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Progress (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Progress" is the 15th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
deals with a stubborn farmer who refuses to leave his home which is slated for destruction; Jake and Nog cooperate in a profit-seeking venture.
's help, Bajor plans to tap the core of one of its moons to provide much-needed electricity
. An unfortunate side effect of the process is that it releases gases lethal to humanoid
s, so the inhabitants of the moon have been evacuated. However, several life forms are detected after the evacuation date, so Kira visits the moon to investigate.
She finds an elderly man and his two mute farmhands, who are intent on staying. The man, Mullibok, continuously avoids the topic of evacuation — he invites Kira to a farewell dinner before revealing it will take three hours to prepare; despite his stubbornness (or perhaps because of it), Kira grows fond of him. He tells her he plans to die on the moon, and over dinner describes how he escaped to the moon during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. During the course of their conversation, Mullibok tricks Kira into admitting that the Bajorans beat the Cardassians because they "hung on like fanatics," drawing a parallel between their struggle and his.
Upon returning to Deep Space Nine
, Kira reports her findings to Sisko
and Minister Toran, who is overseeing the project. She tells them of Mullibok, and Minister Toran decides the man will have to be beamed off the planet. Comparing such behavior to that of the Cardassian
s, Kira realizes she has stepped out of line and simultaneously revealed her feelings toward Mullabok. Toran orders her to remove Mullibok and sends her back to the moon with two security guards.
As the guards go to find the farmhands, Kira attempts to reason with Mullibok. She tells him she is doing what has to be done, to which he responds, "me too" and goes inside, shutting the door behind him. He reemerges with some tools and goes about finishing a kiln
he has been building as Kira talks. The guards emerge from a nearby cornfield dragging the farmhands. Mullibok becomes furious and jumps one of the guards. The other shoots him.
Bashir
travels to the moon to treat Mullibok's wound as the farmhands are evacuated to Bajor. When he awakens, Mullibok tells Kira she is backwards for not evacuating him while he was unconscious and resumes his stubborn stance. Bashir wants to forcibly remove the farmer but Kira orders him to return to the station. There Sisko, knowing Toran will be furious, recommends that Bashir recommend that Kira remain on the moon a few more days for humanitarian reasons.
While all this is going on, Jake Sisko
and Nog take surplus yammok sauce off Quark
's hands. Yammok sauce, a favorite condiment
of the Cardassians, has been selling slowly since the end of the Occupation. The two manage to make a succession of trades, eventually ending up with a strip of land on Bajor. When they find out that the government is interested in buying the land for a building project the two sell the strip of land to Quark for five bars of gold-pressed latinum.
Back on the moon, Kira continues to bond with Mullibok and is surprised when she receives a comm signal from Sisko, informing her that he is about to beam down. Sisko arrives outside and Mullibok answers the door, saying neither he nor Kira want to speak with Sisko. Sisko speaks to Kira outside and tells her he does not want to break in a new liaison officer. The two of them talk as Kira continues work on Mullibok's kiln and she comes to realize that she spent years fighting for the underdog and is now on the other side of the fence. As much as she wants to continue her job, she cannot bring herself to evacuate Mullibok. Before he leaves, Sisko tells Kira a runabout will be standing by in orbit and warns that, while Mullibok's fate has already been decided, hers has not.
After spending the night caring for Mullibok, Kira awakens to find him putting the final touches on his kiln. He fires it up, at which point Kira tells him he has finished his work and she must finish hers. As long as his cottage stands, Mullibok says, he will remain on the moon. Kira destroys the kiln with her phaser and sets the cottage ablaze. Mullibok claims Kira has chosen her uniform over him and tells her to shoot him. She refuses and he again declares that he will die if he leaves. "I won't let you," Kira says, and the two of them beam to the runabout.
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
KiraKira 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...
deals with a stubborn farmer who refuses to leave his home which is slated for destruction; Jake and Nog cooperate in a profit-seeking venture.
Plot
With the FederationUnited Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
's help, Bajor plans to tap the core of one of its moons to provide much-needed electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
. An unfortunate side effect of the process is that it releases gases lethal to humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
s, so the inhabitants of the moon have been evacuated. However, several life forms are detected after the evacuation date, so Kira visits the moon to investigate.
She finds an elderly man and his two mute farmhands, who are intent on staying. The man, Mullibok, continuously avoids the topic of evacuation — he invites Kira to a farewell dinner before revealing it will take three hours to prepare; despite his stubbornness (or perhaps because of it), Kira grows fond of him. He tells her he plans to die on the moon, and over dinner describes how he escaped to the moon during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. During the course of their conversation, Mullibok tricks Kira into admitting that the Bajorans beat the Cardassians because they "hung on like fanatics," drawing a parallel between their struggle and his.
Upon returning to 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...
, Kira reports her findings to 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:...
and Minister Toran, who is overseeing the project. She tells them of Mullibok, and Minister Toran decides the man will have to be beamed off the planet. Comparing such behavior to that of the Cardassian
Cardassian
The Cardassians are an extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. First introduced in the 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded", the species originating on the fictional Alpha Quadrant planet Cardassia Prime...
s, Kira realizes she has stepped out of line and simultaneously revealed her feelings toward Mullabok. Toran orders her to remove Mullibok and sends her back to the moon with two security guards.
As the guards go to find the farmhands, Kira attempts to reason with Mullibok. She tells him she is doing what has to be done, to which he responds, "me too" and goes inside, shutting the door behind him. He reemerges with some tools and goes about finishing a kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
he has been building as Kira talks. The guards emerge from a nearby cornfield dragging the farmhands. Mullibok becomes furious and jumps one of the guards. The other shoots him.
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:...
travels to the moon to treat Mullibok's wound as the farmhands are evacuated to Bajor. When he awakens, Mullibok tells Kira she is backwards for not evacuating him while he was unconscious and resumes his stubborn stance. Bashir wants to forcibly remove the farmer but Kira orders him to return to the station. There Sisko, knowing Toran will be furious, recommends that Bashir recommend that Kira remain on the moon a few more days for humanitarian reasons.
While all this is going on, Jake Sisko
Jake Sisko
Jacob "Jake" Sisko, played by Cirroc Lofton, is a character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is the son of Deep Space Nine's commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko.-Overview:...
and Nog take surplus yammok sauce off 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...
's hands. Yammok sauce, a favorite condiment
Condiment
A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...
of the Cardassians, has been selling slowly since the end of the Occupation. The two manage to make a succession of trades, eventually ending up with a strip of land on Bajor. When they find out that the government is interested in buying the land for a building project the two sell the strip of land to Quark for five bars of gold-pressed latinum.
Back on the moon, Kira continues to bond with Mullibok and is surprised when she receives a comm signal from Sisko, informing her that he is about to beam down. Sisko arrives outside and Mullibok answers the door, saying neither he nor Kira want to speak with Sisko. Sisko speaks to Kira outside and tells her he does not want to break in a new liaison officer. The two of them talk as Kira continues work on Mullibok's kiln and she comes to realize that she spent years fighting for the underdog and is now on the other side of the fence. As much as she wants to continue her job, she cannot bring herself to evacuate Mullibok. Before he leaves, Sisko tells Kira a runabout will be standing by in orbit and warns that, while Mullibok's fate has already been decided, hers has not.
After spending the night caring for Mullibok, Kira awakens to find him putting the final touches on his kiln. He fires it up, at which point Kira tells him he has finished his work and she must finish hers. As long as his cottage stands, Mullibok says, he will remain on the moon. Kira destroys the kiln with her phaser and sets the cottage ablaze. Mullibok claims Kira has chosen her uniform over him and tells her to shoot him. She refuses and he again declares that he will die if he leaves. "I won't let you," Kira says, and the two of them beam to the runabout.