"The Wire" is the 42nd episode of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 22nd episode of the second season.
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station near the planet Bajor, as Bajor recovers from a recently ended 50-year occupation by the hostile Cardassians. This episode is the first to explore the backstory of recurring character Garak, a disgraced Cardassian former spy living in exile as a tailor on Deep Space Nine.
"The Wire" was written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe and directed by Kim Friedman, and it aired May 8, 1994 in syndication. Guest stars include Andrew J. Robinson as Garak, Ann Gillespie as Nurse Jabara, Jimmie F. Skaggs as Boheeka and Paul Dooley as Tain. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club praised the episode for its complexity, and how it manages to change perspective on Garak without it seeming like the character's motives shifted merely because of the whims of the writers. He was also pleased that the episode gave Bashir a challenge worthy of his talents. Keith R.A. DeCandido, reviewing the episode for Tor.com in 2013, gave it a rating of eight out ten, noting it as a showcase for Garak and Bashir.
In 2014, Gizmodo ranked "The Wire" as the 49th best episode of the Star Trek franchise, out of over 700 episodes made by that time.
Releases
On April 1, 2003 Season 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was released on DVD video discs, with 26 episodes on seven discs.
This episode was released in 2017 on DVD with the complete series box set, which had 176 episodes on 48 discs.