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The Forsaken (DS9 episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Forsaken" is the 17th episode
of the science fiction
television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.
is host to a delegation of Federation
ambassadors and Sisko
gives Bashir
the "honor" of welcoming them to the station. While Bashir struggles to please the other three dignitaries, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi exclaims that someone has stolen her latinum hair brooch
. Although telepathic
, she cannot sense guilt from anyone, she points out that Betazoid
s are unable to read Ferengi
minds. Odo deduces that she might be unable to read Dopterians, distant cousins of the Ferengi, and arrests the man who stole her brooch. Lwaxana is instantly infatuated with the Constable.
Lwaxana visits the Security Office and flirts with Odo, who has obviously never been in such a situation. He nervously pretends someone is calling him on the Comm, but she is undeterred. Meanwhile, a mysterious probe-like vessel comes through the Wormhole and the rest of the crew attempt to interface with it. In Sisko's office, Odo asks for advice on how to deal with Lwaxana's aggressive behavior. Explaining he does not have time for "romantic interludes," Odo asks Sisko to do something about Lwaxana, to the Commander's amusement.
As Dax
and O'Brien
investigate the probe further, Lwaxana approaches Odo about having a picnic and is even more determined to catch his interest; when he informs her that he reverts to a liquid every sixteen hours, she shrugs and responds, "I can swim!" She follows Odo on his way to one of the station's Upper Pylons, but a system failure strands them together in a turbolift. "Alone at last!" Lwaxana declares gleefully.
While trying to repair the station's systems O'Brien discovers that the computer is somehow different. He informs Sisko that the Cardassian
computer seems less hostile and has stopped offering opinions on his commands, which is odd. It also seems to break down whenever he is away from it, as if it were a child. The information downloaded from the alien probe is a type of non-sentient life form, which seems to have attached itself to O'Brien like a puppy.
Bashir continues to struggle with the ambassadors and decides to escort them to their quarters until the station is functioning properly. In the meantime, Odo, who initially found Lwaxana's spontaneous nature insufferable, grows less hostile toward her. He grows almost fond of her but appears to be in severe discomfort; as he hesitantly reveals, he is in the fifteenth hour of his regenerative cycle and will soon need to revert to his liquid state.
O'Brien attempts to transfer the alien life form's files back to the probe, and in order to keep the computer from stopping him, he and the rest of the crew give it a list of increasingly complex commands. Something goes awry and a plasma
surge creates a fire that traps Bashir and the ambassadors in a corridor. Dax and O'Brien try to establish what went wrong, and O'Brien finally comes to the conclusion that they should build a "doghouse
" for their little lost puppy. Containing it may solve their problems.
Back in the turbolift, Odo begins to lose control of his form. Lwaxana tries to be supportive, but he turns away from her and calls it a private matter because no one has ever seen him this way. She hands him her hair - a wig - and tells him no one has ever seen her that way either. Although Odo thinks she looks fine without it, Lwaxana has never cared to be ordinary. When he tells her she is unlike what he expected, she smiles and says that no one has ever paid her a greater compliment. She then lets Odo "melt" in her lap.
O'Brien removes the life form from the station's computer, and upon emerging from a conduit with Bashir, the ambassadors call him a hero. Odo and Lwaxana are rescued from the turbolift; the picnic, Odo points out, was not what Lwaxana had in mind. She tells him the only thing that really matters at a picnic is the company.
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
Dr. Bashir is assigned "babysitting" duty for four visiting ambassadors, O'Brien deals with an alien computer program downloaded from a probe, and Odo copes with a deeply infatuated Lwaxana Troi.Plot
Deep Space NineDeep 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...
is host to a delegation of Federation
United 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...
ambassadors and 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:...
gives 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:...
the "honor" of welcoming them to the station. While Bashir struggles to please the other three dignitaries, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi exclaims that someone has stolen her latinum hair brooch
Brooch
A brooch ; also known in ancient times as a fibula; is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material...
. Although telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, she cannot sense guilt from anyone, she points out that Betazoid
Betazoid
In the fictional Star Trek universe, Betazoids are a sentient humanoid species from the planet Betazed, a member of the United Federation of Planets.-Overview:...
s are unable to read Ferengi
Ferengi
The Ferengi are a fictitious extraterrestrial race from the Star Trek universe. They first appeared in "The Last Outpost", the fifth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, during which they made first contact with the United Federation of Planets in 2364 on the planet Delphi Ardu,...
minds. Odo deduces that she might be unable to read Dopterians, distant cousins of the Ferengi, and arrests the man who stole her brooch. Lwaxana is instantly infatuated with the Constable.
Lwaxana visits the Security Office and flirts with Odo, who has obviously never been in such a situation. He nervously pretends someone is calling him on the Comm, but she is undeterred. Meanwhile, a mysterious probe-like vessel comes through the Wormhole and the rest of the crew attempt to interface with it. In Sisko's office, Odo asks for advice on how to deal with Lwaxana's aggressive behavior. Explaining he does not have time for "romantic interludes," Odo asks Sisko to do something about Lwaxana, to the Commander's amusement.
As 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....
and 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...
investigate the probe further, Lwaxana approaches Odo about having a picnic and is even more determined to catch his interest; when he informs her that he reverts to a liquid every sixteen hours, she shrugs and responds, "I can swim!" She follows Odo on his way to one of the station's Upper Pylons, but a system failure strands them together in a turbolift. "Alone at last!" Lwaxana declares gleefully.
While trying to repair the station's systems O'Brien discovers that the computer is somehow different. He informs Sisko that 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...
computer seems less hostile and has stopped offering opinions on his commands, which is odd. It also seems to break down whenever he is away from it, as if it were a child. The information downloaded from the alien probe is a type of non-sentient life form, which seems to have attached itself to O'Brien like a puppy.
Bashir continues to struggle with the ambassadors and decides to escort them to their quarters until the station is functioning properly. In the meantime, Odo, who initially found Lwaxana's spontaneous nature insufferable, grows less hostile toward her. He grows almost fond of her but appears to be in severe discomfort; as he hesitantly reveals, he is in the fifteenth hour of his regenerative cycle and will soon need to revert to his liquid state.
O'Brien attempts to transfer the alien life form's files back to the probe, and in order to keep the computer from stopping him, he and the rest of the crew give it a list of increasingly complex commands. Something goes awry and a plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
surge creates a fire that traps Bashir and the ambassadors in a corridor. Dax and O'Brien try to establish what went wrong, and O'Brien finally comes to the conclusion that they should build a "doghouse
Doghouse
A doghouse, known in British English as a kennel, is a small shed commonly built in the shape of a little house intended for a dog. It is a structure in which a dog is kept or can run into for shelter from the elements.-Architecture:...
" for their little lost puppy. Containing it may solve their problems.
Back in the turbolift, Odo begins to lose control of his form. Lwaxana tries to be supportive, but he turns away from her and calls it a private matter because no one has ever seen him this way. She hands him her hair - a wig - and tells him no one has ever seen her that way either. Although Odo thinks she looks fine without it, Lwaxana has never cared to be ordinary. When he tells her she is unlike what he expected, she smiles and says that no one has ever paid her a greater compliment. She then lets Odo "melt" in her lap.
O'Brien removes the life form from the station's computer, and upon emerging from a conduit with Bashir, the ambassadors call him a hero. Odo and Lwaxana are rescued from the turbolift; the picnic, Odo points out, was not what Lwaxana had in mind. She tells him the only thing that really matters at a picnic is the company.
Arc significance
- This is the first of three meeting of Odo and Lwaxana Troi. She would again visit in "Fascination" and "The Muse."