Valiant ( episode ) Fleeing a Jem ' Hadar attack aboard a runabout , Jake and Nog are rescued by a " Defiant " - class ship crewed by over - eager Red Squad cadets who are biting off more than they can chew . Summary . Teaser . In the bar , Quark is grousing about the backup in his drink orders because of a replicator malfunction . He says his maintenance request has been put off by Chief O ' Brien , who is already overworked and shorthanded since Nog has been sent on a diplomatic errand to Ferenginar . But Quark is flustered when Jadzia Dax offers to repair his replicator , as repayment for some repair work that Nog did for her the week before . He insists that such a job is " beneath " her , and Odo , listening , wryly observes that the Ferengi has some tender feelings for the Trill . Nog and Jake are departing Starbase 257 in the runabout " Shenandoah " , to deliver an official message from the Federation Council to Grand Nagus Zek . Even if Nog won ' t say anything about its contents , Jake suspects it is about something big , maybe even an alliance . Their discussion is cut short when they encounter a wing of six Jem ' Hadar fighter s on their way to attack the base . Even though they weren ' t the original objective , one fighter breaks formation and comes after them . Act One . Nog makes an emergency warp jump , despite Jake ' s warnings that their course is taking them further into Cardassian territory . When Nog drops to impulse speed to engage the Jem ' Hadar ship in real space , the runabout takes a heavy beating from its weapons , but then they are miraculously saved by a ship they first believe to be the , but which turns out to be a ship of the same class , the . While the ship engages the enemy fighter , the two friends are beamed aboard and are surprised to be greeted by " Chief " Dorian Collins – a young woman in the uniform of a cadet , but wearing a chief ' s rank insignia . Taken to the bridge , they see that the entire crew is composed of cadets from Red Squad , the elite cadre within Starfleet Academy that Nog so fervently wanted to join two years earlier . ( ) " Captain " Tim Watters , the ship ' s CO , explains that he was given a battlefield commission by the previous captain , , and he has promoted other cadets as needed to fill vacant positions . Watters orders Chief Collins to take Jake to sickbay to see to some minor burns he has suffered . When the ship ' s first officer , " Commander " Karen Farris , reports that the warp drive is still functioning below warp three , Nog volunteers a suggestion , and Watters is happy to accept the advice of a trained engineer . Cutting between sickbay and Captain Watters ' s ready room , Chief Collins and Watters explain their unique situation to Jake and Nog , respectively : the " Valiant " departed on a shakedown cruise eight months ago , crewed by seven regular officer s and thirty - five cadets , on a three - month training mission to circumnavigate the Federation . Although such cruises are standard for senior cadets , Jake notes that it is unusual for them to be entrusted with a state - of - the - art warship , or for such a large group of cadets to be given a mission of such complexity . Collins proudly explains that they are Red Squad , and considered anything but usual . However , the ship was caught behind enemy lines when the war broke out . In a battle with a Cardassian warship , in which all the senior officers were killed or mortally wounded , Captain Ramirez gave Watters command of the ship . When the war broke out , Starfleet Command ( apparently unaware that command of the ship had passed to a cadet ) transmitted new orders to the " Valiant " to collect technical data on a new Dominion battleship being deployed in their sector . Since they were ordered to maintain radio silence , the ship had been cut from the rest of Starfleet since the outbreak of the war . Undaunted , the young captain is determined to carry on the " Valiant " s mission . Nog is awestruck , and Watters offers him a post as chief engineering officer . Even Nog is a little hesitant to take on such a responsibility , but Watters tells him that the undermanned ship needs him . Act Two . Chief Collins takes Jake to the mess hall , where he draws more than a few stares from the rest of the thirty three - man crew ( being the only civilian on board ) . They converse amiably , and Collins starts to tell him about her hometown on Luna . She appears to be getting upset during the conversation , and excuses herself saying she ' s on duty . In engineering , Nog makes some modifications that Farris objects are unsafe , but Watters is willing to try anything , and the ship succeeds in getting to warp 4 . Watters comes to sickbay and , despite Collins ' s disapproval , grabs some pills from a cabinet and swallows them . He notices she ' s been crying , and she admits that she has been feeling a little homesick . The next thing Jake knows , he has been summoned to the ready room for an " interrogation " by Watters and Farris . They remind him of the extreme urgency of their mission , and say that his presence is upsetting the delicate morale of their shipmates . They dismiss Jake , and Watters tells Farris to keep a close eye on him . Before she is dismissed , Farris remarks that Watters spent another double shift on the bridge , and she is concerned that he is not getting enough sleep . Watters assures her that he is fine – before swallowing another handful of pills after she has left . Act Three . Still smarting , Jake runs into Nog , and is surprised to see that he has now joined the crew , with a brevet rank of lieutenant commander . Nog is stung when Jake echoes his own earlier doubts about whether he is ready to be chief engineer of a starship . Before they can argue further , red alert is sounded and they run to the bridge . The " Valiant " has located the objective of its mission . While hovering outside its sensor range , the ship launches a class 3 probe to gather the intelligence needed , and shadows the ship for several hours . Between an over - zealous crew and an almost inhuman dynamic , the mission finally comes to a successful end . In the mess hall , Watters announces that their mission is a success : they have gathered the required intelligence without being detected , and they are now free to return to Federation space . But Watters says that their scans indicate a major design flaw in the Jem ' Hadar battleship – its antimatter containment unit is composed of viterium , ordinarily resilient , but unstable when exposed to delta radiation . A direct hit with a specially - modified quantum torpedo should be able to destroy the entire ship . Nog immediately sees a problem : the modified torpedo will need to have its guidance system all but removed , which means the " Valiant " will need to fire at extreme close range and remain there while the torpedo is guided in manually . Captain Watters says it may be dangerous , but it is better that they take the risk than have " some other ship , with some other crew " be asked to take it later . Having had enough , Jake Sisko attempts to appeal to the common sense of the crew and convince them to leave the area with the new information . He says that his father has a well - deserved reputation as one of the best combat commanders in the fleet and not even he would attempt this mission with a single ship ( even were that ship the " Defiant " with a full crew complement ) . Watters dismisses his objections , deciding that the reward outweighs the risk and that they are Red Squad and they can do " anything " . The crew begin cheering . Act Four . Alone in engineering , Jake tries to talk some sense into Nog while he is modifying the torpedo . The Jem ' Hadar battleship they are going up against is twice as large as a starship , with three times the armament , yet Watters wants to try and combat it with a single escort vessel . Nog says that the captain knows what he ' s doing , something Jake would understand if he was an officer and not just a reporter . Angrily , Jake tells Nog about Watters ' s addiction to cordafin stimulants , but Nog refuses to listen . Jake says that Watters is going to get them all killed , and Nog orders Jake , " get out ! " Watters happens to be monitoring their conversation from his ready room , and summons help right as Jake said that Collins told him of Watters ' drug - taking . As soon as Jake leaves engineering , he is apprehended by two cadets with phaser s and thrown in the brig . The " Valiant " prepares for its mission : the sickbay crew is drilled , and Collins issues phaser rifle s to the security teams in case they have to repel boarders ( or perhaps even board the vessel themselves ) . Watters addresses all hands with an inspirational speech , reminding them to keep their minds on their duty . The ship accelerates to warp 6 . Act Five . When the Jem ' Hadar warship spots the " Valiant " , it drops out of warp and turns to face them . There is a moment of nervousness , as the bridge crew starts to fully appreciate what they are up against . Watters remains undaunted , and orders the helm to take the ship on a head - to - head attack run at close range to avoid its weapons . The Jem ' Hadar open fire , and " Valiant " begins to take damage . The torpedoes are launched , and Farris guides them to the battleship ' s perceived weak spot . The torpedo es score a direct hit , and the bridge crew cheers as there is an explosion of flame , and the battleship begins to founder . . . before emerging intact from the fireball . Taken aback , Watters asks if the torpedoes missed , and Farris says no , they scored a direct hit – except their tactic simply " didn ' t work . " All of a sudden , the reality of their situation settles onto the bridge ; the normally arrogant and overzealous Red Squad is replaced by a group of very frightened youths , trapped deep in enemy space and massively outgunned at close range by an invulnerable enemy ship five times the size of their escort . The battleship begins hammering the " Valiant " with its own torpedoes . Watters starts to order evasive maneuvers , when a console explodes and kills him . The " Valiant " loses main power , propulsion , weapon s , and shield s . Farris starts to repeat the evasion order , before more explosions kill her and the rest of the bridge crew , except Nog and Collins . Collins asks Nog for orders , since he is now ranking officer , saying their phaser bank s are still partially functional , but after a moment ' s pause , Nog knows the battle ' s outcome is now a foregone conclusion . After he triggers the evacuation alert , Nog grabs Collins ' hand and leads her off the bridge . In the brig , most of the security crew has been killed when Nog and Collins run down to free Jake from the holding cell . Together , they make their way to the escape pod s . Only four pods are launched from the " Valiant " ; two are shot down by the battleship , and one is caught in the explosion as the " Valiant " is destroyed . The listing , rupturing hull of the " Valiant " hides from the battleship ' s view the one pod that gets away , carrying Nog , Jake , and Collins . In a nearby sector of space , the " Defiant " is searching for Nog and Jake ' s missing runabout , when Major Kira picks up the pod ' s transponder signal , identifying it with the " Valiant " . Worf warns that the " Valiant " officially went missing eight months ago , and it may be a Dominion trap . Sisko says they have to check it out anyway . The pod is rescued , though Sisko grimly informs Jake that no others were found in the area . Dr . Bashir treats their injuries , and Jake goes to comfort a somber Nog in sickbay . Nog asks if Jake plans to write about the incident . When Jake says he probably will , Nog asks him to write that the " Valiant " was a good ship , with a good crew , whose only mistake was blindly following Captain Watters as he led them " over a cliff . " From her sickbed , Collins objects , saying that Watters was a great man , and if the mission failed , it was the crew that ultimately failed him . Nog tells Jake to include both opinions , and let people decide for themselves . Nog himself , however , has reached his own judgment : gently taking Collins ' hands in his own , he returns his Red Squad insignia , telling her that while Watters might have been a great man , he was a bad captain . Memorable quotes . " " If we keep going in this direction , we ' ll run into Cardassia Prime . And that won ' t be any fun at all . " " " " You ' re in love ! " " " " This is the captain . We are about to engage the enemy . For eight months , I ' ve told you to stay focused on one thing . Your duty . But now , I want you to step back from your duty . Take a look around . And I don ' t mean look at the walls . I want you to look at this moment in your life . Take it in . Appreciate the fact that you are on this ship , with this group of people , at this point in history . But understand one thing above all else . This moment will never come again . Hold on to it . Savor it for as long as you can . You ' re Starfleet , you ' re Red Squad , and you ' re the best . Now , let ' s get that battleship and we can all go home . Captain out . " " " " You all probably know who my father is . Benjamin Sisko . So you know I ' m not exaggerating when I say that he ' s considered to be one of the best combat officers in the fleet . And I ' m telling you right now that even with the entire crew of the " Defiant " with him , my father would never try to pull off something like this . And if he can ' t do it , it can ' t be done . " " " " We ' re Red Squad and we can do anything ! " " " " You don ' t understand because you ' ve never put on one of these uniforms . You don ' t know anything about sacrifice or honor or duty or any of the things that make up a soldier ' s life ! I ' m part of something larger than myself . All you care about is you . " " " " That ' s right . All I care about is Jake Sisko and whether or not he ' s going to be killed by a bunch of delusional fanatics looking for martyrdom ! " " " " We let ourselves blindly follow Captain Watters , and he led us over a cliff . " " " " That ' s not true . Captain Watters was a great man . " " " " Dorian , he got everyone killed . " " " " If he failed , it ' s because we failed him . " " " " Put that in your story , too . Let people read it and decide for themselves . He may have been a hero . He may even have been a great man . But in the end , he was a bad captain . " " Links and references . References . Acting ; " all hands " ; antimatter storage system ; auxiliary power ; battle cruiser ; battle stations ; battlefield commission ; boulder ; Cardassia ; Cardassian s ; Cardassian battle cruiser ; commanding officer ; commission ; cordafin ; damage report ; ; ; delta radiation ; deuterium injector ; Earth ; editor ; engineer ; Evacuation alert ; Evasive maneuvers ; Federation ; Federation Council ; Federation News Service ; FNS editor ; Ferengi ; Ferenginar ; flux moderator ; Grand Nagus ; granddad ; Guidance system ; impulse control system ; interview ; Jem ' Hadar battleship ; Kepla sector ; lunar schooner ; lung ; mechanic ; meter ; plasma intercooler ; promotion ; Quark ' s ; radio silence ; raktajino ; ; Red Squad ; repairman ; ; Rom ; runabout ; Sea of Clouds ; Sector 22757 ; ; Shuttlecraft ; silken sunrise ; silven surprise ; ; Starbase 257 ; Starfleet Academy ; stimulant ; strafing ; tourist ; Training vessel ; Tycho City ; ; warp core assembly ; Zek