Battle Lines

This DS9 story has Commander Sisko, Major Kira, and Dr. Bashir taking one of the shuttlecraft into the wormhole with the Kai of Bajor along for the ride. Camille Saviola playing the Kai feels this is part of her destiny.

The shuttlecraft is downed by some planetary defense systems and Kai Opaka is killed. But then she rises from the dead. Seems like no one has died in scores of years on this planet. Something like the world in Zardoz.

Deep Space 9 is the only Star Trek show where religion has a role. In the explanation of the Bajoran faith is why Kai Opaka does what she does.

This is one of Nana Visitor's best shows, her grief for Opaka is quite real and not staged. Catch this one for her if no other reason.

Appreciated insight into Kira's character, in an episode that gave everyone something important to do. Impressed by the handling of philosophy and the additional world building for the gamma quadrant.

The Bajoran holy woman, Kai Opaka, unexpectedly shows up on Deep Space 9. Even more unexpectedly, she longs to be taken through the wormhole. However, after the runabout with Sisko, Kira, Dr. Bashir and Kai Opaka nears a moon, the planet's defense systems knocks down their craft and the Kai is killed. Once on the surface of this moon, they find a hellish and stupid group who are CONSTANTLY at war with their enemies. Now here's the rub...soon Kai Opaka comes back to life and Dr. Bashir realizes that their's some artificial organism that deliberately keeps everyone on the moon alive forever...and this war seems to be going on forever because these folks are stupid idiots. What's next?

This episode actually seems very similar to an episode from the old "Star Trek", "Day of the Dove"--except that "Battle Lines" is much better and doesn't suffer from a silly and unrealistic ending. Well worth seeing.

Great idea. Done decently. This is one of the reasons why we watch 1990 TV on Netflix and Amazon prime.

The Kai is an interesting figure. I've always admired figures who risk their personal safety for a cause that is big. If one can take the religion out of it. I think of people like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Kai has a sort of sixth sense and demands to be taken on a rescue mission, only to be submerged in a civil war among a culture that can be regenerated after death by microbes. Soon, the Commander, Kira, and Doctor find themselves trying to negotiate a settlement in an age old war. This is old stuff in the Star Trek world, but at least the results aren't so Kirkish.