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Captive Pursuit

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"Captive Pursuit"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nineepisode
Episodeno.Season 1
Episode 6
Directed byCorey Allen
Story byJill Sherman Donner
Teleplay by
Production code406
Original air dateFebruary 1, 1993(1993-02-01)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Captive Pursuit"is the sixthepisodeof thefirst seasonof the American science fiction television seriesStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.The episode was written by executive producerMichael Pillerand Jill Sherman Donner and was directed byCorey Allen.

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures onDeep Space Nine,a space station located near a stablewormholebetween theAlpha and Gamma quadrantsof the Milky Way Galaxy, near the planetBajor,as the Bajorans recover from a brutal decades-long occupation by the imperialisticCardassians.In this episode, a creature called Tosk (Scott MacDonald) arrives on the station from the Gamma Quadrant and befriends ChiefMiles O'Brien(Colm Meaney), who tries to help him escape the Hunter (Gerrit Graham) who has pursued him through the wormhole.

Scott MacDonald would later appear in several further roles in the franchise as well as a recurring character duringseason threeofStar Trek: Enterprise.Graham, who appears in a guest role as the Hunter, had previously been considered for the main cast role ofOdo.Michael Westmoredesigned the make-up for Tosk to resemble analligator;his initial design for the Hunters was changed for budgetary reasons. The episode was praised by the cast and crew and received aNielsen ratingof 12.9, placing it as one of the four most-watched episodes of the first season. Critical reception was mostly positive, with critics approving of Meaney and MacDonald's performances, but disliking the formulaic nature of the plot. The episode won anEmmy Awardfor best make-up for a series.

Plot

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A damaged, unidentified vessel from the Gamma Quadrant docks atDeep Space Ninefor repairs. Its reptilian pilot, identified only as Tosk, is the first known life-form from the Gamma Quadrant to visit the station. Chief Miles O'Brien suspects Tosk is running from something due to evidence of weapons fire on his vessel. O'Brien befriends Tosk and tries to help him repair his ship. However, Tosk attempts to steal from a weapons locker and is put in a holding cell by Security ChiefOdo(René Auberjonois).

Uniformed aliens arrive through the wormhole,beam ontoDS9,and start a phaser battle with a team led by CommanderBenjamin Sisko(Avery Brooks). The aliens fight their way into thebrigwhere Tosk is being held. Sisko, O'Brien and Odo enter the room as one of the aliens (Gerrit Graham) expresses his disappointment at finding Tosk captured alive; Tosk, it transpires, is the alien Hunters' quarry. The Hunter commands Sisko to lower the forcefield and release Tosk, but Sisko refuses. They discuss the issue and the Hunter agrees to place the wormhole out of bounds for future hunts. As much as he detests this practice, Sisko believes that under thePrime Directive,the law forbidding interfering with alien cultures, he must release Tosk to the aliens.

After talking to the bartenderQuark(Armin Shimerman), O'Brien realises that he can change the rules of the hunt before Tosk is taken away by the Hunters. He lies to Odo and convinces him to release Tosk into his care, claiming it is a Starfleet, not a Bajoran matter. O'Brien escorts the Hunter and Tosk to an airlock, but the Chief has it rigged to overload, knocking out the Hunter, allowing O'Brien to help Tosk escape. In Ops, Sisko is informed about the situation and tells Odo to pursue the duo at a leisurely pace, giving O'Brien time to help Tosk escape the station with the Hunters in pursuit. Later, an angry Sisko reprimands O'Brien for his actions; the Chief expresses his surprise at not being apprehended immediately by Odo. Sisko claims that he must have slipped up, and smiles wryly after O'Brien has left his office.

Production

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Colm Meaney(pictured)called "Captive Pursuit" his favourite episode of the first season.

Originally titled "A Matter of Breeding",[1]directorCorey Allensaid the episode intended to move away from the "squeaky clean" plots ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.[2]After the franchise's creatorGene Roddenberrybanned disagreements between characters inThe Next Generation,this became one of the main elements that the producers wanted to include in the new series.[3]In the episode, this was shown by O'Brien releasing Tosk, but originally, during the teaser segment at the beginning, it was intended to show dabo girl Miss Sarda propositioning Commander Sisko. "We had long conversations on that and ultimately came down on the conservative side, but we'd never even had that kind of conference onTNG",Allen explained.[2]Executive producerMichael Pillerwrote the episode with writer Jill Sherman Donner, who had previous credits on television shows such asMagnum P.I..[4][5]

Michael Westmoredesigned the make-up in the episode, drawing inspiration from an alligator he saw inNational Geographicto create Tosk's appearance.[4]The Hunters were initially intended to appear more alien-like, with steam rising out of their masks as they opened to reveal a demonic face with huge eyes and scaly skin. However, due to budgetary restraints, the original costume and make-up plans were scrapped and the description was revised to become "a rather mundane humanoid face, not far off human."[6]The transporter effect used by the Hunters was inspired by the science fiction filmMetropolis(1927), specifically by the scene in which the robot Maria undergoes a transformation.[7]

"Captive Pursuit" marked the first appearance in theStar Trekfranchise for both Scott MacDonald and Gerrit Graham. MacDonald appeared a week later inThe Next Generationepisode "Face of the Enemy"as Subcommander N'Vek. He would also appear in theDS9episode "Hippocratic Oath"and theStar Trek: Voyagerpilot "Caretaker".InStar Trek: Enterprise,he was cast in the recurring role of theXindi-ReptilianantagonistGuruk Dolimthrough thethird season.[4]Graham was once considered, along with René Auberjonois andAndrew Robinson,for the role of Odo, which went to Auberjonois. Robinson was later cast asElim Garak.[8]Graham later gained the role of Quinn, the secondQinVoyager,in the episode "Death Wish".[9]

The episode was positively received by the cast and crew. Meaney called "Captive Pursuit" a "classicStar Trekstory "and praised MacDonald's performance, naming the episode his favourite of the first season.[10]Michael Piller said it was one of his favourite episodes of the season,[11]whileRick Bermansaid it was his favourite out of the first six episodes of the series, and noted that the connection between Tosk and O'Brien was "charming".[12]

Reception

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"Captive Pursuit" was first released inbroadcast syndicationon January 31, 1993. It received aNielsen ratingof 12.9 percent, placing third in its time slot. This was the fourth highest rated episode of the season, behind"Emissary","Past Prologue"and"A Man Alone".[13]It won theEmmy Awardfor outstanding individual achievement in make-up for a series.[14]

Keith DeCandidogave the episode a rating of 7/10 forTor,calling it a "good, solid, well-put-together episode anchored by two excellent performances," despite believing the first season ofDS9was weak prior to the episode "Duet".DeCandido noted that" Captive Pursuit "was a good Prime Directive-themed episode with interesting alien cultures. He described Colm Meaney as" magnificent ", and said that Scott MacDonald gave a" superb performance ".[4]

Zack Handlen, in his review forThe A.V. Club,said that the episode was formulaic, lacked substance and was simply designed to give Meaney something to do.[15]He praised the dynamic between Meaney and MacDonald, but said that "while not a classic, [the episode was] entertaining enough" and it helped to set up O'Brien's character as one to balance the complexity of some of the newer characters introduced on the show.[15]

In 2015,Geeksuggested this episode as a "recommended episode" for their abbreviatedStar Trek: Deep Space Ninebinge-watchingguide.[16]

Home media release

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The first home media release of the episode was onVHScassette in the United States on September 10, 1996. It was part of the initial launch of cassettes byParamount Home Videowhich saw the first six episodes released and was on a single episode cassette.[17][better source needed]

This was released on VHS in the UK, paired with "Babel".[18]

This episode was released onLaserDiscpaired with "Babel" on one double sided disc, on October 1, 1996 in the United States. It retailed for 34.98 USD and was published by Paramount Home Video.[19]

It was released onDVDas part of the season one box set on June 3, 2003.[20]This episode was released in 2017 onDVDagain with the complete series box set, which had 176 episodes on 48 discs.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^Erdmann & Block (2000):p. 26
  2. ^abErdmann & Block (2000):p. 27
  3. ^Reeves-Stevens & Reeves Stevens (1994):p. 66
  4. ^abcdDeCandido, Keith (May 10, 2013)."Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch:" Captive Pursuit "".Tor.Tor Books.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.
  5. ^Reeves-Stevens & Reeves Stevens (1994):p. 50
  6. ^Reeves-Stevens & Reeves Stevens (1994):p. 35
  7. ^Erdmann & Block (2000):p. 28
  8. ^"Andrew Robinson: First Person".Star Trek. Archived fromthe originalon February 7, 2004.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.
  9. ^Ruditis (2003):p. 85
  10. ^"Colm Meaney - Miles O'Brien".The Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine.5:8. March 14, 1994.
  11. ^Gross & Altman (1996):p. 43
  12. ^Gross & Altman (1996):p. 44
  13. ^"Season 1 Ratings".TrekNation. Archived fromthe originalon October 3, 2000.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.
  14. ^Erdmann & Block (2000):p. 8
  15. ^abHandlen, Zack (February 2, 2012)."Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:" Babel "/" Captive Pursuit "".The A.V. Club.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.
  16. ^Ryan Whitwam (January 19, 2015)."Star Trek: Deep Space Nine condensed: How to watch the most story-driven Trek".Geek.Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2016.
  17. ^Spelling, Ian (August 25, 1996)."Trek Specs".The Washington Times.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.[dead link‍]
  18. ^"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Vol.3 - Babel/Captive Pursuit".videocollector.co.uk.RetrievedFebruary 22,2021.
  19. ^"LaserDisc Database - Star Trek DS9 #005/6: Babel/Captive Pursuit [LV 40510-405]".lddb.RetrievedFebruary 22,2021.
  20. ^Ordway, Holly E. (June 9, 2003)."Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Season 1".DVD Talk.Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 21,2016.
  21. ^TrekNews net Staff (February 10, 2017)."[REVIEW] Deep Space Nine Complete Series DVD Box Set".TREKNEWS.NET.RetrievedFebruary 19,2021.

References

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