46. The Jem'Hadar

Summary

Sisko and Jake plan a trip to the Gamma Quadrant so Jake can do a planetary survey for his science project. To Sisko's dismay, Jake invites Nog to come along...which gives Quark an excuse to invite himself along as well, so he can work on Sisko to allow him to sell merchandise on the station's monitors. The unlikely foursome arrive on a wilderness planet with no animal life and the boys begin their science project while Sisko and Quark get on each other's nerves. One night around the campfire, Nog runs off, upset over Quark's annoying behavior, and Jake goes after him. Left alone, the two men are surprised to see a woman run out of the bushes. She knocks Sisko down with some kind of telekinetic burst and says she's running from the Jem'Hadar. Before they can beat a prudent retreat, some well-armed Jem'Hadar soldiers appear out of thin air and take them captive. Placed inside a circular force field, Eris (the woman) explains that the Jem'Hadar are the dreaded soldiers of the Dominion and that she has been on the run from them for a long time. Sisko sets about trying to remove her telekinetic damping collar, without which she could break the force field. When a Jem'Hadar soldier finally comes to check on them, he tells them the Founders have other plans for them...Eris insists that the Founders are just a myth. Quark eventually breaks open her collar and she deactivates the force field, the three escape. Meanwhile, Jake and Nog, having discovered Sisko and Quark's absence, have beamed up to the runabout and are trying, without much success, to mount a rescue. Back on DS9, a Jem'Hadar soldier beams into Ops and tells the crew that the Dominion won't allow any more traffic through the wormhole and that they've already destroyed some trespassing ships, and have taken Sisko hostage. Captain Keogh and the USS Odyssey arrive and, along with two runabouts and most of the DS9 senior staff, go through the wormhole to investigate. They are attacked by Jem'Hadar ships and the Odyssey is destroyed. The runabouts return to DS9 having recovered Sisko, Quark, Eris and the boys. Back on the station, Sisko realizes that Eris' telekinetic suppression collar was just a locking mechanism...they were allowed to escape so she could spy on the Alpha quadrant. She denies being one of the founders, but is mysteriously beamed away.

Analysis

Some people really like this episode, but I'm not one of them. For a season-ender that contains such momentous developments (introduction of the Jem'Hadar, the first real Dominion hostility, first mention of the Founders) it has a curiously trivial feeling to it, the momentous developments almost seem like an afterthought. Superimposing these plot-arc elements onto such a lame camping-excursion plotline has the effect of making the entire episode play like a Hardy Boys mystery, belying the seriousness of the plotpoints. Why the writers decided to shoehorn Quark into this episode is beyond me. He really contributes nothing, and he's at his most annoying to boot. The episode is a curious juxtaposition: exciting new developments, yet a plot that drags. Many inexplicable things happen in this episode too. Why was such a big deal made out of Odo's coming along on the rescue mission? Why the odd emphasis on Dax's dislike of Captain Keogh? Oh well. When all is said and done, I found myself saying to myself "this is a season-ender?" as I was watching this episode...Sisko's last statement, meant to be the big "dum dum DUMMMM" moment, sort of fizzles out to nothing. Definitely the weakest of the six season-enders we've been privy to.

Rating: 4.0

Memorable Quote:

Quark: So, what'd he say?
Odo: Guess.
Quark: He said yes!
Odo: Guess again.

"I think I've figured out why humans don't like Ferengi. The way I see it, humans used to be a lot like Ferengi. Greedy, acquisitive, interested only in profit. We're a constant reminder of a part of your past you'd like to forget! But you're overlooking something. Humans used to be a lot *worse* than Ferengi. Slavery. Concentration camps. Interstellar wars. We have nothing in out past that approaches that kind of barbarism. You see...we're nothing like you. We're better." --Quark, to Sisko

Classic Scene:

Jake and Nog trying to fly a runabout recalled memories of Kirk trying to drive a car.

Sexually Slanted Line 'O the Episode:

"They're just showing us how far they're willing to go." --Sisko

The O/K Status Report

Nothing much. He does give her a bit of a loaded look as she's boarding a runabout.

Special Alerts

1