History Recap / StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E08TheSiegeOfAR558

* CallBack: The Starfleet and Dominion forces jam each other's sensors, just like the Klingons did in 'Nor the Battle to the Strong.'
* CastingGag: Kellin, the engineer at AR-558, is played by Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson on ''Series/LostInSpace'', one of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'''s DuelingShows, and Lennier in ''Series/Babylon5'', one of ''[=DS9's=]'' Dueling Shows. One of his conditions for appearing in the episode is that he insisted on playing a human, so he wouldn't have to wear heavy prosthetics like he did for his entire run on ''Babylon 5''.

-->'''Sisko:''' They're not just names, it's important we remember that. We ''have'' to remember..
* DramaticIrony: Quark makes a big speech about how humans, when pushed to their limits, can be every bit as bloodthirsty and violent as any Klingon warrior, with an implicit attitude of being above this sort of thing. Then during the climactic battle, a Jem'hadar storms the infirmary and Quark guns him down without a second thought, with the realization that his previous speech applied to him just as much.

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The Starfleeters use the Jem'Hadar's' "houdini" mines against them.

* ZergRush: The Jem'Hadar try to overwhelm the Federation garrison with sheer numbers - literally stumbling over piles of their own dead until they can close to melee combat range.

* ZergRush: The Jem'Hadar try to overwhelm the Federation garrison with sheer numbers.

* CastingGag: Kellin, the engineer at AR-558, is played by Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson on ''Series/LostInSpace'', one of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'''s DuelingShows, and Lennier in ''Series/Babylon5'', one of ''[=DS9's=]'' Dueling Shows.

** Other than the mines, neither side brings any weapons more powerful than rifles. The Dominion don't try to shell the Federation position, and the Federation doesn't emplace anything heavier to cover the single line of approach beyond re-purposing the Dominion's own mines. Granted, this is ''kind of'' justified with the space above AR-558 being a combat mess (making it hard to get anything really heavy beamed down and in place), and the Dominion wanting to recapture the transmitter as opposed to blowing it up, so they avoid using anything too heavy, but it's still a bit flimsy.

* ScifiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale:
** Psychological effects aside, the Dominion minefield is hilariously ineffective. [[http://stardestroyer.net/Empire/Essays/Battles-2e.html As calculated here]], according to the Federation soldiers, they've lost 107 men in 150 days, which works out to ''less than one casualty a day'', both from the minefield ''and'' repeated Jem attacks. Units on long-term deployments in active combat in wars with peer opponents ''wish'' they had casualty rates that low.

** For as vast and far reaching as the Dominion War is when the weekly casualty report comes in at the end of the episode, there are only 1,730 Starfleet casualties listed.

* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: An engineer, not a magician.

* NewMeat: ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf has the conn on the ''Defiant'', along with BadassNormal Miles O'Brien; ColonelBadass Kira Nerys and CowboyCop Odo are back home at the station. (ActionGirl Jadzia Dax is dead.) Sisko beams down with EnsignNewbie Nog, NaiveNewcomer Ezri Dax and TheBartender Quark at his side, all of whom are untried in infantry situations. His most battle-tested asset is CombatMedic Dr. Bashir!

-->'''Reese:''' Children.\\

* ParanoiaFuel: The invisible floating mines are a disturbing InUniverse example.

* PetTheDog: After bringing a wounded Nog back to base, Reese takes a moment to tell Sisko "The kid did good".

* NewMeat: ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf has the conn on the ''Defiant'', along with BadassNormal Miles O'Brien; IronLady Major Kira Nerys and CowboyCop Odo are back home at the station. (ActionGirl Jadzia Dax is dead.) Sisko beams down with EnsignNewbie Nog, NaiveNewcomer Ezri Dax and TheBartender Quark at his side, all of whom are untried in infantry situations. His most battle-tested asset is CombatMedic Dr. Bashir!

* CastingGag: Kellin, the commanding officer at AR-558, is played by Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson on ''Series/LostInSpace'', one of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'''s DuelingShows, and Lennier in ''Series/Babylon5'', one of ''[=DS9's=]'' Dueling Shows.

* HollywoodTactics: Other than the mines, neither side brings any weapons more powerful than rifles. The Dominion don't try to shell the Federation position, and the Federation doesn't emplace anything heavier to cover the single line of approach beyond re-purposing the Dominion's own mines. Granted, this is ''kind of'' justified with the space above AR-558 being a combat mess (making it hard to get anything really heavy beamed down and in place), and the Dominion wanting to recapture the transmitter as opposed to blowing it up, so they avoid using anything too heavy, but it's still a bit flimsy.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In keeping with the Dominion War being analogous to World War II, this episode was directly based on the Battle of Guadalcanal. Just swap Henderson Field for the communications array.

-->'''Sisko:''' We held.
-->'''Reese:''' Those were our orders, sir.

-->'''Reese:''' Children.
-->'''Sisko:''' Not for long.
* NotSoDifferent: Quark spends a lot of the episode moralizing, but in the end he drops the superior attitude, picks up a phaser, and proves that when push comes to shove he can be just as ruthless as any [[FantasticSlur hew-mon]].

* ScifiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: For as vast and far reaching as the Dominion War is when the weekly casualty report comes in at the end of the episode, there are only 1,730 Starfleet casualties listed.

* NewMeat: ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf has the conn on the ''Defiant''; IronLady Major Kira Nerys, CowboyCop Odo and BadassNormal Miles O'Brien are back home at the station. (ActionGirl Jadzia Dax is dead.) Sisko beams down with EnsignNewbie Nog, NaiveNewcomer Ezri Dax and TheBartender Quark at his side, all of whom are untried in infantry situations. His most battle-tested asset is CombatMedic Dr. Bashir!

* HumansAreWarriors : Quark explains to Nog what Hew-mons are like beneath the MarySueTopia:

* DueToTheDead[=/=]ContinuityNod: Sisko still reads the lists of those killed in the war.

-->"Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, nephew. They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts... deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers... put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time... and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people will become as nasty and violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don't believe me? Look at those faces, look at their eyes..."

* ShellShockedVeteran: Everyone at AR-558 - they were supposed to be rotated out after 90 days. They've been there five months with no relief and under constant attack to the point they went from 147 troops to just 43 by the time the ''Defiant'' shows up.

** Subverted by Vargas, who describes his dead friend as a loudmouth jerk.

* TragicKeepsake: Vargas's bandage, made from the uniform of a dead comrade.

* HollywoodTactics: Other than the mines, neither side brings any weapons more powerful than rifles. The Dominion don't try to shell the Federation position, and the Federation doesn't emplace anything heavier to cover the single line of approach beyond re-purposing the Dominion's own mines.

* WriterOnBoard: The director of the episode had fought in the Vietnam War, and allowed his own experiences as a soldier to color the atmosphere of the scene and really brought out the WarIsHell trope to the forefront.

The ''Defiant'' makes a supply run to planet AR-558, the site of a Dominion communications relay that Starfleet captured. The relay has been under constant siege, with the crew defending it overdue to be relieved by a new crew. Sisko, Bashir, Nog, and Quark find themselves stuck on the planet and having to help hold the relay against a Jem'hadar batallion, while dealing with deadly Dominion booby-traps.

* NewMeat: The relief troops at the end.