Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) The Siege of AR-558 (1998) User Reviews

The other side of Starfleet

[kronomorte · 9/10 · 25 October 2011]

We are all used to the immaculate uniforms, powerful starships, and the cold harshness of combat in space portrayed in this series. But this episode shows the other side of the war, and portrays it with a realistic edge that I found surprising and mesmerizing.

Somehow this episode positively nailed the atmosphere of soldiers doing the grim business of holding on to an objective in a place that will be forgotten by everyone except for those who were there - like so many other places in so many other wars. Everyone has lost a friend, everyone is scared and angry and everyone is doing their job with an air of fatality that is riveting. For the most part, the enemy are an unseen force that everyone knows is equally determined and skilled, and of course they must be dealt with.

I particularly enjoyed Quark's role in this episode, an outspoken outsider who begins to understand more and more what his nephew and the other starfleet personel go through just because of orders and circumstance.

This is a great episode that shows a rougher side of life in the future, and a rougher side to the characters we are so familiar with. This is some great writing, acting, and directing - the tense moments and 1000 yard stares really made this a fine episode for contemplation.

Probably the darkest & grittiest episode of Star Trek

[irishboy141 · 10/10 · 10 July 2021]

This episode was both suffocating and extremely dark, almost too much. The violence itself isn't that gory or over the top, quite the opposite, It's down & dirty & pretty realistic. The fact that the director was a Vietnam Veteran puts the episode into context, because this whole episode feels like it could've been plucked right out of the war.

The episode & ending battle is almost too much, too intense, too hopeless. Which is precisely why it works. The horrors of war spares no one when you're in the fray, be it your mind, body, or soul, a least one piece of them will be left on the battlefield.

Grittier than usual episode

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 7 January 2010]

This was a particularly good episode of DS9 which concentrates on the action which is far grittier than most Star Trek episodes. It looks like the crew of the Defiant are just going out on a routine resupply mission, so routine that Quark has joined them to scout out business opportunities for the Ferengis. As they approach their destination they are attacked by a Dominion ship suggesting the area isn't as safe as they thought. Once on the ground they find things are much worse than they thought; the base is down to about a third of its original strength and it appears that some of the troops there have been in combat too long and are beginning to either cracking up or enjoying them selves a bit too much.

While they are on the ground the Dominion attacks and Capt. Sisko decides that he and the rest of the landing party will stay and fight along side the other troops. This means Dr Bashir, Ezri and Nog must experience ground combat for the first time and one of them will sustain a serious injury which may effect them for the rest of their life.

I found this to be a great episode, normally one feels the main crew will walk away from all situations unscathed but here there is a greater sense of danger. It also lacks a more humorous second story line that many episodes do.

One of my favorite epsoides of DS9

[cyberdud707 · 10/10 · 1 May 2019]

This Epsoide is Gritty down in the trenches, it shows a stalwart captain who cares about everybody under his command and those not under his command. It shows a young ensign who is looking for respect, and the approval of his mentor and fellow Starfleet officers he works with. It shows how determined these officers are in carrying out their orders. And surviving a total onslaught of genetically enhanched killing machines agaist overwhelming odds .

The dark side of the war

[disastrousdallas · 10/10 · 23 November 2016]

Whilst episodes up to and follow this one dealt with the war in a liter tone by the fight of the star-ships this episode shows the darkest and grittiest episode of the entire franchise.

Each of the characters appears is shown cheerful and then towards the end their spirit is broken and a supporting character loses his leg showing the harsh reality of the war.

in one of the most memorable moments in the series the characters fight in what they believe will be there last moments screaming in the face of death, only to realize war doesn't show whose right, it shows whose left.

the writer a Vietnam war veteran, writes a wonderful script that shows the harsh reality of the war, and although told to not be so graphic, it in turn is one of the greats of star trek.

Every show about war needs a frontline episode.

[ladd-43427 · 8/10 · 30 August 2019]

DS9 isn't all about war, but war is a large portion of the story, and in order for us to understand what's at stake for everyone it is necessary to show us what its like to be desperate, outnumbered, tired... The show's writers tried hard to get the point across, and for the most part they succeeded. Nog is battle-tested, and I find myself struggling after this episode to still see the obnoxious young Ferengi from season 1. His is a character who has grown immensely, and hopefully Quark has a better understanding of his nephew's desire to live up to the Starfleet standard. Aside from that, there is battle, and Ezri gets to see if her memories of war have prepared her for what she's going to face. Overall The Siege of AR 558 is a strong episode in what's shaping up to be a very well-written season.

It is gold(-pressed latinum)!

[qcoret · 10/10 · 29 December 2018]

It began with a singing Rom, had to give it 10 stars.

The Real War

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 10 November 2018]

Several crew members, including Quark, bring supplies to a planet where a communications center of the Dominion exists. One third of the original soldiers are still alive and have been battling for nine months. Sisko and his men and women decide to stay rather than save themselves. This is a gutsy war episode with all the dirtiness as they try to annihilate two columns of Jed'Hadar. One interesting character is a guy played by Bill Mumy, who was Will Robinson in Lost in Space.

A grim Trek episode even by DS9 standards

[ThunderingTim · 8/10 · 6 June 2017]

PLOT (heavy spoilers!!!)

On a routine supply mission the Defiant has to leave after a Dominion attack leaving Sisko, Bashir, Quark, Nog and Ezri in a barren place holding an important Dominion communication's array, defended by a quickly diminishing group of stressed and fatigued Starfleet officers. It becomes clear quickly that these people are on the brink of mental and physical collapse. Quark tries to shield Nog but Sisko sends him on a mission that gravely injures him. Taking heavy casualties Starfleet holds on and finally get relieved by fresh troops.

GOOD STUFF

For once this isn't the Enterprise destroying an opposing, heavily armed cough cough warship with one phaser beam or a great battle mentioned in stories. We get right in on the action, and much like Quark points out, these are no longer kind and calm Starfleet officers but weary and hostile animals, looking either for a way out or a kill to make. I love the dark setting, the barren rock that no one will ever hear of, the guest stars who make the most of their material. The action is believable and incredibly violent, at least for Trek, there is a real sense of danger and traumatic fighting.

Quark steals many a scene, pointing out humanity isn't so sweet and nice when basic comforts disappear and war is all around; questioning Sisko's decision to send Nog on a mission; questioning whether Sisko even cares for his people; and staying with Nog distracting him. He makes a reasonable point that the Ferengi would choose to negotiate rather than fight an endless battle.

I especially like Vargas and Reese. Very different but understandable creatures in a besieged war front. I love the idea of the Dominion using holograms to establish the position and strength of the enemy, and mines in subspace that can go off without any warning.

Sisko sometimes becomes so angry he's almost scary. In those moments he's more real, more palpable than any other Captain. Avery Brookes may sometimes be called a Shakesperean robot when he acts out anger but I believed every bit of it.

BAD STUFF

Quark being send by the Nagus to inspect battle lines seems a pretty shallow way of just getting him involved. Why would Starfleet inundate the Nagus with reports? What the hell are they gonna do? Pay the Dominion to stop their expansionist, genocidal ambitions? The second Bill Mumy asks Ezri to hand him a tool you know they will flirt with or befriend each other. Wouldn't the Houdini mines also injure Jem'Hadar soldiers making them unusable in actual combat?

More importantly, if Starfleet recognizes the vast importance of the array when and if their engineers can crack it, shouldn't they send some engineers? Your best engineer is in orbit, hello? Remember the massive advantage the USA had when they cracked the Japanese transmissions.

It also seems a bit like a cheap plot device to give the least experienced crew members (Ezri, Nog, even Bashir) their trial by fire in this manner. I can appreciate them becoming better soldiers and proving themselves AND experiencing real warfare, but if the place is under constant attack why not bring Worf, Kira or O'Brien, experienced soldiers? Why not bring tough resistance-trained Bajoran soldiers? Why not send a contingent of tough Klingons? Hell, why not just hire some Nausicans. They love to fight. In the end, Starfleet goofs again by sending another group of inexperienced officers in clean uniforms and dreams of rainbows and sugar, rather than a battalion of battle-hardened super-soldiers. I mean the Federation duked it out with Cardassians, Borg, Klingon and Dominion in recent years, they must have an abundance of veterans.

MILITARY PERSPECTIVE

I have never been a soldier nor am I a military historian. I am however, feel free to believe or disbelieve me, a historian (University of Amsterdam, class of 2011) and I raise some serious questions on Dominion strategy. We always hear Jem'Hadar are super-soldiers and the Dominion are aces in tactics. Yet despite the ability to cloak soldiers, place subspace mines and bomb cities from the skies they simply just charge in the open and barely take cover. They have phaser-type weapons that they use as clubs. I can understand they won't bomb the structure because they want the array, but I do not understand the total lack of artillery. They found out the positions of the defending force, mull it over, then charge the positions. People, just use an artillery barrage. You can keep the array safe whilst inflicting heavy casualties without risking your own forces. But the 24th century seems to have forgotten artillery and they're proper fools. Give me even a 1860s platoon of soldiers, 3 Gatling-guns and two batteries of artillery and the Dominion will never come close to hand-to-hand combat.

CONCLUSION

A very dark and good episode showing Starfleet in a very different light. The military quality of it is somewhat debatable and dubious but the action feels fresh and alive. It fools you into thinking it's a fun episode by having Rom sing as an opener, and then smack you down by getting in the blood and bombs filled theatre of actual war. This is what soldiers experience everywhere and it's hard to stay humane. Quark has some tough but true lessons for Nog and Sisko, our freshest cast get baptized in violence and gore, supporting actors shine, feel very real. It's a great episode that I truly think only DS9 could pull of, already a more dark and bitter show. No nice moral, no sweet ending, no ship ex machina - just real people battling for their very lives. Powerful stuff. 8/10.

Empty bellies and no holodeck

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 27 August 2023]

This is a very strong episode with an effective dark atmosphere and sense of tragedy.

The filmmakers create a suitably harsh and oppressive atmosphere on AR-558 and the writers include battle-weary guest characters who are more like soldiers than traditional Starfleet types. Actors like Raymond Crus, Patrick Kilpatrick, and Bill Mumy play the roles well. As to how plausible it is having these types in Starfleet is debatable as it has never been portrayed as an overly militaristic organisation. You could argue a prediction that war might not even be fought by soldiers on the ground in the 24th century.

I think how you feel about the episode will be influenced by the above. There was a backlash to DS9's more cynical take on Roddenberry's hopeful future and this story includes some bleak moments of humanity. Interestingly though, you rarely hear the same level of protest in episodes depicting space battles.

Having an arc about a war needs an episode like this to make it feel like a conflict is happening. For me, like 'Rocks and Shoals' it deserves credit for not glorifying it. The writers use characters like Quark, Ezri, and Sisko well to show and point out the moral compromises required to protect the Federation from Dominion conquest.

All actors do a great job and it's hard to pick a standout performance. Armin Shimerman has some of his most memorable scenes with great material for his character. Likewise Aron Eisenberg. Avery Brooks is also great as he manages to convey plenty of regret and revulsion into most scenes of dialogue. The short scene involving Sisko and Worf near the end works very well.

Considering the budget restraints Star Trek works with and what it attempts to portray in this episode, I think it achieves a lot.

Trutrekkie518

[frezette · 10/10 · 27 March 2022]

I've been a trekkie since 4yrs old and I'm in my 50's now...followed every Star Trek,...but hands down this is my favorite episode....it gives me chills when Sisko is asked our orders....and he says there's only one....... WE HOLD....coming from a military background, I can totally understand that situation.

Some of the DS9 crew members get their hands dirty.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 27 January 2015]

This episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" is unusual in several ways. Instead of the usual two plots, there is only one. Additionally, the show is grittier and more violent than usual.

There is a Federation base on AR-558--a place that used to be under Dominion control. It's recently been under siege for some time and the Federation troops there are disheartened and beaten up pretty badly. So, when Sisko and some of his folks arrive, they are very welcome. But the task of keeping this base seems impossible, as only about a third of the original troops are alive.

An interesting guest star in this one is Billy Mumy, as he was once a regular on "Lost in Space" and was a regular on "Babylon 5" when he made this guest appearance. Overall, a decent episode, though I did feel their attempt to be grittier still felt amazingly sanitized compared to real warfare. Still, it's worth seeing.

An Unfortunate Episode

[frankelee · 4/10 · 19 June 2022]

I can tell watching this episode that big fans of DS9 will love it. And hate people criticizing it. But this is a bad episode.

After a trip on the Defiant, Captain Sisko and some of the regulars beam down to a rock set and discover that Vietnam is currently going on there. An all important Dominion communications array has been captured from the enemy, and if only Starfleet can hold it long enough, they'll be able to listen in to all enemy transmissions. Woohoo!

Unfortunately of the 150 Starfleet space ship scientists sent to protect the place, only about 40 remain. Wow, a whole platoon to hold this important planet? This must be a really important planet to send a whole 150 navy officers to defend it. Why am I making fun of this? Why did DS9 writers try to do an ultra-serious war episode and yet make it so easy for me to make fun of?

I get fans like this sort of pushing the boundaries with their favorite adolescent-friendly franchises: what if Star Trek showed the gritty side to war? What if Star Wars showed the gritty side of war? Well in the latter case you'd get Rogue One and realize what a bad idea that is, and in the former case you get this episode and also realize what a bad idea this is.

Here's a writing 101 lesson: episodes like this aren't challenging the premise, they're stepping on it. If you make a fantasy series like Game of Thrones, nobody wants to see a character halfway through it go, "Hey wait a minute, dragons are too dense and heavy to fly. Why they can't fly at all!" And then all the dragons fall out of the sky like Looney Tunes characters who have only just now realized they've run off a cliff.

And you shouldn't want a idealistic sci-fi show about an evolved society to feature an episode where somebody goes, "Hey wait a minute, what if this advanced society is surrounded by belligerent powers and we're totally unprepared for it? All our advanced ethics and rationalism are completely contrived and fall apart outside of highly artificial conditions!" And then all of the Starfleet officers become Bill Paxton from Aliens and start screaming "GAME OVER MAN, GAME OVER!" like Looney Tunes characters who have only just now realized they've run off a cliff.

If you want Platoon, watch Platoon. If you want an embarrassing, self-serious bit of nerd television with a platoon of unprepared future people, watch this. But try not to let any non-fans watch it with you, they'll find it pretty cringe.

Front lines.

[thevacinstaller · 6/10 · 26 December 2021]

This was a mostly successful attempt at providing the viewer with an up close view of war instead of a bunch of CGI ships shooting one another in space.

They are certainly not pushing boundaries of creativity (PTSD soldiers, trophies) but what is on screen is done effectively.

I think this episode is better suited to a WW2/Vietnam tv series. War is hell --- Yeah, I know ---- Can you put a new twist on it or provide me with a conflict to discuss?

The Jem Hedar storyline is out of hand.

[codymeek · 1/10 · 9 December 2021]

The writers on the show are lazy at this point and have given up on this show. End the goddamn storyline with the Jem Hedar already. The actors have given up too. They literally kill everyone in this episode. Terrible.

I know I'll catch some flak for this but..

[swiitchpst · 5/10 · 23 December 2023]

And no, the title was not intended as a war pun but I have mixed feelings about this episode. I get the need for it, they need to ramp up the war as the show approaches the end. My main issue with episode is Dax and the obvious goof in writing, I guess in all the excitement being near the end, no one noticed that the same character (Kellin) asked Dax the exact same question to which Dax gives almost the same response. Around the 12 min mark, Kellin asks Dax if she's an engineer and Dax says "No.. but Tobin, one of my previous hosts, was." Then around the 27 minute mark, Kellin again asks, "Are you sure you're not an engineer?" and Dax responds; "In nine lives, I've been a little of everything." Either Kellin is suffering from amnesia and forgets asking her, or no one noticed they basically wrote the same thing twice which is a pretty sloppy writing mistake. Although I very much like Nicole de Boen, I felt the character Dax should have just been killed off once and for all. The way they re-explain just what it means to be a Trill, I mean, we already know, so why do we have to sit and listen to her explain it again? Was this just to fill time? Was this just for the benefit of people who are just tuning into the show? The way they forcefully inject her character into the Alternate Universe storyline. I never liked that storyline to begin with. Though there may be some truth to the whole multiverse concept, I find it highly unlikely that all these people would know all of each other, all being in the same place. This is an important turning point for Nog's character but I usually just skip this episode, the conversation between Kellin and Dax is just too lengthy and cringy for me.