The Die Is Cast nitpick

[Crewman6]

I absolutely love the "Improbable Cause"/"The Die Is Cast" two-parter, it's one of Ds9's finest achievements and the epic battle sequence and daring rescue at the end was basically the first time DS9 started really stepping up their game in the space battle action department, portending the even bigger battles that were still to come.

But there's one small thing that bothered me. Sisko & Company's daring rescue, thrilling though it is, never really should have needed to happen.

The Colonel Lovok changeling lets Odo go and gives him access to the runabout for him and Garak to leave. So that should have been it. Odo should have been in no further danger whatsoever from the Jem'Hadar fleet.

Lovok should have ordered all the Jem'Hadar ships to just let them go. Or, at worst, Odo could have just contacted them himself and said, "Hey, I'm aboard here! Don't shoot at me. Thank you!"

Sisko and the gang should have met Odo and Garak sitting comfortably in the Runabout, gently cruising home, their feet up on the console while sipping tea.

 

[Tosk]

Maybe Lovok didn't give the order because Odo once again turned down the invitation to come home. Like, I'll help you escape the ship but after that you're on your own.

On the other hand, once the Runabout's shields were gone, the Jem'Hadar didn't blow it up for a relatively long time. So maybe Lovok just told them to make it look good.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

How was Sisko supposed to know about Lovok's decision or the Jem'hadar's ability to keep the runabout safe in the heat of battle?

ETA: Indeed, doesn't the pilot establish that Sisko is only capable of linear thinking?

 

[Crewman6]

How was Sisko supposed to know about Lovok's decision or the Jem'hadar's ability to keep the runabout safe in the heat of battle?

ETA: Indeed, doesn't the pilot establish that Sisko is only capable of linear thinking?

That has nothing to do with it.

The Runabout was fired upon by the Jem'Hadar as it was fleeing and was almost destroyed before Sisko showed up. That first part should never have happened at all. Heroic Sisko should have arrived to find Odo getting away safely, not in imminent danger.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

That has nothing to do with it.

The Runabout was fired upon by the Jem'Hadar as it was fleeing and was almost destroyed before Sisko showed up. That first part should never have happened at all. Heroic Sisko should have arrived to find Odo getting away safely, not in imminent danger.

Numerous times, the Jem'hadar have been shown to be trigger happy and often suspicious of their supposed leaders and creators, even Odo. Hence the white, which keeps them on a short liesh.
As for Sisko, he had no way of knowing that Odo would be safe. He was captured by the Romulan and Card Asian force. The fact that Garak's dad promised to wipe out the changelings is enough for Sisko to have feared for Odo's life.

 

[Crewman6]

Numerous times, the Jem'hadar have been shown to be trigger happy and often suspicious of their supposed leaders and creators, even Odo. Hence the white, which keeps them on a short liesh.
As for Sisko, he had no way of knowing that Odo would be safe. He was captured by the Romulan and Card Asian force. The fact that Garak's dad promised to wipe out the changelings is enough for Sisko to have feared for Odo's life.

The point is NOT Sisko. I'm not saying Ben did anything wrong or that his fears weren't justified. Of course he would try to rescue Odo, he had no way of knowing what his situation was.

And, no, Jem'Hadar have never been anything but utterly obedient and subservient to the Founders. The Vorta is something else entirely. But, last I checked, Odo is not a Vorta.

My point is that Faux Lovok should have alerted the Jem'Hadar fleet that Odo was aboard his runabout and the Jem'Hadar would have/should have just let him go.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Weyiun begs to differ: "The Founders' ability to control the Jem'Hadar has been somewhat overstated. Otherwise we never would have had to addict them to the white."

 

[DonIago]

By that logic, shouldn't the Jem'hadar have not been firing on the Romulan flagship because Lovok was aboard?

 

[kkt]

By that logic, shouldn't the Jem'hadar have not been firing on the Romulan flagship because Lovok was aboard?

Perhaps they had orders about the flagship - fire to disable and capture those in it. Don't hurt the founder and keep Tain for questioning.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Unrelated to the nitpick, this episode is important in that Dennis McCarthy slipped in a reworking of his "Outgunned" music from Generations and that was a musical turning point. From then on, bold orchestral action scores were back on Star Trek after a long run of "sonic wallpaper."

 

[Jayson1]

Lets not forget that the ship might have been targeted but it was not destroyed. I mean that is the only way they could have captured Tain and other Romulan crew. I think they might have just been ordered to disable that one particular ship while the others ones were destroyed. Or the Dominion had a constant transporter lock on Odo just in case it was destroyed or they were going to transports lots of it's crew, which rhey end up doing like with Tain but also wanted to at least respect Odo's wishes to return to Ds9. Not to mention Odo had killed a Changling in the season 3 final and had his powers taken from him so maybe even the Founders were not so certain at this time that killing Odo would not be a bad thing but a justified punishment. Or their was debate. Some wanted Odo dead but Lovok Changling was against it so he helped him escape.

 

[DonIago]

Perhaps they had orders about the flagship - fire to disable and capture those in it. Don't hurt the founder and keep Tain for questioning.

Maybe, but that seems risky to me. Accidents happen. We could just as easily argue that the Jem'hadar had no intention of destroying the runabout.

 

[kkt]

In The Ship, the Jem Hadar under the direction of their Vorta were firing artillery at the ship that they knew had a founder in it.

 

[Jayson1]

They weren't trying to destroy the ship though. They were trying to rattle Sisko and his crew who were trapped inside.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

We have no reason to believe that individual Founders are motivated by self-preservation when the preservation of the Great Link from solids is at stake. Indeed, everything points to them being willing to sacrifice themselves for the Great Link. Not-Lovak may have been willing to sacrifice himself.

 

[DonIago]

You mean Fauxvok?

 

[somebuddyX]

"I was shooting at Garak. Odo got in the way" - some Jem Hadar, probably.

 

[Farscape One]

Lets not forget that the ship might have been targeted but it was not destroyed. I mean that is the only way they could have captured Tain and other Romulan crew. I think they might have just been ordered to disable that one particular ship while the others ones were destroyed. Or the Dominion had a constant transporter lock on Odo just in case it was destroyed or they were going to transports lots of it's crew, which rhey end up doing like with Tain but also wanted to at least respect Odo's wishes to return to Ds9. Not to mention Odo had killed a Changling in the season 3 final and had his powers taken from him so maybe even the Founders were not so certain at this time that killing Odo would not be a bad thing but a justified punishment. Or their was debate. Some wanted Odo dead but Lovok Changling was against it so he helped him escape.

"THE DIE IS CAST" (the final pre-goatee Sisko episode) was 5 episodes before "THE ADVERSARY", where Odo killed the Krajensky Changeling.

 

[Jayson1]

Doh! You are right. Not even sure how I missed that one.