Responding to a distress call in the Gamma Quadrant, Kira, Dax, and Bashir land on a planet that the Jem'Hadar had all but destroyed two centuries earlier. The planet has been contaminated with The Blight, a hereditary and terminal disease. As the last surviving inhabits endure the agonizing final stages of the illness, known as "the quickening," Dr. Bashir becomes obsessed with finding a cure. First broadcast on May 20, 1996, "The Quickening" was written by Naren Shankar and directed by Rene Auberjonois. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide