Recap / Star Trek Deep Space Nine S 05 E 23 Blaze Of Glory

"You never give up, do you, Mr. Eddington?"
"Never."

Nog is having dinner with the Siskos when Jake lets slip that Nog has been having problems earning respect from the Klingons stationed on board. Sisko suggests standing up to their bullying tactics. Martok interrupts the conversation to deliver some grave news: He's discovered and decrypted a message sent from the Maquis to a "Michael," announcing that torpedoes are en route to hit Cardassia. Martok confirms that the missiles likely use Klingon cloaking technology. If Cardassia gets hit by them, it could trigger a war that would engulf the entire Alpha Quadrant.

Sisko deduces that the "Michael" mentioned in the message is Michael Eddington, the Starfleet traitor and former Chief Security Officer of Deep Space Nine. Sisko visits the prison where he's held and tries to convince him to help. Eddington refuses to help and prefers to simply die in the war, but Sisko takes him on a runabout into the Badlands anyway. As expected, they bicker. Eddington accuses Sisko of caring more about his pride than justice, while Sisko notes that Eddington's war against the Cardassians pushed them into the Dominion and made everything worse.

The pair eventually encounter Jem'Hadar. Sisko leaves it to Eddington to get them out of the scrape, proving that his death wish was a front. Now actively involved in the mission, Eddington agrees to navigate to the Maquis missile launch site on Athos IV, where they can deactivate the torpedoes. However, Eddington vows to kill Sisko after completing the mission. On the way, the Jem'Hadar return. During the fight, Eddington ignites some plasma while Sisko is making alterations to the ship, nearly killing him. In spite of their squabbling, they arrive on Athos IV, which is crawling with Jem'Hadar.

Back on the station, Nog has been trying to work up the courage to stand up to the Klingons. After one botched attempt at arresting some soldiers for noise disruption, he accosts a few Klingons standing on the Promenade and orders them to move out of his "favorite spot" or he'll arrest them for loitering. Impressed by the Ferengi's spunk, Martok intervenes and orders his men to obey Nog. Later, Martok and Nog greet each other with civility, and Nog basks in the respect he's earned.

On Athos IV, Eddington and Sisko ambush a few Jem'Hadar guards to delve deeper into the base, where they discover the bodies of Maquis littering the compound. Eddington blames himself for their deaths, while Sisko admits that the Federation could also have done more to stop the bloodshed. Eddington then leads them to a hiding spot containing a group of Maquis survivors, including Eddington's wife, Rebecca. Eddington reveals that the torpedoes never existed, and the message was a ploy to get Starfleet to bring Eddington to the meeting point. The Jem'Hadar weren't part of the plan. Another wave of attackers arrives, and Eddington gets hit. He stays behind to cover the retreat of Sisko and his comrades, dying in a hail of phaser fire.

Back on the station, Sisko describes to Dax how Eddington was a Maquis to the very end. The captain admits that, in spite of being a Starfleet traitor, Eddington was the most loyal man he ever knew. While the Maquis seems to be wiped out, Sisko wonders if there are still some remnants out there waiting for their moment to strike.

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Tropes

• Actually Pretty Funny: When Martok asks if Nog is very brave or very stupid for daring to stand up to him, Nog replies that it's probably both. At this, Martok barks out an impressed laugh, and Nog goes up a few notches in the general's book.
• Are We There Yet?: Eddington asks this when Sisko wakes him upon reaching the Badlands.
• Armor-Piercing Response: Sisko largely brushes off Eddington's Never My Fault screed on the runabout, but the first mention of Cal Hudson in years sure gets his attention. Eddington chastises him for ignoring an old friend, to which Sisko asserts the man betrayed Starfleet.
  Eddington: If it makes you feel any better, he paid for his sins. He was killed in a skirmish with the Cardassians.
• Backup Bluff: Eddington uses this when he's alone against the Jem'Hadar, barking orders to Maquis who aren't actually there.
• Batman Gambit:
  • Sisko refuses to pilot the ship during the Jem'Hadar attack, counting on the fact that Eddington's Death Seeker attitude is just a front. He's right, and Eddington takes the helm to save his own skin.
  • The whole torpedo story was a plan to trick Starfleet into taking Eddington directly to the Maquis meeting site. When Sisko asks what Eddington would have done if he hadn't been forced to participate, he simply says, "I'd have volunteered!"
• Brandishment Bluff: It turns out the Maquis' doomsday missiles weren't real, just part of an elaborate Batman Gambit to get Eddington released from prison so he could track down and rescue the remnants of his Maquis cell, including his wife.
• Bus Crash:
  • Cal Hudson is mentioned to have died in a random skirmish sometime after his defection.
  • Also, the entirety of the Maquis has apparently been wiped out by the Dominion and Cardassians since their last appearance.
• Call-Back: After bringing his people into the Dominion, Dukat swore that there wouldn't be a single Maquis left in Cardassian territory before the week was out. Here, we see that it wasn't an idle boast; nearly all of the Maquis have been wiped out by the Jem'Hadar.
• Casual Danger Dialogue: Constant, hostile (till near the end), and rapid-fire between Sisko and Eddington.
  Eddington: Attacking two Jem'Hadar soldiers with a pipe? That's a brilliant plan...
  Sisko: It could be worse.
  Eddington: I know. It could be me holding the pipe.
  Sisko: Exactly.
• Death Seeker: Eddington claims that he'd rather just die as collateral damage in the impending war than do anything to stop it. Sisko proves that this is just a front. Later, it's revealed that even the front was just part of Eddington's Batman Gambit.
• Didn't See That Coming: After everything is out in the open, Sisko chastises Eddington for not being honest from the get-go, pointing out Starfleet would've still helped rescue the survivors and provided the resources needed against the Jem'Hadar. Eddington justifies his by saying no one outside the group knew about the secret base, meaning he never expected the Jem'Hadar to be prowling about.
• Epic Fail: Nog decides to catch the Klingons when they're being too loud, but ends up falling back in his chair before he can do so. He tells Jake that he's not getting up until everyone in the bar has left.
• Fighting for a Homeland: Eddington mentions that with the Cardassians on the run, the Maquis were going to declare the DMZ an independent nation.
• Foreshadowing: Eddington doesn't bother to listen to the entire message when Sisko brings it to him, claiming that he doesn't need to listen to it because it's not addressed to him. It's later revealed that the message was part of a preplanned ruse to effect his escape, so he already knew what it said.
• Freak Out: While chatting with Morn, Quark happens to mention if the Jem'Hadar ever show up, there's a good chance everyone will be killed. Morn did not take it well, apparently, running around butt-naked screaming "We're all doomed!" Offscreen, naturally.
• Grand Finale: For the Eddington Trilogy and the DS9 Maquis Story Arc.
• Great Offscreen War: The Dominion military annexed the DMZ off-screen during the interim since "By Inferno's Light". All Maquis ships and colonies were wiped out by the Jem'Hadar over the course of 3 days.
• He's Just Hiding: Invoked by Sisko in the final scene, with him theorizing that a few Maquis cells might still be alive and undercover, waiting for the right moment to re-emerge. This was intended to let the writers of Star Trek: Voyager use the Maquis again if ever they needed to, but that show ultimately picked up where this one left off by confirming that the vast majority of the Maquis were exterminated by the Dominion, with the few survivors having mostly been arrested and detained by the Federation.
• How Did You Know? I Didn't: Sisko is fighting a Jem'Hadar soldier hand-to-hand in an area obscured by smoke. Eddington, from cover, manages to kill the soldier with his rifle. Sisko compliments him on his keen eyesight, and Eddington admits he guessed - he waited for one of them to fall, then shot the one still standing.
• I Ate WHAT?!: Sisko mixes puree of tube grubs with squid. Jake isn't happy when he finds out.
• I'll Kill You!: When Eddington breaks down and agrees to help Sisko stop the Maquis missiles, Eddington promises to kill Sisko when it's all over.
• It's All About Me: Even months after his arrest, Eddington still appears convinced that he was right to join the Maquis and Sisko only kept trying to catch them because their existence is a blemish on his record. This leads to him ignoring Sisko's observation that the Maquis' actions drove the Cardassians to make their new alliance with the Dominion, as well as Sisko pointing out that if the Maquis had accepted the original treaty they might have been able to find new homes elsewhere. This fundamentally says more about Eddington's views than it does about Sisko's feelings, with Eddington focusing on a view that lets him be the oppressed hero rather than accept that there was another way to do things.
• It's All My Fault: For all his ego and excuses, Eddington is horrified to see Maquis bodies littering the corridor. He blames himself for their deaths, saying he failed them.
• I Will Only Slow You Down: Eddington says this to Sisko after being shot.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Despite his longtime friendship with Sisko, Cal Hudson had not been seen or mentioned once since in Season 2. Fittingly, Eddington quips, "I bet you haven't heard that name in a while."
• Mandatory Line: Quark is given a scene talking about Morn that doesn't otherwise influence the plot.
• Misapplied Phlebotinum: The Maquis, and presumably the Federation, have access to a very light material that completely blocks Dominion energy weapons. They use it to make the water barrels Eddington uses for cover in this episode, and it is never seen or referenced again.
• Multiple Gunshot Death: Eddington is riddled with blasts by the Jem'Hadar in his last stand.
• Naked People Are Funny: Offscreen, but Morn, driven to panic by Quark's ill-advised comments on the station's odds against the Dominion, stripped naked and ran screaming into a Bajoran temple, begging the Prophets for protection.
• The Neutral Zone: The Demilitarized Zone, having been part of the series since late Season Two (and TNG's "Journey's End"), essentially ceases to exist with the DMZ overrun by the Jem'Hadar.
• Never My Fault: Eddington blames Sisko for the downfall of the Maquis, believing that their doom was a result of Eddington being imprisoned. Sisko barks back that the Maquis effectively screwed themselves; they may have had the Cardassians on the run, but they wound up being driven right to the Dominion.
• Never Speak Ill of the Dead:
  • Sisko called Eddington a traitor for the last year, but after his Heroic Sacrifice, Sisko calls him "the most loyal man I've ever known", acknowledging Eddington's loyalty to the cause he chose.
  • Sisko was a bit more lenient towards Cal Hudson, acknowledging their former friendship while still referring to him as a traitor. Upon learning the man suffered a Bus Crash, a crushed Sisko refers to him as a good man.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • Eddington, as lampshaded by Sisko.
    Eddington: They died because I wasn't there when they needed me most. Because you put me in jail.
    Sisko: They died because you filled their heads with false hopes. Sold them dreams of a military victory when what they needed was a negotiated peace.
    Eddington: We had the Cardassians on the run.
    Sisko: And they ran right into the arms of the Dominion! End of story!
• Noodle Incident: According to Eddington, Sisko threw a Thanksgiving Dinner for the Senior Staff at some point during Season Four (and prior to Eddington's defection).
• "Not So Different" Remark: Jadzia tells Sisko that he and Eddington may have had more in common than he thought. He doesn't exactly deny it.
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: The Maquis are wiped out, ending their guerilla warfare against the Federation and Cardassia and further altering the balance of power as the Dominion continues entrenching itself within the Alpha Quadrant.
• One-Steve Limit: Discussed and played straight; Sisko assumes that the "Michael" addressed in the Maquis message is Eddington, who points out that it's a very common name. Naturally, it's Eddington himself the message was meant for.
• Properly Paranoid: Sisko fires a volley into an apparently clear area. He hits and kills two Jem'Hadar who were shrouded.
  Eddington: I'm glad one of us remembered they could do that.
• Sequel Episode: To ''For the Uniform" (and also concluding the Eddington Trilogy that began with "For the Cause").
• Shout-Out: When Eddington is preparing to go out in the eponymous Blaze of Glory, he asks if anyone can think of a good song for this situation.
• Spanner in the Works: Eddington's plan to save the Maquis didn't account for the Jem'Hadar finding their rallying point, which leads to several deaths (including Eddington's own) despite the plan's overall success.
• Stock Footage: The small space station where Eddington is held captive is recycled footage of the Regula I from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The footage is clearly of a different art style and film stock than standard Deep Space Nine fare.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The Maquis' guerrilla warfare and ragtag fleet, which allowed them to run circles around Starfleet and the Cardassian military for the better part of 3 years, are no match for the war machine of the Dominion. The Jem'Hadar likewise overran the Demilitarized Zone, caring nothing for Treaty restrictions or violations. The DMZ has ceased to exist and is now Dominion territory (and there's nothing Starfleet can do about it).
• Talk to the Fist: Sisko punches Eddington for lying to him.
• Tempting Fate: Martok, after being mildly impressed by Nog's standing up to him and his cohorts, points to his missing eye and warns him of this.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich: Eddington turns his nose up at the replicated chicken curry. Sisko takes a single bite from his, compliments the flavor, and throws the rest away.
• Time for Plan B: Though Eddington warns Sisko that he's not going to like it.
• Tragic Dream: Eddington's vision of an independent homeland for the Maquis; likely hopelessly optimistic to begin with, it dies a violent death at the hands of the Dominion, as Eddington laments while mourning his dead friends.
• Tranquil Fury: After the con is revealed, Eddington says Sisko should be relieved there will be no counterstrike that plunges the Alpha Quadrant into a costly war. Sisko starts smiling at that, all while sounding very displeased over being tricked. He punches Eddington soon afterwards.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Eddington and Sisko call each other out as being responsible for the downfall of the Maquis, with Eddington accusing Sisko of having left them leaderless at the worst possible time, and Sisko in turn pointing out that it wouldn't have mattered if Eddington himself hadn't prosecuted the war against the Cardassians so aggressively that they (and the Klingons) ended up causing them to join the Dominion.
• Weaponized Exhaust: Eddington uses it against the Jem'Hadar.
• Wham Episode: The Maquis, having been a part of the series and the TNG-era of the franchise since late Season Two, are wiped out by the Dominion. Eddington also dies.
• You Shall Not Pass!: Eddington single-handedly masterminds a scheme to save his people AFTER his whole Face–Heel Turn-—not to mention being captured and imprisoned by Starfleet—- and then goes down fighting to ensure that everyone escaped.
• You Talk Too Much!: When Eddington goes on about how much he doesn't want to help Sisko and says that he may as well be dead.
  Sisko: For a dead man, you talk a lot.
• You're Insane!: Eddington's reaction to Sisko's Batman Gambit.