One of the greatest Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes, "In the Pale Moonlight," owes a weird but amusing debut to Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster, Batman. "In the Pale Moonlight" is one of the seminal DS9 episodes spotlighted in Peter Holmstrom's oral history, The Center Seat: 55 years of Star Trek. It turns out the classic episode's familiar title has a funny origin borne from genuine confusion.
Ranking high among Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) best episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "In the Pale Moonlight" involves a desperate Sisko's attempts to turn the tide of the Dominion War by tricking the Romulans into siding with the United Federation of Planets. Bookended by a riveting Captain's Log explaining his decisions, Sisko reveals his conspiracy with Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) to fool Romulan Senator Vreenak (Stephen McHattie) into believing the Dominion planned to betray the Romulans. Vreenak quickly determined Sisko's proof of Dominion treachery was "a faaaake!" but Garak murdered the Senator before he could return to Romulus. Sisko's plot succeeded and the Romulans joined the war on the Federation's side. To his secret shame, Sisko decided that he "can live with it."
