“The Siege of AR-558” is episode eight of season seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Rom is singing in the holosuite in Vic’s club. He’s really, really bad. Vic is apparently looking for an opening act, one to warm up the audience. Such as a comic. Not a singer. Plus, Rom is not a hologram. Dr. Bashir pops in and asks for some audio recordings – Bashir is going on a supply run and wants the songs to entertain the troops. Vic would like to come, and put on a regular USO show. Sadly, there are no holosuites where they are going.
Sisko is looking at the casualty lists again, prior to heading out. The names are now beginning to blur, as he’s looked at so many.
The Defiant is heading out on the supply run – and Quark is on it. He is not terribly happy about this. The Grand Nagus has picked Quark to go on a fact finding mission to the front lines. Ezri tries to cheer him up, telling Quark that Zek trusts him. Then the ship comes under attack. The system they are in – AR-558 – is Federation territory, but the Dominion is trying to take it back and the entire system is a battleground. Quark is more than a little nervous about being in a combat situation.
Sisko and the away team – including Quark – beam down to the planet, leaving Worf in charge of the Defiant. Shortly after they materialise, they come under fire. From Federation weapons. The Federation forces are rather on edge and the highest ranking officer left alive is a lieutenant. They’ve been stuck on the planet for five months, when they were supposed to be rotated off after 90 days, and have suffered very heavy casualties. The reason that the system is so popular is that there is a captured Dominion communications system on the planet. If the Federation can figure it out, they will be able to tap into Dominion communications.
The Federation troops are in poor condition mentally and physically. When the Defiant comes under attack and Jem’Hadar troops start landing on the planet, Worf tells Sisko that he needs to beam up. Sisko tells Worf to take evasive manoeuvres, as the away team is staying.
Quark is definitely not enjoying himself and is concerned for Nog, who he feels is not behaving enough like a Ferengi. Quark feels that Sisko is not concerned enough about Nog.
A dark and grim episode.
Bill Mumy, who plays Lennier in Babylon 5, guest stars as a Federation engineer, along with Patrick Kilpatrick, who had a minor role in that show and in Voyager, and appears in this as a Federation soldier.