Destiny (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

"Destiny"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode
The Defiant's shuttle escorts 3 comet fragments out of the wormhole.
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 15
Directed by	Les Landau
Written by	David S. Cohen[disambiguation needed ] Martin A. Winer
Featured music	Dennis McCarthy
Production code	461
Original air date	February 13, 1995 (1995-02-13)
Guest stars
Tracy Scoggins as Gilora Wendy Robie as Ulani Erick Avari as Vedek Yarka Jessica Hendra as Dejar
Episode chronology
← Previous "Heart of Stone" Next → "Prophet Motive"
List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes

"Destiny" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifteenth episode of the third season.

Quick Overview: A joint Federation-Cardassian mission to establish a communications relay on the other side of the wormhole is complicated by an ancient Bajoran prophecy of doom.

Plot

Working from Deep Space Nine, a team of Cardassian scientists plans to deploy a subspace relay to allow communication through the Bajoran wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant for the first time. Soon afterwards, Vedek Yarka arrives to tell Commander Sisko that Trakor's Third Prophecy warns that this would bring catastrophe. The prophecy reads: When the river wakes, stirred once more to Janir's side, three vipers will return to their nest in the sky. When the vipers try to peer through the temple gates, a sword of stars will appear in the heavens. The temple will burn, and its gates will be cast open.

Sisko is more than a little skeptical, and establishing communication with the Gamma quadrant is too important to stop. Furthermore, there are only two Cardassians, not "three vipers" as foretold. Then, one of them mentions that a third scientist will be joining them. Sisko remains unfazed, but Major Kira begins to worry. Next, a comet is detected headed their way -- "the sword of stars" according to Kira. Nonetheless, the relay is deployed and testing begins.

The second test causes trouble. The wormhole's gravity increases threefold, drawing the comet toward it. The silithium in the core of the comet will cause a cascade reaction if it enters the wormhole and destroy it forever. Trakor's prophecy seems to be coming true.

Sisko has the Defiant's modified phasers fire on the comet in an attempt to destroy it, but that only splits it into three pieces, all still on course for the wormhole. One of the scientists suggests creating a subspace field around the fragments to isolate the silithium. The plan nearly works, but some of it leaks out and reacts with the wormhole. However, this turns out to be unexpectedly beneficial. A subspace filament forms along the entire length of the wormhole, establishing a communications link.

Kira realizes that the entire prophecy actually came true. The three vipers were the three comet fragments, not the Cardassians. The silithium ignited the wormhole, burning the temple gates—so they'd never close again. Sisko finally agrees: Trakor saw it all and wrote it down three thousand years before. Back on the station, at the very last moment of the show, Vedek Yarka partially reveals to Commander Sisko Trakor's Fourth Prophecy where the Emissary will eventually "face a fiery trial", a foreshadow of what is to come.

Arc significance

• Bajor and Cardassia undertake the first joint operation since the signing of the peace treaty (cf. "Life Support") by constructing a communications relay in the Gamma Quadrant which will, among other things, provide warning of a Dominion attack.
• Trakor's Fourth Prophecy states that "the Emissary will face a fiery trial".

External links

• Destiny at the Internet Movie Database
• "Destiny" at TV.com
• Destiny at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Destiny at StarTrek.com