Deep Space Nine: The Final Chapter 6: Tacking Into the Wind

Deep Space Nine The Final Chapter

6: Tacking Into the Wind

Kira and Garak continue teaching Damars officers about resistance strategy, tensions increase between Kira and Gul Rusot.  After returning from a mission to destroy a Dominion shipyard, Odo, fatigued goes to rest and has difficulty maintaining his shape.  Walking into the bunk room Garak discovers this, Odo admits that he is ill and tells Garak not to let Kira know.  On DS9 Bashir and O'Brien hit a dead end in the search for a cure for Odos disease.  Bashir refuses to go to Sisko, Sisko would be obliged to report to Starfleet, which would alert Section 31.  Gowron tries to blame Martok for a recent defeat at Avenal VII, despite being outnumbered 6 to 1.  Sisko agrees with Martok, blaming Gowron for bad strategic decisions.  On Cardassia the female Founder, showing signs of the disease, asks Weyoun when the cloning facility will be repaired.  She orders the Jem'Hadar to search for Damars family and orders the Breen to speed up the installation of energy dampening weapons on Dominion ships.  Kira makes a plan to infiltrate a Cardassian repair base in the Kelvas system, the goal to steal a Jem'Hadar ship equipped with an energy dampener and get the ship to Starfleet to help develop a countermeasure.  Garak warns her not to bring Odo, Kira admits she knows about his condition.  Sisko and Worf discuss Gowrons reckless actions and treatment of Martok, Worf says Gowrons motives are political-he feels threatened by Martoks popularity.  Worf has a plan to stop Gowron, Sisko gives him his support.  Tensions boil over between Kira and Rusot, Rusot touches her, she attacks and restrains Rusot.  Rusot threatens to get revenge on Kira after the war before leaving.  Garak tells Kira to not let her guard down.  Worf asks Martok to challenge Gowron, Martok refuses.  Damar learns that the Dominion have killed his wife and son.  Damar wonders what kind of people would kill civilians during a war, Kira asks Damar the same question referencing the occupation.  Boarding the Jem'Hadar ship Garak, Damar and Rusot pretend to hold Kira as a Federation prisoner of war, wanting to present her to the Vorta.  The Cardassian guard reveals he supports Damars rebellion.  Arriving on the bridge the Cardassians present their "prisoner" to the Vorta, Odo suddenly appears as the female Founder.  Asking to inspect a Jem'Hadars weapon Odo gives the weapon to Garak who kills the Vorta and all the Jem'Hadar.  They are forced to wait to leave until the weapon is installed.  When they receive an incoming hail for the Vorta Kira impersonates the Vorta and responds.  On DS9 O'Brien brings crab rolls from Keiko to Bashir, who is still working on a cure for Odo.  O'Brien suggests that they tell Starfleet Medical that they have a cure, to bait someone from Section 31 to the station, someone with the information they need.  Gowron orders Martok to attack Sarpedion V, the headquarters of the Cardassian 12th Order.  Martok argues that the planet is too heavily fortified.  Gowron calls Martok weak.  Worf stands and challenges Gowron, saying that he is acting dishonorably by wasting ships and lives and risking the war effort for his petty acts of vanity.  He says that Gowron has dishonored himself and the empire and is not fit to be chancellor.  Accepting the challenge Gowron grabs a bat'leth and they fight, ending with Worf killing Gowron.  This makes Worf chancellor, but Worf turns it down, giving the position to Martok.  During the tense wait for the weapon to be installed Odo collapses.  Rusot panics, saying they should kill Odo and leave now.  Kira orders him back to his post but he refuses and draws a weapon on her.  Garak draws his weapon on Rusot.  Damar orders both to drop their weapons, Rusot refuses, saying Damar wants her dead as much as he does.  They receive confirmation that the weapon is installed, Kira says they need to go, but Rusot won't back down, insisting that Damar kill Kira.  Damar fires killing Rusot, he was a danger to the resistance.  Kira orders all other decks flooded with neurazine gas and they leave the station.

The tension is high in this episode.  Both in the A story, the tension between Rusot who hates Kira as a Bajoran and Kira who is just trying to do her job and doesn't have the time or patience for his shit, and the B story with the Klingons-Gowron making reckless foolish decisions to discredit and embarrass Martok, and in so doing put the Federation in an untenable position with the war effort.  Worf makes a hard, but honorable-and correct choice to challenge and fight (and kill) Gowron to end the threat he poses.  I find this interesting when seen with TNG's Reunion and Redemption 1/2, in which Worf kills Duras and helps Gowron become chancellor.  The Worf giveth, and the Worf taketh away.  Worf challenging and killing Gowron not for himself but for the empire and giving the chancellorship to Martok is perfect for his character.  Damar's family being killed by the Dominion is very fitting for the Dominion's MO, and shows the lengths to which they are willing to go.  Kira's verbal splash of cold water, although off-the-cuff is fitting.  Damar killing Rusot shows what kind of leader Damar really is, able to put his personal feelings aside and act in the best interest of his command (the resistance), despite his friendship with Rusot and past history with Kira.

Trivia: the Vorta Luaren is played by actress Kitty Swink, wife of Armin Shimmerman (Quark).  

Quotes:

Garak: The Dominion has succeeded in locating Damar's family.
Damar: They're dead.  They weren't a part of this rebellion.  The Dominion knew that.  The Founder knew that.  Weyoun knew that.  To kill her and my son... the casual brutality of it... the waste of life.  What kind of state tolerates the murder of innocent women and children?  What kind of people give those orders?
Kira:  Yeah, Damar, what kind of people give those orders?

Worf: You rule without wisdom and without honor.  The warriors that are gathered here will not say this to you, but I will.  You are squandering our ships and our lives in a petty act of vengeance!
Gowron: I should have known better than to trust you again.  If you were a true Klingon, I would kill you where you stand.  Fortunately for you, that child's uniform shields you from your rightful fate.
Worf: What I say now, I say as a member of the House of Martok, not a Starfleet officer.  You have dishonored yourself and the Empire and you are not worthy to lead the Council.
Gowron: There can be only one answer to that!

Worf: What I have done was for the Empire.  A new day must dawn for our people.  I am not the man to usher in that day.  But there is a man here who can.
Martok: Worf, I do not seek the leadership.
Worf: Kahless said, 'Great men do not seek power... they have power thrust upon them.'  Hail Martok, leader of the Empire!  Leader of destiny.

Damar: (after killing Rusot) He was my friend.  But his Cardassia is dead and it won't be coming back.