after Eddington's fleeing ship, but Eddington cripples a transport vessel evacuating Cardassian civilians, forcing Sisko to break off his pursuit and rescue the helpless Cardassians.
Stumped as to how he is going to get Eddington, Sisko realizes that the renegade sees himself as a noble hero and Sisko as a villain. In order to stop Eddington, Sisko decides he must do something truly villainous. He prepares to poison the atmosphere of a Maquis colony in retaliation, and reveals his sinister plan to all. Eddington is prepared to call his bluff. Sisko orders the deadly torpedoes launched, and the Maquis scramble to evacuate. Sisko says that he is prepared to eliminate every Maquis colony in the DMZ, and Eddington, realizing Sisko is serious, makes the "heroic" gesture of offering himself in exchange. Eddington is captured, and Sisko's vendetta is finally over.
Reception
In 2020, Gizmodo listed this episode as one of the "must watch" episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine show.[2]
In 2018, Vulture.com rated "For the Uniform" the 10th best episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, noting a focus on story arcs of Michael Eddington and the Maquis.[3]
In 2016, Empire ranked this the 27th best episode out of the top 50 episodes of all the 700+ Star Trek television episodes.[4]
References
- http://users.telenet.be/WebTrek/Ds9/Ratings/ratings5.html
- "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Must-Watch Episodes". io9. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
- Bastién, Angelica Jade (January 4, 2018). "The Best Episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ranked". www.vulture.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- "The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever". Empire. 2016-07-27. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: For the Uniform |
- For the Uniform at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)