Extreme Measures (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
"Extreme Measures" | |
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 23 |
Directed by | Steve Posey |
Written by | Bradley Thompson David Weddle |
Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
Production code | 573 |
Original air date | May 17, 1999 |
Guest appearances | |
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"Extreme Measures" is the 173rd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The episode had over 4.3 million viewers when it first aired on television in May 1999, with a Nielsen rating of 4.3 points.[1]
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the
This is the seventh episode of the concluding nine-episode
This episode was written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle and it was directed by Steve Posey. William Sadler returns to play Sloan for third and final time.[2]
Plot
The Changeling infection has taken its toll on Odo; Bashir estimates he has no more than two weeks to live. Odo asks his lover, Colonel Kira Nerys, to return to her mission aiding the Cardassian rebellion against Dominion rule, rather than stay to watch him die.
Bashir falsely announces that he has discovered a cure, aiming to lure a Section 31 agent to the station. Agent
Upon entering Sloan's mind, they are greeted by a personification of his subconscious. This Sloan apologizes to his family for choosing Section 31 over them, and is about to give Bashir the cure when it is killed by a personification of Sloan's loyalty to Section 31. Bashir and O'Brien are seemingly shot by a figure defending Sloan's secrets, and discuss their friendship before attempting to continue the search.
They seemingly awaken back in Bashir's lab, their mission a failure. In fact, they are still inside Sloan's mind, as Bashir realizes when he sits down in his quarters to read: his book ends where he stopped reading the previous night, and then starts over from the beginning on the next page. Realizing they have fallen for a stalling tactic, the two resume the search.
They find Sloan in a representation of his office, which is filled with secret data about Section 31, including the formula for the cure for the Changeling disease. Sloan taunts Bashir with the information in his mind – information that would allow Bashir to dismantle Section 31 once and for all. Bashir is tempted, and begins to read. With seconds left before Sloan's brain shuts down, O'Brien recognizes the trap and tells Bashir to get them out of Sloan's mind. Having obtained the chemical formula for the cure, Bashir administers the drug to Odo, curing him.
Reception
The episode first aired on television May 17, 1999. It had
In 2014, Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, called the episode "pretty clever", with well acted scenes; he enjoyed the relationship between O'Brien and Bashir.[3]
In their book Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction, Nathan Shedroff and Christopher Noessel note that this episode illustrates a common theme among virtual worlds in science fiction, in which characters have a hard time knowing when they have "woken up" or if they are still in the illusion.[4]
See also
- Section 31
- A Tale of Two Cities, 1859 novel by Charles Dickens mentioned in this episode
- Brainstorm, 1983 film about entering a mind to get information
References
- ^ a b "WebTrek - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine * SEASON 7 NIELSEN RATINGS". users.telenet.be. Archived from the original on 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ^ a b DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2015-02-13). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "Extreme Measures"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
- ^ "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: "Tacking Into The Wind"/"Extreme Measures"". The A.V. Club. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
- ISBN 978-1-933820-76-7.
External links
- "Extreme Measures" at IMDb
- Extreme Measures at Memory Alpha
- "Extreme Measures" at Wayback Machine (archived from the original at StarTrek.com)