Life Support (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
"Life Support" is the 59th episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 13th episode of the third season and the first episode to air following the premiere of Star Trek: Voyager.
| "Life Support" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Reza Badiyi |
| Story by |
|
| Teleplay by | Ronald D. Moore |
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Cinematography by | Jonathan West |
| Production code | 459 |
| Original air date | January 31, 1995 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located near a stable wormhole between the Alpha and Gamma quadrants of the Milky Way Galaxy. In this episode, during pivotal negotiations with the Cardassians, Vedek Bareil Antos (Philip Anglim) is severely injured.
Plot
A Bajoran transport carrying Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) and Vedek Bareil (Philip Anglim) to Deep Space Nine for peace negotiations with the Cardassians suffers a mishap, and Bareil is left gravely injured. Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) finds that Bareil is braindead and tries to console Major Kira (Nana Visitor), who is also Bareil's lover.
In an autopsy, Bashir discovers that Bareil's nervous system still shows signs of activity. He manages to revive Bareil by regenerating his brain. Kai Winn is pleased and wants Bareil to continue managing the negotiations, given his greater experience and diplomatic skill.
Bashir soon discovers that the revival is damaging Bareil's internal organs. He advises Bareil to go into stasis so that Bashir can find a solution, but Bareil refuses; he insists that he must finish the negotiations and create peace for his people. Bashir considers giving Bareil the experimental drug Vasokin, which would increase the blood flow to his organs and allow him to resume negotiations, but would ultimately damage his internal organs further.
The talks resume, but Bareil's condition continues to deteriorate, especially with Kai Winn continuing to probe him for advice when he should be recovering. Eventually, the Vasokin treatments begin to inflict brain damage, and Bareil falls unconscious again. Winn insists on keeping Bareil alive at all costs; Bashir accuses her of only wanting him alive so he can be a scapegoat in case the negotiations fail.
Bashir replaces the damaged part of Bareil's brain with a positronic matrix. The surgery is a success, but Bareil is still severely brain-damaged with a life expectancy of only a few months, just enough time to possibly conclude his negotiations with the Cardassians. Kira speaks with him, but he barely recognises her and is no longer the man she fell in love with.
Bareil is kept alive long enough to aid in completing the negotiations, and the treaty is signed between Bajor and Cardassia. As Bareil's condition worsens, Kira asks Bashir to replace the remainder of his damaged brain with positronic matrices, but Bashir refuses on the grounds that it will remove any 'spark of life' that Bareil has left. Winn agrees that it is time to allow Bareil to die. The episode closes with Kira at Bareil's bedside, recounting for a slowly dying Bareil how she first fell in love with him.
In a side plot, Jake (Cirroc Lofton) must confront his Ferengi friend Nog (Aron Eisenberg)'s misogynist attitudes toward women and dating.
Reception
In 2018, SyFy recommend this episode for its abbreviated watch guide for the Bajoran character Kira Nerys.[1] They note that Bareil was previously introduced in the season one episode "In the Hands of the Prophets" and they also remark on this character's relationship with Kira.[1] They note in this episode, when he is injured and probably dying, Kira must struggle with emotions as she loses this person.[1]
References
- Krishna, Swapna (January 16, 2018). "A binge-watching guide to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Kira Nerys". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved January 9, 2020.