"Empok Nor" is the 122nd episode of the television series , the 24th episode of the. The episode primarily takes place on the Cardassianspace station Empok Nor, which was abandoned for some time. Within the Star Trekscience fiction universe, in the year 2373 a salvage mission is led to the derelict space station from Deep Space Nine. However, to accomplish this mission it is known that various Cardassian booby traps must be overcome. This episode aired on television on May 19, 1997. The screen play was written by Bryan Fuller and Hans Beimler, and it was directed by Mike Vejar.
Introduction and background
Empok Nor is a space station in the late 2300s, of the same type as Deep Space Nine but it has been left derelict. In the Star Trekspace science fiction universe, the Cardassians are an alien species that have recently made a peace treaty with the United Federation of Planets and pulled out from their occupation of the exoplanet Bajor inhabited by the humanoid alien species of the same name. As part of the peace treaty the Cardassians left a large amount of material, that is now administered by Bajorans in conjunction with the Federation an interplanetary alliance they hope to join. Much of the back-story for this fictional universe was established by the 1960s television show' which was broadcast from 1966 to 1969, and ' which ran from 1987 to 1994. In this episode, the character Miles O'Brien leads an away team to an abandoned space station, of the same design as Deep Space Nine. On this mission are the recurring charactersGarak, played by Andrew J. Robinson and Nog played by Aron Eisenberg. There are several guest stars including Tom Hodges as Pechetti, Andy Milder as Boq'ta, Marjean Holden as Stolzoff, and Jeffrey King as Amaro. This episode includes many special effect shots and props including a space suit, a Danube-class runabout, phasers, and the Empok Nor space station.
Plot
, Dax, and Worf arrive at Quark's to find it strangely empty, soon discovering that the other customers have been driven away by noisy work Chief O'Brien and Nog are performing on a nearby conduit. When attempts to repair the conduit fail, O'Brien realizes it will need to be replaced, and as replication is impossible, he suggests they mount a salvage expedition to Deep Space Nine's sister station, Empok Nor, which the Cardassians abandoned a year prior. The salvage team consists of O'Brien, Garak, Nog, engineers Pechetti and Boq'ta, and security officers Stolzoff and Amaro. As Cardassians routinely booby-trap abandoned facilities against non-Cardassian intruders, Garak is brought along to help disarm the security measures. On the abandoned station, the team discovers two empty and recently deactivated stasis tubes and a third one with a dead Cardassian soldier, whose uniform marks him as a member of an elite and ruthless battalion. Suddenly, the away team's runabout detaches from the station and explodes, stranding them inside with no means to send for help. The team splits into groups to continue the salvage and attempt to establish communications. The recently awoken Cardassian soldiers methodically ambush and eliminate Pechetti and Stolzoff. Rather than remaining with the others, Garak decides to goon the offensive and track down the enemy soldiers himself. He returns after eliminating one of them, and relays his discovery that the soldiers had been subjected to psychotropic drugs which amplify their natural xenophobic tendencies. He then disappears to find the remaining adversary. The rest of the team continues their tasks, noting Garak's ruthlessness and unusual behaviour. The second soldier ambushes Boq'ta, but Garak emerges and kills him before he can kill Amaro, only to then stab Amaro himself. O'Brien and Nog discover Amaro, who tells them what happened, then dies from his injuries. O'Brien realizes Garak has been affected by the same drug as the soldiers, and sets out to stop him. Garak, meanwhile, sets a trap and captures Nog, using him to draw O'Brien out. O'Brien consents to lay down his weapons and face Garak in hand-to-hand combat, but disables him with his own trap, having rigged his phaser to overload and explode. The three are rescued, having collected the parts they needed, but at a terrible price. Back on DS9, O'Brien visits Garak in the infirmary. Garak expresses his sincere regret over his actions; O'Brien informs him there will be an inquest, but it will be made clear to the board that Garak wasn't responsible for what he did. Garak remarks that he is lucky the phaser blast didn't kill him, and O'Brien replies that it was intended to do exactly that.
Reception
In 2017 this episode was noted as featuring scary and/or eerie Star Trek content. In 2018, TheGamer ranked this one of the top 25 creepiest episodes of all Star Trek. They categorized this episode as a psychological thriller and slasher genre. It features the characters Chief O'Brien, Garak, Nog, and various extras on an abandoned Cardassian space station, of the same overall type as the titular Deep Space Nine. In 2019, ScreenRant ranked this the tenth best episode for the character Nog, noting how he helps O'Brien despite being a hostage.
