I love the sand spine in this episode.

Well, here is something that is both a nit and a notnit. When Kasidy is upset at Sisko for not being wildly enthusiastic that she will be moving onto the station, she says he has a problem with making a commitment. This is a nit because Sisko was happily married for years. This is a notnit because women don't care about facts when they are arguing (They cheat!)

My nephew Jon wondered if Kira had one of those transdermal implants. I should think that if she did it would have been removed by now. Although it would be a funny scene if Kira and Dukat were walking around in circles.

I should think that something which leaves a trail of radioactive isotopes for someone to follow would be problematic for resistance fighters. Wouldn't Cardassian sensors, sooner or later, pick up the trail? Can these things be turned on and off? Can something set them off accidentally? Just how radioactive are these things?

So, did they just load all of those Bajorans, Cardassians and Breen prisoners onto the runabout, or did they have to signal for help?

I also wonder about the diplomatic situation of this. The Breen hijacked a Cardassian ship with Bajoran citizens on board, couldn't that be considered an act of war? In Return To Grace Dukat mentions the Cardassian embassy on Breen, so the Cardassians must have some kind of negotiations with the Breen.

Dukat says that he will let Kira know if Ziyal would cause trouble for him on Cardassia, but in Return To Grace, we find out that Ziyal has caused trouble for Dukat and Kira is surprised to hear of it.

Well... I think that would be classified as letting her know...

A couple of comments:

Dukat, Kira, and Razka Karn described the planet where the Ravinok crashed as Class M. I realize that the writers described it as Class M for us, but I wonder why the Cardassians and Bajorans would use Starfleet terminology to describe a planet. Surely they must have their own designations to describe a planet.

Quark's scene with Sisko is a classic BIMOL. I would hate to endure all that makeup for that short a scene.

Possibly they do but the Universal Translator converts their equivalent to Class M in speech?

But Quark's scene is great...He says something
like, "If she complains that she doesn't see
you very often, threaten to see her even less...
if she complains about not getting enough gifts,
take the ones you've given her back."

A classic nit: About 37 minutes into the show Dukat lies back and the makeup on his neck peels. The bony ridge looks like it disconnects from his jaw when he relaxes.

Phil in his guide makes a sarcastic remark, wondering how many ratings points extra this episode got because of Worf's two small scenes.

What? Just because Worf just joined the show, he has to bethe focus of every episode?

And according to the DS9 companion, episodes was like this were approved for filming before they knew Worf was going to be on the show.

Regarding the issue of Sisko not being able to commit. Remember Sisko was widowed, he probably is wary of re commiting feeling that one women he loved was taken from him causing him enormous grief, he may feel that if anything happened to Kassidy he would have to go through the same again. Grief is a potent emotion and can manifest itself like that.

Maybe "Ravinok" is the Cardassian word for "in-joke."
The Ravinok was a yacht that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle some years ago. Why does a Cardassian transport ship 400 years in the future have the same name?
Maybe they were up all night watching a marathon of Faces of Death videos
Why do Kira and Dukat need to exhume the bodies in order to identify them? Couldn’t a tricorder do this?
Given Cardassian complexions, you’d think they’d all know how to use them!
Why doesn’t Dukat know how to turn on a dermal regenerator?
Well, it’s not the size of the dermal regenerator, it’s how you use it!
The Bajoran Militia should ask Starfleet for the dermal regenerators seen in the episode Man of the People(TNG) when Crusher treated the cut Riker received from Troi. They’re much smaller than the one Dukat tries to use in this episode, which makes much more sense when you’re hiking and trying to carry as little weight as possible.
I’ve heard of "spare the rod and spoil the child," but this is ridiculous!
Why in the WORLD did Dukat tell Kira that he planned to kill Ziyal? Did he not think Kira would try to stop him? Kira thought at first that Dukat wanted to save her, so why didn’t he just allow her to believe that, so that when he found Ziyal and killed her outside of Kira’s presence, as he might have originally planned to do, he could just say that the Breen killed her, or that he accidentally killed her when Kira showed up?
Dukat’s right. That’s why we should BLOW Ziyal away!
When Kira pleads with Dukat to let his daughter live and go back to Bajor, he say her people have never welcomed half-Cardassian children. Apparently, he forgot about Rugal’s adoptive parents from the episode Cardassians, who adopted a FULL Cardassian boy.
Thank God they didn’t give Dukat a cinnamon bun hairdo!
Who designed the Breen helmets? They look suspiciously like the helmet Princess Leia wore posing as the bounty hunter, Bousch, when trying to sell Chewbacca to Jabba the Hutt in the beginning of Return of the Jedi.
Maybe everyone at CNN took a really long group lunch break
Cardassia experienced a coup in The Way of the Warrior, and Dukat indicated that Central Command fell, and that he allied himself with the Detapa Council, because, as Sisko interpreted, the Council took over as the legitimate government. It was also opined at the end of that episode that Dukat had probably gained favor with the Council after having saved their lives. But in this episode, he indicates that the existence of an illegitimate child will ruin him, and he mentions Central Command, and not the Detapa Council. Was there another coup? Did Central Command retake the government from the Council?

Hi Luigi,

I always gathered that he told Kira of his intentions because he didn't WANT to kill Ziyal and in fact wanted to be stopped in a way that wouldn't appear to be weakness on his part. It's not spelled out, but that's the way I've always understood that scene. It's a fairly consistent character trait in Dukat that he loves his children.

Incidentally, in another thread (maybe Return to Grace), you noted that you weren't sure it had ever been spelled out that Dukat was a Legate. However, the bio on startrek.com indicates that he was a Legate for some period before Indiscretion. It was said somewhere else that he preferred being called Gul than Prefect during the Occupation; maybe it's the same sort of thing.

And hello to you too, Palandine.

On the first point, your theory is a perfectly valid one. I came up with one of my own that is also in keeping with Dukat's personality. Dukat has always desired to loved and respected. He always resented having not gotten that from the Bajorans, and from the implications, he doesn't seem to be in a very happy marriage. And if he doesn't spend enough time with his kids, as implied in Defiant(DS9), he probably doesn't have much of a rapport with them either. But LOOK! Suddenly, he has a brand new child--one that has no preconceptions about him, and who tells him she always prayed he'd come to find her. Dukat realizes that he now has someone who truly loves him unconditionally for the first time, and there's no way he's going to get rid of that, even if it means his career. He's emotionally starved, and wants a rapport with a loved one more than military accolades at this point. Of course, it could be a bit of BOTH our opinions.

As to the second point, yes, it was Return to Grace(DS9) where we discussed this. I don't ever recall the Legate rank being mentioned in any ep prior to Return to Grace(DS9), and despite the allegation on startrek.com to that effect, I take it with a grain of salt, given the above point I just made. Actually, the website is merely reflecting the info alluded to in that latter episode, which brings us back to the original question.
_____As to your theory, it's all fine and well, but I don't buy it. I can understand if, in a military dictatorship, a career military man, having to choose between keeping a military title and a political one, opts for the former, since he's more at home with such terms, but if choosing between TWO MILITARY RANKS, he's going to choose the higher one. He's not going to accept a promotion to admiral, but continue to call himself "captain."

Actually, I recall Dukat telling Sisko he'd become a Legate in the new civilian government in Way of the Warrior part 2.

"but if choosing between TWO MILITARY RANKS, he's going to choose the higher one. He's not going to accept a promotion to admiral, but continue to call himself "captain.""

However, at this point Dukat was VERY powerful. If Jim Kirk was this powerful between STI and STIV don't you think he would have gone by "Captain"?

What in the world does "power" have to do with it? Captains are Captains. Guls are Guls. Admirals are Admirals. Legates are Legates. Kirk didn't go by "captain" during that time period because he wasn't one, which just reinforces my point. Rank and title go hand in hand. What does "power" have to do with it, and where have you established that Kirk was not so powerful? Was there some "power gauge" at the bottom of the screen, perhaps in the closed captioning that informed you of this?

As for Dukat's comment in The Way of the Warrior part II(DS9), I reviewed all the Dukat scenes in that episode. I assumed you meant either the scene where Sisko first speaks with Dukat, not having thought he'd speak to him because he was trying to contact someone in the civilian government, or the moment in the last scene of the episode where it was speculated that Dukat would take all the credit for saving the Detapa Council, and that Garak would get none. I reviewed both scenes. No mention is made in that first scene of any such rank. In the latter one, Odo says he's sure Dukat will take all the credit, and Bashir says, "Poor Garak. Dukat's a hero, and Garak's still stuck in his tailor shop hemming trousers." Dukat does not appear in this scene, nor is there any other scene in parts I or II where Dukat mentions anything about a Legate rank.

IIRC in a episode (maybe By Infernos Light) right after the announcement of the Dominion/Cardassian alliance Sisko and Dukat had a conversation in which Sisko noted that Dukat, although leader of the cardassian Union, was still only a Gul and not Legate. Dukat answered that the title of Gul had more history behind it and was more distinguished within the military. I did however see "By Infernos Light" in a german-dubbed version, so maybe the translators took some liberties.

But it did indicate that Dukat, naturally, is more interested in actual power than a fancy title. Perhaps Dukat in "Return to Grace" meant that he would request to be restored to his position of military advisor for the Detepa Council, a post that inherently would require a Legates rank. In his excitement about being redeemed by the cardassian society Dukat might have let his tongue slip.

What in the world does "power" have to do with it? Captains are Captains. Guls are Guls. Admirals are Admirals. Legates are Legates. Kirk didn't go by "captain" during that time period because he wasn't one, which just reinforces my point. Rank and title go hand in hand.

I though it was a reference to Colonel Kadafi (sp) of Libia. He's the dicator of the whole country but calls himself a coloney, I presumed that they modeled Dukat's reasons from Kadafi's. Of course I may be wrong, as I know very little about Kadafi.

Teral, first of all, the question was why Dukat said in THIS episode, Return to Grace, that he might request his Legate rank be reinstated, as if to imply that he once held that rank, when no such mention was made of it. The Purgatory-Inferno two-parter didn't occur until a year later, in the fifth season. Since this episode was the first to feature such a comment, naturally, I put it chronologically first in my nitpick document, although I obviously made another mention it in that latter episode for the same reason. You can't establish a new contradictory premise by repeating it later, you have to establish it prior.
-----Second, The conversation between Sisko and Dukat, just so you know, wherein Sisko said he was surprised Dukat hadn't promoted himself back to Legate was in Ties of Blood and Water.
-----Third, since you were wondering about whether the translation was accurate, Dukat's statement was that he felt "Gul" was more "hands-on" than Legate, and less pretentious than other alternatives like President, Emperor, First Minister, Emissary, etc., intending his statement to be as much an insult as a statement of pride in one's rank.
-----Lastly, I doubt his statement in Return to Grace had anything to do with such a slip of tongue. Even if it were, that's one way to explain in it internally, but it's still a nit from an external, writer's context. I doubt after being drummed out of decent society by the people whose lives he helped save in The Wayof the Warrior, that he'd want to cozy up to them any more. He'd want the rank back, but as for the people in power, he'd probably just as soon feed them to the crows once he got it back, and he probably did just that after helping the Dominion take over Cardassia and place him in power.

Brian, assuming Colonel is not already a high rank within the Libyan military, (as it is in Bajor's, as seen by Kira's promotion to Colonel in Image in the Sand), and that Kadafi simply gave himself that highest rank there is, I would guess that that was the rank he was at when he assumed power. Knowing further details about he Libyan power structure would, of course, help clarify this.

Oops. Disregard my reference to "this episode" as Return to Grace. I forgot it was Indiscretion, and that Palandine was responding to that comment that I made for Grace.

In our military Colonel is equilivant to the Navy's rank of Captian. The highest rank in the libian military would be a general I'd imagine.

I thought the Navy was part of the military. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you mean to say, "In our army or air force"?

Why do a member of the Bajoran Militia stationed at Deep Space Nine, and a Cardassian, fly off in a FEDERATION runabout on a mission that has nothing to do with the Federation? Once again I'm mystified by Kira's role as "Bajoran Liaison Officer." Surely these two should have used either a Bajoran or Cardassian craft for this mission.

Star Wars salute?

The Breen helmets look very similar to Princess Leia's helmet that she wore in ROTJ in the throne room of Jabba the Hutt

This may be a dumb question, considering the information given, but where did the Ravinok crew get the rocks to make those graves? From the camera angles I couldn't see any rocks around so would the Breen allow their prisoners to hull around rocks from fair distances to make graves? In the guide Phil is surprised that there are no night-vision goggles in the 24th century. What's even more strange is that Kira isn't using anything to protect her from the climate, such as a cover (hat) or sunglasses...

Just because you couldn't see any rocks around from the "camera angles" does not mean there wasn't any on the entire planet.

This episode was directed by the actor that played Lt Commander Geordi LaForge on Star Trek The Next Generation.