For the Cause (''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'')

"For the Cause" is the 94th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 21st episode of the fourth season. Guest stars Kenneth Marshall as Michael Eddington and Penny Johnson as Kasidy Yates take center stage, in this intricate episode involving a Federation plan to help Cardassia with aid, not everything may be what it seems.

Plot

The Federation plans to deliver several replicators through Deep Space Nine to Cardassia following attacks by the Klingons that debilitated their industrial base. Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington debriefs the senior command staff that the Federation and Starfleet fear that the shipment will be intercepted by the Maquis. Eddington and station Security Chief Odo warn Captain Sisko that they believe his girlfriend, freighter captain Kasidy Yates, is working with the Maquis. Sisko denies it but instructs Worf in the Defiant to follow Yates' ship, the Xhosa, when it next departs. Worf confirms that the Xhosa delivered supplies to a Maquis ship in the Badlands.

Disheartened, Sisko insists to be present when they attempt to catch Yates' next shipment once they hear of its schedule. He, Odo, and Worf wait aboard the Defiant at the expected time but the Xhosa does not show up. Odo suggests this might have been a ruse to lure Sisko away from Deep Space Nine. However, the Xhosa soon does arrive, and Sisko tasks Yates to her actions. Yates claims she has only been delivering medical supplies to the Maquis, but for herself, she suspects that maybe she too had been used by the Maquis to lure her from the station. Fearing deception, Sisko lets Yates go and sets course back to Deep Space Nine.

Meanwhile, in Sisko's absence, Eddington takes command and orders the senior crew to prepare transport of the replicators to an inbound Vulcan craft. Major Kira walks into the briefing room where Eddington is alone and he knocks her unconscious, revealing himself to be with the Maquis. Eddington transports himself and the replicators to a waiting ship and flees the station. Eddington later contacts Sisko to reveal his alliances and that the Maquis are only at conflict with Cardassia, though promise further trouble if the Federation aids them. Sisko vows to capture and arrest Eddington himself. Later, Yates returns to the station alone, having dropped her crew in the Maquis Badlands, to turn herself in, believing this was what Sisko wanted. She tells Sisko that she had intended no harm and only felt a duty to aid the Maquis. Sisko and Yates have an emotional embrace before she is taken off to the brig.

In a side plot, Garak has taken interest in Gul Dukat's half Bajoran daughter, Tora Ziyal, who is living in Kira's charge on Deep Space Nine and recently visiting his tailor shop. Garak would like to become romantically involved, but fears that Ziyal has been instructed to kill him, since Garak had been responsible for the torture and death of Dukat's father years ago. Garak tries to speak to Kira to understand Ziyal's intent but has severe self-doubt. Eventually, he decides to join her alone to a holo-suite, even if she intends to kill him. There, Ziyal reveals that she has no intent to kill him but also does not need his companionship; she only wishes to seek his knowledge of Cardassia as she cannot go there. Garak and Ziyal begin their relationship.

Production

Writer Mark Gehred-O'Connell was inspired by the Oklahoma City bombing to write this episode. Specifically, he recalled how in the days following the bombing, suspicion fell upon people of Middle Eastern descent as the culprits, when in fact, the true culprit was Timothy McVeigh, a white American. Gehred-O'Connell decided to write a story in which Deep Space Nine was the target of a terrorist attack, after which suspicion fell upon the least likely person, Kasidy Yates, as the prime suspect. As the story evolved, the attack upon the station was dispensed with, and the trust between Kasidy and Sisko became the thematic focus of the episode.^[1] The episode's story would be followed up later in a sequel episode, "For the Uniform".

After being played by Cyia Batten in "Indiscretion" and "Return to Grace", Ziyal is played in this episode by Tracy Middendorf. This is Middendorf's only appearance in the role, as Melanie Smith later acquires the role permanently in "In Purgatory's Shadow", playing her until the character's final appearance in "Sacrifice of Angels".

The set of the Xhosa bridge was created from pieces previously used as the interior of the Saratoga, on which Sisko had served as First Officer, as seen in the pilot episode, "Emissary".^[1]

The mention of Tholian punctuality by Kasidy in the second scene of Act 2 was writer Ron Moore's tribute to the original series episode, "The Tholian Web", in which those aliens first appeared. The reference by Jake Sisko in Act 3 to the 1961 Yankees and the 1978 Red Sox was a tribute by producer Ira Steven Behr to his two favorite baseball teams.^[1]

Special effects

This episode includes special effect shots of the Star Trek franchise Badlands region, featured in the Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) launch pilot "Caretaker" in January 1995, seen by over 20 million viewers on television

Cassidy's space freighter is seen in various shots including docked to Deep Space Nine space station.

Arc significance

• Ziyal is on the station after the events of Return to Grace earlier in the season. The character was introduced in Indiscretion (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: For the Cause

• "For the Cause" on IMDb
• "For the Cause" at TV.com

• For the Cause at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

• For the Cause at StarTrek.com