Apocalypse Rising
"Apocalypse Rising" | |
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 1 |
Directed by | James L. Conway |
Written by | |
Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
Production code | 499 |
Original air date | September 30, 1996 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Apocalypse Rising" is the 99th episode of the television series
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the
"Apocalypse Rising" was seen by about 5.5 million viewers when it debuted.[3]
Plot
Having learned from security chief Odo that a Changeling has taken Gowron's form and is now in control of the Klingon Empire, Captain Benjamin Sisko is ordered by Starfleet Command to expose the impostor. He, Odo, Miles O'Brien, and Worf must infiltrate Ty'Gokor, the headquarters of the Klingon military, disguised as Klingon candidates for the "Order of the Bat'leth". They are given four devices which, when activated, will emit radiation which will force any nearby Changeling to revert to its gelatinous state. Gul Dukat escorts them to Ty'Gokor in his captured Klingon Bird of Prey.
The four arrive at the Hall of Warriors, where the all-night party before the induction ceremony has already begun, and try to blend in. When General Martok, second in command to Gowron, arrives, the four scramble to set up their radiation emitters. Gowron arrives and begins issuing the awards. When Sisko is called to receive his award, he attempts to activate the emitters, but is knocked to the floor by Martok, who has finally recognized them and has them thrown in a security cell.
Once they are alone, Martok confides to Sisko that he too believes that Gowron is an impostor. With the emitters destroyed, the only way to expose Gowron is to kill him. Martok releases Sisko and his group and leads them back to the Hall of Warriors. Worf challenges Gowron to a one-on-one duel. Martok wonders why Sisko does not shoot Gowron outright. Odo observes that Gowron chose to fight Worf in single combat, thus showing Klingon honor, while Changelings do not care for honor; he concludes that the Changeling is not Gowron, but Martok. Just when Worf is about to kill Gowron, Odo reveals the false Martok to the crowd, and the Klingons open fire, quickly destroying the Changeling.
Gowron realizes that Odo was fed false intelligence that Gowron was the Changeling, which would have led to Gowron's assassination by the Federation, allowing the fake Martok, and therefore the Dominion, to gain full control of the Klingon Empire. Gowron agrees to a ceasefire in the war between the Klingons and the Federation, and Sisko and his men are returned safely back to DS9.
Production
The primary photography for the episode was conducted on Stage 18 at the Paramount Pictures lot which was used to represent the Klingon Hall of Warriors. The set featured statues 12 feet (3.7 m) high. Different styles of lighting were used in the Hall as compared to the Klingon prison in order to ensure that the two looked different. While there were flicker boxes installed in the Hall of Warriors set in order to give the appearance of fire, overhead blue lighting was used in the prison in order to make the set look much colder. Because of the size of the Hall of Warriors, cinematographer Jonathan West used bleached muslin to hide fluorescent lamps in the window treatments.[4]
The bridge of the Bird of Prey was lit by overhead lights through patterned grids. One scene which featured over a hundred Klingons on scene was shot with only fifty extras. West used a split-screen effect filmed three times with a locked off camera each time which was then composited together in post effects.[4]
Reception
Zack Handlen of
In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide.[7]
"Apocalypse Rising" was nominated for two
References
- ISBN 978-1-4711-0678-1.
- ISBN 978-1-4516-4688-7.
- ^ "WebTrek - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine * SEASON 5 NIELSEN RATINGS". Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ^ a b Thompson, Andrew O. (October 1997). "Star Trek - Deep Space Nine: "Apocalypse Rising"". American Cinematographer. 78 (10). Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (28 March 2013). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Apocalypse Rising"/"The Ship"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- Tor.com.
- ^ Ryan Whitwam (2015-01-19). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek". Geek.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20.
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Award Database". Emmys.com. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
External links
- "Apocalypse Rising" at IMDb
- "Apocalypse Rising" at Memory Alpha
- "Apocalypse Rising" at Wayback Machine (archived from the original at StarTrek.com)