Armageddon Game

"Armageddon Game" is the 33rd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It is the 13th episode of the second season.

Plot

Dr. Bashir and Chief O'Brien have spent the past week helping two races, the T'Lani and the Kellerun, dismantle deadly biological weapons known as "Harvesters" which were used by both sides in a centuries-long war. After countless tests, Bashir finally finds a method which successfully neutralizes a Harvester, prompting relief and celebration among all involved. O'Brien assures the T'Lani and Kellerun ambassadors that all files related to the Harvesters have been destroyed so as to prevent them from ever being created again, allowing the two races to put the war behind them. He and Bashir then inform Commander Sisko that they plan to stay for a celebration once they finish destroying the remaining stockpiles of Harvesters and will return to Deep Space Nine in two days.

When the moment comes to destroy the final Harvester tube, however, two Kellerun soldiers enter the laboratory and begin shooting the scientists, T'Lani and Kellerun alike. Bashir and O'Brien manage to overpower the guards in the frenzy that ensues, but a drop of the Harvester liquid falls on O'Brien's skin. The doors locked and communications with their runabout jammed, they are forced to beam down to the surface of the planet they are orbiting, a planet whose population was devastated by Harvesters.

The T'Lani and Kellerun ambassadors inform Sisko that O'Brien and Bashir died in an accident and provide a recording purportedly showing the deaths of the entire science team from an automated security routine. Meanwhile, Bashir and O'Brien are stranded in an abandoned town. Taking refuge in one of the buildings, they decide to try to find a way of contacting the T'Lani to inform them of the Kelleruns' apparent betrayal. Back on the station, the entire crew watches the recording of the "accident", in which Bashir, O'Brien, and the scientists are vaporized instantly, and begin to address the need to replace them while they grieve their loss.

Meanwhile, on the T'Lani planet, as O'Brien works to repair an inoperative communications system, Bashir discovers that O'Brien has been infected, and as O'Brien's condition begins to deteriorate, is forced to take over the repair effort.

Sisko informs Keiko O'Brien of the accident. Dax reveals to Kira that Bashir had given her his medical diaries, to "help her understand him", and feels guilty because she never even read them. Even Quark joins them to mourn the officers' deaths, uncharacteristically offering them a free drink for the occasion. However, Keiko rushes to Sisko's office claiming the recording has been altered, based on the footage of O'Brien drinking coffee in the afternoon – something she is certain he would never do – prompting Sisko to investigate.

Sisko and Dax travel to visit the site of the "accident". Dax investigates O'Brien and Bashir's runabout and finds evidence of logs having been altered. In the meantime, Bashir manages to get a signal to the T'Lani, but the two ambassadors show up together, revealing that the attack on the science team was a joint endeavor meant to erase any knowledge that could potentially be used to make Harvesters. Sisko and Dax manage to transport Bashir and O'Brien to their runabout. The T'Lani and Kellerun demand their return, and when Sisko refuses, destroy the runabout, only to discover that the crew was not aboard, having escaped in the other runabout while their sensors were momentarily down.

As Chief O'Brien recovers from the Harvester poisoning in sick bay, Keiko is stunned to discover that he does drink coffee in the afternoon.

References

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVD set, volume 2, disc 4, selection 1.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Armageddon Game

• "Armageddon Game" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Armageddon Game" at TV.com

• Armageddon Game at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

• Armageddon Game at StarTrek.com