Deep Space Nine: The Final Chapter 8: The Dogs of War

Deep Space Nine: The Final Chapter

8: The Dogs of War

On DS9 the crew wait expectantly in ops for the arrival of their new Defiant-class ship.  When the ship, the USS Sao Paulo, arrives they notice how it looks almost identical to the Defiant.  On the Sao Paulo's bridge Admiral Ross transfers command to Captain Sisko.  Ross also gives Sisko special dispensation from Starfleet Operations to rename the ship to USS Defiant!  On the stolen Jem'Hadar ship Kira, Garak And Damar beam down to Cardassia Prime to meet with some of Damar's loyalists.  However they discover that one of the officers, Gul Revok, has betrayed them.  The resistance is massacred.  In orbit the Jem'Hadar ship is attacked and destroyed.  The three are stranded on Cardassia.  They make their way to the capital and hide in the basement of Garak's childhood home, the former home of Enabran Tain with Mila, Tain's housekeeper.  In the infirmary Bashir clears Odo for duty and tells him about Section 31 creating the virus, Odo is totally disgusted.  Sisko tells Odo that the Federation council has decided not to give the Founders the cure, to which Odo says the Federation is abetting genocide.  Sisko reminds him that the Founders started the war.  In Quark's, Leeta and M'Pella try to ask Quark for a raise, but Quark goes to the backroom to take a message from Ferenginar.  The message is staticky, it's the Grand Nagus, Zek, and he says he's retiring to Risa with Ishka and that Quark will be his successor.  Bashir and Ezri admit their attraction for each other but agree to stay just friends.  While Quark prepares to become Nagus, Brunt from the FCA appears and starts sucking up to Quark.  On Cardassia Weyoun broadcasts a message planetwide announcing Damar's death and the destruction of all 18 resistance bases, a bitter pill for Damar to swallow.  Brunt tells Quark about Zek's recent social reforms on Ferenginar, taxes, welfare programs, pensions, women's rights, etc.  Quark vows to changer things back once he is installed as Nagus, Brunt says that he won't have the power to do that without the support of the Congress of Economic Advisors.  While Kira, Garak and Damar lament their seeming failure, Mila tells them that the people don't believe Damar is dead-their failed resistance is turning into a populist revolution.  Damar and Kira plan the next move.  Weyoun introduces Legate Broca, the replacement for Damar to the Founder and the Breen.  Announcing that the Federation has found a way to counter the Breen energy dampener the Founder orders a withdrawal to Cardassia Prime to rebuild their forces.  Quark vents to Rom about Zek's reforms and sells the bar to Rom.  Quark feels that Ferengi, including himself have become soft and says that if he's going to be Nagus, he has to be allowed to do things his way-otherwise he will refuse the job "The line has to be drawn here! This far and no further!"  On Cardassia Garak plants a bomb in a Jem'Hadar barracks, but gets detained by Jem'Hadar guards.  Damar and Kira kill one of the guards, the distraction allowing Garak to kill the other one.  The explosion draws a crowd, they recognize Damar.  Damar gives a speech and rally the people "Freedom! Freedom!"  Bashir and Dax get intimate in the turbolift, which is witnessed by the crew in ops.  Zek and Ishka arrive, Zek announces Rom as the next Nagus-with the poor quality of the transmission he thought he was talking to Rom NOT Quark.  Rom gives the bar back to Quark for free.  Quark realizes that Rom is the new leader the new Ferenginar needs, not him.  In the wardroom Sisko, Admiral Ross, Chancellor Martok and Romulan General Velal agree to move forward with the invasion of Cardassia.  The invasion will have a high cost, but not doing so will allow the Dominion to become even more powerful, perhaps unstoppable.  Sisko returns to his quarters to find Kasidy up late.  She announces she is pregnant.  She is happy, but uncertain given the Prophets warning to Sisko when they got married.

The beginning of the end.  Damar's resistance is wiped out, but even when he's presumed dead, the idea of Damar, fighting to free his homeworld from the yoke of Dominion oppression, is very powerful.  Damar coming out of hiding and rallying the people to revolution rekindles the resistance in a much larger way than Damar's Cardassian Liberation Front ever could.  This episode is also the final Ferengi episode of the series, giving Zek and Ishka a proper sendoff, and making Rom the new Nagus (a seemingly unlikely) but perfect choice.  Quark's reaction to Zek's reforms (established in season 6's "Profit and Lace") is a great look at older generations vs. younger, conservative vs. liberal.  The end, the alliance powers unanimously agreeing to go ahead with the invasion of Cardassia to hopefully put an end to the war, as well as the reveal that Kasidy is pregnant with Sisko's second child both set the stage for the series finale.  As many different storylines, plotlines and recurring characters as Deep Space Nine had, it was a no-brainer to go ahead and start wrapping up some things in the episodes leading up to the finale (the Ferengi in this episode, Section 31 in the previous episode, etc.)  That said, at this point the finale still had it's work cut out for it.

Trivia:

Sisko's line to Ezri "That's what happens when you miss staff meetings" is a reference to Kirk's line to McCoy in Star Trek III.  Quark's line "The line has to be drawn here! This far, and no further!" is obviously a tongue-in-cheek reference to Picard's famous quote from Star Trek: First Contact.  Also Quark's line "This establishment will be the last outpost of what made Ferenginar great" is a direct reference to the TNG episode "The Last Outpost", Armin Shimmerman's first appearance on Star Trek, and the first appearance of the Ferengi (one of whom was played by Shimmerman).

This episode, the penultimate episode of DS9 was directed by Avery Brooks, making it the second Star Trek series penultimate episode to be directed by the series lead actor.  TNG's penultimate episode "Preemptive Strike" was directed by Patrick Stewart.

Quotes:

Ezri: I didn't know we were getting another Defiant class ship.

Sisko: That's what happens when you miss staff meetings.

Odo: Interesting, isn't it?  The Federation claims to abhor Section 31's tactics, but when they need their dirty work done, they look the other way.  It's a tidy little arrangement, wouldn't you say?'

Damar: Citizens of Cardassia, hear me!  The Dominion told you that the Rebellion has been crushed.  What you have seen here today proves that that is yet another lie.  Our fight for freedom continues, but it will take place here, in the streets.  I call on Cardassians everywhere to rise up.  Rise up and join me.  I need you to be my army.  If we stand together, nothing can oppose us.  Freedom is ours for the taking!

Quark: I won't preside over the demise of Ferengi civilization!  The line has to be drawn here!  This far, and no further! 

Quark: In fact, as far as I'm concerned, the Ferenginar that I knew doesn't exist anymore.  No, I take that back.  It will exist.  Right here in this bar.  This establishment will be the last outpost of what made Ferenginar great.  The unrelenting lust for profit.  Broik, water the drinks!  M'Pella, rig the dabo table!