Star Trek: DS9 episode
"Life Support"
Bareil is injured
Episode no.	58
Prod. code	459
Airdate	January 31, 1995
Writer(s)	Ronald D. Moore Christian Ford Roger Soffer
Director	Reza Badiyi
Guest star(s)	Louise Fletcher as Kai Winn Philip Anglim as Bareil Aron Eisenberg as Nog Lark Voorhies as Leanne Andrew Prine as Legate Turrel Ann H. Gillespie as Nurse
Year	2371
Stardate	48498.4
Episode chronology
Previous	"Past Tense, Part II"
Next	"Heart of Stone"

"Life Support " is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 13^th episode of the third season.

Quick Overview: During pivotal negotiations with the Cardassians, Vedek Bareil Antos is fatally injured.

[edit] Plot

As the show opens, a Bajoran transport carrying Kai Winn and Vedek Bareil suffers a mishap, and Bareil is left injured. He is brought on board Deep Space Nine, where he is treated by Dr. Bashir. They soon, however, find that he is braindead. Because Bareil was in the midst of negotiations with the Cardassians, the talks would collapse without him, so Bashir suggests a radical procedure - replacing the damaged part of his brain with a positronic matrix.

The surgery is a success, except for the fact that Bareil is still severely brain-damaged and can live only for several months, just enough time to hopefully conclude his negotiations with the Cardassians. His lover, Major Kira, speaks with him, but he barely recognizes her. He is no longer the man she fell in love with.

Bareil is kept alive long enough to aid in completing the negotiations, and the treaty is formed between Bajor and Cardassia. As Bareil's condition worsens, Kira insists Bashir replace the remainder of his damaged brain with positronic matrices, but Bashir refuses on the grounds it will remove any 'spark of life' Bareil has left. The episode closes with Kira sat at the bedside, regaling a slowly dying Bareil with the tale of how she first fell in love with him.

[edit] External links

• Life Support at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Life Support article at STARTREK.COM, the official Star Trek website

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