Deep Space Nine · Season 7
On your feet.
Why?
We prefer our prisoners standing when they die.
Anyone have any last words?
You may kill us, but Cardassia will never—
[interrupting Damar] Silence. Final words are not permitted.
How disappointing.
[Cardassian soldiers turn on the Jem'Hadar firing squad and gun them down.]
That was for Lakarian City. Legate Damar, I pledge my life to free Cardassia from the Dominion.
With men like you on our side, how can we fail?
I don't believe it.
What now?
The Cardassian fleet has turned against us.
Tell our forces to pull back to Cardassia Prime. There will be no more running. We should have rid ourselves of the Cardassians at the first sign of rebellion.
If I could talk to them, get them to change their minds—
You might be able to reawaken their patriotic spirit.
Exactly.
On the other hand, they might just as easily convince you to betray us.
Me? Betray you? Never!
Correct. We are not going to give you that opportunity.
I want the Cardassians exterminated.
Which ones?
All of them. The entire population.
That will take some time.
Then I suggest that you begin at once.
(rallying the men) Once we are inside Dominion headquarters, we stop at nothing until we capture the Female Changling!
Let it be done! We're with you!
For Cardassia!
For Cardassia!
(as Jem'Hadar soldiers destroy his childhood home) All during the years of my exile, I imagined what it would be like to come home. I even thought of living in this house again, with Mila. But now she's dead, and this house is about to be reduced to a pile of rubble. My Cardassia is gone.
(holds out a gun) Then fight for a new Cardassia.
(takes it) I have an even better reason, Commander—revenge.
[to herself] That works, too.
[outside Dominion headquarters]
We have a problem.
Only one?
It's a rather large problem. The cargo bay door is made of neutronium.
Then the explosives we brought aren't even going to make a dent.
You see the problem.
What do we do?
I don't know. But I'm through hiding in basements.
[Garak begins to laugh]
I fail to see what is so funny, Garak.
Well, isn't it obvious? Here we are, ready to storm the castle, prepared to sacrifice our lives in a noble effort to slay the Dominion beast in its lair— [Kira begins to laugh uncontrollably] —and we can't even get inside the gates!
[They all begin to laugh.]
Maybe— maybe we could go up to the door and ask the Jem'Hadar to let us in.
Or just send the Shapeshifter out to us.
[They group laughs even louder.]
[sobers gradually] As I said, we have a problem.
I wish you hadn't done that. That was Weyoun's last clone.
I was hoping you would say that.
This war is over.
I doubt the Breen or the Jem'Hadar will agree with that assessment. They will fight to the last man.
What will that accomplish?
Isn't it obvious? You may win this war, Commander, but I promise you, by the time it's over, you will have lost so many ships, so many lives, that your victory will taste as bitter as defeat.
It is always good to see you, Odo, but I have no intention of surrendering my forces. It would be sign of weakness, an invitation to the Solids to cross into the Gamma Quadrant and destroy the Great Link.
Believe me when I say that the Federation has its flaws, but a desire for conquest is not one of them.
And what of the Romulans and the Klingons? Can you say the same for them?
The Romulan and Klingon Empires are in no position to invade anyone. Besides, the Federation would not allow it.
The Dominion has spent the last two years trying to destroy the Federation, and now you're asking me to put our fate in their hands?
Yes.
I'm sorry, Odo. I do not have your kind of faith in the Solids.
Before you shed too many tears, let me remind you these are Cardassians who lie dead at your feet! Bajorans would call this poetic justice.
That doesn't mean I have to drink a toast over their bodies.
Eight-hundred-million dead.
The casualty report's still coming in. (Turns to Bashir) Well, aren't you going to congratulate me, Doctor? My exile is now officially over; I've returned home. (pause) Or rather to what's left of it.
(stammering, looking for the right thing to say) Listen, I— I— I know that this must seem...
You know, some may say that we've gotten just what we deserved. After all, we are not entirely innocent, are we? And I'm not just speaking of the Bajoran occupation. No, our whole history is one of arrogant aggression. We've collaborated with the Dominion, betrayed the entire Alpha Quadrant. Oh, no, no, no, there's no doubt about it—we're guilty as charged.
You and I both know the Cardassians are a strong people, they'll survive. Cardassia will survive—
Oh, please, Doctor, spare me your insufferable Federation optimism! Of course, it'll survive. But not as the Cardassia I knew! We had a rich and ancient culture—our literature, music, art was second to none! And now so much of it is... lost. So many of our best people, our most gifted minds....
(places a hand on Garak's shoulder) I'm sorry, Garak. I didn't mean—
Oh, it's... it's quite alright, Doctor. You've been such a good friend, I'm going to miss our lunches together.
Oh, I'm sure we'll see each other again.
I'd like to think so, but one can never say. We live in uncertain times.(leaves)
(to Worf) How would you feel being named Federation Ambassdor to Qo'noS?
I am not a diplomat.
And I am not a politician. But sometimes fate plays cruel tricks on us. Come, Worf. Qo'noS needs you. More importantly, I need you.
Well, you did help him become Chancellor. You can't very well turn your back on him now.
Well, my first duty is to you, Captain.
I'll probably regret this in the morning, but if it's what you really want...
It's been a great honor serving with you.
The honor's all mine.
I accept.
Excellent! Ha-ha! An ambassador who can go targ hunting with me! Perhaps being Chancellor won't be that bad after all.
Four hundred years ago, a victorious general spoke these words at the end of another costly war: "Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no going back. We must move forward to preserve in peace what we've won in war."
To the best crew any captain ever had. This may be the last time we're all together. But no matter what the future holds, no matter how far we travel, a part of us—a very important part—will always remain here on Deep Space Nine.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Deep Space Nine pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
