DS9 Returning Adversaries PT 2: Sloan, Eddington, and Gowron

These guys aren't villains in the classic sense, but they are men driven by their own ambitions and agendas. One sees himself as the savior of the Federation, one the savior of colonists wronged by the Federation, and one striving for his own glory above that of the Empire.

Luther Sloan is a member of a secretive organization, one so secret that even the Federation can't, or won't, acknowledge. It's Section 31 and it's soldier pays DS9 a visit, seeking out traitors. In "Inquisition," he grills Dr. Bashir about his time spent in captivity by the Founders and whether or not his loyalties have turned.

But his ulterior motive was to get Bashir working for Section 31 as a spy. One of the reasons, we learn in "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges," was to develop a bio weapon to use against a Romulan candidate for the Senate. He seals his own fate in "Extreme Measures" by committing suicide when Bashir turns the tables and entraps him to reveal a cure for a plague Section 31 created to destroy the Changelings.

Michael Eddington was a security officer stationed on DS9 after it was revealed the Founders were like Odo---changelings. Eddington and Odo learned to trust each other in the beginning, but later we find Eddington was secretly working for the Maquis. In "For the Cause," intercepted replicators enroute to the Dominion are then stolen by him and Maquis sympathizers.

Sisko hunts down Eddington after a long game of cat and mouse. In "For the Uniform," Eddington, after having attacked several Cardassian colonies in an act of war, finally surrenders to Sisko and the Federation after Sisko tells him he's about to launch bio weapons torpedoes on Maquis colonists.

In "A Blaze of Glory," Eddington meets his fate when he and Sisko are forced to stop cloaked missiles enroute to Cardassia being launched by the Maquis. They end up at an outpost where Eddington dies heroically, battling an attacking troop of Jem'Hadar.

In "The Way of the Warrior," Gowron is head of the Klingon High Council and he orders crews to invade Cardassian colonies and take them over in an act of war. Before Cardassia became allies with the Dominion under the dictatorship of Gul Dukat, Gowron is suspicious that members of Starfleet headquarters and the Cardassian civilian leadership have been infiltrated and taken over by Changelings.

He gets pissed when Worf refuses to join him on his quest to invade Cardassia and strips Worf of his title and a place in the Empire. He tells Worf he will have nothing to show for turning his back on him (Gowron, not the Empire) and Worf tells him "except my honor."

Later, the Empire reluctantly rejoins the Federation when Cardassia becomes a friend to, and under the protection of, the Dominion. But that doesn't stop this Klingon egomaniac from trying to gain complete control, not just for self indulgence, but out of spite and jealousy of his rival Martok. His fate is sealed when Worf calls him on his unwise and reckless decisions that had cost Kronos several thousand men and ships in unwinnable invasions. In "Tacking to the Wind," they engage in a duel with Worf coming out the victor and Martok taking the mantle of Leader of the High Council.

Best of Star Trek: Deep Space 9---Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

This is the 16th episode of season 7 and was written by Ronald D. Moore.

 Dr. Bashir plans to attend a conference on Romulus to give a symposium about "the Blight" (the infection first introduced in the episode "The Quickening," for which Bashir developed a vaccine.

 While he lay in bed sleeping, Julian gets a visit from Mr. Sloan (played brilliantly by William Sadler), a secret agent in the mysterious "Section 31," who first made an appearance in "Inquisition." Sloan has a job for Bashir--gather intelligence information about candidates to the Romulan Senate, particularly one named Koval, who introduces himself to Bashir in a funny exchange at the conference.

Bashir: It's a pleasure to meet you.
Koval:  Why? 

A stumped Bashir is even more intrigued when Koval wants to know if Bashir has the know-how to introduced the Blight on an unsuspecting population. Sloan reveals to Bashir that he suspects Koval has Tuvan Syndrome, a fatal disease with no cure. He asks Bashir how they could quicken the illness to prevent Koval from getting a seat on the committee.

 Not wanting to be part of a murder plot, the good doctor asks the advice of Admiral Ross. Ross tells him that Sloan may have an accomplice on the Romulan Senate and to sit tight and see what else he can figure out. However, the next morning Bashir learns that the admiral has taken ill from an aneurysm and he suspects Sloan.

 Feeling nowhere else to turn, he enlists the aid of Federation alliance supporter Cretak, another Romulan Senate candidate. He tells her about Section 31 and the plot to kill Koval. He asks Cretak for classified information about Tal Shiar members.

 Too bad for Cretak. She is found out and arrested for treason. Dr. Bashir is tortured with a Romulan mind probe for more information. Bruised and bloodied, he is brought before the Senate with Cretak and an even more bloodied Sloan. The Senate believes Bashir and he is allowed to leave on his ship. Cretak will be sentenced later and before they can take Sloan back to be further interrogated, he disarms a guard and is about to shoot when he is vaporized.

 Later, Bashir confronts a now recovered Admiral Ross about his role in the plot. He knew Sloan, a man who can easily slip by sensors without being detected, would not be caught so easily at a conference surrounded by Romulans. Bashir believes Sloan to still be alive. Ross reveals that he and Sloan were part of a plot to get Cretak off the candidate's list because her profile showed her to be a true patriot who may turn against the Federation and the alliance and that would put the alliance at risk.

 I found this episode intriguing, suspenseful, and full of interesting turns. It also highlights the moral conscientious nature of Julian Bashir, a man dedicated to saving lives first over saving a federation, particularly one ready to blur the lines between duty to one's fellow men and duty to preserving the Federation at any cost.

 The episode's title comes from an exchange between Bashir and Admiral Ross in which Ross quotes a line from "Cicero." It's translation: "In Times of War, the Law Falls Silent."