Waltz
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 5 January 1998
- ON
- First-run syndication
- STARDATE
- 51408.6
- DIRECTED BY
- René Auberjonois
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 535
WRITTEN BYWritten by Ronald D. Moore
Stranded on a barren planet after an attack, an injured Sisko must depend on his prisoner Dukat, who seems calm and helpful but is haunted by visions only he can see.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
Sisko is travelling on the USS Honshu with the captured Dukat, who is to face a war crimes tribunal, when Cardassian ships attack. The two men escape to a desolate planet, and the injured Sisko finds himself relying on Dukat, apparently recovered from his breakdown after Ziyal's death, to look after him. But Dukat is seeing hallucinations of Weyoun and Damar, who urge him to kill Sisko, and he keeps craving Sisko's respect. Sisko realises the distress beacon has not been sending, and when he fixes it Dukat turns violent. Sisko goads him until he admits his true feelings: he believes the Bajorans should have been wiped out. After a brutal fight Dukat takes the shuttle and escapes, vowing to destroy Bajor. The Defiant rescues Sisko, but Dukat is gone.
- 01Directed by cast member René Auberjonois, who later called it the directing work he was proudest of on the series.
- 02The writers made it partly in response to fans who had begun defending Dukat's actions during the Occupation.
- 03The story grew out of an earlier idea, “Dukat's Head”, about the character's inner fantasy life.