The Search

The Search is a two-part episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Part one was directed by Kim Friedman^MA and written by Ronald D. Moore and part two was directed by Jonathan Frakes and written by Ira Steven Behr. The episodes, the first of the third season, aired in September and October 1994 with a novelization adaptation released in November the same year.

Sisko takes command of the starship Defiant to contact the leaders of the Dominion.

Description[]

From the front cover: The novelization of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's incredible two-part premiere!

From the back cover: The Dominion: The mysterious rulers of the worlds on the other side of the wormhole. The Dominion: a ruthless planet-conquering race unknown even to those they rule. The Dominion: the most dangerous foe the Federation may ever face.

At the edge of the wormhole, the space station Deep Space Nine and the planet Bajor sit on what will be the front line in any Dominion attack. To try and prevent the conflict, Commander Benjamin Sisko and his crew take a never-tested Federation warship through the wormhole to track down and confront the Dominion. If Commander Sisko fails, not only the Federation, but the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, and all the worlds of the Alpha Quadrant will face an interstellar war they cannot win.

Summary[]

Part One[]

Major Kira and the senior staff are running simulations of a Jem’Hadar attack on the station. The simulations all point to a Jem’Hadar boarding of the station, with a possible alternative mooted that the only way to stop such an attack is to collapse the wormhole. A ship decloaks near the station and the crew is surprised to see that it is a Starfleet ship commanded by Commander Sisko.

Sisko explains that the Defiant was built to fight the Borg but never had the chance, and now is the perfect ship to take on a mission into the Gamma Quadrant to contact the Founders, the leaders of the Dominion. Aiding in the mission is a Romulan cloaking device overseen by T’Rul. Odo is unhappy that Starfleet have assigned a security officer, Michael Eddington to the station, Odo threatens to resign, but decides to join the mission to the Gamma Quadrant. Sisko forces Quark to join the mission as well, Quark having been recommended by Grand Nagus Zek.

The Defiant enters the Gamma Quadrant and engages the cloaking device. Several hours into the journey, they encounter two Jem’Hadar ships who detect the ship, even while it is cloaked. Sisko orders the ship to drop out of warp and cut main power. The two ships detect nothing and withdraw. The crew meet with the Karemma representative Ornithar, who Quark negotiates with for information on the Dominion. Ornithar reveals that the Karemma send messages to the Vorta to a station in the Callinon system. Quark opts to stay behind with the Karemma to await a ship heading for the Alpha Quadrant. Dax and O’Brien transport to the station and find the location of another outpost. They trip a security program and Sisko is forced to leave the pair behind before three Jem’Hadar ships arrive. Later, the Defiant comes under attack and is boarded by Jem’Hadar soldiers. Kira and Odo escape the ship in a shuttlecraft, which Odo takes to the Omarion Nebula. They find a rogue planet within the nebula and land on it. Odo is stunned to be welcomed home by a fellow Changeling.

Part Two[]

The Changeling leader explains to Odo that their people join together in the Great Link, a “merging of thought and form” and “the sharing of idea and sensation.” Odo finds the concept unnerving, but after the Changeling links with him, Odo realises that he is really home, and is taught how to improve his shape-shifting abilities. The female Changeling reveals that Odo was one of a hundred newly formed Changelings sent out to learn more about the galaxy. She also reveals that they have developed a mistrust of “solids”, lifeforms not like them.

Meanwhile, Commander Sisko and Doctor Bashir have been forced to escape the Defiant in a shuttlecraft after the Jem’Hadar attack, but are rescued by Dax and O’Brien. Sisko returns to Deep Space 9, to find that Admiral Necheyev is negotiating a peace treaty with the Dominion. Chief O’Brien is beaten by a Jem’Hadar soldier and Dax is reassigned to the Lexington. Admiral Necheyev reveals that Deep Space 9 is being turned over to the Dominion. The Bajorans and the Romulans sign an alliance and both may find themselves fighting the Federation and the Dominion. After T’Rul is shot by a Jem’Hadar, Sisko attacks the Jem’Hadar and is sent to a security cell. He is freed by Bashir, Dax and Garak, and they steal a runabout, but Garak is killed in a firefight. They fire torpedoes at the wormhole, collapsing it.

Kira and Odo, find a door on the Changeling planet, where they find Sisko, Dax, O'Brien, Bashir and T'Rul, all unconscious. The Vorta Borath has been running an experiment to see how they would react to a Dominion incursion into the Alpha Quadrant. The Female Changeling reveals that Odo’s people are the Founders of the Dominion, which they use to keep solids in line. Odo declines her offer to stay and is disappointed that his people are so authoritarian. The Changeling warns Odo that the Alpha Quadrant needs to be brought to order and that he will return to them one day. Odo boards the Defiant and returns to DS9.

References[]

Characters[]

Part I characters[]

Julian Bashir • Jadzia Dax • Michael Eddington • Female Changeling • Kira Nerys • Taylor Moore • Miles O'Brien • Odo • Ornithar • Quark • Benjamin Sisko • Jake Sisko • T'Rul

Referenced only: Curzon Dax • Rom • Jennifer Sisko • Zek

Part II characters[]

Julian Bashir • Borath • Broik • Jadzia Dax • Michael Eddington • Female Changeling • Elim Garak • Jones • Kira Nerys • Alynna Nechayev • Miles O'Brien • Odo • Quark • Benjamin Sisko • Jake Sisko • Rita Tannenbaum • T'Rul

Referenced only: Eris

Referenced only: Borg • Klingon • Prophets • Tholian • Vulcan

States and organizations[]

Bajoran Militia • Dominion • Founders • Great Link • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Security • United Federation of Planets

Referenced only: Bajoran Provisional Government • Bajoran Resistance • Cardassian Central Command • Federation Council • Hundred • Nazi • Starfleet Command

Technology and weapons[]

airlock • antigravity gurney • antiproton beam • cloaking device • docking clamp • escape pod • holosuite • phaser bank • quantum torpedo • replicator • warp nacelle

Other references[]

admiral • analgesic • antibiotic • Arbazan vulture • Bajoran religion • battle cruiser • battle drill • battle simulation • bean • blood • catalpa bush • chain of command • coffee • coffeehouse • collision course • concentration camp • Constitution history • Cupid • dabo • Defiant history • dirak • dumpling • Enterprise history • escort • evasive maneuvers • fern • frigate • Grand Nagus' staff • gravy • holodeck • Hood history • hull breach • I'danian spice pudding • International Space Station • ivy • kahlua • Klingonese • latinum • limestone • mica • monoform • moonflower • multiphasic shield generator • No Second Troy • Occupation of Bajor • Odo's pail • phaser • photosynthesis • polyduranium • potato • prototype • ribbongrass • rogue planet • sedum • science officer • shale • shield perimeter • solid • stargazer lily • Starfleet commission • subcommander • subspace variance • SWAT • synthale • synthehol • telekinesis • Thursday • tricorder • tulaberry wine • warship • water • witchcraft • World War II • Yoruba mask

Appendices[]

[]

DS9 episode: "Emissary"
DS9 episode: "Rules of Acquisition"

Background[]

The USS Defiant (and the Defiant class) makes it first appearance in the series.
Eddington makes his first appearance in "The Search, Part I", where he introduces himself as Michael Eddington. However, his first name is given as Paul in the novelization. Ron Moore named Eddington after Kirk Douglas's character (Paul Eddington) in the film In Harm's Way. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
Also appearing for the first time are the Romulans and the Karemma.
Deep Space 9's wardroom appears for the first time.
The new style combadge makes its first on-screen appearance in the series after it was designed for Star Trek: Generations. As the first episode[s] of 2371, the current insignia (the arrowhead in front of a rectangular bar) debuted here. TNG novel: Intellivore occurred prior to The Search, but the older insignia was still in use during that novel.

Notable cast and crew[]

Images[]

Novelization images[]

Cover image.

Czech language edition cover image.

Defiant.

Episode images[]

Part I episode images[]

Part II episode images[]

Connections[]

Timeline[]

published order
Previous novel: Emissary	DS9 novelizations	Next novel: The Way of the Warrior
Previous episode: The Jem'Hadar	DS9 episode produced	Next episode: The House of Quark
Previous episode: The Jem'Hadar	DS9 episode aired	Next episode: The House of Quark
chronological order
Previous Adventure: Intellivore	Pocket	Next Adventure: The Best and the Brightest "Year Three", Chapters 7-9
Previous Adventure: The Second Artifact Second Interlude	Deep Space Nine Adventures	Next Adventure: Proud Helios

Translations[]

1996: German : Die Suche, translated by Uwe Anton. (Heyne)

External links[]

The Search (novel) article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
The Search, Part I article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
The Search, Part II article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.