Vortex (episode)

==Background information==
===Story and script===
*[[Peter Allan Fields]]' original idea for this episode was based upon the 1953 {{w|Anthony Mann}} movie {{wt|The Naked Spur}} and, as such, Fields hired that movie's writer, [[Sam Rolfe]], to do the teleplay. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'') Fields commented, "''Sam Rolfe is a legendary writer.''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Volume 24, Issue 1)
*According to [[Robert Hewitt Wolfe]], Odo's line "''I'm a security chief, not a combat pilot''" is a tribute to [[Leonard McCoy]]'s running line in {{s|TOS}}, "''[[I'm a doctor, not a...]]''." (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'')
[[File:Miradorn raider crew.jpg|thumb|A behind-the-scenes photograph of the Miradorn raider crew]]
*The script specified that two of [[Ah-Kel]]'s crewmen were [[Gatherer]]s, who were first seen in another ''[[Star Trek]]'' episode that Sam Rolfe wrote: {{TNG|The Vengeance Factor}}. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library]]'')
*In the shot in which Rom places the bottle of [[langour]] onto the drinks tray, we see that there are now five glasses instead of four. The script highlighted the change, and directed that the camera focus on the fifth glass in homage to {{w|Alfred Hitchcock}}'s 1946 film ''{{w|Notorious (1946 film)|Notorious}}''. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library]]'')
*[[Morn]] is first identified by name in this episode. His name is an anagram for a well-loved character from the television series ''Cheers'', who, like Morn, spent a lot of time sitting at the bar. (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'')

===Cast and characters===
*[[Rene Auberjonois]] was pleased with how this episode portrays his character of Odo, stating it "developed the character wonderfully." (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 24, No. 3/4, p. 95)
*[[Randy Oglesby]] portrayed both of the Miradorn twins. He also played several other characters in various ''[[Star Trek]]'' series, including [[Silaran Prin]] in the [[DS9 Season 5]] episode {{e|The Darkness and the Light}} and the recurring role of [[Degra]] in the [[ENT Season 3|third season]] of {{s|ENT}}.
*[[Armin Shimerman]] was deeply concerned about how this episode has his character of Quark become involved in a murder without facing any consequences. "''I had this chat with [[Rick Berman]] about whether we went over the line by having Quark participating in a really high crime,''" the actor recalled. "''I thought so and that might be a little dangerous for the character and for the show. It means he can get away with murder, which is not what I think the show is about, and it also makes somewhat of a fool of Odo ''[&hellip;]'' for that to happen under his nose and to let it get by him and Sisko for that matter, lessens their characters, as well.''" (''[[Cinefantastique]]'', Vol. 24, No. 3/4, p. 90)
*[[Cirroc Lofton]] ([[Jake Sisko]]) [[DS9 main character non-appearances|does not appear]] in this episode.

===Production===
*The making of this episode was extremely costly. It was produced amongst a few other installments that were also expensive to produce. (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 33)
*Originally, the Miradorn throat was designed with a loose flap of skin hanging down over the Adam's apple. Costume Designer [[Robert Blackman]] wanted to use a necklace as part of the Miradorn costume, but Make-Up Supervisor [[Michael Westmore]] felt that placing a necklace over the flap of skin would render it useless and spoil the effect. As such, it was decided to let the necklace run under the flap of skin, and glue the skin down at the bottom, so it was no longer loose. (''[[Michael Westmore's Aliens]]: Season One'', [[DS9 Season 1 DVD]], special feature)
*The exterior visuals of the [[Chamra Vortex]] were re-used shots of the [[Mutara Nebula]] from {{film|2}}, recolored slightly and flipped upside-down.

===Reception and aftermath===
*[[Michael Piller]] thought "Vortex" was "''a very effective episode. I was mostly concerned that the sentimentality of [[Yareth|the little girl]] on the planet was not going to play and that it was a little hokey. Frankly, I think it did play and I found it quite touching. I was intrigued with the mystery, and the special effects they did in the vortex were sensational.''" (''[[Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages]]'', p. 51)
*[[Winrich Kolbe]] felt that an effective aspect of this episode was the fact that, despite mistrusting Croden, Odo follows him nonetheless. "''It's intriguing,''" stated Kolbe. (''[[The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years]]'', p. 436)
*The Miradorn makeup was one of Michael Westmore's favorite designs from the [[DS9 Season 1|first season]] of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]]''. In particular, Westmore liked the throat area. (''[[Michael Westmore's Aliens]]: Season One'', [[DS9 Season 1 DVD]], special feature)
*A reviewer in ''[[Cinefantastique]]'' wrote, "''A brief appearance of the Vulcans give the universe of ''Star Trek'' in this show a refreshing breadth and diversity.''" (''Cinefantastique'', Volume 24, Issue 1)
*[[Gordon Clapp]]'s costume from this episode was sold off on the [[It's A Wrap! sale and auction]] on eBay and may have been re-used in {{film|7}}. {{stala|9316}}

===Continuity===
*This episode marks the first time that we see [[Odo]] smile. Actor [[Rene Auberjonois]] felt that this scene was an important one in the development of the character, believing that "''a smile is sort of a gift that Odo gives only on very special occasions.''" (''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion]]'')
*Not only is Morn first referred to by name in this outing but it is also in this episode that the notion that he talks too much is introduced, something that became a running [[in-joke|joke]] for the duration of the series, even though he never speaks onscreen.
*This is also the first episode in which the term "[[Changeling]]" is used to describe Odo.
*Croden did speak some truth about the Changelings &ndash; they did flee persecution from humanoids and did live in an unusual nebula in the Gamma Quadrant, {{dis|Founders' homeworld|2371|their homeworld}} being a [[rogue planet]] within the [[Omarion Nebula]], as is established in {{e|The Search, Part II}}.

===Video and DVD releases===
*UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, [[CIC Video]]): Volume 6, <!--catalog number x, -->{{d|4|October|1993}}
*As part of the [[DS9 Season 1 DVD]] collection