The Dogs of War (episode)

Kira, Damar, and Garak are ambushed on Cardassia; Quark receives a message from Grand Nagus Zek appointing him the next leader of the Ferengi Alliance. (Part 8 of 9)

Summary

Admiral Ross presents Captain Sisko with a new Defiant class starship, the USS São Paulo. On the surface, the ship looks identical to the Defiant, recently destroyed in the Second Battle of Chin'toka. However, this new vessel is newly equiped with cutting-edge Starfleet technology to counteract the Breen energy dampening weapon. As the crew become acquainted with their new 'friend', Ross also leaves Sisko special orders to rename the vessel Defiant, in honor of their recently lost one.

Aboard the Jem'Hadar ship, Kira, Garak and Damar approach Cardassia Prime. With plans to unite the people and the Cardassian military against the Dominion, they beam down to the planet, leaving the ship in Seskal's hands. However, they arrive at the beam-down coordinates on a cave ledge, overlooking a massacre: Cardassian resistance fighters are being shot dead by Jem'Hadar warriors. In orbit, Seskal's vessel is destroyed by Jem'Hadar fighters, stranding Kira, Garak and Damar on Cardassia Prime. They decide to stealthily proceed to the Cardassian Capitol, to the house where Garak grew up. His father, he reveals, was the head of the Obsidian Order, who never publicly recognized Garak as his own son. Mila, the head of housekeeping, provides them a safe haven in the basement; they politely ask her for a communication device, and begin cleaning their new headquarters.

In sickbay on Deep Space 9, Doctor Bashir informs Odo that Section 31 infected him with the morphogenic virus that is plaguing his people, the Changelings, and that Odo had transmitted the virus to them, not the other way around. Odo expresses his disgust with the situation, but promises to not cause any problems.

As Leeta and M'Pella, another Dabo girl, ask Quark for a pay raise, Quark retires into his office to answer an incoming call from Grand Nagus Zek on Ferenginar. The Nagus, over a shaky, tenuous communications channel, informs Quark that he is retiring to Risa with Ishka, Quark's mother. He then shocks Quark by apparently naming Quark his successor as the next Grand Nagus, in between static breakups of his transmission.

Julian and Ezri Dax, who have been tiptoeing on eggshells around one another, finally get a chance to speak to one another openly; they expression their common attraction to one another, but agree to remain just friends.

As Quark revels in fantasies of wealthy extravagances, Brunt appears -- without his usual swagger -- at Quark's Place. Quark confirms the rumor of him being the successor to the Nagus. Brunt, completely out of character, kneels and begin kissing Quark's hand, heaping praise upon his new Nagus.

Meanwhile, on Cardassia Prime, Weyoun broadcasts to all the population the news of Damar's "death", even as Damar listens to the message from the basement cellar. Weyoun's report that the Dominion has destroyed all 18 Cardassian rebel bases is a bitter pill for the trio to swallow. The news devastates Damar; Kira tries to stir Damar to action, with Garak helping persuade him of his important role in the rebellion.

Brunt, who is graciously giving Quark a pedicure, shocks Quark by informing him of recent social reforms on Ferenginar, including the introduction of taxes to finance social reform. Quark vows to enact sweeping changes, but is informed by Brunt that the position of Nagus is now on equal terms with a "Congress of Economic Advisors", which must ratify any legislation proposed by the Nagus. Quark worries about the future challenges facing the next Nagus.

Weyoun introduces Legate Broca, the new leader of the Cardassian people. He pledges his loyalty to the Founders and the Breen. The Female Changeling orders a fighting withdrawl, insisting to the Breen General that it is not a surrender, just a chance to regroup and eventually redouble their shipbuilding and replenishment efforts.

Quark spontaneously sells Quark's Place to brother Rom for 5,000 bars of latinum, without haggling over the price. When he realizes this fact, and the fact that he has been considering Leeta's request for a raise, Quark suddenly realizes his own leniency, and how soft he has become. He compares this to the reforms which have "come to ail" Ferenginar, pledging a return to the old, traditional ways once he gains power.

Garak plants an explosive device in a Jem'Hadar barracks, but he is detained by Jem'Hadar guards while attempting to leave. With a three-minute fuse delay, Damar and Kira come to his rescue, killing one guard; Garak quickly slips a knife through the other Jem'Hadar guard's throat. The blast from the explosion draws a crowd, who quickly recognize Damar. He unites the throng with a speech, stirring them to join the rebellion against the Dominion.

Julian and Ezri, still agreeing to remain friends, both board the turbolift for Ops; but by the time they reach Ops, then are locked in a passionate embrace, obviously disregarding their friends-only stance.

When Grand Nagus Zek and Ishka arrive at Quark's Place, they are befuddled by Quark's statements; disregarding him, they turn to Rom, and announce him as the next Nagus. (Zek, in the garbled transmission a few days earlier, had mistakenly thought he was speaking to Rom, not Quark.) Rom is to be the next Nagus -- and Ishka takes the credit for the idea, reminding Quark how he has always underestimated his brother. It seems her influence over Zek has spread to more than just social reform.

While Quark returns to running the bar (Rom gives it back to him for free), the unassuming Rom begins his new tenure as Grand Nagus. His son Nog escorts the unabashed Brunt away from him, to stave off Brunt's corrupting influence. As his loving wife Leeta embraces him and wishes him good luck, Rom is left pondering his uncertain future as he tries out the Cane of the Grand Nagus for the first time, offering only a soft-spoken "wow".

In the DS9 briefing room, Sisko, Ross, Romulan Subcommander Velal, and Klingon General Martok discuss the Dominion's pullback and their new defensive perimeter. They all agree to attack the Dominion now, before giving them a chance to build and clone replacement forces. After the briefing, Benjamin returns to his quarters to find his wife Kasidy still awake on the couch. She is pregnant, she announces. While happy, she is unsure of the future, given the Bajoran prophets' warning to Benjamin, the Emissary, to walk his path alone. The loving couple comforts one another, on what would turn out to be their last night together on Deep Space 9.

Memorable Quotes

"The glamor of being a revolutionary." - Garak, while hiding as a fugitive in a basement

"My greed has to be a shining light to everyone, a testament to the rewards of avarice." - Quark, if he were to become the next Nagus

"It's never too early to suck up to the boss!" - Brunt

"Perish the thought; the Dominion has never surrendered in battle since its founding 10,000 years ago." - Weyoun

"Once we've established the new perimeter, we'll redouble our shipbuilding efforts and increase production of Jem'Hadar troops. Retreat may extend the war by several years, but in the end, we will emerge stronger, and in a far better position to take the Alpha Quadrant once and for all." - Female Changeling

"Taxes go against the very foundation of free economics! That's why its called 'free'!" - Quark

"Whatever happened to the survival of the fittest? Whatever happened to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer? Whatever happened to pure, unaldultered greed?" - Quark

"I won't preside over the demise of Ferengi civilization! ... The line must be drawn here! This far, and no further!" - Quark (A joke reference to Picard's famous line from Star Trek: First Contact )

"Citizens of Cardassia, hear me! The Dominion says that I am dead, but that is yet another lie. Our fight for feedom continues! But it will take place here in the streets. I call for Caraddiassians everywhere to stand up, stand up and fight! .... Freedom is ours for the taking!" -- Damar

"This is insane. You ACTUALLY want Rom to be Nagus?" -- 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." - Quark

"You're my brother." - Rom "And YOU'RE an idiot!" - Quark

"They could sit behind those lines for five years, rearming. And God help us when they do decide to attack." - Captain Sisko

Background Information

Although the stars of a series will occassionally play dual roles, this episode features a guest star (Jeffrey Combs) playing the dual roles of Weyoun and Brunt. This is evidenced plainly when the scene suddenly transitions from Quark's Place (with Brunt kissing Quark's hand, lavishing him with praise) to Cardassia Prime (with Weyoun addressing the entire population with a speech extolling the Dominion).

This episode takes its name from "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, General Chang quoted the same line. The line is "...and Caesar’s ghost, roaming about in search of revenge, with hate at his side still hot from hell, will in these boundaries with a ruler’s voice cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, so that this terrible action will smell above the earth, with rotting corpses, begging to be buried."

This episode marks the final appearance on the show of several recurring characters, including Rom, Zek, Ishka, Leeta, Maihar'Du, Brunt, Broik and M'Pella.

Links and References

Guest Stars

References

COMMA-SEPARATED LIST OF ITEMS REFERENCED IN EPISODE (BUT NOT YET MENTIONED IN SUMMARY OR CHARACTERS)

Previous Episode:
Extreme Measures

Episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Next Episode:
What You Leave Behind

Series:	DS9
Season:	7
Original Airdate:	1999-05-26
Production Number:	574
Year:	2375
Stardate:	52861.3
Story by:	Peter Allan Fields
Teleplay by:	Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler
Directed by:	Avery Brooks