Season 1 of DS9 seemed stuck trying to imitate or tie into TNG but it ended with a uniquely DS9 episode and season 2 picks up right where the first left off. I really appreciate that rather than casting the Bajorans as somehow perfect moral creatures for having survived occupation they are instead shown to be just as petty and feuding as humans or any other race. This is also an episode about what it means to be a hero and how to deal with the perception that you are when you don't see yourself that way. The only serious criticism is that the political problem of a Federation ship sneaking into Cardassian space and breaking into a prison is resolved a little too easily, but it doesn't seriously detract from the episode.
The episode opens with a confused Odo in Quarks. He is trying to figure out why Quark helped him catch smugglers by Quark just claims he did it to confuse him. Quark then receives a Bajoran earring from a freighter captain and when he shows it to Kira she grabs it from him and storms off. Kira asks Sisko to borrow a runabout so she can try and rescue an important Bajoran prisoner from a Cardassian labor camp. Sisko could really use a strong Bajoran leader so he agrees to let her do it but insists that O'Brien go along with her which seems kinda rough given that he has a family, but things work out fortunately. O'Brien has also found some graffiti from a Bajoran extremist group which has Sisko on edge.
Kira and O'Brien manage to sneak into Cardassian space and talk their way past a scan. They make it to the camp but there are too many prisoner to beam out so they land and trick the guards into letting them in. They have to leave a few prisoners behind to cover their escape but make it out with the injured leader Kira was so excited about. When they get back to the station Sisko is talking to Dukat who appologizes for having kept Bajoran prisoners after the occupation ended. The leader, Li Nalas, seems a bit overwhelmed by the outpourings of support he is getting from Bajorans around the station.
Late that night Quark and Rom are dividing up the money for the day and after Rom leaves some masked people show up and brand the same symbol that was painted on a bulkhead earlier onto Quark's head. Seeing what is happening and after a long talk with Sisko and an escape attempt Li agrees to work with the Bajoran government. He returns to the station with a minister who announces Li will be the new liaison officer to DS9, Kira asks what about her since that is currently her job, but she is told it isn't her job any more.
Review: One of the main things I remember about DS9 was how political it got, but always Bajoran politics. This episode goes a long way to getting them going in that direction. Also the little Bashir is in this one he isn't super annoying! Not the most memorable episode other than the cliffhanger, but a solid start to what is to come.
6 out of 10
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