‘IMPROBABLE CAUSE’/’THE DIE IS CAST’ (DS9)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
‘IMPROBABLE CAUSE’ (Part 1)
Here we are on a pretty exciting two-parter in the ‘DS9’ series! Although as I understand, it wasn’t mean to be a two-parter! I heard ‘Improbable Cause’ was meant to be a standalone single episode.
But since the episode was pretty intriguing and had so much going for it, it was decided to extend it into a two-part story anyway. The first episode ‘Improbable Cause’ was directed by Avery Brooks. 😀
The story begins when Andrew J. Robinson as Garak has his tailor shop blown up. Funny fact, Bashir hoped for Garak to press his ‘trousers’ whilst Garak told him he wouldn’t be able to press his ‘pants’.
Odo investigates what’s going on regarding Garak’s tailor shop being blown up. He finds that the explosion was set off by a bomb made to look accidental. Odo tracks down possible suspects of this.
One suspect is identified and Odo begins to follow him in a runabout with Garak joining him against his wishes. But as Odo and Garak follow the suspect, his own ship blows up! That was unexpected! 😐
Despite this setback, Odo continues to investigate further and finds evidence that the Romulans are behind this matter. Odo and many DS9 crew are curious about why the Romulans want to kill Garak.
As Odo digs up more information about the incident; it seems it’s far more complicated than an assassination attempt. It seems that the Romulans plan to invade Cardassia and the Obsidian Order.
It’s intriguing how Garak’s Obsidian Order past comes back to haunt him in this episode. There are also hints of Garak’s past revealed in this story, especially with why he’d been exiled from Cardassia.
Odo finds that five other members of the Obsidian Order have been killed in connection to Garak. He learns of this from some unknown Cardassian man whom he meets in the shadows of an asteroid. 😐
In Odo’s office, he gets Garak to admit that he blew up his own shop. This was to make Odo begin an investigation to prevent people knowing he blew it up as well as finding who would want to kill him.
It seems that the five other Obsidian Order members who were killed apart from Garak were closely connected to Enabran Tain, Garak’s mentor. Garak was close to him too, but they parted on ill terms.
Garak tries to find out what happened to Tain and to go out and search for him in space. Odo accompanies him. They both journey in a runabout together to find out why Tain left his own home.
This story is interesting in exploring Odo and Garak’s relationship in the series. They start off by being antagonistic and distrusting of each other before they start to form a respect for each other. 🙂
Eventually, in outer space, Odo and Garak get captured by a Romulan warbird. They’re brought aboard where they meet Paul Dooley as Enabran Tain there. He reveals all on what’s been going on.
Apparently he was the one who ordered for Garak’s assassination as well as for the rest of his former associates in the Obsidian Order. He didn’t want anybody to follow his tracks in his activities.
It’s revealed that an alliance is made between the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order. A fleet of Romulan warbirds and Cardassians ships are about to invade the Gamma Quadrant.
It’s the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian Order’s intent to attack the Dominion. The Romulans have gathered all the information they want to know of the Dominion from visiting DS9 during ‘Visionary’.
It’s also confirmed that the Obsidian Order have been forming an armada of Cardassian ships in the Orias system. This was something raised in the episode ‘Defiant’ where the Maquis were suspicious.
Garak expresses how concerned he was for Tain’s well-being and that he was trying to save him. Tain believes Garak and he offers him the choice to leave or to join him and the fleet in the invasion.
It’s fascinating how all this exposition of the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order is contained in one final scene of the episode. Also fascinating to learn more of Garak and Tain’s pasts.
Odo warns Garak that Tain was the main who exiled him and that he tried to kill him. But Garak surprisingly agrees to Tain’s offer as the Romulan-Cardassian fleet heads for the Gamma Quadrant…
‘THE DIE IS CAST’ (Part 2)
In part two of this story, ‘The Die is Cast’, Garak and Odo haven’t been heard from on DS9 for several days. Bashir is worried about this as he chats with O’Brien over lunch one day on the station.
Soon, in ops, the DS9 detect fluctuations in space. They happen to be a large Cardassian-Romulan fleet in space, de-cloaking. The fleet soon enters through the wormhole into the Gamma Quadrant. 😮
Garak and Enabran Tain are on the lead ship of the Cardassian-Romulan fleet. They reflect on their past times and what they plan to do after their mission. Garak is hoping to get revenge on Gul Dukat.
They also meet Leland Orser as Romulan Colonel Lovok. He is suspicious of Garak as he informs Tain that the fleet has re-cloaked and is on its way to the Founders’ homewold. Tain gives Garak his tasks.
Garak is to question Odo on any additional information he can provide about the Founders. Odo refuses to give any information. He also isn’t very happy being a prisoner aboard the main fleet ship.
Back on DS9, the senior staff gets briefed about an intercepted transmission by Tain. These people include Sisko, Bashir, Jadzia, O’Brien, Kira and Kenneth Marshall as security chief Michael Eddington.
They learn about Tain intending to destroy the Dominion with the combined forces of the Cardassian Obsidian Order and the Romulan Tal Shiar. Starfleet instructs the DS9 team not to interfere with this.
Cardassia and Romulan seem to do just the same with not interfering. Sisko is concerned for Odo and Garak as he requests for volunteers for a mission to take the Defiant into the Gamma Quadrant.
Sisko knows he and his crew will likely be court-martialed, but is determined to take the risk. Very soon, the Defiant sets off into the Gamma Quadrant. But on their voyage, the cloak suddenly fails. 😮
Eddington admits that he sabotaged the Defiant’s cloak under orders to prevent the DS9 team disobeying Starfleet. This is where Eddington becomes interesting. We don’t know much about him.
He only appeared in ‘The Search’ and even then he seemed shifty. Even when he claims he and Odo are friends, it’s quite hard to believe considering Eddington hasn’t been in many ‘DS9’ episodes here.
Sisko accepts that Eddington was doing his duty as a Starfleet officer, but gets frustrated when he asks O’Brien to begin work on repairing the cloaking device. Eddington does not interfere ever again.
Back with the Cardassian-Romulan fleet, Tain instructs Garak again to interrogate Odo. This time, he uses a device to inhibit Odo’s ability to shape-shift. Thus, Garak has Odo tortured during the episode.
It was disturbing to see Odo being tortured as his skin deteriorates and he suffers pain. Garak finds it difficult to see Odo being tortured this way and he soon begs Odo to say something, even if it’s a lie.
Odo then reveals his desire to return to his people and the Great Link, despite his voluntary exile to DS9. Garak, satisfied with Odo’s answer, deactivates the torture device and Odo turns back to liquid.
Eventually, the Cardassian-Romulan fleet arrives at the Founders’ homeworld. They soon find that they are caught in a trap as soon Jem’Hadar ships emerge and they engage and outnumber the fleet.
The battle scenes in space between the Cardassian-Romulan ships and the Jem’Hadar ships are intense. The Jem’Hadar seem to be so violent with their firepower on the Cardassian-Romulan fleet.
Garak soon rescues Odo as they attempt to escape the Romulan ship they’re on. They then find Lovok who happens to be a Founder. He helps Odo and Garak to escape before he shares something.
It was the Founders who pushed forward the Cardassian-Romulans fleet’s plan to invade the Dominion. But after today, the big threats to the Dominion are now the Klingons and the Federation.
Eventually, Garak and Odo get rescued by the Defiant. Garak isn’t able to rescue Tain though as he refuses to leave. Back on DS9, the DS9 crew escape court-martial and Odo invites Garak to breakfast.
‘Improbable Cause’/’The Die is Cast’ is an exciting two-parter in the ‘DS9’ series. The second episode is better with the action-packed battle scenes with the Cardassian-Romulan fleet and the Jem’Hadar.
‘Improbable Cause’/’The Die is Cast’ rating – 9/10
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