Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999): Season 1, Episode 3 - A Man Alone - full transcript

Ibudan, a criminal Odo has dealt with before, returns to DS9 only to be murdered shortly after - leaving Odo to be the prime suspect. Jake and Nog's trouble making prompt Keiko to do something helpful for the station's children.

- Yes, Julian?
- How did you know it was me?

There are different ways
to recognise someone.

- Their steps, for example.
- You are remarkable.

You and l need to have a talk

about Trills and relationships.

We'll do it over supper.

Quark has found me this delightful
champagne bottled on Korris l.

What is this?

- An Altonian brain teaser.
- A brain teaser?

- A puzzle.
- A puzzle?

l love puzzles.
How does it work?



lt responds to neural theta waves.

The goal is to turn the sphere
into a solid colour.

- That's all?
- That's all.

l've been trying to master it
on and off for 140 years.

- Would you care to try?
- Yes.

Just sit comfortably.

Release your tension into my hands.

- Your hands are cold.
- lt's a peculiarity of the Trill.

- Cold hands, warm heart.
- Concentrate on the sphere.

Clear your mind. This requires focus
and clarity of thought.

l understand completely.

What is that exotic scent you're wearing?

Focus and clarity of thought.

Yes, l have it.



l'm going to release it to you now.

Computer,
transfer control to second player.

l think your mind
is still a little busy, Julian.

So, are you free for supper?

Ready, Dax?

Sorry. Perhaps another time.

Maybe you'd like to try again.

Doctor.

Computer.

Reset.

Business is good, Quark.

You're almost making an honest living.

A lot of new faces.

The wormhole does bring them our way,
doesn't it?

Everyone wants a piece
of the new frontier.

l'm sure you've already tried
to sell it to a few of them.

We made the decision together.

That's not true. You decided
and asked me to agree with it.

Grapevine says Chief O'Brien
and the missus

are having problems.

l'll never understand the humanoid
need to...

...couple.

You've never...coupled?

Choose not to.
Too many compromises.

You want to watch the karo-net game,

she wants to listen to music,
so you compromise.

You listen to music.
You like Earth jazz,

she prefers Klingon opera,
so you compromise.

You listen to Klingon opera.
So here you were,

ready to have a nice night
watching karo-net

and you wind up
spending an agonising evening

listening to Klingon opera.

Keiko, sit down.

What could they be going on about
like that?

She doesn't like it here.

Who does?

- Don't even think about it.
- l can so think about it.

You might as well try to find a drink
of water on the Yadozi Desert.

Besides, l'd say our new Commander
is interested in her.

Not at all.
l know for a fact

that when she was a he,

before she got this new body,
they were old friends.

Things change.

How long has he been here?

One more time.

He came in on a transport
last night.

- Something to eat?
- Just steamed azna.

Some things are still the same.

lf you'd listen to me,
you would eat steamed azna, too.

Did l ever tell you about the meals
my father cooked?

All the time.

Every night in my house,

my dad insisted
we have supper together as a family.

He would try out his new recipes on us.
Called us his test tasters.

Steamed azna
would put years on your life.

Dax, l don't want years on my life

if l can only eat steamed azna.

Saut?ed...

Rolloped, fricasseed...fine.

But not steamed!

l've missed your steamed azna.

You must miss Curzon, too.

He was...

You were, are...

...a mentor, another father to me.

This happens to Trills, Benjamin.

Sometimes our friendships
with other species

don't survive
because of the change.

lt won't be that way with us.

lt's just a little uncomfortable now.

l suggest that you allow yourself
to feel comfortable

with your discomfort.

Time can do the rest.

Keiko...

Dabo!

All right.

l don't want you on this station.

That's too bad,
because l have every right to be here.

l decide who has rights on this Promenade.

Ask your superiors about that one.

l don't have to check with anyone.

You have 26 hours to get off this station.

l'll ask for a transfer
if that'll make you happy.

That's not fair, either.
You'd lose your promotion.

Not necessarily.

l wish l knew the right thing to do.
l'm lost here.

Starfleet doesn't need a botanist
on this station.

There's a whole new quadrant
full of new plant life to explore.

And ships going to explore it
and l'm not on them.

We'll be sending runabouts.
l'll see to it you go.

l don't need favours from you.
l just need to be useful.

Think how attractive
this place could be

if you planted some trees
and flowers in the Promenade.

You could create an arboretum

from the new specimens we bring back
from the Gamma Quadrant.

Do you really want to raise
your daughter in this place, Miles?

- Kira to O'Brien.
- Go ahead.

We have a non-functional power grid
on level five.

All of the upper docking pylons
are out of commission.

On my way.

Hi.

What do you want, human?

- l'm Jake.
- l know who you are.

- What's yours?
- Why do you care?

Not exactly a lot of friends
to choose from around here.

Nog. My name is Nog.

His name is lbudan.

He used to run black-market goods

during the Cardassian occupation,

gouging his fellow men
who needed medical supplies.

Some Bajorans
actually considered him a hero,

but l saw him let a child die

whose parents
couldn't afford the drug to save her.

A few years back,
he killed a Cardassian officer

who wanted money
to look the other way.

He went to prison for murder.
l sent him there.

- What's he doing out?
- The provisional government let him go.

Killing a Cardassian isn't considered
much of a crime nowadays.

- There's not much we can do.
- l can get him off my Promenade.

lf he hasn't done anything wrong,

you can't just force him to leave.

Watch me.

Mr Odo, you're not going to take
the law into your own hands.

The law?

Laws change
depending on who's making them.

Cardassians one day,
Federation the next.

But justice is justice,
and as long as l'm in charge of...

lf you can't work within the rules,
l'll find someone who can.

- What are they?
- Garanian bolites.

Come on!

- l guess l know the competition now.
- What do you mean?

Did you have a nice dinner
with Commander Sisko?

Trills do not look for romance
the same way humans do.

We find it quite a nuisance.

lt's a weakness of the young.

Although a Trill host may have
these feelings occasionally,

it is our wish to try to rise above
these kinds of temptations.

You said ''try to rise above'',

which suggests you may not succeed.

Julian...

- Sisko to Dr Bashir.
- Go ahead.

We need medical assistance
in holosuite four.

l still have that champagne.

On ice.

- Help us!
- Somebody help us!

Something is happening to us!

The door opened only twice.

The first time when the computer
logged lbudan's check-in

at 17:00 hours, 16 minutes.

The suite was secured.
No one else could enter.

He ran Lauriento massage
holoprogram 101 A.

13 minutes later, the door
was opened for the second time,

but since lbudan obviously didn't exit,

we must assume
that's when the killer left.

- Any evidence of a beam-in?
- No.

How did the killer get in?

He might have entered the holosuite
the same time lbudan did.

The knife was thrust
between the thoracic vertebrae,

perforating the heart.

The murderer had a decent knowledge
of Bajoran anatomy.

Look for evidence that could establish
that someone was here with him.

l'll sweep for hair follicles,

cellular remnants and DNA fragments.

How many ships have left
since yesterday?

Two. A Federation survey ship
and a Vulcan science vessel.

Advise all ships in dock

that departures will be delayed
until further notice.

They were looking for trouble.

Those kids had no reason
to be hanging around the Promenade.

- We can't lock them in their rooms.
- This isn't a starship.

The freedom
children have on the Enterprise

won't work on a space station.

There are too many ways
to get into trouble.

This place needs a school.

All ships have been informed
of the delays.

Do you know Mr Zayra,
who operates the Transit Aid Centre?

We've met.

He told me something disturbing.
You should hear it.

The murdered man, lbudan...

l spoke to him an hour
before it happened.

- Where was this?
- Quark's.

By the dabo table.

lt was after his struggle
with the shape-shifter.

He told me that he was scared.

He was afraid that Odo would kill him.

There isn't a more honourable man
on the station than the Constable.

Maybe so.

All l know is,
an hour later, lbudan was dead.

Computer, lights.
This was lbudan's quarters.

- Feel free to look around.
- Double accommodations?

That's what he requested,
but only one passenger was logged in.

He probably wanted larger quarters.

lf there's anything else you need...

l want a record of all the passengers.

Of course. l'll get you a copy
of the ship's manifest.

Computer, how many entries
made from this terminal

in the last 78 hours?

- Seven entries in personal files.
- Show them to me.

Take me to Stardate 46384.

You won't get any argument from me,
Mrs O'Brien.

- When l heard what happened...
- We weren't doing anything.

l don't want to talk about this now.

lt's the Ferengi boy, Nog.

Jake won't have anything more
to do with him.

- He's the only one close to my age.
- That's not exactly true.

There are 12 other children
on board aged 8 to 16.

The problem is
there's no structured activity for them.

Don't you miss the schools
you used to go to, Jake?

No... l guess.

Studying alone on the computer
gets boring sometimes.

l've never been a teacher,

but it's something
l've always thought about doing.

As a Starfleet Commander and a father,
l think it's a terrific idea.

- What do you need?
- Space.

We'll find it.

- Computers?
- You'll have them.

You realise what you're getting into?

l can't force the Bajora or Ferengi

to send their children to your school.

Even if they do,
everyone has a different culture.

l'll need an innovative programme,

but l can't imagine any parent

not welcoming the news of a new school.

Thank you, Commander.

lf l hear of you hanging around with him...

l thought you didn't want
to talk about this now.

These are the DNA analyses

and the particulate matter traces.

Lieutenant Dax concurs with my findings.

There were no new DNA traces
found in the holosuite.

Nobody went into the room with him?

Apart from those there
after the body was discovered,

this was the only DNA present.

We've identified it as lbudan's.

lbudan goes into the holosuite alone,
locks the door.

Minutes later, he's murdered.

- How is that possible?
- lt's not.

Unless the murder was committed

by someone who got through
the cracks in the door. Say...

...a shape-shifter.

lt's a neat package.

His calendar shows
he was with me at the time of the murder.

Only a shape-shifter
could get into the holosuite.

As l'd be called there
after the body was discovered,

my DNA is at the crime scene.

Do you have any kind of alibi?

l have to return to my natural state
every 18 hours to regenerate.

To be honest, l was in a pail
in the back of my office

when lbudan was killed.

The killer might have known that

and planned the murder accordingly.

Like l said, a neat package.

Who might want to frame you?

l can think of about 500 different people,

but l haven't seen any of them
around the station recently.

Do you think that Federation doctor
could sweep lbudan's quarters

and see if somebody else
was using that second bed?

l'll send him there right away.

Thank you, Major.

Dabo!

You want my boy in a Federation school?

Not just Federation.

My curriculum will take
a much broader approach.

Little lady,
what do you know of Ferengi education?

l understand
you employ a work-study approach,

with apprenticeships in a wide range

of business and economic fields.

We throw them into the cut-throat
competition of Ferengi commerce!

Anyone who survives, graduates.

Will you teach that to my son?

- l'm sure l couldn't better you there.
- Thank you! Thank you!

l've taught him everything l know.

We must prepare our youths
for the challenges of the future.

Consider the advantage
your son will have

once he's learned about other cultures,

and how others run their economies,
conduct business, negotiate.

You will teach my son these things?

Knowledge is power, Mr Rom.

lt can't work. He will not listen to you.

- Why not?
- You are female.

My son cannot learn anything
from a female human teacher.

Let him try it.

He has nothing to lose
and so much to gain.

l don't think so.

- Will you think about it?
- Of course.

Now, really, l'm quite busy.

Place your wagers!
Get this lovely young woman a drink.

What do we know about him?
He's not one of us.

He isn't one of anything.

You know what bothers me?

This shifter was Chief of Security

when the Cardassians were here.

- He caught lbudan.
- Why is he still Security Chief?

You're right.
We ought to talk to Major Kira.

Nobody knows him like l do.
Let me tell you something.

He's an ill-tempered,
overbearing crosspatch.

But he was no Cardassian collaborator
and he's no killer.

l can't believe
you're defending him, Quark.

You're his worst enemy.

l guess
that's the closest thing he has to a friend.

Security, huh?

l hear what you're saying.
l understand your concerns.

We're not saying
whether he's innocent or guilty.

- lsn't it reasonable...?
- Thank you very much for coming.

This is wrong.

- What would you suggest we do?
- He didn't do it.

The man in charge
of a murder investigation

is the prime suspect.
They have a right to complain.

Even if he's innocent,
it could still seem

like a conflict of interest, Kira.

- You're going to relieve him of duty.
- There's no other choice.

He has been completely candid
about this investigation.

He could have covered his tracks
if he were guilty.

l appreciate how you feel,
but the decision stands.

l'll inform him myself.

The only curious thing l found

were these seofurane fragments
near the matter reclamation unit.

lt appears
he was trying to get rid of them.

Do you have any idea what they're from?

l know exactly.
A biological sample container.

What would lbudan be doing
with a biological sample container?

When l analysed the fragments,

l detected traces
of a complex organic structure.

Translate, Doctor.

lbudan may have been conducting

some sort of medical experiment
on his ship.

He wasn't a doctor or a scientist.

Let's see what
an electrophoretic analysis tells us.

What the...?

The complex proteins
are breaking down into DNA fragments.

- What does that mean?
- lt means...

...we should accelerate
the cellular development.

lf l can reconstruct the DNA sequence,

we may get an idea what he was up to.

- Sisko to Odo.
- Here.

- May l see you in my office, please?
- Acknowledged.

- Commander?
- Sit down.

l am temporarily relieving you of duty.

l'm sure the reasons are obvious.

Who will be taking over
the investigation?

l've placed Major Kira
and Lieutenant Dax in charge.

- Will that be all, Commander?
- l want you to know

l don't personally believe
you're responsible for this.

Really?

How can that be true?

You don't know me.
You have no reason to believe

l wouldn't kill lbudan if it suited my fancy.

Don't tell me there isn't some doubt,

some question
about whether or not l murdered the man.

Putting Kira and Dax
in charge of the investigation

will be in everyone's best interest,
including your own.

l'll take care of my own best interests.

That's him.

They found his DNA.

l can find out who did it for you.

Not for me. Tell it to Starfleet.

l'm not in charge any longer.

There's a piece of good news
to brighten my day.

Take advantage of my absence
while you can, Quark.

l will. Count on it!

l'll have every confidence man
in the sector on board by tomorrow.

- You do and l'll...
- What?

You'll get sloppy
without me to keep an eye on you.

l don't think so.

You've kept me on my toes
for far too long.

Sure.
l've turned you into a better crook.

Like it or not.

Quark...

think you could use a shape-shifter

in your organisation?

You had me going.

- l did, didn't l?
- Yes, you did.

l've been asking some friends
at Kran-Tobal Prison about lbudan -

whether he made any enemies
while he was there.

Couldn't find any.

Mostly, he stayed
around the Bajoran dissidents

that the Cardassians locked up.

lt's growing exponentially.

We'll have to increase
the metabolic field energy.

- What is it that's growing in there?
- Aren't those DNA patterns humanoid?

That's what it looks like,

but there's a genetic drift
l can't put my finger on.

What was lbudan up to?

We're going to wait and see what this
becomes before we have a clue.

- Care for lunch?
- Sure.

No, thank you.
Major Kira's waiting for my report.

Just how many different lives
do you think she's led?

l don't even know.
He'll go...

She'll go through a list of them,

then out comes another
in a later conversation.

- Jadzia is probably the sixth host.
- Has she changed much?

From the last one, Curzon Dax?

l understand a Trill integrates
the personality of each new host.

l guess l'll have to find that out.

Some of the mischief
he and l used to get into...

One time - l was no older than you -

we were attending the running
of the Rujian steeplechase.

Dax loves the races.

Curzon knew
these gorgeous Ruji twin sisters.

He and l...

l guess we won't be doing that
again soon, will we?

You care for her a great deal,
don't you?

Dax and l are just friends, Doctor.

You have nothing to fear from me.

lf l were in your shoes,

knowing Dax as intimately as you do,

l'd find her hard to resist.

You don't understand, Doctor.

Dax used to beat me regularly
at bare-fist Juro counterpunch.

You won't be doing that again soon,
either.

l'm not drinking with scum.

l won't drink near this man.

ln a semi-circle here, facing the module.

That's right.

Thank you.

- Here's Mommy.
- Where have you been, Mommy?

- Getting ready for school.
- Can l come to school?

l wish you could.
Then l'd know l'd have one student.

You have to wait a year or two.

- How's it going?
- We'll be ready.

But aside from Commander Sisko,

we haven't had a commitment
from any of the parents.

- What's this?
- A little something l replicated.

Help Mommy to open her present,
Molly.

Pull.

Oh, Miles!

Thank you.

l want to see you
in the Promenade tomorrow

ringing your school bell.

Murderer!

l'd better take her home.

- Murderer!
- Killer!

Shape-shifting freak!

- You freak!
- O'Brien to Ops.

- Security to the Promenade.
- Acknowledged.

Yes, sir.

- O'Brien to Sisko.
- Here, Chief. What's going on?

We've got a crowd, more like a mob,
outside Odo's office.

You better get down here.

- Freak!
- Shape-shifter!

Freak!

Murdering shifter!

Shape-shifter!

- Odo's inside?
- The crowd followed him from the bar.

l want more armed security here.

lt's going to be hard to control them.

We can secure all turbolifts,

slow down traffic onto the Promenade.

- Julian, look at this.
- The chromatin pattern's changing.

- lt's definitely humanoid.
- lt's definitely humanoid.

lt's definitely...

My God! l think l know what it is.

Run a chromosome analysis.

We're going to find
a gene-sequence degradation.

Shifter! Shifter!

Coming through.

- What do you intend to accomplish?
- We want the shape-shifter.

What are you're going to do
if you get to him?

- He deserves to die.
- He's right!

How do you get a rope
around the neck of a shape-shifter?

Listen to me.
You will disperse immediately.

Return to your quarters.
Return to your ships.

- He's a murderer. We want justice!
- Do you?

Justice?

Really?
ls it justice you're after

or just some way
to express your anger, your fear?

Look at yourselves!

ln an hour, you'll regret
what you tried to do here.

Do not condemn this man
because he is different.

We condemn him
because of the evidence.

Then take that evidence to a court.

There will be no justice
served here today.

Commander Sisko, we have
some new evidence to consider.

- The murdered man was not lbudan.
- What?

Come with me.

- Break it up now.
- Let's clear the area.

- You heard what she said.
- Back to your quarters.

A clone.

That's what lbudan was working on -
a clone of himself.

He killed the clone
to frame me for his murder.

How can we be sure
the victim was a clone?

A clone has identical DNA
to that of the donor,

but certain cloning methods

cause a gene-sequence degradation
which can be detected.

lf you know to look for it.

We've matched the gene sequence.

They're definitely both clones.

What happens to this one?

He becomes a living, breathing
member of Bajoran society.

Let's hope he doesn't follow
in his donor's footsteps.

What about lbudan?

l have an idea where to find him.

Computer, lights.

Who are you?
How did you get in here?

l think you know.

l warn you, l'll call Ship Security.

Do that. l have
some interesting questions to ask them.

l'm especially curious to know
how the name Lamonay S

appeared on this ship's
passenger list yesterday.

That is my name
and l arranged transport on this vessel.

- Why should that be so strange?
- You did not arrive on this ship.

- No.
- Just what ship was it, Mr. Lamonay S?

l can't find any record of your arrival

on any vessel in the last three weeks.

l assure you, you are in error.

You arrived on this ship
and spent the last few years

in prison among Bajoran dissidents,

one of whom was a scientist
arrested by the Cardassians

for conducting research
into tri-phasic cloning.

Killing your own clone is still murder.

Commander's Log,
Stardate 46421.5.

lbudan has been turned over
to the authorities

just hours after his clone
began a new life.

The perpetrators of the mob violence

have retreated into their business.

Odo has received no apologies.

Life on the station
has begun to return to normal.

- Computer, what time is it?
- 09:07 hours.

You were right.
lt isn't going to be easy.

- Maybe it's just going to take time.
- Sit down!

Not next to that human, boy.

l don't want you to have
anything to do with him.

We'll...try it for a few weeks.

Please, come in.

Take any seat.
Try to be on time from now on.

My name is Keiko O'Brien.
l'll be your teacher.

Why don't we turn on our computers
and access the files on Bajor

to find out a little more
about the people and history of this world?