Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had a lot of big episodes. But a huge two-parter from season 3 was critical to changing the entire series!
For the first two seasons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine mostly focused on Bajor and its recovery from a century of Cardassian occupation. The Cardassians were, of course, a regular fixture along with other Trek species like the Romulans.
Season 2 ended by introducing the Dominion, the ruthless race trying to conquer the galaxy. Season 3 opened by revealing the Founders, the shapeshifting race Odo belonged to, who led the Dominion. This threat would soon become a dominant storyline for the rest of DS9.
And the turning point of the show’s storytelling was the two-part tale “Improbable Cause” and “The Die Is Cast.” Aside from giving two of the show’s best characters a nice spotlight and boasting top-notch action, these episodes also changed DS9 and the entire Trek universe forever.
Caution: This article contains obvious SPOILERS for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3
The first part opens with what ends up being unique foreshadowing. Garak and Bashir are having their usual lunch where Garak runs down the works of Shakespeare as too obvious and ignoring their depth. Things are interrupted when someone tries to blow up Garak’s shop.
By now, everyone knew Garak was a former member of the Obsidian Order, the black ops spy division of Cardassia, which meant any number of people who would want him dead. As usual, Garak played the game of not knowing at first. However, when he was point-blank asked who was behind this and replied “I don’t know,” Odo believed him as if Garak did know, he’d spin a web of lies.
That’s expected of Garak, which also has a great highlight when Bashir tells him the classic story of the “boy who cried wolf,” and the lesson Garak takes from it is “never tell the same lie twice.”
Odo tracks down an assassin hired by the Tal Shair, the Romulan equivalent of the Obsidian Order. It seems someone has been taking out former Obsidian Order members, with Garak pleased that so many of his rivals are dead.
Having had enough of these games, Odo lays it out that Garak blew up his own shop. He knew there was an assassin after him but, of course, couldn’t come right out and ask for help. So, by destroying his shop, Garak got Odo on the case. Sometimes the guy can be a bit too clever for his own good.
What’s the scheme going down?
Garak admits the one thing he and all those operatives had in common was being trained by Enabran Tain, possibly the most brilliant head of the Obsidian Order and the only one to live long enough to retire. He and Odo head to Cardassia, but they are intercepted by Romulan warbirds.
The pair are brought to the bridge to find Tain (a delightful Paul Dooley), who has conceived his greatest plot: To unite the Tal Shair and Obsidian Order for a joint strike on the Founders. It’s simple logic: Cut off the head of the Dominion and the snake of the Jem’Hadar dies.
The reason for all the killings? After this is over and he becomes a hero, Tain intends to take back control of the Obsidian Order and is eliminating guys who might interfere with secrets of his past.
In an uncharacteristic show of true emotion, Garak denies ever betraying Tain, especially as a friend. Tain is so moved that he offers Garak a chance to join him, and Garak accepts, telling Odo, “I’m back” as the first part ends.
A darker Garak is shown
The second part opens with the DS9 crew seeing the joint Romulan/Cardassian fleet enter the wormhole and head to Dominion space. Tain has courteously left a message explaining his plan, as the Jem’Hadar will keep fighting for a while after the Founders are killed.
Starfleet wants to keep out of this to not complicate matters while not so secretly hoping Tain’s plan works. That would mean leaving Odo behind and the crew doesn’t want that. So they head off for a rescue, complicated by Eddington following orders to sabotage the Defiant.
Garak and Tain are talking about old times with Tain praising Garak’s past work (he once broke a guy by doing nothing but staring at him for four hours). Tain wonders if Odo can provide intel and, over the protests of both Garak and Romulan officer Lovok, provides a device that prevents a Changeling from changing shape.
This leads to the darkest part of the tale as Garak uses the device on Odo, who’s close to having to regenerate into a liquid state. Unable to do so, Odo’s body is soon coming apart, with Garak actually regretting this and openly begging Odo to give him something to stop the torture. Odo finally breaks to confess that he truly wants to return to his people in the Great Link. Garak shuts down the device to let Odo regenerate while lying to Tain about never talking.
The fleet arrives at the Founders’ homeworld and immediately lays out enough firepower to blow up 30% of the surface. So they’re confused when the sensors show no changes in the life signs. Too late, they realize those are false readings just as a wave of 150 Jem’Hadar fighters show up and Garak does his best Admiral Ackbar impression.
It’s a trap!
Calling what happens a “battle” is giving it a break as the Jem’Hadar proceed to massacre the Romulan/Cardassian fleet. Tain is rocked by his plan failing, with Garak forced to quote Shakespeare on “the fault lies not in the stars but ourselves.”
Garak takes advantage of the chaos to rescue Odo with them confronted by Lovok. He surprises them by offering help, saying, “No Changeling has ever harmed another.”
The pair realize that Tain’s plan was doomed as he was laying out the ambush to the ambushees. The Dominion co-opted the plan to lure the Tal Shair and Obsidian Order into a huge force so they could take them out. That leaves only the Federation and Klingons as the major threats in the Alpha Quadrant.
Lovok offers Odo a chance to join him, but Odo turns it down. As Lovok transports away, Garak races to get Tain, saying he owes the guy. Tain has pretty much lost it, unable to accept being outwitted. When Garak explains what happened, Tain can only muse that in his prime, he’d have seen this coming. Garak frantically tries to drag him off, only for Odo to knock him out and take him away as Tain sits on the burning bridge, musing, “We’ll have to watch them next time.”
Odo and Garak make their getaway, only for the runabout to be taken down fast. With death imminent, Garak apologizes for his actions with Odo understanding wanting to go home. Thankfully, the Defiant races in to rescue them in time.
How this changed all of DS9
The aftermath has Starfleet musing that the Romulans and Cardassians got their version of Wolf 359, a slaughter, wrecking their fleet. Garak decides to rebuild his shop as he and Odo both agree it’s best to leave some of the stuff that went down secret.
This is easily one of the best two-part tales of Deep Space Nine. There’s plenty of action and wonderful chemistry between Odo and Garak. The way Odo cuts through Garak’s games to get at the truth is nice, as is Garak, for once, thrown off his game a bit.
There’s also the bond of each, in their own way, wanting to return home despite the cost it entails. But when given the choice, both end up refusing as in many ways DS9 has become their home. It elevates Garak into more of a heroic figure as well as a tragic one. See his final scene where he muses on his exile and “the sad thing is, I’m really a very good tailor.”
What really makes this such a huge deal is how it changes so much for the series. Yes, the Dominion was a threat before this, but completely curb-stomping two of the biggest and most powerful black ops divisions in Star Trek lore makes them even more powerful. Not to mention the paranoia that if the freaking Tal Shair could be infiltrated without discovery, the Changelings could be anywhere.
The effects on the Cardassians would be huge as without the Obsidian Order, control over the masses was weakened. That led to the downfall of the Cardassian government in season 4, compounded by a war with the Klingons. All of which paved the way for Caradassia to eventually join the Dominion, which would lead to a bigger war down the line.
Thus, this two-part tale is a turning point for DS9 and Star Trek itself and should be remembered as more than just another typical adventure.
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