The Siege of AR-558
| "The Siege of AR-558" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Winrich Kolbe |
| Written by |
Ira Steven Behr, Hans Beimler |
| Featured music | Paul Baillargeon |
| Production code | 558 |
| Original air date | November 18, 1998 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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| Episode chronology | |
"The Siege of AR-558" is the 158th episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the eighth episode of the seventh season. The number 558 is also the production code of the episode. First aired November 18, 1998. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, and directed by Winrich Kolbe.
The planet AR-558 is notable only for being the site of a major Dominion communications relay. It has already been seized by Starfleet soldiers, and paid for in blood; of the 150 sent to the planet, 43 still live. They have not been rotated off-duty for over five months; a contravention of Starfleet regulations which insist that infantry be rested every 90 days.
The USS Defiant arrives carrying supplies and replicator rations. Captain Benjamin Sisko commands, with Worf as executive officer, Ezri Dax and Dr. Julian Bashir along as tech and medical support, Ensign Nog as a crewmember, and Quark, sent on a "fact-finding mission" by the Grand Nagus.
After an abortive error involving friendly fire, Sisko lands on the planet and begins to assess the situation. The Jem'Hadar are interested in regaining their communications relay; Lt. Nadia Larkin, ranking officer, is just as insistent that Starfleet keep it, but with the Dominion supplying fresh troops and Starfleet doing no such thing, the odds are poor. Furthermore, Bashir's professional medical opinion is that the soldiers are in bad need of being replaced, a fact simply not logistically possible. Ezri becomes an ad hoc assistant to the garrison's engineer, Kellin, in helping him decode and decipher the comm relay. Nog looks up to the battle-hardened veterans as heroes, to Quark's consternation; the elder Ferengi has seen the brutal, nastier side of these "hew-mans," and he warns Nog not to become too enamored of them. Finally, Sisko is pushed into a decision when the Defiant comes under attack. He orders Worf to take the ship to safety; he and his men are staying to fight.
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