Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999): Season 1, Episode 19 - In the Hands of the Prophets - full transcript

- Try one. You'll like it.
- Too early for me.

- You sure?
- lt's so sweet.

lt's a natural sweetness
from the sap of the jumja tree.

lt's full of vitamin C.

Since when were you such an expert?

- Neela told me.
- Did she?

So...is she working out
any better than the last one?

Who? Neela? She's terrific.

She's even taught me a thing or two.

l'm glad her expertise
doesn't end with jumja sticks.

No. She's a really good engi...



- Hold on.
- What?

Well...you're not thinking?

- Well, Keiko!
- Just keeping you on your toes, O'Brien.

Oh, very funny.

Be careful who you share your jumja with.

Now, as we discussed
in yesterday's lesson

the wormhole was found by Commander
Sisko and Lieutenant Dax this year.

Does anyone know
what makes this wormhole so unusual?

- Jake?
- lt's stable?

lt's stable. That's right, Jake.

lt's the first stable wormhole
known to exist.

Please, continue.

A stable wormhole is very important

because it allows us to travel knowing
that neither end will shift locations.



Who knows why this wormhole is stable?

Because it was artificially constructed.

Commander Sisko met the entities
who created the wormhole when he...

Excuse me. By entities,
do you not mean the Prophets?

Yes, on Bajor,
the entities are worshipped as prophets.

Our studies of the wormhole show that
it was formed by particles, ''verterons'',

that are apparently
self-sustaining in nature.

This explains how a ship at impulse
can safely pass through without...

Ships are safely guided through
the passage by the hands of the Prophets.

ln a manner of speaking.

Not, apparently,
in your manner of speaking.

Perhaps we could discuss this after class.

Do you believe the Celestial Temple
of the Prophets exists within the passage?

l respect that the Bajoran people
believe that it does.

But that's not what you teach.

No, l don't teach Bajoran spiritual beliefs.
That's your job.

Mine is to open the children's minds
to history, to literature,

to mathematics, to science.

You are opening the children's minds -

to blasphemy,
and l cannot permit it to continue.

Sorry l took so long. Another fusion
reactor went down. How's it going?

Done.

Done? Did you re-initialise
the coprocessor?

l did exactly what you showed me.
Should l test it?

Let me. You know us old folks.

We like to feel useful.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

You keep this up, l'll be out of a job.

l doubt that.

Let's close it up.

Not that one. That's a security seal.

You need an EJ7 interlock to close it.

EJ7?

lt's OK, l have one here.

Bloody hell.

What's wrong?

My EJ7 is missing.

lt was here yesterday.

Maybe you left it in Ops.

No.

l...l don't misplace my tools.

- l'm not surprised.
- You knew this was going to happen?

A confrontation like this was inevitable.

Sometimes l wonder if we'll ever find
any common ground with Bajor.

Major, would you join us?

We've been talking about an incident
this morning at school.

l heard. Vedek Winn's been meeting
with some of the Bajoran civilians about it.

- What do you know about her?
- She's from an orthodox order.

She has some support to become
the next Kai - probably not enough.

- How much support does she have here?
- She has mine.

You can't believe teaching the facts
about the wormhole is blasphemy?

Some revisions in the curriculum might
be appropriate. You teach lots of Bajorans.

l'm not going to let a Bajoran spiritual
leader dictate what's taught in my class.

Then maybe we need two schools -

one for Bajoran children,
another for the Federation.

lf we start separating
Bajoran and Federation interests...

A lot of Bajoran and Federation interests
are separate.

l've been telling you that all along.

Nobody's saying
there can't be spiritual teaching

but can't it be in addition
to what's taught in Mrs O'Brien's class?

But if she's teaching
a fundamentally different philosophy...

l'm not teaching any ''philosophy''.

What l'm trying to teach is pure science.

Pure science taught without a spiritual
context is a philosophy, Mrs O'Brien.

My philosophy is that there is room
for all philosophies on this station.

How do you suggest we deal with this?

l'm not sure you can.

l can't tell you how much
l've looked forward to this moment.

l'm honoured
to meet the Emissary to the Prophets.

Had l known of your visit, Vedek Winn,
l would have greeted you sooner.

l did not wish to bother you
with my insignificant visit.

- l'd hardly call it insignificant.
- Thank you, Emissary.

l wish you wouldn't call me that.
l'm Commander Sisko, or Benjamin.

But you are the Emissary.

Don't you know the cherished place
you have earned in Bajoran spiritual life?

l'm not sure l'm comfortable in that role.

The course the Prophets choose for us
may not always be comfortable.

But we must follow it.

May l?

Still the disbeliever.

l once asked Kai Opaka why a disbeliever
was destined to seek the Prophets

and she told me that one must never
look into the eyes of one's own gods.

l disagreed.

l told her l would do anything
to look into their eyes.

She suggested
that l sit in darkness for a day

and quite properly so.

She cannot be replaced
and l miss her deeply.

lt's important
we resolve your problems with the school.

The Prophets have spoken to me
through the Orbs, Emissary.

l understand my duty
to defend the Bajoran faith.

The teacher has dishonoured
the Celestial Temple.

lf she does not recant, l cannot
be responsible for the consequences.

This seems a lot of trouble to go to
to find one tool.

With that interlock, someone could access
every critical system on the station.

- Chief, have you seen Ensign Aquino?
- No, now that you mention it.

He didn't report for duty this morning.

The computer says he's not on the station
but he didn't log out.

- Did you talk to Odo?
- l guess l'd better.

Scanners are ready.

Computer,
locate any independent tritanium sources.

Level three, section five.

Oh, that's the tool locker.

l've looked through there three times.

What's that?

Looks like something in a power conduit
on level 12, section eight.

What would tritanium be doing there?

Computer, shut down that conduit.
Reroute power flow.

- Conduit deactivated.
- Come on.

Over here, Chief.

That's tritanium composite, all right.

Looks like our missing interlock.

Must have been melted
by the conduit's plasma flow.

That still doesn't explain how it got here.

l'm picking up traces of organic material.

Whatever it was, it's been well cooked.

Let's take a sample to Dr Bashir,
see what he thinks.

Ensign Aquino
made a log entry the night he disappeared

about a plasma flow irregularity
in the conduit.

He indicated he was going to fix it...

- So it was an accident?
- l guess so.

Bashir confirmed
that the remains were human.

l'm sure the DNA trace
will confirm that it was Aquino.

l'll have one, please -
unless you're feeling adventurous today.

Sorry. We're all out.

What? What are all these?

These aren't for sale.

Not for sale?
How would you like a jumja stick up...

- ls there a problem?
- Damn right!

l don't have to sell anything to them
if l don't want to.

Why wouldn't you want to sell to them?

Miles, can we go?

Let's go.

- Seek the Prophets.
- l'll seek you...

Seek them yourself.

Maybe you were right.

We've no business here. l'll get a transfer.

No. l can't run away from this now.

- What's this?
- lf we abandon the Prophets...

then everything we have...

Here's Mrs O'Brien now.

Good morning.

- Are you Mr O'Brien?
- That's right.

A pleasure to meet you.

l've just been hearing
wonderful things about your wife

from the parents of these children.

- She apparently is an excellent teacher.
- Yes, she is.

She doesn't deserve what you're doing.

l feel your anger toward me
and l forgive you.

Mrs O'Brien, if l've misjudged you,
l am terribly sorry.

Have l? ls there a place in your school
for the Prophets?

No.

l admire your loyalty to your convictions
even though l disagree with them.

Believe me, l want to find a way to allow
these children to stay in your school.

l'm sure the children and their parents
are happy to hear that.

Let me be the one
to make the first concession.

l will no longer request that you teach
anything about the Celestial Temple.

- Just don't mention the wormhole at all.
- lgnore it?

Find other ways, other things
to teach the children.

And when we get to theories of evolution
or creation of the universe, what then?

- We'll face those issues at the time.
- l'm a teacher.

My responsibility is to expose
my students to knowledge, not hide it.

The answer is no.

l've tried to be reasonable.

lf Aquino turned off the conduit
to fix the relay, why did it reactivate?

The Cardassians equipped those conduits
with one flow regulator per level.

The computer could have realigned it.

When the power flow was rerouted back,
it could have caught him inside.

You don't sound entirely convinced.

No, it all adds up, only...

- Well, l don't know.
- Spit it out, Chief.

He took one of my tools without asking.

lt was 4:00 am.
He wouldn't want to wake you.

The repairs could have waited.

He was a Starfleet engineer.

You don't take tools without asking.

Are you suggesting
it might not have been an accident?

l don't know what l'm suggesting.

l only know that he should have asked.

Constable,
maybe you ought to look into this.

Dismissed.

- Can l talk to you for a minute?
- Sure.

l heard about what happened at school.

Did Mrs O'Brien call classes off?

No, there was only me
and four other kids left

but she still kept the school open.

She changed the lesson
to teach us about Galileo.

Did you know he was tried for teaching
that the earth moved around the sun?

Tried and convicted.
His books were burned.

How could anyone be so stupid?

lt's easy to look back
and judge what was right and wrong.

The same is happening now with all this
stuff about the Celestial Temple. lt's dumb.

No, it's not.

You've got to realise something, Jake.

The Bajorans survived the Cardassian
occupation because of their faith.

The Prophets were their only source
of hope and courage.

There were no Prophets.
They were just aliens in the wormhole.

To those aliens, the future
is no harder to see than the past.

Why shouldn't they be seen as Prophets?

- Are you serious?
- My point is it's a matter of interpretation.

lt may not be your belief
but that doesn't make it wrong.

lf you start to think that way,
you'll be acting just like Vedek Winn.

Only from the other side.

We can't afford to think that way, Jake.

We'd lose everything we've worked for.

You're worried, aren't you?

What are you going to do?

l'm not sure

but l think l've got to find some help.

l'm sorry to keep you waiting, Commander.

Vedek Bareil?

No need to pay tribute to me.

Pay tribute? l was just...

Usually, the first thing
Bajor's spiritual leaders do is grab my...

Ear?

- lt's unpleasant, isn't it?
- l've been too polite to admit it.

l was five the first time
one of the monks grabbed my ear.

He was a stern old crow who could
virtually squeeze the pagh out of you.

As a chronic misbehaver,
l was his favourite victim.

l made it one of my life's goals
to do away with that archaic ritual.

You have the Federation's support.

l hope you don't mind
if l do a little planting while we talk.

All those hours
of listening to 112 vedeks talking at once

made me yearn for my arboretum.

ls this yours?

l began my service
at the monastery as the gardener.

l had no other ambition but to grow
the planet's loveliest Felaran bromeliads.

Unfortunately, the Prophets
did not allow me that peaceful life.

l understand my friend Vedek Winn
has brought her blessings to your station.

l hoped you could arrange
an audience with the Assembly

so l could discuss our school.

- Why me?
- You're tipped to become the next Kai.

Your ideology differs from Vedek Winn's.

You have been correctly informed.

l'm sorry, Commander.
The Vedek Assembly will not see you.

Why not?

Some fear you as the symbol
of a Federation they view as godless.

Some fear you as the Emissary
who walked with the Prophets.

And some fear you
because Vedek Winn told them to.

We're all good at conjuring up enough
fear to justify whatever we want to do.

Today, l am only a Vedek.

lf the Prophets will it,
someday l may be Kai

and l can be a better friend to you then.

ln other words, being my friend now
might hurt your chances.

The Prophets teach us patience.

lt appears they also teach you politics.

l'm sorry you made this long trip
for nothing, Commander.

Please stay and enjoy the gardens
as long as you like.

ls it my imagination
or are we a little short-handed today?

Three Bajoran crew didn't report for duty.

They said they weren't feeling well.

Do you think it's contagious, Major?

lt's too early to tell.

Are your people willing to throw away
everything we've accomplished?

They all know if you leave
the Cardassians will be back.

Protecting your borders is not
the primary reason the Federation is here,

and it's not why l'm here.

l'm here to build trust with your people

and l'd like to feel that somebody
on your side is giving something back.

- l've given you all the support l can...
- lt's not enough!

l thought there was room
for all philosophies on this station.

You tell our sick Bajoran crewmen
they better get well immediately

or they'll recover on their next assignment.

Yes, sir.

Commander, Dr Bashir has found
some new evidence about Ensign Aquino.

l've reconstructed the victim's DNA.

lt's Aquino, but the power flow
in the conduit didn't kill him.

The plasma disruption suggests he was
exposed to a directed energy discharge

before he was placed in the conduit.

A directed energy discharge?
From a phaser?

Set to kill.

Could this murder be related in any way
to the school issue?

lf you're suggesting a Bajoran killed him
for his Federation ties...

The analysis proves he was killed
the night before Vedek Winn arrived.

- There was no school issue yet.
- Any ideas about motive?

All right,
then let's start at the beginning.

Ensign Aquino
goes to repair a power conduit.

Commander, l'm not convinced of that.

- But the log...
- lt could have been altered by our killer.

l've checked the turbolift records.

Aquino did take a turbolift to level three
but not to the power conduit.

- Where did he go?
- Runabout pad C.

What was he doing in a runabout
at 4:00 in the morning?

Apparently, he was getting murdered.

Everything in the runabout seems normal.

The airlock systems weren't touched.

Let's run a diagnostic
on the runabout's computer interface.

l already have. Everything's normal.

l don't even know what we're looking for.

lf something happened here,
it's been well covered up.

Did you know him well?

Aquino? Barely at all.

Just the ''welcome aboard'' speech.

- You?
- Not really.

Bajoran and Starfleet officers
don't socialise that much.

How come?

l don't know.
l guess we just keep to ourselves.

You're not like that with me.

You're not like the others.

You know... You don't put on any airs.

You're just...

nicer.

Look...

l'll close up here.

- Why don't you take off?
- You sure?

Yeah, l'm sure.

Good night.

On your toes, O'Brien.

You were looking for me? Don't tell me...

There's a Bajoran convention
l didn't know about? Thanks, Odo.

- l need to call in more dabo girls.
- lt's not a convention.

They're from an orthodox spiritual order
coming to support Vedek Winn.

Orthodox? ln that case,
l'll need twice as many dabo girls.

These spiritual types
love those dabo girls.

This is not what l wanted to talk about.

What do you know
about the murder of Ensign Aquino?

You wound me.

All these years together, l thought
you knew me. Odo, l am not a killer.

No, but most of your friends are.

True, and l would gladly sell one to you

but none of them have taken credit
for the death of the Starfleet officer.

- Sorry.
- Odo.

- Keep your ears open.
- Are you kidding?

That's the seventh Rule of Acquisition.

This is a security bypass module.

- You found it at runabout pad C?
- No, that's just it. lt wasn't at pad C.

That was as clean as a whistle.

Just to be safe,
l ran a diagnostic across the board.

This showed up at runabout pad A.

- Pad A...
- Aquino went nowhere near pad A.

lt doesn't make sense.

On the contrary, it makes perfect sense.

Ensign Aquino goes to runabout C

because some sensor
shows an anomaly in the security.

He interrupts
whoever is tampering with it and is killed.

The killer puts the body in the conduit
and instead of going back to pad C,

which Aquino's turbolift log might trace,

he changes his plan
and moves to pad A.

What was the plan?
Everything else seems normal.

- Somebody wanted to steal a runabout.
- We're not missing one.

lt's curious.

He goes to a lot of trouble
to bypass security

and then doesn't go through with...

The school!

Keiko!

Miles!

Stand back, please! Clear the way!

- What have you got?
- Traces of cabrodine and infernite -

common explosives, easily obtainable.

Then it's a simple, homemade bomb.

Where is Mrs O'Brien?

- Her husband took her home.
- Was anyone hurt?

No.

The Prophets have been kind today.

The Prophets had nothing to do
with what happened.

This was the work
of a disturbed and violent mind

who listened to you, not the Prophets.

ls the Emissary holding me responsible
for this act of terrorism?

The Commander of this station is.

May the Prophets forgive you
for abandoning them.

You claim the Prophets as
your personal constituency, Vedek Winn.

l'm not convinced that's justified.
Who do you speak for?

An order your Assembly barely listens to.

So you come here
for a more receptive audience.

ls that what your friend Vedek Bareil
told you?

He's as misguided as you are.

No, that's not fair.

You are not simply misguided,
as l once thought.

Now l see you want nothing less
than to destroy us.

- Destroy you?
- You live without a soul, Commander.

You and your Federation
exist in a universe of darkness

and you would drag us in there with you.

But we will not go.

You have just made
your first mistake, Vedek.

Have l?

The Bajorans
who have lived with us on this station,

who have worked with us for months,

who helped us move this station
to protect the wormhole,

who joined us
to explore the Gamma Quadrant,

who have begun
to build the future of Bajor with us,

these people know that we are
neither the enemy nor the devil!

We don't always agree.

We have some damn good fights, in fact,

but we always come away from them
with a better understanding of each other.

You won't succeed here.
The school will reopen.

And when your rhetoric gets old

the Bajoran parents
will bring their children back.

We'll see.

How is she, Chief?

She's pretty shaken up, sir,

but she's planning to hold classes
tomorrow in a cargo bay, if that's OK.

You tell her Jake'll be there on time.

She'll feel a lot better
for hearing that, sir.

- Anything new on Aquino?
- Yes, sir.

l found a security bypass module
at runabout pad A.

Somebody might have wanted
to steal a runabout.

That's probably why Aquino went there.

l've placed security seals
at all three pads

and l'm checking for any other anomalies.

lncoming transmission from Vedek
Bareil on board a Bajoran transport.

On screen.

Commander, l've decided to accept
your gracious invitation.

lnvitation?

You did invite me to tour your facility.

Yes, of course, Vedek. We'd be honoured.

There's some damage on our Promenade.
We won't have time to clean up.

Yes, l heard about it.

Perhaps l can help you clean it up.

That would be very much appreciated.

lt's the least a friend could do.

l look forward to seeing you again.

My dear, you should not be here.

Vedek,
they found out about the runabout.

l see.

l have no way to escape.

We must accept that
as the will of the Prophets.

But if l go through with this now,
l will be caught and executed.

The sacrifices the Prophets
call on us to make are great sometimes,

but the rewards they give
will last through eternity.

What the hell...

Computer,
identify sub-programme labelled 'ANA'.

File protected
by a personal security access code.

- On whose authority?
- Chief of Operations, Miles O'Brien.

Me? l never saw this file before.

- Override.
- Unable to comply.

State security code to release protection.

Lieutenant, l've got to do
a manual isolation of an anomalous file.

lt's in the security field subsystem,
labelled 'ANA'.

That file will be protected
by encryption sequences.

l'll run an adaptive programme.

We're lucky it's a Cardassian computer.

- lt'll have seven sequences at most.
- Beginning decryption.

Online.
Patched to sub-programme ANA.

Clear the way, please.

That's it.
Computer, access sub-programme ANA.

Code 4100RLX.

- Accessing.
- ldentify commands within the file.

Commands are overrides of security fields
approaching runabout pad A.

The forcefields.
Display sequences on screen.

Right to the Promenade.

Computer, run a level-3 sensor sweep
of the Promenade.

Report any anomalous reading.

Working.

An escape route.

- Escape from what?
- You got me.

- One anomalous reading.
- ldentify.

A subspace relay was activated
in the security office nine minutes ago.

- Activated to do what?
- Unknown. lnsufficient data.

- l'm going down there.
- l'll check other security systems

and call you as soon as l have anything.

Promenade.

l expected you sooner, Bareil.

lt seems our paths have grown apart.
Perhaps we can bring them together.

- l would like nothing better.
- Come with me to the school.

Let us both show our commitment
to a peaceful resolution to these events.

Of course.

Computer, is the subspace device
integrated into the isolinear coprocessor?

Confirmed.

- O'Brien to Dax.
- Go ahead.

lt's in the isolinear coprocessor.

Didn't you repair that unit two days ago?

Yes, l did...

With Neela.

Looking around at your faces,

l believe you feel the shame l feel
at this sight.

No, it's got to be the weapon detectors
in the Promenade.

That's all the coprocessors could affect.

All weapon detectors appear functional.

That's got to be it.
She's good, real good.

She could make them look normal.

But it's got to be the weapon detectors.

O'Brien to Sisko.

Once, our world was a centre of learning.

- lt attracted travellers from other worlds...
- Go ahead, Chief.

l'm not sure, but the weapon detectors
on the Promenade may be disabled.

- What do you mean, you're not sure?
- l mean Neela may have disabled them.

- Your assistant?
- Yes, sir.

To reject violence as a solution,

to join hands with all peoples
and begin to trust again.

No!

The Prophets spoke.

l answered their call.

The Prophets spoke!

l answered their call!

lt was all to get him here, wasn't it?

The school bombing - you knew
that would get him out of the monastery.

You did it all to kill him,

to stop him from becoming Kai.

Neela insists she acted alone,

unless you regard the Prophets
as co-conspirators.

She'll never tell us the truth.

We'll never be able to prove
that Winn was involved.

- You OK?
- OK...

l've forgotten ''OK''.

lt seems like years
since l've seen ''OK''.

l was sitting here thinking,
last year at this time,

l was fighting the Cardassians
in some nameless swamp.

And if you'd told me
that just one year later, they'd be gone,

l'd be wearing this uniform,

up here in charge of protecting
some wormhole...

Protecting your Celestial Temple.

l envied Vedek Winn
because she was a true believer.

l wanted my faith to be as strong as hers.

Maybe it is.

l've got a report to compile for Starfleet.

- You should get some rest.
- l'd rather help you.

Commander...

l heard what you said to Vedek Winn
at the school.

l just wanted you to know...

you were right
in what you said about the Bajorans -

at least about me.

l don't think that you're...the devil.

Maybe we have made
some progress after all.