Indiscretion (episode)

Kira and Dukat search for the six-year-old crash site of a Cardassian freighter that was carrying Bajoran prisoners.

Teaser
Major Kira is in her quarters when she receives word that Razka Karn wishes to speak with her. In the course of the conversation, Kira's informed that Razka has found salvage from a missing ship called the Ravinok – but that she'll need to come to him in order to see for herself.

Act One
Later she's reviewing the criminal activity report with Odo in the Security office, but she concedes that her mind is wandering. When she tells him that her thoughts are on the Ravinok, Odo wishes her good luck – he's certain that while she may be skeptical that there are any survivors, she won't rest until she's for certain.

While Kira prepares for her departure from the station, Captain Sisko drops in on her and asks Kira to put off her departure, as the Cardassians have asked to send someone along with Kira. She tells Sisko that she'll wait two days, and not a minute more, before she leaves.

Sometime later Sisko is in the Docking Ring with Jadzia, and they're speculating on the depth of Kasidy's interest in the Captain. At just that moment Kasidy walks up to them to announce that she's applied for a ship's captaincy with the Bajoran Ministry of Commerce. Jadzia's immediate response is to point out that if Kasidy gets the job she can live on the station, and meanwhile the Captain's looking entirely overwhelmed at the prospect.

When Sisko makes it back to Ops, he's told by Worf that the Cardassians want to beam someone directly into Ops – someone who turns out to be Dukat. It seems that he is the one who's to accompany Kira on her search for the Ravinok, and he too is anxious to leave.

Act Two
Aboard a runabout heading to Razka's location in the Badlands, Dukat inquires on Kira's motivation for the search. She explains that when the Ravinok was lost, one of the people aboard was Lorit Akrem, the man who recruited Kira into the Shakaar resistance cell. Dukat's bemused at that, and goes on to say that the Shakaar cell had been the focus of a lot of Cardassian attention during the Occupation. Thence he asserts that the Occupation did Bajor a favor, with which Kira hotly disagrees.

Back on the station Sisko and Kasidy are having dinner, and Kasidy announces that she got the captaincy she applied for. When she raises the possibility of getting quarters on the station, an increasingly overwhelmed Sisko calls it "a big step." Obviously, Kasidy is unimpressed by that response and declares that Sisko is afraid of commitment. She walks out on him.

When Kira and Dukat arrive at Razka's ship, Dukat's presence creates tension, and it is revealed that both Razka and Dukat are wanted men – Razka by the Cardassians, and Dukat by the Maquis. However, Dukat confirms that Razka's salvage is from the Ravinok. Informed that Dozaria was the last stop of the Ferengi ship that was hauling the salvage, Kira and Dukat leave. Once at Dozaria, they find emissions consistent with the presence of a damaged ship, and take the runabout down to the surface of the planet... where they find the hulk of the Ravinok.

Act Three
At the station Sisko is in Quark's with Jadzia and Bashir, and the three of them are discussing how the Captain can best address the fact that Kasidy's upset with him. Once the Captain leaves the table, Jadzia and Bashir agree with the Captain's judgment that the prospect of Kasidy living on the station is "a big step."

Back on Dozaria, Kira discovers that Lorit wasn't killed when the ship crashed, but Dukat learns that the person he came for – a Bajoran woman who was once his beloved mistress – was.

Wanting to continue her search for Lorit, Kira explains that as a resistance fighter he had an implanted tracking device of sorts, the trail of which should lead them to the location of the survivors.

That night, after Kira and Dukat set up their bivouac with difficulty, Kira points out that she learned from the ship's computer that the daughter of Dukat's mistress, one Tora Ziyal, was also aboard. Dukat declares that he's the girl's father, and that if he finds her alive, he will be forced to kill her.

Act Four
The next day, he goes on to explain that if his paternity of the girl is made known on Cardassia, his political enemies would see him ruined. Kira promises him that if he kills his daughter, she will kill him.

Back on the station, Sisko talks with Jake, who convinces him that he should let Kasidy take the job if she really wants it, because it was her decision and Sisko is scared of feeling guilty if things don't work out.

Kira and Dukat find the survivors of the Ravinok, who have been enslaved by the Breen at a dilithium mine. One of the survivors is Tora Ziyal.

Act Five
Later, Kira and Dukat manage to disguise themselves within Breen refrigeration suits. Once in the mine Kira discovers that Lorit is dead, and Dukat runs off to find his daughter.

Chased by Kira, Dukat finds Ziyal retrieving water from a spring. Ziyal immediately recognizes her father, and his response is to draw his disruptor on her. Just then Kira finds her way into the chamber, and draws her disruptor on Dukat.

Encouraged by Kira to run, Ziyal instead stands her ground and explains that even though she'd been warned of the likelihood that her father would want to kill her, she refused to believe it – she maintained her will to live by hoping and actually dreaming that she'd be rescued by him. The impasse is finally broken when Ziyal says to her father, "if I can't be with you, then I'd rather die."

Back on the station, Captain Sisko goes to Kasidy to apologize for his gracelessness, as he'd been advised by his son to do. Kasidy accepts his apology and, though she turns away from his attempt at a parting kiss, implies that the two of them will be seeing a lot more of each other.

Shortly thereafter Dukat catches up to Kira on the Promenade to announce to her that he's taking Ziyal back to Cardassia, and that he will let her know if he has any trouble over his decision.

Memorable quotes
"Smuggling might not've been the safest line of work, but it was a lot more exciting than selling scrap metal."
 * - Razka Karn

"I've found that when one has a difficult job to do, personal reasons can be quite an incentive. So who was he?  A family member, a compatriot... a lover?"
 * - Dukat, to Kira

"Could you muster up a little more enthusiasm?"

"I am enthusiastic..."
 * - Kasidy Yates and Benjamin Sisko

"The voice of the new Cardassia – so compassionate, so understanding. Almost makes you forget that five years ago, he was working Bajorans to death in forced labor camps, and shooting anybody who tried to stop him! Almost makes you forget."
 * - Razka, about Dukat

"It's going to be a difficult landing. I'll take the controls, if you like."

"Tch! That'll be the day."
 * - Dukat and Kira

"Invigorating, isn't it? A bit sunny, perhaps, but this heat feels wonderful!"

"Only a Cardassian would call this hellhole invigorating."
 * - Dukat and Kira

"Who knows more about women than me?"

"Everyone."
 * - Quark and Bashir

"What if your woman leaves you?"

"That's what holosuites are for."

"It's a wonder the Ferengi reproduce at all."
 * - Dax, Quark, and Bashir

"I can't see two meters in front of us, and anyway, we could use the rest. So... stop pacing and sit down!"
 * - Kira, to Dukat

Story and script

 * According to writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe, he modeled these developments on the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union, with the Obsidian Order based on the KGB, and, as with Cardassian Central Command and the Obsidian Order, the militarily sanctioned government of the Soviet Union could no longer maintain its dominance upon the collapse of the KGB. However, unlike the Soviet Union, Cardassia would soon return to a military government (in the episode ), something which Wolfe had always intended. His decision to give Cardassia a civilian government was always intended as a temporary development; "We always planned to make them go military again." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * The basic plot of this episode resembles the 1956 western The Searchers (which starred Jeffrey Hunter) and which was a favorite film along several of the writers. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 274)
 * Dukat was promoted to Legate prior to the events of the episode. The stage directions in the script mention "He's now a LEGATE, and his uniform has changed to reflect his promotion". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library)
 * After, this episode provides more details of the political changes on Cardassia Prime. Once the Obsidian Order was destroyed (in ), the Cardassian Dissident Movement (first seen in , and again in ) were able to wrest control from the military (i.e. Cardassian Central Command), and at the time this episode takes place, a new civilian government has been established.
 * This episode is of vital importance in the evolution of the relationship between Dukat and Kira Nerys. For much of season one and two Dukat was simply a villain, but the second season episode began to soften his character and add ambiguity to his role as a villain. This softening was furthered in the third season with episodes like  and . At the same time, Dukat was shown to perhaps be attracted to Kira in, while her opinion of him was seen as changing in . The softening of Dukat continued into the fourth season, with the episode.

Production

 * This is the first Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode to be directed by LeVar Burton. Burton had previously directed, and . (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine, issue 4)
 * The exterior scenes on Dozaria were filmed at, north of Los Angeles, the same location that had been used for Cardassia IV in the second season opener , and which would also be used for the fifth season episode and the sixth season episode . (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * This episode marks the first appearance of the Breen, a species long talked about in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr has said that the Breen's distinctive, scratchy voice was inspired by the guitar feedback on 's album .

Reception

 * In "Indiscretion", the next chapter in the development of Kira and Dukat's relationship begins, something which director LeVar Burton was well aware of; "it focused on these two characters, characters who had an adversarial relationship and who had to re-evaluate who they were to each other and how they viewed each other." The scene when Dukat sits on the thorn is a pivotal moment in the episode and in this process of re-evaluation. Of this scene, Ira Steven Behr comments, "There are moments in life when you can be with someone with whom you have nothing in common, who you have nothing but disdain for, and then something happens: a moment of shared experience, or shared laughter, and it just changes the playing field. And it doesn't mean that you become friends afterward, it doesn't mean that you've broken through to a new level of understanding that'll be with you for the rest of your lives. But something has changed. It's a bonding moment. And though it's probable that neither of them would ever discuss it, after this, their relationship will never be quite the same again. They've started to see each other as people." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * However, despite the softening of Dukat's character, the ambiguity as to Kira's opinion of him, and the re-evaluation they undergo in this episode, both Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Nana Visitor were adamant that there was never going to be any hint of genuine romance between Kira and Dukat, not from her perspective anyway. On the other hand however, actor Marc Alaimo felt it would be interesting to play the character as if he thought there might be chance for a relationship in the future, and the producers agreed. The final scene in the episode, when he says, "I'll let you know", is a nod towards his hope for a more intimate relationship with Kira. However, that this could ever happen was impossible. According to Wolfe, "If you put a gun to her head, I don't think Kira would ever consider it", while Nana Visitor says, "Playing Kira, I can't even entertain the thought. It's too disgusting." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
 * These issues would next be addressed in, a 'sequel' to this episode.
 * Ira Steven Behr commented "'Indiscretion' I enjoyed. It was well directed, nice location. I thought the relationship between Kira and Dukat was interesting. Those two actors worked very well together". Behr also pointed out that he felt that, in relation to Dukat's character, the episode "ran a certain risk that I think we're going to resolve in the fifth season. There's one thing between showing, as Renoir said, that every man has his reason and taking a guy who's basically not the nicest guy in the world and making him a little too accessible. I think we have to find, not the villain, though maybe that as well, but the man who is willing to go places that some of us might not be willing to go". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine, issue 4)
 * On Sisko's and Kasidy's storyline in the episode, Penny Johnson commented "More of that is what I like because they're in love and they mean something to each other, but at the same time they have a difference of opinion. I would love for her to continue to have those womanly points of view and not cloud them with the captain point of view when she's sharing because she's both. I have a great chemistry with Avery, and we just fly when we're together. It's not hard at all. He's charming, intelligent, and he really is a gentleman. It's like I've known him forever". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine, issue 4)

Trivia

 * This episode is also the first appearance of Tora Ziyal. Cyia Batten plays her again in the next appearance of the character in . Tracy Middendorf plays her once in . Melanie Smith plays her in the fifth and sixth seasons.
 * This episode reveals the name of another Kai – Meressa.
 * Roy Brocksmith previously played Sirna Kolrami in the TNG episode.
 * Colm Meaney does not appear in this episode.
 * Among the costumes and props from this episode which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, was Marc Alaimo's Breen cool suit.

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 4.3,.
 * As part of the DS9 Season 4 DVD collection.

Starring

 * Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko

Also starring

 * Rene Auberjonois as Odo
 * Michael Dorn as Lt. Commander Worf
 * Terry Farrell as Lt. Commander Dax
 * Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko
 * Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
 * Armin Shimerman as Quark
 * Alexander Siddig as Doctor Bashir
 * Nana Visitor as Major Kira

Guest stars

 * Penny Johnson as Kasidy Yates
 * Marc Alaimo as Legate Dukat
 * Roy Brocksmith as Razka Karn

Co-stars

 * Cyia Batten as Ziyal
 * Thomas Prisco as Heler

Uncredited co-stars

 * Unknown actors as
 * Bajoran prisoner
 * Breen guards