"Starship Down" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It was written by David Mack and John J. Ordover.
The USS Defiant is severely damaged after entering a planet's atmosphere to save a Karemma crew from the Jem'Hadar.
Summary[]
Captain Sisko has brought the Defiant to the Gamma Quadrant, to meet with a Karemma representative called Hanok. Hanok is displeased that trade with the Federation using the Ferengi as intermediaries is proving expensive, but it transpires that the Ferengi have added extra taxes, fees and surcharges. Quark blames his brother Rom. The Karemma ship is detected by two Jem’Hadar ships, who pursue it when it flees into a nearby gas giant planet. Sisko orders the Defiant into the atmosphere as well to save the Karemma crew.
Interference in the atmosphere hamper the Defiant’s sensors and weapons, but Major Kira and Commander Dax suggest using a form of echolocation to find the other ships. The downside is that the echolocation pulses will give away the Defiant’s location. The Defiant finds the Karemma but is attacked by the two Jem’Hadar ships.
The Defiant has been badly damaged so the crew begin repairs before the ship is crushed by pressure as it falls. The hull breaches on deck four, where Dax is making repairs, but she is saved by Dr. Bashir, with the two taking refuge in a turbolift. With power restored, the crew detect a Jem’Hadar ship and destroy it with a modified probe, but not before taking more damage. The bridge takes the brunt of the attack, and Sisko’s head is slammed against a console. Kira cares for Sisko, while Worf takes command from Main Engineering.
The Jem’Hadar fire two torpedoes at the Defiant; one torpedo misses its mark, but the other breaches the hull in the mess hall. Luckily, it does not detonate and Quark and Hanok are able to disarm it. The engineering crew create a decoy pulse from another atmospheric probe that the Jem’Hadar hone in on. With the Jem’Hadar ship distracted, the Defiant destroys it, then proceeds to rescue the Karemma crew.
Back on Deep Space 9, Hanok reflects that Quark has taught him that there can be a thrill to business deals. Sisko asks Kira to join him in watching a baseball game.
References[]
Characters[]
- Julian Bashir • Sarita Carson • Jadzia Dax • Hanok • Janklow • Kira Nerys • Morn • Enrique Muñiz • Miles O'Brien • Odo • Quark • Benjamin Sisko • Fabian Stevens • Rita Tannenbaum • Worf
- Referenced only
- Curzon Dax • Rom
Locations[]
Starships and vehicles[]
- Referenced only
- runabout
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Referenced only
- Bolian Credit Exchange • Starfleet Academy
Science and technology[]
- probe • quantum torpedo • structural integrity field • tetryon • tractor beam • turbolift • warhead • warp core
Other references[]
- Bajoran language • baseball • class J gas giant • cloaking device • crewman • dabo • darts • deflector dish • dualitic inverter • Emissary of the Prophets • Ferengi Rules of Acquisition • fluorine • gas giant • Ha'mara • holosuite • hot dog • Jefferies tube • kava • medkit • navigational deflector • Occupation of Bajor
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- The Karemma were first mentioned in “Rules of Acquisition” and first appeared in “The Search”.
- David Mack (one of the writers of the episode) included an interesting twist on the Brothers from Jo'kala story in the DS9 novel: Warpath, where the situation is reversed and Sisko tells Kira the story.
Background[]
- Fabian Stevens would later become a main character in the Star Trek: Corps of Engineers eBook series. Stevens recalls the events of "Starship Down" in War Stories and Wildfire. Sarita Carson later appeared in Star Trek: Prometheus.
- The USS Defiant enters the atmosphere of a planet for the first and only time on the series. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual shows that the starship possesses landing gear. The Defiant would be illustrated maneuvering through the atmosphere of the planet Trill in the Divided We Fall comic "United We Stand" by the same writers.
Notable cast and crew[]
- Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko
- Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys
- Rene Auberjonois as Odo
- Alexander Siddig as Julian Bashir
- Terry Farrell as Jadzia Dax
- Armin Shimerman as Quark
- Michael Dorn as Worf
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous episode: Little Green Men |
DS9 episode produced | Next episode: The Sword of Kahless |
| Previous episode: Rejoined |
DS9 episode aired | Next episode: Little Green Men |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Tattoo |
Next Adventure: Mosaic | |
External links[]
- Starship Down article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Starship Down article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.