# Seige of AR-558 (Star Trek DS9)



## TheNewTeddy (5 Jul 2011)

I'm curious if anyone has seen this episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine (DS9)

It is about a seige of a base (AR-558) that is likely, not all that important. In the episode, one recurring character loses his leg, and some of the single-episode characters we are introduced to are killed.

According to Memory Alpha, the Trek wiki "This episode is loosely based on the Battle of Guadalcanal" "This episode acts as culmination of sorts to the exploration of the real horrors of war" "Director Winrich Kolbe had fought in the Vietnam War"

I have two questions
A - To anyone with combat experience, how "true to life" is this episode?

B - To anyone who has not seen it but has experience, are you willing to watch it? I don't want to trigger any flashbacks so I'll warn you that I think it can be pretty graphic, so you've been warned. You can likely find the episode on Youtube, I wont post a link for legal reasons, or you can buy the season 7 DS9 DVD. Most of Season 7 deals with war and darker topics, so it's not a "waste" by any means. "AR-558" and "DS9" will let you find it on searches anywhere; on google etc. If you do want to watch it but have no experience with Trek I'll give you a primer:

Ignore the first 2 minutes, they are pointless. It's an entertaining opening for trek fans, nothing related to anything. 

Starfleet is the semi-military arm of the Federation, the "good guys". Starfleet uses naval ranks, Captain, Commander, Lt. Commander, etc, Ensign and so forth.

There are two alien races that the episode has that play roles. The Jem'Hadar are an artificially created genetically engineered enemy created by the "bad guys" known as the Dominion. They are the ones shooting at our heros. They are big, ugly, blue-grey, and live only to kill. The Ferengi are on the side of the "good guys". One of them is in Starfleet, another is a civilian relative who has been added to the show for plot purposes (his in-show reason for being there is insane). The Ferengi are small shrew-like people with super-human hearing and ears who live for profit. While the producers have tried to claim otherwise, they may have been based on Jewish stereotypes. The fact that all the Ferengi in this episode are played by Jewish actors does not help fight that position.

A few general things about Star Trek in general in case you are clueless about the series. It takes place in the year 2400 so technology is advanced. The guns are all laser weapons, and medical technology involves you swiping a blinking thing over a person while looking at another blinking thing, and from time to time, pressing a bar that hisses to their neck to make them all healed up. Uniforms with blue undershirts means doctors or science people, yellow are engineers, and red are the bosses. Rank is indicated by the number and colour of golden pips on the collar.


Anyway, I'd love to hear any feedback. This is known as the most military episode of Star Trek, and I'd like to know if they got it on, came close, or are way off.

Thanks in advance.

edit - oh and the girl with spots is an alien too. She is two people, one is most of her, her body and what, the other is a worm in her belly that has been in the belly of other people, and carries their memories too, hence she has like 6 lifetimes of memories.


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## Infanteer (5 Jul 2011)

Uhh...okay.  Not enough dirt.


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