History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E04HippocraticOath

Worf is sitting in Quark's eying a Malkalian crook and stewing that the known criminal is allowed free access to the station. Quark states that he doesn't discriminate and goes off to consult with the Malkalian. Worf gripes to Kira that the shady pair are probably up to something, and Kira agrees but assures him that Odo will keep the Ferengi in check.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: O'Brien sabotages Bashir's work and kills several Jem'Hadar to save Bashir's life, and offers this as justification.

* DefiantCaptive: When O'Brein and Bashir are first captured, Bashir tells Goran’agar that if whatever he wants from him will endanger the Federation or the Alpha quadrant, he may as well just kill him. While Bashir cooperates after finding out what Goran’agar wants, O'Brein remains defiant.

Bashir recruits O'Brien, who is strongly against helping the Jem'Hadar. The chief concocts a plan to escape by jerry-rigging a plasma weapon, but a suspicious Jem'Hadar accidentally shoots one of their guards with it, exposing the plot. Goran'Agar breaks the Jem'Hadar custom of killing the wounded guard, which appalls his fellows. Bashir starts to realize that Goran'Agar freedom from the Founders' influence is allowing him to make moral decisions of his own. He decides to earnestly try to help the Jem'Hadar break their addiction.

Worf is sitting in Quark's eying a Malkalian crook and stewing that the known criminal is allowed free access to the station. Quark states that he doesn't discriminate and goes off to consult with the Malkalian. Work gripes to Kira that the shady pair are probably up to something, and Kira agrees but assures him that Odo will keep the Ferengi in check.

On the station, Work takes his concerns over crime on the station to Sisko. The captain reminds Worf that he is no longer head of security and must allow Odo to do his job. As Chief Tactical Officer, Worf is now responsible for organizing Starfleet's forces in the sector. Worf promises to focus on his duty, but he's still not happy.

On the station, Work stakes out Quark's and observes the Ferengi meet with the Malkalian smuggler. They negotiate the sale of some contraband. Worf steps in to arrest the pair, but when he confiscates Quark's bag of latinum, it transforms into Odo. The angry changeling reveals that the whole sale was a sting operation, and Quark was working for him. He had hoped to infiltrate the whole smuggling operation, but he'll now settle for just the Malkalian. Worf asks why he wasn't simply informed of the sting, and Odo tells him that he doesn't broadcast his secret investigations.

Meanwhile, Bashir and O'Brien are returning from a bio-survey when their runabout is struck by an energy surge and forced to crash land on an unknown planet. As they exit, they're taken captive by a squad of Jem'Hadar. Both men are ready to die rather than help the Dominion, but the leader of the Jem'Hadar, Goran'Agar, forces Bashir to come to a science lab and gives him an assignment. While marooned on the planet four years ago, Goran'Hagar lost his addiction to ketracel-white, the chemical compound that all Jem'Hadar must take to stay alive. He has recruited a group of deserters to return to the planet in hopes of repeating the process, but he needs Bashir to figure out what they need to do. He has five days.

Bashir recruits O'Brien, who is strongly against helping the Jem'Hadar. The chief concocts a plan to escape by jerry-rigging a plasma weapon, but a suspicious Jem'Hadar accidentally shoots one of their guards with it, exposing the plot. Goran'Agar breaks the Jem'Hadar custom of killing the wounded guard, which appalls his fellows. Bashir starts to realize that Goran'Agar's freedom from the Founders' influence is allowing him to make moral decisions of his own. He decides to earnestly try to help the Jem'Hadar break their addiction.

Bashir is unable to find any clues as to how Goran'Arag lost his addiction, much to his frustration. The supply of white is running out, causing extreme pain and desperation in the other men. They start to question their leader's "soft" commands and the legitimacy of his claims. Goran'Arag knows that he has only a few days before they give up and kill him. Bashir hopes to succeed and unshackle the Jem'Hadar from their addiction, thereby robbing the Dominion of their military, but O'Brien warns that unfettered Jem'Hadar could very well ravage the galaxy. Bashir overrules O'Brien.

Goran'Arag leads Bashir and O'Brien to their runabout. Another Jem'Hadar confronts them, but Goran'Arag kills him and announces that he's setting the pair free. Bashir urges the man to come with them, but Goran'Arag asks O'Brien, a fellow soldier, to explain why he cannot before leaving. O'Brien explains that, as the commander, Goran'Arag cannot abandon his men even if they're doomed.

* TheUnReveal: While Goran'agar is living proof that it's possible, however unlikely, for a Jem'Hadar to be born without dependence on ketracel-white, Bashir never manages to get far enough in his research to find out whether or not the inherent addiction to the drug in their DNA can be cured.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Bashir and O'Brien's episode-long debate over whether or not the Jem'Hadar ''should'' be cured of their dependence on ketracel-white; Bashir believes that they could have and deserve a chance to be free from the life of slavery they endure under the yoke of the Founders, while O'Brien fears the possible backfire that could come from ridding the Jem'Hadar of their one exploitable weakness (later episodes would show that even the Vorta and the Founders themselves don't take such an idea lightly). Bashir thinks O'Brien is being cynical and close-minded, while O'Brien thinks Bashir's idealism is dangerously naive. The episode never firmly sides with one point or the other.

* CallBack:
** Sisko tells Worf that Starfleet officers often have trouble adjusting to the way things are done on [=DS9=]. [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E09ThePassenger George Primmin, for example.]]
** Sisko is shown tinkering with the clock he built in "Dramatis Personae".
** Bashir recounts the [=DS9=] crew's [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS03E06TheAbandoned failed attempt]] to control a Jem'Hadar youth, an image that fills Goran'agar with no small amusement.

** Goran'agar's second asks if they should kill the prisoners themselves, or let the others do so. His commander replies, "I will do the killing." Then kills him.

* PoorCommunicationKills: If Odo had simply told Worf what he was planning, Worf would never have screwed it up. However, this is fairly in-character for Odo.
* ReactionShot: Goran'agar when Bashir reveals that he's a doctor.

* TakeThat: The episode can very easily come off as [=DS9=] staking its claim as a more complex and nuanced show than TNG.

Worf is sitting in Quark's eying a Malkalian crook stewing that a known criminal is allowed free access the station. Quark states that he doesn't discriminate and goes off to consult with the Malkalian. Work gripes to Kira that the shady pair are probably up to something, and Kira agrees but assures him that Odo will keep the Ferengi in check.

Meanwhile, Bashir and O'Brien are returning from a bio-survey when their runabout is struck by an energy surge and forced to crashland on an unknown planet. As they exit, they're taken captive by a squad of Jem'Hadar. Both men are ready to die rather than help the Dominion, but the leader of the Jem'Hadar, Goran'Agar, forces Bashir to come to a science lab and gives him an assignment. While marooned on the planet four years ago, Goran'Hagar has lost his addiction to ketracel-white, the chemical compound that all Jem'Hadar must take to stay alive. He has recruited a group of deserters back to the planet in hopes of repeating the process, but needs Bashir to figure out what they need to do. He has five days.

On the station, Work takes his concerns over crime on the station to Sisko. The captain reminds Worf that he is no longer head of security and must allow Odo to do his job. As Chief Tactical Officer, Worf is now responsible for organzing Starfleet's forces in the sector. Worf promises to focus on his duty, but he's still not happy.

Bashir recruits O'Brien, who is strongly against helping the Jem'Hadar. He concocts a plan to escape by jerry-rigging a plasma weapon, but a suspicious Jem'Hadar accidentally shoots one of their guards with it, exposing the plot. Goran'Agar breaks the Jem'Hadar custom of killing the wounded guard, which appalls his fellows. Bashir starts to realize that Goran'Agar's freedom from the Founders' influence is allowing him to make moral decisions of his own. He decides to earnestly try to help the Jem'Hadar break their addiction.

Bashir is unable to find any clues as to how Goran'Arag lost his addiction, much to his frustration. The supply of white is running out, causing extreme pain and desperation in the other men. They start to question their leader's "soft" commands and the reality of his claims. Goran'Arag knows that he has only a few days before they give up and kill him. Bashir hopes to succeed and unshackle the Jem'Hadar from their addiction and rob the Dominion of their military, but O'Brien warns that unshackled Jem'Hadar could very well ravage the galaxy. Bashir overrules O'Brien.

On the station, Work stakes out Quarks and observes the Ferengi receive the Malkalian smuggler. They negotiate the sale of some contraband. Worf steps in to arrest the pair, but when he confiscates Quark's bag of latinum, it transforms into Odo. The angry changeling says that the whole sale was a sting operation, and Quark was working for him. He had hoped to infiltrate the whole smuggling operation, but he'll now settle for just the Malkalian. Worf asks why he wasn't simply informed of the sting, and Odo tells him that he doesn't broadcast his secret investigations.

Goran'Arag leads Bashir and O'Brien to their runabout. Another Jem'Hadar confronts them, but Goran'Arag and announces that he's setting the pair free. Bashir urges the man to come with them, but Goran'Arag asks O'Brien, a fellow soldier, to explain why he cannot before leaving. O'Brien explains that, as the commander, Goran'Arag cannot abandon his men even if they're doomed.

* AFatherToHisMen (combined with TheChainsOfCommanding): Goran’agar remains on the planet rather than leave with Bashir and O'Brien, as he is responsible for getting his men into this situation in the first place.

Bashir and O'Brien are taken prisoner by Jem'Hadar soldiers. The soldiers' leader tells them that he has freed himself of his dependance on ketracel-white, the drug the Dominion uses to control the genetically-engineered Jem'Hadar. He wants Bashir to figure out how he was able to do it so he can extend that freedom to the rest of the Jem'Hadar. Bashir agrees, but O'Brien isn't so sure that's a good idea. Meanwhile, Worf tries to adjust to life on [=DS9=], but runs into some friction with Odo.

* ContinuitySnarl: Goran’agar claims his men have eaten the same food as he has, yet is frustrated that they are still addicted to the white while he isn't. A future episode in the same season, ''[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E23ToTheDeath To The Death]]'', will establish that the Jem'Hadar do not eat anything at all, and that the white is all they need to sustain themselves.
** One possible explanation is that, like the Wraith in ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', the Jem'Hadar are capable of eating but just don't really get anything out of it normally, with Goran'agar resorting to eating to try and draw out his own supply of white.

** When Sisko tells Worf to stick to his own job and let Odo handle the investigation, Worf promises not to let this matter interfere with his own duties.

* HonorBeforeReason: Worf comes to Sisko and admits that he screwed up Odo's investigation, which wasn't mentioned in the report. Of course, Sisko already knows.

* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Goran’agar, who re-evaluates most of his beliefs over the course of the episode, and who wants his men freed from their ketracel-white addiction so that they can be the same as him. O'Brien brings up the possibility that he's lying, but Bashir believes that he's genuine, and he certainly expresses enough un-Jem'Hadar-like behaviours to turn his men against him.

* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: Bashir and O'Brien come into heavy conflict - Bashir wants to help the Jem'Hadar because of his InconvenientHippocraticOath, O'Brien just wants to abandon them because he sees them as an enemy. Eventually, Bashir has to [[ThatsAnOrder pull rank]] on O'Brien to force him to help.