Indiscretion (Star Trek Deep Space Nine)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Indiscretion" is the 77th episode of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and the fourth episode of the fourth season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station near the planet
Bajor The Bajorans (variously pronounced , , )Script notes
specify "bah-JOR-an" and "BAY-jor" as the correc ...
, as Bajor recovers from a long and brutal occupation by the imperialistic
Cardassian The Cardassians () are a fictional Extraterrestrial life in popular culture, extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were devised in 1991 for the series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' before b ...
s. In this episode, Major
Kira Nerys Kira Nerys ( ) is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has ...
, a Bajoran, goes on a mission with Gul Dukat, the Cardassian former overseer of Bajor, to look for survivors of a destroyed ship. This episode expands on the backstories of Dukat, the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, and the resistance cell Kira was involved with during the occupation. This episode also introduces the character Tora Ziyal, Dukat's half-Bajoran daughter, and marks the first appearance of the alien race known as the Breen. This episode was written by Nicholas Corea, from a story by Toni Marberry and Jack Tevino and directed by
LeVar Burton Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...
. It aired in broadcast syndication on October 23, 1995.


Plot

A Bajoran smuggler tells Major Kira that he has recovered a piece of metal that might be from the ''Ravinok'', a Cardassian ship that disappeared six years before with a group of Bajoran prisoners on board, including a friend of Kira's. She makes plans to investigate, but the Cardassian government insists on sending Gul Dukat to accompany her. The two travel to a desert planet near where the fragment was found, and they find the wreckage of the ''Ravinok''. Kira and Dukat discover twelve graves near the wreckage, but since several more people were on the ship, they conclude that some survivors may still be alive. First, however, Dukat opens the graves in order to identify the bodies and is overcome with grief when he finds the remains of a Bajoran woman who was his mistress. They soon set off on foot, scanning the planet for survivors. While setting up camp, Dukat reveals that he and his mistress had a daughter, Tora Ziyal, who may be among the survivors. Unfortunately, if he finds her alive, he plans to kill her to avoid a scandal that would endanger his Cardassian family and career. Kira tells Dukat she will not allow him to kill Ziyal. Kira and Dukat discover a mining operation of Bajoran and Cardassian prisoners, supervised by the Breen. Dukat sees his half-Cardassian, half-Bajoran daughter among the prisoners. Disguised as Breen, Kira and Dukat infiltrate the mine, overcome the guards, and free the prisoners. Kira is sad to learn that her friend died two years earlier, but Dukat is only interested in finding his daughter. When he finds her, she instantly recognizes her father and is thrilled to see him, despite the fact he is aiming a phaser rifle at her. Kira arrives and tries to stop him. Ziyal realizes what is happening and tells her father she would rather die if she cannot go with him. She hugs him affectionately, and Dukat, shaken with emotion, decides to take Ziyal home — even if it costs him everything he has. Meanwhile, in a side plot on Deep Space Nine, Captain
Benjamin Sisko Benjamin Lafayette Sisko is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise portrayed by Avery Brooks. He was the main character of the television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (''DS9''), which was originally broadcast between 199 ...
learns that his girlfriend,
Kasidy Yates This is a list of characters from the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Only characters who played a significant major role in the series are listed. ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' was a science fiction televis ...
, has been offered a job on Bajor and is considering moving to the station. Instead of congratulating her, Sisko can only express his anxiety about escalating their relationship; but Sisko's friends and his son Jake convince him to apologize to her.


Production

The story about how Dukat and Kira track down Dukat's half-Bajoran child was pitched by two freelance writers, and it was very appealing to the show's producers. It was said to be reminiscent of the 1956 Western film ''
The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas–Indian wars, and stars John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War v ...
''. Director LeVar Burton liked the story, as well, because of how the two adversaries had to re-examine themselves over the course of the episode. This was the first episode of ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' directed by LeVar Burton, who had previously directed some episodes of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and was part of the main cast as the character Geordi. The outdoor scene was filmed at
Soledad Canyon Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon/valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. It is a part of the Santa Clara River Valley, and extends from the top of Soledad Pass to the open plain ...
in southern California.


Reception

In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the Bajoran character
Kira Nerys Kira Nerys ( ) is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). She was played by actress Nana Visitor. The character is from the fictional planet Bajor, a world which has ...
. They called it "a treat" to see the fiery acting performances of Visitor and Alaimo (playing Kira and Dukat, respectively). Writing for
Tor.com ''Reactor'', formerly ''Tor.com'', is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on specul ...
in 2014, Keith R.A. DeCandido gave the episode a favorable review with a rating of 8 out of 10. He praised the acting performances of Visitor, Alaimo, and Brooks, and commended the episode for creating a more humanized portrait of Dukat without making him seem sympathetic to Kira or the viewer. In 2020,
io9 ''io9'' is a sub-blog of the technology blog ''Gizmodo'' that focuses on science fiction and fantasy pop culture, with former focuses on science, technology and futurism. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under ...
listed this episode as one of the "must-watch" episodes of the series.


Releases

On August 5, 1998, "Indiscretion" was released in
LaserDisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...
format in Japan, as part of the 4th season (vol.1) box set.


References


External links

* * * {{Star Trek Cardassian stories Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4 episodes 1995 American television episodes Television episodes about slavery Television episodes directed by LeVar Burton Television episodes written by Nicholas J. Corea