A first for Trek! A three part episode, and so far it isn't even terrible! I completely forgot how sharply the show transitioned into its second season, but they are telling the story of Bajor and DS9 hardcore. Sure there is a check in with an admiral, but Sisko does everything he can to ignore orders as quickly as possible. Vedek Winn continues to be super evil and it is ever more apparent that the only prophets she serves live in her head rather than in the "celestial temple." Quark and Odo continue to have a productive partnership, but this time it is probably out of mutual "admiration" of Kira more than anything else.
The episode opens with Sisko discussing Kira's transfer with Minister Jaro who insists in is a promotion rather than punishment. It also seems Li has been assigned to the station to keep him safe from the dangerous situation on the planet. In her quarters Kira is trying to pack, but first Odo arrives to try and talk her into fighting to stay on the station. Then Dax, Bashir, O'Brien and Quark show up and they are interupted by the arrival of Vedek Bareil who offers to take her to his monastery to get her spiritual self in order. On Bajor Kira is having a hard time fitting in at the monastery so Bareil lets her experience one of the orbs which gives her a vision of being denounced by Vedek Winn and then falling in love with Bareil.
Back on DS9 Odo is trying to keep things safe from the circle who keep painting their logos everywhere including the door to Sisko's quarters. It also looks like the provisional government is getting ready to use the military against the circle. Odo starts looking into where the circles weapons are coming from and is so serious he deputizes Quark who helps him figure out that the Kressari are smuggling weapons in. At the monastery things are getting tense, the sounds of artillery fire echo through the hills and Vedek Winn shows and and has some loosely veiled threats for Kira. On DS9 they have located a freighter suspected in weapons smuggling and O'Brien works to get Odo on board to figure out who is behind it.
Kira is kidnapped by the circle and their leader emerges, minister Jaro, the same one who relieved her of duty on DS9. She refuses to help him and gets tortured for it. Odo meanwhile learns the Cardassians are behind the weapon shipments and even gets the thumbscanner used to complete the sale. Sisko mounts a rescue mission to get Kira and the find her brutalized but manage to escape back to the station. Li learns about the weapons from Cardassia and offers to try and convince the Bajoran people to stand up to the circle, but it is too late. Communications to the planet are jammed and attack ships are on the way. Sisko is ordered to evacuate the station but stalls so he can stay and fight. To be continued...
Review: They keep turning up the tension in this plot line. I realize they are going to eventually have to stop saying "to be continued" at the end of the episodes, but really the long form story the show turns into could just keep going this way for a long time. The characters established first season are really starting to shine.
7 out of 10
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