Babel (episode)

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This article is written
from the Real World
point of view
"Babel"
DS9, Episode 1x05
Production number: 40511-405
First aired: 24 January 1993
← 4th of 173 produced in DS9 →
← 4th of 173 released in DS9 →
  {{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 173 released in DS9 Remastered  
← 248th of 726 released in all →
Teleplay By
Michael McGreevey & Naren Shankar

Story By
Sally Caves & Ira Steven Behr

Directed By
Paul Lynch
46423.7 (2369)
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For information on the planet, see Babel

A virus infects the station's residents, making everyone unable to speak coherently.

Contents

[edit] Summary

Chief O'Brien and his crew work in the docking pylon, trying to free a crew stuck aboard their vessel. Jaheel, a freighter captain, complains to O'Brien about his ship's antimatter flow converter; the repairs, which are behind schedule, are threatening a perishable product he must deliver. Later, when Commander Sisko complains about a faulty replicator, O'Brien proceeds grumpily to fix it. After repairs are completed, O'Brien replicates some coffee as a test. The coffee tastes fine, but O'Brien has just unknowingly activated a long-dormant device hidden in the replicator system on Deep Space 9.

In Quark's, an angry customer complains to Quark about his Kohlanese stew, forcing Quark to taste a sample of it. Odo recommends Quark ask O'Brien to fix his replicators, but warns wryly that O'Brien is a very busy man. After Odo leaves the bar, Quark breaks into the Starfleet computer system to find the location of a replicator on the station that isn't broken.

Jadzia Dax, walking along the Promenade with Major Kira, discusses how odd it feels - being female for the first time in 80 years, she clarifies when Kira is confused. They notice Quark's is busy as they pass, and Quark himself greets them to say that they're having "a little party" to celebrate his replicators being fixed, and invites them to join in. Kira quickly excuses herself and tells Dax to go in if she wants. Dax is left flustered for a moment, before catching herself and smiling at Quark.

Back in Ops, Sisko thanks O'Brien for fixing the replicator; he also compliments the chief's wife, Keiko, on being a good teacher in the station's new school, which she recently opened. When Major Kira is speaking with O'Brien a moment later, his talk turns to gibberish, which no one can understand. He appears unable to comprehend anything said by anyone.

Dr. Bashir diagnoses the Chief as suffering from aphasia, wherein the brain incorrectly interprets sights and sounds. As the senior staff discussed O'Brien's condition, Lieutenant Dax is suddenly stricken with aphasia, unable to communicate with the people around her. In the infirmary, Bashir discovers that a virus has infected the brain's synapses; as other crew members are afflicted, Sisko orders DS9 to be placed in quarantine immediately.

Odo notices that business is booming in Quark's. When questioned, Quark lies and says his replicators were fixed by Rom; in fact, Quark is surreptitiously using the replicator of a quarantined crew member. Odo, disguised as a piece of furniture, catches Quark in the act soon after this.

Sisko finds his son Jake on the Promenade after having been playing with classmate Nog. The concerned father orders his son back to their quarters. Sisko is now confronted by Jaheel, the impatient freighter captain, who is told to stay put.

Back in Ops, Sisko begins to suspect the replicators are spreading the virus. When Odo informs them that Quark has been supplying his entire menu with an infected replicator, Bashir checks the station's air, and determines that the virus has mutated into an airborne pathogen. They are now all infected; however, the virus has different incubation periods in different people.

While searching with a tricorder, Kira finds the device hidden in the replicator's pattern generator. By now, 60 percent of the station is infected with the virus. The replicators were creating the virus within the food they were replicating (at the molecular level). While Kira initially suspects Cardassians are to blame, Doctor Bashir discovers that the virus is Bajoran in origin, placed aboard the station (possibly) by the Bajoran Resistance years ago; the device is 18 years old, the same age as DS9 itself, built in 2351.

As Sisko takes Jake, recently afflicted, to crew quarters converted into a hospital ward, he tries to console Dax and O'Brien, but they still can't comprehend one another. The situation soon worsens, as O'Brien is found unconscious in his hospital bed. The virus has attacked O'Brien's autonomic nervous system, threatening his life.

Using her old contacts in the Bajoran Resistance, Kira tries to discover the creator of the virus. Her search leads her to a Dekon Elig, a Bajoran Resistance member, but he is deceased, his death certificate having been witnessed by a Surmak Ren, who was also a member of the underground. Surmak Ren has now been repatriated to Bajor and is currently a medical administrator. When she contacts him about the aphasia virus, he rudely terminates the connection.

Odo warns Quark that, with DS9's current skeleton staff, Quark would be held accountable for any thefts occurring during the quarantine. In the infirmary, as Dr. Bashir continues searching for a cure, he is overcome by the virus, suddenly speaking garbage to the medical computer. Sisko allows Kira to pilot a runabout (breaking quarantine) to Bajor to confront the uncooperative Surmak Ren. She beams him, without his permission, to the runabout, returning to DS9 to help with the cure.

On DS9, Jaheel (the impatient freighter captain) decides to leave the station without permission. However, the docking clamps are still securing his vessel to the space station. As he increases power to his engines, the mooring clamps become stuck in place. The freighter's engine begins to overheat, threatening to explode (and take half the docking ring with it). Odo suggests they explode the mooring clamps to blow the ship clear of the station, but finds himself soon working alone, as Sisko now succumbs to the sickness.

When Odo broadcasts a call for help throughout the entire station, it is answered in the form of Quark, one of the few people left unafflicted. Quark assumes control of Ops, beaming Odo directly to the docking ring; Kira is absolutely stunned to find Quark answering her hail as she returns to the station. After boarding and showing Surmak to Medical, however, she becomes the virus's latest unintelligible victim.

Odo rescues the babbling freighter captain and jettisons the doomed ship just in time. Surmak Ren, whose memory is refreshed about the virus once he looks at Doctor Bashir's notes, quickly develops an antidote for the virus, curing everyone.

As things begin to return to normal, Sisko welcomes O'Brien back to Ops — only to find a moment later that the replicators are faulty once more.

[edit] Log Entries

  • Station log, stardate 46423.7. Nearly sixty percent of DS9's population has now contracted the aphasia virus. We've initiated standard quarantine procedures and are advising all incoming ships to maintain their distance from the station until further notice.
  • Station log, stardate 46425.8. With the help of Dr. Bashir's notes, Dr. Surmak was able to find an antidote for the aphasia virus. We are continuing to administer it throughout the station, and things are slowly returning to normal.

[edit] Memorable Quotes

"There's an old Ferengi saying: 'Never ask when you can take.' "

- Quark


"Give my regards to Mrs. O'Brien. Jake tells me she's a wonderful teacher.'"
"That's good to hear, sir. She's flower units about the lad herself."

- Commander Sisko and Chief O'Brien


"I suppose this isn't a good time to tell you that #3 Turbolift has broken down again. [beat] Joking, Chief."
"Major, lark's true pepper."
"What?"
"Let birds go further loose, maybe. [beat] Shout easy play."
"Chief, you're not making any sense."
"Round the turbulent quick. [beat] Well, uh, close the reverse harbor. [beat] Well, a-ankle try… sound. R-reset gleaming. [beat] D-dinner to bug."
"Chief, wait!"
"When?"

- Kira and O'Brien


"Rom's an idiot. He couldn't fix a straw if it was bent."

- Odo


"Who said anything about 'volunteering'? We'll haggle over price later."

- Quark


"Dog... fellow... distance!"
"Yeah, tell me about it."

- Captain Jaheel and Odo


"You, gold! Owe meeee!"

- Quark, trying to get money out of one of his aphasic customers


"Computer, replay morning."
"Command unclear. Please repeat."
"Glass lunch judge a bin to let it!"
"Command unclear. Please repeat."

- Dr. Bashir and the medical computer


"All right. You can cross barrels. All job appalled."
"What was that?"
"Bread... the arrive... seen earlier!"
"Oh, I see."

- Sisko and Odo


"Welcome back! I could use some help here!"
"Quark?! What are you doing in Ops?!"

- Quark and Kira


"Simple hesitation!"

- O'Brien


"If you need me, use this string impact. [beat] Lot show red intense."
"Major, I think you'd better sit down."

- Kira and Dr. Surmak

[edit] Background Information

  • The episode title refers to the city of Babel, the biblical location of the Tower of Babel where God confused the previously uniform language of humanity.
  • This episode is the first writing contribution of Ira Steven Behr to the series.
  • This episode contains two references from the animated television series Ren and Stimpy. The first reference used was in the name of the Bajoran, Surmak Ren, who was named after the co-main character "Ren Höek." The second reference was made in the name of the Cardassian Gul Spumco, who was named after Spümcø, the animation studio responsible for the the Ren and Stimpy series. A third Ren and Stimpy reference would appear two episodes later, in "Q-Less", in the name of the planet Hoek IV, which was again named after "Ren Höek."
  • Although Odo accuses Rom of being an "idiot", he is later revealed to be a highly talented repairman and engineer.
  • In reality there are different varieties of aphasia. Specifically, the DS9 crew was suffering from "global aphasia" because they could neither produce nor understand spoken language. As seen in the episode, global aphasia is often accompanied by alexia and agraphia, the inability to read and write, respectively, though aphasia alone is not caused by viral infection and does not result in death.
  • This episode is a favorite of actor Armin Shimerman as he feels it is here that he really began to get a handle on the character of Quark. Speaking of the moment when Quark is left in charge of Ops, and is clearly loving the situation, Shimerman comments that he realized "Ah, this is the character, this guy who likes to have a good time, who enjoys life and who feels that no problem is insurmountable. And that fun-loving spirit and delight became ingrained in my character at that moment." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
  • After he repaired the replicator at the beginning of the episode O'Brien ordered his coffee "black, double sweet" which is consistent with his coffee order in TNG: "Rascals".
  • The scene where Sisko goes into the infirmary to find Jake has come down with the aphasia virus was extremely important to actor Avery Brooks because it was the first scene to establish the 'physical' intimacy between father and son. Indeed, this aspect of their relationship was initiated by Brooks himself; "It wasn't a thematic element. I don't have any trouble being physical with my children. That's a part of my nature, as opposed to something they wrote about Sisko and Jake. The first day I met Cirroc, I hugged him. And I hug him every time I see him." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)

[edit] Video and DVD releases

[edit] Links and References

[edit] Guest Stars

[edit] Co-Stars

[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars

[edit] References

Aphasia device; Argosian sector; cargo drone; corophizine; Dekon Elig; delta radiation; diboridium core; Federation cargo drone; Ferengi freighter; Glessene sector; Higa Metar; hyperonic radiation; I'danian spice pudding; Jabara; Kohlanese stew; Kran-Tobal prison; Largo V; medical tricorder; neural imaging scan; neural parasite; rad; Regulan bloodworm; sahsheer; security clearance; starduster; tetracitrus gel; triagar solution; Velos VII internment camp; Velos VII; volt

[edit] External links


Previous episode:
"A Man Alone" 		Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Season 1 		Next episode:
"Captive Pursuit"
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