The Ship (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

"The Ship" is the 100th episode overall of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the second episode of the fifth season. Much of the episode is set inside a mysterious spacecraft in the Gamma Quadrant.[1] Set in the 24th century, the show is primarily set on the Deep Space Nine space station, however, many episodes feature away missions on a variety of spacecraft or planets. They often visit another area of the Galaxy, which in the show's fictional nomenclature, they call the Gamma Quadrant. The show was famous for a long-running story arc involving an alien force called "The Dominion".

"The Ship"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 2
Directed byKim Friedman
Story byPam Wigginton
Rick Cason
Teleplay byHans Beimler
Featured musicJay Chattaway
Production code500
Original air dateOctober 7, 1996 (1996-10-07)
Guest appearance(s)

In summary, Sisko (played by actor-professor Avery Brooks) leads a mission to the Gamma Quadrant, and they land on a planet there. Much of the episode involves what they find on this planet.

This episode aired on syndicated television on October 7, 1996.[2][3] It was written by Hans Beimler, Pam Wigginton, and Rick Cason, and it was directed by Kim Friedman.[3][1]

Casting

Guest stars include Kaitlin Hopkins as Kilana and F. J. Rio as Muñiz.

Plot

An away-team of Deep Space Nine crew, including Sisko, Dax, Worf, and O'Brien, are conducting a mineral survey on an uninhabited Gamma Quadrant planet, while their runabout awaits them in orbit. A Dominion warship crashes near their location; investigating, they find the crew dead. Sisko contacts DS9 to have the USS Defiant come tow the ship back to the station so that it can be studied.

Another Dominion ship arrives, destroys the runabout and its crew, and transports a number of Jem'Hadar soldiers to the surface along with their Vorta supervisor, Kilana. The soldiers fire on the away-team, killing one and wounding Muñiz, O'Brien's assistant. Sisko's crew flees into the crashed ship for protection. Muñiz begins slowly bleeding to death as a result of his injury.

Kilana meets with Sisko, offering to return the away team safely to DS9 if they yield the ship. Meanwhile, a Jem'Hadar transports onto the crashed ship and attacks the team; Muñiz, though weakened, is able to shoot the Jem'Hadar. Kilana and Sisko immediately return to their ships. Sisko deduces that there is something valuable aboard that they are unwilling to risk damaging in a direct attack. He rejects a new offer from Kilana to allow Sisko to keep the ship if he permits the Jem'Hadar to retrieve an item from it.

O'Brien tries to assure a now delirious Muñiz that he will live, but Worf asserts that Muñiz should be prepared for death. Tempers flare and a fight almost breaks out. Sisko sternly orders the crew to pull themselves together. O'Brien's attempt to bring the ship's engines online fails, and Muñiz dies.

The ship's precious cargo finally reveals itself: a dying Changeling, one of the Founders of the Dominion whom the Jem'Hadar and Vorta revere as gods. After it dies, Kilana transports to the vessel. She explains that her Jem'Hadar have committed suicide for allowing the death of a Founder, and there is no further reason to prevent Starfleet from salvaging the ship. Sisko allows her to collect some of the Changeling's remains before she leaves.

The Defiant eventually arrives and tows the ship back to DS9. O'Brien and Worf hold a vigil over Muñiz's casket. Sisko tries to write a report for Starfleet, but keeps lingering on the five crewmen who died on the mission. Despite knowing the ship's recovery could save thousands of lives, Sisko still feels they deserved more than to die on an isolated planet so far from home.

The captured Dominion ship later appears in the season six premiere "A Time to Stand".

Reception

In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide.[4]

gollark: Wait, what happened?
gollark: It's a shame self-driving airports aren't possible with Da Vinci's.
gollark: Teleportation good, ridiculously slow transport bad.
gollark: Is it, though?
gollark: *can't tell if joke or insane person*

References
  1. DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2014-05-06). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "The Ship"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  2. Handlen, Zack. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Apocalypse Rising"/"The Ship"". TV Club. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 5 Episode 2, retrieved 2019-07-14
  4. "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek". Geek.com. 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2019-07-13.

See also
  • Akutan Zero - A Zero fighter that crash-landed in Alaska during World War II
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