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(written from a Production point of view)

Episodes[]

Title Episode Production number Stardate Original airdate
"The Way of the Warrior" 4x01/02 40514-473 49011.4 1995-10-02
"The Visitor" 4x03 40510-476 49034.7 1995-10-09
"Hippocratic Oath" 4x04 40510-475 49066.5 1995-10-16
"Indiscretion" 4x05 40510-477 Unknown 1995-10-23
"Rejoined" 4x06 40510-478 49195.5 1995-10-30
"Starship Down" 4x07 40510-480 49263.5 1995-11-13
"Little Green Men" 4x08 40510-479 Unknown 1995-11-15
"The Sword of Kahless" 4x09 40510-481 49289.1 1995-11-20
"Our Man Bashir" 4x10 40510-482 49300.7 1995-11-27
"Homefront" 4x11 40510-483 49170.65 1996-01-01
"Paradise Lost" 4x12 40510-484 Unknown 1996-01-08
"Crossfire" 4x13 40510-485 Unknown 1996-01-29
"Return to Grace" 4x14 40510-486 Unknown 1996-02-05
"Sons of Mogh" 4x15 40510-487 49556.2 1996-02-12
"Bar Association" 4x16 40510-488 Unknown 1996-02-19
"Accession" 4x17 40510-489 Unknown 1996-02-24
"Rules of Engagement" 4x18 40510-490 49665.3 1996-04-08
"Hard Time" 4x19 40510-491 Unknown 1996-04-15
"Shattered Mirror" 4x20 40510-492 Unknown 1996-04-22
"The Muse" 4x21 40510-493 Unknown 1996-04-29
"For the Cause" 4x22 40510-494 Unknown 1996-05-06
"To the Death" 4x23 40510-496 49904.2 1996-05-13
"The Quickening" 4x24 40510-495 Unknown 1996-05-20
"Body Parts" 4x25 40510-497 49930.3 1996-06-10
"Broken Link" 4x26 40510-498 49962.4 1996-06-17

Summary[]

Life in the Alpha Quadrant has been uneasy since the revelation the Founders have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant. Convinced the Dominion are behind a successful coup on Cardassia, Gowron orders a Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union. When the Federation condemns the invasion, and Sisko protects the members of the Detapa Council, Gowron withdraws from the Khitomer Accords and attacks the station. Although the attack is unsuccessful, the Klingons refuse to give up the Cardassian colonies already seized. Consequently, Captain Benjamin Sisko asks Worf to join the crew of Deep Space 9. Worf however is exiled once again from his people for refusing to side with Gowron in the conflict. Julian Bashir attempts to find a way to remove the Jem'Hadar's addiction to ketracel-white. He clashes with his friend, Miles O'Brien, by doing so, and is eventually unsuccessful. Kira Nerys and Dukat embark on a personal journey to find the Cardassian ship Ravinok that disappeared six years previously. Kira is searching for a friend; Dukat is searching for his daughter, Tora Ziyal. He intends to kill her to protect his family, but once he finds her he is unable to do so and she returns with him to Cardassia with devastating consequences to Dukat. Jadzia Dax is reunited with Lenara Kahn, the wife of her former host. After spending time together, their feelings resurface. The two briefly reconcile, but while Dax is willing to face exile from Trill society, Kahn decides that she cannot and leaves, breaking Jadzia's heart.

Nog leaves for Starfleet Academy on Earth, though a shuttle accident en route temporarily strands him, Quark, Rom, and Odo in 1947.

Kor, along with Dax and Worf, discover the long-lost Sword of Kahless in the Gamma Quadrant. They conclude that the Klingon Empire is not yet ready for such a powerful symbol and leave it adrift in open space.

After it is discovered that at least one Changeling infiltrator is active on Earth, Starfleet makes Benjamin Sisko acting head of Starfleet Security on Earth. After a power outage, Admiral Leyton manages to convince the President to let Starfleet declare martial law. However, Sisko soon discovers that the power outage was actually caused by Red Squad, Leyton is arrested for treason and Starfleet forces withdraw. First Minister Shakaar Edon begins a relationship with Major Kira, which forces Odo to deal with his feelings for her. Kira later helps Dukat capture a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and convinces him to let Tora Ziyal live aboard Deep Space 9. Dukat is angry the Detapa Council are unwilling to use information contained within the Bird-of-Prey's computers to launch an offensive and decides to begin his own campaign against them.

Worf is reunited with his brother Kurn who has been banished from the Empire due to Worf's condemnation of Gowron's invasion of Cardassia. Worf decides to erase Kurn's memories and let him become a member of another house. Benjamin Sisko relinquishes the title of Emissary when a Bajoran, Akorem Laan, arrives at the station after being in the wormhole for 200 years. However when Akorem uses the position to resurrect a caste-based discrimination system that would, among other things, doom Bajor's petition for Federation membership, Sisko decides to reclaim the role. The challenge is taken to the wormhole aliens who confirm Sisko is their Emissary. They return Akorem to his time, and Sisko accepts his role fully.

In the mirror universe, the Terran Rebellion capturesTerok Nor from the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. With the help of the Sisko from the primary universe and the rebellion's new ship, the ISS Defiant, they successfully repel an Alliance attack, though the mirror Jennifer Sisko is killed during the incident.

Sisko's girlfriend Kasidy Yates is suspected by Odo and Eddington to be a Maquis smuggler. This turns out to be true, and Kasidy is sentenced to six months in prison, however Michael Eddington is also revealed to be a member of the Maquis and steals twelve industrial replicators intended for the Cardassians, using Kasidy to draw Sisko away from the station while he commits the crime. The crew of the USS Defiant helps a group of Jem'Hadar led by Weyoun eliminate another group of renegade Jem'Hadar.

After an accident on the runabout, Keiko O'Brien is injured and her baby must be transplanted into Kira's womb in order to survive. Quark is forced by Brunt to break a contract, leading to the revocation of Quark's business license. Odo is infected with a morphogenic virus by the Founders, which forces him to return home to face charges for killing another Changeling. As punishment, he is made a Human. During the mission, Elim Garak makes an unsuccessful attempt to take control of the Defiant's weapons to destroy the Founders, leading to his incarceration for six months. Upon Odo's return, as tensions continue to escalate between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, Odo realizes that Gowron has been replaced by a Changeling.

Background information[]

Season changes[]

  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine received a new opening sequence beginning in this season, designed by Dan Curry who also designed the original. The DS9 main title score was given a faster tempo and a new musical ending, and the visual shots of the station were revised to show many ships docked and orbiting the station, including the Defiant and the USS Leeds. A workbee and two repairmen in EV suits can also be seen. The Defiant is shown departing the station and entering the wormhole. Michael Dorn's name is also added to the opening credits. The font of the credits is also changed slightly, as is its color scheme. Many of the new elements added to the sequence were executed as CGI. The workbee, the welders as well as an alien freighter were CGI elements built by John Knoll at Industrial Light & Magic. "I made about half a dozen little bits and pieces [rem: work bees and the welders on the pylons] for the sequence, including a generic alien ship with blue glowy engines." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 335))
  • Julian Bashir gained the rank of full lieutenant and Jadzia Dax became a lieutenant commander, both having presumably been promoted between the third and fourth seasons.
  • Avery Brooks and Terry Farrell's credits were altered to reflect their characters' promotions.
  • Alexander Siddig's credit changed from his old credit of Siddig El Fadil to the new one of Alexander Siddig. According to Siddig, the reason he altered his name was because "the other name said too much about what I wasn't. Siddig El Fadil is an important name. It is my name, officially, on my passport and all that, and one that I will keep. But for an actor it wasn't so suitable. So I started again, with half and half, which is more reflective of my character. As for Alexander, that was just a name out of a hat". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 257)) Siddig's name was also moved in the credit list from between Rene Auberjonois and Terry Farrell to between Armin Shimerman and Nana Visitor to reflect its new alphabetical placement.
  • Benjamin Sisko appears with a shaved head beginning in the fourth season. Avery Brooks was required to have some hair on his head during the first three seasons as Paramount thought if he had a bald head, he might look like his previous role as Hawk in Spenser: For Hire. (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 102) Brooks felt more comfortable acting with a shaved head, and so approached Rick Berman and Ira Behr. According to Behr, the two producers were expecting resistance at Paramount, but the studio had no problems. "We had geared ourselves up for this big fight and there was no fight. Paramount was fine with it. And Avery was very pleased." The change was positively received by the production staff. Director James L. Conway remarked, "It was a terrific idea. I was shooting the episode and I happened to look at some of the reruns of the earlier shows and I said to Avery, 'It's like a different actor.' And Avery said, 'I feel like a different guy.' And you can see it in his performance. With his head shaved, I think he feels much freer, much more himself." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 257)). Robert Hewitt Wolfe noted, "He's actually a little scarier looking but the point is: That's what Avery looks like, so why shouldn't you let the guy look like himself? I think it lets him identify a little more with the character."(Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages, p. 102)

Story arcs[]

  • At the end of season 3, the writers had planned on doing a "Changelings on Earth" storyline, which would end on a cliffhanger. However, Paramount said that they didn't want a cliffhanger ending, forcing the writers to go in a different direction. This not only necessitated a rethinking of the end of the third season, but also a rethinking of the opening of the fourth. Producers were also under a mandate to do "something" to shake up the series. As such, they decided to bring the Klingons onto the show, with Rick Berman suggesting that they also bring in Worf. Obviously however, the Klingon conflict was not initially a part of the master plan for season 4, and many fans thus feel that this season is basically just an interlude in anticipation of the writers getting back to the Dominion arc. This was supported by Ira Steven Behr, who said "We only recovered our equilibrium in the middle of the fifth season following another meeting with the studio in which we said, 'How about making the Klingons our friends again? You'll see them as much as you want, but we want to get back to the Dominion'. While I like having brought Worf onto the show, and I love some of the things that he brought along, I think it had a fairly substantial impact that wasn't all for the good. It took us way off from where we'd intended to go and it was slow going getting back." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 256)) Behr has also commented, "It was not the direction we thought the show was going. We thought we were going to get into this whole Dominion thing, and we suddenly had to begin this problem with the Klingons, which I think was exciting for the audience, but took a lot of thought as to how it was all going to link up." (Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four, DS9 Season 4 DVD, Special Features)
  • On the introduction of the character of Worf, Robert Hewitt Wolfe commented, "In the beginning it was difficult, I gotta be honest with you, to integrate this new character, but that was good because it challenged us, and made us sort of re-examine the show in a whole new light. How do we make this guy work? How do we bring him in? How does he change the relationships for all of our characters? He stirred up the whole thing again, gave the whole show a sort of a second phase. Suddenly, there's Worf and we've got to deal with him and his issues, and suddenly there's Klingons everywhere and that brought a new flavor to play with." (Charting New Territory: Deep Space Nine Season Four, DS9 Season 4 DVD, Special Features)
  • Characters who "crossover" from Star Trek: The Next Generation: Worf (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior" onwards) and his brother Kurn (DS9: "Sons of Mogh").
  • This is the only season of Deep Space Nine in which Vedek / Kai Winn, Grand Nagus Zek, and Maihar'du do not appear.
  • A recurring theme this season was losses: Worf loses his standing among his people (again); The Federation loses its alliance with the Klingon Empire; Dukat loses his standing among his people; Quark loses his business license (and thus, effectively, his standing among his people); Odo loses his shapeshifting abilities; even Sisko loses Kassidy Yates for a time, after she's imprisoned for working with the Maquis. All of these losses were restored the following season.

Reception[]

  • Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman commented, "For the first time in the thirty-year history of the Star Trek franchise, a season's worth of episodes was produced with a large percentage being solid storytelling. In terms of consistent quality, Deep Space Nine's fourth season is the one by which others will be measured." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p 101)
  • Anna L. Kaplan wrote in Cinefantastique in 1997: "The '95-'96 season was undeniably DS9's best, and quite possibly the best season of Star Trek ever". ("Taking the Fifth - With Style", Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7)
  • This was the first season of DS9 that Una McCormack watched. She was of the opinion that the season maintains the level of quality she felt was established in season opener "The Way of the Warrior". "So I felt that I was watching a well-imagined show with plenty going on that I could learn about and discover," she remarked. "It didn't feel cardboard, it felt as if it had depth." [1]

Credits[]

Cast[]

Crew[]

Executive Producers
Creative Consultant
Coordinating Producer
Co-Producer
Producers
Supervising Producers
Associate Producer
Casting by
Music by
  • Dennis McCarthy ("The Way of the Warrior", "The Visitor", "Indiscretion", "Homefront", "Crossfire", "Accession", "Hard Time", "Shattered Mirror", "Body Parts")
  • Jay Chattaway ("Hippocratic Oath", "Rejoined", "Starship Down", "Our Man Bashir", "Paradise Lost", "Return to Grace", "Bar Association", "Rules of Engagement", "For the Cause", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
  • Paul Baillargeon ("Little Green Men", "The Muse")
  • David Bell ("The Sword of Kahless", "Sons of Mogh", "The Quickening")
Main Title Theme by

Dennis McCarthy (credit only appears in episodes not composed by McCarthy)

Director of Photography
  • Jonathan West, A.S.C. ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Paradise Lost", "Sons of Mogh"–"Rules of Engagement", "Shattered Mirror"–"Broken Link") (first credited with A.S.C. title in "Rules of Engagement")
  • Kris Krosskove ("Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Hard Times")
Production Designer
Art Director
Editors
  • Steve Tucker ("The Way of the Warrior", every third episode after "Indiscretion")
  • Richard Rabjohn (every third episode after "Hippocratic Oath")
  • David Ramirez (every third episode after "The Visitor")
Unit Production Manager
  • Robert della Santina
First Assistant Director
  • B.C. Cameron ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes starting with "The Visitor")
  • Brian Whitley ("Hippocratic Oath")
  • Conrad Irving (odd-numbered episodes starting with "Indiscretion")
Second Assistant Director
Costume Designer
Visual Constultant
  • Herman Zimmerman ("Accession"–"Rules of Engagement")
Visual Effects Producer
Visual Effects Supervisors
  • Gary Hutzel ("The Way of the Warrior", odd-numbered episodes from "The Sword of Kahless" through "Accession", "Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening", "Body Parts")
  • Glenn Neufeld ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes from "Little Green Men" through "Shattered Mirror")
  • Dan Curry ("Hippocratic Oath", "Indiscretion", "Starship Down")
  • David Takemura ("The Visitor", "Rejoined")
  • Judy Elkins ("Hard Time", "The Muse")
  • David Stipes ("For the Cause", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
Post Production Supervisor
Supervising Editor
Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant
Senior Illustrator/Technical Consultant
Make-up designed and created by
Set Decorator
Set Designer
  • Ron Wilkinson ("The Way of the Warrior"–"Bar Association")
  • Fritz Zimmerman ("Accession", even-numbered episodes from "Rules of Engagement", through "Broken Link")
  • Peter Samish (odd-numbered episodes from "Hard Time" through "Body Parts)
Illustrator
Visual Effects Coordinator
  • Judy Elkins ("The Way of the Warrior", odd-numbered episodes beginning with "The Sword of Kahless" except "Hard Time" and "The Muse")
  • Kendell Shaffer ("The Visitor", "Rejoined")
  • Edward L. Williams ("Hippocratic Oath", "Indiscretion", "Starship Down", "For the Cause", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
  • David Takemura (even-numbered episodes beginning with "Little Green Men")
  • Laura Lang-Matz ("The Muse")
Visual Effects Series Coordinator
  • Edward L. Williams ("The Way of the Warrior", "The Visitor", "Rejoined", "Little Green Men"–"The Muse")
Visual Effects Associate
Script Supervisor
Wardrobe Supervisor
  • Carol Kunz ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes from "The Visitor" through "For the Cause", "The Quickening", "To the Death", "Broken Link")
  • Camille Argus (odd-numbered episodes from "Hippocratic Oath" through "The Muse", "Body Parts")
Special Effects
Property Master
Construction Coordinator
Scenic Artist
  • Denise Okuda ("The Way of the Warrior", even-numbered episodes beginning with "The Visitor")
  • Doug Drexler (odd-numbered episodes beginning with "Hippocratic Oath")
Hair Designer
Make-up Artists
  • Camille Calvet ("The Way of the Warrior", "The Visitor"–"Rejoined", "The Sword of Kahless"–"Homefront", "Return to Grace"–"Bar Association", "Shattered Mirror", "The Muse", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
  • Dean Jones ("The Way of the Warrior", "Indiscretion"–"Starship Down", "Our Man Bashir"–"Paradise Lost", "Bar Association", "Accession", "Shattered Mirror"–"For the Cause", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
  • Karen Iverson ("The Way of the Warrior", "Hippocratic Oath", "Starship Down", "Little Green Men", "Homefront"–"Crossfire", "Bar Association"–"Rules of Engagement", "The Muse"–"To the Death", "Broken Link")
  • Mark Bussan ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor", "Starship Down"–"The Sword of Kahless", "Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Accession"–"Hard Time", "For the Cause"–"To the Death")
  • Sonny Burman ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor"–"Indiscretion", "The Sword of Kahless"–"Our Man Bashir", "Crossfire"–"Sons of Mogh", "Rules of Engagement"–"Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening"–"Body Parts")
  • Karen J. Westerfield ("Rejoined", "Little Green Men", "Paradise Lost", "Sons of Mogh", "Hard Time") (credited as Karen Westerfield beginning with "Hard Time")
Hair Stylists
  • Brian Andrew-Tunstall ("The Way of the Warrior", "Hippocratic Oath", "Indiscretion", "Starship Down", "Little Green Men", "Our Man Bashir", "Homefront", "Crossfire", "Return to Grace", "Accession", "Rules of Engagement", "The Muse", "Body Parts", "Broken Link")
  • Norma Lee ("The Way of the Warrior")
  • Faith Vecchio ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor", "Rejoined", "Little Green Men", "The Sword of Kahless")
  • Leland Crawford ("The Visitor", "Indiscretion"–"Starship Down", "The Sword of Kahless", "Our Man Bashir", "Paradise Lost", "Crossfire", "Bar Association", "Accession", "Shattered Mirror", "The Muse", "To the Death", "Body Parts")
  • Lee Ann Brittenham ("Homefront", "Paradise Lost", "Sons of Mogh", "Bar Association", "Hard Times", "Shattered Mirror", "The Quickening", "To the Death")
  • Susan Zeitlow-Maust ("Return to Grace", "Sons of Mogh")
  • Adrienne Kessler ("Rules of Engagement", "Hard Times", "The Quickening", "Broken Link")
Sound Mixer
Camera Operator
Chief Lighting Technician
First Company Grip
Key Costumers
  • Mary Ellen Bosché ("The Way of the Warrior", "Indiscretion", "Rejoined", even-numbered episodes from "Our Man Bashir" through "Broken Link")
  • Jerry Bono ("The Way of the Warrior", "Hippocratic Oath", "Rejoined", "Starship Down", even-numbered episodes from "Our Man Bashir" through "Broken Link")
  • Phyllis Corcoran-Woods ("Hippocratic Oath", "The Visitor", "Starship Down"–"The Sword of Kahless", odd-numbered episodes from "Homefront" through "Body Parts")
  • Cleo Severy ("The Visitor", "Indiscretion", "Little Green Men", odd-numbered episodes from "The Sword of Kahless" through "Body Parts")
Music Editor
Supervising Sound Editor
Sound Editors
Assistant Editor
Visual Effects Assistant Editor
Production Coordinator
Post Production Coordinator
  • Cara Colombini ("The Way of the Warrior"–"The Sword of Kahless")
  • April Rossi ("Our Man Bashir"–"To the Death") (credited as April Nocifora in "Our Man Bashir")
Production Associate
Main Title Design
  • Dan Curry
Stunt Coordinator
Pre-Production Coordinator
Science Consultant
Casting Executive

Uncredited crew[]

Companies[]

Filmed with
Panavision cameras and lenses
Digital Optical Effects
Pacific Ocean Post
Special Video Compositing
CIS Hollywood
Motion Control Photography
Image "G"
Computer Animation
VisionArt Design & Animation (all episodes except "For the Cause", "The Quickening")
Computer Generated Effects
Digital Muse ("For the Cause")
Matte painting
Illusion Arts ("The Quickening")
Editing facilities
Unitel Video
Post-Production sound
Modern Sound

See also[]

External links[]

Previous season:
DS9 Season 3
Seasons of
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Next season:
DS9 Season 5
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