STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
"Paradise"
#40512-435
Story by
Jim Trombetta
and
James Crocker
Teleplay by
Jeff King
and
Richard Manning & Hans Beimler
Directed by
Corey Allen
THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED
FOR PUBLICITY OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING
WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
Copyright 1993 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights
Reserved. This script is not for publication or
reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If
lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department.
Return to Script Department FINAL DRAFT
PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
November 24, 1993
STAR TREK: DS9 - "Paradise" - 11/30/93 - CAST
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
"Paradise"
CAST
SISKO ALIXUS
KIRA CASSANDRA
DAX JOSEPH
O'BRIEN STEPHAN
VINOD
COMPUTER VOICE
Non-Speaking Non-Speaking
N.D SUPERNUMERARIES MEG
N.D. COLONISTS
STAR TREK: DS9 - "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - SETS
STAR TR&K: DEEP SPACE NINE
"Paradise"
SETS
INTERIORS EXTERIORS
DEEP SPACE NINE DEEP SPACE NINE
OPS
COMPOUND
COMPOUND
COLONY SHIP FIELD
ALIXUS'S CUBICLE
SISKO'S CUBICLE FOREST
MEDICAL FACILITY
RIO GRANDE
RIO GRANDE
ORINOCO ORINOCO
STAR TREK: DS9 - "Paradise" - 11/30/93 - PRONUNCIATION
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
"Paradise"
PRONUNCIATION GUID
ALIXUS ahl-IHK-suhs
ASTETINE AHS-teh-tihn
BAJORAN bah-JOR-an
BODAY boh-DAY
CARDASSIAN car-DASS-ee-en
DUONETIC doo-oh-NEH-tihk
FUNGI FUN-jeye
GALLAMITE GAHL-uh-mite
GASKO gahs-KOH
GEMULON GEHM-you-lahn
GOLANGA goh-LAHN-guh
MITSUYA miht-SOO-yah
ORELLIUS ohr-REHL-ee-uhs
SETLIK SEHT-lik
SLEEGER SLEE-juhr
STEPHAN STEE-vihn
VINOD VIH-nohd
XUPTA ZOOP-tuh
ZYDROLIAN zi-DRO-lee-ahn
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - TEASER 1.
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
"Paradise"
TEASER
FADE IN:
1 EXT. SPACE - RIO GRANDE (OPTICAL)
At impulse.
SISKO (V.O.)
Station log, Stardate 47573.1. We're
getting more and more requests for
information about setting up colonies
in sectors close to the wormhole.
So, Chief O'Brien and I have set out
to survey near-by star systems for M-
Class planets.
2 INT. RIO GRANDE
SISKO sitting. O'BRIEN standing by a console studying some
sensor readouts.
SISKO
If it's an imposition...
O'BRIEN
Nossir, it'll be fine...
SISKO
You're sure.
O'BRIEN
I'm sure, Commander. Jake's a good
fella. I'll enjoy working with him.
SISKO
I don't want you to make it easy for
him, Chief. He's got to know what
it takes to make it in Starfleet.
O'BRIEN
I'll have him up to his elbows in
thorium grease, sir.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - TEASER 2.
2 CONTINUED:
SISKO
(concerned)
It's not going to be easy for him.
He placed in the lower third of his
age group in mechanical aptitude...
O'BRIEN
Good for him. So did I.
SISKO
(reacts)
You. Come on...
O'BRIEN
No, it's true. It wasn't till I got
to the Cardassian front that I found
out I had talents I never knew I
had...
SISKO
At the front?
O'BRIEN
It was a matter of figuring out how
to get a field transporter operational
in ten minutes or wind up a Cardassian
prisoner of war. Now, I didn't know
a transporter from a turbolift in
those days... but somehow, in nine
minutes and fifty-three seconds, I
got that thing to work. Got thirteen
men safely off the surface of Setlik
Three. Next thing I know I'm tactical
officer on the Rutledge. That's how
I got the gold suit.
SISKO
(acknowledges)
Well, Jake's ready for a new suit
too. The boy seems to grow a
centimeter a week...
(sentimental)
He struck me out with a curve ball
the other day. First time.
O'Brien has spotted something on his sensor readouts...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - TEASER 3.
2 CONTINUED: (2)
O'BRIEN
They grow up in a hurry, don't they,
sir...
SISKO
That they do.
O'BRIEN
Hey, I think I found one... Computer,
set a new heading four-one mark three-
zero-one...
COMPUTER VOICE
Confirmed.
Sisko checks his panels...
SISKO
It's M-Class all right. One hundred
and sixty million kilometers from
Orellius Minor. Should be a perfect
place to set up a colony...
O'Brien still taking readings... has found something else...
O'BRIEN
Uh huh. Only it looks like someone's
beat us to it.
SISKO
You're reading life forms?
O'BRIEN
Human life forms.
Sisko reacts. O'Brien moves to his seat... presses panels...
as Sisko studies readouts...
SISKO
I don't see anything on the books
about a colony in the Orellius
system...
O'BRIEN
Trying all hailing frequencies.
SISKO
(as he presses panels)
Moving into synchronous orbit.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - TEASER 3A.
2 CONTINUED: (3)
O'BRIEN
No response.
(reading sensors)
I'm picking up some sort of low level
duonetic field down there... it might
be interfering with communications.
A curious beat.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - TEASER 4.
2 CONTINUED: (4)
SISKO
Why don't we introduce ourselves to
our neighbors...
O'BRIEN
Computer, ready transporter.
A bleep from the computer acknowledges as they rise...
3 EXT. FOREST - DAY (OPTICAL)
Sisko and O'Brien MATERIALIZE amidst lush, dense foliage.
They start to scan the area with their tricorders until they
realize something's wrong... Sisko reacts, glances at
O'Brien's tricorder, sees it's not working either...
SISKO
Yours too?
O'BRIEN
Self-diagnostics aren't even working.
It's just plain dead.
Sisko taps his combadge. No chirp. He reacts, tries
anyway...
SISKO
Sisko to Rio Grande...
(beat, nothing)
Computer, respond.
O'Brien has his phaser out now... tries firing it, nothing.
O'BRIEN
I'd say we have no E-M activity down
here at all...
SISKO
Any idea why?
O'BRIEN
I'm not sure... it might have
something to do with the duonetic
field our sensors picked up.
SISKO
Well, I hope you can find a few more
of those talents you never knew you
had, Chief. Or we're gonna have a
hard time getting off this...
From behind --
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - TEASER 5.
3 CONTINUED:
VINOD (O.S.)
Don't move!
WIDER
to include a rugged bowman (about thirty) -- VINOD -- behind
them, his longbow pulled taut, an arrow pointed at their
backs.
VINOD
And put your hands up.
With Vinod is a physically strong man, O'Brien's age, JOSEPH.
All are human and dressed in homespun clothes (Note: some
might be in Federation clothes that were built to last... or
might be in some patched-up Federation-type clothes)...
5 ON SISKO AND O'BRIEN
as they slowly raise their hands...
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT ONE 6.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
(Note: Episode credits fall over opening scenes.)
6 EXT. FOREST - DAY - CONTINUOUS
Everyone standing as they were: Sisko and O'Brien with their
backs to their captors. Vinod and Joseph cautiously approach.
VINOD
Turn around -- slowly.
Sisko and O'Brien obey. Their captors examine them from
head to toe -- Joseph is the first to break into a warm smile.
JOSEPH
They're from Starfleet!
SISKO
That's right. Mind if we lower our
hands?
Joseph gestures for Vinod to lower his weapon.
JOSEPH
The uniforms have changed --
(chuckling)
-- or have I just forgotten what
they looked like?
(shaking hands)
My name is Joseph. Vinod's the one
playing with the sharp object.
SISKO
(cordial)
Benjamin Sisko. This is Miles
O'Brien.
VINOD
(friendly)
How'd you get here?
O'BRIEN
I was just going to ask you the same
question.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT ONE 7.
6 CONTINUED:
SISKO
We were surveying for habitable
planets when our sensors picked up
your lifesigns... there was no record
of a human colony here...
JOSEPH
(nods)
Our group was on its way to settle
on Gemulon Five over ten years ago
when our ship developed life support
problems and we had to land for
repairs.
VINOD
Once we got here, all our systems
failed, nothing worked anymore...
O'BRIEN
So we've seen...
JOSEPH
We've been stuck here ever since. I
guess you are too now...
SISKO
We have a ship in orbit... it
shouldn't take our people long to
find us...
O'BRIEN
We'll be able to get all of you out
of here...
JOSEPH
(smiles)
After ten years, this has become
home...
O'BRIEN
But you said it yourself -- nothing
works.
JOSEPH
We still do. Come on, we'll show
you. Vinod, run ahead and tell your
mother we have guests.
Vinod nods, RUNS OFF. Joseph leads Sisko and O'Brien through
the foliage.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT ONE 8.
7 EXT. COMPOUND - DAY
Joseph, Sisko, and O'Brien make their way into the compound...
it is a formidable sight... a Federation ship has been
converted into a shelter, creating a huge backdrop... a rough-
hewn town square has been cleared in front of the ship... it
is bordered on one side by the beginnings of a farmers'
field... with corn and other vegetables growing... people
are harvesting the fields... in the square, they grind corn
into flour... a carpenter fixes a tool...
One by one, the colonists notice Sisko and O'Brien -- the
first strangers they've seen in a decade -- and react with
surprise, awe, and friendly smiles. No fear. A few stop
what they're doing and timidly approach the newcomers. One
of them is an attractive woman, (CASSANDRA) about 30.
8 ON O'BRIEN AND SISKO
eyeing the ship.
SISKO
Erewon-class personnel transport...
JOSEPH
Commissioned the "Santa Maria."
Now, we just call it "the cabin."
ALIXUS ENTERS, from the ship, Vinod at her side. Alixus is
a handsome, happy-eyed, smiling, glowingly charismatic woman,
about fifty. Her smile broadens into a wide, infectious
grin.
ALIXUS
After all this time... visitors!
Welcome to our community. Are there
others?
SISKO
Just an empty runabout in orbit.
Hopefully, it'll attract some
attention.
JOSEPH
(hungry for news)
"Runabout." Is that some kind of
new Starfleet vessel?
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT ONE 9.
8 CONTINUED:
O'BRIEN
(realizing he wouldn't
know)
Yeah, they commissioned the first
ones two years ago... they're short-
range interstellar craft... about a
quarter the size of your... "cabin"
here...
JOSEPH
(explaining his
interest)
I was the engineer aboard the Santa
Maria...
And immediately the bond between O'Brien and Joseph is
established...
ALIXUS
(encouraging the
bonding)
You and Miles will have a lot to
talk about, Joseph... I'm sure we'll
all have questions for our guests...
VINOD
Who won the soccer matches this
year... is Golanga still playing?
Laughter...
SISKO
He hurt his knee four years ago.
They replaced it with a bio-implant
but he wasn't the same after that.
(to O'Brien)
Who was it that won last year
anyway... I never can remember...
O'Brien doesn't know either...
CASSANDRA
(to Sisko)
What are women's fashions like back
home now?
Sisko reacts, thrown by the question...
SISKO
Chief, you're the married one...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT ONE 10.
8 CONTINUED: (2)
O'BRIEN
(not sure)
Keiko, my wife... she's been
replicating longer dresses lately...
CASSANDRA
Oh no, that means I'll have to alter
everything I own...
More laughter.
O'BRIEN
(trying to be helpful)
... but it might just be the Bajoran
styles she sees on Deep Space Nine...
JOSEPH
Deep Space Nine?
ALIXUS
(interrupting)
I'm sure Ben and Miles will be happy
to tell you everything you want to
know. There'll be plenty of time
for that later.
O'BRIEN
(to Joseph)
Actually, the first thing I'd like
to do is to try and get some kind of
response from the E-M systems...
ALIXUS
We gave up any hope of that years
ago...
SISKO
We noticed a low-level duonetic field
in this area before we transported
down...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT ONE 11.
8 CONTINUED: (3)
ALIXUS
(acknowledges)
The same thing appeared on our sensors
when we were landing. Our engines
failed almost the instant we hit the
surface.
JOSEPH
Without a functional tricorder, it
was virtually impossible to track
down the source.
ALIXUS
We do know that the marshes all around
us are filled with astatine
deposits... that's the only
explanation we have...
(beat, with pride, to
the others)
But we've done pretty well without
our tricorders and E-M converters
and comlinks... haven't we?
The group beams with pride. She moves to take in the full
view of the community they've built.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
After all, the human body is a
powerful tool. It can plow the fields
and harvest the crops... construct
walls for protection from the
wilderness, weave clothes we need to
stay warm. In a way, we've
rediscovered what man is capable of
doing without technology. It hasn't
been easy. We've had some bitter
winters. We've lost some friends.
But we're proud of what we've
accomplished here.
SISKO
(admiring)
You have every right to be.
CASSANDRA
Are we all going to leave when the
others come to rescue them?
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT ONE 12-13.
8 CONTINUED: (4)
ALIXUS
That's something each of us is going
to have to think about, isn't it...
CASSANDRA
Are you going to leave, Alixus?
ALIXUS
Speaking for myself...
(pauses for dramatic
effect)
... no, I'll never leave. And I'll
never want to change what we have
here in our community. It means too
much to me.
The impact of this thought is quite emotional on these people.
It gives everyone a lot to think about.
ALIXUS
(to Sisko and O'Brien)
While you're with us, you're welcome
to everything our community has to
offer. The only thing we ask is
that you contribute. We all work
for our supper here. You'll be
surprised how much sweeter it tastes
when you do.
SISKO
We'll be happy to do our part.
ALIXUS
Joseph, find them some bunks...
Joseph acknowledges and leads Sisko and O'Brien away... we
stay with Alixus and she watches them go, smiling maternally,
then wandering away separately with Vinod.
ALIXUS
Two more strong, healthy men, Vinod.
That could mean a lot to this
community.
And as she considers that for a beat, they walk away and
we...
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT TWO 14-16.
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
1 EXT. SPACE - DEEP SPACE NINE - ESTABLISHING
(OPTICAL)
2 INT. OPS
KIRA and DAX at their stations. N.D. Supernumeraries as
needed. Kira is picking up a message on her panel.
KIRA
Do you know an Admiral Mitsuya...
DAX
Best poker player in the fleet.
Next to me.
KIRA
Well, he's diverting the Crockett to
stop at DS Nine the day after tomorrow
to "talk about Cardassian foreign
policy"...
DAX
That's just an excuse to get Benjamin
in a game... Mitsuya cleaned him out
last year. We better hail the Rio
Grande and get them moving back this
way...
As Kira presses panels...
DAX
I've worked on Benjamin's poker for
two lifetimes... he just can't learn
to bluff...
KIRA
That's odd...
DAX
I know... you'd think a man like
Benjamin...
KIRA
No. The Rio Grande. It's not
responding to our hails.
OFF their curious reaction...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT TWO 17.
11 INT. COLONY SHIP - SISKO'S CUBICLE
Room for a bunk, not much more. Within the ship, the only
light anywhere comes from homemade candles. Hand-woven mats
and rough clay vases filled with native flowers give the
area a primitive, yet warm, comfortable and lived-in ambience.
It's about an hour since we last saw Sisko. He's sitting on
his bunk, curiously reading a bound (but thin) "old-
fashioned" book... one of several that have been left on his
nightstand... there are no doors. O'Brien looks in, ENTERS...
SISKO
Come in, Chief. I was just reading
one of the books written by our host.
Alixus is quite a prolific author...
O'BRIEN
(re: picking up one)
Yeah, a bunch of these were left in
my room too... I haven't had a chance
to look at them... what does she
write about?
SISKO
(dry)
She has something to say on just
about... everything!
O'BRIEN
(smiles, leafing
through a book)
Yeah?
SISKO
Economic analysis. Political
commentaries. Literary critiques.
She says she's spent her life
examining the human condition.
O'BRIEN
And what's her prognosis?
SISKO
Not very good. She says we've become
fat and lazy and dull.
O'BRIEN
My wife told me something along those
lines just last week.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT TWO 18.
11 CONTINUED:
SISKO
(reading)
"The common conceit that the human
species has evolved over the last
several centuries is ludicrous.
What gains we have made have come at
the cost of our own core identities.
Man has lost touch with his true
power."
O'BRIEN
Sounds like it took a crash landing
for her to find her paradise.
Sisko nods, puts the book down and they EXIT.
12 EXT. COMPOUND
As they come out of the ship... several colonists are working
on their various daily chores...
SISKO
Have you found anything in their
ship that might help us restore
contact with the runabout?
O'BRIEN
(shakes head)
There's nothing to find. Waveguides,
panels, conduits, baffle plates --
you name it, it's gone. The ship
looks like it's been through a Ferengi
junkyard.
SISKO
What happened to it all?
JOSEPH (O.S.)
We threw it away.
13 NEW ANGLE
to see him moving to them...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT TWO 19.
13 CONTINUED:
JOSEPH
Since none of it worked, to us it
was merely useless junk taking up
space. And...
SISKO
(having read the book)
... Alixus felt its presence was a
constant reminder of who you used to
be.
JOSEPH
(acknowledges)
We all had to abandon our dependence
on technology. Removing every trace
of it made the transition easier.
O'BRIEN
As an engineer, you must've had some
problems with that...
JOSEPH
(smiles)
I was the last convert. But as time
passed, I realized Alixus was right.
She was helping us discover a new
philosophy of life together. Because
we needed one to survive. And I'll
tell you -- every one of us is better
for it. We're more committed to
each other. We're truly a part of
each other's lives. We've renewed
the sense of community that man left
behind centuries ago.
Cassandra comes out of the ship... upset...
CASSANDRA
Joseph, Meg's fever is getting
worse...
Joseph reacts, turns to Sisko and O'Brien...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT TWO 20.
13 CONTINUED: (2)
JOSEPH
Either of you have medical training?
SISKO
Just the basics all Starfleet officers
get.
JOSEPH
I can use all the help you can
offer...
14 OMITTED
15 INT. COLONY SHIP - MEDICAL FACILITY - CONTINUOUS
There are shelves with dozens of labeled bottles and jars
of herbs. On a bunk lies MEG, an unconscious woman, burning
up with fever.
One of her forearms is swollen up and discolored, bathed
with herb leaves. Alixus is holding her hand, looks up as
they ENTER. Joseph examines the arm...
JOSEPH
The new herb doesn't seem to be
helping at all.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT TWO 21.
15 CONTINUED:
SISKO
May I see?
Sisko inspects her arm, checks her pulse at the neck, feels
her forehead for temperature. Under this:
ALIXUS
There's an insect here that transmits
a disease we haven't been able to
cure. We've lost three to it already.
SISKO
Have you found anything in the forest
that's like the sleeger fungi?
JOSEPH
We've searched everywhere for the
right fungus or root that would draw
out the infection.
SISKO
If it keeps spreading, she'll be
dead before the rescue team finds
us...
O'BRIEN
(frustrated)
The medical kit in the runabout could
probably take care of it in a second.
SISKO
(nods)
We've got to find a way to restore
the com link to the transporter...
Alixus is disturbed by this talk...
ALIXUS
That will only be a waste of time...
O'BRIEN
(thinking on his feet)
This duonetic field inhibits energy
flow... but a duonetic field is a
form of energy too... so, maybe
there's a way to modify our
communicators to run off the field
itself...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT TWO 22.
15 CONTINUED: (2)
JOSEPH
Do you really think you could...
ALIXUS
(overlapping)
No.
(reactions)
If you want to put your efforts to
good use, search the forest for
something else we might use...
SISKO
This is medicine from the dark ages.
You can't expect to save her if...
ALIXUS
(interrupting,
controlled)
Ben, may I see you outside, please.
Sisko and O'Brien exchange a look... Sisko follows her out...
16 EXT. COMPOUND
She never loses her calm, but she's angry in a corporate
sort of way...
ALIXUS
Talk like that isn't constructive.
SISKO
I'm talking about saving the life of
one of your followers.
ALIXUS
(smiles without warmth)
You don't understand us yet. No one
follows me. They follow their own
hearts.
SISKO
My heart tells me to try and get to
my ship.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT TWO 23.
16 CONTINUED:
ALIXUS
I'm sure it does. But if we'd had
that attitude for the last ten years,
we wouldn't have been doing what was
necessary to survive here. To find
the plants and herbs and molds that
cure disease. We've conquered
seventeen illnesses with the most
powerful resource man has. His
ingenuity.
SISKO
It's an interesting philosophy, and
while we're debating it, a woman is
dying.
ALIXUS
I won't have you disrupting everything
this community has worked for, Ben.
SISKO
I don't intend to stay any longer
than necessary.
ALIXUS
That's another thing. Let's not
bring up the Starfleet rescue party
again. Until they come... if they
come... you'll have to do things our
way.
(a beat, one final
thought)
I'd strongly advise getting rid of
those uniforms... by midafternoon,
it gets hot in the fields.
She walks away... on Sisko's reaction...
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT TWO
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT THREE 24.
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
17 EXT. SPACE - DEEP SPACE NINE (OPTICAL)
18 INT. OPS
Kira and Dax as before. With urgency. Supernumeraries.
DAX
The Rio Grande's been spotted.
Kira moves to Dax's station...
KIRA
Where...
DAX
The details are coming in from
Starfleet... "the Romulan vessel
Gasko reported seeing an abandoned
runabout... markings NCC seven-two-
four-five-two... "
KIRA
That's our ship all right...
DAX
"... traveling at Warp Two through
sector four-zero-one... "
KIRA
(reacts)
At warp, with no one on board?
DAX
Command wants to know if we can send
someone to investigate...
Dax presses some panels... Kira is already on the move...
KIRA
Signal them affirmative.
Dax is right behind her...
DAX
I already have.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT THREE 24A.
18 CONTINUED:
KIRA
(to computer)
Runabout Pad "C."
And they EXIT on the Turbolift.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT THREE 25.
19 EXT. FIELD NEAR COMPOUND - DAY
At the edge of the compound, Sisko, still in his uniform,
and Vinod work the field under the hot sun. In b.g., O'Brien
and Joseph do the same. It's backbreaking work; they're
all sweating profusely.
VINOD
You have a talent for this, Ben.
Sisko glances at Vinod... doesn't like being called Ben,
doesn't like this place... but there's no point in being
rude either...
SISKO
My father was a chef. He grew all
his own vegetables. My brothers and
I were sent out to the garden every
day.
Sisko even allows himself to smile as the memory hits him.
VINOD
(eager to make the
philosophical
connection)
So, this is a way for you to get
back in touch with your core identity.
(Sisko chooses not to
acknowledge)
There's nothing like eating what
you've picked with your own hands,
is there...
SISKO
(has to admit)
That's true.
VINOD
Most of the others had only eaten
replicated food before they got
here... the flavor of the foods we
prepare -- it was quite a surprise
to them...
SISKO
(investigative)
... but not to you?
VINOD
(laughs)
No, my mother wouldn't ever let me
eat replicated food.
Sisko nods, takes that in, stores it for further use...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT THREE 26.
VINOD
Are you as good a chef as your father?
SISKO
Not even close.
VINOD
You're being modest. We ought to
get you into the kitchen, Ben... you
could provide a real service to the
community... I'll talk to my mother
about it...
He smiles, decidedly friendly, moves off... Sisko considers
him, thoughtfully, takes a spoon of water from a pail...
20 ON O'BRIEN AND JOSEPH
also working... O'Brien can't help laughing...
JOSEPH
What?
O'BRIEN
I can't help thinking what my wife'd
say if she saw me doing this...
JOSEPH
Why?
O'BRIEN
Because around my house, I'm known
as The Black Thumb. I'm just one of
those people, you know? The only
way I could get anything to grow was
to marry a botanist.
JOSEPH
A botanist. Really?
O'BRIEN
You should have seen the arboretum
she grew on the Enterprise. That's
where I asked her to marry me. She'd
love it here, that's for sure...
JOSEPH
Maybe you'll bring her someday...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT THREE 27.
20 CONTINUED:
O'BRIEN
Trouble is she'd never want to
leave...
JOSEPH
That's okay too.
The creaking sound of metal attracts their attention to --
21 SISKO AND O'BRIEN'S POV - METAL PENAL BOX
In the center of the compound is a 4'x4' metal box. The box
has a few narrow breathing slots and has been placed
strategically so as to remain in the hot sun for the longest
possible time. A casual glance might suggest it's just a
storage bin of some sort. Two colonists are opening it,
removing a prisoner -- STEPHAN. He's emaciated, too weak to
stand unaided. Joseph moves over to examine him...
JOSEPH
Get him into the shade.
As they carry him to some shade...
22 ON SISKO AND O'BRIEN
thunderstruck, exchange a glance. Move to observe... Joseph
has opened a jar, that was sitting near the shed for just
this purpose, containing some water and artichoke type leaves.
JOSEPH
Here, Stephan, chew these. They'll
help you regain your strength.
O'BRIEN
What did he do to deserve this?
JOSEPH
He stole a candle.
O'BRIEN
One candle?
SISKO
How long was he in there?
JOSEPH
Since this morning.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT THREE 28.
22 CONTINUED:
O'BRIEN
In that hellbox?
Alixus arrives. Sisko confronts her...
SISKO
Is this part of your philosophy of
life too?
ALIXUS
You're a Starfleet Commander. I'm
sure you've had to discipline members
of your crew...
SISKO
Discipline is one thing. Torture is
another.
ALIXUS
The first thing this community
accepted was the need to establish
rules of conduct. All of us,
including Stephan here, approved
this form of punishment as necessary
and fair.
Alixus turns away from Sisko, faces Stephan, takes his hand
in both her own. Her demeanor is kind, caring:
ALIXUS
(continuing)
How are you, Stephan?
STEPHAN
(genuinely contrite)
I'll be all right. I'm sorry Alixus
that I... let the community down...
ALIXUS
The matter is closed. Go inside.
Get some rest now.
STEPHAN
Thank you, Alixus.
Stephan EXITS with help from Joseph. Alixus sees that Sisko
and O'Brien are looking daggers at her. She is unshaken in
her faith that what they're doing is right.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT THREE 29.
22 CONTINUED: (2)
ALIXUS
Stephan will never steal a candle
again. And neither will anyone else
who saw him here today.
(beat)
In time, you'll understand that this
is a simple, effective way to maintain
law and order in our community.
And she walks away... after a beat...
O'BRIEN
(curious)
Sir, I get the distinct impression
that she expects us to be here for
a while...
SISKO
(acknowledges)
If there's a way to adapt the energy
in the duonetic field to get us back
to the runabout, I want you to find
it, Chief.
O'BRIEN
Aye, sir.
They separate.
23 INT. COLONY SHIP - SISKO'S CUBICLE - NIGHT
Sisko is preparing for bed. His clothes are off... a plain
serape tied around his waste... there is a small clay basin
of water which he uses to clean himself... his muscles are
aching... and he rubs his shoulders, trying to get a little
extra relief... Cassandra looks in... she carries a small
clay jar...
CASSANDRA
Is there anything you need?
Sisko reacts as the woman moves in without consideration for
his undressed state...
SISKO
No, I don't think so.
She notices his discomfort, smiles warmly...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT THREE 30.
23 CONTINUED:
CASSANDRA
I'm sorry... Alixus doesn't believe
in doors... we all take it for granted
now... you'll get used to it...
SISKO
(casual, even)
Hopefully, I won't be here long enough
to get used to it...
CASSANDRA
(disappointed)
You don't like it here, do you...
SISKO
(beat)
It's not what I'm used to.
CASSANDRA
(nods)
Alixus has reminded us all that it
wasn't easy for us at first either.
She's told us to be patient with
you.
Sisko raises an eyebrow to that, again it sounds like she's
expecting them to stay. He files it away...
CASSANDRA
(re: the jar)
I know your muscles must be sore
from all the work today... this is
an oil extract from the Xupta tree.
It's wonderfully soothing.
SISKO
Thank you... I'll try some.
CASSANDRA
Would you like me to give you a
massage with it?
SISKO
I... don't think so. Thanks anyway.
CASSANDRA
It'll make you feel a lot better.
And Sisko studies her... wondering why she's here...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT THREE 31.
23 CONTINUED: (2)
CASSANDRA
Here let me show you...
She dips her fingers into the oil and rubs her hands, facing
Sisko, looking into his eyes with sexual undertones growing
more obvious and just as she's about to touch his shoulders,
he grabs her hand gently, stopping her...
SISKO
(gently)
Did she send you here?
A beat. Cassandra's eyes narrow slightly... in apparent
puzzlement.
SISKO
Did she send you here to make love
to me...
Cassandra's face tells the truth even if she can't...
24 INT. COLONY SHIP - ALIXUS'S CUBICLE - NIGHT
A cubicle no more luxurious than Sisko's. Alixus, still
fully clothed, is at her table, writing. Sisko ENTERS,
dressed in his uniform again.
ALIXUS
Ben... come in, I was just writing
about you and Miles in my journal...
I understand you're quite a chef...
Sisko slams the journal shut... she reacts... but keeps her
poise... almost pleased...
ALIXUS
Now, that's the first Core Behavior
I've seen from you since you
arrived...
SISKO
Core Behavior. Does that chapter
come before or after "sexual
procurement?"
ALIXUS
(beat)
I have a lot to say about sexuality,
Ben.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT THREE 32.
24 CONTINUED:
ALIXUS (Cont'd)
I have a feeling it might shock
someone as repressed as you seem. I
assume you're talking about
Cassandra...
SISKO
Did you send her to my room?
ALIXUS
Yes.
SISKO
I think you're contemptible.
ALIXUS
(unfazed)
Interesting. Contemptible.
(beat)
Try to see it through our eyes, Ben.
Just for a moment. Cassandra came
to me... worried because she sensed
you weren't happy.
SISKO
She's right about that.
ALIXUS
She's concerned that all you see
here is work and hardship. She wanted
you to share in our joy as well.
SISKO
So you sent her to win my devotion
to your cause...
ALIXUS
I suggested she could make it easier
for you to become a member of the
community... the choice was hers.
(a smile)
Cassandra really likes you, Ben.
Sisko has taken all this in... steps away from the
confrontation, quietly angry... he leafs through one of her
thin books...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT THREE 33.
24 CONTINUED: (2)
SISKO
It's fortunate all these books of
yours weren't on PADDS like all the
other reading materials the colonists
brought.
ALIXUS
I used to print them myself.
SISKO
(nods)
I'm not surprised. And Vinod told
me you never ate replicated food
before you came here...
ALIXUS
I'm not sure I see the connection...
SISKO
Just that you never had much use for
technology, did you. It's interesting
you happened to crash on a planet
that fit your... philosophy of life...
so well.
ALIXUS
I agree. In fact, I've started
writing a book about our experiences.
I've been wondering if in the ancient
religions of man, there aren't some
new truths to be found... something
to explain how "fate" sometimes
delivers us exactly where we need to
be.
SISKO
(evenly)
Perhaps one day you'll even feel the
hand of God on your shoulder.
She stares at him. Finally smiles.
ALIXUS
You are wonderful. You won't give a
millimeter, will you.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT THREE 34.
24 CONTINUED: (3)
They look at each other a long beat.
ALIXUS
Look at you. Still wearing your
uniform. Wanting so badly to get
back to your station with its
artificial gravity and its sterilized
air. You are so disconnected from
your core identity, Ben.
(beat)
There is a better way. How can we
help you to see it. Perhaps good,
hard work is the answer.
(softly calling o.s.)
Vinod...
Vinod ENTERS...
ALIXUS
Ben will be standing watch tonight.
Sisko says nothing, shows no defiance, just a willingness to
endure what he must. Sisko EXITS, with Vinod following.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT THREE
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT FOUR 35.
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
25 EXT. COMPOUND - MORNING
Sisko moving back toward the ship from the perimeter after
standing watch all night... tired... there's an outdoor buffet
of fruit... others are lining up to get some for breakfast...
O'Brien moves to greet him...
O'BRIEN
You all right, Commander... ?
SISKO
Just a little tired... I'll be fine...
any luck at your end?
O'BRIEN
(shakes his head)
This duonetic field is still a
mystery, sir... I can't believe it's
being generated by the astatine
deposits in the stream beds...
Alixus, moving out from the ship...
ALIXUS
Good morning, Ben... ready for
breakfast... there's some lovely
fruit here... try this...
(offering a piece to
Sisko, he takes it)
We found it growing along the
riverbank a few years ago... some
kind of native pear... good isn't
it?
Sisko only nods... picks up a plate, moves to get some more
fruit for himself...
ALIXUS
Oh, will you be able to work your
normal shift in the fields today?
O'BRIEN
What are you talking about... you
just had him up all night standing
watch...
Sisko motions for him to stop...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT FOUR 36.
25 CONTINUED:
ALIXUS
Of course, if you'd like to be
relieved of your duties today, all
you have to do is ask.
SISKO
I'll work my shift.
ALIXUS
Good. We're so shorthanded out there.
But you really should do yourself a
favor and change into more comfortable
clothes...
(starts to leave,
pauses)
Oh, by the way, you'll be pleased to
know that Meg seems better this
morning. Joseph is very optimistic
about a new combination of herbs
he's tried.
She moves away, greets others... Sisko ignores her. O'Brien
stares at her, even more motivated to find a way out of
there...
26 EXT. SPACE - ORINOCO (OPTICAL)
Traveling at warp speed.
27 INT. ORINOCO
Kira at the controls, Dax working the console.
DAX
We're picking up a ship ahead. It's
the Rio Grande -- moving at warp one-
point-three.
KIRA
Plotting an intercept course. Once
we're abeam, match our speeds exactly
and I'll transport over.
DAX
Like hell you will.
KIRA
Sorry, I'm the ranking officer...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT FOUR 37.
27 CONTINUED:
DAX
At warp, I wouldn't be in such a
hurry to volunteer.
(shakes her head)
If Chief O'Brien were here, maybe...
without him, either one of us would
wind up a subspace particle field
off the Rio Grande's stern...
KIRA
Got a better idea... ?
DAX
(standing and moving
to a rear panel)
I'm a science officer. It's my job
to have a better idea.
She starts, pressing panels...
KIRA
What are you doing?
DAX
Trying an old rope trick I learned
on Earth once.
KIRA
A rope trick.
DAX
A very talented Hopi I knew did things
with rope you wouldn't believe...
it's an old West American artform...
she could throw a lasso around Curzon
on the dead run from ten meters
away...
KIRA
You're suggesting we try to "rope"
the Rio Grande at warp...
DAX
(acknowledges)
With a tractor beam.
KIRA
When we pull it back to impulse,
isn't there a risk that the strain
will rip both hulls apart?
Returning to her seat --
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT FOUR 38.
27 CONTINUED: (2)
DAX
(shrugs)
I suppose.
KIRA
(insistent)
"I suppose?"
DAX
I suppose... there's a risk.
KIRA
You're a science officer. It's your
job to know if there's a risk.
DAX
Okay. There's a risk. If the ship
assembly teams back at the yards did
their jobs really well, we'll probably
make it. If they had an off day,
we're gonna have a problem. But
it's our best shot. Unless, as
ranking officer, you have a better
idea...
Kira looks evenly at Dax.
KIRA
We're within tractor range. Locking
on.
DAX
Engaging impulse engines.
They feel a hard jerk, hear a creak... the ride gets bumpy
but...
28
thru OMITTED
29
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT FOUR 39.
30 EXT. SPACE - RIO GRANDE AND ORINOCO (OPTICAL)
as both ships come out of warp...
30A INT. ORINOCO
As the rough ride settles down...
DAX
(low key)
Remind me to send a thank you note
to the assembly teams.
Pressing panels --
KIRA
All stop.
(as they rise and
move to the
transporter)
Computer, ready transporter...
A computer bleep and...
31 EXT. FIELD NEAR COMPOUND - DAY
High noon. Hot sun. An extremely exhausted Sisko is working
the field with a small digging tool. O'Brien is not in view.
Sisko moves to the clay bucket for a drink... he gets one
spoonful but as he goes for another... Cassandra comes by
and takes the pot...
CASSANDRA
I'm sorry... Alixus has just put
water rationing into effect for
today... no one is to get more than
one cup...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FOUR 40.
31 CONTINUED:
SISKO
Rationing. I thought you had a
constant supply of fresh water...
from the streams...
CASSANDRA
We do...
SISKO
Why is she doing this...
CASSANDRA
Because we've failed you, Ben...
we've failed to help you and Miles
find your place here in the
community...
She moves away... Sisko takes this in... after a beat, he
begins to jab the tool into the ground again, furious at the
punishment that all have to share for his actions. From the
compound, a bell rings... it's a call. People begin to move
from whatever they're doing to the center of the compound...
Sisko gets up, exhausted, moves into the compound... when
all have gathered... we may note that Vinod and O'Brien are
not present...
ALIXUS
Meg has died.
Gasps... some begin to cry... all are somber...
ALIXUS
It happened suddenly, quietly. Her
suffering has ended.
(beat)
No one was prouder of what we've
accomplished here than Meg was. I
can remember during some of our most
difficult days... hearing her
distinctive laugh echo across the
field... and it would make me smile
and give me hope. I wish I could
hear that laugh now.
(beat)
Her dedication to this community, to
us was an inspiration. Which is why
I find myself so troubled today by
an act that by its very nature defiles
her memory.
(calling)
Vinod...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT FOUR 41.
32 ANGLE - TOWARD THE SHIP
to see O'Brien, being led out by Vinod and another man...
Vinod using his arrow as a weapon at O'Brien's back... Sisko
reacts... moves to him...
ALIXUS
All of us have welcomed our new
arrivals with open arms... but they
continue to reject us. Despite their
agreement to respect our fundamental
way of life, this man has committed
the worst offense that can be
committed against this community.
He has selfishly wasted precious
time that could have been put to
productive use. Miles was discovered
attempting to activate his
technological devices... so he could
return to his ship...
Vinod hands Alixus a disassembled tricorder as evidence...
JOSEPH
Alixus, I'm sure he only wanted to
get to the medical equipment that
might have saved Meg's life...
Alixus moves on Joseph...
ALIXUS
Thank you, Joseph. I knew you would
feel that way and I'm glad you said
it. So all of us could see the true
danger these two represent. Our own
Joseph defending what he knows is
wrong. He knows if we had spent our
energy all these years trying to
escape, we would all be dead today.
(shakes her head sadly)
This is good. This is a test of our
convictions. And we will survive.
To honor Meg and the others who have
died to create this community. To
honor the living who believe in this
community. We will survive.
Speaking now to Sisko --
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT FOUR 42.
32 CONTINUED:
ALIXUS
I know your prejudice prevents you
from seeing us as we are. In time,
you will understand. And perhaps
even embrace us.
In the background, we hear the creak of the metal box...
33 ANGLE - TO SEE THE BOX BEING OPENED BY
ONE OF THE MEN
Sisko moves to Alixus...
SISKO
You're not putting him in there.
ALIXUS
No, Ben, I'm not. You're his
commanding officer. I hold you
responsible for his actions. I'm
putting you in there.
And now, it's O'Brien who struggles and is held back from
moving to Sisko's defense... Sisko and Alixus hold each
other's eyes for a long beat, and then Sisko turns, pushing
Vinod out of the way and walks without threat to the box...
turns once more to look at Alixus... and gets in. The metal
door CLANGS shut behind him... and is barred. Reaction shots
of O'Brien and Alixus and as we HOLD on the penal box, baking
in the hot sun.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT FOUR
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 43.
ACT FIVE
FADE IN:
34 EXT. SPACE - RIO GRANDE AND ORINOCO (OPTICAL)
Parallel in space.
35 INT. RIO GRANDE
Kira and Dax are on board.
KIRA
(checking console
readings, curious)
No sign of resistance. None of the
onboard weapons have been fired...
DAX
But their logs have been erased.
Someone else must have been here...
KIRA
Maybe Sisko and O'Brien beamed off
before the ship was boarded...
(beat, second thought)
But then why would someone send the
Runabout off at warp... why wouldn't
they keep it or destroy it...
DAX
(checking panels)
I think they were trying to destroy
it.
KIRA
How can you tell...
DAX
The hull's been exposed to high
temperatures and intense gamma
radiation...
(punching panels)
... if we retrace the Rio Grande's
course... it takes us right back
to...
(reaction as she gets
the results, looks
at Kira who sees
them too)
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT FIVE 44-44A.
35 CONTINUED:
KIRA
(reacts)
An F-type star...
DAX
(nods)
Orellius Minor. There's only one
way this ship could be coming straight
from Orellius Minor... and that's if
someone had tried to destroy the
ship by flying it into the star.
KIRA
(understands)
... and missed!
DAX
(nods)
If the trajectory had been slightly
off, the star's gravity flux would
have deflected it in a new direction.
Computer, run a tractor beam to the
Orinoco and prepare for warp tow...
(beat)
With a little luck, we'll be able to
find the warp signature the engines
left when they were fired up...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/08/93 - ACT FIVE 45.
35 CONTINUED: (2)
COMPUTER VOICE
Tractor beam in place.
KIRA
Course laid in for the Orellius
system. Engaging warp engines.
36 EXT. SPACE - RIO GRANDE AND ORINOCO (OPTICAL)
The flip of the previous shot. The Rio Grande leading the
Orinoco in the opposite direction at warp.
37 OMITTED
38 INT. COLONY SHIP - ALIXUS'S CUBICLE - DAY
Alixus is waiting. Vinod and Sisko ENTER. Sisko stands,
almost weaving on his feet -- and too parched even to speak.
Alixus nods to Vinod, who EXITS.
39 ON ALIXUS
handing Sisko a towel to wipe his sweat-drenched face. Alixus
is genuinely troubled. She gestures for him to be seated.
He remains right where he is, in defiance.
Alixus pleads:
ALIXUS
(continuing)
Please.
She means it. Sisko sits on the edge of her bunk.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT FIVE 46.
39 CONTINUED:
ALIXUS
(continuing)
This is painful for me, too. I want
so much to give you water... let you
lie down... sleep. But I can't.
Not without your help.
Sisko tries to speak, but can't. His throat's too dry.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
I know it's too difficult to speak
right now. Just rest.
She pours herself a cup of water. There's no hint of
spitefulness or cruelty on her face as she does so.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
Change doesn't come easily to you; I
realize that. Believe me, I'm not
expecting a sudden, miraculous
conversion. The change'll come by
itself... if you're open to it.
She picks up a neatly folded homespun shirt and trousers.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
But you do have to show us that you
are open to it.
She unfolds the clothes and holds them up before Sisko.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
A good start would be to get rid of
that uniform.
A long beat. Sisko makes no response. Alixus lays the
clothes out across her bed.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
I'll leave you these clothes...
Alixus pours a full cup of water and sets it down on the
table. (But she'll take with her the flagon whence it came.)
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 47.
39 CONTINUED: (2)
ALIXUS
(continuing)
Once you've changed, you can have
this cup of water. And when you
drink, everyone will be allowed to
drink...
She moves to the doorway.
ALIXUS
(continuing)
Join us, Ben.
And she EXITS.
40 CLOSE ON SISKO
His lips are parched; his throat aches. He can't take his
eyes off:
41 ANGLE - THE CUP OF WATER
full to the brim in the center of the table.
42 EXT. COMPOUND - COLONY SHIP - DAY
Alixus is kneeling with a worker, patting her on the back
with encouragement... as the worker glances past her and
Alixus turns to see --
43 ANGLE - SISKO
come out of the ship... still wearing his uniform. he
silently staggers by Alixus without acknowledging her...
44 ALIXUS
eyes barely narrow as she follows his movement...
45 ON SISKO
walking toward the penal box. His weakened legs fail him
and he falls. O'Brien instinctively rushes toward him --
but a hard look from Sisko stops him.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 48.
45 CONTINUED:
Sisko gathers his inner strength and struggles to his
feet. Dusting himself off, he walks with enormous dignity
through the courtyard back into the box.
46 THE COLONISTS
all look to Alixus... who tries not to betray the impact of
this... small, but significant defeat.
47 ON O'BRIEN
filled with pride and admiration for his commander. O'Brien's
previous doubts and uncertainties have vanished; he knows
what he must do.
TIME CUT:
48 EXT. JOSEPH'S WORK STATION - CLOSE ON HANDS
as they break two rocks together... making a sliver... he
picks up one...
48A WIDER
As O'Brien examines it. He has a phaser on.
JOSEPH (O.S.)
What are you doing here, Miles...
Revealing Joseph arriving... O'Brien knows he'll never get
away now without Joseph's assistance...
O'BRIEN
I... need a little help, Joseph...
JOSEPH
With what?
O'Brien's eyes meet his... Joseph's expression drops...
JOSEPH
There's nothing I can do. Please
don't ask me...
O'BRIEN
I've got to try and track down where
this duonetic field is coming from...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 12/01/93 - ACT FIVE 49.
48A CONTINUED:
JOSEPH
We told you... there are astetine
deposits...
O'BRIEN
That's not what's causing it... if
it were, I'd've had that transmitter
working and we'd all be out of here
already... it's something else...
and I've figured out a way that might
get me to the source of it...
JOSEPH
(understanding)
You want me to look the other way
while you leave...
O'BRIEN
She'd put you in the box, wouldn't
she...
Joseph looks down silently...
O'BRIEN
(continuing)
Then, do me a favor and just look
down at this hematite deposit I just
found...
He indicates the base of the cave wall...
JOSEPH
Miles...
O'BRIEN
I can do it so it won't hurt at all...
Joseph and Miles share a long look... finally, Joseph drops
his head as though to examine the deposit... off camera,
O'Brien does something with his hand... like a flick of the
wrist... we hear Joseph slump o.c.
O'BRIEN
I owe you one my friend...
He looks around and slips away and we see Joseph lying
there...
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 50.
49 OMITTED
50 EXT. FOREST - DAY - INSERT
On a cup with water... a needle sticking up from the center
and a piece of tree bark pivoting on the top of the water.
He places a sliver of the rock on the bark... it begins to
quiver as it picks up the duonetic field source. We hear
the sound of running water in the background.
51 WIDER
O'Brien examines the cup... follows the direction it indicates
and disappears into the woods.
TIME CUT:
52 EXT. FOREST - DAY
O'Brien has reached a small clearing in the forest. He looks
at his compass --
52A INSERT - CLOSE ON THE CUP
The needle is quivering as he gets closer to the source.
52B O'BRIEN
continues to move... more carefully now...
53 INSERT - CLOSE ON THE CUP
The needle is going berserk -- spinning wildly.
54 ON O'BRIEN
reacts, drops to his knees and begins digging. The soft
soil is displaced easily. Before long, he finds what he's
been looking for --
55 CLOSE ON
a black metal box suggesting huge underground adjuncts... a
panel shows high-tech electronics... and assorted working
indicators.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 50A.
55 CONTINUED:
O'Brien leans back, reacts, thinks about this remarkable
discovery...
56 ON O'BRIEN
really confused at first at his find. But it slowly comes
to him what's going on... but before he can do anything else --
an arrow THUNKS into a tree, inches from his head.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 51.
57 WIDER TO INCLUDE VINOD
the archer, reaching in his quiver for a second shaft.
O'Brien takes flight in the opposite direction, disappears
into the thick foliage,
58 ON VINOD
as he rounds the bend. With careful eyes he scans the
vegetation --
59 VINOD'S POV
of the all-too-still forest. Then he sees it -- part of
O'Brien's uniform is visible through the thicket.
60 ON VINOD
letting his shaft fly -- the arrow hitting its target with a
THUNK. He moves closer to examine... and sees the empty
uniform stuck by the arrow into the base of a tree... and as
he reacts...
61 ANGLE
O'Brien in his shorts and t-shirt swings down from a tree
and kicks Vinod with a swift punt to the chin, putting him
down immediately.
O'BRIEN
Well, you finally got one of us out
of our uniform.
O'Brien then picks up Vinod's bow and unstrings it.
62 EXT. COMPOUND - PENAL BOX - DAY
O'Brien, dressed again in the slightly damaged uniform, has
used the bowstring to tie Vinod's hands in front of him,
pulls Vinod along into the compound clearing. The colonists
stop to gape. O'Brien heads for the penal box, passing
Cassandra:
O'BRIEN
Get her out here!
Cassandra rushes toward the colony ship.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 52.
63 ANGLE ON O'BRIEN (OPTICAL)
O'Brien strides to the penal box -- draws his phaser -- and
FIRES at the locking bar, destroying it...
The colonists GASP at the sight of a working phaser.
64 NEW ANGLE
as O'Brien helps a much-heartened Sisko from his metal prison.
O'Brien then addresses the colonists:
O'BRIEN
Get him some water.
And he's the man with the gun. A colonist quickly brings
the jar with the water and artichoke leaves and feeds them
to Sisko...
O'BRIEN
(continuing)
Do you know why this phaser works
now?
65 ANGLE TO INCLUDE ALIXUS & JOSEPH
EMERGING from the colony ship.
O'BRIEN
Because I shut down the duonetic
field that was keeping it from
working. The artificially created
duonetic field.
The colonists react with shock, look to Alixus for
explanation. Alixus knows the game's up, but stands
impassive, head held high.
ALIXUS
(re: Vinod)
Untie him, please. He's not to blame.
O'Brien won't have any part of it...
O'BRIEN
The young man just fired a couple of
arrows at me. In my community, that's
a crime.
66 ON SISKO
touching his combadge. It CHIRPS, functioning again.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 53.
66 CONTINUED:
SISKO
Sisko to Rio Grande. Computer
acknowledge.
ALIXUS
Your ship is no longer in orbit,
Ben. I destroyed it.
SISKO
I assume that means -- you control
the duonetic field.
ALIXUS
I helped to invent it.
(a beat)
You'd be surprised how many scientists
are sympathetic to my philosophies.
I met a quantum physicist at the
Delta Six station who was
investigating how certain radiation
inhibits electromagnetic flow. I
immediately saw the potential of his
work.
JOSEPH
Then... it was no accident that we
developed life support problems near
this planet...
ALIXUS
No. We were always on our way here,
Joseph. I chose it months in
advance... it was far away from any
trade routes... completely isolated.
It was perfect for our ideal
community. I hoped when we landed
here that we would never leave.
CASSANDRA
You lied to us. You've been lying
to us for ten years.
But Alixus is far from defeated here... she connects with
the stunned eyes of her community...
ALIXUS
Yes. But perhaps a lie can lead to
a more important truth. Would any
of you have learned who you really
are at the core if you hadn't come
here?
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/30/93 - ACT FIVE 54.
66 CONTINUED: (2)
ALIXUS
Joseph, you would have been a
repairman all your life. Cassandra,
you would have been a technical clerk
in some closed-in room. Stephan, my
friend, you would probably be in
prison by now. Look at yourselves.
Look at what you've become. What
you have achieved here has redefined
your potential... the potential of
man. Just as I knew it would. You
are the living proof.
SISKO
(simply)
And what of the dead.
This is where there is no escape for Alixus and she knows
it.
SISKO
(continuing)
What of Meg and the others?
They wait for her response.
ALIXUS
(softly)
Only my son knows how I suffered as
I watched each of them die.
SISKO
(evenly)
You were willing to let them die to
prove your theories. You're going
to have to answer for what you've
done.
ALIXUS
(softly)
I'm prepared to go with you.
(to her people)
Casualties were inevitable. I had
to accept that from the start.
O'BRIEN
A philosophy of life was worth more
to you than life itself.
SISKO
If it had been your son who was sick,
would you have let him die... ?
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - REV. 11/24/93 - ACT FIVE 55.
66 CONTINUED: (3)
ALIXUS
(sincere)
Yes.
(beat)
For the sake of the community. I
did it all for the community.
But everyone has lost friends, loved ones... they are not
forgiving... and as she looks around at their faces, she
knows she's lost them.
67 ON SISKO
as his combadge CHIRPS.
KIRA'S COM VOICE
Kira to Sisko. Are you all right,
Commander...
SISKO
Everything's under control, Major.
Stand by to begin multiple transports.
KIRA'S COM VOICE
Acknowledged.
O'BRIEN
We've got room for all of you on the
runabout... if you have anything you
need to bring with you, you ought to
go get it now...
Nobody moves... they look at each other... O'Brien and Sisko
exchange a glance... After a beat...
JOSEPH
This is our home, Miles. Whatever
Alixus may be guilty of... she did
give us our community. I'm not sure
if we'll leave the device on or off
now that we know it's there... and
we'll have to decide if we want to
establish contact with the outside
world. But Alixus is right. We
have found something here... that
none of us is willing to give up.
DEEP SPACE: "Paradise" - 11/24/93 - ACT FIVE 56.
O'Brien acknowledges, understands. And so Alixus has a
victory after all... she smiles at her community...
ALIXUS
It's time for those of us who don't
belong here to leave, Ben.
Sisko has to agree, hits his combadge... holds her arm with
his hand... O'Brien does the same with Vinod...
SISKO
Four to beam up, Major.
And as they DEMATERIALIZE...
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT FIVE
THE END