Starship Down (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"Starship Down" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, the seventh episode of the fourth season.
carries the senior staff of Deep Space Nine
into the Gamma Quadrant for trade negotiations with a Karemma named Hanok. As the Dominion disapproves of trading with the Alpha Quadrant, the exchange takes place in orbit of a gas giant
. They are interrupted when a pair of Jem'Hadar
ships burst in and fire on the Karemma ship. The Jem'Hadar chase the ship into the atmosphere of a nearby planet, and the Defiant takes off in pursuit. The Jem'Hadar open fire on the Defiant, crippling it in the turbulent fluorine
atmosphere of the planet.
Jadzia Dax
heads below to try to patch up the engines well enough so the ship can escape the planet's atmosphere. She is successful but is nearly blown up when the hull is breached. Dr. Bashir
is forced to seal off the breached area with Dax still inside, to save the rest of the ship, but he seals himself in the breached section so he can help her. They remain trapped in a turbolift without communication with the bridge, where the rest of the crew presume them lost.
As the engines come back on line, the Jem'Hadar attack once more, rendering the Defiant helpless again. The ship is dark and smoldering, running on emergency power, and Captain Sisko
has been gravely injured with a concussion. Major Kira
tends him, trying to keep him conscious.
Meanwhile, Quark
is trapped in the mess hall with Hanok the Karemma, where they find themselves staring at the nose end of a live Jem'Hadar torpedo which has lodged itself in the hull. Quark and Hanok are wary of each other at first, but then realize they can combine their cleverness to come up with a plan to defuse the torpedo. Dax and Bashir huddle together for warmth, as they have only a thin bulkhead separating them from the frigid vacuum of space. Bashir laughs when he realizes that being trapped in a turbolift with Jadzia in his arms was once a fantasy of his. On the bridge, Kira cares for Sisko, telling him a Bajoran fairy tale to try to keep him awake. Worf
and Chief O'Brien
work on putting the Defiants engines back together. After playing a game of cat and mouse
for several hours, the Defiant is able to destroy both Jem'Hadar fighters and rescue the Karemma crew.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, the seventh episode of the fourth season.
Plot
The DefiantUSS Defiant
The USS Defiant is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the feature film Star Trek: First Contact...
carries the senior staff of 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...
into the Gamma Quadrant for trade negotiations with a Karemma named Hanok. As the Dominion disapproves of trading with the Alpha Quadrant, the exchange takes place in orbit of a gas giant
Gas giant
A gas giant is a large planet that is not primarily composed of rock or other solid matter. There are four gas giants in the Solar System: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune...
. They are interrupted when a pair of 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...
ships burst in and fire on the Karemma ship. The Jem'Hadar chase the ship into the atmosphere of a nearby planet, and the Defiant takes off in pursuit. The Jem'Hadar open fire on the Defiant, crippling it in the turbulent fluorine
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...
atmosphere of the planet.
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax
Jadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
heads below to try to patch up the engines well enough so the ship can escape the planet's atmosphere. She is successful but is nearly blown up when the hull is breached. Dr. 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:...
is forced to seal off the breached area with Dax still inside, to save the rest of the ship, but he seals himself in the breached section so he can help her. They remain trapped in a turbolift without communication with the bridge, where the rest of the crew presume them lost.
As the engines come back on line, the Jem'Hadar attack once more, rendering the Defiant helpless again. The ship is dark and smoldering, running on emergency power, and Captain 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 been gravely injured with a concussion. 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...
tends him, trying to keep him conscious.
Meanwhile, 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...
is trapped in the mess hall with Hanok the Karemma, where they find themselves staring at the nose end of a live Jem'Hadar torpedo which has lodged itself in the hull. Quark and Hanok are wary of each other at first, but then realize they can combine their cleverness to come up with a plan to defuse the torpedo. Dax and Bashir huddle together for warmth, as they have only a thin bulkhead separating them from the frigid vacuum of space. Bashir laughs when he realizes that being trapped in a turbolift with Jadzia in his arms was once a fantasy of his. On the bridge, Kira cares for Sisko, telling him a Bajoran fairy tale to try to keep him awake. Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
and 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...
work on putting the Defiants engines back together. After playing a game of cat and mouse
Cat and mouse
Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom dating back to 1675 that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes." The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse", who despite not being able to...
for several hours, the Defiant is able to destroy both Jem'Hadar fighters and rescue the Karemma crew.
Arc significance
- Kira finally faces her discomfort at having the Emissary as a commanding officer, and begins to see Sisko as a friend for the first time.